TO ALL WHO LOVE THE TRUTH,


THE WORKS OF THE FLESH
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
 
Today, I ministered to a group of homeless men in Flint, Michigan at Carriage Town Ministries. After sharing my testimony briefly, and praying with them I taught them about what God hates, what God says will prevent people from going to heaven... they were listening very intently. I told them that they might not hear these words in most churches, and it was my responsibility to share this teaching from God's word so they would be forewarned and without excuse when they stood before God. My many years in the modern church has taught me many things, some good and some bad; but one thing is certain in my experience listening to thousands of preachers and pastors: THEY AVOID MENTIONING THESE VERSES OF SCRIPTURE LIKE THEY WERE AVOIDING THE BUBONIC PLAQUE!  Sad, yes - but nonetheless true... when is the last time you heard any teacher/pastor/evangelist teach or preach on these things that God hates - and says will keep people out of heaven? Hmmm, just following these verses are the "fruit of the spirit" listed which I'm sure you've heard more than once... (I'm being sarcastic of course) The question is why? Why do so many pastors and churches avoid these verses?

               WHAT GRACE TEACHES US...

Titus 2:1-14 11   For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

The above passage from Paul's letter to Titus, reveals in summation, what the whole intent of God was in sending His' son to die for us. He came to not only "redeem" us from our sins, but to purify us and create a "special class of royal citizens" who are zealous, or in other words, outrageous in their display of godly works to the world around them... (my take on that verse)  This verse needs to be read over and over again to sink in, as it has that much truth in it - it is dynamite just waiting to explode in our hearts and minds. We are to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts" ... and live godly lives in this present age. We are partners with God in this process, and though we cannot avoid or conquer sin or iniquity in our own strength - we can allow God to work in and through us to overcome evil and the flesh, and all the powers of darkness by agreeing with God and submitting/obeying His' commands to us.

2 Timothy 4:3 
 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

FINAL THOUGHTS -  I knew a Christian who was involved in evangelism outside of the church he was in, and the subject of  "fornication" came up and I was surprised to find out that he not only didn't know what the word meant(it signifies all unlawful sexual relations), but he was engaging in acts of fornication and was not aware that it was condemned in the scriptures, and not something a Christian should be doing! I asked him had he ever heard a sermon in his' church or teaching on the subject of sins God hates, or sins that we are not to be doing?

His' answer was that he had not heard any messages or sermons against premarital sex, and many other sins we spoke of in our discussion. My eyes were opened that day to the fact that many persons going to church Sunday after Sunday, week after week have never really been taught or warned about the "works of the flesh", and the things God says will send them to hell... you be the judge of whether your' church is preaching the whole counsel of God? I hope so...

In the last days, many pastors will refrain from speaking the truth of God word in it's entirety; deliberately picking and choosing what they want to in order to "build their churches up" - not in the faith, but in terms of membership and tithes and offerings. For many pastors it is better to "tickle the ears", than risk offending people with the truth! In the end, all of us will be held to account, and there will be no excuses that will  prevail in God's court.  Let us all not play God for the fool, or make a pretense of being a Christian - let us rid ourselves of anything and everything that God says is evil and that will keep us out of heaven.

Blessings to all/Michael/fool4CHRIST

p.s. for more information about our worldwide ministry - or if you would like to find more articles that pertain to biblical truth; or would like to donate to our minstry - visit: lightinthedarkministries.com

   1 John 4:2-3 (NKJV)                                                          By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.(emphasis mine)

First, let me begin by stating this is not a message on "who" the Antichrist is, or might be? That, is for others with much more spiritual savvy than I possess to elaborate on. This short admonition, is really a simple reminder to anyone who is familiar with the scriptures, of what "spirit" or manner of operation Lucifer uses to carry out his diabolical schemes within and without the church of Jesus Christ in the earth. Yes, you heard me correctly, I did say "within" and without the church. Sadly, much of what Satan does to oppose God and the kingdom of His son, Jesus Christ - goes on right within the confines of the very church that Jesus Christ has established... 2 Co.11:14-15

                                                 THE GENERAL BLUEPRINT OF THE DEVIL

Gen.3:15  And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

Jn.10:10  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Before we examine the "acid test" that the apostle John gives us as a way(though not the only way), of knowing whether a spirit/person is or isn't of God, let us first acknowledge that before Jesus Christ came in the flesh, Satan had already been opposing God on all fronts, both in heaven and earth; and was aware that "Christ", or the "Anointed One/The Messiah" was to come...

