Note: Tagged Gospel Witness with the other posts in this series.

Acts 8:26-35

“32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.” – Acts 8:32-33

In the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch, God shows the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) fulfilled in accordance with God’s broader purposes and specifically within its establishment. From the structure in Matthew 28:19, We know that Philip had taken the training of our Lord and obeyed the command to go (“Go ye”), listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit of God, and shared Scripture with a lost man teaching (“teach all nations”), by the word of God, how to be saved. The Ethiopian believed and was baptized (“baptizing them”) into the faith.

We don’t learn when or where the Ethiopian was afterward trained in the faith to keep all that Christ commands (Matthew 28:20). This instruction is provided to Christians throughout Acts and the New Testament letters; indeed, the entire Bible is for our education. This does happen, sometimes a lot; a soul will be converted as you share Scripture with them, yet did the Lord have other plans for their training and to which group of believers they would attach. Invite converts to Church for sure, but pray for them over the next several days or more, that the Lord would train them up at the place He desires.

In Acts 1:8, all disciples of Jesus Christ are commanded to be witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth. We are to tell of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Mark 16:15, Christ’s disciples are told to preach the Gospel to every creature. But it’s Matthew 28:18-20 that has the structure of the Great Commission; to teach all nations and, upon conversion, baptize them into the faith in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Then converts are to be instructed to keep all that Christ commands.

In Acts 8:26, the angel of the Lord prompts Philip where to go. Note that Philip is not given a 3-point outline, interim milestones, and a Church growth plan with a building fund as the measure of success; although, he did get taught by Christ and prepared for the mission. And nobody (if you do find somebody hold on fast) will teach you how to be a disciple; you’ll have to pray and study the Scriptures and try the mission; in this, you will find Christ is faithful. God called the disciples, and they followed, so follow on.

Philip is faithful to go. We can say with assuredness that if you do not pray like you mean it, and study your Bible as though your life depends upon knowing it, and serve in spirit and in truth among a group of serious and committed believers, that the Holy Spirit cannot use you, and may never prompt you to go because you remain an infant in your faith being untrained and unprepared. Many in this condition do, however, hear the prompting of the Spirit of God. But as Matthew 10:32-33 below indicate, they tell God no in their heart because they are not serious about the work of Christ in the Kingdom of God to see the fruit of the greatest reward for our labor, the conversion of souls to the faith.

“32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 10:32-33

Now to our text. We’ll lightly cover a few verses in Acts to set a framework for being a witness for Jesus Christ within the Great Commission.

Verse 27 of Acts 8: says in part, “behold, a man of Ethiopia.” Here we find the principal reason for Philip to be attending to the mission of Christ in the region of Gaza. The word behold in verse 27 indicates that God has now revealed the purpose to which Philip has been sent.

In verse 29, we see that AFTER he was dutiful to be first at the appointed place and time along the road headed south to Ethiopia, the Spirit prompts Philip to the specific duty he must carry out. How many, God help them; have rejected the initial prompting of God to go, the work remaining undone. If Philip had not gone, how does the Gospel get to Africa? The Ethiopian was a man of great authority. You never know with whom you’ll share the Gospel.

If you pray for the power of the Holy Spirit, attend to preparation by the study of Scripture, and have your heart set to serve and your mind purposed to the task, God will give you teed-up softballs ready to hit out of the park. There is the Ethiopian, reading Isaiah and asking to be shown what it means. That’s what happens to the faithful serving within the Great Commission. Sometimes God will reveal His sovereign power to you who have shown faith to believe that He goes before you. This is a time of celebration in the Spirit and to further walk worthy (1 Thessalonians 2:12 / Colossians 1:10), growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The reward of faith is a greater faith by the revelation of God to us through Christ, leading to ever more extraordinary service of Him.

So there, in verse 30, Philip asks the Ethiopian if he understands the Scripture, and in verse 31, the Ethiopian asks a great teaching question for us; “How can I, except some man should guide me?”

In verse 35, the word of God says that Philip “began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” We know where he started but not the course he took or upon what verse he ended, but the Gospel to save, bringing forth faith to the hearer, under the power of conviction by the Holy Spirit of God, is right there in the text he read to Philip.

Not so much technical instruction, but here are a few tips and ideas to help you enter a conversation about God or the word of God and move the conversation forward to Christ crucified for the shedding of blood, remission of sin, and resurrection unto life eternal. The section of Scripture that the Ethiopian was reading is Isaiah 53:7-8. We don’t know what Philip said to the Ethiopian or how he explained this section of Scripture, but if you’ve done the groundwork in prayer and study, the Lord will be faithful to answer. The Lord already told Philip to go, upon which command Philip went. When he arrived at the place, “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” So why would a Gospel witness doubt the Lord now? Philip went and started talking to the Ethiopian. God will speak to lost souls, bringing their faith unto conversion to life everlasting; we just deliver the good news of salvation.

