The Only Way to Salvation is the Lord - Galatians 1:1-10

Based on Galatians 1:1-10 (New King James Version)

“Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

As he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul warns concerning obeying another gospel, and that there is only one gospel, only one way to salvation. And he warns in such a way that if anything else different is preached, and even if a supposed angel teaches something different, that it needs to be taken as accursed. This warning within itself would rule out some very popular religions and beliefs today. But in the end, nothing that is outside of the Bible, outside of the Word of God can be accepted as being part of God’s gospel. And if there are counsels or teachings, they must be directly related and based on the fulness of the Word of God, and not just based on a few passages in the Bible. For something to be taken as coming from God, it must be based on the Word of God.

Now then, what is this gospel that Paul is talking about that is so singular and exact? The gospel as such was introduced by the Lord Himself as it is written: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” Mark 1:14-15. Everything first consists of the repentance of sins, turning away from them with all the heart. This is the first fundamental step in the gospel. And the Lord also refers to believing in the gospel after mentioning repentance. The basis for everything is also faith, believing in what God says we should do. In other words, what would it matter to have repentance of sins if a person is not even convinced in what is or is not sin? That is the first dilemma that exists in our society today, and where the error starts for many, the understanding and comprehending of what sin is and also, understanding and comprehending that a person needs to turn away from everything that is evil before the eyes of God. But also, believing in “the gospel” is not only about doctrine, but also, on a Person. Christ is “the Gospel”. A person must believe in the Lord. This message of salvation or gospel is also taught as follows in another place: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19. Repentance should be understood, and converting means to turn or change course, and it should be a turn towards God, to the Lord Himself, as He said also: “…‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 3:16b. And this also is what the Word teaches regarding this: “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:8-10. Therefore, the gospel or the start of this path begins with this, with complete repentance of sins, and with converting or turning completely to the Lord, accepting Him as such literally.

So then, is that all? Yes and no, and here is where many err as well. If a person accepts Jesus as the Lord of their lives, then they should follow Him as such. The Lord not only came to give us life, but also, to give us a life example, because if He is the Lord, then we should do as He did and as He continues guiding through the Holy Spirit. The Lord Himself taught us to pray like this: “In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10. He came to do the Father’s will. So, if He came to do the Father’s will, what should we that say that believe in and follow Him do as well? We should look to do the same. This is what the Word teaches: “He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” Romans 14:6-9. Paul himself said this also: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1. And this is probably what causes the greatest deviation from the true gospel—not looking for the Father’s will, but rather, looking to please oneself. If a person, no matter what they profess believing, looks only to fulfill their will, they are not based on the gospel, but rather, they are serving themselves. A person belongs to the one they choose to serve. The Scriptures also say this: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-18. And so, if a person follows the desires of their flesh, they are then no longer on the path to salvation. Maybe a person might say, “But I believe in God, and my faith is placed on Him.” And yes, that may be so, but your lord is the one you serve. This is also written: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:17-20.

And finally, we are saved by the grace of God, but with a purpose, and if that purpose is not fulfilled, then faith is useless. A person must always look to do the Father’s will in all things because that is the reason for why we were created. As the Word says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10. If we are not serving the Lord, looking to do His will in every area of our life, then there is no salvation. No one can deceive God. So then, are you following the path to salvation that takes us to the Father, to eternal life? Lord bless! John

God’s Judgment on Idolatry - 2 Kings 10:1-17

Based on 2 Kings 10:1-17 (New King James Version)

“Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab’s sons, saying: ‘Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, choose the best qualified of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.’ But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, ‘Look, two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?’ And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, ‘We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.’ Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: ‘If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.’ Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. Then a messenger came and told him, saying, ‘They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.’ And he said, ‘Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.’ So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, ‘You are righteous. Indeed I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the Lord has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah.’ So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining. And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds, Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, ‘Who are you?’ So they answered, ‘We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.’ And he said, ‘Take them alive!’ So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them. Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, ‘Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?’ And Jehonadab answered, ‘It is.’ Jehu said, ‘If it is, give me your hand.’ So he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. Then he said, ‘Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.’ So they had him ride in his chariot. And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.’

Anyone who reads this passage without understanding what had brought such judgment to the house of Ahab would say, “This is something very extreme and almost barbaric! Where can God’s love be seen in something like this?” And like all things, it is important to understand the entire issue first before jumping to conclusions. The great sin that Ahab had committed was idolatry, and such idolatry that he even forced all of the kingdom of Israel to serve Baal, a pagan god. Ahab not only had this idolatry in his life, but he also put it into the Lord’s temple, and he persecuted and even killed most of God’s prophets. Ahab had no limits in his rebellion against God, and this evil was so deeply rooted in his family and in everyone that surrounded him that God had them exterminated. This evil had to be removed completely. It was like a cancer that had formed.

Now, it is still very possible that there could be people that even though they are given this explanation, they will still dare to judge God and at minimum, decide to see Him as no good. There are people that think that they are more righteous than God, and they think that they have better criteria than the Most High. And well, this is what the Lord says, especially to those who dare judge Him: “‘But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’ says the Lord God, ‘and not that he should turn from his ways and live? But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.’ ‘Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?’” Ezekiel 18:21-29. Therefore, it is impossible for a person to be better than God, and to have better criteria than God, and of course, to think that they have more right than God. And finally, man is just that—man. And God is God and there is none better, nor wiser, nor least of all, more powerful than God.

What is the problem with idolatry? Let’s define quickly what it is: It is everything that is put ahead of God, and it is served with that priority. This is what the Word says: “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:3-6. When a person puts other things and people, or even themselves before God, and they serve that as such, that is idolatry. And this is too common a problem today, and that’s why everything is getting so complicated. God is judging, and He will continue judging idolatry even more. There is too much idolatry in God’s supposed people. Other things and people have taken priority at all levels. The Lord is not really Lord in the lives of the majority of His people. Moreover, many try to put God in a servant position, and that God exists to fulfill their evil desires, whims, selfish goals, etc. And many leaders serve more their bellies and comfort than God. And quite simply, no one can fool God, and this sin will not go unpunished, neither now, nor far less, in eternal judgment. As it is written: “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:30-31. So then, are you going to continue giving priority to other things and people than to the Most High, following Ahab’s steps? Or, will you treat the Lord as Who He is, for your own good? Lord bless! John               

Finding God’s Favor - Judges 6:11-32

Based on Judges 6:11-32 (New King James Version)

“Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’ Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.’ Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?’ So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’ Then he said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.’ And He said, ‘I will wait until you come back.’ So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. The Angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so. Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, ‘Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.’ So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, ‘Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.’ So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. So they said to one another, ‘Who has done this thing?’ And when they had inquired and asked, they said, ‘Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.’ Then the men of the city said to Joash, ‘Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.’ But Joash said to all who stood against him, ‘Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!’ Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, ‘Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.’”

It is possible that people many times may ask just as Gideon did, “…if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” Or let’s put it how today many say, “If God exists, then why does He allow for so many bad things to happen?” I know that we are going through a very difficult time, in one way or another. There are problems with war and savagery, and not only as we see it in Europe at the moment, but also in many other parts of the world where thousands of people lose their lives, or are abused or mutilated, or persecuted by either armies, or militias, or the world of drugs and corruption. There is a lot of slavery and human trafficking all over the world. There are not only thousands, but millions of people that are suffering from terminal illnesses all around the world at this very moment while I write this message. There are serious hunger problems in different parts of the world. United Nations estimated in 2021 that more than 957 million people in 93 countries of the world did not have enough food. That is almost one-seventh of the world’s population. And there are many other serious problems. And the question still stands, “If God exists, then why does He allow for so many bad things to happen in the world?”

