Spirit of Truth/The Bible on Trial

"What On Earth?" This is an expression my mom used time and again when she would notice something out of place in the house, or not up to her standards of excellence in the homework, music practicing, house cleaning, bed making, personal interactions between us siblings, or any of a hundred other things that did not fit her idea of 'proper' behaviour, decorum, neatness, or grooming. For those of you that are in Gen-X and beyond the translation into common vernacular used today in texting would be (to put it bluntly) "WTF?" However, I heard this expression used nearly every day during the mid 1960's (the mini-skirt era) when my sisters would attempt to go to high school with skirts rolled up higher above the knees than was appropriate to my mothers idea of 'lady-like' dress (not to mention school standards); which was then immediately followed by "You are going out looking like that over my dead body!" When people in public view test the 'norms' of behavior of 'polite' society is when many people would use a derivative of "What on earth? in expression shock or distain. Yet today we are so innundated with visual and audio input that though shocking has become so normal we just don't even notice it anymore. This is true for our spiritual belief systems as well. We are so used to hearing pastors, preachers, religious teachers of all stripe, and family and friends expressing religious beliefs with regard to 'social justice', life style choices, etc., expressing lies as if they are the truth, not even know they are doing it, that 'normal' has taken on new context.  How could 'followers of Jesus' respond when this takes place? How about using a shortened version of what Jesus said in the "Lord's Prayer: "What In Heaven?"

Do you enjoy tests? This seems like a rediculous question, because for most people testing of any kind is a pain in the neck. Why? In order to pass a test you have to study for it, and studying for anything is a pain in the neck. But preparing for a test is the ONLY way in which a person can know ahead of time whether they will pass the test, or not. The prayer of the unprepared goes something like this: "Dear Lord, please help me to remember everything that I never studied!" But really, what are the chances of that happening. There are tests in which you can guess your way to success, but those types of tests are not designed to find out whether the student (what ever subject) knows enough to be compitent, it only tests their ability to guess well, given insufficient data. Salvation and eternal life is not something that can be 'guessed at' and passed. This is not a 'pass/fail' grading system, where the student can get any grade just over failing and still pass the course. Yet according to the words of Jesus Salvation requires 100% understanding of the subject, with a 100% perfect grade in order to pass into eternal life. Today Christians believe with all their hearts that they will not be judged/tested by any standard, because they are 'saved by grace through faith'. They believe this because their teachers believe this, and their teachers believed it. This is why it is so difficult to gain eternal life; this is the 'eye of the needle' of which Jesus spoke, through which it is nearly impossibe for someone that 'thinks' they are rich in the understanding of how salvation works to pass. 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." Rev. 3:17.

No amount of persuasion can convince a person that is sure of themselves that they are believing a lie, if they believe that lie is the truth. Hurricane Irma is bearing down of Florida with a vengence, and people en mass are fleeing before it, but there are still people that believe that they will survive it 'in place'. I truly hope that it turns out to be true, but the likelyhood of everyone that is caught in the high wind and waves will survive unharmed is statisically nil. One of these people is my younger sister, Debra, and I am very worried or her safety. My wife's nieces husband is visiting his home country of Trinidad/Tobago and has been caught as well, unable to get a flight out of danger. Why do people wait until the very last minute to realize that danger is hurtling toward them, and they better take precautions, and make preparations for unexpected outcomes? This is a very human condition that is based in the optimizm that 'it can't happen to me'.  The study of end-time prophecy in Scripture shows that there are going to be lots of people with this viewpoint, that will be caught off guard by and 'unexpected return' of Jesus. And that happens because they are looking for His return to happen one way, when in reality it actually happens another way. The same is true for those that believe that there is only one 'salvation', and that is through faith by grace, as described by Paul in his gospel. These people will be 'caught off guard' when it is shown to them that this 'gospel' was a lie, and will not believe the alternative because they have never looked for that alternative. Spirit of Truth Ministry offers that alternative; the gospel of the process of sanctification through the words of Jesus that He gave to His own eyewitness disciples. This gospel is very different than what is being taught by Christianity, yet it offers the only true salvation.

How does a person find the truth? Many people in our modern world find truth in something called 'metrics', that is "Standards of measurement by which efficiency, performance, progress, or quality of a plan, process,, or product can be assessed" (Buisness Dictionary). In school teachers use metrics to assess student performance in the various disciplines that comprise a set curriculum; they measure the student against a varifiable standard, and by that comparison issue a grade that reflects the quality of thought or action derived from that assassment. In other words, TESTING! Also, there are a very many people today that derive truth from the supposed safety of consensus; if everyone believes something then it must be correct. This is seen today in the idea that has been floated that 97% of ALL scientists accept that man made global warming, ne 'climate change', is fact, therefore it simply must be true. The problem with THIS concept is that 'metrics' can't support that kind of conclusion.  Did Jesus use either of these two systems to PROVE that what He taught was the truth? Did Jesus supply a 'metric' against which to measure all Truth? Did Jesus seek consensus from the religious scholars of His day for the purpose of establishing a truth everyone could believe? If all Jesus needed to do was simply come to earth to 'die for our sins' (as stated by the apostle Paul), a concept exclusively taught by Christianity, and by which nearly complete consensus has been achieved, then WHY did He feel the need to "testify to the truth" (John 18:37)? The 'metrics' of Truth is the Words of Jesus that He gave to His own eyewitness discples. The consensus  of the church does not confirm truth because HIS words do not promote consensus.

Today fires are raging all over the Western USA. In our region (about 75 miles from us) is the La Tuna Cyn fire, which has now changed direction and is heading for a populated area near Burbank California. Officials have declared a manditiory evacuation of 200 homes that are in the path of the fire. My son and his girl friend are visiting friends in Salem Oregon, and they are breathing smoke of fires near them. Fire can be very damaging if it is not under control; it can also be very beneficial when it is in a bar-be-cue. The only good thing about a wild fire is that unless you are blind you can see it comng and get out of the way, if you see it in time. There is another wild fire that is spreading in the spiritual world, especially in the Christian world, and there is a prevaling belief (for which many are praying) that this fire is going to lead to a world wide renewal the likes of which have not been seen since the foundation of the world. Christians are praying that the Holy Spirit in the form of the 'Latter Rain' will decend upon the earth and bring about a revival that will usher in the Second Coming. There is a huge problem with this identity in that the 'setter' of THIS fire is NOT the Holy Spirit of the God of Creation, but the OTHER spirit of the false 'god' that masquerades as the Holy Spirit. This is the same spirit that actually began the Christian church in the first century by intercepting Saul on the road to Damascus, and by this false 'holy spirit' changed a vile, murderous man into the founder of the Christian church, the 'apostle' Paul. THIS fire has started a conflagration that unless checked will consume the world with a false faith, a false hope, and a false truth. The purpose of Spirit of Truth Ministry is to open the eyes of the spiritually blind to this false fire, and reveal the True Way, True Truth, and True Life that are the Words of Jesus.

Illegal immigration is a huge topic in the world today. There are at least two sides to every issue, and this is true for this issue as well. In the USA one side says that those of us with the privilage to live in a 'free' society should not require people outside of that society to acknowledge the 'rule of law' and enter a country according to the laws for immigration for our country. The other side say that everyone entering our country must abide by those rules for lawful immigration in order to have legal standing to not only enter the country but to live here as a productive member of tha society Many modern Christians believe the former identity, because they believe that they have the 'privilage' to enter the Kingdom of God without having to adhere to the 'immigration' laws of that Kingdom; they believe that those pesky immigration laws of the Kingdom of Heaven have been 'laid aside' in favor of an open border policy set in place at the Cross by the death and the blood of Jesus Christ. They believe that the Kingdom of Heaven has no borders, and has no laws regulating access to citizenship in that Kingdom. These sincere Christians believe with all their hearts that they can enter the Kingdom of God WITHOUT respect for the laws of that Kingdom; and in this they are DEAD wrong, and wholly mistaken. Without LAW, and without borders that define the territory of the Kingdom of Heaven, there would be not difference between the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God; this is exactly what Satan wants us to believe. Jesus came to set the record straight, that HIS Kingdom is a Kingdom of Law, and Justice based on law; and anyone seeking entry must "abide in HIS words" in order to gain entry to His Kingdom and eternal life. The TRUTH about this is your passport into this Kingdom.

