Spirit of Truth/The Bible on Trial

Completely Innocent~ Yesterday my wife and I got some very bad news from our vet. Our big Charlie, a ten year old galomphy GSD (German Shepherd Dog) has a large tumor on or near his spleen. We don't know  whether the tumor is benign or malignant without doing a major abdominal surgery, and sending the tumor to the pathologist for assessment. If the tumor is malignant it means that there is a good chance of metastatis. Then treatment is paliiative, or we simply putting him to sleep. If is benign, the Doctor says she doesn't believe it until the dog lives to 6 months post surgery. The whole issue  now boils down to quality of  his life. Recovery from a major surgery for a dog his age will be uncomfortable for two to three weeks at the very least, and we must decide if putting Charlie through that given the tenuous potential of the outcome is worth it. We are not considering the huge expense involved in our decision. Charlie is ill due to now fault of his own, but right now he does not know this; he is completely innocent. He did nothing to warrent this fate. He is a good dog, he is! And yet he is suffering from a devastating illness due to the affects of sin in this world. God loves Charlie, and as his caretakers we must to what is right by him, no matter the cost to ourselve, even if this mean being the cause of his death. We are different than Charlie. We have CHOSEN to withdraw from the presence of God through our disobedience. Yes, I know what you are thinking; we didin't choose to be born into this world anymore than did Charlie, and because of this we should be considered 'completely innocent' as well. But this is simply not true. WE have a choice to make, and because of that choice we ARE NOT completely innocent. Our choices have made us responsible for our own destiny based upon our choosing Truth or Lies, Righteousness or unrighteousness, LIFE or DEATH. Choose Life!

"See to it that no one deceives you!" In observing the circus act and theatrics taking place in Washington the last few days in the 'impeachment' hearings reminds me that this same kind of thing has been going on throughout history. It is not new, nor has it changed in application, all-be-it intensity, as used by those that have no scruples as to how they get their way in the world.  Subterfuge (deceipt used in order to achieve one's goals) has been the hallmark of Satan's operating system since before the incident in the Garden of Eden. You would think that after having spent almost a year with their Master the disciples would have understood the concept of looking below the surface of the issues and players in the Religious and Political issues of their day, such that they would be able to exptrapolate the concepts of truth and justice that Jesus had taught them into a method that would allow them to clearly tell when someone was telling truth or lies. Apparently not; at least not yet in the instance cited in Matt. 24: 1-5. Jesus had been telling the Disciples about the signs of the end of time. Being naturally curious (the hallmark of a seeker of truth) they asked Jesus to tell them how to recognize when they were at the end of the age. Rather than give a laundry list of prophetic events, Jesus answered them with a somewhat cryptic sentence, designed to get them to think about the overarching methodology of the world at the time of the end.  Jesus put the onus of responsibilty for NOT being decieved (fooled) squarely upon His Disciples, those that would seek to recognize where they were 'IN TIME', and WHY! Deception is now rampant in this world, and is seen at every junction between where that deception ends and truth begins. Just as with the Disciples, Jesus calls us to be able to descern between "What is Truth" and what is not. This is the Key to Truth!

Mystery~ There are all sorts of stories in book, on TV, and in the movies that are based in the concept that  the main character(s), and thus the audience, don't know something at the beginning of the show that they find out just before the show ends. The best plots delay the 'payoff' until the very end, and it is almost always in a place or person that you would not have guessed at the beginning. Misdirection is the key to a good 'Who Done It"! The victim(s) don't realize they have been fooled, and some victims don't realize their peril until it's too late to save themselves. The best mystery writers also include either imminent danger or threat to life or an important relationship to enhance the tention, which places an undue stress on the 'hero' to find the solution to the main plot problem before someone else is hurt or killed, or a wider threat to a population is realized.  It is my experience that everyone loves a good, well written mystery! The Bible is one of the greatestt mystery stories ever written, that started at the very beginning at Creation and in Eden, and doesn't get resolved until the very end by the Faithful and Wise Bonderservant, his fellow servant, and the Kingdom of the Heavens.  The Christian church (and hense the world) believes that the mystery has already been solved, and that there is nothing anyone can do to NOT understand how salvation works. But in the true story of Salvation this is a ruse, designed by the 'Great Perpetrator' to misdirect the victims of this evil ruse to believe that they are safe from harm, when in reality, they are walking into an unknown and unrealized peril that will kill them. This story does not end well for those that are unaware of the peril of their beliefs, when the resolution of the mystery is right before their eyes in the Words of Jesus that He gave to HIs Bondservants.