One very clear answer that can be given today, and it’s related to today’s passage, is that instead of judging God, why don’t we ask ourselves this question instead, “What have we done against God so that He would allow such things?” Gideon could have very easily started there. “What did we do Lord?” And just as the Bibles tells us, Israel had done what was evil in the sight of God for many years. And the Word tells us that God allowed for the Midianites to torment His people because they had departed from Him. What was the main sin we saw that Israel committed? The same sin we saw in Gideon’s father, looking to and worshipping idols and other gods. They turned away from the God that had given them everything, even a land that they never even dreamed of nor deserved, to other gods and idols. What do we see today? Much of the same. But the gods and idols of today not only involve darkness, but they also have pleasing and common appearances, like money, riches, known and unknown people, the gods of pleasure and deviancy, everything that glorifies sin, that in the end lead only to one thing: death. Everything outside of God leads to death.

Now, one might say, “Why does God punish rather than call with love?” And well, there is such blindness in the world that people do not want to see the good God has given. The problem is that there is such rebellion against God that they see what God gives as insignificant or of little value. No one would be alive in this world if it wasn’t for God. Everything that breathes does so because God allows it. And also, and now more than ever, there is even greater judgment pending on all of humanity, and it has to do with despising Christ’s sacrifice, by seeing it as ridiculous, or a small thing. So then, evil comes as a natural consequence, just like Gideon’s father said concerning Baal: “If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” What good is it to look for idols and gods that cannot do anything here and now, and least of all, in eternity? And moreover, what more good can God do if He has given everything to us? And also, will Satan fight against himself when a person clings on to the things that the devil produces himself? It sounds ridiculous, right? Well, that is what happens when a person deviates from God’s things and sees precisely that which produces life as something useless or of little value. It’s like if someone put the cure that a sick person needs in their hands and instead of taking it for their own good, they just throw it away. Nothing good comes from idolatry. Sin neither saves nor helps anyone. And while men continue worshipping their sin and honoring their deviations, there will be more problems, the same they create for themselves and for others, and they will be lost in eternity where Christ’s salvation matters most, the same salvation they despise. So then, will you decide to find favor before God like Gideon, or will you continue idolizing sin? Lord bless! John

Faith Determines Our Walk in Christ - Hebrews 10:26-11:2

Based on Hebrews 10:26-11:2 (New King James Version)

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on [c]me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: ‘For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”

There are many ideas of what God supposedly wants us to do in our Christian society today. There are innumerable beliefs and practices that have been created over time and they are taught as things that God commands when in fact they are not part of God’s will. There are things that have been created with good intentions and others not with good intentions. In the end, and as said before, people that do not know God’s truth and that are legitimately looking to find the Almighty have an incredible task, per se, because of: where do they start and what in reality is the truth? Can there be many truths or forms of the truth? And the issue is that it is impossible for there to be many truths or forms of the truth. If it were so, then we would need to say certain things about God, that He is not perfect, or that He suffers from having multiple personalities, or at the very least, that He is fickle. Blessed be the Almighty that He is none of those things, and not even close to any of that. God is one, and He is perfect, and He does not vary in His thoughts. God is God, and as such, there is only one way to Him. There are not multiple versions of the Truth, or different forms of the Truth, but rather, only one Truth exists, and only one Way, and that is it, because God is one and He does not vary, as it is written: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” Deuteronomy 6:4b.

To be able to understand this issue that there are so many variations with the Christian faith, then the concept of sin must be explained. By definition the word “sin” is an artillery term that means, “missing the mark”. Another definition would be: not being perfect or exact. There is only one Truth, only one way, a very straight, fine, and exact line that takes us to God. And when a person sins, or errs, then the deviation from the truth comes about. So then, what provokes so much deviation within a faith that is supposed to be so exact? God is perfect, but the devil is contrary to that, and his job, per se, is extremely simple. God designed and presented what is straight, right, and exact, and the devil tries to provoke deviating from that. To follow the definition of sin along the lines of artillery, if a person were trying to shoot an arrow to a target, the devil would either try to tap the bow, or produce a visual disturbance, or even whisper in the ear so that concentration can be lost, in summary, do everything possible to provoke a deviation. Hitting the target is extremely difficult, but missing the target is the easiest thing in the world.

Now then, the devil can only influence or interfere, but he cannot force or control. Mankind always has free will. So, why so much deviation? The issue is that evil is within us thanks to the inheritance that Adam and Eve gave to us. Sin comes within our being. It’s an integral part of what we are, for it is written: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Romans 5:12. And the Word also says: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5. So, the devils work is even simpler. All he has to do is appeal to something that is already in our being. This is what the Word also teaches: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:13-15. That is why there are so many deviations even within faith, because even though a person may have come to surrender their life to Christ, there is still an internal struggle within them, and of course, there is an enemy that only wants their perdition because he is all evil. There is nothing redeemable or good within Satan, and as such, his product is all evil.

So then, what can we do so that we not only overcome what is in us, but also, come to that perfection that we need to if we legitimately want to be with God? How can we see through everything that is out there to be able to come to the truth? The first thing is that a person should prepare themselves to have an encounter with God. They should not look for God just to resolve issues, or to fulfill selfish desires, or try to manipulate God in some manner. This is one of those sins that is very present in God’s so-called people. The great majority of people have ulterior motives instead of looking for God legitimately. This is one of the main reasons for why there are so many deviations. That is why there is so much sin within God’s people. The Lord said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6b. Therefore, a person should not follow their own plans or ideas or views. Christ needs to be the target, and as such, He needs to become the Lord of our life. He must be the literal and true Lord of our being. Otherwise, deviation is promoted even more. The start of willful sin which is what we saw at the beginning is keeping other things or even ourselves as the lord of our lives instead of Jesus. If a person has received the knowledge of the Truth, of what Christ needs to be in their life, and they choose to do something else, then there is no forgiveness. And of course, if they follow that trajectory without changing course, they will not see life, but rather, they will suffer God’s eternal wrath. Why? Because they knew the Truth and despised it. So, faith is what makes this determination possible within us is. Everything depends on where you put your faith. If you put your faith on yourself, or on something or someone else, no matter how much you say you believe in God, you will not see life. But, if you legitimately put your faith on the Lord Jesus and you treat Him as such, you will find God’s grace. So then, is your faith on the Lord or on your sin that still dwells within you? Lord bless! John  

Suffering for a Better Future - Acts 24

Based on Acts 24 (New King James Version)

“Now after five days Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul. And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying: ‘Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us. For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, and wanted to judge him according to our law. But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.’ And the Jews also assented, maintaining that these things were so. Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: ‘Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself, because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city. Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. ‘Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult. They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me. Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council, unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.’’ But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, ‘When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case.’ So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him. And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’ Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him. But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.”

The Apostle Paul’s life is one of the clearest examples that we have that shows us what can happen in the life of a Christian, even when everything is done right. It can be said that he was the person in history that mostly resembled the Lord which shows that the Holy Spirit can do an incredible transformation work if a person submits completely to His will. Paul did not remain as he started, but rather, he was a completely transformed person that came to be very much like Christ. Glory be to the Lord, but as it has been said many times based on the Word, we do have free will and neither God nor the Holy Spirit will force anyone because love is always voluntary. Paul started off being a strict, authoritarian, and very religious person. But after his encounter with the Lord, he changed completely from persecuting Christians to converting to the Lord and voluntarily giving his life for the same faith he once persecuted. I say “voluntarily” gave his life because he could have compromised his faith at any moment and everything bad that was happening would have ended. But he did not compromise on his love for the Lord. He was faithful until the end.