The Ethiopian desired a “guide” to show him the meaning of the Scripture. This is soul-winning 101; get your Bible open so they may hear the word of God, building their faith (Romans 10:17). A soul winner should be instant in season and quick with the word of God, to start at a question about Scripture or God and preach Jesus Christ. The first thing to do is slow down and read that section of Scripture. Within every passage of Scripture are God’s purposes in judgment, grace, and instruction in righteousness. Philip “began” at the same Scripture. It’s not hard to open the Bible and begin at any section, only for those in earnest desire of God, guided by you, to arrive at the foot of the cross and into eternal life as a born again son of God. This is what Philip did. If you have to move to a different book or section of Scripture, such as Romans or John, then take the lost sinner there to arrive at the cross.

But praise God for the fatness of the pitch that Philip received. Isaiah 53 is the prophecy of the torture of Christ, the coming Gospel, fulfilled not long before Philip and the Ethiopian met. Because Philip was trained, prepared, and faithful, he came upon a man who asked; can you show me what the Bible means? If only they were all that easy.

You might object that the Holy Spirit didn’t prompt you to go, but you are without excuse; we are commanded in Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15, and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 to do this work. If you start this work, God will be with you. And, it’s a blessing. We are so prone to sin there is nothing we could say that would make you serve this way. You have to experience it to see it. You’re missing out on one of the best aspects of life in Christ when you don’t share the Gospel seeing lost sinners come to faith. When the power of the Gospel to convert a soul under the Holy Spirit comes upon a lost sinner, it’s mighty to behold.

So, the Ethiopian got saved, and baptized, then proceeded to carry the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him into Africa. If you’ve been saved and baptized, don’t let that good news go to the grave with you; share the Gospel. This is why Christianity in the west is dying; millions, having heard but refusing to share, are the dead end of a former Christian civilization. Philip was not a dead end.

Ephesians 2:1-10

“1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

To be brought to life in Christ Jesus by the resurrection of your dead soul for your trespasses and sins against God Almighty is, without hesitation, the principal object at the outset. The world has a system for you, no grand purpose nor calling, but striving after the desires of the body and mind blindly following nothing much but living according to the course of this world. The world is full of people having little more worth than a self-licking ice cream cone consuming themselves upon the lust of the flesh, living for nothing, and dying alone. Every man dies alone.

It’s a complicated world, having trespassed against the Living God while remaining in self-serving sin. A life such as that is pointless; never to understand the power you perceive is the spirit that works disobedience, making yourself an heir of perdition.

“2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

There is a prince of this world, all the evil among men becoming glaringly evident, wickedness on every media and medium luring and enticing only to leave you dead, hell-bound, but this is God’s world; he made it and you. He owns it, so while living according to the law of trespass against Him, you offend His holiness, never seeing or even desiring to understand the war in the dimension of spirit at the root of the grave evil taking hold all around you.

“3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

But you’re not alone; you are a sinner as all men are before the Holy One, and He is the true power, having already conquered your sin, death, and hell. You had not sought the good before sin took root in your conscience; how could you, having been born into sin. There is none that seeketh after God…there is none that doeth good. Fulfilling your desires with wanton disregard for God’s plan, you are by your very nature a child of wrath, for the wrath of God abides on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Sin is blinding. It’s not simply blinding to those that are aware; it’s so pervasive, so thorough that those blinded by sin are blinded to not only the immediate presence of sin but may never know that sin exists. Sin is not simply the sum total of all the unfit thoughts and deeds accumulated as you serve the spirit of disobedience; it’s what you are; you are a sinner. If you could stop sinning, you never would have started. And God is awakening your blinded soul to your condition.

“4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,”

The two most lovely words ever spoken are, but God. But God is drawing and calling, making space in your mind that His word might penetrate to your core need; you need mercy, for He is full of love and rich in mercy. “We love him, because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19.

His great love is shown round about you, a little at the first; His revelation shows you the evil of this world and the evil in yourself, revealing the need for His great forgiveness. Even dead in sin, it’s God that brings alive the eternal soul to the realization of Christ’s blood sacrifice, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin to bring about everlasting life together with Christ. God does this of His own accord, which seems quite absurd to have to say, but far too many, God help them all, are counting upon some sense of being a good man. Too late, you’ve already sinned against God; there’s no meter in heaven; it’s Christ or the death of eternal torment.

You are a sinner, condemned already in your trespasses and sins. Only the Almighty, the Creator, gives life and new life by mercy and grace unto the everlasting hope of heavenly places with riches beyond understanding, imputing worth for the soul by Christ Jesus to those that call upon His holy name.

