Category Archives: Questions

Social Gospel

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Matthew 25 

It’s a full chapter and for me to understand the bit of it that I do, I ask questions.
For this session I am bringing to you, I think we shall look at verses 41 – 46.

But as we begin, let’s go to the last verse, verse 46. We will go back to the others.

46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life.” source

but those who have done what God wants

The question to ask is What does GOD want done?
We will have to bring in some other Text to answer that.

John 6:40; Luke 9:35; Mark 9:2-13; 2 Peter 3:9

GOD wants ALL people to believe His Son. 
GOD wants ALL people to turn from their sins to HIM.

These verses tell us the Will of GOD is that people be delivered from unbelief to believing JESUS.

Now if you have read verses 41 – 46 you have seen The LORD saying to a certain group, depart from Me into eternal punishment. Why? Verse 46 is the answer but all the way to verse 46 He gives them examples of their unbelieving hearts.
They did not 

Feed the hungry
Care for the sick and the imprisoned.

Today there is a social gospel being preached.
I think those who embrace this social gospel have missed the point of the passage — have missed the Truth. 

The deeds described in this passage are NOT a means to EARN salvation.
People will not enter HEAVEN even if they cured all the social ills of the planet.
They can feed, clothe, and serve people until they are penniless but that will NOT earn them a place in Heaven. 

GOOD DEEDS will not get anyone to heaven.

By the same reasoning, not doing these things will not send a person to hell either. 

People miss heaven and land in hell because they have refused to turn from their sins and believe GOD.

However, when we have been born again, when we have believed JESUS, we WILL do these acts of service.
These acts of service give evidence that perhaps we have been delivered from unbelief and darkness.

It is filled with treasures for the Believer who will dig in, asking for Holy Spirit to help them understand. 
I hope we have encouraged you to read, pray, and believe GOD.

Love, Kathie 

Circle of Knowledge

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Good morning, Readers.
8:45 as I begin on this crisp November morning.

Matthew 18 is the subject passage of Scripture.

12 “What’s your opinion? What will somebody do who has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go off to find the stray? 
13 And if he happens to find it? Yes! I tell you he is happier over it than over the ninety-nine that never strayed! 
14 Thus your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost.  source 

Does it comfort you that the LORD goes looking for wandering sheep?
From what I have observed, I have wandering sheep in my circle of knowledge. Perhaps you do too.
I think two indicators will identify wandering sheep (this goes for wolves in sheep’s clothing too).

  1. How long has it been since the sheep sat to read Scripture? I mean really read — like a whole chapter in one sitting?
  2. When was the last time the sheep had a decision to make and the sheep made that decision based on what the Scripture revealed?

Have you observed that sheep wandering from The Fold of GOD do not often read Scripture and do not often live by faith? They do not decide what to say, what to do, where to go, etc., etc. based on what does the Bible say about this?
Is this you? Is this any person in your circle of knowledge?

We might also describe this as straying from their upbringing.
Or ignoring the knowledge of GOD they have known since childhood?
Or perhaps they are dabbling, soaking even, in the culture around them – patterning their choices like the people on their digital screens; feeding on those screens for hours a day.  These are our wandering sheep, if not pagans altogether. 14520-gettyimagesalancurrie

It’s frightening to me.
It is to you too, if you are not a wandering sheep, yourself.

But we can pray!
And we can take this Scripture for encouragement, for hope, and put our Trust in the GOD who spoke it.

14 Thus your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost. 

He has sent JESUS to find them. So we pray when they are found, they will say YES and return or for the first time come to the Fold of GOD.

So, in our circles of knowledge, identify as best you can those you suspect are wandering, present them in prayer to The Father, and believe He is going for them; into whatever high place or squaller they are now residing.

Luke 18:27 “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Thank you for coming today.
Love, Kathie

Countdown

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I’d like a brief word with you this evening from Matthew 13. I am calling our attention to verses 49 and 50. save-imageWhat do you see in these verses? Even what I see (Scholars would surely see more) is a lot for 2 verses.
One, do you see that this world as it is is not going to go on endlessly? There is a CLOSE OF THE AGE. Life, as we know it here, is going to end; not just for us individually but for the whole earth. If you ever doubted that – don’t anymore.
Two, there are real angels and they receive real commands from GOD to carry out as He speaks.
Three, there are evil people and those evil people have a destination.
Four, there are righteous people. The righteous people and the evil people are going to be separated.
Five, the evil people are going to a fiery furnace where they will wail and grind their teeth.
Six, if they wail and grind their teeth, they must have a mouth and teeth and if they have a mouth and teeth they must have a body, emotions, and senses. They must be REAL. Existing.

Seven. JESUS said this.

Can you think of any valid reason to not believe Him?

This particular passage does not tell us where the righteous people go.  Do you know?  See John 14:3-10 for some sweet, assuring comfort.

1

Love, Kathie

Chapter 3

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James 3 

So far I have read about 8 verses. James is penning this to Israel in Diaspora. That means the Messianic Jews dispersed from Jerusalem to parts all around.  Yeshua-loving, believing Jews that left Jerusalem due to life-threatening persecution. 

And by chapter 3 of his letter, he begins with this: Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, since you know that we will be judged more severely. 2 For we all stumble in many ways; if someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who can bridle his whole body.

I am thinking some of his audience were thinking of becoming teachers of Scripture. He cautioned them.
Teachers use their tongues (today teachers also use keyboards). 

James then goes into an extended exhortation about the importance of the tongue AND the impossibility of controlling it. He gives examples like big ships can be guided by a small rudder; horses can be turned this way and that by a simple bit; one spark of fire can burn an entire forest, but the tongue. 
Oh, the tongue can burn down a life in a flash. and who can stop it? 
7 For people have tamed and continue to tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures; 8 but the tongue no one can tame — it is an unstable and evil thing, full of death-dealing poison! source 

Reading on, what does he say? 

 9 With it we bless Adonai, the Father; and with it we curse people, who were made in the image of God. 10 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing! Brothers, it isn’t right for things to be this way.  source 

I think I shall not expound on that but I am glad James did.

He explains only man does this. All the rest of creation produces fruit and actions as it was created. Read the verses and see what he means. 

Chapter 3. It’s plain. It’s direct. It’s undeniable. AND it is disobeyed every day! Brothers, it isn’t right for things to be this way.

 I think we cannot pray too much for each other to obey Chapter 3. 

Love, Kathie

gratitude