Matthew 19:27 – 20:16

“1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” – Matthew 20:1-7

In Mathew 20 verses 3-4, 5, and 6-7, the householder, who is God in the parable, went out and hired other servants throughout the day, making a covenant with each one for service and payment of a penny (KJV). The allegory for us today is simple and has but one central point; God is making bond-servants over time, at His will, by faith in Jesus Christ, to bear fruit in His name for the glory of God.

The implications, however, are critical for us, especially in this day of do nothing Christianity. The first implication is that He is making covenants with men to be His servants, having bound them to Him for work in His vineyard which is the Kingdom of Heaven, laboring continually until the twelfth hour when the day is done and that final evening comes when Christ will glorify the Father. He didn’t forgive your sin, save you from His wrath, seal you unto the day of redemption, indwell you with the Holy Spirit, and give you His instruction manual in the New Testament so that you could do nothing and still expect your due. “For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” – 1 Timothy 5:18

That’s a two-way street, a double-edged covenant. We most often rely on God, for He is worthy, to keep His end of the agreement knowing that our rewards are in heaven with Him. But we have a testimony of our utility to Him in the Kingdom carrying out the given duties, being a laborer, bearing much fruit for Him knowing that indeed He is just to repay our works. Shall we do nothing for our King and expect a full day’s earnings?

And don’t miss the price Christ paid for you in sacrifice on the cross, beaten and bloodied to death for your sin. At that price, receiving salvation in eternity, what toil is too much for you to expend for our King?

But Jesus rose from the grave proving His power to put your hand to the plow, chosen in Him, that you might be perhaps the least of the laborers called in the eleventh hour, yet what tremendous blessing “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:9

The endcap to the parable is so beautifully fitting.

“16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” – Matthew 20:16

How great the liberty of the New Covenant, where service is a joy, telling of our great High Priest, laying down the seed of the word of God in the newly piqued interest of a soul to whom Mighty God is revealing himself. The work of the vineyard for our soon-returning householder is a full day’s labor for some but for others, an easy last hour yet receiving the day’s total wage.

The parable set before us is in answer to, or, the conclusion of Matthew 19:27-30. Jesus teaches the reward to His apostles because they had forsaken all to follow Him. In verse 30, Jesus states, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” – Matthew 19:30. Compare this verse with the conclusion of our parable, verse 20:16. These two verses are the bookends giving us the edges within which to seek the purpose of Christ’s teaching in this case.

There are various explanations for Matthew 19:30 and 20:16 and many ridiculous assertions outside of the simple setting of addressing His disciples. Some take these verses and make up a whole new theology, but context matters.

Parables have one central message. The more esoteric conclusions to the teachings of God come from those trying to ascribe more than is plainly meant to be taught by the immediate principle in the parable. Some make a dispensationalist distinction between Jews in the Old Covenant and those under the New Covenant when they read first and last. That’s a difficult stretch of the text’s meaning, but as we’ll see, one of the purposes of the Church of Jesus Christ is given.

The simplest explanation is taken in the context of Jesus answering Peter’s question as spokesman for the Apostles. Peter asks, in Matthew 19:27, “…what shall we have therefore?” Jesus states that they will be chiefest among the regenerate, judging the twelve tribes. The Apostles, though the last of those called under the law, will be first, chosen to rule even above the patriarchs and Noah, Moses, and David. That is what Jesus is teaching them in the moment.

It seems this is the central application of the parable; being the last of the line under the Old Covenant, the apostles would be first to bring thousands and thousands born again into the body of Christ in the earliest days to establish the New Covenant, ending the old. Being firstmost, they would serve in the harshness of stonings, beheadings, crucifixions, receiving many stripes, set upon, beaten, robbed, and having their property taken by civil authorities while losing family and friends as Christ came to set mother against daughter, son against father. And persecutions still arise at different eras in the farthest habitable reaches of the earth, as Christ builds His temple, those in who the Holy Spirit inhabits.

But (Matthew 19:29) they would also gain the family of God, Christ’s Church. Serving Christ will cost you something but look to what’s given. “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” – Matthew 19:29. Don’t dismiss the blessings of an intact blood family in the New Covenant; that’s the exception, we think, to the rule.

But what of the Church?

“29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” – Luke 13:29-30

As Christ brings in His Church, calling and choosing who He will, the parallel verses in Luke draw the best application for us today. We mustn’t dismiss how Luke records this first and last statement, for the vision is of the Church in the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus states in Matthew 20:1.

There is a particular thought toward pre-destination in verse 16 of Matthew 20, but that is not of the lost compared to the saved but that among the saved, some are first, not chronologically, but have been called and chosen to more service, working the whole 12 hours of the parable for their just reward, toiling in the heat all day. At the same time, some serve in a less productive role bearing less fruit. Some work continually, called to labor, at war in the world with the spirits of kingdoms seen and unseen, the Holy Spirit always bearing down upon us to produce ever more in the Kingdom of God to bring righteous glory to God the Father through Jesus Christ by planting, watering, and gathering fruit for the Master. “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” – Matthew 20:27. We must never begrudge those whose simple task is to grab low-hanging fruit, called and chosen into the Kingdom, yet they avoid the heat of the day. Their burden is quite simple in the few hours they serve.

And for us, in comfort and ease, are we not the last, the least of the disciples? Millions of Americans have never yet set foot in the vineyard; though Jesus touched their soul, birthing them anew, they are idle sheep being prepared for the coming slaughter.

Built to work, the first man tended the Garden. And today, men are to work in the vineyard of our husbandman. You’re just the person God wants! You’re the exact right one for the tasks of the harvest He has set before you. We see no day, heaven included, where men will not serve. You’re precisely who God has chosen to bring Him glory now and forever, even in the regeneration.

And what of holy God’s divine sovereignty?

You’ve been given a station in the Kingdom by order of the Lawgiver. Shall you question your position or pay, challenging He who created heaven and earth? No, you must glory in His design upon your life. The sovereignty of God overrules all things; laid down by His word before the creation of the worlds, He will keep and protect you ’till the appointed day of just compensation.

“Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” – Matthew 20:15

Not only were the works created for God’s delight that you might labor in them, bringing glory to His holy name, but your very soul was created for this exact purpose: His good pleasure to do with as He delights that the Christ of God might glorify the Father in you. In that final hour, your labor accomplished, and your penny due, coming into your regeneration, you shall receive his bounty according to your works. As agreeable as that sounds, no appointments are possible but that Christ sanctifies, blesses, and prospers it; the results and the workers, all creations of God, belong to Him.