It’s the heart of a man, your heart, not your deeds, that God desires. Not as corruptible things, silver or gold, or keeping commandments that men heap upon themselves as though impressing their neighbors gets the attention of God’s good graces. God is not impressed with you; He’s God. “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.” – Proverbs 17:3

“5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

You can be raised to walk in the newness of life, through Christ, by the resurrection of the spirit in your soul; the Father in heaven offers forgiveness of sin and salvation from the wrath to come. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” – 1 Peter 1:23.

Jesus Christ took your sins to hell with Him and buried them there for you; Christ speaking of His own life, declared, “I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” In authority to lay down His life paying your sin debt to the Father, and He took it up again. He raised Himself from the dead on the third day, leaving your sins behind.

But, it’s more than a spiritual resurrection, which is incredible enough. Having ascended to heaven, at the right hand of Power, it is He who makes the way of life eternal. Those sealed unto redemption in Christ, seated with Him in heavenly places now through the Spirit of God, when the last trumpet sounds, we shall see him as he is and abide in His presence; death shall be no more. Your soul, if you are His, will be altogether in the company and glory of Holy Almighty God.

He created you for this: to know Him and to be with Him, and you, wasting another day, taking another lick at the ice cream cone, would you call upon His holy name?

“7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

God’s riches are exceeding. They are exceeding what? They’re God’s riches; what manner of silly question is it to ask what they exceed, for there is nothing but a long ugly slog before you of growing old, and if you make it that long getting sick, only to return to the dust from which God formed you. Preparing for contingencies is wise, but what is your final contingency? How can you save yourself? Remember those two great words, but God? God’s riches are exceeding anything and assuredly anything of this world; His grace in kindness by Christ Jesus is what you need.

“8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

But God, in His mercy by the grace of His good pleasure, offers salvation unto those who would hear, for Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. If it’s not of works, and salvation isn’t by works, then eternal life must be by grace. If you take upon yourself the duty to work for eternal life, rejecting the gift of His mercy in love, you make the grace of God of no effect. What an end of those ones, God help them.

But if it’s by grace, and it is, then the grace of God’s eternal pardon is what you need. Well, it says it in the Holy Bible, right there in verses 8 and 9; by the grace of God, through your faith in Christ Jesus, and not of works as though you could boast before God of anything whatsoever. Salvation is a gift to those who hear the call of Christ, and His call to you is now!

“10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Every day people try to repair the sin-scarred planet, to fix each other, all the while circling the drain. Those that are Christs, we’re not saved for nothing; having received a new life by God’s great mercy in Christ Jesus, we show that same mercy to others. You know that you have kindness and charity of heart within you; God made you this way. In Christ is where that work has meaning and eternal value; one day, in heaven, we’ll see the fruits of those labors.

So there are works and good works, but none gaining the favor of He that is holy except and unless you be quickened with the Spirit of God for it is His own Son that the Father sees when He looks upon those raised up together with Christ. Without Christ, you are an unclean thing, vile, unworthy. Why did God allow His own Son to be tortured to death if you could satisfy His wrath on your own by some good deeds? Every religion of good deeds mocks Christ, for without Christ’s sacrifice unto salvation for us first, your works come short of the glory of God, raising no worth in heaven.

Jesus didn’t stay dead; it was not possible for Christ to see corruption. So many get this backward; that’s how deadly the sin of pride is; we’re predisposed, through sin, to misunderstand the simple truth of the sovereignty of the Almighty. We want to do it on our own, but Christ is incorruptible, and you are only corrupt. Every man convinces himself that he is a good man. The most grotesquely wicked souls on earth consider themselves good men by doing what they perceive to be good things.

Thinking that there must be something you can do to win salvation, what are you next to God that you should attempt to steal His throne, making yourself a saint by your own good graces? God makes saints! Without Christ first, you are as a son of perdition, a worker of iniquity, a child of disobedience, run by the prince of the power of the air, bound by your sin to burn in hell. No man can keep the whole law, and no man can disannul by works the miracle of the glorious grace of the Lord God Almighty unto salvation by the suffering of Christ Jesus on the cross; who do you think you are that you can buy heaven with your merit?

But God, the master craftsman of all that are His by faith, having created you, has ordained for you a service to Him that you should walk therein. No longer to serve the wasteful and repetitive grind of the long march to the grave and hell, but created in Christ unto good works, having first received mercy from the throne of His judgment by grace, to be made a child of the King. God gives results of eternal importance and purpose; your soul finally being fulfilled; it’s Christ that fills that void, that hole in your heart where you know, knew all along, good must be able to live there.

It’s a new life and life everlasting, for by grace are ye saved through faith. Call upon Jesus, seeking forgiveness from sin, beseeching upon prayer the throneroom of heaven, for mercy by His grace to enter into the exceeding riches of His glory through God’s lovingkindness; asking that you would be quickened in Christ. Receive His mercy from wrath, life today, and the end of your faith, the salvation of your soul for eternity, that you might know His exceeding abundant grace in the ages to come. Forgiveness unto salvation is nothing to forgo or attempt by any manner of your own concoction. It’s grace; it’s all grace; behold, now is the accepted time: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.