Rev.12:7-9  Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.   Isa.14:12   
 
 The exact specifics of how, when, Christ would appear were not clear to Lucifer(though he was aware of the prophecies Jesus would be borne in Bethlehem of Judea - Micah 5:2). One thing is certain - Lucifer wanted to kill Jesus even before He was conceived in Mary's womb. We can thank God that Jesus was able to "finish the works" He was sent to accomplish, and one by one Christ fulfilled every single Old Testament prophecy necessary to secure our deliverance from sin, and our eternal redemption through His shed blood. (though there are still prophecies Christ has yet to fulfill, none are remaining that would prevent anyone from being saved from their sins)
2 Pet.1:3 , Jn.19:30 

What was clear however, was that at the predetermined time - God's beloved son, Jesus was born (Gal.4:4) , and this son, Jesus - was coming to save His people, and establish a kingdom without end. (Isa.9:7) From the time of Adam's fall in the garden, up to the time of Jesus birth - Lucifer has been trying to thwart God's plan of redemption for mankind, and even now he is on a ruthless campaign of terror to oppose and stop God's plan for mankind from being fulfilled.  I honestly believe, the Devil thinks he can eventually win if he just doesn't give up... Pride will do that. 
 Rev.12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

                                             STOPPING SCRIPTURES FROM BEING "FULFILLED"

Lk.24:44  Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." (my emphasis)
​Mt.1:22   Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
                                             see also - Mt.4:14, Lk.21:22, Jn.19:36 

The principle of Jesus coming so "scripture would be fulfilled" could not be lost on Satan, so it's easy to see Satan's game is to keep scripture from being fulfilled. Thankfully, we know that is not going to happen; but that isn't stopping the devil from trying. He knows if only one prophetic scripture is kept from being fulfilled - the entire "house of cards" figuratively speaking will come crashing to the ground. Because the word of God is true, and cannot be nullified, we know all of the scriptures in the Bible will in fact be fulfilled.    Mt.1:22, Mk.14:49, Lk.21:22 

It is not presumptuous to think that once a prophecy has been "fulfilled", or successfully accomplished - the Devil would begin to devise his malicious schemes towards stopping any future prophecies from being fulfilled.  In a more general sense, Jesus tells us that Satan's three areas of malevolent and evil works are: stealing, killing, and destroying. As we can see from the atrocities and crimes against humanity that fill history's pages, the Devil has not been wasting a moment in his never ending onslaught against God and His creation.  Oh - and did I almost forget to mention he is also called the "Father of lies."  Jn.8:44

That Satan was trying to kill Christ all during his life here on earth is evident in the scriptures, and we can be sure that while he didn't know all of the plans of God for His son Jesus; he did know that Christ's main objective was to fulfill prophetic scriptures. Which we now know - Christ did, one by one until He uttered the three words that Satan can still hear echoing over and over in his wretched mind: IT IS FINISHED!  Jn.19:30  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.  (my emphasis)

​So we can conclude Lucifer's main objective is preventing scriptures from being fulfilled, especially those pertaining to Jesus Christ mission to be the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world; the plan of salvation that the Godhead had planned before the earth was even formed. Eph.1:4  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love , (*note - accordingtothescriptures.org estimates that 356 prophecies have already been fulfilled in Jesus Christ)