Any such crown as you may perceive you will gladly, full of love for Him, thankfulness, and open frame, cast upon the ground at your Sovereign’s feet as all creation sings holy holy holy, for none are noble but the Lamb that was slain and resurrected having all authority to bring us, each one, into the new creation, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” – Revelation 4:11

Bluff: It doesn’t exist because men are sinners. We know your time is precious. This video is well worth your study.

Here’s a thumbnail of the video as I reviewed it: You must, and you will have a government; however authoritarian or individual, all groups have governing norms by which they operate to achieve common objectives. There are only two government forms; That given by God or one of the many that man has created. The great thing about God’s law-word and His Kingdom is it’s fully scalable from the individual to family, small business, church group, or team. And God’s law-word, as well taught in the video, is the best source to begin building an autonomous parallel trade and governance system, not only within your group but among otherwise separate Christian groups.

This is an important study for Christians and extends to those who don’t consider themselves Christians but already have mutually overlapping connections, agreements, and goals with Christ’s people. Watch the whole thing.

Here at TCJ, we’ve taught the principles Pastor Weaver outlines, but we refer to a national or American Christian perspective.

This article is good in that much of it is accurate. It’s refreshing to see that some ‘get it.’ These concerns are here in America too. One thing the article lacks, although implied in the problem, is concrete solutions, so they have been provided here at TCJ.

The problem has not been other religions converting those in the UK, but of the British leaving the Church out of a seeming lack of commitment. Most church leaders understand this dynamic, and many mainline denominational churches have attempted to liberalize and become more “relevant” to modern society. This liberalization has invariably meant moving away from previously accepted Church doctrine based on scripture. In doing so, these denominations have brought the opposite results of what they sought.

Note carefully that it’s not the congregation’s lack of commitment that is causing them to wander, but church leadership’s lack of commitment to correct doctrine in truth. Casual observers appear around the edges of a church, coming and going, but those in Christ Jesus are inherently attracted to sound teaching coupled with worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), for God seeks such a people.

The Church is rather easy to define. It’s strange indeed that so many struggle with it. The Book of John is written to unbelievers so that they might be saved and come to know Christ. There’s no better place to look for the fundamental and elementary foundations of the Christian faith than Christ’s own words recorded by the disciple John.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” – John 10:27

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15

The Church are those who hear Christ and demonstrably love Him by the keeping of His word (following Him): seeking the lost and loving each other, which are the fruits of the Christian life, along with prayer drawing closer to God and faithful bible study that you might learn to teach the next generations of Him.

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” – John 15:8

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” – John 13:35

Real Christians are doers of the word of God, not idle observers of ceremony.

For those maturing in Christ, the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 7 are very helpful on this topic:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” – Matthew 7:14-18

Jesus says it’s impossible for a good tree to bring forth evil fruit. Now, men make mistakes, but when confronted with the truth of fundamental Christian doctrine and faith, the evil will flee (or demand you leave), but the righteous shall stand forth in repentance restored by the truth, knowing their own faith in Jesus Christ will make them whole.

And, again, we’re warning of church incorporation, which is Cosmic Treason against God and a root of the problem, which tends toward bad leadership.

Back to the linked article:

American leaders need to pay attention, as the dynamic is playing out throughout Christianity in the West: As the percentage of Christians in the West has declined, Christian influence on society and culture has declined, and as a result, society has become more morally ambiguous. Families break apart or never form and children are left without moral guidance. The growing and scripturally faithful churches offer the anchor and moral clarity people seek at this time. Those attending scripturally faithful churches are not coddled with whimsically morphing values, as has happened in too many of the declining churches. Christians are exhorted to commit to counter-cultural “biblical” moral standards which don’t change.

In regaining biblical Christianity, the Church will grow and society will benefit from the salt and light the Church is called to provide.

The Church of Jesus Christ is for believers; it’s not a mixed multitude. Regaining biblical Christianity for a small group of believers either means tossing out unrepentant sinners, including false leaders, or standing up a new fundamental core group that can demand adherence to the teachings of Christ and the removal of sin from their midst. Keep in mind; the Church is not a building.

“…strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life…”

“17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:17-18

We must rebuke our neighbors if they’re living in sin. But that’s not nice; what about loving your neighbor as yourself?

There is no contradiction; infected with coexistence and tolerance, the New Religion lies to millions of congregants across America. Perhaps they aren’t so much lying as lazy. It takes fortitude to tell somebody they are a sinner at odds with God bringing the rot of ruinous sin to civilization and eternal destruction upon themselves. Perhaps they are too scared to do the works of Christ; lying to themselves, they pretend to be spiritual while rejecting the Law-word of God.

Verse 17 states, “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart.” Well, that sounds perfectly reasonable. But, the verse goes on to indicate that hate is manifest by allowing your neighbor, brother, or your people to remain ignorant of their sin, or worse, live in defiance of all that is right and good and holy before God. Permitting your neighbors, without rebuke, to live in open rebellion against God is an act of hate for them! Tolerance is not an act of love; it’s hate!

Matthew 22:39 is the most often cited instance about loving your neighbor. When a lawyer tempted Jesus by asking Him what the first and great commandment is, after explaining that the Love of God in obedience to Him is above all things; secondly, Christ refers to Leviticus 19:18.

Jesus, at every turn, loved His neighbor by telling them the complete and ugly truth, regardless of how that made them feel. That’s how a Christian is to love our neighbor. Woefully undertrained or purposefully misled Christians are confused when this is explained; the devil is subtle. Verse 17 contradicts all that the modern world teaches, but the Almighty is correct, and the purveyors of tolerance are wrong. God is not only love but truth; there can be no contradiction in His person, nor is there in His word. Telling the truth is love, fulfilling the royal law.

Would you not want to know the truth if you were living in sin, bringing destruction to your country, and headed to eternal damnation, ignorant of a solution? Somebody loved you enough, neighbor, to tell you that you were a hellbound sinner on the road to sure defeat. When they pointed this out to you, they fulfilled the Law in love and truth as Christ did, and so must you.

Verse 18 starts, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people.” Probably, the most immediate meaning is that the sons of Jacob were not to war (in any sense of the word) against each other and are being forbidden from holding generational grudges. Certainly, for us, we are to forgive family, and wider kin, having mercy on them, for we ourselves are but sinners. Regardless of what your people do to you by sinning against you, rebuke them of their sin, not counting their transgression against them. That, too, is how you love your neighbor as yourself.

Raising a family is nothing if not teaching right from wrong, truth from lies, and love from sin. Allowing children to be trained by the State under the tolerance of sin is hate for your own family.

