Yes, such men, if they have the unction of God to do anything, are "men of god" but there are degrees of "being of God", as John said of certain false teachers in the body of Christ. "They went out from us, but they were not of us."

I wish that men such as Benny Hinn, Richard Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, etc., and especially Oral Roberts, who is possibly the greatest man of God in many centuries, knew the truth and would stop lying to God's people. But even in their ignorance, they are men of God, and we must respect them for the calling of God that is on their lives. When it comes to them being criticized by the likes of a rank sinner, such as the one you mentioned, I'd take sides with them just about every time. Sinners would do well to submit to Christ, as these men at some point in their lives did.

Hope this is clear. Let me know if it is not.

I wouldn't do anything more about that. I'd just forget about it. You won't do any good rehashing it with her. But when you are visiting with sinners, you ought to know by now to be prepared for the unexpected. Stay drunk with the New Wine of the holy Ghost and you'll be ready for anything!

Psalm 119 says, "Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity." Ceasing from sin is something that happens before someone is baptized with the holy Ghost. Ceasing from sin is actually the main part of seeking God.

As with most things, there are degrees, or levels of sin. John refers to this fact in 1John 5:16, when he mentions the difference between a "sin unto death" and a "sin that is not unto death". And when Jesus said that there would be degrees of punishment for sinners in the final judgment (Mt. 11:22, 24), he was implying the same thing. There are some sins that are so far beyond the ability of carnal men to understand that we must have the Spirit dwelling within us to either see them or from escape them, but a person seeking God need not concern himself with such matters. If those who desire the holy Ghost baptism will just cease from the sins they know about, they will please God. A strong enough hunger for the holy Ghost will empower them to overcome any unclean thing.

After you are born again, there will be growth; there will be further perfection in spirit into which the holy Ghost will guide you. But that is God's work, not yours; you need not be concerned with that now.

As for the television program that had a segment on speaking in tongues, yes, I saw a short part of it. They are still trying to figure out whether speaking in tongues is real or not, good or not, of God or not. I hope they find out. We who already know the answer to those issues are more concerned with other, weightier aspects of that precious blessing from God.

Whatever honor that Jesus receives from men, he passes along to the Father. He doesn't receive honor from men (Jn. 5:41), and he cautioned us not to do so either (Jn. 5:44). So, do not be much concerned about whether those around you honor the truth that God has shown you. Be very concerned instead that you honor God by confessing the truth that He has revealed to you. To fail to do that is sin.

In case I have not made my point clear, vis-a-vis your specific question: Prayer to Jesus is a form of showing him honor; therefore, whatever prayers are made to him are passed on to the Father. You will never displease the Father by praying to His Son. The practice of trinitarians of praying and praising the holy Spirit, on the other hand, is nonsense. The Spirit is not a person. But God is merciful to us, isn't He?

Be patient with trinitarians, Greg. They have been taught to fear the questioning of that doctrine.

Your point is a very perceptive one. There is not much better that I could say than that. But just to give you some Biblical facts that relate to this issue:

First, Peter was never the head of any church. The body of Christ only has one head, and that is Jesus.

But that may be too argumentative a point. So, let me start again and stick with simple things such as:

First, Peter, James, John, and the other disciples (as with Jesus--Mt. 15:24) were sent by God only to the Jews (Mt. 10:1-6), not to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7-8). Paul was sent to the Gentiles. It would make much more sense for Catholics to claim Paul as the first Pope instead of Peter. Peter was never sent as a minister to the uncircumcised nations. Paul was.

Second, Catholics claim that Peter and Paul established the Church in Rome. That is nonsense. In Paul's letter to the Roman saints, the first chapter, he tells the saints in Rome that their faith has been heard of around the world--and this is long before Paul ever went there! And other than what Catholics claim, there is no proof at all that Peter was ever in Rome at all.

Third, the word Pope means "father", and Jesus commanded his followers to "call no man your father on earth [this is in a religious sense], for one is your Father, who is in heaven" (Mt. 23:9). Catholics also call their priests "father".

Fourth, Catholics claim that the Pope is the "vicar" of Christ. This is a horrible error. A vicar is THE representative of a ruler. The holy Ghost is the vicar of Christ. It was sent "in Jesus name" to be here instead of him. It is blasphemous for any man to claim to be what the holy Ghost really is.

Fifth, Jesus never told Peter he was the rock that the Christian church would be built upon. When Jesus told Peter, "upon this rock I will build my congregation" (Mt. 16:18), he did not mean he would build the Christian church on Peter, as Catholics teach. I mean, good grief, Peter died! Nor was Jesus referring to Peter's confession of Jesus as Christ, as Protestants teach. Jesus was referring to what Peter had experienced. In the verse just before Jesus mentioned the rock, he told Peter that God Himself had revealed truth to him (Peter). THAT is the rock that the congregation is built upon. What God in His mercy does for men is what builds up the congregation, not Peter, nor Peter's words.

Sixth, the idea that transfer of highest authority in the congregation on earth was passed from an original apostle (Peter), and only from him does highest authority come is absurd. Peter held no preeminence over the other apostles. He did not rule over any man of God. By all appearances, James (if anyone) was considered the leader of the congregation in Jerusalem while Peter was still alive. He announced the verdict of the earliest council (Acts 15) and alone is mentioned by name as an elder in Acts 21:18). Paul rebuked Peter in public one time (Gal. 2:11). The pillars of the congregation in Jerusalem, according to Paul, were James, Peter and John (Gal. 2:9), not just Peter.

Hope this helps you and some of those with you in the class discussion.

I am glad that you now have the info. You'll use it sometime on the future.

One time back in the late 70s or early 80s, there was a Sister who came to meetings at Aunt Leatha's house from the Church of the Living God denomination. Her biggest complaint, after coming a while, was that I never preached against drinking and smoking and adultery--that kind of stuff. But there wasn't anyone in our meetings doing any of that! Hmmm.... makes me wonder what was going on in the place she came from!

