Monthly Archives: February 2025

THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 4]

Heaven will be sparsely populated. Only few will find and successfully traverse the Narrow Way.

“SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND”

The Greek word is ζητέω zētéō (dzay-teh’-o). Its primary definition is “to seek in order to find.” When the Lord Jesus stated this relatively simple truth He was not referring to a brief flippant attempt at possible discovery in which finding would be easy as if all one had to do was look under the first proverbial rock one stumbled upon and there it was. In reality, it is pretty much just the opposite. Why? Because on the one hand the enemy of humanity does his best to hide what must be found and do all he can to lead people away and astray. He has many means with which to do this including the creation of false doors that appear real by which most people are deceived. On the other hand the Lord also makes that which must be found a challenge in that only the dedicated devoted steadfast faithful committed give-it-their-whole-heart crowd will discover the otherwise seemingly secret entrance. And what is more, one must keep what one has found by maintaining a lifestyle toward that goal or else it could well be lost and even possibly become unrecoverable. As the Lord stated:

“I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” [Revelation 3:11-13]

Most Christians understand the concept of the “one pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:46), the “treasure hid in a field” (Matthew 13:44), and the “lost piece of silver” (Luke 15:8-9). In each of these cases and many more, the Lord was teaching on both the need for discipline and perseverance in the act of “seeking in order to find” but also the great reward thereof when one at last finds what one was duly searching for. And one would think most Christians also understand that which is by far the greatest of all rewards given by the Lord, other than Himself, of course, who gave His very life for His sheep which is the only gift/sacrifice that makes heaven possible.

Therefore, let us look again at the following familiar passages and glean from them all we can regarding the process of salvation and finding the “secret” entry:

KEEP ASKING / KEEP SEEKING / KEEP KNOCKING

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” [Matthew 7:7-8]

THE SMALL NARROW GATE / THE NARROW WAY

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” [Matthew 7:13-14]

THE “FEW” WORD

I still retain a very clear memory of an event I had at a church I was attending many years ago. I was a member in very good standing but that did not matter so much at the time. After a church service I was talking to a friend and the discussion had turned to salvation. I told him about how there would only be a relative few that would actually be saved. Now, this particular place was a mega church in the making and it eventually got there in a very big way but when I was there it was still relatively small according to such standards. The pastor was a man with a giant vision. He had started the church from scratch. He worked very hard. He was certainly a dedicated and gifted man. And everybody knew who was in charge.

As it happened, after my little discussion, no doubt because the person with which I was having the discussion was not so aware of the written Word, that the word had somehow gotten back to the pastor that I had used the otherwise dreaded “few” word. Such a word does not dovetail so well with the word “mega.” It is the only thing to explain what occurred. I think it was a midweek service. Picture a congregation of about four or five hundred. I was sitting not too far from the front. At one point in the service the pastor said something to the effect that some people want to limit God and believe such things as only “few will be saved.” He was looking right at me when he said it. And he was not happy.

With that being said we must take a look at the “few” word a little closer. The actual verse in which this word appears is Matthew 7:14. It is from the Greek ὀλίγος olígos (ol-ee’-gos). Strong’s Concordance defines it as such: “of uncertain affinity; puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value); especially neuter (adverbially) somewhat:—+ almost, brief(-ly), few, (a) little, + long, a season, short, small, a while.”

Here it is according to The Outline of Biblical Usage:

little, small, few
of number: multitude, quantity, or size
of time: short
of degree or intensity: light, slight

I could go further here and cite additional sources but you get the idea:

THE LORD JESUS SAID ONLY “FEW” WOULD FIND THE SMALL GATE AND THE NARROW WAY AND BY IMPLICATION SUCCESSFULLY FOLLOW THAT NARROW WAY TO THE VERY END.

This means we as Christians in general and especially as ministers of the Gospel should preach and teach the Word that the Lord Jesus preached and taught because He had an extremely good reason for it, instead of watering it down and changing it into something more palatable and socially acceptable, perhaps for the purpose of gaining greater numbers and possibly also to create and build a much more “successful” Christian enterprise.

Now, if it happens that the Lord wants to collect a great many of the “few” and put them all under one big giant massive roof in which maybe a hundred thousand may fit then such is all well and good and proper. But He will never cut corners or water down or change His Word in order to do it and the people there are still going to comprise a portion of the relative “few” worldwide and heaven itself will ultimately still be relatively sparsely populated and the great bulk of humanity will still never find the door.

Also, I think if most of us had our way and our heart is right we would want EVERYONE to be saved, but this is simply never going to happen primarily because only a “few” will ever repent of their sins properly and fully and give their entire lives and all their heart to the Lord Jesus. This does mean we are to limit our witnessing or sit around waiting for the inevitable end as if we could not help the Lord seek the lost. We must remember that in His ministry He sought the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matthew 15:24) and found them and saved them even though the majority of the nation rejected Him. In our case, however, we can never make judgments regarding who is “worthy” of salvation and therefore we must desire the salvation of all.