No man can be responsible for another’s feelings; this would bring ruin to civilization, and it is. The truth is outlawed, and that’s the point of “tolerance;” the communist plan of destruction is to elevate the State as a god. Promoting perversion and wickedness of all types will bring demands for action, which the State will be all too happy to oblige, gathering total control. And many fools today seek this very power over themselves. The rise of a new intolerance is dooming the holders of the old religious order to extinction. The New Order will never tolerate Christianity.

In one section of Scripture centered around loving your neighbor, the rich young man (Matthew 19:16-22) went away sorrowful, for he loved this present world and his stuff more than eternal life with Christ. The young man didn’t want to take up his cross and follow Jesus. Our Lord didn’t pat him on the head, telling him that everything was ok and that he could live for himself and have eternal life some other way; no, our Lord let him go. It’ll cost you something to follow Jesus, but so few today are willing to allow even the slightest discomfort for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus was looking for disciples willing to die for Him, and still is, but are you prepared to die to self and live for Him?

Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8 are not teaching tolerance of sin. Jesus did not create some new understanding of the Law; He fulfilled the Law in love by telling the unvarnished truth. How people feel about the truth and how they act upon their new knowledge of the truth is entirely upon their own account. You should do it politely and kindly, caring for their eternal soul’s condition; those who follow Christ should rebuke the sinner with reality.

Loving your neighbor is about caring enough to tell them the truth for their benefit, civilization’s continuity, and their soul’s eternal station.

“If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well” – James 2:8

This tweet thread is making the rounds. Its points are good if narrow in scope.

What is meant by Christians that believe in a negative world? We think he means those who hold a positive view of the state of affairs in America are dull of spiritual senses. Well, they are, and perhaps not actually converted, either. Clueless Christians deny sin; perhaps that’s it? Denying sin is certainly a positive view though erroneous. Those don’t believe the Bible and their own eyes. The notion that men are generally good is an infection taking hold in Christianity: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one!

We don’t disagree with the thread; we’ll broaden the historical spectrum, recalling God’s stated purposes and Goals lest we lose sight of the end.

America is not simultaneously supposed to be blessed by God and immune to judicial determinations and instruction in righteousness from God. That’s the God of the New Religion (positive world?), not the God of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible teaches God’s great purposes in judgment, grace in salvation by His mercies, and for instruction in righteousness. This is not a menu from which America may choose one or another; none are immune to these workings of God.

We’re negative in the short run on America and Western Civilization, but that doesn’t change God’s plan. If only Christians understood that they are no longer citizens of this world but ambassadors for Christ to this foreign and hostile land. They see these words in their Bible but do they get it?

Before you think we’re promoting abandoning our obligations on earth, that’s not what the Holy Bible teaches; see yesterday’s post.

What are the larger view of God’s plan and our purpose in it?

Sin has consequences. The rapid decline of western civilization is directly correlated to the growth of rampant sin (degeneracy, perversion, abortion, war, sexual promiscuity, etc.), as the thread rightly points out. The catalog of corruption is not necessary to review. What’s essential is to call it what it is, Sin. That’s God’s word for it; that’s what it is.

What is the Holy Bible, if not a history of the onset of sin and God’s dealings with the wicked, but also by His mercies choosing a people He desires to live for Him in righteousness?

America finds itself on the waning side of the last significant growth era of faith in the Almighty. That previous growth era was the most extraordinary yet in size and depth of fundamental belief, for this God’s blessings rained down from the throne of heaven upon western civilization.

Don’t, brothers and sisters, lose sight of the fact that Christ had conquered three continents and significant areas of one other over the last 500 years or so. You’ve heard that weak men bring hard times. The Bible’s view is that those weak men are the leaders you get, perverters of all that is holy when the people reject God’s Law. But even that scope is too narrow.

Christ is conquering the world. That’s hard to see for us because of the narrow point of view of a single lifetime and the skewed antichrist perspective of the history books. Christianity has grown geometrically in 2000 years, from 122 souls in that upper room who awaited the promise of the Holy Spirit to millions and millions of professing people from the center of empires to the farthest reaches of distant and strange lands. This didn’t happen by accident.

As our Lord gave us in the Great Commission, the Christian project is a long road with ups and downs, perils and pitfalls, evil seducers and sorceries, and the raising and razing again of kings and kingdoms, religions, and whole ways of living. But God’s power prevails; souls are converted, entire courses of history are subsumed under the power of the Gospel, the Father is glorified in the work of His saints, and civilizations are birthed as the blessings of God are poured out upon a faithful people. The name of Jesus of Nazareth continues to spread, which also doesn’t happen by accident.

The point here is that sin has brought trouble from evil rulers to a dying civilization, so what? These are not our kingdoms; they belong to Christ to do with as He pleases. It doesn’t gladden God to have to destroy them any more than it satisfies us that He will. But it’s necessary; every knee will bow. We’re sure God would much rather men accept His word and do it without a fight, but we are sinners making ourselves the enemies of God.

Which leads to this point; How could God do anything but destroy a wicked and adulterous generation? (That adultery in the Bible is meant as cheating on God.) There are vestiges of European pagan roots left, antinomianism, and spiritualism not of the Spirit of God, but today our current form of adultery is self as god. Father God will have no partners, no equal; He will not compete for His throne. He destroys the inhabitants of His planet over and again to bring them to the knowledge of His Son, that through Christ, all peoples would hear and fear Him, the Just One, judge of heaven and earth.

Our day is not one to lament except that we be grieved deeply by the depravity of our fellow man, troubled of heart, for they will not (re)turn to God and be saved. But, have you asked them, you know, if they need to be forgiven of their sin and saved from hell? Maybe nobody told them how! Perhaps the whole problem today is Christians’ fault for not doing what Christ said to build His Kingdom. And so you see, neither does His Kingdom get built by accident.

But know, Christ is putting down all rule. His project is for as many thousands of years as the Father chooses, bringing the whole earth to heel. Rejoice that He cares enough to destroy your wicked civilization. Praise His holy name that the Lord God Almighty puts down sin with vengeance, for righteous is He, just and perfect, and will not tolerate the ways of wicked men forever. Be not deceived; there are things God hates!

You are here now. You should find out why. What is it that God is calling you in service to perform? Teach the next generation to call upon Him? Spreading the seed of the word of God that souls be converted, prepared of God to carry forth the next explosive growth phase of the Gospel after God, sadly, deals with the trash now rampant among us? Hard times breed hard men, but are you training them, above all else, to fear God and keep His commandments, preparing them for the way of Christ?