I'll tell you a secret about ministers--any minister. If a minister talks about a certain subject incessantly, he is revealing to his congregation where his heart is. The man who talks about women with short dresses all the time needs to be delivered from what he's thinking. The man who raves all the time against drinking wine wishes he could have some. The man who grumbles constantly about politicians wants to be President. You're right. We are better off talking about the things of God than the things of the world.

Along the way, we have, and we will again, mention that certain sins are wrong. New folks need to know what is right, beginning with the simplest things. But I hope we won't have to stay on such topics for very long.

I think it is God's mercy that you don't believe Catholic doctrine.

Keep up the good work.

The Death Penalty was instituted by God in Genesis 9. He already had the power to execute whom He would, when he would, but in Genesis 9, God ordained men to execute the Death Penalty upon murderers. He said, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed."

Trying to appear wise and good, some Christians oppose the Death Penalty on the basis of the seventh of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not kill" (Exod. 20:13) But they fail to acknowledge God's commandment to the rulers of Israel in the following chapter concerning what to do to the man or woman who broke that seventh commandment. There, God said, "He that smiteth a man so that he die, shall be surely put to death" (21:12). This commandment of God to the rulers to execute criminals included execution for the crimes of adultery, witchcraft, kidnapping, attempt to persuade Israelites to worship other gods, as well as other crimes. Some capital offenses other than murder are found in Exodus 21.

Isn't it revealing that Christians will quote Exodus 20:12 (thou shalt not kill) to show that the Death Penalty is immoral, but then condemn others for using Old Testament verses to show that the Death Penalty is according to God's will?

What Christians are doing who oppose the Death Penalty is applying Jesus's commandment to the body of Christ ("Turn the other cheek") to earthly governments. Jesus was not speaking to Caesar when he said that; he was speaking to those who follow him. There is no earthly government that can long survive if it "turns the other cheek". The world is much too evil a place. By nature, men without God are like beasts, and they must be ruled by force or they will never be ruled at all. The government that forgets that is doomed to ruination. Christians who protest a government's God-given right to execute criminals are laying the groundwork for the overthrow of that government. They are enemies of the State and of all good men. They are being very foolish, not, as they suppose, compassionate in a godly manner.

The body of Christ has no power from God at this time to punish criminals. Until Jesus returns, civil authority has been wholly granted to the world, not to the body of Christ. Christians historically have ignored that fact. That is why so many in history have been burned alive or otherwise tortured and abused by Christians.

We had best stay away from political issues altogether, and leave the government of this world to those to whom God has given it. If we take up the sword of political action, we will sure die by that sword.

Thank you for writing. I hope you and your future husband will be happy in Jesus. We are in Burlington, NC. Please feel welcome to call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Or let me know your number and tell me when I can call you and your fiancé, if you are on a tight budget.

Now that you have told me just a little about yourself, I have a question for you, and I hope you will not misunderstand me if I ask it. Here it is: Why are you and your future husband not yet married? Do you know for sure that God has joined you together? If so, how? And if so, why, then, is he not already your husband? Are you waiting to "set a date" so that you can participate in a Christian ceremony? And if so, why? These are not questions meant to accuse or intimidate. I just want both of you to seriously consider where you are spiritually, and to reason between yourselves concerning why you are doing whatever it is that you two are doing.

Please feel free to speak plainly with me. If I have irritated you with my questions, I will not do it again. But, once God has joined two people in marriage, it detracts from His glory to add a Christian marriage ceremony to His work, and I hope you are not doing that--even though I know that if you are like most of God's dear children, you are planning for just such an event. Adding to what God has done, and thereby detracting from His glory, has been the history of Christianity, in a nut shell.

Maybe sometime I can tell you the experience I had when God joined me and Barbara together, back in 1975. We did go make it official, down at the magistrate's office the following week, and out of respect for decency and the community as a whole we didn't start living together until after we did that, but we were already as married in God's sight as we are today. For us to have gone through a Christian ceremony, as if we were not married until we did that, would have been contrary to sincere thanksgiving and complete submission to God. Our testimony is what God did. Do not divide your faith between Him and Christianity.

One last thing. I hope that your being the one who first contacted me is not an indication that you are the leader in your relationship, because if that is true, then God has not joined you together at all--even if you do hire a Christian minister pronounces you "man and wife". And now is the time to find out. It has to make me wonder why, if your future husband was blessed with you by our web site, he was not the one who first contacted me. I hope you feel my concern for you in this and do not take this comment as anything else.

If you do call me, I would prefer him to be one calling, even though you could be on the line with him. If God has truly joined you together, it wouldn't be right and I would not want it, for you to call me without him. Not at first, anyway.

Thank you again for contacting me. If this response hasn't frightened you away, then let me know what you think about what I have told you. I am your servant, not your master, and I am only setting before you what I have been given from the Lord. I and the saints that meet in my house pray that you and your future husband will be blessed in the Lord.

Your Servant in Christ:

Speaking evil of the holy Ghost is sinful, but if you will read in Hebrews 6 concerning blasphemy, you will notice that it is blasphemy of the holy Ghost by those who already have received it and known the things of God that is unforgivable. A man does not have the power to commit an unpardonable sin until he is empowered with the holy Ghost. Looking at it that way, you can be thankful that you have not received the holy Ghost yet. Now that you realize your past error, you are free to "ask, seek, and knock". Remember, Paul said that he had once been a "blasphemer"! But at the time Paul had been a blasphemer, he was ignorant of the truth, so he obtained mercy. Praise God!

Turn from "all evil speaking", repent of the evil speaking you have done, and trust God to wash you from it all. He is to be feared, as you apparently do. At the same time, He loves you more than you know.

I am glad that my previous response helped clear some things up. Your new questions show that you are doing the right thing by continuing to pursue the truth.

First, as to what is blasphemy against the holy Ghost, there is no dictionary-type definition in the Bible, but there are some things we have to go by.