Now then, and as we started to see before, despite Paul obeying the Lord, he suffered much persecution unjustly. And of course, they killed him unjustly. But the Lord warned us about that, and much before Paul would show up on the scene, per se. For it is written: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12. The Word teaches that even our loved ones will turn against us when we follow the Lord. The Word says that even parents will turn on their children and children against their parents, and that our enemies will be from our own family. So, is it any surprise what happened to Paul? Through this is that we understand that it is possible for not everything to turn out as desired, even when looking to serve and be faithful to the Lord. And this is what keeps many people from surrendering more to the Lord. This is one of the reasons for why many only try to get close to the Lord not because they love Him, but just enough to take advantage, without running the risk of suffering. This is what the Lord refers to in Revelation when He speaks about the lukewarm. The lukewarm is the one that says that believes but is not willing to make decisions that will affect their momentary wellbeing. It’s the one that desires the benefit, but without paying the price. There are a lot of lukewarm folks today.

So then, what was Paul’s thinking? The Bible tells us this which Paul wrote: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:7-14. What would get Paul into problems? Just as he said it: striving to have a conscience without offense toward God and men, reasoning about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. Paul tried to live like Christ and to talk about Christ and preach what He preached. But, sooner or later, most people will be offended by the things of the Lord. But finally, do you wish to please men and go to hell, or do you prefer to sacrifice what is temporary to attain the eternal? Lord bless! John       

Why Destruction Can Take Place - Jeremiah 52:12-30

Based on Jeremiah 52:12-30 (New King James Version)

“Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. The bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the bowls, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. The two pillars, one Sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under it, and the carts, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. Now concerning the pillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, a measuring line of twelve cubits could measure its circumference, and its thickness was four fingers; it was hollow. A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar, with pomegranates was the same. There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates, all around on the network, were one hundred. The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, seven men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the principal scribe of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land. These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, three thousand and twenty-three Jews; in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons; in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five persons. All the persons were four thousand six hundred.”

I believe that there may be people that possibly ask, “Why does destruction occur?” And I’m afraid to say that sin is always the root cause for destruction, especially when it concerns people that supposedly know about God. We read today about the destruction that came upon the people of Israel at the hands of the Chaldeans, the king of Babylon. It was extremely difficult what happened to the people of Israel. It was an event where few people survived, in comparison to the population that existed then. The few that survived were either taken prisoner or left to cultivate the land, but that was it. The country was devastated entirely. So, some may ask, “Did God allow this to happen, and if so, why?”

The first thing usually that exists in people’s hearts and minds is judging God and questioning His motives and actions. And since everything in the world has an explanation, especially what God does and allows for, it’s easy to respond but when always choosing to see God’s side through His Word. This is a great problem that exists today, that the majority of people only want to see their side of the story, but never put themselves on the Lord’s side. They demand to see God’s love, and they question Him, but never want to see God’s side and what has been done to Him. God is offended at every moment, but not for a single instant do the majority want to see what was done against God. And remember that we are talking about people that know of God, because what we read concerned the people of God, and not a people that did not know God. And we could say this almost about the entire world today, that nearly every person has heard or knows about God. The world has nearly been evangelized in its entirety. What is the Gospel? It’s not just about talking about God, but also about letting people know of Christ and about what He did for all of humanity, the message of the cross. A great example of this was Billy Graham who preached the gospel to hundreds of millions of people throughout the world for many decades. And of course, what can we say about the Catholic Church? You can say what you want, but each time a person sees a crucifix, they see the unique symbol that talks about God’s love and mercy. The explanation of the cross cannot be avoided. And also, God says: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20. So then, it can be concluded that nearly the whole world, in one way or another, know about God and are conscious about what Christ did for all of us.

So then, what did Israel do with this knowledge of God? The same that much of the world does today with a fact that is even greater than what the ancient people of God knew, that not only does God exist, but that Christ died and was resurrected to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. Unfortunately, the majority of people consciously despise the Lord. They believe in and follow idols, including, they turn themselves and their sin into idols, as it is written: “Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,‘Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.’’ ‘Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.’’” Ezekiel 14:1-6. Finally, how can God give of His favor, or even eternal life, to people who prefer to look for things that only bring about death? The wages of sin is death, and if people meanwhile look to justify and glorify sin, then they will only find death in the end. Every person has free will, but as such, all decision has its own consequence, starting with despising God. So then today, I offer this advice: Look to be fairer with the Lord and learn to love Him (while there is time), not only to try to use Him to resolve your temporary problems, but rather, for eternal life, because this world will never be perfect, and the only thing that matters is eternity. Lord bless! John

The Danger in Following the Multitude - Acts 21:15-36

Based on Acts 21:15-36 (New King James Version)

“And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge. And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, ‘You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law. But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.’ Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them. Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, ‘Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.’ (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, ‘Away with him!’”

We must be very careful with following the multitude. The multitude hardly ever leads to doing something good. Like we saw in this passage, the multitude wanted to kill a righteous man—Paul. Why do things like this happen? The issue is that the crowds rarely support what is right, and we see this very clearly in the Word. It’s a phenomenon, per se, that happens frequently. But of course, everything in the spiritual world has very simple explanations. The Bible teaches us that Satan is the prince of this world, and that his demons are running loose, living in human bodies. And be careful! Not all possessed people will always do things that are out of sorts. They are sometimes calm until the moment they get worked-up, and there is when you see what truly is within a person’s heart. You can see what truly is within people when a multitude is out of control.

We see that not only was Paul a victim of a perverse multitude, but even more importantly, the Lord Himself suffered at the hands of a multitude. Any person that supposedly knows the Word would say: “Well, that had to happen.” And yes, it’s true, but, nonetheless, it was one of the main mechanisms that were instrumental in condemning the Son of God to die. Pilate really didn’t want to crucify the Lord, but he gave in to the pressure of the evil force that was in the multitude. This is what we read: “Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, ‘Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’ For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, ‘What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?’ So they cried out again, ‘Crucify Him!’ Then Pilate said to them, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, ‘Crucify Him!’ So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.” Mark 15:6-15. Unfortunately, the same multitude that once heard the Lord’s messages and saw the signs, miracles, and all of the good He did were the same ones that yelled to crucify Him. What happened with those that cried out once: “Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!’” Matthew 21:9b. Things can change for evil at any given moment, depending on the influence.

And this is a truth that we should be ready for, if we truly want to follow the Lord: If the multitudes turned against the Lord, then that can happen to us also, just like it happened to Paul. The Lord Himself warned as follows: “Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?’” Luke 23:26-31.

What can we take away from all of this? We need to be very careful with following the multitude because the majority of times, the crowds are not with God. This is what the Lord said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14. Those of us that truly follow the Lord will always be a small minority in this world. So then, are you following the Lord for eternal life, or the multitude that is under the influence of Satan and his legions? Lord bless! John         

The Lord Knows More than Us - Mark 9:14-37

Based on Mark 9:14-37 (New King James Version)

“And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, ‘What are you discussing with them?’ Then one of the crowd answered and said, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.’ He answered him and said, ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.’ Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!’ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So He said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’ Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. For He taught His disciples and said to them, ‘The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.’ But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?’ But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’ Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.’”

Through every instance in the Word, we should be able to see something very important, and that is that the Lord knows much more than all of us. In this short passage, we see three instances that demonstrate that. In the first instance, the Lord asked about the dispute that had happened, but He knew what the issue was (because remember, that He even knows our thoughts), and He frees the young man from the unclean spirit. In the second instance, He spoke to the disciples about His death and resurrection, about something they didn’t know, nor far less, could not understand why it was going to happen, and the reason for this to happen. He knew about things that were completely out of the reach of the disciples. And in the third instance, while the twelve were disputing among themselves on who would be first, He taught them something that would go completely against what they thought should have been. At every moment, we can see that He was (and is) many steps (per se) ahead of everyone.

How can we see that God really knows more than us? Well, we already saw that His Word demonstrates it clearly. But also, His works proclaim His greatness, His intelligence. If man would only just accept the reality that God made everything, the issue of being able to understand what is most basic, something a child can even understand, then many things would become easier. Everything that is created speaks of His majesty, of how immeasurable and incalculable His knowledge is. As it is written: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2. And it is also written: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20. Everything speaks of the greatness of God, from the invisible and microscopic, to the greatest and most infinite. If God knew how to make all of those things, things that we could never know, nor far less, do them ourselves, we would then be able to understand that He knows infinitely more than all of us.