In the coming hard times, people will be looking for answers. God is that answer. Do you know how to explain clearly and purposefully what sin is, how saving self from hell is impossible, how all sinners without Christ will die being cast out into eternal hellfire, and only those belonging to God’s own Son will be saved? Can you explain the purposes of the cross to scared, cold, hungry men who need a Saviour? That’s the Christian project; that’s the generations of work, century after century, a long hard slog of doing the works Jesus commissioned when He created His Church, the body of Christ.

Having heard of Christ’s commission, do you even know your purpose and calling in the Kingdom of God? Will you pray? Will you read the entire New Testament, examining what you are supposed to do? Will you train yourself to carry on the works of God, the Holy Spirit in you, to bring glory to the Father through Jesus Christ?

Now in heaven, there are millions of the most productive and faithful saints of God that nobody has ever heard of who labored in obscurity, year after year, for decades of their life, that you might one day, in God’s providence, hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent, and find salvation. Are you up to this task? Thankless hard work, ridiculed, derided, a nobody, and very soon persecuted for the name of Jesus, can you do it?

The churches no longer teach the blessing of obedience and the curses of disobedience. The people don’t want to hear it. They have no fear of God, do you?

Christ has already won when He rose from the grave. The writing, as they say, is clearly on the wall. All power and authority in heaven and earth are given unto Christ. Death, hell, sin, and the devil who has tried to steal God’s throne are all defeated in the Kingdom of God that now reigns by the Spirit. But the day is coming of no more tears, no more sorrow, no more death when the Lamb of God shall have put down all authority by His own power, the kingdom of death and hell will be called forth and cast into the lake of burning brimstone for all eternity.

Those in Christ from all ages will be left, and the greatest King that ever was, with the utmost contrite act of humility, will turn and hand us all, with His Kingdom, up to the Father, that God may be all in all.

Having suffered the entire grieving process of anger, tears, and sorrow for America a decade ago, living for Christ should have been the first choice. But I had to see the ugliness of this world and the futility of its politics with the fragility of its kingdoms before getting it; Christ is King. His is an everlasting Kingdom.

Two thousand years ago, a new Kingdom was birthed; the Stone not cut by hands is growing into a mountain crushing all other power. Daniel’s vision is sure and true, coming to pass in the person of Jesus Christ.

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” – Daniel 2:44

In today’s narrow scope, the war between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of death and hell is ugly and disturbing, but our King wins! Sometimes we think that evil is winning, only to find that God is withholding His blessings so that judgment might march across a land, destroying His enemies. This prepares the way for the next growth phase as the Gospel of Christ, by the Spirit of God, begins again to convert His people by the many millions, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.

The job of the Christian is not that of an observer of the machinations of evil during the death throws of empire: but to be doers of the word, telling the lost of salvation at the foot of the cross, teaching and training Christ’s disciples, carrying forth the good news of the resurrection, bringing to bear our coming victory in the Lord Jesus Christ, our King.

“7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” – Galatians 6:7-10

Verse 7 above is often quoted as a general principle of God, and rightly so. The biblical doctrine of reaping what you instill carries an immensely important compass with which the Christian lives, particularly in how he interacts with his fellow man. Broad application is often made, but if we read the following several verses, we see that what God teaches here applies to whether our actions are His commands or our desires.

One of the hardest lessons for the child of God is that God’s Law and plan for you are superior to anything you could imagine doing for yourself and your family. Following His Law may be the narrow path with some difficulty, but it brings fruit in abundance for you and glory to God.

Don’t misunderstand verse 8, as the New Religion of modern American Churches teaches it. It does not mean ignoring this world to the detriment of future generations being so heavenly-minded that they are useless in the Kingdom of God that now is. Nor does it mean what hyper spiritualists claim; that we have no duty to man, retiring to our inner meditations alone with God abandoning the commitment to kith and kin, tribe, and nation.

Verse 8 does not contradict other Scripture. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15.

People have this strange notion that the Spirit of God may sometimes contradict the word of God. Brethren, it isn’t so. We are to cultivate all things by the Spirit of God under the purposes and doctrines given by specific instruction in the Holy Bible. All that is sown outside the Spirit only adds to the world’s corruption. Let that sink in a bit; We’re not even talking about open sin or rebellion against God but serving ourselves. All that’s done for any purpose not commanded by God isn’t merely a waste of time and effort before the throne of God; it’s harmful to you, your fellows, and your country.

Verse 8 is not about choosing to abase yourself or denying creature needs for your family. It’s about following the Law of God, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness so that all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). What are “these things?” Food, clothing, and gathering into barns for the future are God’s blessings to His faithful. If your eye be single, doing all by the word in the Spirit, then all you accomplish will be full of light to the glory of God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:22).

Verse 8 concludes, “but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” A man is birthed into eternal life by the Spirit of God. It does not say that sowing to the Spirit of God shall of our works reap life everlasting. No, life everlasting is a work only God can perform when He makes a man His own. Not by the spirit of your own works, but only can you be sealed with the promise by the Spirit of God in you.

Modern Christianity has a considerable compartmentalization problem. You have your work life, family, leisure or recreation, and Christian life, and most have a pet sin. That’s not at all what the Bible teaches. We are to be Christ’s first, in all places and all ways, while doing all things to exalt the name of Jesus; this is to the glory of God the Father.

If you spend all your time struggling only for that which is of the flesh, worldly, self-promoting, gathering money, things, and fake friends, this is faulty and sows the seeds of corruption. It’s harmful to your family and your country. Look around at the condition of Western Civilization, who among us is not our own god, living in sin, serving self, with slovenly care for the future of the kingdom of heaven and God’s promises to those that love Him while building the hope of all nations under His command. Instead of hearing the warning in verse 8, all is corruption all the time; Christ’s commission is abandoned.

And so, what does verse 9 teach, therefore? Let us not be weary in well doing. Examine this self-centeredness of sowing to the flesh in verse 8 and how it leads to the end of well-doing toward all men in verse 9.

Persecution or rejection by men for the truth that is in you confirms by the Spirit that you are indeed God’s, advanced in the certainty of your future home among the saints of the faith seated in glory with the Almighty. Press onward toward the prize in the love where God keeps you for His grand purposes, ever striving, accomplishing the vocation in the faith to which He placed you.

Again the New Religion would have you believe that this is about a church program against which there is no law, but it’s not that; it’s serving in the Spirit by the love of God in all things full of joy in the hope of life everlasting to see the face your Saviour.

There was a woman blind from her birth saved later in life. A fellow believer lamented to her how God had not restored her sight. The blind woman admonished, Don’t say that; my blindness is the most wonderful blessing; the first face I’ll ever see is that of my Lord and Saviour.