Much of the death, and destruction through the centuries has been what may best described as "collateral damage," such as when Herod slaughtered all the babies in and around Bethlehem in his attempt to kill the Christ child. Mt.2:16  That the "Seed" who is Jesus Christ could not be prevented from finishing His works and divine mission; has not deterred Satan from continuing his furious attacks on the "Seed of Abraham" which is now the Body of Christ.  Gal.3:29 (NIV) If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

So from the time of Jesus ascension into heaven, until the time of His reappearing; Satan's wrath and hatred of God - of Jesus - have been directed at all who are members of the Body of Christ. If you are a Christian, and follow the commandments of Jesus, you are on his "hit list."  Seriously, the Devil hates all human beings created in God's image, that's part of his corrupted DNA; but his hatred and loathing of all who love Jesus and live to please God - is immeasurable. We cannot begin to comprehend the degree of hatred the Devil has towards all who call themselves Christians.  Satan hates the "Christ who lives in us."  Gal.2:20, Rom.8:10

So we can see from the scriptures that the "spirit of Antichrist" is specifically directed at the "Seed" - who is Jesus Christ the Messiah; but now that Christ has left the earth physically - the "Seed" are all who are "in Christ."  That is to say, the schemes and devices of Satan are directed now at all who are part of the Body of Christ - or the Church of God in the earth.  Since Christians are "the body of Jesus" here on earth, it is no surprise to find that Christians are persecuted, martyred, and maligned in every possible manner by the "spirit of Antichrist" that now works through much of the world today. 

This hostile opposition to God, the Bible, Christians, and all that is holy and godly; can be seen in all areas of human endeavor - education, government, all media - whether print or digitally disseminated, the arts and music in particular, and in literature of all kinds, sports, and in every facet of modern culture. The unfortunate truth is that love of God, the scriptures, and everything once considered sacred is crumbling under the relentless attacks by the powers of darkness and the "god" of this age. 2 Co.4:4, 2 Co.11:3 

  As much as Satan hates Jesus and Christians, there is one thing that the all the hosts of Satan's kingdom have a laser like focus on - something that poses the greatest threat to the kingdom of darkness, and is the key to understanding how to discern what is and what isn't "the spirit of Antichrist."  
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 ( 
                                  SATAN'S MAIN TARGET ...

2 Co.4:3-4    But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (my emphasis)

If we were to list all the things Satan is opposed to or against - we would have a lengthy list indeed. Prayer, praise and worship, Bible study, the preaching and ministry of the word of God, Christian fellowship, Gospel music,witnessing, regular church attendance, and these are just some of the things that Satan and the demons of darkness hate. But, at the heart - at the very center of what poses the greatest threat to the kingdom of darkness is the very thing that he will do anything to stop, and I mean anything.

                                                  ANYTHING TO STOP THE GOSPEL !

1 Co.15:1-4  Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ...  (my emphasis)

Rom.1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  (my emphasis)

The Devil can tolerate many things here on earth that he does in fact hate, but out of the myriad of things he is opposed to - nothing is more disturbing and threatening to Satan, then the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel is the very thing - the centerpiece of God's plan to save mankind.  For it is the story of Jesus dying on the cross, the shedding of His blood for the remission of our sins; and the message of Christ's burial and resurrection from the grave! All in fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures that Jesus fulfilled one by one! 

​                                                              THE "ACID TEST" 

  1 John 4:2-3 (NKJV)  By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.   (my emphasis)  

At first glance, this sounds like John is simply saying: Ask someone if Jesus has come in the flesh, and if they say "no" - You'll know that they are not of God, that they are of the "spirit of Antichrist". I know today, many Christians use this as  a way of testing to see if a person is "demon possessed" or not. That is not a reliable test, I know because I've used it when casting out demons myself, and this is what I've discovered: DEMONS CAN LIE TO YOU!  Yes, they can say Jesus has come in the flesh to your face.   