Note: Tagged Gospel Witness with the other posts in this series.

“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” – Matthew 9:38

There are three primary approaches to contacting lost sinners. Witnesses for Jesus Christ don’t win souls by accident; they do it on purpose. These tools will help you grow in confidence and effectiveness while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Find the way that works for you.

Your knowledge, personality, background, education, and salvation testimony build upon each other to make you the Christian God wants you to become. By adding tools and ideas to your existing knowledge, you significantly increase your effectiveness while being a witness for Jesus Christ. One of the overall objectives of this training should be to incorporate tools into who you already are in Christ Jesus.

By being yourself while talking with lost sinners, you may find the exact type of people who respond to you so that they hear the Gospel and get saved by Jesus.

Holy Father God saves who He will by the workings of the Holy Spirit. Soul Winners simply tell the truth of the Gospel.

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

Your faithfulness in being consistent is a tool that the Lord can use mightily for His glory. Holy God sets divine appointments between a Soul Winner and lost sinners. Being consistent and reliable puts you where God can use you best.

If you are faithful by making yourself available, Father God will appoint lost sinners to hear the Gospel from you; while sharing His message of love and salvation through the cross. One thing you will have to do is be purposeful. Set specific times each week to seek the lost. Make a plan, and stick to it. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance after you go.

Believers in Jesus are called to be separate and sanctified. We are to go to the lost, telling them the Gospel, not living among them and being like them. How was Jesus a friend to sinners? By telling them the absolute truth regardless of how it made them feel. Purposefully going and telling people what great things Christ has done for them glorifies God. Try different ways of approaching people to see what works for you; God will bless the efforts.

We suppose there are three main ways we can approach lost sinners.

In our first way, let the lost get to know you over a couple of get-togethers and soon share the Gospel. Invite the lost sinner to coffee or dinner and get to know each other a little. We are not hiding that we are Christian while doing this. Prayer thanking Holy God for a meal is a great way to show the lost sinner that you are a public and caring Christian. And also, during this prayer, we can share the simple Gospel by thanking Father God out loud for Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection so that your guest may hear this necessary and straightforward truth.

Then, on the 2nd or 3rd meeting, get out your Bible and open it up to them, introducing the Gospel by sharing verses that show the truths of why they must have Jesus. This is one way to approach co-workers, neighbors, schoolmates, and other acquaintances.

We are NOT friend-winning. You must get down to business and be direct by having a specific plan to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must tell them the truth about their sin condition even if it hurts their feelings. We must convey to them the eternal consequences of their sin, even if it means they no longer consider us a friend. You’ve been the greatest friend they’ve ever had by telling them the Gospel. If the lost sinner won’t accept Jesus, that’s between them and God. Soul-winning is not friend-winning.

Another way to approach folks is a short five or 10-minute conversation and then bring up the things of God. Introduce yourself, let them get to know you by being friendly and polite, and then talk to them about the Scriptures. What we are doing here is looking for an entry point to bring up the word of God to get our Bible open. Every aspect of life is present in the Holy Bible, so being aware of the Holy Spirit while listening to your new acquaintance is an excellent way to find an opportunity to bring up the things of God. This approach may work well for you.

Again, the purpose is to get down to business, opening our Bible and sharing the Gospel. We’re not doing a Social Gospel Christianity.

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:2

And thirdly, we can take a much more direct approach, going straight to Scripture. You can walk right up to strangers in public places, Bible in hand, and demand (politely with a smile on your face) to know the condition of their soul as to its eternal station. If they will listen for a minute or the Holy Spirit completely captures them (this does happen, it’s mighty to behold), you can quote Scripture to them about salvation while also offering to show them what the Bible means by that (those) verse(s). Many use this approach when door-knocking in neighborhoods as well.

In this manner, we introduce them almost immediately to the word of God without even stating our name or shaking hands which might sound cold, but it works well with strangers in public spaces such as parks and other gathering areas. Keep in mind that Holy God sets appointments between the witness and the lost sinner.

One term for this approach is called street witnessing. In this way of sharing the Gospel, we are not being aggressive, unfriendly, or abusive in any way. Don’t do damage to the name of Christ. We are kindly and directly showing the truth to total strangers. We never compromise anything about the truth of God. It’s essential to be polite and friendly but firm and never back down from who Jesus Christ is and what comes of a man who rejects Him.

You can walk up to people and ask them about their eternal station. You can ask: Are you going to Heaven? Or, Who is Jesus to you? Or, Do you know where you will spend eternity? Etc.

The lost may seek to get rid of you by simply stating that they are saved. We don’t accept that answer; follow up by asking what it means to be saved or asking them to explain how that happened, politely but firmly; their eternal soul is on the line.

When approaching the lost in this manner, having a verse or two of relevant Scripture committed to memory is helpful.

