This apostacy will come from within and without the body of Christians…. It will have a political element along with a spiritual defection in combined force. And it will be first before Christ comes again.

If you are in a bit of doubt and disbelief that this “sign of the times” that is to be understood is not upon us, well – just look at the upheaval of unbiblical teachings rising amongst denominations of Christianity, look at the rise of sin unrepentant by individual Christians and groups of believers, look at the political problems literally “plaguing” societies, countries and the world as a whole, look at the focus on the physical, nature and man, look at the economic shifts, inflation and lack of product, look at the rate of Christians divorcing, cheating, lying, gossiping, accepting sin, embracing worldly ideology, even look at the lack of standing for truth, look at the corruption of leadership in the church universal as a whole, look at the family decay, look at the deception and propaganda, look that the lack of masculinity and the lack of taking care of their immediate family’s needs, look at the sexual perversion and human trafficking, look at the conflicts creating controlled chaos, look at the rampant self-centeredness and narcissism, look at the level of laziness coupled with inability of self-control, look at the demonic doctrines and mingled witchcraft in so called Christian groups, look at the missing morals among believers, look at the unclean spirits increasing in the lives of so many Christians, look how love is growing cold, look at the increase of followers of Christ scoffing about His return, look at the apostacy all around us….

Can you imagine living in today’s times and not knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  I know I can’t.  Many go to church Sunday after Sunday and are never preached to about the book of Revelation, end times or what it means to be born again and have that personal relationship Jesus Christ.  What a difference it makes when you know what the future holds for believers.  We know that God defeats Satan, and we get to spend eternity with God in the most beautiful place most can’t even imagine.  Anxiety, worry, discouragement, despair and fear, weighs on the shoulders of many that don’t have faith in Jesus Christ.  People are lonely and scared and don’t understanding what is happening in the world.

If we have faith in Jesus, we don’t need to be uncertain or worry about what the future holds because we know exactly what the outcome is going to be and that is what gets us through these times of uncertainty.

John 10:10

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy.  I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

The thief takes life, but Jesus gives life.

Proverbs 12:25

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious in anything but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.

Matthew gives us seven reasons not to worry!

• The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details for your life.
• Worrying about the future can make us so focused on work that we fail to attend to what is most important.
• Worrying is more harmful than helpful.
• God does not ignore those who depend on him.
• Worrying shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God.
• Worrying keeps us from what God wants us to pursue.
• Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.

Everyone has worries, but Paul’s advice is to turn our worries into prayers.  When you start to worry, stop and pray!

Many blessings to you all,  

Melissa

Then seizing him (Jesus) they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.

A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Just as he was speaking the rooster crowed.

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the words the Lord had spoken to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.

And he went outside and wept bitterly. Luke 22:54-62

Three questions came to mind after reading this:

• What does it mean to weep bitterly?
• How does weeping bitterly affect us?
• Have you ever?

When the Lord looked directly at Peter; it was not an ’I told you so moment!’ but it was with sorrow: because Jesus looked into Peter’s face and witnessed Peter’s realization of what had just happened.

He knew Peter’s heart. He knew the struggle Peter had with quick decisions and to encourage Peter he had told him: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22: 31-32

He knew that Peter would stumble; he knows the hearts of all men.

Some will stumble and fall and get up, some will stumble never to get up again; there is nothing about a man that will take the Lord by surprise.

It is to each of us; as we come to see who we are, and of how we have been molded by the world and of how we react to it; well, that comes as a surprise to each of us! But with our now being in the Lord and learning his ways; we see how far we have really fallen, and how far we have come, and how far yet to go on our path in attaining a life of holiness and righteous.

John writes: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

“Yes Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?”

He answered, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?”

He said, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” John 21:15-17

So much has happened since the night of Jesus arrest, since the night when what had been told to Peter of himself  by the Lord had come true, and despite Peter’s ‘good’ intentions he had fallen in the moment of truth and when the cock crowed after his third denial of knowing Jesus: Peter would look up to see Jesus looking at him and in that instant he knew he was not the man that he had believed himself to be, and facing that reality, and finding himself weak by betraying the one he loved because of his pride: he went outside and wept bitterly.