Most important is what Jesus said in Mt. 12:31-32. You know, I am sure, what that says. When reading those verses, you must keep in mind that Jesus was talking to the leaders of God's people, the Pharisees (see verse 24). Jesus only ministered to the Jews ( Mt. 15:24; Rom. 15:8). His teaching on this, and on the subject of marriage and divorce, and other things, were teachings designed by God for those to whom he spoke them. This is what I was saying in my last email. No one can commit the unpardonable sin without first belonging to God, and second, being anointed by God and having experienced his anointing power. Sinners can, and have, blasphemed against the works and doctrine of the Spirit, as Paul did, yet afterwards, if they repent, God has promised to forgive.

As for what the unpardonable sin is, it is whatever God decides it is. Judas, as far as we are told, never verbally said any evil thing about the holy Ghost, but his sin was unpardonable. Jesus said it would have been better for that man if he had never been born. In Psalm 109, Jesus prayed that Judas' sin would never be forgiven. Blasphemy against the holy Ghost by someone who has partaken of its wisdom and power is an unpardonable sin, but we cannot be so foolish as to limit God's power to deem some other great transgression as unpardonable. For another example of an unpardonable sin that had nothing to do with speaking evil against the holy Ghost, you can read 1Samuel 3:1-14.

Second, you asked if a person who has committed an unpardonable sin will seek God for mercy. I hope I never personally know the answer to that question. I can only point to Esau (Genesis 27:34 and Hebrews 12:16-17), who begged for pardon and found none, and to Judas, who after he saw that Jesus was condemned to die, returned the blood money to the chief priests and confessed his sin, but they mocked him. I think that if a person is very close to God and then rebels to the extent of committing a sin that God will not forgive, then that person feels it and regrets it, and senses it is too late. My! What a chilling thought! May God have mercy on us and save us from our own perverse, fleshly nature!

Lastly, Steve, I want you to forget about this issue. Get it behind you now, and just seek God. You were wrong if you ever spoke evil about the Spirit of God. But that is why Jesus came. God knew we didn't know what we were doing and that we needed help. You have turned from sin now, so get ready for the Blessing to come. I feel it right now as I type this to you. Receive the holy Ghost!

Your Servant in Christ,

What kind of group do you worship with? You have been told some good things, it appears. "Worship God" and "ask for it" are Scriptural and godly things to do. I don't think there is any "bribery" involved in that. Don't worry about that issue.

You must be a technician or engineer. You want specific definitions for all these spiritual things! But God loves you too much to reduce your conversion to a formula or a definition. The very day you fully repent and fully trust Him with your whole heart, you will receive the holy Ghost (and you will speak with other tongues). Exactly how, when, or where, is impossible to say. That is a personal thing with you and Jesus. The way you "ask" God for the holy Ghost is to obey Him. The way you "seek" God for the holy Ghost is to obey Him. And the way you "knock" on the door of the kingdom of God is to obey Him. Peter said that God gives the holy Ghost to all that obey Him (Acts 5:32). Just obey God, Jon, and everything else will fall into place. When Jesus was asked by one young man, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responded only by saying, "Keep the commandments."

You will begin to grow in the grace and knowledge of God after receiving the holy Ghost as never before, so get ready. And please let us rejoice with you when it happens.

Your Servant,

Maybe you have found your calling! Being an engineer can be a very rewarding thing! I am glad you told me a little about yourself. There is another young man your age who was brought up Lutheran, if I remember correctly, and has been coming to our home prayer meetings for a year or more now. Your clear-headed, reasonable questions remind me of him. I bet you and Drew would hit it off pretty well. He was not taught righteousness at all, but God has certainly filled his heart with a love of it.

Steve, I am very concerned about your involvement with the United Pentecostal Church. If there is any group that will twist your spirit away from the tenderness and mercy of God, that is it. I know that they have people there who are precious children of God; but their ministers are so often harsh and hard-hearted. And that disease will affect you if you sit under them long enough. Please be careful. Pray not to become like them in that regard. You can receive the real holy Ghost in their meetings, but some of their doctrines are poison, pure and simple. You don't know me well enough to know this next statement is true, but I am telling you these things with absolutely no malice or ill will toward them, only godly concern for you. I have seen many, many times (I am not exaggerating) the evil effect of their doctrines on precious children of God.

The doctrine that faith alone saves us is false. Read James 2:14-26. And check out my tract on "Works" on the web site. That explains the whole issue. I think it is number 26 or so.

To answer your question now, I say that holy living is the only thing that will save anyone (Heb. 5:9; 12:14; Rom. 8:13; 11:17-22). That truth, however, does not contradict the fact that the blood of Christ saves us, because there can be no holy living without the power of the blood of Christ. This is where the confusion comes in with the typical United Pentecostal doctrine. They demand that women dress certain ways, put on no make up, wear no slacks or shorts, that men dress certain ways, often even how much hair men can have on their face, and demand that men wear no short-sleeved shirts. None of those kind of things have anything whatsoever to do with holy living. People can do all those things without the blood of Christ empowering them at all. As a result, there appears to be a difference between the blood of Christ saving us and holy living saving us.

True holy living is impossible without the power of the holy Ghost (which is the blood of Christ--see my tract). Your question, Steve, about which saves us, the blood of holiness, suggests to me that someone or some group has already caused you to see a difference between holy living and the blood. You are already a victim of someone's cleverly disguised false teaching.

You are seeking God, Steve. Listen to His voice. He will show you a life that you cannot yet imagine, for its beauty, peacefulness, and love, not for its showy demands and theological debates.

Your Servant,

Glad to hear that you are not at one of those harsh, hateful apostolic places. The place you need to be is so hungry for "righteousness, peace and joy in the holy Ghost" that it would be ok with you if they did try to shove it down your throat. Sometimes I wish I could shove the holy Ghost down some people's throats so that they could see how wonderful it is and stop arguing about it. But, alas, it has to be a voluntary thing. I am also glad that they have a "dress code"; the body of Christ needs government. But we must always be willing to change with the styles. We never want to be either the first to take up a fashion or the last to lay an old fashion down. The body is not to bring attention to itself by how it dresses, but how it lives. If anyone sees us walking down the street and his attention is drawn to our clothing, whether they be unusually short or long, we are in the flesh. Jesus had no halo. He would not have stood out in a crowd by his physical appearance.