THE REWARD

As the apostle Peter wrote:

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. [2Peter 3:9-18] [1]

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Tags: Apostle Paul, Apostle Peter, Discipleship, Enter Through the Narrow Gate, Finding Our Way Home, For Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen, Heaven, Lord Jesus, Narrow Way, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Real Repentance, Salvation, Sinners Saved By Grace, Spiritual Warfare, The Great Awakening, Unreal Christianity

THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 3]

Feb 22

Posted by RJ Dawson

In addition to the misconception that heaven is the eternal default destination (rather than the hot place), there is another massive misconception among many Christians…

THE GREAT DIVIDE

A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” [John 10:19-21]

Everywhere one travels throughout the New Covenant writings, from the Gospels to Revelation, he will discover an ongoing underappreciated theme dealing with a thoroughly somewhat unpleasant topic. Whether the Lord is referring to sheep and goats, wheat and tares, or human subjects such as the rich man and Lazarus, He is often dividing by two. At times He is relatively subtle, such as through His expert use of particular parables to illustrate the fine nuances of the truth He wishes to convey. At other times, however, He charges ahead at a high spiritual decibel level to not only blast out a truth but also dispel false notions regarding it. The latter form of truth-telling is rarely heard in pulpits across the land, for otherwise obvious reasons, such as the following:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.” [Matthew 10:34-36]

Whoa. Sounds harsh. Sounds unchristian. And He’s not done…

“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 has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” [Matthew 10:37-39]

Again, we see division. We see Him dividing by two. On the one hand He does not appear to be getting with the unity-at-all-costs program, that which an apparent majority of Christians are obsessed with, but just the opposite. On the other hand, however, we discover by such “hard sayings” that He is actually on a much higher level of the standard unity/unifying program by establishing the creation of spiritual unity through division. And we see that such a program has an ultimate end.

Here is more:

“I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. [Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] [Luke 17:34-36]

Therefore, according to these few noted passages and so many more throughout the written Word, the Lord Jesus, in reality, by creating the spiritual unity of His flock through His proficient means of separation by the sword, could rightly be classified as The Division King.

THE RESPONSE FROM EVIL

The use of the dividing sword will always bring a requisite retort that essentially solidifies the place of the unrepentant unbeliever as all-the-more willingly desirous of being apart from God. Such people do not realize that by their inability to control their anger and hatred by being called out and exposed for what they are, even though the intention is to bring them into the light, they play right into the hands of the division process. As we continue in this passage from John Chapter Ten, the Lord continues to cause division by simply revealing who He is. At the end, His detractors seal their eternal fate by going all in—100%—which proves conclusively the very necessity of the dividing sword in the first place:

At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

“I and the Father are one.”

The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” [John 10:22-33] [1]

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THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 2]

Feb 17

Posted by RJ Dawson

The NT states it is impossible to gain heaven through our own efforts, but the Lord Jesus certainly gained heaven through His efforts—and also for potentially everyone.

He left heaven for our sakes with every intention of going back. However, the only way He could ever return is if He successfully completed His mission. (Keep this in mind regarding your own mission.)

What most Christians do not realize is that the Lord put absolutely everything on the line when He became one of us. He knew the only way to defeat the devil and death itself was to live a perfect human life without ever making a single miscue or misstep. If He committed only one sin He would have failed His mission completely, regardless of everything else He accomplished, and could no longer be the sinless Sacrifice Lamb of God. That would mean no one would be saved. It would mean every human being that had ever lived would be barred from heaven and end up in the dreaded default destination.

It would also mean the Lord Himself would never have a savior since He is the only possible Savior. And that would mean He would never return to heaven.

I know this may sound like sheer speculation of the off the charts variety, but it is actually sound from a New Testament perspective. It dovetails with what the Lord taught. It is not His fault that His authentic teachings have been so watered down and transformed over the centuries that most Christians think the real appears foreign while the gospel they are familiar with, whichever one of the many faux gospels it may be, looks correct and acceptable.

Additionally, some or quite possibly most Christians may believe it was impossible for the Lord Jesus to sin which renders what I’m stating here to be an essentially specious argument. In reality, however, if such a thing was true, how does one explain His extreme suffering, the great strength and determination He put into successfully overcoming temptation, the necessity of His initial forty day fast and who knows how many multitudinous fasts He endured throughout His ministry? How would one explain the exceptional discipline in His life and the same discipline required for every believer in order to be spiritually effective? And how would one explain this:

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. [Hebrews 4:15]

It should be obvious, therefore, that the enemy knew exactly what everything hinged upon regarding God’s plan for salvation and is why the enemy focused so much effort on attempting to get the Lord to succumb to temptation and commit sin. It is true, of course, that the Lord overcame every effort against Him but is also true that it often took everything He had to do so and was very difficult. It was high level spiritual warfare. And in war there is always the possibility of defeat.