This was more than just being proven wrong, this was intense, painful, distressing and when we come to see ourselves as Jesus has seen us, and when we look into Jesus face, do we or are we like Peter and melt finding ourselves in sorrow and tears when we see beyond who we think we are and come face to face with who we are!

We aren’t busted, but we have witnessed a revelation!

 With the Lord there are no ‘got cha’ moments: only moments of revelation; meant to cleanse, to awaken, and to transform us.

There were no words that could form on Peter’s lips, there was no comfort in that moment, and when he got outside he wept bitterly. He was seeing himself: maybe for the first time: face to face.

Have you ever wept bitterly?

I have, many are the occasions and like so many other experiences with the Lord, as hot and burning as the tears were, they were cleansing and part of the refining process. So great has been the pain that has accompanied those tears that when their passing was completed; I often found myself physically drained and that I had not the strength to rise immediately, and so I sat there or laid there, contemplating what had just happened, thinking about what had just been revealed to me.

Without these windows of opportunity ( to grow) we can come to be complacent,  and stagnant; because we do not see ourselves as we are, as the Lord sees us now before we have truly and completely given ourselves over to him and we miss the opportunity to see what we can be: more like him; and a bit so every day.

Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith may not fail, not that he wouldn’t fall – but that his faith wouldn’t fail.

He knew Peter was going to fail this test because he continued to tell him: “and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Peter would be tried and tested and would continue to grow stronger in his faith after each testing; whether standing through it, or rising up after a fall.

We do not know how the Lord will use each of us, or where he will send us; but if we will let down our guard, bridle our pride, take every thought captive; we may not need to spend as much time weeping bitterly for the things we say and do.

Have mercy on me O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not caste me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn back to you. Psalm 51:1-2, 10-13

A prayer of David that we can be sure that Peter had heard, and knew, and now he had lived it!

Jesus prayed that Peter’s strength not fail. Peter would give the rest of his days preaching (proclaiming) the gospel message) because he truly loved the Lord and even through his many short comings: he was used by God and through his message helped many transgressors and sinners to come find their way to the Lord and to know the ways of the Lord. His words would strengthen and encourage the brethren and he was a light in the world; just as you and I are called to be.

Never count yourself out, only a closed heart can do that and if you are willing the Lord will use you to strengthen and encourage the brethren and to help lost sinners to find and come to know the Lord.

Our stories – because of him help the blind to see, the deaf to hear and because of him; lives are changed!!

It truly is not about you and me, but about him; and life in and through him – He, is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sit with him awhile, listen closely to what he shares and be ready to give the answer:

__________, do you truly love me?

__________, do you truly love me?

__________, do you love me?

__________, Feed my sheep.

Wept Bitterly

Through Their Message: By Ronda Cooper

A good friend of mine and a brother in Christ shared a verse with me recently that got my heart and mind’s attention. The reason – in our Adult and Youth C.E.D. (Sunday School) Class we have been discussing the walking in the desert with God and I am convinced the Holy Spirit primed me for the second round of a desert walk that the prophet Hosea was told to tell Israel…. From his own personal desert in his prophetic marriage to Gomer and the lessons the LORD was revealing to them through seeing it played out.