Yes, I agree. Good works produced by faith in Jesus is what saves us. As for salvation, you might want to read my article (no. 6) titled, "salvation". We can be born again, or "converted" now. But nobody still living on earth is saved yet, in the perfect use of the word. Salvation is at the end of this life, not the beginning. Jesus said, "He who endures to the end, the same shall be saved." Think about it.

I think you are getting to know God better all the time. Why do you feel badly because you feel that you don't know God as you once thought you did. Can't you see what is happening to you? The hand of the living God is upon you, young man. I am glad to hear that you feel confused. That tells me that your old, wrong ideas are being challenged and destroyed by the mighty working of God in your spirit. You have a reason to rejoice, my young friend! You are escaping the trap of thinking you know God when you really do not. That is the trap of Christianity, and you are being set free! Don't feel bad about your feeling lost. You have to pass through that swamp of confusion to ever come to the knowledge of the truth. That feeling of despair you sense is the old man of your flesh not wanting to die. Ignore his pitiful whining and praise God! Let the old man expire (and don'teven go to his funeral!) And don't listen to that depressed voice that would have you fearful that you have blasphemed and cannot be forgiven. I have explained to you the truth about that. Take it in, believe it, and be happy that God is still calling you. I will not talk to you about that subject anymore.We are past that.

God bless you, Steve. I have shared your emails with the folks on my email list, and they are praying for you right now. They are excited to see the hand of God on another young person. They will be waiting anxiously to hear what happens to you, so stay in touch.

Bye for now.

Your Servant in Christ,

Maybe it is just how a person looks at it. If God says, "Repent and obey Me, and I will save you in the end", then His servants must preach that men must repent and obey God in order to be saved in the end. Is that what you mean by "earning God's favor"? (It is difficult for me to grasp exactly what you mean that phrase.) If so, then yes, that is what I am saying. If not, then no, that is not what I am saying.

Many Christians, for their various doctrinal reasons, condemn God's faithful servants who teach that obedience to God is required in order to be saved in the end. I have been criticized savagely for teaching that truth. And often, I have been accused of teaching such things as "earning God's favor" because I say that obedience to the will of God is not optional. Actually, "earning God's favor" is a phrase not found in the Bible, either pro or con. What Biblical phrase would you compare it to? Maybe that would help me know exactly what you mean.

So, I don't really know how to answer your question as to whether or not I am teaching that we earn God's favor. I might and I might not. It kind of depends on you and what you understand that phrase to mean.

But one thing is absolutely undeniable, and really, we can both believe this. To wit, when we stand before Jesus the righteous Judge to be weighed in the eternal balances to receive our final judgment, we had better have the favor of God, and whether or not we have earned it will not matter in the least on that day, so long as we hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

God bless you richly.

Your Servant,

JDC

and later...

Hi Steve:

I was lying in bed this morning and thinking about "earning God's favor", trying to understand what that phrase means. While lying there, I had a question come to mind that I thought I should ask you. Maybe if you would answer it for me, I would be able to understand what Christians mean when they use that phrase.

In Psalm 125:4, David wrote, "Do good, O Lord, to them that be good." And in Psalm 18, we read, "With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou will show thyself upright; with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people, but wilt bring down high looks." Jesus also said, that those who do good would be in the resurrection of life, but those who do evil would be in the resurrection of damnation (Jn. 5:28-29).

Throughout the Bible, we see that people who obey God receive blessings from God that disobedient people do not receive. As I thought on this, a simple question came to my mind. I need to ask you for the answer so that I can understand what you meant by "earning God's favor". Here it is:

Would you say that when good people obey God and are blessed by God for doing good that they had "earned God's favor"? And if not, then why were not evil people blessed with them?

Your in Christ,

Yes, I remember you. Thanks for writing again.

If there are sins in your life, yes, that will hinder you. Repentance is ceasing to do evil and learning to do good.

There was an old saint here named Uncle Joe who was a wise man. One time someone was talking to Uncle Joe about not being able to find God. They had been seeking so long and hard, etc. I heard Uncle Joe say something to that person that sounds so wrong, and yet there is real wisdom in it. He told that discouraged soul, "Why don't you stop seeking God, and let Him seek you a little while."

In other words, Steve, why don't you just stop and get still? Make sure you are hearing from God in HOW you are seeking him. Do this: Try to quit seeking Him. If you CAN quit, then He is not leading you. Pray to find out what religious spirit lured you away from the true path. If you CANNOT quit, then God is still in control, and you will be blessed if you continue.

Stay in touch and let us hear from you as things happen.

Thanks for contacting us. We are always open to suggestions for improvements from our visitors. After receiving your letter, I read again both the tract (No. 71, "The Kingdom of God") and the verses from Job that you said did not match "at all". I assume that the problem you found has to do with the little poem on the back of the tract, the title of which is "Job 3:17-23".

After re-reading the Bible and the poem, I was a little puzzled as to what exactly was the "serious error" you found in the tract. It seems to me that the poem reflects perfectly what Job was saying in those verses. In fact, much of the poem is, verbatim, what came out of Job's mouth, as it is written in the King James Version. To make the poem rhyme, I rearranged the order of some of the words found in the original text, and I also included in the last part of the poem a reflection of Job's oft-stated longing for death, but my goodness! are we at a point now that our brothers find fault with that?

Maybe if you could be a little more specific concerning what the "serious error" is, it would help me. Until then, all I can do is wait for your response, so that I can see, with you, the terrible thing I have done--and change it.

Do you think that the friends who pointed out that "flaw" in the tract were brought under conviction by the message of the tract itself and were simply trying to turn your attention to something else? The poem was an afterthought; it is expendable. What did your friends have to say about the message, which is one of extreme importance to the body of Christ. My guess is that they did not rejoice in the truth they found. Frankly, it seems to me that someone was "straining at a gnat" when he found fault with such a simple, innocuous poem as that one on tract #71, and that he was changing the subject so that the real issue would not be dealt with. Did you fall into that old trap, James?