Now that we have established the proper perspective we should understand how difficult the Lord’s mission was. Nevertheless, it appears as though most Christians do not understand this and thus take heaven for granted. It is also likely that those Christians with such an attitude also take their own walk with God for granted as if the requirements are not all that demanding. This is likely due in part to the preponderance of fake ministers of the Gospel preaching other gospels containing false doctrines that not only do not tell the Gospel truth but also fail to illustrate the actual supreme difficulty of the Lord’s mission and all it entailed. Those who engage in this dishonorable travesty and all those who follow them have decided on taking another way which, not surprisingly, is relatively simple and easy, instead of the Way. And the people overcome by such a deception likely never realize they failed a temptation test somewhere along the way and as a result will never find their way to heaven. Their only reward is thus in the present.

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

This parable is an excellent discourse explaining the truth of how to get to heaven. The Lord Jesus makes all the pertinent points in that regard and answers every question. He also does it using relatively easy to understand language and general terms familiar to his audience which are fundamental components of parabolic teaching. Nevertheless, as in all His parables, understanding them meant one must possess “ears to hear” and “eyes to see.”

The Lord begins by speaking of the evil ones who refuse to acknowledge the only Door and attempt to find another way into His sheepfold. Sound familiar? He then explains how the actual process works:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

“But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. [John 10:1-6]

Okay, we have a picture of the sheepfold. In the Lord’s time such folds or pens were usually created with stone walls which were just high enough to do the job. They were likely created in relatively crude but sturdy fashion using the ready rocks of the field. For greater protection and also requiring less material they were sometimes (or oftentimes) created when available against natural walls such as the edges of hills or rises or against cliffs. The shepherd would construct such pens to keep his sheep in for the night. If the fold was semi-permanent he would make one opening (a door) using stacked rocks or possibly one fashioned from wood. It was clearly important to make the enclosure safe and secure, primarily from predators.

Regarding the entry, the Lord taught that the shepherd always entered by the door. He stated that anyone trying to enter the fold any other way was a thief and a robber, meaning they had sinister intentions. He thus gives us the first clue at the very beginning regarding those to watch out for and how to identify them.

The sheep were generally penned up into the fold in the evenings. Such sheepfolds were usually created with minimum space requirements which resulted in somewhat cramped conditions. In the morning among the hustle of the sheep longing to get out and into the pastures the doorkeeper would begin taking down the rocks comprising the door. In their hurry to leave the somewhat impatient sheep would assist in this process by pressing against the egress and assist in knocking down the loose rocks on their way out finishing the opening and following their shepherd into the liberty of the free-range grazing fields.

In the next passage the Lord Jesus identifies Himself as the only Door. Additionally, He states His great love for His sheep and defines this love as that in which He is willing to give His life and due to which the sheep feel secure and protected. He also again teaches about the enemy who merely masquerades as the shepherd but is only a hired hand. Sound familiar?

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” [John 10:7-18] [1]

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Tags: Discipleship, Heaven, Hired Hands, Lord Jesus, Parables, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Salvation in Jesus, Sin, Spiritual Warfare, The Door of the Sheep, The Good Shepherd, The Great Awakening, Unreal Christianity

THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 1]

Feb 13

Posted by RJ Dawson

The New Testament states that heaven is not anyone’s eternal destination unless one does something life-changing to secure it and avert the dreaded default.

MANKIND’S INHERENT NATURE

It appears as though the majority of people who believe in an afterlife have the mistaken notion that pretty much everyone will end up in the good place regardless of anything in their lives which would warrant such a profound celestial gift. Yet it also appears apparent that most people go through life doing what they will and whatever life calls for without thinking too much about eternity as if one’s eternal destination has already somehow been taken care of by providence, which means they understand providence to be both benevolent and also no stickler for one’s behavior or intentions.

Consequently, the concept of sin doesn’t come up too often. How do we know this? For the simple reason that many people if not most (likely most) do not possess any objective moral checklist to indicate right from wrong except in a general sense or that which is dictated by their culture. Even though most people have a working conscience early in life that clearly delineates the good from the bad, humans are notorious for making exceptions and overriding their conscience when it suits them, usually when they want to engage in something for their own selfish pleasure or gain something through nefarious means. This proves one will generally break the rules and violate their conscience when it serves his or her own interests and believes such decisions should be no one else’s business, which has a tendency to subvert societal mores (understatement alert).

Now, if pretty much everyone has this attitude, which present and historical evidence certainly seems to strongly suggest, then it means human societies demand some method of restricting such an attitude and it’s pernicious fruits or else there will be utmost chaos and debauchery and the very antithesis of a cohesive culture and society, which is supposed to exist for the benefit of the members thereof and not so everyone can run amok in the engagement of vice. We call this restriction of human will that is naturally bent toward personal licentious outcomes Law. And we have law so there can be Order. Thus, the establishment of law and order which the majority has always been in favor of in the good societies in this world proves that humanity has a serious problem that must be not only addressed but addressed at all times, meaning law and order is a 24 hours a day and 365 days a year proposition.