Before I give you the verse – I want to remind you – sometimes people don’t get it until they have to go through it and the wise see from what others go through…. In other word terms most don’t learn from others mistakes, and most have to learn it the hard way. That is why God says through Stephen “you stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit”. (Acts 7:51)

The good news is “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5) and another piece of good news is that “…these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Now onto Hosea’s desert verse:

Hosea 2:14-15  “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a Door of Hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

Let’s do a little word study to get the gist of the passage as a whole, then the breakdown and application of it to our lives will bring the water in the desert.

allure = pâthâh: to open, be make roomy, to make simple, entice, flatter, persuade

wilderness = midbâr:  driving, a pasture, open field where cattle are driven, a desert; it also means speech, south.

vineyard = kerem: a garden or increase of vineyard

speak = dâbar:  to arrange, to speak, to subdue, answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give,                             name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think,                                  use [entreaties], utter

tenderly = ‛al lêb: upon the heart, comfortably with care, courageous, broken, kindly, understandingly, willingly

Valley of Achor = ‛êmeq ‛âkôr:   a vale, dale or broad depression of stirring disturbed troubled roiled affliction

Door of Hope = pethach tiqvâh: opening, gate, entrance way, entering in plus bind, collect, gather together,                                                             attachment, expectancy, thing that I long for, patiently, wait for and upon

I am going to give you space until you come into a desert place and then I speak to you from my broken heart to your yours… After your I speak love to you in the desert I will make a gate to a garden full of future hope out of the depressed valley of affliction you have been in. Let’s go back to the place of first love where we promised to each other when I brought you out of Egypt.

One must go through the desert of affliction and valley of trouble to….

know of the broken heart of God caused by our broken heart and…

One will receive a garden that they can enter in the midst of the desert in the low valley of ones life with….

God restoring the love and relationship for a future hope with him…

What valley of disturbance and trouble are you afflicted in that God wants to turn into the gate of a garden He has promised for you?

What would it look like if you let God drive you into the desert and bring you through it into then vineyard of newness?

What part of your first love of God needs to be revisited and revived in order for the door of hope to be cleared of the vines and open the door of your heart to the hope of the Lord with you again?

Oh – the days of the desert’s walk

that burn the soul and heart’s are broke

through the valley of sorrows pain

onto the time of God speaking again

with tender care and love to come

our renewed vow and His faithfulness shown

what hope lies beyond the door

a garden full of hope of future’s more

back to first love’s place of meet

I bow in restoration at Jesus’ feet

Oh – the days of desert’s walk

make heart’s on fire and souls unbroke

Come desert and valley and garden to

Because of Jesus, I can stay forever true

Walking with the Lord in the Desert,

Going Through the Valley for Jesus,

Getting to the Garden of Hope in God,

First Love Restored, Revived, Renewed,

Remember God Loves and I Do to!!

Pastor Daren Lee Barnett

              A while back, the Pastor gave a very thought provoking sermon about how we, as the church, and the bride of Christ and about preparing ourselves for our wedding day. I went home and I thought about, “how does one prepare for such a glorious event?” It’s a little overwhelming to think that the “King of the universe has asked me to be His bride and that I’ve actually been chosen by His father to fill this role, wow! How exciting is that?” I can hardly wrap my head around it. The first thing I need to do, the most important thing, is to make sure that I accept His proposal! I certainly don’t want an opportunity like this to pass me by! Imagine, little old me, the bride of a Kind! And not just any king, “The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.” What an honor! And He told me that He has purchased for me the most beautiful gown that I could ever imagine, clothed in His very own righteousness, I want to be very careful and make sure that I don’t get it soiled before the wedding day. And invitations, I want to make sure and send out lots of invitations because I want all my family and friends to be there! I need to get busy because the big day is quickly approaching and I want to be ready! His Father is making all the arrangements for the banquet. He’s even giving us a week long getaway at a very luxurious resort (His Father is a very wealthy man). There’s even horseback riding there, how fun!

How well do I know this man that I’m about to marry? His friends all say that He’s a kind man, a loving man, a gentle man. I want to make sure that I’m spending time with him to get to know Him personally, to know His likes and His dislikes, so that I can be a good wife to him. (I think I’ll bring some fruit to the banquet because I know he loves fruit.)

Marrying into royalty is a bit daunting, after all, I’m just a plain old country gal with little to no experience in such things, sometimes, to be honest, I don’t even know what He sees in me, Bu He’s not the kind of man who’s impressed with status or standing, He loves me for who I am on the inside. But understanding my anxiety, His Father has even provided me with a wedding coach, a helper, who can instruct me in how to properly conduct and carry myself so I don’t appear foolish, and for this I am so grateful, because lets face it, I can be a little rough around the edges at times. I want to make sure that I’m playing close attention to Him so that I can learn how to speak properly and act properly. But I know that once the Big day arrives and I look into the gentle, loving eyes of my bridegroom, all my anxiety will fade away because I know He truly loves me and I feel such a peace whenever I am with Him. He even smells amazing! (Psalm 45:8) Which reminds me, I need to pick up some perfume because I want to smell good too (Psalm 141:2).

What a wonderful day it will be! The music, the flowers, the dancing, the wine (I’ve tasted the wine and it’s amazing). I can hardly wait! We’ll finally be able to move into that new house He’s been building for us (he’s a carpenter you know, and a very good one) so I’m sure it will be beautiful. And I’ll be able to start my new life with the man that I know I’m meant to be with, I can’t wait, It’s gonna be great!

I have been asked – on more than a few occasions “where do we stand up?”, “when should we stand up?” and “what should we stand up for?”….

Now, Before I give any thoughts or Biblical insights on this broad and heavy question, let me first ask my own questions in return: “what lines did the Lord draw for us?”, “when does the Lord say we shouldn’t we stand up?” and “what does the Lord say we should stand up for?”

I am convinced that if a believer is in their Bible on the regular – these questions are ten times easier to respond to – with confidence and conviction… but, if a Christian is only reading little morsels of daily bread, the milk and not the meat of the Word of God; it is harder to discern the things in which the Lord stood up for, the things in which Jesus drew the line, and when things should be stood up for.

First – a lack of knowledge is at the core of the issue of where, when and what to stand up for…. this insight comes from the following two passages of Scripture:

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” and

Isaiah 5:13 “Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.”

Second – where did Jesus stand up? He stood up in religious settings, civic settings and personal settings. There are so many passages I have limited it to three, with one passage for each – religious, civic and personal:

Luke 6:6-11  On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Here Jesus confronted religious folks about their persnickety interpretation of honoring the Sabbath that prevented the good that God intends to happen through its observation… they cared more for their rules than the people. Jesus stood up for proper understanding and application of the Word to the situation and in favor of the Spirit of the Law… bringing healing and life – “the letter of the law kills, but the Spirit brings life ” 2 Corinthians 3:6

John 18:33-37  So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Here Jesus, when questioned in the civic arena by Pilate, He called out Pilate and the people in their accusations without returning guile, but expressing truth. Jesus said His purpose was to bear witness – stand up to and for truth. Pilate simply followed the false narrative of the people in his line of questioning, and eventually acquiesced to the mob and ruled for Jesus’ flogging and death.

Matthew 8:23-27  And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.    Matthew 18:3

Have you ever thought what this verse means and why He would use a little child as an example of this warning? What do children do that adults don’t and why?

Let’s start by looking at little kids.  When they are first born, they can do nothing for themselves and rely on the parents for everything.  They are so innocent.  As they grow, they may only cling to the parents and be fearful of others.  Once they start to talk, some never stop.  They have no worries. They love spending time with parents. They are quick to forgive.  When they get a little older, they have learned to watch the parents faces to see if it’s ok to do what they are about to do or look to see what the parent’s reaction is when they fall…do they laugh or cry.  They learn to trust and fear the parents and understand the house rules.  How many times have we heard them say, “Mommy says….” or “Daddy doesn’t do it like that! I’m telling!”

What are the parents doing during this time?  They start teaching the baby how to fall asleep on their own, feed themselves, dress themselves, etc. and over time to be their own person.  A parents role is to teach a child to be independent and not to rely on others, cause one day they may not be there to help them anymore.  So what’s our next clue as to the verse meaning?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.  Isaiah 55:8

This verse tells me that the things we were taught or taught our children may differ.  Let’s look at some more verses to see what His Word says.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18  (never stop talking)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ask and talk about everything)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 (more talking-don’t worry-be thankful)

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33

Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. Proverbs 28:26

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psalms 118:8(don’t trust in yourself or man)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.            