Weary not, no matter how ugly and wicked the world becomes or what they throw your way. Faint not, but hope to the end for the glorious appearing of our Lord as He sets down all rule. Keep in mind; tumultuous times are His rule being established; don’t be among those that need to be made His footstool. Be found doing the works of the Spirit in love and peace.

For this cause, if war becomes an absolute necessity, you’re well-founded before God, having followed His Law in kindness and truth toward all men. You can be part of the problem and accumulate enemies, or be upright, knowing you did all you could to forestall the day of evil, justified when, sadly, men must act. In due season the righteous shall reap if we faint not.

Verse 10 starts, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good.” This thought is very well aligned with our situation today. As in the first century, a significant shift today with massive change is coming. War, famine, plagues, and pestilences were arriving in the first century judgment; the end of all things was at hand (1 Peter 4:7). Opportunity to do good for God is fleeting. Perilous times bring out the best or worst in a man.

So let us do good unto all men sowing in the Spirit; meekness, kindness, joy, and love. Glory be to God. Do something nice for somebody who’s a total jerk? It’s arresting; it either sets them aback or makes them all the more furious. And besides, it’s the funniest thing to be sincerely kind and gracious to people who don’t know how to handle it. It’s a fond memory, especially the look on their faces. Make sure to tell them it’s because of Christ in you.

Train your children in all things, and take care to pray for them. Job sacrificed for his children (1:5), saying, “it may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Your children are not yours; they are God’s: “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” – Psalm 127:3. Children are given by the Lord, the ultimate custodial responsibility of His property.

Do good, especially to your brothers in Christ, which is, lastly, the real point we desire to make. Be a man of allegiance to the Almighty, sowing in your clan the word of God, making them fellow citizens in the faith and family of the King. A home is just an empty plot without the love of Christ one toward another. We have the most extraordinary family ever conceived because the Spirit of God birthed it as the gracious and precious gift of the Father through faith in the crucifixion and resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father is the finest there ever has been or ever will be. Rule your family well, be the head, and worship the Father: teaching the word and emulating Christ in your home and among your broader lineage. Have fervent charity among yourselves, as this will cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)

Clearly understand; sowing to the flesh is rottenness to the core, destructive of all that is good. Sow all things instead to the Spirit, according to His word, doing good, especially unto those who are alive in the faith of Christ, reaping life everlasting.

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” – Ephesians 2:19-20

This wonderful article captures the millennial hope our Christian forbears sought so diligently. Read the whole thing without delay. It’s suitable because it correctly identifies what Americans were, why they were the men and women they became and to whose culpability our current problems must be attributed. The loss of Christian America can only be the responsibility of Christians. Writing this post has reminded us of the damage the pessimism of Premillennialism can have on civilization.

Nothing below is a slight against the author or the article. This post is categorized under Religion and tagged Christian Instruction. It’s posted with a prayer to God that He brings joyfulness to the hope of the believer.

The author discusses happiness in a very biblical way, yet happiness is the wrong word; it’s not what the Christian ethic is about. Words matter, a lot, and all the more as communists destroy the actual and historical meaning of language.

A modern American dictionary will claim that Happiness and Joy and virtually synonymous. Those are the same dictionaries that claim a nation is a country and vice-versa.

You might get temporary happiness from a psychiatrist or psychologist, but joy is of the Lord. You can, at times, be content in your external situation, but internal contentedness comes from the knowledge of Christ Jesus, joy abounding unto the fruit of the Christian in service of Him toward your fellow man. Joy is a gift too precious not to share.

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23

If you have a Bible translation that replaces joy with happiness, it was written by an inferior mind, one probably trained by communists. It’s not merely a matter of interpretation; it’s translated wrong! I’m not going to delve into the greek to show why; I couldn’t. But better yet, we’ll show what God does in the heart of the believer because that’s what matters. The issue is so important that we doubt the salvation of the translator who would use happiness.

It’s not happiness. Happiness comes from that which is external. Everything that happens to us and around us causes an emotional response, one of which can be happiness. Happiness is caused by things that happen; for that is the hap. Dear Christian friend, if you’re looking for happiness from external motivations, that is NOT Christianity!

The fruit of the Spirit, as we’ve explained prior, is not our fruit; it’s God’s fruit in and through you. It’s the Holy Spirit’s fruit, and He is God. Nor is the fruit of the Spirit many fruits; they are a single fruit that shows in the believer and through his converted heart to others.

The very first aspect of this fruit is love! Love does not cause happiness alone. In fact, if you love God and have a personal relationship with Him through Christ, you will experience the full range of emotions, and at times happiness will be one of them, and you may encounter a range of emotions all at once. But God is not a feeling or an emotion and not happiness.

Ah, but joy, dear brothers and sisters, the joy in Christ Jesus, there is the thing. Joy is the inward condition of the believer because the love of God by the Holy Spirit of God resides in the believer’s heart overriding all externalities; it’s the manifestation of love, the very love of God Almighty.

Joy is what keeps the believer calm when under persecution, and dear American believers, you need to know that because your day is swiftly approaching. Joy is what overrides the feeling of disgusted yuckiness so that we smile, take the hand of somebody who hasn’t bathed in a month or more, hug them and tell them that Jesus loves them and wants to save their eternal soul from damnation.

It’s joy, and man is this important, that overrides the desire for the momentary and fleeting happiness we get from sinning! This Joy of ours is caused by love; we have the love of God in us, His joy filling us; therefore, we depart from evil, rejecting the short season of pleasure (happiness) in sin, desiring much more so to please Him that we may attain to the fullness of the image of Christ Jesus in eternal life.

When we’re wronged by a brother in Christ; it doesn’t cause happiness! But it’s joy that makes us quick to forgive our brothers or share the Gospel even with those lost souls that have wronged us. You might assert those who hate God deserve nothing from you, but that’s wrong. They deserve to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for who were you but dead in your own trespasses and sins! We’re full of joy because we know God, lest we be high-minded, somebody loved us enough to tell us of the marvelous salvation in Christ by faith in His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. It’s the joy of His love for us that causes the believer to overcome doubt, nervousness, or shyness about openly discussing our Saviour and all He is willing to do for those that call upon Him in repentance of sin and hope of eternal life.

The love of God manifests the steady joy in knowing Christ is our King, God is our provider, and heaven is our home as we serve and live in the Kingdom of God awaiting the last day. This brings the desire in the Christian heart to give, care, and assist others while longing for the day of righteousness in Christ we know is coming by His vengeance upon all that reject His holy name. This is my considered and experiential observation; joy is the patience of the saints to those who keep His commandments.