They(the evil spirits we were attempting to cast out) did that to me, and I learned that just stating "Jesus has come in the flesh" is not what John had in mind as the "Acid Test" for determining if a person/spirit is or isn't of Christ. John had more in mind than just having someone quote or say a few words. Demons will lie to you, they will quote scriptures to you all day long, hey- they reminded me that they knew Jesus long before I did, and know the bible better than most Christians will ever know it... One thing I learned in trying to "test whether a person/spirit" is or isn't of Christ - is this:

Don't enter into a conversation, or dialogue with the devil, demons or those under his influence unless you are "being led of the Holy Spirit". The less you say to someone "possessed" or severely oppressed of the devil, the better. You may find to your surprise, that the devil can quote scriptures back to you, and very well I might add(though he is prone to twist them out of context)                                      
The "test" John alludes to in 1 JN. 4:3 is a summation or decree that in essence states this: Anyone who denies that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah - the Son of God - the One who came to fulfill the prophecies concerning his life, death, and resurrection - is "antichrist."  In essence - this was another way of saying anyone who was against the Gospel being preached by the Apostles was "not of God."  Strong words certainly, but when we consider that denying who Christ is, and what He did - is really to reject the truth.  I can assure you Christians at that time knew exactly what John was saying, and there could be no room for compromise when it came to preserving the facts concerning who Christ is, and what He had accomplished.  2 Jn.1:9

To reject Jesus as the Messiah meant a person would "die in their sins", and that would prevent them from going to heaven - being present with God after this life.  Jn.8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Gal.1:9  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.   (Paul the apostle speaking...)

                                            WHAT IF NO ONE SHARED THE GOSPEL?

That Jesus Christ would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world, and be raised from the dead - only to have that message never told would certainly be the greatest of all  failures and tragedies of all time.  The Devil knows that keeping that message from people is his number one priority - and if that fails, his next ploy is to try to twist the Gospel message into something perverted or legalistic, or worse yet - void of any mention of the cross or resurrection at all. Yes indeed - we can be certain that since the time of Jesus ascension into heaven - Lucifer has been furiously working to stop the Gospel message from being preached or shared in the earth.  2 Co.4:4, 11:14   

The problem lies in the fact that while Lucifer is defeated - that's an absolute indisputable truth of scripture;(Col..1:13,2:15) he knows that many people are ignorant of what really happened when Jesus died on that cross, when He rose triumphant from the grave. That dear friends, is why the Good News - or the account of what happened over 2000 years ago must be told, not once - but over and over again. This is why Jesus told us that before He would return the gospel would have to be published to the ends of the earth:   Mk.13:10  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. (Jesus speaking...)

Someone - somewhere shared the gospel message with you - or with me, or someone else; and they were then faced with the choice of believing or disbelieving, agreeing with or disagreeing with the message of the cross and resurrection. So simple - yes; but in the end profound in that what a person does with the Gospel will determine their eternal destiny. Now that's mind boggling to say the least.   2 Thess. 1:7-8 "and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ"

In summary, we can state that while Jesus' life, atoning death, and resurrection are for Christians - historical facts that we believe and trust as the basis for our individual faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and as the Son of God...  The reality is that unless those facts about Christ's life, death, burial, and resurrections are shared with people they will die in their sins. When Jesus told his disciples to take the Gospel into all the world - it wasn't just a suggestion or good advice; it was a command!  Don't be quiet or shy about sharing the Gospel, ask God to help you and He will.

to be continued...   ( Pt.2 will be about "the spirit of Antichrist" in the church)
 
In Jesus name,

Michael/fool4CHRIST

p.s. for more information about our worldwide ministry - or if you would like to find more articles that pertain to biblical truth; or would like to donate to our ministry -
​visit: lightinthedarkministries.com
 

  WHY GOD GAVE MANKIND THE NEW COVENANT

                        IT'S MORE HIM, THAN US...