Proverbs 1:7 (what would Dad say)

You can see most of these verses are opposite of what human parents teach.  Our heavenly Father wants us to talk to him constantly and always be dependent on Him for everything from what we eat and drink to our peace and joy.  He also tells us to trust Him over men, including ourselves.  He wants us to cling to him in every way.

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. John 14:23

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22

A song of ascents. Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him. Psalms 128:1

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Acts 5:32

These last few verses are similar of what parents want from their children: to trust and obey them because of their love for each other. 

We can see how we can struggle to become totally dependent on God when we’ve been taught from a very young age to become independent.  This is why there are verses telling us to renew our minds to train our minds to think differently, to talk to God first in everything we do and rely on his constant help.  God can always be by our side and can be the source of all our needs all the days of our lives and for eternity, as long as we choose to be His child.  When we have said yes, we believe and ask Jesus into our lives and repent of our sins, and truly want our end goad to be with our heavenly Father for eternity, then we must also learn the new “House Rules”. We need to be that little child looking up at his Father as in Psalms 16:8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. We also need to realize that our lives should show that change of who we now fear as our Father.  I will end with Colossians 3, as I believe we should strive to have our lives look like this if we are truly His children.

Colossians 3

3 Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. 3 You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God. 4 And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories.

5 Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry. 6 God’s terrible anger is upon those who do such things. 7 You used to do them when your life was still part of this world; 8 but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language.

9 Don’t tell lies to each other; it was your old life with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead and gone. 10 You are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you. 11 In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has Christ is what matters, and he is equally available to all.

12 Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. Don’t worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to suffer quietly and patiently. 13 Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

14 Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony. 15 Let the peace of heart that comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of his body. And always be thankful.

16 Remember what Christ taught, and let his words enrich your lives and make you wise; teach them to each other and sing them out in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, and come with him into the presence of God the Father to give him your thanks.

18 You wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what the Lord has planned for you. 19 And you husbands must be loving and kind to your wives and not bitter against them nor harsh.

20 You children must always obey your fathers and mothers, for that pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, don’t scold your children so much that they become discouraged and quit trying.

22 You slaves must always obey your earthly masters, not only trying to please them when they are watching you but all the time; obey them willingly because of your love for the Lord and because you want to please him. 23 Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters, 24 remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all he owns. He is the one you are really working for. 25 And if you don’t do your best for him, he will pay you in a way that you won’t like—for he has no special favorites who can get away with shirking.

2  Corinthians 11:19-21  For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear (suffer or tolerate) it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

If you have not noticed before, the Holy Spirit has Paul employ sarcasm that cuts to the bone in this inditement of the Corinthian Christians for being weak push overs and tolerant of being abused by either fellow so-called Christians or those who might possibly maybe become part of their congregation. The Apostle only put up with so much, even as a Christian that was willing to “become all things to all men that he might save some”, even after “turning the other cheek”, even after “not returning insult for insult”… Some would decry Paul and fallaciously think or express a Tu QuoQue (appeal to hypocrisy or returning a criticism for criticism) – But, in spiritual battle and church leadership, one can ill afford to be weak willed, over tolerant and unable to stand firm for and in the truth, of the Gospel, God’s Word and in anything related to truth for that matter… including confronting bad behavior and out right abuse of the church.

So, God has Paul be assertive and direct with sarcasm to challenge the Corinthian Christian’s inferred accusations against Paul for being to forward, strong, harsh and that Paul and those in his missional and pastoral entourage should be more like them or more like whatever they falsely considered more “Christian like”… makes me think they were “more loving that Jesus” – whom also had a few not so “churchy” terms, labels and accusations against the Pharisees, Scribes and spiritually arrogant people that had smiles with a forked tongued agenda hissing against the back of their teeth.