No matter how one may look at this it proves absolutely that human beings are basically and inherently degenerate, otherwise we wouldn’t need massive skyscraper level libraries of laws and restrictions spelling out every human offense there is down to the minutest level. And we wouldn’t need scads and scads and scads of those who make their living in this medium of secular ultra-casuistry called Lawyers, some of which to defend innocent parties hurt/harmed/damaged/injured by the bad guys and some to prosecute said bad guys for their bad guy behavior. Such a process has a tendency to draw sharp contrasts between the harmed and the harmers (the good guys and bad guys) as if the harmed are not and cannot be the harmers. Yet, since all human beings have the same problem regarding what the Word of God calls sin, such a good guy/bad guy scenario must be based on another set of laws because God’s Law says everyone is a sinner on their way to you know where.

SOCIETAL CONDUCT CONTROLS

In other words, if one does fairly well obeying societal or cultural mores and behaviors then they are considered good “law-abiding” citizens. This means they score well on what are essentially watered-down tests of morality in that they manage to keep themselves from committing major behavioral aberrations and crimes to the point that their lesser indiscretions are either not counted, are unseen or unknown, OR there are no laws on the books for their particular immoral miscues. But since the more enlightened societies and cultures of the world doing well to illustrate a high level of civilization are also often the ones with the most laws and lawyers it indicates that something is simply not on the up and up, which proves that even the best human societies/cultures DEMAND endless laws ad infinitum and veritable armies of lawyers simply to stay intact and maintain some semblance of order.

What then happens to lesser societies/cultures? Obviously, things are worse in such places and are far worse in the worst of such places. If they somehow manage to stay intact it is only through greater degrees as required of brute force. This means their laws are essentially worthless since most don’t obey them and law enforcement can only go after the very worst offenders while everyone else gets away with their “lesser” crimes. One might call this grading on the curve.

This raises an interesting question: Why are some societies and cultures better than others? Why are some people better at regulating their behavior than others? Why are some cultures made up primarily of people who cannot or will not control themselves and do whatever they want to fulfill their evil desires? Regardless of whatever it may be that causes some populations of people to possess little or no morality whatsoever and simply cannot or will not control themselves, while other populations do a relatively very good job at such, it stands to reason that there must be something beyond the human beings comprising such better societies that keeps them in line if it exists and is applied.

Again, even the best societies and cultures of this world demand multitudinous laws and lawyers which means human beings have a serious problem with inherent human behavior. Thus, the only reason good societies exist is because the people thereof are well aware of their condition and work extremely hard at regulating it. They teach their young from the very beginning what is right and what is wrong. They reward good behavior but pay special attention to nipping bad behavior in the bud and make great demands of themselves and their charges to be upstanding citizens and strive to create and possess good reputations.

Now, that being said, most children have good natures and usually only need set boundaries. Their freedom must be limited in such a way that they are not so aware of it and then increased as they can handle it. If they prove worthy they get the recompense of slightly more freedom and rewards for good behavior. In this way they have a much better chance of learning right from wrong in a manner that agrees with their conscience which confirms they are being taught correctly which in turn establishes trust in and respect for authority. Some kids need relatively less strict discipline to keep them on track while other kids demand much more.

Hence, the good behavior required to be good kids and future good upstanding citizens must be learned and the rewards for fulling such must be earned.

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Tags: America, Discipleship, Heaven, Law of Moses, Lawlessness, Lord Jesus, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Sin and Evil, Societal Pressure, The Great Awakening

“THE LORD IS A WARRIOR; THE LORD IS HIS NAME”

Feb 10

Posted by RJ Dawson

Spiritual warfare is not optional. Battling the enemy is mandatory. The Christian spiritual warrior must do all in his or her power to FIGHT.

The title of this article quotes Exodus 15:3 from the Song of Moses, a wonderful and worshipful testament to God’s greatness and faithfulness as our Saving Deliverer. In the original Hebrew, the word “Lord” is actually the second level revealed Name of God—YHWH—which, due to its great holiness, the scribes replaced with the written Hebrew word Adonai (Lord). God the Creator’s first level revealed Name—Elohiym—is found initially in Genesis 1 where it is used exclusively. We first see His Name YHWH in Genesis 2:4. His third level revealed Name first appears in Exodus 3:14. It was during the burning bush experience of Moses when he received his commission to go to Egypt to deliver his people. He asked for God’s Name:

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” [Exodus 3:14]

THE LORD IS A WARRIOR

We see parallels to these Names of God in the New Testament, especially many instances of the Lord Jesus referring to Himself as “I AM.” In fact, there are a great many parallels in the NT matching up with the God of the OT. The final and greatest revelatory Name of God is, of course, YeHoshua (Jesus), the Name above every name, which combines the Tetragrammaton—YHWH (Yahweh)—with the Hebrew word Yasha, or Salvation. Hence the Name of Jesus means “Yahweh Sets Free” or “Yahweh Saves.”

As mentioned in a recent post, the Lord Jesus was and remains the greatest spiritual Warrior in existence. There is no one greater. During His ministry He knew more than anyone that He must fight every day or would have no chance whatsoever to win spiritual victories and complete His mission. Judging by everything He managed to accomplish—an absolutely perfect ministry in which He achieved every single predetermined goal—He proved Himself to be the greatest of all time.