JDC

In general, laws of nature do not pertain to that part of man that has a will; they pertain to every element of this creation, elements which do not have a choice concerning conduct. For example, an apple tree has no choice but to produce apples. The Ten Commandments, on the other hand, were given to humans (the circumcised nation of Israel, to be specific). And man was given a choice concerning obedience to the divine will.

As to why God does anything, unless He reveals it, it is a waste of time to try to figure it out. Moses said it: " The secret things belong to God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to out children." Let's concentrate, Pat, on the things that are revealed. Learning and living by those things will occupy us for the rest of our lives.

There can be no better example of God's absolute control over the circumstances of our lives than what happened to Jesus. Let me pose a simple question: Whose plan was it that was being carried out on Mt. Calvary? A person's answer to that question will reveal where his heart really is and whose power he most fears.

Continue to trust God, Amy. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

I see that you are one of those people who really think about what they read and do not just scan over the words. Yes, you are correct. If Jesus was instituting a ceremony to be perpetuated by his followers throughout the centuries, then it should be called the First Supper not the Last Supper.

May God inspire His children to pay attention to what the Spirit is saying to them. If they do start paying attention to the Spirit's voice, they will start listening to themselves and asking themselves some very needed questions.

"The thoughts of the righteous are right." Keep thinking.

The issues you bring up are some of the most challenging. But thankfully, we do have guidance from the Scriptures as to which trail to take. When these subjects are brought up, I often refer to the story of David's sin, from 1Chronicles 21, especially the first verse which says, "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." There you have it. Conclusive proof that it was the Devil who controled David's sinful choice to number Israel. God is not mentioned here. But not so fast . . .

The Devil quoted Scriptures to Jesus in his Temptation in the wilderness. But Jesus knew what was also written about the subjects the Devil brought up. In that spiritual battle, when the Devil would quote a Scripture in his attempt to move Jesus from following the Spirit, we hear Jesus respond to the Tempter, "It is also written . . ." Fortunately for us, we can say "it is also written" concerning King David's sin.

In 2Samuel 24, we are told ther whole story. Verse one says, "The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel and He moved David against them . . . " Even if a person is stubborn about it and insists that "he" in this verse refers to Satan, the fact still remains that what happened was the result of God's anger being kindled against Israel, not Satan's desire to do a bad thing and trick David. Every good and evil thing that ever happened to Israel in the Bible--and since then--is a reflection of Israel's relationship with God. We are not told in this story exactly what Israel did to provoke God to such wrath, but this much is certain: if Israel had ben faithful to God, none of this would have happened at all. Throughout Israel's history, the circumstances they faced were indictations of the condition of their relationship with their Maker.

None of this means Satan is not a real being with real power. That is a fact of life that there is a being called the Devil who long ago was cast out of heaven. But this story of David's transgression reminds us that the all-important (though often overlooked) point is this: Satan has no influence over the circumstances of our lives. God alone decided when Israel would suffer; God alone decided what Israel would suffer (though David had some input - vv. 11-13), and God alone decided how long Israel would suffer. Those who are Satan worshippers (and that is what they are who give God's glory to that beast) seem always to overlook those facts. Paul said that God "works all things according to the counsel of His own will."

Now, as to the specific questions you raised.

First, I must say that (although you already know it) it is ludicrous for the young lady with whom you spoke to say that Satan has no power over Christians. Satan has more power over Christians than he does over any other group of people on this planet. His influence over men is channeled through his ministers who come to us not a Muslims or Hindu clerics, but as "angels of light" and "apostles of Christ".

Next, as for pain and suffering being the result of the power of Satan, I would ask these simple questions: Who cursed Adam? God or Satan? Who cursed Eve? God or Satan? Who cursed the serpent? God or Satan? Who destroyed the earth (mothers and children included) with a great flood in the days of Noah? God or Satan? Who cursed the inhabitants of earth with different languages? God or Satan? Who cursed both Miriam and King Uzziah with leprosy? God or Satan? Who struck King David's little baby so that it died? God or Satan? And finally, who sent Jesus to the cross? God or Satan? Can we argue with the Lord, who said, "The cup which my Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?" Would Christians say that the Devil forced the unwilling Jesus to die on a cross? What a mighty god Christians try to make Satan out out be!

Satan is "the god of this world" because the world lives as though he were the true God. He is the god of this world because men are like him: stubborn and blind. He is the god of this world because he loves the ways of men (Mt. 16: 23) and men love his ways more than God's. Yes, Satan is the god of this world, but it is also written that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein." What are we to do with that Scripture?

As for Satan blinding men's eyes, Paul tells us that God sometimes turns men over to the will of the Devil, so that they "are taken captive by him at his will" (2Tim. 2:25). If Satan blinds anyone, it is only at God's command and for His wise purpose. The blindness that Satan most employs against men is false religion. He was created to be a deeply religious creature, and he still is one. He has seen how God is worshiped in heaven. He is a professional at religious rites. He loves hymns, as long as they are serving his ultimate purpose of sharing in the glory of God. He loves prayer, as long as it plays a part in his agenda to share in the glory of God. In short, being the "father of lies", he is the father of all earthly religions because they are all deceitful. Most of all, Satan loves Christianity. He promotes that religion above all others, because in return, Christians and their ministers glorify the Devil more than any other people on earth.

There is no need to try to convert Christians from glorifying the Devil, Mark. He is the father of their religion, and they cannot help but lift him up. The best we can do is to confess Christ Jesus before them, that Jesus really is "Lord of all" (both our pleasure and our pain), and then pray that God will grant those who hear us "repentance unto life", because if our heavenly Father does not grant men repentance, they cannot turn from the evil of their way. Satan has NO power to blind the man whom God chooses to teach.

Thanks for the questions. Let me know if there remains any unanswered issue.

John

BELOW IS ONE VIEWER'S COMMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE EXPLANATION ABOVE:
Dear Sir:

OK first we need to look at the trials of JOB. It was not GOD who plagued JOB but SATAN.

RESPONSE:
Dear friend:

None of the characters in Job, including God Himself (Job 2:3), questioned the fact that it was God who had touched Job's life with misery.

If you are willing to be wrong, you can learn from Jesus. Otherwise, you will never be right.