Anyway – you can see the snarky sarcastic tone I attempted to also employ… in the above passage there are 6 characteristics, behaviors and abuses that seemingly creep into congregations or are marks of a weak church that does not resemble the one Jesus said “the gates of hell will not prevail against”…

1) anechomai = too tolerant (for you bear)

Note: the very first thing Paul mentions that tolerance of being used and abused by others, especially within the fellowship is really foolish and concludes with it as a mark of weakness within the church. Tolerance is NOT a virtue when it allows others within a congregation to be mistreated on a leaders watch. It allows the proliferation of users to take control, take your energy, take your resources, take liberties – even allowing abusive tendencies to harm brothers and sisters. Nowhere in the Bible does it teach to tolerate sin and evil among God’s people… though the world will abuse and use with impunity, Christians are not to tolerate it within the fellowship. If it is overlooked and “bearing with one another in love” turns into “tolerance of misuse and abuse” then the following, as the passage points out, will pursue – and in the Corinthian Church these did:

2) katadouloō humas = tyrannical using (makes slaves of you)

Slavery of any kind is sinful, ungodly and am abuse of those made in image of God… and worse is allowing it to happen! When weak leaders in church let the domineering and narcissistic push them around, or church leaders willfully let the church as a whole be moved by the whims of the controlling then the congregation will be enslaved to whatever greases the squeaky wheels. This word is only used one other place in the Scriptures – Galatians 2:4, where it is used of the efforts of the Jewish party to bring the Christian Church under the ceremonial law. They want you enslaved to what they think Church should be and what Christians should act like – verses what God’s Word and Jesus says…

3) katesthiō = uses you up (devours you)

Some folks in church and yes, not even in fellowship, are not on the up and up, they are not contributors but consumers. They sap your energy and resources without blushing and wear you out – “taking supplies of you”… Never considering that God has you doing something else or prioritizing other things. The word used here has the context of “to take as prey”… these folks will eat you up like a wolf that devours a deer… those that take liberties of your willingness to put yourself out for their sake and do not think of you in the process – only what they can get from and out of you. Weak people, of which I am often like this, let people walk all over them thinking it will somehow help the person stepping on them to come to Christ… sometimes yes, most often though it doesn’t.

4) lambanō = being exploited (takes advantage of you)

This one is related closely to the last thing mentioned – But it moves from personal resource to church resource, even taking advantage of the love, hospitality, and fellowship among followers of Christ… it is like someone coming only to church for the physical food and not for spiritual sustenance. For instance, a person comes at the end of worship service just before fellowship hour and then fills their plate four times. Or when an individual asks for monetary help over and over without ever attending or being part of the fellowship but calls you a bad Christian if you do not give each and every time.

5) epairō = arrogant attitudes (puts on airs)

All I can picture is a so-called Christian thinking they are special because they are spiritual and are doing well, and part of leadership, and even well liked – but are simply conceited because of familial pedigree or long membership. Like the virtue signaling liberal – looking and speaking the part while pride fills their heart. This is the one type who says I ain’t ever smoked, did drugs, drank or gambled in my life – while still playing the lottery, chasing women or men, and over-indulging in sweets and meats (a.k.a. gluttony – which is the same as eating or drinking too much). Weak people tolerate arrogant people to avoid abuse or because they do not see how God has put them on the same level – “there is no freeman or slave, no rich or poor, neither Jew nor Gentile… in Christ”

6) drō eis prosōpon = insulting attack (strikes you in the face)

In the Middle East, the ultimate insult was to lightly or not so much, slap someone in the face with the back of your hand. Like when Batman in the comics slaps Robin for a stupid remark, or like Gibb’s when he slaps one of his NCIS team members in the back of a head. OK – so putting up with verbal attack is one thing, but tolerating flat out being insulted by a fellow believer is weak!! Yes, maybe we ask for it at times – but when this kind of thing is tolerated among brothers, human nature will most likely prevail and fights, schisms are the result. Paul put up with this from the world and even the Jewish persecutors, but he did not tolerate it among fellow Christians and within the Churches…