His enemies greatly feared Him. And they still do. They know they have no chance. Remember, however, that when God took on the greatest challenge of His life in a be-all and end-all battle that would decide everything, He did not decide to take on His enemies by roaring from the sky and tossing down furious burning lightning bolts to obliterate His foes but chose to enter the battle as one of us. By this He not only greatly curtailed His overwhelming ferocious inherent ability to crush His wimpy foes like bugs but do it through an otherwise rebellious and cantankerous medium which NT Scripture refers to as the flesh.

Therefore, not only would He be taking on—

The devil and the entire forces of hell
A fallen evil kosmos constructed by multiple generations of errant and immoral human beings not only apart from and out of communication with God but in willful opposition to Him (the “world”), and
Sinful flesh, that is, predisposed sinful human nature, our greatest enemy, and even wrapping Himself with it, as per the ancient prophecy in Psalm 40 written by His ancestor David, quoted here in the NT Book of Hebrews:

Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,

But a body You have prepared for Me;

In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices

For sin You have taken no pleasure.

“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come

(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)

To do Your will, O God.’” [Hebrews 10:5-7]

Now, think about this. It was always His plan to become a human but when the time came to engage in the greatest battle of His or anyone’s life He approached it in the most unconventional manner imaginable. Rather than getting physically ripped and bulking up by consuming mass quantities of grain-fed beef, equipping Himself amply with the normal warfare implements of physical weaponry and armor, and psyching Himself out to take on the equivalent of Roman Legions, He instead planned on a forty-day fast and ultimately using the Word of God as His chief weapon of choice. As Paul wrote,

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)… [2Corinthians 10:3-4 KJV]

This should cause all Christians believers to think a tad more seriously about the battle at hand, how we approach it, and get a better idea why American Christianity in general is getting beat to death, destroyed all over the battlefield, and humiliated by a scheming deceiver never hesitating to laugh in our faces over our collective unskilled ineptitude. Could it be that American Christianity in general is stubbornly clinging to methods that never work in the spiritual realm but are great in the natural since social standing, dead religious tradition, and buckets of money are far more preferable? Is this not obviously the case since the majority of Christians prefer this world to the next and would rather run alongside the sinful culture than stand against it and even rebuke it?

As James wrote:

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. [James 4:4 KJV]

Again, this word “world” is translated from the Greek κόσμος kósmos (kos’-mos). It is the same in essence as that which the devil controlled/controls and which he offered to the Lord during the Lord’s temptation in exchange for worship. Can we not see then that this worldwide construct of sinful man apart from God is intricately connected to the tempter and that this tempter has obviously made great headway in successfully tempting all manner of Christian institutions and churches? Have not so many of these sold out and taken the deal? Have they not also been granted great success as the tempter promised?

We may often wonder how much of the success of American Christianity in general is the result of the Lord’s blessings and how much has come from the evil one but there is no doubt that at least some and quite possibly the greater percentage has been due to the latter. This should give us serious pause. It should also alert us to the clearest method of distinguishing the two: That which agrees with the ministry form and lifestyle of the Early Church of the first century AD is the standard to be embraced. They represented the prototype of all succeeding generations. Yet for some reason their example is often shunned and opposed as if one has taken another suitor.

Regarding the previous passage, James, the blood brother of our Lord, is adamant that spiritual adultery is a vile offense which makes a relationship with the Lord impossible. This was obviously the entire problem with ancient Israel in that it simply could not keep itself chaste unto God and was forever straying.

It is why only a relatively small Remnant of the nation, perhaps 10% if that (a tithe), stayed faithful. The surviving Remnant during the Lord’s time are the people He chose—all Israelites initially—and worked through to begin His ministry and wider movement spreading into and throughout the world of that time. They succeeded in great part because they were ferocious spiritual warriors who gave no quarter to the enemy and were determined with all their heart to fulfill the Lord’s directives.

The Lord’s people of our time are currently doing the same though are often working in obscurity. Many not only battle in the Spirit but also battle to survive. The devil hates them, the world hates them, and the flesh hates them. It reminds one of the following:

“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” [Matthew 10:22][1]

I encourage you all to continue to fight for and with the Lord in the great battle against the enemies of God. Continue to be strong and consistent spiritual warriors. In the Lord’s time and timing we each will continue to have spiritual victories in the Lord’s service, that many will be saved, delivered, set free, and raised up to spiritual maturity in the Lord as His Kingdom advances.

The Great Awakening continues and is gaining ground. The Lord is winning!

FIGHT ON

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Tags: America, American Christianity, Discipleship, Fight the Good Fight of Faith, Lord Jesus, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Spiritual Battle, Spiritual Warfare, The Great Awakening, The LORD is a Warrior, The Remnant, The World The Flesh The Devil, They Hated Me Without a Cause, YHWH-Salvation

HOW THE LORD CONFIRMS THE ACCURACY OF CHRISTIAN TEACHING: A DIALOGUE

Feb 7

Posted by RJ Dawson

“Look. Here’s the problem. It’s like we have to follow a script. It’s like we are limited in what we can do in ministry because of Scriptural parameters.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Well, I don’t feel I am suggesting anything, I don’t think, but merely pointing out the problems that arise from always having to keep reverting back to Scripture, as in, well, ‘the Bible says this’ or ‘the Lord said we must,’ or ‘we have to apply this Biblical directive…’”

“You think your ministerial work is suffering because you invoke Scripture?”