It is the job of the Christian to warn everybody that they face the wrath of God and that they have to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved. Pray while asking Holy God to order your steps in service of Him as a Soul Winner; prayer can undoubtedly be considered a tool of the Soul Winner.

“When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.” – Ezekiel 33:8

“Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” – Ezekiel 3:19

John Chapter 9.

By way of instruction, let’s look at a few people in John Chapter 9. Character studies are a means to derive a clearer view of who and what Jesus Christ is, adjusting our worship and service of Him accordingly. First, the Pharisees, these purveyors of the traditions of men and law by letter and not by spirit, chose power, prestige, and capital R religion above the Christ of God. Also, the blind man’s parents decided to favor the temple (a Church) with the familiar social comfort of the status quo instead of truth by Christ Jesus. Then the man blind from his birth seemed strangely satisfied having received his sight but perhaps, did not want to know Him that had opened his eyes.

The Pharisees ran off the blind man. This is happening all across America in the Churches; they cast him out. They cast out the evidence of the workings of God.

“They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.” – John 9:34

There was the man blind from his birth, sighted, telling them a miracle of God had occurred, and the Pharisees cast out the evidence of Christ by arrogantly choosing to live in the lie of their religion.

Churches are turning to the New Religion of feel-good get along-ism. The Pharisees then, as the Pharisees today running the American Churches, reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those fully regenerated, serious men who know what work must be done are being run out of the Churches. The wolves and workers of inequity can’t have them there lest the truth of Christ’s kingdom by the Great Commission begins to spread. And they can’t have themselves, false converts all, exposed as the frauds they are. They called this man a sinner merely for noting what he perceived to be the source of Christ’s power (John 9:33)! Some of the worst resistance to being a committed Christian comes from the purportedly religious crowd. Don’t let them talk you off the ledge; go all in for Christ.

Are you the blind? Are your eyes opened, but you remain a fruitless edge dweller consuming Christianity as though it were mere entertainment instead of being a doer of the word (James 1:22)?

Examine your faith with all seriousness. The Pharisees knew more about the Bible than anybody and were perhaps the most religious people ever to have lived. Yet, they were lost, dead in their sins, blinded to Christ by their lofty self-estimation, residing in error. It cost them their whole civilization. Are you in error? Can you hear the truth? Examine yourselves with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Is your doctrine wrong?

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” – John 16:13

In John 9:25-33, we read the man’s testimony to the Pharisees about how he received sight. In Verse 34, again, they tossed him out of the synagogue. Well and good, the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands (Acts 7:48). Service toward God, centered around a building is the exact religion Christ ended in the first century.

The blind man’s parents (Verses 20 through 23) chose social conformity, religious leaders of dubious character, and poor doctrine of a Christless temple system over the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ. Making an application for today, they didn’t want to be tossed out of “Church” for being real Christians. They chose the wickedness of the ruling class with the trappings of comfort and ease in familiar religion over the truth and even over honest exploration of who Jesus is.

The Churches in America have shown they will comply with any civil edict, whether antichrist or illegal; For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind… (Hosea 8:7). When they come to your neighborhood for the guns, it’ll be “Christians” out on the street pointing at your house.

Don’t scoff and don’t laugh, but the day is already arriving in American Churches where those confessing Christ are, maybe not so directly just yet, but they’re being told to leave. Saying that you believe in God may be fine. Saying that you believe in Jesus may even be accepted for now. But start preaching hell hot, Christ crucified for the shedding of blood, and the Kingdom of God by His commands preeminent to this world and see what happens.

His parents risked leading him astray, which is essential for parents, grandparents, other family members, teachers, and Church leaders to understand. Raising good little cultural Christians may make them well-adjusted compliant citizens of Rome, but that is not salvation in Christ, nor is it what God’s people are called and chosen to accomplish. You must make Christian soldiers of the children in your family and your congregation.

You’re flat-out wrong if you think peer pressure doesn’t exist in the American Church today. It’s all about fitting in.

“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” – Proverbs 1:10

Real Christians are supposed to be radically different from those that remain in darkness. Being regenerated in Christ Jesus changes, or it should change, everything about a man.

For all we know, the blind man’s parents died in their sin, to be cast into eternal torment. If we don’t receive this instruction, the blind man’s parents died in vain, for nothing. Suppose we choose religion over Jesus or Church over God’s works. If we seek faithless ceremony and activities with friends over the hard work of building the Kingdom of God in anticipation of His return, then we’ve missed a central point of this passage. If we don’t heed it, Jesus did this miracle for nothing; the Holy Spirit brought it to the mind of John to pen down for nothing. Shame on us if we learn nothing from their death.

As to the blind man, we’ve heard all kinds of preaching around verse 25. Most of it was making application toward salvation which is fine. But, if you examine the text, the blind man, while talking to the Pharisees, still doesn’t know salvation in Christ Jesus.