Your non-Christian servant in Christ Jesus,

John David Clark, Sr.

VIEWER'S COMMENTS:
RE READ THE ACCOUNT, BROTHER -- HIS SO CALLED 'FRIENDS' WERE ENCOURAGING JOB TO CURSE GOD AND DIE BECAUSE THEY WERE MISLEAD OF SATAN. BUT JOB KNEW BETTER, HE KNEW GOD WAS NOT CURSING HIM, AND REFUSED TO CURSE GOD. IN THE END. JEHOVAH HIMSELF WAS MORE THAN DISPLEASED WITH JOB'S SO-CALLED FRIENDS WHO WERE AS MISINFORMED AS YOU ARE.

"ACCORDINGLY JEHOVAH SAID TO SATAN, 'THERE HE IS IN YOUR HAND! ONLY WATCH OUT FOR HIS SOUL ITSELF." "SO SATAN WENT OUT AWAY FROM THE PERSON OF JEHOVAH AND STRUCK JOB WITH A MALIGNANT BOIL......."

READ THIS IN JOB 2: 6 AND 7

WILL YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT OF MEEKNESS REQUIRED BY THE LORD TO RECEIVE CORRECTION?

IT WAS SATAN WHO STRUCK JOB AND IT IS SATAN WHO IS CAUSING US ALL OUR MISERY BECAUSE OF ADAM'S CHOICE AND THE RESULTING FALL.

RESPONSE:
Dear Friend:

I know that God used Satan in His wise plan to use Job as an example of patience and faith, but whatever instrument God chose to use is not important. In other words, Satan is not important. God is.

You may agree with a friend of mine, a Christian minister, who said in a sermon that Job was teaching false doctrine when Job made the famous statement that the Lord had given him all that he had, and that now the Lord had taken away what he had (Job 1:22). However, God approved of Job's statement. The next verse says, "In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."

Job would also later plead with his friends, saying, "Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me!" (19:21). There is not one place anywhere in the book that either Job or his friends attributed his suffering to anyone but God. Both God and Job said that God was afflicting Job without cause (that is without Job provoking God to do so by sin - 2:3; 9:17). And you should know that at the conclusion of the book, God states that Job had spoken the truth about Him (42:7).

Taking wise Job's words and God's assessment of Job's words into account, I cannot agree with you and other Christians who give Satan credit for what happened to Job.

One more brief point: God is the One who brought up the subject of Job to Satan (1:8; 2:3), not vice versa. Therefore, I have to assume that what happened to Job was God's plan. Job certainly never saw it as anything else, and in spite of what you have said, Job's three friends never saw it as anything else. You are greatly in error to say that these three men wanted Job to curse God; they would never have wanted such a thing. It was Job's distraught wife who told him to "curse God and die."

Forgive me for being so bold as to say this, but it appears to me that you might want to take some time to carefully read the book of Job and see what is actually in it. Don't go by what you may have heard is that wonderful book about God.

Yours for Christ:

JDC

Good grief! What will Christian preachers come up with next? I cannot imagine why any man would think that people will receive a message from God in the form of an interpretation of tongues if they wouldn't receive that message through other means. To say that it is bad to have tongues and an interpretation because for the body of Christ to have that wonderful experience means that the people have not been listening to the voice of God is certainly a new a strange "wrinkle" to an old heresy. In fact, Jackie, that doctrine is just plain weird.

The truth is just the opposite. The body of Christ is in desperate need of the miracle-working power of God, including the mighty operation of spiritual gifts, and it is because of disobedience, not obedience, that the body of Christ is suffering the lack of those experiences. But this man is saying that if those gifts begin to be seen among the saints, then they have erred from obedience! To have God do wondrous things in the midst of the congregation again is something to be hoped for, prayed for, and received with great joy!

I hope, Jackie, that you misunderstood what the man said. At the same time, I know that you probably did not, and that is very sad to me.

The apostle Paul (1 Cor. 14) said that the congregation's speaking in tongues is a God-given sign for unbelievers. If an unbeliever follows this sign of the New Covenant, then he too will begin to speak in tongues when he receives the holy Ghost, thus providing a lost world with even more of this "sign"--God's sign to unbelievers of the way to eternal life.

Peter called speaking in tongues the "answer of a clear conscience toward God (1Pet. 3). Isaiah called it "the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest" (Isa. 28). Paul and John called it the witness of the Spirit (Rom. 8; 1Jn. 5). Zephaniah called it "a pure language" which enables God's people to "serve Him with one consent" (3:9). Whatever it is called in specific Scriptures, speaking in tongues is a special sign, a sign to unbelievers, not of judgment, but of mercy from God. If any one wants to find the true family of God, he should look for a group of people where that sign has been given by God. No people who lack that sign has the real Spirit of God dwelling in them, even if they claim to be serving our Lord Jesus. A Spirit-less assembly is a Christian assembly; it is not the assembly of the living God, and it is to be avoided at all costs.

So far as tongues being "a sign of judgment" is concerned, I suppose that such a thought can be considered correct, but only in the way suggested in Isaiah 66:5-8. There we learn that when the nation of the sanctified people was "born in a day", those who did not speak in tongues were being judged as unworthy of a place in God's kingdom. So, for unbelievers, speaking in tongues can be a sign of judgment to come, a warning that God has forgiven the sins of others but has not yet forgiven them! But it certainly is NOT a sign that the body of Christ has not been listening to Jesus and is being condemned by God.

There are some things described in the Bible that I suppose we should be thankful that we do not understand very well because they can only be understood fully by experiencing them. This may be one of them. Still, I will make some comments on Judas' situation.

There was no need for Satan to enter into Judas in order for Judas to be a thief. Men are fully capable of being evil without Satan's help. I told Charlie, a deeply religious acquaintance, the other day that if Satan were to be destroyed by God today, man would continue to do evil, though he probably wouldn't be as "good" at it. Without Satan in the picture, man's heart would still be "desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9) and would still need to be washed in the blood of Christ. His nature would not change. That truth seemed to be a new thought to Charlie, and I am sure that it was. We aren't often told that truth. Satan is such a handy scapegoat for us, if we want to use him. It is so easy to say, "If the devil were dead, I could be such a good person! Poor, pitiful me!" That attitude fits in so well with this generation's obsession with wanting to be a victim. But the truth is far different from that.