“No, no, not necessarily, but because, well, because I think there are other applications that probably work better in some instances, and…”

“But don’t you realize that the application of Scripture, especially the teachings of Jesus, is exactly that which provides solutions?”

“But does it always? Sometimes I’m not so sure. I’ve seen…”

“Are you having a personal crisis regarding your faith?”

“What? No, no, I just think that, that, well, that sometimes I want to help someone get through whatever they may be dealing with and show, you know, my heartfelt sympathy or concern, and, I think that trying to quote Scripture at such a time is, just, not working, or won’t work, like it’s being cold.”

“My goodness. How long have you been doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve obviously been attempting to minister to people while also holding a clear lack of faith in Christian teachings. Do you not see this?”

“No! No, that’s not it. I know the Scriptures are the Word of God but I feel like I’m hitting people with a book, like I’m merely parroting verses and passages instead of reaching them at the point of their need, and showing sincere concern, and…”

“Did the Lord engage in ministry in such a way?”

“Well the Lord was certainly right there and touching hearts, and…”

“Showing compassion?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s it. He showed compassion. He granted mercy, He…”

“He watered-down the Law of Moses because that might help people not feel offended?”

“The Law! What?”

“You have a problem with the Law!”

“Wait. We’re Christians! We honor the New Covenant not the Old! We…”

“The Lord Jesus was never against the Law of Moses! The Lord actually fulfilled the Law of Moses! What is wrong with you?”

“Why are you getting so upset?”

“Because you have obviously gone off the deep end and need strong correction! How long have you been carrying this lack of respect for the Law?”

“But Paul was always talking about the deficiencies of the Law. It’s throughout all his writings.”

“You’re exaggerating. Paul spoke of the New Covenant superseding the Old Covenant but he also strongly defended the Law of Moses! Yes! The Law as delivered originally by God through Moses was certainly not deficient but was simply in need of its final fulfillment which could only be done by the future Messiah. To state that the Law was deficient or that there was a problem with the Law is grossly incorrect.”

“Okay… I’m thinking… I’m wondering where I picked this up…”

“It could be through a simple misapplication of Scripture.”

“Yes… But no. I must have received my understanding of the Law through those New Testament passages which refer to the Law in a negative sense.”

“Then you have an incomplete understanding of Scripture and need further teaching. Or you could have received it through the teachings of others in that regard.”

“But that, that would indicate that there are Christian teachers that get it wrong.”

“Yes. And what else is new?”

“No, I don’t mean… I mean, that they are doing it deliberately…”

“Which would mean exactly that or that they also have been deceived by a false teaching regarding the Law. They are doing what they think is right or…”

“Or they are not deceived at all but are deliberately teaching something that opposes the Scriptures…”

“Yes. Some are deceived. But some are agents of the enemy who have infiltrated our schools and churches.”

“How do we… What do we do?”

“First of all I appreciate the respect you are showing an elder. All real ministers of the Gospel at some point come across this sad state of affairs, this deceptive invasion, usually when they’re relatively young, as yourself. I discovered it when I was a young minister but I had no elder to help me out. I’m glad you came to me. Secondly, what we do is what any real minister of the Gospel would do. You know the answer…”

“Study to show yourself approved.”

“Exactly. Paul knew so much, so much more than he could readily share. People have to be able to receive it… When he wrote those words to Timothy he knew that Timothy, though relatively young, had gained enough maturity to know what to do.”

“Even if he didn’t fully understand. Like me. Right now…”

“But again, Paul knew Timothy would know what to do and he knew he would work very hard to succeed. And would do anything he must.”

“Timothy had to study. He had to read the Word. He had to pray.”

“That’s right. Real ministers know they often don’t know so they work very hard so they will know. That’s how they learn. It’s an ongoing process. The Word of God is Truth. It is filled with spiritual truths. It is our job to work hard at finding those truths. Then we can apply them.”

“That’s what I thought I was saying at the beginning of our conversation.”

“Well, you were seeing that merely relaying Scripture or quoting verses was kind of, kind of wooden, in some instances. You want to connect with people on a heart level instead of simply give directives toward the written Word.”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. You can minister all day long but it will be worthless without the Word of God. And I specifically mean the teachings of our Lord. His teachings were pure and they were purely delivered. He never ministered without the Word. It would have been impossible anyway. He is the Word.”

“So I need to study. Wait. Can I see your Bible?”

“Sure.”

“Okay… I need to read this… Here it is: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

“There’s a lot there.”

“He has given us His Word.”

“Yes.”

“He trusts us with it.”

“It’s a high calling.”

“And I feel ashamed, but not like, I mean, I know He understands. But I must work harder. I must be diligent.”

“It’s the only way. We only have so much time. And we have to get it right.”