It is surprising to learn just "why" God gave mankind the New Covenant... I say this only because most Christians, and the lost for that matter think it was pure altruism or sympathy on God's part as the basis for "why" we now live under a New Covenant, or a New Testament as it may also be called. Yes, John 3:16 reminds all of us that it is God's love for us that sent Jesus to die for our sins - that is a fact. Ah, but that is only part of the narrative of this beautiful love song of our God. We find that while it was love that sent Jesus to die for all of us, it was something else that moved God to commission what we now call the: NEW COVENANT. This may come as a surprise to many people today, Christians and non -Christians alike. The New Covenant was really not centered on us (though we've been led to think that); but rather it's God's way of ensuring that His name would be honored and glorified in all of heaven and earth. By stopping the vicious power of evil through sin, Jesus Christ secured the right, the privilege, and ability for all of us to truly "honor" God's name.

                                                       HALLOWED BE THE NAME...

Matthew 6:9    In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,  Hallowed be Your name.
 
As we shall see, this being first and foremost in Jesus instructions on how we are to pray, is not to be taken lightly... it is the key to understanding why we were given the New Covenant.  It's worth noting that Jesus our Lord began this prayer with clear instructions to: Reverence and honor our Heavenly Father's name! That dear friends, was intentional, and by design for us to take note of... as we dig deeper and deeper into God's holy word; we find that "honoring God's name" is at the heart of all Jesus did, and all we are to do as well.

hal·lowed  adj  \ˈha-(ˌ)lōd, ˈha-ləd, in the Lord's Prayer often ˈha-lə-wəd\

Definition of  HALLOWED
 1: holy, consecrated <the church stands on hallowed ground> 
 2: sacred, revered <the university's hallowed halls> <hallowed customs> 
     See hallowed defined for English-language learners »

                                                GOD'S NAME IS PROFANED...

If you are impatient or in a hurry this is not for you... but if you really want to understand why you and I were given this wonderful New Covenant/Testament by God - take a few precious minutes, and discover how important God views "honoring" His' name. IT IS A BIG DEAL! 

Ezekiel 36:16-21  (NKJV)

                                                          The Renewal of Israel

16 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. 18 Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.   (my emphasis)

         A "NEW HEART & A NEW SPIRIT"

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

We find that God states emphatically, 3 times - that He is going to put an end to this trampling of His' holy name by His' people among the nations where they were scattered... and the solution will be drastic and thorough - from the inside out: A NEW COVENANT! And here is the kicker: IT WON'T BE FOR OUR SAKES, IT WILL BE FOR HIS' HOLY NAME SAKE!!  I repeat, God gave us the New Covenant so His' holy name would be HONORED/HALLOWED. The Lord is quick to point out that it is not for "our sakes", but for His holy name's sake - that He has given a New Covenant to His people... read it for yourself.

Ezekiel 36:22-27   Amplified Bible (AMP)
22. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations to which you went.    (emphasis mine)

 23And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name and separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it--My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them--and the nations will know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], when I shall be set apart by you and My holiness vindicated in you before their eyes and yours. 

 24. For I will [a]take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 26.A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. 

                                                         A "HEAVENLY ASSIST"

What the law/Old Covenant could not do, never do - was enable us to consistently honor and glorify God's name in the earth. That dear friends was all about to end. Jesus was coming to establish a better covenant, based upon "better promises"... Now we would all be rendered "excuse less" - we now have been given everything we need to "do the will of God" - to walk in holiness and revere and honor God's holy name as He intended from the beginning.

Let us realize that while it was love that sent Jesus to the cross to die for our sins, it was anger, yes I said anger that moved God to initiate and establish what we now call: THE NEW COVENANT. God does not take lightly those who claim to be His' people and then live unholy and ungodly lives before others... NO SMALL MATTER FRIENDS. It was God's holy fury that drove Him to expel the people of Israel throughout the nations - and it was God' righteous anger that drove Him to provide the "heavenly assist" they would need if they were to truly live holy lives... Thank God this was for us as well.

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

The Lord knows those who "honor" His' holy name by godly lives, and those who are mere pretenders or hypocrites... we show we are Christians truly when our lives and conduct bring honor to God's holy name... Let us all honor Jesus by living holy lives that show forth His' love and holy character...