The comedian Flip Wilson had a comedy routine some years ago in which he, acting as a lady caught shoplifting, desperately squealed to the police, "The devil made me do it!" The audience would burst out laughing every time he said that. Why don't people burst out laughing when somber-faced ministers now teach what amounts to the same thing? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Can you imagine how it would look if one Sunday morning a man behind the pulpit was preaching a sermon about the power of Satan over the thoughts and deeds of men--and the whole congregation were to burst out laughing?

Dream on, John. Oh well, maybe in the next life.

The Flip Wilson routine of the shoplifter who blamed the Devil was a bigger joke than any of us knew at the time. There is an old saying to the effect that if something makes you laugh, search in it for hidden truth.

When we read of Satan entering into Judas in John 13, we should think of it this way: God did not give Judas to Satan until that night at the last supper. What a merciful God! Judas had been for a long time stealing from Jesus, God's own Son (What a frightening thought!), but God had held Satan back. Judas had stirred up a mini-rebellion among the disciples against Jesus, and God held Satan back. Judas had made his treacherous deal with the elders of Israel, but God still had held Satan back. By the night of the Last Supper, Judas had given himself over to his own evil thoughts; it was time for him to reap what he had been sowing for a long time, thinking he was "getting by".

May God have mercy on us and deliver us from thinking we are "getting by" when we are not doing God's will.

The greatest curse on earth, Lou, is to be blessed when we have erred from the right path. To be blessed with prosperity and with the admiration of men when we have wandered from the wrong way is what Paul described as "the uttermost" wrath of God that can come upon a person in this life (1Thess.). While talking to God, it is what Jeremiah called simply, "Thy curse" (Lam. 3:64-66). The elders who ruled Israel when Jesus was killed continued to kneel and humbly pray to God the next morning; they continued to observe their holy rites with solemn dignity, rites that God had come to despise (Isa. 1:10-15). They continued to receive praise and honor from men, still held their grandchildren in their laps and sang cute songs to them (and thanked God for them!), still brought tithes and offerings to the temple, and magnified the Lord for their many blessings. And to increase their delusions, God would even pour out His gifts upon them (for example, Jn. 11:47-53). How could they possibly be wrong, they would reason, when God was so mightily blessing them? In their own eyes, they were marvelously blessed with the glorious riches of God's power and anointing. They continued happily in their exalted offices; they continued glorying in their preeminence over others who were cursed with them. Both they and their followers were sincerely thankful to God that they were not among those who were washed from their sins on Pentecost morning.

When God turns a man over to a strong religious delusion, Lou, that man cannot possibly believe that he is wrong. In fact, he feels wronged by anyone who doesn't agree with him. And those who cannot "understand" his "enlightened" position, he hates. But then, if he has previously been taught some truth, he will not harm those who cannot agree with him; instead, he will pity and pray for them. Lou, this is real! And I know that you know this, for you have seen it with your own eyes. The elders of Israel, having been stricken with complete hardness of heart by God, condemned the ordinary folk who trembled at Jesus's word as being being the ones cursed by the Almighty (Jn. 7:45-49). Don't ever waste your time trying to correct such a man as this if you ever meet him. As the apostle John said, "There is a sin unto death" (Jn. 5). And sadly, there do come times when the spirit of prayer for a particular person is taken away. My grandmother was weeping one day when Uncle Joe, before he was born again, walked in. She explained to him that the Lord would no longer allow her to pray for her husband or oldest son. "The spirit of prayer for Atlas [husband] and Thurman [son] has left me", she cried. "But," she added, "it hasn't left me for you yet." As time went on, the reasons for this became apparent.

Lou. I hope this answers your question. Let me know what you think.

No, the "familiar spirit" of the Bible is not referring to leaving behind familiar things of the world as we serve and grow in the Lord. The "familiar spirits" of the Bible are demons that people sometimes contact, for varying reasons. Sometimes, contact with demons brings financial gain, as the owners of the slave girl were profited by her contact with a demon in Acts 16:16. Paul cast the demon out of the young girl, and that wonderful miracle so infuriated her masters that they stirred up the whole city against Paul and Silas.

There are also people called "mediums" who "contact the dead" on the behalf of grieving loved ones who want to speak to their loved ones again. The beings that these mediums contact are demons, not dear, departed loved ones. This is a very cruel joke played on humans by demons, and grieving humans have fallen for it for thousands of years. Sometimes, those who come to mediums are amazed at the knowledge that the contacted spirit has concerning the details of the relationship between the dead loved on and the person who came to the medium. For example, let's say that a woman named Sally goes to a medium to contact her Mother. Some minute detail of Sally's childhood will be mentioned by the demon (speaking through the medium) and Sally will exclaim in amazement, "No one could know that about me except Mother! It must be my Mother!" But it is not. The Bible is very clear that those who die are entirely finished with this world. Concerning things done "under the sun", Solomon said the dead know nothing at all. Dead people do not return to haunt old houses. Dead people do not "look down from heaven" on those who are still living. Dead people know nothing about what is going on the lives of their relatives, friends, strangers, or enemies on earth. They know nothing at all about what is happening on earth.

If a house is "haunted", it is haunted by a demon, not by the spirit of a dead person. The haunting demon is merely entertaining itself by stirring up curiosity, admiration, fear, or perhaps a longing, in humans; that "ghost" is NEVER the spirit of a deceased person. Such a thing just doesn't happen.

Besides Jesus being raised from the dead and spending forty days with his disciples, an exception to this general rule (of a deceased person never coming back to earth to speak with the living) is the example of Samuel, whom God sent to rebuke King Saul and to warn him of his impending death at the hands of the Philistines. As with all things, God can make an exception to any rule we think we have learned.

Sarah, when my children were young and were tempted to fear ghosts, I would always tell them that they need never fear dead people; it is those who are still alive that they had better watch out for.