“I need to focus more on the Word than on someone else’s teaching of the Word.”

“Well, there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. We just need to always make sure that our primary Counselor is the Lord Jesus. He will confirm the truth but also reveal untruths. For every untruth there is a lack of spiritual freedom. If you collect too many they act as chains tying you down. You came in here with a burden. We had to fish out its cause.”

“Thank you. I thought I knew what I was talking about.”

“You got a hold of some bad information. It wasn’t intentional. You see, if a believer gets some bad information in the context of Biblical teaching but doesn’t know it’s bad, and accepts it as truth, the only way to ferret it out is by reading and studying the Word. The more you read and study the Word the more likely it will get exposed. It is the Living Word you know. The New Covenant Scriptures were divinely inspired by the Lord and are actually alive. They will do the work as long as we do ours.”

“They didn’t even have written New Testaments in the beginning…”

“But they had Spirit-filled anointed preachers and teachers. There were a great many of them. They came to maturity rapidly.”

“And they handled the Word of truth accurately…”

“That’s right. And when they got it right the Lord confirmed what they taught with signs and miracles. Those miracles had a dual purpose. They acted as endorsements—a sign of approval.”

“That was the proof.”

“Yes.”

“And if they were somehow wrong…”

“No miracles. No attesting signs.”

“Wow. The written Word is a deliverance mechanism…”

“Well, yes. That is why it is so important that we get it right. We are charged with delivering the Gospel as He delivered it. When we do we get the results He got. The originals got it right.”

“On a colossal scale.”

“So you see why it is so important to never let anything foreign or false enter into our curriculums because they act as a drag on the power of the Word.”

“So a great many ministers want to get it right and many are very strong about teaching what they believe is Scriptural truth. They insist on their versions and doctrines. But they never test their teachings against the only proof that would confirm them. They are satisfied without proof.”

“Yes. Many Christian teachers never put their teachings to the Scriptural test. Instead of seeking God’s confirmation they get their confirmations from others. They seek the approval of others.”

“They mainly seek the confirmation of the congregation. Oh boy. You don’t want the church folks on your back. Or they seek the confirmation of their betters, their higher-ups. Whoever’s paying you. Whoever’s giving you permission to preach. That’s who most ministers are trying to please. …Yes, I get it. We must seek only the Lord’s confirmation. It’s the only way to know we’re getting our teaching right.”

“You mean His teaching.”

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [Romans 7:6-8:4] [1]

WEBSITE ADDRESS: rjdawson.com

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Tags: Apostle Paul, Deception, Discipleship, False Doctrine, False Teachers, Law of Moses, Lord Jesus, Love is the Fulfillment of the Law, Ministry Regulations, New Covenant, New Covenant Teachings of Jesus, New Testament, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Research, Signs Following Believers, The Great Awakening, Timothy, Wonderful Counselor, Word of God

THIS IS THE CHURCH WHICH THE LORD HATH MADE; WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT

Feb 4

Posted by RJ Dawson

The Lord Jesus gave everything for His people, including His life. He didn’t do this so the majority of Christians could reject His model and go their own way.

THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL REBELLION

The state of American Christianity in general has continued to dwindle ever farther downward into a veritable puddle of nonchalance and dissidence. For all those who claim orthodoxy and demand an attribution to tradition while concurrently effectively thumbing their nose in the Lord’s face by refusing His actual curriculum is far beyond the pale. One may wonder how we got here.

Here’s a clue: Deviation from the original. Why have so many Christians over the many centuries since the Lord’s time deviated from His original teachings? Why do Christians in general not only accept the presence of multitudinous denominations and a veritable plethora of various beliefs among so-called independent churches but also demand such especially as it pertains to their own chosen denomination or belief? This attitude is entirely inconsistent with the Lord’s original teachings regarding the overall unity of His flock, which brings us to yet another sad departure resulting in our current state:

IT IS HIS FLOCK.

Or it isn’t.

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? [Luke 6:46]

Of course, the sad fact and the main reason for such deviations from the Lord’s original is due to simple rebellion in that the perpetrators of such do not want the Lord Jesus to be in charge. Instead, they themselves want to be in charge. By being in charge they can have their own way, the way that “feels right” to them, which also allows them to take control over people and set up their own personal fiefdoms. Whoever they get to buy into their program only adds to their ability to build their enterprise. Such sycophants, whether they be fellow “ministers” (trusted ones) or simply insignificant pew warmers who never question anything, provide support and stature to the kingpin running the show.

If this sounds overly harsh let us remember that the Lord Jesus started ONE Community. He still has only ONE Community. In the Hebrew it was called the Qahal קָהָל (kaw-hawl’). In our English translations it is called the Church. The word “church” is from the Greek Ekklēsía ἐκκλησία (ek-klay-see’-ah). Both Qahal and Ekklesia always refer to a group of PEOPLE and never refer to a building or religious construct. Yet most Christians believe a “church” is a building and will forever be a building. This is absolutely false but the vast majority of Christians believe it is true.

