" Sound Doctrine " are NOT Dirty Words !

   I have, in recent days, been chastised for my doctrinal stand, in GOD's WORD.  Not because I have been advocating a false gospel, or that I am changing the WORD of GOD.  No, it is because I have been teaching GOD's WORD simply, as it reads, not as some would have it to say. But GOD would have us teach " sound doctrine."  Once a new Truly Born Again Believer has received CHRIST as their personal SAVIOR, the adventure begins.

     A new Believer is referred to as a "Babe" in CHRIST, by Paul & Peter. Peter said in 1st.Peter 2:2 that as newborn babes in CHRIST, we should desire the pure milk of the WORD, that you may grow thereby....Well as any mother can tell you, if you keep a baby on milk only, their minds and bodies will not mature, so to, you have to introduce these " babes in CHRIST " to a more solid food. Paul in 1st.Cor.3:1-2 was chastising the Corinthian believers that they had not progressed onto a more solid spiritual diet, because there was so much strife and envy surrounding their lives. Also, in Hebrews 5:12-14 Paul is again confronting believers about issues and he says - For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles (Scriptures, sayings) of GOD; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the WORD of righteousness, for he is a "babe". But solid food belongs to those who are of full age(spiritually mature), that is, those who by reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

     Paul to Timothy in 1st.Timothy 1:3-11 speaks to his young protege' about sound doctrine. Verse 3 he says to stay in Ephesus and to" charge some that they teach no other doctrine," and in verse 10 Paul finishes a list of sins that the law exposes but he ends verse 10 with the phrase "and if there is any other thing that is contrary(or opposed)to "sound doctrine."  Also in the book of Titus, Paul gives clear qualifications for an Elder or undershepherd of the local assembly in Chapter 1. In vs.9 Paul says - holding fast the faithful WORD as he has been taught, that he may be able, "by sound doctrine," both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

     One of my favorite lines, though not written exactly this way in Scripture is - " GOD's WORD is NOT a Book of suggestions ".  If you were to send little Timmy to school, and O he was to learn math. He brings home the Math book in 1st.Grade and it teaches him only how to add. Then the same thing in 2nd.Grade, and 3rd.Grade and so on and so forth.

Little Timmy gets to Junior High which I think would be about 7th.Grade and the teacher looks at him and asks him to multiply 9 X 7, Timmy looks at her and says he doesn't know how, and she asks him why not, and he says " because I was never taught ".

     Babes in CHRIST don't have to stay that way. They have been given an awesome teacher, at the moment of their conversion, the "HOLY SPIRIT". HE is with them wherever they go, HE will not leave you nor forsake you.  You can quench HIS effect, if you live a sinful life (Eph.4:30 & 1st.Thes.5:19) and continue to ignore HIS pricks to your conscience and HIS chastening hand (Hebrews 12:5-11). But JESUS , HIMSELF said HE would send the HELPER the HOLY SPIRIT in John 14:15 thru 26 which reads:

If you love ME, keep MY commandments. And I will pray the FATHER, and HE will give you another HELPER, that HE may abide with you forever, even the SPIRIT of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees HIM nor knows HIM; but you know HIM, for HE dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see ME no more, but you will see ME, Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I AM in MY FATHER, and you in ME, and I in you. 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.

Judas(not Iscariot)said to HIM, "LORD how is it that YOU will manifest YOURSELF to us, and not to the world?" JESUS answered and said to him,"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. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. BUT the HELPER, the HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM the FATHER will send in MY name, HE will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

     We, as Truly Born Again Believers, are not orphans, we are not without the LORD. HE lives and abides within each of HIS children. The HOLY SPIRIT is our TEACHER, COMFORTER, GUIDE, GUARANTEE, SEAL and many other titles too numerous to even mention. But HE is in you and HE longs to teach, comfort, guide the child of GOD into all TRUTH and DOCTRINE. Like any other child, we need to learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of the TRUTH of GOD's HOLY WORD. Don't stay a babe, grow up !!

     Now to those who have never come to know the LORD JESUS CHRIST as their personal SAVIOR, let me clue you in and this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone;  YOU ARE A SINNER !!! YEP !!!  YOU WERE BORN A SINNER & if you die without CHRIST you WILL go to a devil's hell !!! If you doubt that you were born a sinner, ask a toddler that can answer you simply, if he broke the vase or did you make a mess or did you bite your brother ? What will he/she say ?  Come on, they'll say, NO and you already knew that they did, they lied !!! Surprise, Surprise !!!  Don't feel alone, WE WERE ALL BORN SINNERS. GOD's WORD says, " There is NONE righteous(right with GOD), no not one" HIS WORD says that "we have ALL sinned and come short of the glory of GOD" Romans 3: 10 & 23. GOD's WORD says "For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of GOD is eternal life through CHRIST JESUS our LORD" in Romans 6:23.  It also says 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..Romans 10:9.