God determines on a case-by-case basis whether or not the families of transgressors must also bear the sinner's judgment. For example, in one case you mentioned, that of the Great Wilderness Rebellion (Num. 16), the families of some of the rebels died with them (Dathan and Abiram), but Korah's family was spared (I am glad Korah's children were spared because the prophet Samuel was one of his descendants!) In God's Law that He gave to Israel, it was forbidden that innocent children should die for the transgression of the father, and vice versa. Yet, when Achan sinned at Jericho (Josh. 7), not only were his wives and children killed with him but also his servants and animals. The reason for this loss of life is understandable only when we understand the concept of sanctification. Achan had taken holy things into his tent, and the sanctity of those "devoted things" had passed upon Achan, and from him to his household, thus bringing upon them the curse of God.

So, God's reasons for the times when the families suffered with the sinful parent may vary, but they were, and are, always just. The fact that sometimes we are not told the reason for His commandments is basically irrelevant to our hearts when we know that God is just.

Yes, there is a Scripture. It is 2 Peter 2:1-3, part of which reads, "But there were false prophets also among the [Old Testament] people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them . . . . And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you [the true body of Christ]. . . ."

This is what has happened to the body of Christ, Sandy. The saints have been enticed to join Christianity, submitting to its doctrines, commandments, and traditions, having been impressed with the appearance of holiness and security that "organized religion" offers. The children of God (their time, their energy, their wealth, their faith and love) are being used up by that religion, not for the glory of God or Jesus but for the glory of the god of that religion, Satan. Oh, that God would fully persuade us to believe in our hearts that there is no safety in numbers!

Don't let men make merchandise of you, Sandy. Stay pure, and stay out of Christianity!

I think the best we can do, we who have heard the call of Jesus to come out of Xty, is to be examples of purity and love and joy. God's people have never even imagined that such a thing as righteousness, peace, and joy outside Xty even exist. They need examples! Stay happy and clean, and stay "outside the gate" with Jesus!

Yes, the devil was a murderer from the beginning because his spirit brings death to every person who trusts and follows it, just as it did to Eve and Adam, and then to all who came from them.

John wrote (1Jn. 3:15), "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer". Satan certainly hated all of God's other creatures, in the perfect sense of the word hate, when he began to pursue his own wealth and honor without first considering the welfare of others.

Hope this clears things up.

As with many things that Christians teach, there is no single definition to that phrase. The definition of the Christian phrase "take it by faith" depends entirely on who is saying those words. If I were to say "this is what Christians mean by that, some Christian somewhere would surely write me and tell me that I misunderstand Christians and am misrepresenting their views.

I can say this, however: what some Christians sometimes mean by that phrase is that you must believe what they are teaching whether or not you feel that it is wrong. It is a companion phrase to the "don't go by your feelings" doctrine of many Christian ministers. And the reason they teach their congregations to ignore their feelings is because their doctrine brings no relief from sin, and they don't want the congregation to pay any attention to how empty and lost that makes them feel. Paul said that the kingdom of God "is" righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Ghost". Notice that two of those three things Paul mentions (peace and joy) are feelings!

Never ignore your feelings, Amy, and never "take by faith" anything that a Christian minister tells you.

Good question. And you already know the answer!

Yes, when John the Baptist and Jesus preached that "the kingdom is at hand" (no Old Testament prophets did, other than John), they both were talking about the holy Ghost that came at Pentecost (Acts 2). Jesus told his disciples at one point during his ministry that they would "see the kingdom of God coming with power" before they died (Mk. 9:1; Lk. 9:27). Some teachers have thought that these verses show that Jesus was expecting to set up an earthly kingdom while he was here on earth, but those teachers just don't know what he meant. Paul later explained that "the kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). Of course, John the Baptist did not understand all this when he preached that "the kingdom of God is at hand"; he was an Old Testament prophet and, like the rest of them, he was "moved by the holy Ghost" to say what he said without understanding his own prophecies (2Pet. 1:21; 1Pet. 1:10-12).

It is instructive to note that after the holy Ghost came, none of the apostles taught that "the kingdom of God is at hand", the way that Jesus and John had done before them. The coming of the holy Ghost was the coming of the kingdom of God into man's heart, and it empowers men to live in God's righteousness and, so, share in the kingdom of God in the future, when with a new body the saints are given an inheritance with Christ in his Father's kingdom. We enter the kingdom when we are baptized with the holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues; we inherit the kingdom when we are saved in the end. Paul said that false teachers were those who taught the congregation that "the day of Christ is at hand" (2Thess. 2:2). He knew that the kingdom of God, in the sense of Jesus' Second Coming to bring the saint's salvation, was nowhere near. Jesus said that at the earliest of the "last days", false teachers would teach that "the time draweth near" (Lk. 21:8). He also said that these men would "come in my name"; in other words, they would call themselves servants "of Christ"--in other words, "Christian ministers". And isn't this what we hear from Christian ministers and teachers all the time, that "Jesus could come at any moment"?

Jesus will come again (thank God!), but he will not come any time soon. It isn't time for him to come "in his kingdom"; there are many things which must happen on earth before then. Don't let such false teachers cause you any alarm; they are only saying those things to stir up superstitious people, so that they will contribute more money to their ministries. As one woman "preacher" said on the radio not long ago, "Jesus could come tonight! So, write out the most generous check can and send it in today!" What a joke! But religious people seem so eager to follow along behind such foolish teachers, even though those teachers have been warning of an "any second" coming of the Lord for the past fifty years! According to the doctrine of such "ministers", Jesus must have missed his cue. Oh, when will God's precious, precious people catch on to what is happening to them?

The reason the apostles, after the holy Ghost came, did not use the phrase, "the kingdom of God is at hand" is obvious, if one understands, as the apostles did, that (1) the holy Ghost baptism is puts a person into the kingdom of God on earth now and (2) the coming of the kingdom in its full expression was, in their day, many centuries away, as Paul suggested in (2Thess. 2:1-3). There are, Amy, a few verses written by the apostles that make it seem as if they were teaching what the false teachers were teachin