“He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” – John 9:25

He partly understood. He seemed weirdly satisfied. Why did he not inquire as to how Jesus had done this and who Jesus indeed was? By this time, Jesus’ disciples knew that He was the Christ. The blind man knows a miracle had been done and that it was wrought by God. But strangely, after washing his eyes, he didn’t immediately seek to find Jesus so that he might inquire of God.

“They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.” – John 9:17

Many today, as the man did with the Pharisees, confess that Jesus came from God, perhaps a prophet or a “good man.” Jesus is who and what He says, or He’s a liar; He can’t be both. But, why didn’t the man ask at the first, who art thou (for example, John 8:25)? We’re forced to wonder how many around us, having been made sighted, abide not entirely in the belief of Jesus Christ. Except that the Father draws a man to Christ, they remain with a simple, perhaps, intellectual understanding of Christ but lack faith unto life everlasting. He’s drawing you to choose even now.

The man knows a miracle had been done and that it was wrought by God. Perhaps your eyes are open, or you’ve seen some of the workings of God but have not drawn nigh to Christ and made your covenant with Him that you might be made wholly a son of God? Not to be simply aware of God, but hear from God through His word, having the gentle calling, drawing, and pressure to fulfill the works that He has foreordained that you should walk in them. Christianity isn’t a feeling; although you will experience the full range of emotions if you enter into a relationship with the Holy One, being a son of God is about following Jesus.

Later, Jesus comes and finds the man (Veres 35-37), and in verse 38, he believes. We don’t want to make of it something that isn’t there. But we find it interesting that, having told the Pharisees the truth as best as he could reckon – that Jesus was of God (Verse 33), then once the man left the comfort of that Christless religious system, Jesus found him. If you know that your religion is wrong, get serious about Christ.

But giving the blind man recognition, he stood up for Jesus to the religious crowd. Then (Verse 35), Christ comes and asks him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? When Christ asks, say yes! It’ll be the best thing you ever do.

Read verses 35-41, don’t make Jesus come looking for you. Praise His holy name that He does come to us, but get settled on the Rock, the sure foundation of the Christ of God, that you may enter into His kingdom to do the works that the Father has set before you. Having your eyes opened, now be fully converted to a doer of the word, made a joint heir of eternal life with Christ.

If you’ve never told somebody that you’re a Christian, pray and tell somebody today. For example, say to a stranger, “I believe in Jesus; He has saved my soul.” Verbalize your faith; share your salvation testimony with somebody, do it this week! This is a critical first step that God will use to grow you into a mature fruit-bearing believer.

In supposition, ask yourself, Am I wrong or in error? Do I only see part of the picture? What of my doctrine? Who am I trusting, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible? Or are you trusting in men, traditions, and religion?

The Sanhedrin had only two eschatological views, and still, they missed Christ. Today there are several, and within some of those are dozens of bizarre or boutique theories that the Bible never shows.

Don’t get trapped by a building, don’t get trapped as a fruitless wanderer with eyes half opened, yet having a dead faith (James 2:17), and don’t choose the comfort of a Church over Christ’s kingdom and the labor set in order by God for your service of Him. But choose true religion; worship in spirit and in truth, seeking Christ in all things, magnifying His kingdom, proclaiming His holy name, and glorifying the Father, even unto the end.

“39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” – John 9:39-41

Say not to yourself, I see. But seek truth by Jesus Christ.

Read parts One and Two.

Dominion is established at creation, re-settled post-flood , but recreated in Christ. It’s an interesting and worthwhile short study of the mandate for dominion from the start brought forward by the Great Commission given to us today. The cultural mandate is derived from God’s given dominion. This is why the left can’t stand Christ. They’re accepting, for now, your little private church and prayers, but that’s not the deputation the Almighty has given. We are to preach the Gospel to every creature, teaching all the world upon conversion to obey Christ. This the left, inside and outside of their New Religion, cannot have.

Thus, man has both a basic constitutional urge to dominion as a result of his being created in God’s image and a fundamental responsibility to do so as a result of his being commanded in the Creation Mandate. Man’s distinctive task in God’s world in accordance with God’s plan is to develop culture. Culture may be defined as the sum deposit of the normative labors of man in the aggregate over time. Adam was to “cultivate” the world (Gen. 1:26-28), beginning in Eden (Gen. 2:15).

[…]

The ultimate authority of the Triune God specifically undergirds both the Creation and the New Creation Mandates. The Creation Mandate was given directly from the mouth of God, who had just created all reality by means of His spoken word (Gen. 1:26-31). This was the very God who said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Gen. 1:26), thus indicating His Trinitarian being.

The activity of the later New Creation Mandate is to be performed “in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” the Triune God (Matt. 28:19). It also was uttered by the very mouth of God: God the Son, who holds “all authority in heaven and earth” (Matt. 28:18) and by whom the universe was created.