One may wonder how this happened. How was the focus removed from the people and transferred to the building in which the people meet? Must we always be reminded that the Lord Jesus never built a meeting house or ever instructed His disciples or anyone else to build meeting houses? Why is the vast majority of Christians completely unaware that the Early Church of the first century AD never had such specialized meeting structures and that such buildings did not even exist for three hundred years? And yet somehow, in all their unchurched primitive backwoods crudeness meeting only in private residences in relatively small groups the original Christians managed to overcome incessant persecution and mockery and convert the entire Roman Empire. Compare that with America and all its constitutional freedoms (which the originals never had) rarely achieving the same overall level of success in this country.

Hence, the root of all this building-oriented church folly at the expense of the Lord’s spiritual Community of PEOPLE (Qahal, Ekklesia) does not go back to the Lord’s original ministry or the Book of Acts but only to the fourth century AD when the first great organized quasi-Christian rebellion against Him reared its ugly head. This was when the Roman Empire threw in the towel, so to speak, and surrendered to Christianity. Yet instead of surrendering to the Lord Jesus, the emperor, his ecclesiastical leadership clan, and all the weak-kneed fearful unaware supporters thereof decided to co-opt Christianity and use it for their own purposes. In this process they began converting large Roman public buildings to “churches” and mandated attendance upon such “churches” and forced everyone to adhere to all their new “laws and bylaws” which included the veritable worship of a small class of trussed up “leaders.”

By this process Christianity became recast into a two-class society, something the Lord Jesus had never created. The clergy class garnered all the power, influence, and speech. As a result the magnificent and powerful voice of the people, comprised of strong resolute individuals dedicated to the Lord, was removed and silenced. A brand new enterprise was created in which a small few possessed all the authority to do anything they wished as allowed by the emperor, including the formulation of false doctrines designed for mass forced obedience which otherwise obviously opposed the Lord’s original teachings. And of course, their authority also included the power of the purse in that a money pyramid was created that went in only one direction, from the people to the few in power. The entire structure of this new fake Christian creation made an absolute mockery of the Lord Jesus and His original curriculum.

And to add a final insult to such terrible injury, THE REAL CHRISTIANITY OF THE LORD JESUS WAS OUTLAWED. This meant every real Christian and all those in the generations before them responsible with the Lord for converting the empire had suddenly become criminals in the very place they created. This was the worst form of Christian persecution that ever was and has continued to exist ever since over the last seventeen centuries. It is the persecution of “Christians” against Christians, or that of fake Christians against the real guys. It was and remains the triumph of Unreal Christianity, the adverse effects of which we still experience to a very great degree today.

Thus, every single recognized Christian denomination that exists or has ever existed is in violation of the Lord’s original teachings and practices in some way, otherwise they would not be at odds with His curriculum. Some are obviously worse than others but degree of rebellion matters little as long as the rebellion in existence is not dealt with. In other words, Christian groups that agree completely with the Lord’s teachings and honor Him as sole authority have no need for a distinguishing appellative. In this regard, it is generally understood though incorrectly that the worldwide Body of Christ is composed of all denominations regardless of differences and departures from the Lord’s original but this is not only untrue but inherently silly. All it really means is that each recognizes the existence of the others to qualify its own existence.

THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL OBEDIENCE

“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” [Luke 6:47-49] [1]

Remember, anything Christian that deviates from the absolute authority of the Lord Jesus and His perfect curriculum is rebellion. The only possible exception is if sincere though immature Christians seeking the fullness of the Lord’s truth continue seeking Him, studying and researching His Word, applying newly discovered truths in His teachings, stop adhering to incorrect teachings and remove such from one’s belief system, and striving to be members in good standing in the Lord’s actual spiritual Community. In this process one proves himself or herself to be a genuine dedicated disciple intent on getting it right and pleasing the Lord. This is usually only possible by individuals or possibly relatively small groups because larger groups, including vast denominations, are far too invested and likely indoctrinated to make the required wholesale changes. They also include hierarchical leadership figures which often dilute the authority of the Lord and resist such reformation because they have too much to lose.

Regarding actual authority, the Lord said He had ALL authority in both heaven and earth which means the New Covenant authority of the believer only derives from Him which further means all real Christians must be under His full authority in order to have any by delegated extension.

Only the Lord Jesus is the Rock. He is the Chief, Choice, and Precious Corner Stone. There is only one forever Foundation which will never falter. Some foundations are weak and fail quickly. Others fail over time. A few foundations last relatively long far beyond individual lives but will eventually crumble. The Lord said as much. One must therefore approach his or her Christian discipleship and walk with God with the utmost respect and attention. Those who do have an excellent chance of fulfilling one’s calling and also hearing the following wonderful words from a kind and loving Savior:

“Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.” [Matthew 25:2] [2]

[2] Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

WEBSITE ADDRESS: rjdawson.com

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Tags: America, American Christianity, Church Buildings, Clergy-Laity Division, Discipleship, House Church, Lord Jesus, Obedience, Original Christian Community in Jerusalem, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Roman Empire, Sin and Rebellion, Spiritual Authority, The Great Awakening, Unreal Christianity