Remodel~ One of the most intimidating things that wife recently said to me was, "I want to REMODEL the bathroom".  Mind you, it wasn't that her bathroom didn't need remodeling, because after 20 years in this house it did. It was that, given my background in construction, I assumed that much of the remodel would fall on my shoulders. My first thought when she broached the subject was, "I'm too old to do this stuff"! So the first thing I suggested after hearing her decision was to suggest that we call our good friend Don who is a contractor and cabinet maker, and ask his 'opinion' as to possibilitites. Becky was all for it. It's one thing to have ideas, it's another to be able to make them a reality within a budget. The most important consideration for Becky was getting rid of the old 'pink' bathtub, and replacing it with at new tub and surround. Easier said than done. After the assessmet Don made some suggestions, one of which was that if I could get the old surround out, that he would come over and help me take the old metal tub out. He also suggested using an experienced sub-contractors to plumb the new tub and shower faucet fixtures, and install the tub, and a wall board and plaster contractor to get the tub area prepared for the new surround. Now it's not that I would not be willing to do all of these things myself, but my relationship with my wife is more important to me than my ego. So when Becky said that she liked the idea that experts would come in and to these jobs I was releaved, and excited at the same time.  Salvation is not what most Christians believe it is. Remodeling the concept or how the process of salvation works is essential to gaining eternal life. Doing that remodel takes expertise, and the 'contractor' that has that level of experience is Jesus Christ, and His words.

Join us for our program The Revelation of Jesus, today at 10AM Pacific time.

Nov. 1, 2019 part 2 Fire Fighters~ Wild fires are consuming California at an alarming rate, stretching the fire fighting resources to the limit, and causing massive destruction and misery for people that are not only directly affected by these fires, but are being told that in order to combat the root causes fo these fires we must suffer the loss of electricty durning high wind events that will help prevent more fires being sparked by downed power lines. The California State Legislature has bought into the idea that climate change is the cause of these horrific fires, and that cutting back brush and clear cutting DEAD trees is a bad thing, even though property owners must provide a 200 foot defensible space around their property, under penalty of law. This undergrowth is what is fueling these massive fires that are stretching our fire fighters and fire fighting capability to the limit. All of this is based upon a lie. We must all become firefighters in the battle of truth vs. lies. The church was founded upon the lie that what Jesus said about salvation was changed at the 'cross', and became something totally new and different. This lie was a construct of Satan, and given to the world by the 'apostle' Paul. Spirit of Truth Ministry is at the forefront of fighting this fire of lies by exposing the spirit behind those lies as the great Counterfeit that it is. Join us in the fire fight. Read The Spirit of the Church by Rick Sterling and Dennis Neufeld at: spiritoftruthministry.net.   Join us for our program The Bible on Trial at 10AM Pacific time on: blogtalkradio.com/sot.

Fire Fighters~ Wild fires are consuming California at an alarming rate, stretching the fire fighting resources to the limit, and causing massive destruction and misery for people that are not only directly affected by these fires, but are being told that in order to combat the root causes fo these fires we must suffer the loss of electricty durning high wind events that will help prevent more fires being sparked by downed power lines. The California State Legislature has bought into the idea that climate change is the cause of these horrific fires, and that cutting back brush and clear cutting DEAD trees is a bad thing, even though property owners must provide a 200 foot defensible space around their property, under penalty of law. This undergrowth is what is fueling these massive fires that are stretching our fire fighters and fire fighting capability to the limit. All of this is based upon a lie. We must all become firefighters in the battle of truth vs. lies. The church was founded upon the lie that what Jesus said about salvation was changed at the 'cross', and became something totally new and different. This lie was a construct of Satan, and given to the world by the 'apostle' Paul. Spirit of Truth Ministry is at the forefront of fighting this fire of lies by exposing the spirit behind those lies as the great Counterfeit that it is. Join us in the fire fight. Read The Spirit of the Church by Rick Sterling and Dennis Neufeld at: spiritoftruthministry.net.

