"How do we know???" I'm sure I have commented on this before but it is such a good passage I wanted to highlight it again.

When we accept Jesus we get the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit speaks directly to us.  But this passage makes clear that there are other spirits out there who will try to influence us as well.  So don't just assume that when a spirit talks to you that it is the "Holy Spirit".  Remember Satan is the prince of deception. 

So how do we tell?  We are told to test the spirits to see if they are of God. 

1 John 4:1-3(NKJV)

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

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 

and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

How do we do that?  We test to see if they confess that Jesus came in the flesh.  Where I think this is especially useful is in evaluating religious theology.  There are many different branches of Christianity but they all have the commonality of belief in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Without this common belief they aren't really Christians are they, because the very essence of Christianity is the belief in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

There have been many cults and false religions that seem to be "Christian" but when you get down to the basics, they don't really believe in Jesus.

So for me at least, this gives a quick down and dirty way to analyze knew "beliefs" within the Christian world.  If it passes this first test then I can explore it further if I want to or fee led to.  If it doesn't pass this first test then God has just saved me from wasting a bunch of time. 

Pretty Cool!

Why do we need discernment when reading the Bible?

This is just my personal opinion.  When I compare the Gospels to the rest of the New T I find some differences that seem to be man added requirements and views.  Let's use these passages to explain what I mean.

1 John 2:1-6(NKJV)

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Now Jesus Himself stressed over and over that salvation was a heart issue.  We are told that we are all sinners and all fall short of the glory of God.  We are also told that we will continue to sin even after we accept Jesus and will continue to need Jesus' forgiveness throughout our lives; and that is normal.  As long as our long term focus is on Jesus then the short term sins don't constitute a rejection of Jesus. 

John takes a different approach and I personally liken it to the "Jewish mother" trying to lay a guilt trip on her kids.  Or in other words manipulate her kids.   

According to John if we fail, as Jesus told us would happen even to the most devoted disciples, it proves that we never really believed in Jesus to begin with.  Let's test that theory.

So when Peter rejected Jesus 3 times as Jesus had said would happen, according to John this shows that Peter never truly believed.  Does that seem likely to you?  It doesn't to me. 

To me these verses seems to be more of a clumsy attempt to club people into behaving themselves.  Kind of like parents saying "if you kids don't behave yourself all year then Santa won't come".

Now if John had simply added "continually attempt" to his verses I think they would have been more in agreement with Jesus.

For example if John had said "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we continually attempt to keep His commandments." I think that would be more in the spirit of what Jesus said.  The continual effort, if sincere, indicates where the heart is truly at and Jesus has said repeatedly that that is the real issue to Him. 

Make sense?   

And that is why I think the discernment provided by the Holy Spirit while reading Scripture is so important!

 

The mansion with many rooms.

When do we actually go to Heaven?  The reason I ask is that I was at a funeral yesterday and the pastor used the quote from Jesus about preparing a mansion for us with many rooms.  In the message the pastor made it seem like the person that had just died had already been shown to his room in the mansion by Jesus. 

Quite frankly that is what I think most of us have grown up thinking is the way it happens.  Your dead and instantly you are in Heaven with Jesus.  But what about this?

2 Timothy 4:1(NKJV)

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 

And this.

1 Peter 4:5-6(NKJV)

They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

If Jesus hasn't judged the dead yet, how do they get into Heaven so quickly?  Or is it that all who have died have to wait for Jesus second coming where Jesus will judge the living and dead before they actually go to Heaven? 

This one will require further study.  Not really a big deal either way as long as we get there.  Just more of my curiosity on the timing. 

Tell me again how in the end God is going to let everyone in to Heaven. LOL! Scripture says otherwise.

Revelation 15:1(NKJV)

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

 

This creates an interesting question!

This creates an interesting question.  Read these verses and then I will pose the question.

Zephaniah 3:5(NKJV)

    The Lord is righteous in her midst,     He will do no unrighteousness.     Every morning He brings His justice to light;     He never fails,     But the unjust knows no shame.

So based on the Scripture above we have the principal that everything that God does is righteous.

Isaiah 45:7(NKJV)

    I form the light and create darkness,     I make peace and create calamity;     I, the Lord, do all these things.’

So is it fair to say that even when God creates calamity for people God is acting in a righteous way? 

Gotta love God's wording here

Gotta love God's wording here

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

12:07 PM

1 Peter 4:15(NKJV)

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 

Isn't it interesting that a busybody is lumped in with murderers, thieves, and evildoers.  Is being a busybody really that bad of a thing?  That's what God seems to be saying. 

Another example of why works are important.

Matthew 5:16(NKJV)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Not much explanation needed.  :)