These attributes of God, from Ephesians 5, imputed unto us should show outwardly toward a dead and dying, wicked, and sin-filled world as peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, which is a sober and sound mind. The love of God through His Spirit brings the joy from which all the fruit of the Spirit is bound to flow, changing the environment everywhere a Christian lays claim in the name of his King. The Love of God will cause us to show all these traits of God at once if only we would let Him. And that’s what they are, God’s own traits; His children should look and act like Him.

Hope and joy and love and peace aren’t mere words in the economy of God; they are how we proceed daily as we live, and move, and have our being in Him. Happiness comes and goes, but joy is our eternal state in the heavens before the throne of the Almighty, worshiping and bringing Him glory for today and evermore. Amen.

Happiness comes in a moment, and more often than not, from sin, which later brings heartbreak and suffering under the weight of the curse of God for our disobedience. Whereas joy comes from Christ in the heart of the believer so that in the face of all the ugliness the communists can muster, our giving and caring spirit remain to show outwardly as love and kindness for our fellow broken man.

This is how our Christian ancestors weathered hard times, and it’s what made them salt and light:

“17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” – Habakkuk 3:17-18

God is love. Joy brings rejoicing in Christ to those that have eternal salvation.

One cannot outlaw Christianity, for to do so would be an attempt to prohibit Christ. Governments can make all the rules they like, but all power in heaven and in earth has been given unto Jesus Christ, who is alive forevermore. Amen. And those rulmakers will die to burn in hell for all eternity.

Source:

If that headlined question above seems a bit of a reach, especially in view of the multiple federal court victories won in the last two years on behalf of religious freedom, then let’s take a closer look.

What we find is a hyper-secularized American public square that is increasingly abusing, penalizing, punishing, and firing Christians. It then tells them, in effect, “So, sue us,” knowing the cost of such litigation all but guarantees there will be no adverse consequences. Consider these current cases:

Georgia Substitute Teacher Fired: Lindsey Barr, now a former substitute teacher in the Savannah, Ga., public schools, lost her job when she expressed concerns about a book shown to elementary students, including her own. As a Christian, Barr objected to kids being shown pictures of same-sex couples parenting children as if that’s normal.

Barr is represented by attorneys from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the Arizona-based public interest law firm that specializes in First Amendment and religious freedom litigation.

[…]

New York Photographer Forced to Shoot Same-Sex Weddings: Emily Carpenter is a New York photographer who does not wish to be used to glorify same-sex wedding ceremonies.

A federal district court told her she has no such right, so, with the help of ADF attorneys, she is appealing that ruling. If she loses, she faces the prospect of losing her license to do business, fines of as much as $100,000, and a year in jail.

[…]

Airline Invites Employee Comments, Fires Two Christians for Theirs: Now-former Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants Marli Brown and Lacey Smith responded to a company invitation to employees to comment on the operation’s new policy in support of “equality.”

There’s more about each case at the source.

For now, redress is available through litigation, but why should Christians uniquely have to bear the mental and financial burdens that come with going to court to assure their constitutional protections simply because they are Christians?

Listen carefully, dear Brothers and Sisters. What matters, above all else, is that you proclaim Christ and His kingdom. What must be demanded is that a complete recitation of your beliefs be stated in court. We’re not arguing the validity of the beliefs; the Holy Spirit of God does that. All we’re arguing is the right to state these beliefs. If the court does not allow a brief but complete reading of the belief system, then they are also antichrist. Their blood is upon their own head. It’s not about winning the case by the terms of the US legal systems; it’s about glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ before your accuser and the wicked magistrates; in this, He will be well pleased with you.

You may not have understood the full import of what you were getting yourself into when you got converted by Christ, but your life is not your own; it was bought with a price. Anything our Lord demands of you to give, up to and including your very life as a martyr, that you must provide. Welcome to the Kingdom of God; it ain’t for sissies.

I hope and pray that American Christians will not back down from this moment. The enemies of God fear the truth of Christ, do not fear them.

Below is an excerpt from a forthcoming post here at TCJ, but it’s essential and germane. This must be stated clearly and succinctly to the accuser(s) and any judge or jury. This is what a Christian was born again by the Holy Spirit to do, glorify God by your testimony in the face of the enemies of Christ. Never abdicate your beliefs or deny His holy name! Demand that your beliefs be publicly stated and made in the written record of the court.

Draft: “We believe all men are sinners born that way by inheritance of sin from the first man, Adam. We believe that all men are sinners, and because of sin, all men are appointed once to die, then to stand in judgment before God Almighty. We believe that death and wrath abide on all men because of their sin; this wrath is outer darkness, eternal torment, hell, and burning alive. We believe and do know that under our own power, we cannot cease from sin, that the consequences of sin are eternal damnation, that following the Law cannot save anybody’s soul from death and eternal torment, and that no amount of appeasement toward God Almighty or good works on our part could save us. Man is totally depraved, and without God, he is lost forever, having no power on his own to save himself.

But we believe and do know that “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Having been the enemy of the Almighty, Christ made peace between God and us by His literal bodily blood sacrifice on a cross at a place called Golgotha in Israel just outside the city gates of Jerusalem some 2000 years ago. That same Jesus was and is the Christ of God. And He was buried in never before used tomb owned by one Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent man. And we believe that this same Jesus Christ rose from the dead again the third day, and was seen by the apostles and many other eyewitnesses over a 40-day-long period after His resurrection, including being seen and spoken with in the presence of 500 brethren at once, Christ was alive again in power and glory teaching and preparing His men for the birth of the New Covenant by the Holy Spirit that would come into them. Then, also witnessed by many, He ascended into a cloud out of sight and, still, today, is seated in judgment at the right hand of Power in heaven. This same Jesus, the Christ, is the highest Judge and final authority in all things. We believe He is ruling and reigning in heaven and earth in the affairs of men and nations until His literal bodily return, the day of which no man knows, but you must be ready for that final day when He will judge the quick and the dead.

After His resurrection and ascension, He sent the destructive forces of the first century Roman Empire against the temple and Jerusalem in 70AD to show that the Old Covenant temple worship system was completed in Him, ending it once for all.

We know and testify that He has forgiven us our sins and saved us from the wrath of God, death, and hell, having, by His grace, given us eternal life. And we do testify that if any would believe in the power of God to forgive you of your sin and save your immortal soul through faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning death, burial, and resurrection, Holy God is faithful to forgive your sin and save your soul that you too might enter into the New Covenant by Christ’s blood having life everlasting in heaven with Holy God. We further believe and do know by the Holy Spirit in us that the Holy Bible is the perfect, inspired of Word of God, holy and inerrant, the words of God to all men, given by Him that you might know Him and His mind toward you.”