Now then, what should man do with this knowledge? Very easy, look for the Lord, with all of their heart, as it is written: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ‘For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:6-11. Everything God says will be. Nothing will change what the Lord has determined. What we should always keep in mind is that the Word can be fulfilled for good in our lives, if we love and obey the Lord, or for evil, as the simple consequence of what happens when the Lord is neither loved nor obeyed. There are people that think that because a person is exposed to God’s Word, that this will change a person, sooner or later. That is what God wants, because that is why He sends it, with the purpose to bring about change in a person. But the issue is that everything in the Lord is through love, and in love, nothing is forced. God provides the circumstances with the hope that a person listens and change, but He will never force anyone. Free will never ends, even when we have given our lives over to the Lord. The basis for our relationship with the Lord is always love. And as such, everything is based on choice, as it is written: “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” Deuteronomy 30:14-15.  

In the end, whoever desires to be wise, for their own good, should look to obey the Lord, for it is written: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49. So then, do you understand, for your own good, that the Lord knows much more than you do? Lord bless! John

God’s Priorities - Matthew 12:1-14

Based on Matthew 12:1-14 (New King James Version)

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!’ But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’ Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’—that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, ‘What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’ Then He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.”

The majority of supposed believers point very easily the finger towards the pharisees. There are many that would say that they were so evil and perverse that they were even directly responsible for the Lord’s death. And well, from a certain point of view, yes, they had a big part in it. So then, many would conclude that religiosity is evil, and furthermore, the more spiritual of today would say that what God is truly looking for is to have a relationship with man, and not for man to be religious. But I ask myself, and seeing things as they are today, and especially having the privilege of being able to see different people in different parts of the world, “Do believers really have a relationship with God, or have they formed their own religiosity that is just as evil as the Pharisees?” The Spirit reveals that, as a group, we are in the same bad shape as those that we accuse so easily as being religious and evil. There is a new form of Pharisee, per se, that has filled our churches. And even worse, they are at the pulpits and platforms where God’s Truth should be preached. Quite sincerely, what the Spirit reveals, and the environment shows is that there is very little true faith. Unfortunately, many people live a false faith, something that seems genuine, but that is not.    

There are many people today that base their faith on a supposed grace from God, something that is said or gives an idea that nothing else is necessary, but only to just believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as Savior, and that’s it, live your life because you are going to heaven. There are others that think that it is about being a “good person”, and that is very subjective. There are many that think that following the Lord is about going to church, giving some money, using some special vocabulary, and of course, singing a bunch of nice and entertaining songs, the ones they like, of course. There are many that think that being a believer is about having companionship with other believers and try to have a good time with each other. And also, there are also many that believe that learning the Bible cover to cover, and doing special studies, and of trying to understand the detail of things, and being better than others, is what God is looking for. In summary, there are many ideas and many things that are believed to be God’s will, and many believe that if they do these things, then everything will be fine. As a group, we have created such a variety of supposed truths that people don’t even know what to believe anymore. If I were an unconverted person and would look for some guidance in our group today, I would not even have an idea of where to begin. There is such a variety of things that this gives the world the idea that there should be many paths to God rather than one way, as the Lord defined. And we marvel of why it is so difficult for the world to believe! But, sarcastically speaking, that is their problem, right? Because that is the mentality that does reign in God’s people today: “Everyone for themselves, and everyone does what they want, and as is convenient to them.” And if things are like that, then we as a group are the same as the Pharisees. There is no difference.

If we truly understand what we read today, we should see the Truth that God really desires to see in our lives, and that it is not about religiosity or hollow theologies that have no life, and far less, of personal conveniences, but rather, something much deeper and exact. To start, what the Lord reiterated through His own actions is what has always been His will since the beginning, as it is written: “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching God. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ ‘In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers. Indeed you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? ‘Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?” Isaiah 58:1-7. And this is also written: “Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31. But this is what the Lord is complaining about now more than ever: “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’” Malachi 1:6. In the end, the Way is Christ, and we should do just as the Lord did. He came to do God the Father’s will, and not to serve Himself. And He did it to the point of giving up His life without even opening His mouth. He did it all for love to the Father, and like that, He fulfilled the law, the first and second commandment, the ones we just read. He loved the Father, and like that, He looked to do His will. And through that, He did the greatest service that mankind ever needed, by giving us the way to eternal life. That is what Christ demonstrated (because His actions showed that, and not just His words, because faith without works is dead). And this is the key point: “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. OLord, come!” 1 Corinthians 16:22. If God’s priorities are not fulfilled, then there is no salvation. So then, are you living out God’s priorities or are you living for the curse? Lord bless! John

When God Afflicts a Nation - 1 Kings 17:1-6

Based on 1 Kings 17:1-6 (New King James Version)

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.’ Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.”

There are many theories on why things are so difficult today. There are people that blame politicians and that the reason for why we are where we are is because they have not done things well. Others might say that we are living through this pandemic because something happened somewhere, either by accident or on purpose. There are people that would also say that our economies are troubled or unstable because of the effects of the pandemic, or because there are people that are taking advantage, or because there are problems with foreign commercial trade. There are people that would say that environmental problems are a product of human abuse upon the earth and industrial carelessness in everything we do. And there is also a group of people that would say that the health problems we have today are a product of chemicals and bad substances that are used in and on everything we eat. And well, there is a very long list of other things that could be brought into the conversation that are not well and talk about the reasons of why they are bad, and I am very sure that there would be certain human explanations and that there would be some truth in them, but not a complete account. They would be partial and/or incomplete truths. What is finally causing this bad wave of things we have today?

One explanation based on the Word of God and on man’s actions is that the bad we are living through today is not exactly the fault of the things that we would think as humans, but it goes even deeper than that. The problem is that God is allowing for these things to happen, but not because God is evil and He likes for people to suffer, but rather, it is a product of the sin that is exceeding the limits of what is bearable by God (because God many times stops the evil that should come), especially considering that a great majority of people know Who God is, and what Jesus Christ has done for us, but the great majority of people that know this truth prefer to rather do things that finally glorify sin and promote death than accepting the truth and deciding to follow Him for their own good, for it is written: “For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23a. So then, it is God the One that is allowing for these things to happen, but because of man’s rebellion, because of them knowing the truth but despising the truth for things that only bring about death and destruction. God allows for things to happen, but they also happen because they are simple consequences of sin. God does not have to put forth much effort in bringing about judgment. He only has to let things take their own course, the way that people themselves desire. Everything falls by its own weight. There may be many believers that might say, “But I am under God’s grace, because I believe in Him.” But evil progresses if sin is practiced. What good is it to get the cure if you keep drinking the poison?

God allowed for the drought and many other things to happen to Israel because of Israel’s sin. Remember that Israel was (and still is) God’s people. So then, God brought into account Israel’s sins, their idolatry, their sexual disorder, their abuse of the weak and defenseless, their rebellions, etc. And if God did that with Israel, will He not do that with those that were supposedly added by grace (not by right) to that people, to us the gentiles that have believed in Christ? Be careful because God’s grace is not a license to sin, to do things that glorify evil! This is what the Scriptures say: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel; as a grape-gatherer, put your hand back into the branches.’ To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it. Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord. I am weary of holding it in. ‘I will pour it out on the children outside, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband shall be taken with the wife, the aged with him who is full of days. And their houses shall be turned over to others, fields and wives together; for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,’ says the Lord. ‘Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down,’ says the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people—the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded My words nor My law, but rejected it. For what purpose to Me comes frankincense from Sheba, and sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet to Me.’ Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them. The neighbor and his friend shall perish.’” Jeremiah 6:9-21.