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. Rev.3:10. Is this verse speaking of you? Have you ever thought about what this verse could mean to your future regarding salvation and eternal life? What does it mean to your salvation to 'endure patiently'? And why would enduring patiently keep you from the time of trial that will put to the test everyone that is alive on the earth at that (near future) time? These are examples of the types of questions that we at Spirit of Truth Ministry ask and answer during our program 'The Revelation of Jesus, with Rick Sterling'. The only way to get the correct answers are to ask the correct questions; and those questions can be difficult to identify because of the current paradigms and methodology that are pervasive within the Christian church. This mind set in many cases prevents Christians from asking the hard difficult questions, because to do so would open them to having to deal with even more hard and difficult answers. When Jesus was here on earth He asked the hard difficult questions of the (then) spiritual leadership of the 'Kingdom of Heaven', questions they could not answer, which made them want to kill Him. Spirit of Truth Ministry tries to follow in the Masters foot steps by asking the same types of questions of those who are truely interesten in finding the answers, the answers which will define who will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and gain eternal life. Doing this is risky business; are you willing to take the risk?

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:19-21. We here the word "Justice" bandied about in a cavalier way today in political speak, and the 'social justice' movement. What people don't yet realize, and this includes Christians, is that in order to have Justice you must first have JUDGMENT. Without judgment there can be no justice. Jesus spoke of Judgment; "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:17. So if the Son does not Judge, who does.  "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day." John 12:48. It is the WORDS that He speaks that passes judgment upon the world, and this judgment is irrevolkable and permanent; there of NO reprieve once judgment is passed. Thankfully, this final judgment has not yet taken place, but soon it will. So how does a person escape the punishment for judgment, which is eternal death? It is really quite simple; So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 12:17. Keep the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD (all 10), and HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY of the one that brought the truth from Heaven to earth, that is JESUS. These two are the foundation of what it takes to be INSIDE the Kingdom of the Heavens when 'judgment falls on all mankind'. If you are in this Kingdom you are safe.

When we at Spirit of Truth Ministry look for spiritual truth, truth that leads to salvation and eternal life, we look to the words of Jesus that He gave to His own eyewitness disciples as the source for that truth, THEN we compare it to words of what other people have said on that particular subject and note any differences. The extent of those differences informs our view of truth, because it is ALWAYS the words of Jesus (and God Almighty in the Old Testament) that take precedence. In fact, it also work the other way as well. If you have studied the words of anyone else (other than the words of the Son of God), and have become an expert in what that person has said concerning salvation and eternal life, even gaining high academic degrees and religious recognition, and have not factored into the equation what Jesus said to His own eyewitness disciples on that subject, then you have missed an opportunity to learn the 'God's Honest' truth. Of what value is it to "gain the whole world, but loose your soul"? It is not just earthly recognition that is enticing; it is also the recognition and honor of those in your preferred religion that makes it nearly impossible to actually learn the truth. You must decide if you love this recognition and honor more than you love the truth.

Prayers for Barcelona! I spoke with a good friend of mine this morning, and he was upset with a number of his friends because, as he put it, "They have gone off the deep end". He is a liberal minded person, in that he likes to look at all sides of an issue before he makes a determination as to how to proceed. He said that many of his friends are responding with a 'knee jerk' reaction to world events, rather than taking a 'considered view point'. This can also be true for people that hear what Spirit of Truth Ministry presents; instead of carefully considering what is presented vis a vis what Jesus said as opposed to what ANYONE ELSE says, they 'go off the deep end' in condemning what  they have heard because it doesn't fit what they already hold to be 'as truth'. Is this really the kind of response Jesus would have form us, as we search for truth?