Well, as Paul said – I am too weak for that, too foolish and unwise to tolerate all the above. In a time as distressing and perilous as this, full of the fake and the false, of users and abusers… though at times long-suffering is the godly thing, some things need to be addressed in the fellowship. If any one or all of these are not addressed within fellowships and congregations, the relation bonds will deteriorate and the scoffers, slappers, supercilious, users, abusers and indulgers will dominate over a congregation… that is why God calls leaders to be strong, straightforward, steady all the while loving, caring and protecting the flock the Lord has given them stewardship over… any church leader worth their salt will gladly give of themselves – but know when to stop being co-dependent, indulgent and letting people walk all over them or their congregation. And like wise as Paul said ‘Pray for me that I may be bold, as I ought to be”…

Standing Up for and Standing Sure in Christ,

Pastor Daren Lee Barnett

Upon Iron Lake, a definitive line of plumage from the fire cut the surface waters in two, and there I sat in the midst on the line…. the smell of the smoke filled the air, overpowering the normal scent of northern Minnesota pine that fills the atmosphere. A perfect picture  of heaven and hell, of the judgment and mercy, of salvation and condemnation. Next thing to come was a pre-evacuation warning and being told to be prepared for evacuation. I pondered and slept on the realties to come in the foreseeable future. The imminence of the fires sweeping over the area (where retreat, solace, tranquility, spiritual renewal, prayer, Bible study  are the whole reason for going up to Gunflint); which placed upon my heart and mind the following Scriptures, that I read the next morning:

Hebrews 12:25-29  See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken–that is, things that have been made–in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12  This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering– since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:5-10  For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

You see, the prayer retreat was cut short, due to the fires being just 23 miles from the campsite. On the first full day it was windy – that is when the plumage was seen and the sky divided, on the second day, the pre-evacuation warning came – that morning before– during Bible study is when the statement came, then the forestry personal came to give notice, and on the third day we were told to evacuate and not only did we prepare, but that is also the day we departed.

Well, I could not easily express the overwhelming sense of what the Holy Spirit was impressing upon my heart, mind and a statement that keeps coming back to me…. “be ready to evacuate”…. rapture …. Christians need to be ready, prepare…. out of time up north and the fire approach – the following poem / prose / pre-evacuation notice comes:

The smoldering of God’s anger is about to burst int flames.

He has issued the “be ready to evacuate” warning before the fire of His wrath comes

down upon the world as its tempestuous wind blows the burning across the lands.

The songs of new morning have ceased obscured by darkness

and silent in the thick turbid ash air.

One can smell the smoke and see it hang in the atmosphere in this age’s end

with thickness of sins silty scent tainting the clear truth’s call.

Stored up for years – the Lord’s pain with red, yellow, and orange dark billows.

Escape the coming tribulation of humbling only in turning to the Son and His Way.

The age of grace is closing soon, before the wrath brimstone burns.

Not much longer and salvation comes, with tribulation after

for those who refuse to listen to the Gospel’s plea.

When Jesus calls us, and trumpet blows beyond earthly plain….

‘Evacuate’ – the fires of heaven fall; My wrath does come upon world’s all –

it can no longer be contained.

Oh – it is not for those who do call on My name, I will protect them from the flames;

for by My blood the have been saved, believing in the Lamb slain.

I came back from the dead so God’s wrath they need not dread,

I know the numbers of hairs on each of their heads, and I paid the price of sin in their stead.

He has issued the “be ready to evacuate” warning before the fire of His wrath comes

down upon the world as its tempestuous wind blows the burning across the lands.

The smoldering of My anger is about to burst int flames.

Are you part of the remnant ready for the rapture? Are you prepared, made whole by Jesus through His Word? Are You ready for the evacuation?

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Remember God Loves You and So Do I,

Pastor Daren Lee Barnett