With a heart of love toward you, we contest our right, before God and men, to say these things and any other thing as written or commanded by God in the Holy Bible.

Story via Instapundit.

Proverbs 13.

It turns out that in preparing this study, the books of Timothy also have quite a bit to say on the subject. The world tells us that what we focus on is what we achieve; the Bible word is diligent.

“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” – Proverbs 13:4

Background to the Law of the Tithe

The Law of the Old Covenant priesthood is completed in Christ. The Law of Moses included a 30 percent tax all in, not only the ten percent for the works of the temple but also the funding of the national needs of the children of Israel through various giving centered around the tabernacle.

As further background, we think it right that a member of the body of Christ gives ten percent to the local body for purposes befitting the Church of the living God. Before the Law, Jacob vowed a tithe in Genesis 28:20-22. But earlier than that, Abram, the father of us all by faith and to whom the Almighty promised the seed, which is Christ, gave a tenth part of the spoils to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20). David (Psalm 110), Paul (Hebrews 7), and those who correctly read the Psalm and Hebrews liken Melchizedek to Jesus Christ, and not just by type. Under the Law given to Moses, the tenth part of all increase was to the Levites for the ministration of the work of God (Leviticus 27).

Nevertheless, we see Abram giving a tenth before the Law of Moses was instituted by God. We say a tenth is still due, for our priest is the great High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek abiding resurrected eternally at the right hand of Power ever making intercession for the saints (Hebrews 7). He was and still is, due the tenth part of all your increase.

The Law was a covenant with the sons of Israel, but we are the children of the promise, which the interceding years of the Law given at Sinai cannot disannul (Galatians 3:16-18). Abram gave ten; we ought to give ten; the Law, being a separate covenant completed in Christ, doesn’t disannul the tithe to Christ.

The laws under Moses always pointed to the need for Christ. Moreover, being patterned after the things in Heaven, they are beautiful shadows and a type of the mercy and grace of God that Christ Jesus would give Himself on the cross to complete. If you want to know more about the law of the tithe of the Hebrews, that is a separate post. It would be best to do your research.

A tithe goes to the body of Christ, not to a puppy rescue pound, for example. There’s nothing wrong with helping dogs, but that’s not tithing.

We are commanded to gather with a body of true believers. It is fitting to give ten percent of all gross receipts. If the work of that body is not proper, do not stay and withhold your tenth; find a group serving God in spirit and in truth. From a pure conscience, there is no monetary profit here either way; we only tell you to be a faithful steward toward Christ in all He has blessed you with in dominion.

If you didn’t get angry and you’re still reading, welcome. Readers here should know that we aren’t conflating a 501(c)3 Corporation with Christ, the body of Christ, or the work of Christ as He has commanded.

When it comes down to it, there are only four things you can do with money; make it, give it, save/invest it, or spend it. Everything we do with our finances comes under one of these headings. We put them in this order on purpose; this is the priority with which we should treat all money. Diligence in all four phases of handling our money produces superior results.

Exodus 20:15 – the Eighth Commandment – “Thou shalt not steal.” We must earn money; this is how we get it.

Next, you should give, yes, give, before spending a dime on anything, even on the overdue light bill. You must give God His tithe first. Remember, we are dealing with the spiritual empire of God Almighty. If you were doing math, you wouldn’t have taken debt in the first place to end up with overdue bills.

Then, you account for saving or investing, which should be at least 15 percent of all gross income and all received monies.

Next, and finally, you spend. Bills are first to spend on; then and only then are things not of bare necessity.

The one proviso is that you must reduce all debt to zero before investing. Settle those obligations first if you have overdue bills or any outstanding debts. There are mathematical reasons and spiritual reasons for this. Some make an exception for a house in which you live as allowed debt while aggressively funding retirement but consider making at least one extra mortgage payment each year.

We cannot express how poorly many have chosen; paying 22 percent on credit card debt while getting an average return over the years in suitable ETFs or Mutual Funds of 8 to 12 percent compound annually. Cut up the cards, grow up, tell your wife no, be a man, pay off your cars, and buy only used ones.

To properly serve the Almighty, you must stop voluntary servitude to debt masters (Proverbs 22:7). This applies to self, family, and church. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).

If (when) it all falls apart, you need to be debt free. The last thing you want is “collectors” looking for you and your family. There will be enough to account for without looking over your shoulder for the agents of banks or their IRS enforcers.

Making Money

“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” – 1 Timothy 5:8

We see that as believers, we are to work, providing for ourselves and those in our household.

Though it should be enough that God has commanded us, it’s always instructive to look for the promise. When we know why He desires a particular thing for us, we find the truth of the blessings He will pour out upon us.

“11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

What we have in these two short verses is an exquisite axiom of Christianity so well adapted to the flourishing of society in good order to promote the pursuit of happiness under the blessings of Christ’s eternal graces.

Everything wrong today points to rejecting this simple life offered by God. Consider our times, how evil desires to know everything you do and to control you in it. The worst busybody of all is the devil by his agents. After all…

God tells us to mind our business, keep to ourselves, and quietly go about doing what’s right. God is obviously a proper southerner. All joking aside, in 1 Thessalonians 4, we are commanded to refuse a busybody, mind ourselves, and work. The twofold promise in verse 12 is that we first appear honest and upright to those without (outside the congregation, i.e., unbelievers) so as not to besmirch the holy name of our Lord. Oh, that Christians would show themselves upright in all things. And the second promise is that we might have a ‘lack of nothing.’ Amen.

These verses from Thessalonians have been on my heart much lately, longing for a simpler time and way. Of course, the context of Timothy and Thessalonians is much different, the early church was under persecution, and 70AD loomed; the apostles had been told it was the end of their epoch (Matthew 24:3, translated in the KJV as “the end of the world”). But perhaps that’s the point; no matter how bad it gets, stay faithful to God and pursue what’s right. The end is always a mere word away whispered in the throneroom of Heaven; it’s the time!

Giving

We put giving before spending, and so should every believer. Give first, before bills of any kind. The first fruits are the Lord’s. If you give first, you will see miracles in how your money spends thereafter.

We are advised under the New Covenant in Christ’s blood to give for the work of God. Christ’s people are always ready to distribute and communicate that which is not only due to Christ, but above, with a cheerful heart of thanksgiving, so the works of God may flourish until the time and times of the end, that we may lay hold on life everlasting. Giving is not only about money, but being rich in good works of your time in serving, provoking the brethren to love and good works, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost.

“17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” – Timothy 6:17-19

Neither are you too poor to give. Lest we be high-minded but instead be reminded, here is the widow with her mite; Mark 12:41-44.