A little off-topic, but this is why I worship on Sunday. We don’t worship in the old creation covenant but in the new.

Both Adam and Christ are federal heads, Adam of sin and death (Romans 5:12), Christ to redemption. You have the one, Adam, but you can be recreated and restored through redemption in Christ Jesus.

Read John 6:43-47

“44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” – John 6:44-45

In verse 44 above, Jesus declares that the Father calls those as He will to the Son for an inheritance in the resurrection. As to verse 45, see Isaiah 54:13, and some consider Jeremiah 31:34 along with Micah 4:2, but many don’t regard the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) as the work of God that verse 45 speaks to, but we do.

Jesus goes on to say: “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. – John 6:46

Starting with John 6:46 and considering John 1:18, 14:9 (Below), an understanding of these three verses is unknowable but by those receiving the earnest of the promise for life everlasting by salvation in Christ.

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” – John 1:18

“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” – John 14:9

Rife with seeming contradictions, except that the Spirit of God explains, these verses cause the blind to cast off His word as mere poorly constructed mysticism or fables. But unto those drawn by the Father (verse 44), born anew by the Spirit, having come to Christ in contrite desire to learn of the Father, saved by faith in Jesus Christ, we know well and true that the three are one God. If you’ve seen the Father, you’ve seen the Son (John 10:30). Having seen the Son, you’ve seen the Father. Being drawn to the knowledge (faith) of the Father or the Son, that comes through the functioning of the Spirit. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen God altogether.

Put down your doubt of forgiveness from sin, by the cross of Jesus Christ, and take up salvation from death and hell through the resurrection, by faith unto life everlasting, that you may learn of God, drawn and called into a new life, a better life to know God. We know Him not by the vain imaginings of our mind, the explanations of self-proclaimed gurus and new age “prophets,” or the false teachers of the New Religion. We know Him, having our eyes opened by faith. It’s so rare as to prove the rule; in the Gospel age, those coming to faith don’t see Christ then believe; they hear the truth of the Gospel (Hebrews 11:6), make a profession of faith in their heart before the throne of God (Romans 10:9-10), that faith brings the surety of God by His Spirit. God teaches (reveals) of Himself to bring faith.

Nor could verse 45 mean only that academic study or classroom instruction is the means of knowing God, for many have religion, learning about God, and perhaps trying to keep a law to get to heaven. For these, the law is unto death, a schoolmaster (Galatians 3:24) from which you both realize your sin and seek Christ’s forgiveness or be determined guilty of God by the law (Romans 2:12) that you could never keep, for if you break one point, you’ve broken them all (James 2:10).

As the Father has mercy on His sons, He is not less the Master for showing His love; drawn by the Father, salvation is a gift by His grace, but Jesus Christ is also the Lord upon whom you must believe.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – John 6:47

Housekeeping Note: I (PGF) will be offline next week. No posts from me. Be back soon. Herschel will probably dock my pay of course.

Chuck Baldwin Dates Revelation, including a solid refutation of historicism and identifying “the Beast.” Touches on Chapters 11 and 17. Dr. Baldwin continues to suggest that there may be an early fulfillment in part and a later (sometimes referred to as “now, not yet) fulfillment of Revelation, if that’s what he means. We remain interested in his reasoning behind this and hope that a future message will explain.

And Dr. Ken Gentry, in two short posts, Part One and Part Two dates Revelation.

Plus an explanation of the temple in Revelation 11.

If there is no God, there is no baseline of fact from which right and wrong are delineated and defined. You end up with 300 plus million definitions of good and evil, each according to a sin-filled human and their self-righteousness. Under this humanism, peace among men will never be achieved.

The central assumption of leftist thought is that if you control the society, you can also control the character and conduct of every person who has been raised in it. Every leftist policy flows from this idea. Government becomes god and can, given political omnipotence, give us utopia.

All we have to do is give up our individuality, our rights, and our faith in anything else.

[…]

The problem of evil is an old one. It can come from many directions. But our society is particularly vulnerable because its elites can no longer even grapple with the concept.

They’ve created a society in which evil thrives because they are incapable of recognizing it.

Source: Borrowed

Part One  Part Two

There are perhaps two judgments in the remaining verses of Psalm 107. Both are of a national type. They may lend one into the other as that would not break from a general pattern of prophecy and judgments in Scripture. First verses 33-38, then the last.

“33 He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;

34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

35 He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.

36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;

37 And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.

38 He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.”

The earth, from the day of the first sin, has been dying; sin takes once bountiful rivers of plenty and makes them desolate. There’s no going back to the Garden; that route is kept secure by a flaming sword and Cherubims (Genesis 3:24). God removes access to raw resources when you won’t use them for His resplendence. You can point to a hundred vectors for the current and ongoing destruction of Western Civilization, but there is only one cause; you hate Christ, for if you loved Him, you would keep His commandments (John 14:15).