Illegal vs. Unlawful! Misconception and misrepresentation are two identities that are so prevalent in the world today as to be ubiquitous! We see both of these everyday in the world of politics, in the battle between the Left and the Right for the 'soul' of the electorate, not only in the USA but throughout the world. One side may misrepresent the truth, while the other side accuses the other of that very misrepresentation. Misconception is the result of not understanding the difference between an act being illegal, and an idea or concept being unlawful. Not to put too fine a point on it but we are seeng this in Washington with one side accusing the other side of illegal acts without 'facts in evedence' to support the accusation, and then stating that doing this is legal.  So what is the difference between 'legal' and 'lawful'?  When Jesus was here on earth the Pharisees and Saducees accused Jesus of being a sinner. Their definition of sin was based upon the 'Law of Moses' that THEY had intepreted, and had codified in the Talmud; that is, they decided by fiat (Satute) what keeping the law was supposed to be, and if you didn't keep it their way you were a sinner. They had conflated their understanding of the Law as being the only way to legally keep the Law. Jesus came to earth to show them and the world that the Law of God was above the interpretation of mankind, and that Law simply 'WAS'! Jesus showed that the Law of God was the 10 Commandments, the Covenant of the Kingdom, and was in and of itself immutable  "Common Law". Law that is legislated (produced) by mankind is 'legal'. The Law that simply "IS" is Lawful!  Jesus told Moses at the burning bush, "I AM", showing that it is HIS words that are the gold standard of truth. Obedience to the LAW of God brings salvation.

Earth, Wind, and Fire~ No, this post is not about the Band that topped the charts beginning in 1969 and lasted through the 1070's and on, although it could be. (Great sound!) What prompted todays post is the brush fires currently raging in Southern California, and the devastation  that is happening in the 'burn area' (as it is called). I have good friends that live in Santa Clarita and Acton, and although they are as yet not a part of the evecuation area, the strength of the winds and the speed of the fire makes their situation tenuous at best. My prayers are with them and all those affected by these fires. My reflection today is about the 'element' that is missing from this list of elements, and that is 'water'. Water is not only what sustatins life, but it is also the thing that can put out a fire, if applied at the right time, and in the right way. We have all heard stories of people that have experience the 'fire' of the 'holy spirit' that came upon them and caused them to do or experience euphoria and joy of a 'heavenly' nature. The story in Acts about the Disciples in the house that came under the 'authority' of the 'holy spirit' where a rushing wind came through the house and a 'tongue of fire' lited upon each of the people in the house in tern (Note: this did not happen all at once, to everyone in the room-if it happened at all), is representative of the fact that people will believe almost anything if there is a supernatural component to it. The thing missing in this story is WATER, and water represents TRUTH. When truth is applied to any situation it allows a person to compare rumor to fact, and see the difference clearly. Simply believing that something is true just because it appears in a 'holy' Scripture is a good way to allow yourself to be fooled into believing a lie as if it is the truth. Truth exposes lies!

Fake News~ Recently, we have heard a lot about Fake News, and the closest I can come to a cogent definition for that phrase is this: un-tested and un-confirmed information published as truth! The News Services that do this are certainly publishing Fake News. This not only hurts the person about which this false information is stated, it also hurts the credibility of the news organization that publishes this information. This kind of thing is not new; it has been around since the days of the 'Town Cryer' in ancient times.  So how is it that this can still exist today? Have the people that do this not learned anything in the interviening years? Apparently not! So how is it that we can combat this Fake News?  Jesus said it best to His own disciples, because He knew what the Pharisees were saying about Him and His teachings!  And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. Matt. 24:14. Jesus put the onus of responsibility for defining truth squarely upon His own disciple then, and upon us today. We are responsible for the information we believe. We CHOOSE that which we believe as truth, no one does this for us.  So when you hear someone in the news claiming that what they are saying is truth, do your research and PROVE it to yourself, before you post it on Face Book. And when you hear that Paul said something that seems to make sence, do the same thing; prove it by comparing what He said with what Jesus taught, and see if it matches 100%. If it doesn't it also is Fake News. The words of Jesus that He gave to His own eyewitness disciples ARE the gold standard of Spiritual truth. Accept no substitute! '