The first and most essential survival preparation is that of a man’s heart toward holy Father God, through Jesus Christ. Verse 17 above tells us not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who gives us all things.

Giving to the service of the Lord, like prayer, is another of those activities that cannot be adequately explained to those that have yet to do it. As with becoming earnest about prayer or witnessing, the blessing of the closeness to our heavenly Father in giving cannot be suitably expressed with words; you have to give to see the results and reap the rewards.

Saving and Investing

We are not providing investment advice. But, some general information that can help is to invest in only what you can understand. Don’t trust somebody with investments you cannot correctly explain in simple terms to a nine-year-old. Never invest in exotic or esoteric adventures. “Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.” – Proverbs 13:16

That challenge cuts three ways, do not trust things you don’t understand. Educate yourself by justifying your investment thesis on paper; writing down your conclusions. Then, be able to look your family in the eye and tell them how 20 years hence, the benefits of slow and steady measured progress in prudent patients will be great while the risks remain average.

“Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.” – Proverbs 13:18

Seek good counsel. Everybody in the investment world has an agenda and a product to sell. Finding somebody with the heart of a teacher to help educate yourself and understand the best decisions for your family is a very good option.

In Genesis 41, God has Joseph prepare for the lean years of the coming seven-year famine in Egypt. For this, his family all survived.

“6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” – Proverbs 6:6-8

Years ago, I heard preaching on these Ant verses. It pricked my heart and wrenched my gut. I was mad about it for a couple of weeks. The whole time I was thinking about how stupid an ant is and railing in my head against the message, the ant, and the preacher. How very mature of me, right? I still remember it well. However, it was very effective; being already debt free at the time, soon afterward, I started investing.

In Luke 14, our Lord discusses the cost of discipleship, which may very well be your life, and certainly was for those first-century martyrs and others since. But with many of the examples our Lord used, He chose simple object lessons that any man can understand and applied them to more demanding assignments. By God’s grace, we take the simple object lesson in the parable at face value and employ it for us here: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” – Luke 14:28

Most have to realize they’re on the wrong track before making a change in money habits. It’s easy to cover an odious plan with heaps of debt, but soon it will catch up to you. Count the cost of not managing your finances as a steward of Christ’s blessings. Then make a financial plan to not simply survive but thrive and, more importantly, put yourself in a position to help others when they need it. A man must take care of his own house first, putting himself on a firm footing before he can suitably bless another.

You can allocate for children’s schooling or a down payment on a house, etc., in addition to the 15 percent minimum for retirement. Keeping a serious emergency fund in a checking account, perhaps as much as 5 or 10 percent of annual income, is recommended. The knot in your stomach goes away when you know you can cover with cash, an emergency room visit, or a blown transmission.

Spending

We all know how to spend money, but few know how to spend money wisely.

A zero-based budget leaves no money left over every month. Every dollar earned must be put down on paper before the month starts, then allocated within the areas of giving, saving/investing, and spending according to your plan. Yes, it’s hard, and you will fail for the first several months as you figure out your actual expenses. When starting this, you will be disgusted with yourself for your wasteful behavior but don’t quit!

And that’s the point, getting out of debt and saving/investing for the future are about behavior modification. Every aspect of society is geared toward your perpetual debt farm slavery in pseudo comfort and ease. In Christ, you can break the yoke of debt.

Go get your pay stub, or open your electronic pay stub. Seriously, go get it now. Look at it, what if you didn’t owe a dime of that money? It’s all yours with zero payments? What could you accomplish?

Remember not to love the money, for that is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), but love the Lord our God, and all things He desires to give will be added unto you.

And finally, that inheritance we talked about: “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” – Proverbs 13:22

Source:

US health officials have called for new prevention and treatment efforts as the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases, which include gonorrhea and syphilis, has been skyrocketing over the last few years.

Speaking at a medical conference earlier this week, Dr. Leandro Mena of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that it was “imperative” that the US work to “rebuild, innovate, and expand” STD prevention. This comes as the rate of syphilis infections last year reached a 20-year high, and the number of new infections shot up 26%, beating a record set in 1948.

They need to “rebuild, innovate, and expand” what God has already prescribed in ordination from the start?

The head of the National Coalition of STD Directors, David Harvey, whose group is pushing a proposal for at least $500 million in federal funding to be earmarked for STD clinics, has described the situation as “out of control.”

Health officials are suggesting a number of possible solutions to the problem, such as, for example, promoting the use of condoms and developing at-home testing kits for some STDs that would make it easier for people to learn if they are infected and thus prevent further spreading of diseases.

“4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” – Jesus, in Matthew 19:4-6. He goes on to discuss divorce in the next several verses.

Jesus is citing Genesis 1:27 perhaps, but certainly Genesis 2:21-25. It seems that God has set forth from the earliest foundations in His created order all the innovations needed to curtail sexual diseases. The diseases themselves aren’t the problem; they are simply an outward result of sin. Sin, dear friends, has consequences.

What better way to show that sin is real and affects the sinner? Without fornication, there would be no STDs at all. God owes us nothing to prove Himself, but by His grace, He makes evident His existence by the very operation of the creation under His hand of divine dominion.

If you sin, then you will have illness with permanent consequences. Don’t sin, and you won’t get sick. What could be more precise in the economy of the Almighty than that?

At the fall in the Garden, the devil is cursed, the woman is cursed, Adam is cursed, and the very ground is cursed.

The CDC is correct; it’s “imperative” that the US solve this problem. Jesus Christ is the answer, and has been from the foundation of the world, and is evermore. He paid your sin debt on the cross in His blood for your forgiveness. By His resurrection is salvation from eternal hell (1 Corinthians 15:3-4): the Kingdom of God is at hand. Having received forgiveness, seeking Him first in all things that you sin against Him no more (Psalm 119:11) is the solution; that is full repentance. In John 8:11, Jesus didn’t say go and neglect a condom no more. After forgiving a sinner by His grace, He said: “go, and sin no more.”

There’s a reason that the DoD considers STDs a readiness issue. But for us, this stuff affects your family and church’s preparedness, not just medical preparedness. If you’ve got active sin of any kind in your camp (Joshua 7), it can destroy the foundations of unity. You need cohesion.

Of course, proper Christian training of children from the start averts a lifetime of confusion and physical, emotional, and phycological problems. Ask anybody saved later in adulthood what the price of sin is. I tell you, it’s too high, for if you knew what things they had done, you wouldn’t let them in your church or near your family.

If you’re a young man or woman, find somebody that you can cleave to for the rest of your life, and never let go.