Noah, a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), warned them that they were the problem for one hundred years. The prophets of old warned and warned that our Lord was tiring of their turning that which is good and holy unto the Lord into evil, and they would not hear.

“Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” – Malachi 2:17

For wickedness and disbelief, the Almighty will turn a fruitful land into salted barren earth, for the sin, not of Klaus Schwab, but of those that dwell in the land. The WEF is merely a symptom of corruption caused by sin. When the people sin, they get ungodly rulers.

As did those souls who would not or could not hear the prophets’ warnings and of Jesus Christ; Americans, Christians, cannot get it through their heads down into their hearts that they are the problem, they are not keeping all that Christ commands. They live the high life, recreating themselves to death with endless busyness, willfully destroying all the blessings that the Lord would bestow by laying up the fruit of righteousness before the altar of Heaven. For this, best as we can tell, benefits are turned into curses of barrenness by our Lord. He does this out of lovingkindness. Americans will cry out to Him. They will know that He is Lord; it’s simply a matter of what it will take to get their attention.

Verses 35 and 36 seem encouraging, but the Almighty may take our mantle and give it to another, turning wilderness to fruitful land and dry ground into waterspings. These verses do not say that He gives these things back. In most Scripture about national judgment, there is no sense that those who are judged are those same that later see the blessings of God. It’s most often another generation or separate people that God will raise up to be His. There God takes the hungry, those hungry for Him, those desiring nothing more than that He be glorified above all else; there, the Holy One builds them a city, an exceptional habitation, where He may rule and reign.

American Christians are so settled on the heavenly city that they are of little use in the Kingdom of God. They must think that forgiveness from sin and salvation from death and hell are given to them because they are special. Christ’s people are supposed to be peculiar, not fruitless, useless; why wouldn’t God take their food and other resources?

You can make your own personal, family, or Church application to this if you like, but this judgment is not about the individual; it’s national. Moses and that generation died, and then Joshua and Caleb, the only two just men, Joshua leading the next generation, went into the land. God didn’t need them; they needed Him! Know this, Christ will have a people, and He doesn’t need you at all; you need Him. You serve at His good pleasure, and where you won’t do His works, how does the Almighty derive His pleasure and glory? Why wouldn’t He take America’s blessings from them to bring a new, worthy generation before His throne to worship Him with fear?

Here we see what happens; God brings them low through oppression.

“39 Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.

40 He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.

41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.

42 The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.”

Americans have no clue what affliction and sorrow are. They are oblivious to what’s coming, and the local Churches are not warning them, and where they may be warning them, they won’t or can’t tell the congregation that it’s their fault. It’s as though they read the Holy Bible and only remotely understand it with vague acknowledgments that God will be God and have no other above Him.

Armchair disciples, knowing every word and deed that Christ did, extraordinarily detailed knowledge both about the bible and what’s inside it, doing absolutely none of it, not a lick, they are disciples of Jesus Christ nowhere but the vain imaginings of their mind.

But fear not, God will find a poor people, needful of Him, thankful for His small blessings, that will honor Him and give Him the glory He is worthy to receive.

Verse 42 should be the desire of every believer on earth; the righteous shall see the workings of God and rejoice, even and perhaps, especially in judgments. And what a better picture; do you not long for the day; all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Want to know how to have that, be salt and light and righteousness doing the work of a disciple of Jesus by keeping His commandments, preaching the Gospel to every creature, and teaching all nations that which Christ commanded from the beginning.

Fear not, the princes of this world will get what’s coming, and if they are not careful, they’ll get it in this life.

Vengeance is the Lord’s. Read Deuteronomy 32:35-43.

And we’ll leave it with these verses.

“17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” – Luke 4:17-21

As at the time Christ spoke these words, the High Churches today are at the feet of the ruling class. The Pharisees of our time are indistinguishable from the American Church to Washington DC, filled with error, the blind leading the blind, but Christ will have a people. He sets up nations and brings them to naught, judging empires into the dustbin of history.

Reread verse 43. If you don’t learn these truths, you won’t understand God’s purposes in judgment, grace, and for instruction in righteousness.

Via The Gun Feed:

Uvalde Schools Implemented Extensive Security Measures Including School Resource Officers.

Texas police are now saying that the armed school officer who was first reported to have engaged the gunman in a firefight was not on campus when the shooting started.

That’s convenient. So is the timing; end of school year, don’t need the building for a while. Joe “Gun Free Zone” Biden says to raze the building.

Uvalde Schools Security Plan PDF.

Joe  Biden doesn’t want “hardened” schools.

Jean Pierre: "There's been conversation about hardening schools, that is not something that [Joe Biden] believes in."

Joe Biden doesn’t believe in making schools more secure? pic.twitter.com/gPBxXO4UEx

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 31, 2022