This is also written: “The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: ‘Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,’ says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 14:12-14. What did these men have in common? Noah faced the entire world for his faith and love for God, and his faith condemned the world. Daniel faced an empire and did not consider his wellbeing, but rather, preferred to honor God over his own life. Job, despite everything that happened to him, did not blaspheme against God, but quite the contrary, his faith and knowledge grew in all of that, drawing closer to see God more clearly. And Elijah also found grace before God because he served Him despite the circumstances, despite Israel coming to hate God. These men loved God above all things. How can we find such grace before God if we have not loved God like these men loved Him? “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19. God is a God of grace and forgiveness, but only when there is true repentance and conversion from sin, as a start. So then, will you love Christ or run the risk of suffering permanent affliction, where all of those that do not love God will spend eternity, as a consequence for their own evil actions? Lord bless! John             

So Close, Yet So Far - Acts 26:12-32

Based on Acts 26:12-32 (New King James Version)

“‘While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ ‘Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.’ Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, ‘Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!’ But he said, ‘I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.’ Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’ And Paul said, ‘I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.’ When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, ‘This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.’ Then Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.’”

The majority of people will only come close to the kingdom of God, but just that. Unfortunately, not everyone will understand the Gospel of salvation. And what is most ironic in all of this is that those that are precisely so close to it are the ones that will be the greatest enemies to the Gospel. Like we saw today, what keeps a person from coming to have a true encounter with God is not a lack of learning or understanding. Quite simply, it is not a problem of comprehension. The Lord Himself said that if we did not receive the kingdom of God like a child, that we would not be able to enter the kingdom of God. So then, God’s affairs do not require great intellect nor is a grand education required. What should happen then?

According to the Lord, to be able to not only see the kingdom of God, but also to enter and be a part of the kingdom of God, it is necessary to have a new beginning, to be born of the water and the Spirit. This is what we read in His Word: “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:1-7. In summary, if God Himself is the One that says that this is what is necessary, then quite simply, it is necessary. There is no other way.

So, if it is supposedly something so simple, that we should even make ourselves like children, what is it then that makes so many come so close, but at the same time be so far away from God’s kingdom? Sin. But even more precisely within sin, it is the sin of pride. This is the greatest evil that exists. All sin is bad, and to come to Christ, a person must repent and convert from absolutely all of them, but the sin of pride is what finally keeps many from getting to what is necessary. How do I know that? Let’s start by seeing Paul’s true enemies. Those that wanted to directly kill Paul were the Jews, the religious, not necessarily the Romans. The Jews were no strangers to the truth, but quite the contrary, they knew even the smallest details of the Word of God. We can also see this evil in the prime example, that the Jews finally killed Christ Himself because of envy, which is the culmination of pride. We read this: “Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.” Matthew 27:17-18. Pride does not have direction in general. Envy is when pride manifests its direction, an enemy is clearly defined. This problem has been with mankind since the beginning, because it was the same reason for why man gave in to the Devil’s temptation, as we see here: “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:4-6. Man wanted to be like God. They envied God. And well, who is the father of all evil? Satan. When a human being manifests this sin of pride and envy against God, they are following the same steps of the worst one. Satan himself envied God, because this was in his heart before falling: “…I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:14b.

Not much has changed today. Mankind in general today wants now more than ever to be like God, to be able to do whatever they want without any kind of consequence. And many supposed believers not only desire that, but also, to make matters worse, they want to make God their servant. So close, but also, completely contrary to what should be. That is why the religious, the ones that know the things of God, but try to use them for their convenience is the Lord’s worst enemy. This is what the Lord Himself taught: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Mateo 6:9-10. God is the One that must command our lives, Christ in us being our Lord. So then, are you just close to God’s kingdom, or are you part of God’s kingdom by being completed submitted to Jesus’ Lordship? Lord bless! John    

The Truth Causes Division - Acts 22:30 – 23:15

Based on Acts 22:30 – 23:15 (New King James Version)

“The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them. Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’ And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?’ And those who stood by said, ‘Do you revile God’s high priest?’ Then Paul said, ‘I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’’ But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!’ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, ‘We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.’ Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks. But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.’ And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, ‘We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.’”

There are people that think that the Apostle Paul made some mistakes in the things he did, but we understand through the Word, through the things that were written of his life, that although he was not perfect (because only God is perfect), the Apostle Paul hardly made any mistakes, but actually quite the contrary, he said and did God’s will. So, why talk about Paul’s actions? The purpose is not to glorify Paul because all of the glory belongs to the Lord, but rather, it’s to help understand that even though we may be on point with our decisions for the Lord, that does not mean that life will be easy and full of victories like many proclaim and teach. As a principal part of this sharing, we will see that the truth will more than likely bring difficulty and cause divisions, sooner or later.

To start dealing with this issue, we need to see what the Lord Himself said, as it is written: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39. Now then, why did the Lord give this warning? Is God’s desire really to cause divisions, to cause pain and suffering, and even for us to lose our lives? No. The will of God is not necessarily to cause us suffering. God is not a sadist. If we see the beginning of things, when He finished His creation, we read the following: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31. God had made everything very good. We don’t see that He established suffering and evil in what He made, but quite the contrary. What changed everything then? Sin. When man fell in sin, death and suffering and problems, and so on entered the world. So, can we say that God made man for suffering? Absolutely not.

Now, why did the Lord Himself say that He had come to bring dissension and problems? Because of the same sin problem, because He knows that the great majority of people will prefer to follow and please their sinful desires than serve God Almighty. For example, when everything was fine and man fell in sin, what happened? The devil tempted man, but he didn’t force him to do anything. This is what we read regarding the events that occurred: “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:4-5. There was no long speech given by the serpent. He first planted the doubt in what God said, that they were not going to die. And then, he fed envy for God, for them to want to be like God. And from there, we already know the rest, right? Not much has changed since then in general. The great majority of people continue in the issue of defying what the Lord says, and in their envy for God, because they want to be like God, to have the power to do as they please and for everything turn out just fine. But reality will never change. Satan will never be like God no matter how much he envies Him and tries to sabotage everything God does. And even less, man will never conquer death on their own, and the consequences of sin will continue being the same, for the wages of sin is death, no matter how much man tries to convince themselves of the contrary. This feeling of rebellion and envy is what causes these divisions and problems to those that wish to follow the Lord. This is what causes suffering. That is the price that the Truth of God bears, because we are fighting against dark powers. But also, the great majority of people are more pleased in following sin’s deviations, and they let themselves be easily seduced by their own lusts. That is the struggle we saw in Paul’s life in this passage. Paul had done nothing wrong, but quite the contrary. He was suffering persecution for the Truth, because men desired sin more than the Truth of God.

So then, what should we do if we truly desire to have something that is really worthwhile? Love God despite the circumstances, as it is written: “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.’” 1 Corinthians 2:9. We need to overcome through the Lord, and not be cowardly. For it is also written: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:7-8. So then, do you understand that it is more worthwhile following God’s Truth rather than letting ourselves be overtaken by Satan, by those that let themselves be seduced by evil, and even by our own evil desires? Lord bless! John

Truth and Freedom - John 8:31-47

Based on John 8:31-47 (New King James Version)

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. ‘I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.’ They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.’ Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.’”

We live an in age where many people think they know a lot, maybe because our supposed science and technology is more advanced than ever before. Mankind has been able to attain many things. In the 19th century, electricity was produced. In 1882, the first electric plant was in operation in New York City. During the fifties of the past century, the famous space race started. And in July 20, 1969, man set foot for the first time on moon, when a certain American astronaut called Neil Armstrong took his first step and these words were recorded: “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Today, we have many wireless things, super computers, all kinds of smart things. Doctors perform complicated surgeries assisted by robots. We now even have artificial intelligence, something that marvels many but also scares many for fear of what would happen if used unethically or immorally. And this is not a fear of the ignorant or the poorly educated. But the more we supposedly know, the more illusive and subjective truth has become. Many would say today that truth is relative, and that absolute truth does not exist. We are so smart today that we do not even understand what truth is anymore! What is truth?