Final Thoughts... yes God so loved the world that He gave Jesus for all of us, to die for us. But, as the scriptures declare "honoring His' name" is at the very heart of "why" we have been given the New Covenant. Without it we would be trampling God's holy name in the mud, and taking ourselves to hell in the process.

You see, by saving us, God not only "saves His' name from being disgraced and dishonored; but God also allows us to honor His' name through what Christ has done for us. Now we can glorify God's name in all the earth and "hallow" God's name as Jesus taught us... Let us live to bring "honor" to God, to His' holy name, and to the name of His' son, Jesus Christ.

Blessings to all/michael/fool4CHRIST

Mt. 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and Have you ever wondered what a soul is worth? Not to you, or anyone down here on our planet, not the devil, but God? I do, it is something that I've thought about off and on quite a bit... I hope the above scripture from the bible, which are the words of Jesus Christ answers this question, or at least sheds some light on how much we are worth to God. Before we examine what God has to say about our “souls” worth; let us first look at what our body is worth in and of itself...

Ask me, and I'll give you a price that only a few people could afford to pay me for my body, really! Bill Gates comes to mind, or the world renown investment tycoon, Warren Buffet – they just might be able to pay me what I think I'm worth... lol. But, getting serious, if we are to truly be objective; let us look at what experts in these kind of things have to say about what a human body is worth in today's economy.

* When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person's skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50!
This value is, however, subject to change, due to stock market fluctuations. Since the studies leading to this conclusion were conducted by the U.S. and by Japan respectively, it might be wise to consult the New York Stock Exchange and the Nikkei Index before deciding when to sell!
The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculating the chemical and mineral composition of the human body, which breaks down as follows: 65% Oxygen , 8% Carbon , 10% Hydrogen , 3% Nitrogen , 1.5% Calcium, 1% Phosphorous, 0.35% Potassium , 0.25% Sulfur , 0.15% Sodium, Additionally, it was discovered that our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. Together, all of the above amounts to less than one dollar!

Our most valuable asset is our skin, which the Japanese invested their time and money in measuring. The method the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition at Tokyo developed for measuring the amount of a person's skin is to take a naked person, and to apply a strong, thin paper to every surface of his body. After the paper dries, they carefully remove it, cut it into small pieces, and painstakingly total the person's measurements. Cut and dried, the average person is the proud owner of fourteen to eighteen square feet of skin, with the variables in this figure being height, weight, and breast size. Basing the skin's value on the selling price of cowhide, which is approximately $.25 per square foot, the value of an average person's skin is about $3.50.

To be perfectly honest, only God really knows the answer to that... really. But, having said that, there are some clear indica- tions from the scriptures as to what a "soul" is worth. We know that as a collective, that meaning as the entire human race is concerned, God thought we (at least as a whole), were worth sending His' beloved son, Jesus to die for us. And, not just die, we are talking about the most horrific and gruesome of deaths imaginable to be sure. That is quite clear from to many scriptures for me to list in this short email. Perhaps the most quoted and beloved of all the bible is this familiar passage which reminds us all of what we are worth in God's estimation:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Rom.8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32.He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Also, we find in the Old Testament that God derives no pleasure in the death of the wicked - He has done everything in His' power to prevent the lost from going to hell...

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

The above passages from the scriptures, reveal an obvious truth: We were worth having the Father send His' own son, Jesus – to die the most horrible and cruel death imaginable. And if there were any other way of atoning for our sins, for paying the price to redeem mankind – other than Jesus having to go to the cross – it would have happened. MT.26: 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

                                           JESUS - REVEALS OUR WORTH...

Matthew 16:25-26   For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (emphasis mine)

Here lies the "key" to understanding what Jesus considers our soul to be worth, or at least a good idea for us to grasp. Jesus is talking about "saving our soul" - or in His' words "finding it". Interesting way of putting it, is it not? Have you ever found yourself in trouble? Or in a bad way? Or have you found yourself in need of a Savior? That is what He is talking about here friends...
Now, Jesus goes on to tell us further in explaining what our "life" or soul is worth, that even if we were to gain the entire world(that is beyond our human capacity to fathom), what would it really matter if in the end you were to find yourself in hell - and without God or hope of any kind for all eternity?

He goes on to tell ask us this simple yet profound question that really reveals the true worth of our "soul" or life in the eyes of God: WHAT WILL A PERSON GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR' SOUL? Put in a way we can all understand, Jesus is asking this question, "What will a person be able to give God to keep them out of hell?" or put still another way: WHAT CAN WE POSSIBLY GIVE GOD THAT WILL CONVINCE HIM TO LET US INTO HEAVEN WITHOUT JESUS? the answer: NOTHING!

FINAL THOUGHTS... The devil thinks a soul is worth fighting for. He will do almost anything to take one soul to hell... that is his' game. God thinks a soul is worth enough to send His' very own son to die for us - you and me. That is beyond anything I can understand , but I believe it is so. What do you think a soul is worth? That person you work next to everyday? That person you despise because they rub you the wrong way? Remember, every soul is precious to God, and when you look at a human being created in God's image, just remember how valuable he or she is to God. That will serve you well in all your' relationships. I close with the following story:

                                                       GOD'S GLORY REVEALED

A man died and went to heaven. He was escorted through the corridors of heaven, and was shown the glory and splendor of heaven and was speechless. He finally turned to the angel showing him around and said, "Will you show me the glory of God?" The angel smiled, and said, "Surely, follow me". As they walked along, the man saw the heavenly city and the mansions and the streets of gold, and he turned to the angel and asked, "Is this God's glory". The angel just smiled and continued on. The man then saw thousands upon thousands of angels singing and praising God with shouts of joy and loud hallelujahs. Again, the man asked the angel, "Is this God's glory?". The angel seemed to ignore the man, and just walked on. Finally, after a short journey, they stopped - There in front of the man was a sea of people, men and women, boys and girls all dressed in white robes as far as the eye could see... He could see smiling faces filled with joy, and he saw them singing and with hands raised singing: Blessing, and honor, and glory and power be to Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb Who was slain before the foundation of the earth. (Rev. 5:13)

The angel stopped, and looked at the man, who was now staring in utter amazement and wonder at the sight of this sea of humanity before him, and said, “Dear soul, this you see before you, THIS IS THE GLORY OF GOD.”

Of all God's riches, possessions - His' glory - nothing is more valuable to him than you and I. That should cause you and me to stop, and thank God for the unspeakable gift of His son, Jesus to all of us.

EPH. 1: 11-12 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.


                                            THE END

This short story, is just one of many stories God allowed me to share with readers in my first book, PEARLS of WISDOM.   I hope you enjoyed the small pearl of wisdom contained in this amusing, yet inspiring story.

You may read more of these stories, and other things God gave me to write about by simply going to Amazon.com. The book is available in paperback or in a Kindle format...

                                                  Thanks for stopping by/Michael D'Aigle

                                           Just type in: Pearls of Wisdom/Michael D'Aigle

A Professor of Philosophy, at a small town Midwest community college; put forth the following assignment to his students just prior to their start of Spring break. "Class, in 1500 words or less, please answer the following question: "What is the worst thing that can happen to a person? "

He went on to say, " Please defend your position with credible examples,and a reasonable defense to support your thesis." The students, were expected to have the assignment finished, and on the professor's desk upon their return from Spring break.

After returning from Spring break, the professor began the lengthy and arduous task of reading and grading the student's papers. The professor was amused, astonished, and in a few cases aghast at the horrible and unspeakable stories presented by his students. As one might expect, he read of ghastly accounts of torture(being skinned alive, electrocuted and beaten to death, raped(every possible scenario), and other loathsome descriptions of various human suffering that each student felt was in their minds: The "worst" possible thing that could happen to a person.

Having to watch your family murdered right before your very eyes, being forced to destroy a whole bus full of people by blowing it up, and one student's gory depiction of being eaten alive by insects , with only your head being exposed above the hot desert sand... On and on, the professor read with disgust and ever growing disdain, the detailed and gruesome stories of "worst case" scenarios. The professor was looking forward to the end of this assignment, it was turning out to be a very unpleasant task... and thankfully, he was almost finished . He only had three papers left to review.

The professor waded through the first two papers, and breathed a deep sigh of relief as he eyed the last paper he would have to read... he winced as he noticed the name at the top of the paper; Mary Harding, the one student the professor truly disliked. Mary was a devout, uncompromising Christian, who openly challenged the professor, whenever he began to promote his "atheistic" and "humanistic" beliefs in the classroom. What really irked the professor, is that Mary was a true intellectual, and was more than a match for his intimidating assaults on religion, but especially - Christianity. On more than one occasion, he had been embarrassed by Mary's forceful display of history, religion, and philosophy; he had to admit - Mary was probably the smartest student he had ever seen... this only made him disdain her all the more.

To say the professor was curious as to how Mary would answer this question, would be a gross understatement - he hesitated for a brief time, and then quickly turned the cover page to read the following ...

There in the middle of the page were these words in large bold type:


                                                       “TO DIE IN YOUR SINS”

The professor was flooded with a sea of emotions... anger, amazement, bewilderment - how dare Mary make such a radical assertion! Of all the answers the professor had read, he was not prepared for this. Cursing aloud, and jumping to his feet, the professor tossed Mary's paper into the air, and screamed, "Mary - this time you've crossed the line!!!"

The professor refused to read Mary's paper any further, his seething anger now a boiling rage; he sat at his desk and just stared at the wall mumbling: "How dare she... how dare she... how dare she..."

As is the case with human curiosity, it got the best of the professor, and within days he decided he would quickly skim through Mary's paper - if for no other reason than to ridicule and discredit her "religious fanaticism" - make no mistake, this is one paper that the professor intended to fill with red ink . Mary's paper would receive the full wrath of the professor, and she would pay for her obvious desire to once again push her religious dogma on the world - her  fate was all but certain.

Turning his attention once again to Mary's paper, the professor was surprised to find that there wert only a few paragraphs for him to read... and much to his displeasure - they weren't even Mary's words, they were "scriptures" from the bible. There below the bold type: TO DIE IN ONE'S SINS, were three passages that the professor slowly began to read aloud:

JOHN 8:23-24/Jesus speaking - And He said to them, " You are from beneath; I am from above, You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. " (NKJ)

JOHN 3:13-18/Jesus speaking - No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

REV 20:11-14/John the Apostle speaking - Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades deliver- ed up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Then the professor lowered his eyes slowly and began to read Mary's closing statement: "It is clearly evident from the words of Jesus Christ, and other Bible passages, that the worst thing that can happen to a person is - to die in their sins! " Any person who rejects God's free gift of eternal life, offered to all who will put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior - is doomed to an eternity in Hell - banished forever from the presence of God. And while it is true, there are a myriad of various torments and suffering that human beings can experience while here on earth... they simply cannot compare with the unspeakable horrors and anguish that await those who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and choose rather to die in their sins. Really, what could be worse than that?

The professor was speechless, numb, and just sat at his desk staring down at Mary's paper - stone faced - showing no emotion... The professor disagreed with every facet of Mary's thesis, but was left with no other choice than to do what his conscience was telling him he must do. With great reluctance, the professor slowly reached for his black pen, paused for what seemed like an eternity - and put an A in the upper right hand corner of Mary's paper. This was one paper that he would never forget.


                                  the end

This short story, is just one of many stories God allowed me to share with readers in my first book, PEARLS of WISDOM.   I hope you enjoyed the small pearl of wisdom contained in this amusing, yet inspiring story.

You may read more of these stories, and other things God gave me to write about by simply going to Amazon.com. The book is available in paperback or in a Kindle format...  

Just type in: Pearls of Wisdom/Michael D'Aigle