     Why did HE have to raise from the dead ? GOOD question !!!  GOD the FATHER sent GOD the SON to earth to pay the price, the sin debt for your sin and mine. And the only way we know that JESUS's death, burial and resurrection was payment enough for the sin of all mankind, was because HE did raise from the dead. JESUS is sinless and only a perfect sinless sacrifice would be enough to pay the price for sin.

     So with your mouth, in prayer, you confess that you are a sinner in need of a perfect SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Romans 10:10 goes on to say that - For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation.  So you pray, confess, ask JESUS to come into your heart and life to save you, and HE will, HE promised HE would in HIS WORD and HE cannot lie. And you too can have Eternal Life through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. 
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie

    

" Fruitful or Fleshly "

                    Galatians 5:16 thru 26

I say then; Walk in the SPIRIT, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts (or wars ) 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.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication(sexual immorality), uncleanness, licentiousness(unbridled lust or a mentality that you have a license to sin), idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice(habitually) such things will not inherit the kingdom of GOD.

But the "fruit of the SPIRIT" is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness(gentleness), self-control.  Against such there is no law. And those who are CHRIST's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the SPIRIT, let us also walk in the SPIRIT. Let us not become vain(conceited), provoking one another, envying one another.

A life that walks "fruitfully" vs. a life that walks "fleshly";  which life are you walking ?  Come on now, this is not rocket science !  If you are Truly a Child of the KING, one who is labeled a Christian, look in your spiritual mirror and tell yourself what you see.  2nd.Cor.13:5 - Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that JESUS CHRIST is in you ?--unless indeed you are disqualified.

What do your days consist of ? Are they filled with taking care of your husband, your children, possibly working outside the home ? Do you do these things in a joyful SPIRIT filled way, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in your heart ? Ephesians 5:18 thru 20 - And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation(excess) but be filled with the SPIRIT, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the LORD, giving thanks always for all things to GOD the FATHER in the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Christian, I know that it is easy to get in a "frustrated funk" about life, especially if you see and hear all the wicked and immoral things that seem to permeate every orifice of life, these days.  But really our days are no more evil than those in Noah's day; it just seems so because we have such and access to it through social media outlets. Look at it this way, when our soldiers came home from WWI and WWII they were looked at as hero's, and they were fighting for liberties, ours and Europe's. But then TV happened and we were in Vietnam and the war was in our living rooms and we treated our Vietnam Vets as if they had leprosy; called them baby killers (ironic since Vietnam, the US has killed nearly 70,000,000 babies through abortion, but I digress) and all kinds of horrible names because the wars before had been far away and we could only guess, for the most part, about what our soldiers had to face and do to survive.  So the evil of today is no better or worse than it was in Noah's day, except that it is in our faces 24/7, unless you do not have an I-phone, or I-pad, or computer or TV or any way to view what is happening in the world.

The "fruit of the SPIRIT" should be the guiding SPIRIT in our lives, not a once-in-awhile spurt of conscience. If you see more " works of the flesh " in your day to day walk then you do "fruit of the SPIRIT, then if I were you I would take stock as to whether you are truly in the faith, as I said and Paul said, Examine yourselves !!!  The "works of the flesh" are pretty self explanatory and none of them are worth your eternity, nor do any of them have good long term consequences !!!

GOD the FATHER wants a "relationship" with you and me, so HE sent HIS only begotten SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST to earth at a specific time to be crucified on a Roman cross, for your sins and mine. And if you are not sure as to what a sin is, the "works of the flesh" list above covers 99% of them. HE knew we would need to have a payment for our sin, just as we pay for things here when we break mans laws, HE made a way to have our sins forgiven, in the death, burial and resurrection of HIS SON the LORD JESUS CHRIST. We are born sinners and JESUS came as our payment for sin. Simply bow your head, admit to JESUS that you know you are a sinner and that you have no way to clean yourself up and ask HIM to save you, come into your heart and life, HE will.  GOD is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  Don't put it off, for today is still the day of grace and the day of Salvation for all who come to the LORD by faith.  Don't wait !!!
Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

" WARNING, Savage Wolves in the Church !!! "

     Acts 20:26 thru 31  Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of GOD. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the HOLY SPIRIT has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of GOD which HE purchased with HIS own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day, with tears !!