Like all things in life, everything requires some kind of faith, of believing in something that cannot be seen. The person that discovered electricity started with concepts, with ideas, but they believed in their assumptions, with the little they did know conclusively. And so, every person that reached great goals and were able to achieve significant milestones had an idea, a vision, but they had seen nothing concrete when they started their search. Each person exercises some kind of faith, of believing something before seeing it realized, supposing that if certain things do exist and are, and if what is necessary is done, then what they hope for will become a reality. Faith is something vital in order to get to the truth. Without faith, it is impossible to get to the truth, because there is an absolute truth, no matter how many may deny it. There is Something or Someone that does exist above all things, precisely because there are so many things that can be seen and experienced that demonstrate that He does exist. The “Truth that really matters” is not subjective or relative, but rather, completely absolute here and in the whole universe.

Now, why do I make an emphasis in the “Truth that really matters”? Because despite our great achievements as human beings, where we believe we are very intelligent and advanced, there are still very simple things that are unchangeable and irrefutable realities. Each human being is born and will die someday. The time for each person will come, and all of the money of the world will not stop that. No science or technological advancement will change that reality. They may help extend things a little (possibly), but the truth is that we will all die someday. So then, looking at the great scheme of things, what does it matter then what a person can achieve or do all of their life if one day they will get to the same thing, to die like all mortals do? The Egyptian pharaohs built great buildings for decades with the blood and suffering of many slaves with the idea to take their riches to the other world, for example. They died and their riches remain buried or probably in some museum, but they were not able to take anything they wanted. And I’m very certain they did not get to a very pleasant place either. So then, what good did it do everything they did? There is no human that can triumph over death. This is an irrefutable truth.

So, what Truth does matter, that is neither relative nor subjective? The Truth that God is God, and that Jesus Christ is the only One that we know of that conquered death. The Lord is the Lord in heaven, on earth, beneath the earth and the ocean, in the next galaxy. He was the Lord from the beginning. He is Lord today. And He will continue being Lord forever and ever, amen. And no matter what man wants to believe, that reality, that Truth cannot be changed. They can try to ignore it but ignoring something does not make it unreal. This is what is written: “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4. “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5. “… ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6. “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:23-24. Quite simply, there is no true freedom from death, no eternal life unless the Truth that Jesus Christ is Lord is accepted, and what He taught is done. His Truth is the Word of God, and there is no freedom unless it is accepted, kept, and put into practice, from Genesis until Revelation, starting with the most important: loving God above all things and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The law and the prophets depend on these things. This is the all of man, the only truth that matters that makes us eternally free through Jesus Christ, the only One that conquered death. So, are you truly free? Lord bless! John

The Way to Salvation - Luke 3:1-14

Based on Luke 3:1-14 (New King James Version)

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’’ Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ So the people asked him, saying, ‘What shall we do then?’ He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’ Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what is appointed for you.’ Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, ‘And what shall we do?’ So he said to them, ‘Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.’”

There are many that think that salvation can only attained by just believing in Christ, and that’s it. From a certain point of view, of course. Faith in the Lord is what saves us through His own grace. There is no way to God, except only through the Lord. Nonetheless, there is something crucial that must happen before surrendering to the Lord, before He can effectively come into the heart and live within a person through the Holy Spirit. If we see clearly what God Himself established, it’s impossible to come to be saved without complete repentance and conversion from sins, and also, if there isn’t a progressing in that continual repentance and conversion from sins. Quite simply, there is no salvation without that initial repentance and conversion, and the continual process of change and transformation through repentance and conversion. Many people do not come to experience the Lord’s salvation because this is not fulfilled initially, nor is there an abiding in that continual change.

As a start, John the Baptist’s ministry was precisely about that, of preparing the Lord’s way. This is what makes John the Baptist’s ministry so important. The Lord Himself said that there was no greater prophet than John the Baptist. Why? Because God Himself through John establishes the beginning of the way to salvation, and also the continuing of it. In today’s passage, we saw that John’s message was precisely about repentance and conversion, that there must be a change of life in people, a turning away from sin. This is what prepares the way of the Lord, so that He can come into a person’s heart, when they surrender completely to Him. The Holy Spirit cannot come into a heart that is full of sin, where death still reigns, because that is reality when there is no turning away from sin. If John would not have prepared the way for the Lord before His public ministry, nothing would have happened. Incredibly enough, the Son of God’s ministry would have been barren, and we wouldn’t have salvation.  

We see that this repentance and conversion is something that continues to be in effect as a principle to escape condemnation. And this must be left clear because many people think that there were things written in the Bible that supposedly don’t apply anymore. Let’s see the following: “Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’” John 8:2-11. So here towards the end, we see a great detail. Neither the religious were able to condemn the woman before the Lord, nor the Lord Himself condemned her, the One that could have condemned her. But what did the Lord say? “…go and sin no more.” It’s God Himself saying: “I forgive you. I give you a new beginning, but change, leave behind your sin, repent, convert from your evil ways. Don’t do it anymore.”

So then, this new beginning that God gives cannot be abused. God does not give forgiveness so that a person can persist in sin. When a person repents and converts from their sins, to ask the Lord to come into their life, the process of repentance and conversion must proceed. A person cannot continue falling time and time again in what is evil. The Word explains the following: “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’” 2 Peter 2:20-22. The Word urges us to continue changing, to look for Him to continue that process of transformation. It’s an ongoing work that the Holy Spirit continues in us while we abide in that decision. God does not force anyone, even when a person has surrendered their life to Him. Free will never ends because our relationship with Him is based on love. This is what the Word says with regards to how to attain Christ’s salvation: “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” Revelation 22:14-15. In other language translations, it says, “washes their robes” in the place where it says, “those who do His commandments.” Any way you look at it, to be able to have the right to the tree of life, and to be able to enter through the gates, there must be an initial conversion and a continuing conversion, and not continuing to fall back into those things that produce death, for the wages of sin is death. We are not perfect, nor will we be perfect while in the flesh, but there must be progress in sanctification. So then, are you on the way to eternal salvation, or do you continue practicing sin? Lord bless! John

Answered Prayers - 1 Samuel 1

Based on 1 Samuel 1 (New King James Version)

“Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her, ‘Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?’ So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.’ And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!’ But Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.’  Then Eli answered and said, ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.’ And she said, ‘Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.’ So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.’ Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, ‘Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.’ So Elkanah her husband said to her, ‘Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.’ Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, ‘O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.’ So they worshiped the Lord there.”

We see through this story prayer that is miraculously answered. One question that many may ask is, “How can I make sure that my prayers will be answered?” Many so-called preachers of the Word have developed methods that assure supposedly making God answer prayers as they want, giving supposed tips on how to try to manipulate God, and of course, they have sold many books, and they get paid to give seminars, etc., because who doesn’t want their prayers answered, and the way they want, right?

A problem that can affect God answering a prayer is that there may not be good intentions behind such a prayer. Most petitions have to do with vanity, with things that have nothing to do with God’s will. And remember that the vanity the Bible speaks of does not just consist of the material or superficial, but also, anything that does not have eternal value, the temporary world. This is what the Word says with respect to the prayers that have to do with vanity, in the context that we just put them: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:1-4. This is the problem with having a relationship with the world, that there is an affinity to what is sinful and temporary. If a person is only focused on the world, in the things that are in affinity with the world, then the only things they will ask God for are things of that nature and with those intentions. Just as the saying goes, “A man is known by the company he keeps.”

The Bible also speaks with respect to God disciplining His children, when things are not right. Now, what does this have to do with prayer? Let’s read: “… ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.” Hebrews 12:5b-8. If a person asks for wrong or not good things, or does not have good intentions, if God takes them as illegitimate, He will allow for them to get what they want. In other words, just because a person obtains what they want does not mean that they are in good standing with God. Everything depends on where their heart is.

So then, this is what the Bible says when God is the One that grants petitions for good: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:5-8. God can answer prayer, and for good, but when a person does not have a vain heart, because they are being fruitful, because they are praying according to God’s will. Hannah did not ask for a son out of vanity, but for a divine purpose. Hannah put her eyes on the Lord and the fruit of her answered prayer was Samuel, the blessed being that God used to anoint King David, where the Messiah would come from, for the Son of the Most High was to be the Son of David. So then, is your heart focused on the world or in God’s eternal purposes? Lord bless! John

You Find God’s Grace When You Believe Him - Jonah 3

Based on Jonah 3 (New King James Version)

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.’ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”

We can see a big detail in this passage, something that makes all of the difference before God, and it is: “So the people of Nineveh believed God…” I person may ask, “Why does it say that Nineveh believed God if Jonah was the one that preached to them?” And the answer is simple. The work of the prophet is simply to be God’s spokesman. In other words, Jonah did not give his message, nor was it his prophecy, but rather, he spoke, he communicated what God had commanded him. That’s the work of the prophet, to speak on God’s behalf, not necessarily how many people think, that it’s just about saying or foretelling things that will happen in the future. The true Biblical prophet is the one that communicates God’s true Word. Therefore, Nineveh did not see that it was Jonah’s word, the word of a Jew that hated them (because that was a reality), but rather, they realized that it was God who spoke to them through this very imperfect and disobedient vessel (because that was Jonah’s reality also). Therefore, we see that true faith makes the impossible possible. This is what we see, for instance, in Abraham, in the father of faith, as it is mentioned in the Word: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6. Nothing good can be gained without true faith in God. For is it also written: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. And it is also written: “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’” John 11:40.

But what kind of faith are we talking about? What kind of faith made God Himself relent from the disaster He had said that He would bring upon Nineveh? This is something that must truly be understood, and I believe that true faith will not be pleasing to most people, and unfortunately, those that call themselves believers and followers of God. Do you think that the faith that the Bible speaks of has to do with utilizing God, to try to get what a person wants? Do you think that faith is about looking to fulfill your own will and hate doing God’s will? Do you think that faith has to do with looking to solve your own problems? Was this the faith that moved God from wrath to grace? I don’t believe so. That’s why we must be very careful with what we listen to, to things that sound like the truth, but are not truth, because that is the way that Satan and his demons manipulate the truth.

This is the faith that moved God. As it is written: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18. “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:16-17. So quite simply, and even though they were pagan and wicked, they believed with their hearts, that if they did righteousness before a righteous God, obeying His will, that His wrath would be turned away and that they would find grace before Him. They legitimately believed God. They believed in His Word, and they obeyed. They listened to God, and it was accounted to them as righteousness because their actions demonstrated what had happened in their hearts.

One of the greatest problems that mankind has during these times is that they do not want to listen to God’s true Word. They would much rather listen to and following things that support carnality, where the god of selfishness is fed, where they are told that God can be their servant, and that He exists to grant their wishes and to help them obtain their goals. Most people only look to fulfill their own carnal interests, and they put aside what God wants, thereby ignoring the will of God. There are many that might say: “I have big problems and I need God’s help.” And yes, that could be true, and that it is not necessarily evil to look for God for help, but also, what must stop is that we cannot always be focused on ourselves. Man needs to stop seeing themselves as a god where they are only focused on themselves, because if they never genuinely look to God, and search for Him, they will never find God for their own good. This is what we read of Job: “Then Job answered the Lord and said: ‘I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6. There is no one that can say that they have more problems than Job, but Job was able to see God more clearly when he left his own person aside, his needs, and he set out to understand Who God truly is. Some may ask, “When did God speak to me?” And this is what the Word says: “Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words: ‘How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge.” Proverbs 1:20-22. And the Word also says: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20. God speaks at every instance through His actions, through creation, and the cross, and His Word is everywhere, in one way or another. And the reason for why problems exist are because God is calling to repentance. With every sunrise God is giving man the opportunity to look for Him, for His reasoning, and to leave their sin and their rebellion behind, to look for the Almighty, and to understand that His will is supremely greater than any idea man could ever have. So then, the question is: “Do you truly believe the Lord, and in such a way to find His grace, or do you continue seeking to fulfill your will, and like that, bringing upon yourself your own self-destruction?” Lord bless! John              

The Reason for Taking up the Cross - Luke 9:23-36

Based on Luke 9:23-36 (New King James Version)

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.’ Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!’ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.”

Many people today establish goals for different things, for things they want to achieve, or rather, they give themselves reasons to do something, or to strive for, to be able to obtain certain things. For example, there are children that develop an interest for something when they are small, they have a passion within themselves, like wanting to be an artist, or a doctor, or a police officer, or a soldier, or other things, and they start to strive for that goal then. Others look for a spouse. There are people that strive to have children. There are people that strive to have material possessions, like having a house or other things. There are people that strive to have their own business. There are people that leave their own countries with the hope of having a different life. And there are those that strive to follow a religion with the goal to find some sort of happiness here or something later on. In summary, most people have given themselves a reason to strive for, to be able to obtain what they want, with the goal to gain some sort of happiness when coming to obtain that which they desire so much.

Now then, many different types of reasons for striving have been mentioned, and I use the word “strive” because everything in this life is difficult, especially when striving for good things, right? Those that strive for a career dedicate themselves for years to achieve that goal, spending a lot of money, abstaining from different things, sacrificing a lot of time and other things, so they can obtain what they want. Being able to have a good marriage is not easy either. It is hard to find a person that is appropriate for that, because not everyone today thinks about marriage the way it should be and that is why many fail at it. Everything at the beginning of marriage is nice, full of excitement and dreams, but marriage is not for one day, nor for one month, nor for a few years, but rather, until death do you part. In marriage, there are good times and bad times. There is wealth and poverty. There is health and sickness. There are great joys and pleasures, and also great sadness and sorrow, in summary, all kinds of things happen within a marriage. Having children is not easy for many either, because it’s not just about making them or having them, but it’s also about raising them, taking care of them, and educating them, and they are there all your life. A person does not stop being a parent when their son or daughter turn 18, so then, it can be a very long and extended road, with many sacrifices, if things are done well. And well, it is not easy to obtain wealth when desired. It is many times hard enough to obtain what is necessary, so how much harder should it be to obtain those things that go beyond what is necessary? And starting a business is not so difficult, but what is difficult is maintaining a business, making it stable, and continuing to make it produce. That could take years and much sacrifice as well. And of course, how difficult is life for those that leave their countries and journey to start again in others! There are some that even lose their lives in the process. There are many that can make it, but once there, they find new and unanticipated challenges. And referring to religion, there are many people that do incredible things for their beliefs, and they sacrifice their own lives for an ideology. If you don’t believe that, you should remember the 9-11 attacks on the US. And in all of this, there are many that give up along the way because they cannot pay the price that it costs to have what they want. And of course, others fail and because of different reasons.

So then, what does this have to do with passage we read? It has to do with everything. None of the things mentioned are bad within themselves. But, everything that has been mentioned is temporary, and getting to the goal does not guarantee happiness. Many people come to obtain what they want, and when they get there, they think, “What now?” Others may say, “This is not what I thought it was going to be!” And of course, there are others that feel somewhat content, but their happiness lasts a little while. But absolutely everything in this world is temporary, vulnerable to destruction, limited, and illusory. Just as the preacher said: “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” Ecclesiastes 1:2. There is however something, or rather, Someone that is worth striving for, and He is neither an illusion, nor a vanity, nor far less, something passing or temporary. And this cannot be found in a religion, but rather, it can be found in having a relationship with this Someone who we owe everything to, and He can give us things that we cannot even imagine. That is why, if we understand the passage well, it is worthwhile taking on the cross of Christ because Christ is worthwhile, because He did something that nothing or no one else has done for us. Not only did He create us like the Scriptures teach us, but He also gave His life to save us from our sins. He broke our destiny which was hell, so that we could have eternal life. And as the Scripture says: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Everything God offers through Jesus Christ, starting with having Him in our heart, is worth not just living for Him, but also dying for Him. Everything in this life ends, but He remains forever, and His love for us is real and for all eternity. So then, are you taking up your cross for Christ, or is your reason for living still for inferior and/or temporary things? Lord bless! John               

It is Necessary to Pray for our Authorities - Acts 19:21-41

Based on Acts 19:21-41 (New King James Version)

“When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’ So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time. And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: ‘Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.’ Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians!’ So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians!’ And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: ‘Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.’ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.”

We see in this passage that the Gospel of Christ can produce problems for those that believe other things, and it is logical because as we saw, the riches of others are threatened, because the true Gospel of Christ has nothing to do with making money, or at least, that is what the Bible teaches (that’s a message for another time). Nonetheless, we see something else here that is also very important, and that is the intervention of authorities who at least establish a neutral ground and order, for the good of those that follow the Lord. We see that if it wasn’t for the city clerk, the multitude would have killed at that moment those that were faithful to the Lord. Therefore, and as the Word teaches and what this occasion shows us, it is necessary to support the authorities.

Interceding for authorities before the Lord as the people of God is a commandment, and it is not just about praying for them, but that it also involves many other things where the people of God should be present. The Word of God puts it this way: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 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. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.” Romans 13:1-6. “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” Titus 3:1-3. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:1-6. So then, the Word is very clear in the way we should treat authorities, no matter how they are, even though we may not agree with many things, and there are spiritual, wise, and even logical reasons for why we should not only pray for them, but also, respect, and help in whatever possible, in summary, to do what is good and right before the eyes of the Lord, to do those things that bring Him honor and glory, and not to do those that promote blame to His Name as it happens many times.

These are the indications that the Word gives on how to do things: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:18-21. What is the way that we can overcome with good, through protesting, boycotting, marching, vandalism? We need to use what God gave us. We overcome through unified prayer and sharing the Gospel of salvation with every person possible, both in word and in deed (good works), giving a testimony that is worthy of the Lord, like those faithful people that preceded us in the faith. So then, are you supporting authorities, even those that you don’t like personally, in the manner that God commands? Lord bless! John             

It is Necessary to be Faithful - Hebrews 3

Based on Hebrews 3 (New King James Version)

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ’ Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

If there is something crucial and necessary, it is faithfulness. This is one of those things that cannot be compromised. And unfortunately, this is something that is missing a lot today. We live in a time where few people are faithful. There is much unfaithfulness everywhere. We live in a society that is unfaithful. And, above it all, there is much unfaithfulness towards the Lord. This is where the infidelity is greatest, and quite frankly, there can be no salvation unless a person is faithful to the Lord. The Lord requires a faithfulness that is very different to what is preached commonly.

To start, we will see one of the most abused and misinterpreted passages in all of the Bible, and of course, such misinterpretation is convenient because it favors infidelity. Let’s see the following: If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13. A great number of people that rely on God’s grace in an erroneous way use this passage to excuse unfaithfulness. And with this, they think they can be unfaithful to God and that everything will be fine in the end. And, that this justifies depending only on the Lord’s grace, and not on works, or that you can sin freely, and so on, thereby opening a big door to self-justification and disorder. Unfortunately, they take this verse out of context and create all kinds of excuses to do whatever they please. But a verse that is taken out of context or misinterpreted and distorted cannot erase or invalidate what the rest of the Bible says, because the Word works in conjunction with itself, and not by parts. And if something does not agree with the rest of the Scriptures, then quite simply, it is a false teaching. This is Satan’s specialty, using certain parts of the Word to make lies sound like the truth.

Let us see the context then: “This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:11-13. This passage is more of an example of the faithfulness God looks for in order for there to be salvation. Let us look at it better, and especially just as it is written, in a conditional manner (because absolutely everything in the Lord is conditional). It first says that we should die with Him so that we can live with Him. It says that we should endure so that we can reign with Him. It also says that if we deny Him, that He will deny us. So then, if we understand the aforementioned conditions, then we should conclude that being faithless cannot consist of significant problems, and of course, when we understand more clearly the original, that the faithlessness that is being spoken of here has to do with imperfection, and that He understands our weak condition, and that we are not perfect yet, but, it does not give room to the abuse that many preach about, that a person can live however they want, and that no matter what they do, that everything will be fine. The Scriptures also say this: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.” Hebrews 12:1-4. In this passage, there is no mediocrity, no selfishness, and no justification for a life of disorder and lack of Godly fear. We are all sinners, even when we came to Christ, but there should be a process of transformation. We cannot stay in the same condition we first knew the Lord. There should be pursuit, an advancement, a patience that must be cultivated. And the only things that cultivate patience are trials and tribulations, those that go beyond God’s discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11).

Now then, how can we walk this path that does not seem as simple as many make it sound (because following Christ is not a path of roses, per se). This is what we read: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39. “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4. “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Revelation 21:7. We must overcome through Christ. And there is something that we must always keep in mind. Our relationship with God should always be based on love, and love is never forced. God does not force anyone, especially when it has to do with being faithful. And love for the Lord occurs when there is an appreciation for Who He is and for what He has done for us. So then, are you faithful to the Lord, in the manner that the Word says? Lord bless! John       

Who Jesus Really Is - John 5:16-30

Based on John 5:16-30 (New King James Version)

“For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.’ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.’”

Here we read of the greatest injustice that has ever been committed in history, and it is the same injustice that continues being committed by the majority of people, the injustice of refusing to accept Who Jesus really is. Was Jesus just a man, or a good person who helped people, or a philosopher, or a scientist? Let’s ask the question but with other identifiers that are used more by the religious. Was Jesus a healer, or a teacher, or a prophet? To be able to answer the question, it is necessary to go deeper in the Scriptures to be able to get to the Truth and to see the depth of the injustice that is committed by not recognizing Him for Who He really is, and the price that will be paid for refusing to acknowledge that reality.

The issue is that Jesus was and is much more than those things. And His precise name must be used, Jesus, because that is the name that was revealed by His Father (and to give start to our explanation): “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” Luke 1:30-32. Jesus was and is an integral part of the Holy Trinity of God, as it is also written: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” 1 John 5:7. We see also that He has always been, and that He is eternal, as it is written: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-3. The Word also demonstrates to us that everything created exists because they were made through Him, everything that is visible and the invisible, the temporary and the eternal: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. And consequently, Jesus is the One that has all power over all things, as the Creator He is, as the Scriptures relate: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18. So then, quite simply, Jesus is God, the One who was, and is, and is to come, the One that lives and reigns for forever and ever and acknowledging Him as any other thing is undoubtedly an insult to His greatness and majesty.

Now then, why is it so important to do this primary justice that God the Father looks for, by acknowledging the reality of Jesus? Because there is no eternal life unless the Lord is acknowledged, accepted, and obeyed as the One He truly is. If He is not recognized as such, the same injustice continues being committed that we saw in the religious, and God will not tolerate such a thing. This is what the Word says: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36. And it is also written: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11. Every human being, whether for salvation during this present time of grace, or every being, even Satan himself, for eternal condemnation, shall recognize the reality of Jesus in the end, and every being shall kneel to His majesty and confess Him as such. This is the end that awaits all of those that refuse to accept this reality: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 21:11-21. It is not convenient to commit the error of seeing God’s love and mercy through Jesus as weakness because the price that will be paid shall be great. God is love, but He is also consuming fire. So then, do you acknowledge, accept, and follow the Lord as the Being He really is, for your own good? Lord bless! John