     Paul gave us this warning nearly 2000 years ago and if he feared this on slot of heresies, apostates, false gospels, evil men, skewed doctrines (or as he put it, deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons in 1st.Tim.4:1) that long ago, what would he be saying about today's hoard of deceptive and outright false ways.  I personally have been conversing with people that are so blinded by false gospels and false doctrines that even if the WORD of GOD is plain and to the point, no other way of reading what it says, it is totally ignored in preference to more obscure and harder to discern Scriptures which can be skewed to mean whatever you want them to say per 2nd Peter 3:16 thru 17 which says - As also in all his (Paul's) epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

     For instance there are clear instructions, for the running of the physical church assemblies and those who are the undershepherds and deacons, in 1st.Timothy Chapters 2 and 3.  It gives qualifications for the office of undershepherd ( also known as the Bishop, Pastor, Preacher, Elder, Minister ) and nearly the exact same qualifications for the office of deacon. This is written clearly and to the point, there is no confusion on what is written in the Scriptures about these two offices within the local church assembly, but it is being completely ignored by many if not most of the mainline denominations, and is a huge reason why there is a fracturing of our churches.

     GOD is not an AUTHOR of confusion, HE has not and will not write contradicting verses of Scripture. So if there is an easily read, easily understood Scripture pointing to the way local assemblies are to be undershepherded and run, then where have all these unqualified and wrong gendered people come from that have inundated our pulpits ???
     WOLVES have not only penetrated our assemblies but they are spewing forth their false gospels and false doctrines that Paul and Peter warned about, from the pulpit. Galatians 5:7 thru 9 says - You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth ? This persuasion does not come from HIM who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.  Paul's Epistles and Peter's also, are replete with warnings about what would happen if just a small " turning away " from that which is true to that which is man's tradition or even as far as fables and doctrines that pander to itching ears of them who preach a " feel good " gospel.

     We have gone " way past " a small turning away ! For the most part, if you were to really check into and check out, the vast majority of mainline churches, they are no more Scripturally run than the religions that we consider cults. This is why you are finding people running from one church to another to find the one that they " feel comfortable " in, or that have " lots of programs " but have no Spiritual backbone, which are the doctrines that Paul, Peter and John, risked their lives to pen as the inspiration of GOD moved them.

     Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:4 thru 6 - There is one body and one SPIRIT, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one LORD, one faith, one baptism; one GOD and FATHER of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all. He did not say that there are various gods, or various ways, or various spirits, just one.  So if you are curious enough to check out, just one of the ways, that your church may not be Scriptural, see if they are running the office of Pastor, Preacher, Minister and Deacon as Chapters 2 & 3 of 1st.Timothy. Is there women, in authority, over men ? Are there men in the pulpit that are divorced ? 

     Other things that may be noticed would be if anyone in the church calls themselves by the title of Apostle ? The qualification for an Apostle is that they have had to see the risen SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. Most of the known cults of the day ( Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, 7th.Day Adventists, Moonies etc.) have only been around since the late 1800's and that in itself should raise a red flag as to its legitimacy, unless you could possibly believe that there have been no Christians on this earth from 95 A.D. to the late 1800's. These cults rose up because there were men who wanted certain doctrines either erased from Scripture or changed to suit what they wanted it to say. Many started out as fable like stories being passed from person to person and then out of that a cult was born.

     But there is just ONE TRUE WAY of Salvation and it is not by anything that we can do, but it is ALL by what has already been done by the ONE TRUE GOD through HIS only begotten SON, the LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. We are sinners, the Bible is unmistakeably full of examples of this fact and GOD said that we are born sinners and have no way of saving ourselves. Romans 3:23 states - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD. As sinners, we cannot wash away our sin, through water baptism nor can we partially pay for our own sin through purgatory (no such place, completely unscriptural). Romans 6: 23 states - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of GOD is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. JESUS's death on the cross was to pay for your sin and mine. Once we accept that we are sinners in need of a SAVIOR to pay our sin debt, then Romans 10:9 thru 13 states - 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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture says,"Whoever believes on HIM will not be put to shame."  The Gospel is also spelled out in 1st.Corinthians 15:1 thru 4 which states - Moreover brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that WORD which I preached to you - unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that CHRIST died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that HE was buried, and that HE rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.

     Lastly, but not any less important, there is John 3:16 which declares that, " For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whomsoever believes in HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life.  I have done one other blog warning of false churches, false doctrines and things to look for as a red flag of warning. Watch, therefore, for those SAVAGE WOLVES will not always be easy to spot, but if you have an uneasy feeling in you Spirit it may be GOD's SPIRIT warning you to beware !!!
Just send me any questions you may have to help in your search for a truly Scripturally run church.
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie