Rest In The Lord

Psalms:37:7, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

Hebrews 4:10-11, “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

The inspired Word of God tells all men to REST IN THE LORD. That is how a person gets saved, they CEASE from their own WORKS, and they just REST in Jesus, BELIEVING that He did it all for us with His precious blood. 1st Peter 1;18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” I love something that Pastor Bob Gray Sr. said:

“Jesus does not forgive sin! Jesus paid for the price of sin with His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus does not forgive sin for He paid for sin Himself. He forgives sinners by paying for their sins!” —Pastor Bob Gray Sr.

Jesus needed to pay the right PRICE in the right PLACE. That right price was the Savior's precious BLOOD (Acts 20:28), and the place is the heavenly MERCY SEAT in the heavenly HOLY PLACE (Hebrews 9:12; 22-24; 12:24):

Acts 20:28, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Hebrews 9:12, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

Please understand that you DON'T need to surrender your life to Jesus as “Lord” (Master) to get to Heaven. There is a popular damnable heresy nowadays in many churches, which errantly teaches that faith is not enough to be saved. In addition, proponents of the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation say that there is a “second thing” that you must do to be saved, which is to “repent and turn away from your evil ways.” They say you must renounce and forsake your sinful bad habits, and then continue to live a lifestyle of repentance until you die to be saved.

Case in point, watch the following helpful video which exposes John MacArthur's counterfeit plan of salvation...

John MacArthur says “It's Hard to Get to Heaven”

You don't make Jesus “Lord,” HE IS LORD!!! Romans 14:9, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” The “dead” here refer to those in Hell who died in their sins (John 8:24). ...

Philippines 2:9-11, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

You don't get to Heaven by confessing that Jesus is the “Lord,” you get to Heaven by receiving Him as your personal Savior. John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” You take Him as your Savior, not your Lord to be saved. Anybody who teaches differently is a liar, and they are contradicting the Gospel of John, which is God's Gospel tract (John 20:31). Pastor Jack Hyles beautifully refutes the heresy of Lordship Salvation. It's not what you DO, it's what He DID. It's not DO, it's DONE!!! The old account was settled long ago. Jesus paid for it, all I can do is trust Him. You trust Him! It's not the DO-GOODERS that get to Heaven, it's the DO-TRUSTERS!!! Have you trusted Him as your Savior? Is your name written in Heaven?

I heard a fool from Pensacola Christian College (PCC) try to convince me that Lordship Salvation is Biblical, by citing the following passage of Scripture. Acts 16:30-31, “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” But just because Jesus is the Lord, doesn't mean that He requires you to pick up your cross to follow Him, serve Him faithfully and forsake your sinful bad habits as a prerequisite to saving faith, because those things are all WORKS.

Jonah 3:8-10, “But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

God saw THEIR WORKS, that they TURNED FROM THEIR EVIL WAY. They didn't get saved, they simply humbled themselves before God to stave off imminent destruction upon Nineveh. That is what Judas did. Judas “repented himself.” That is, he was remorseful for what he had done to betray his Lord, as one of Jesus' very apostles. Judas felt penitent sorrow. Judas reformed, even returning the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and Jewish elders who had wickedly paid him to betray Jesus...

Matthew 27:3-5, “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”

You see dear reader, you cannot get to Heaven by feeling sorrow for your sins (penitence), trying to make amends for your sins (penance), and by turning away from your sins (reformation). Bible repentance is changing your mind toward God, acknowledging THE TRUTH that you are a needy sinner, so that you BELIEVE the Gospel and are saved. Repentance is NOT a second step, or a separate act, from believing to be saved. Repentance is included in believing. That is why although we find the word “believe” mentioned 88 times in the Gospel of John, the word “ repent” does not appear even once. Repentance is automatic, so that you don't and shouldn't even mention repentance when witnessing to someone, lest you confuse them. If God didn't mention repentance in His Gospel tract (the Gospel of John), then why should why? Think about that.

If you want further Scriptural evidence, consider Acts 16:30-31. I love this classic Scripture passage! Acts 16:30-31, “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” The Philippian jailor in Rome heard and saw the great earthquake, beholding the power of God. He wanted to know how to get saved, so he directly asked Paul and Silas how to do to get to Heaven. Paul and Silas simply said: BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

They didn't tell the Roman jailor to do a “second thing” like Ray Comfort and Ken Ham do! Ladies and gentleman, there is no SECOND THING!!! There are no steps to getting born-again. You simply come to God as a broken needy sinner and BELIEVE the GOOD NEWS of Jesus crucified, buried and bodily resurrected three days later to be saved. That is the Gospel:

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

We are saved by BELIEVING the Gospel. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” It is not our words of wisdom, nor our cunning stylish ability to tantalize listeners with our eloquent speech that leads lost sinners to Jesus Christ, it is THE GOSPEL itself. The Gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” to EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH!!! The way that you witness the Gospel to a Roman Catholic, or a Mormon, or an atheist, is the SAME—just preach to them THE GOSPEL.

'The Beatles' Are More Popular Than Jesus To Many People

Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.”

Proverbs 29:27, “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.”

Jude 1:21-23, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

By God's wondrous grace, I have been a born-again Christian now for 42 years (I was saved at age 13, in 1980 in an old-fashioned Baptist church on Chicago's northside). One of the most important lessons that I have learned is to NEVER base any doctrine upon a single passage of Scripture. Most pastors who preach heresy are guilty of lifting text out of context to create a new pretext. I love something that Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) said: “A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one.”

A good example of this is the accursed Lordship Salvation crowd today. If you pay attention, you'll notice that people like Billy Graham, Paul Washer, John Piper, Steve Pettit, John MacArthur, Ray Comfort and other false prophets, often cite passages from the books of Matthew, Luke and other obscure passages, lifting their text out of context to create a new false pretext, to bolster up their strawman of damnable heresy!!! All the meanwhile they totally ignore the plain Gospel of John, which was authored by God specifically to show the reader how to get to Heaven (John 20:31). The Gospel of John is indeed God's Gospel tract!

Having said that, I chose the three passages of Scripture as text, so we could put them all together for this article. Please bare with me, I'm going somewhere. The Bible is very clear that killing (murder) is a sin (Exodus 20:13). We also read in Proverbs 29:27, “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.” God's children (i.e., born again believers), who walk close with the Lord, are going to hate being around unsaved heathens!

A backslidden Christian can sink so far into sin and the world, that they don't care anymore; but there will ALWAYS be conviction from God's indwelling Holy Spirit (Hebrews 12:6-8). It is for this very reason, why unsaved people won't come to the light of the truth of the Gospel to be saved, lest their evil deeds (i.e., a lifestyle of sinning) should be reproved (John 3:20-21).

And then the last Scripture passage I chose is from Jude 1:21-23, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

I mentioned these three passages to lay a foundation to talk about Mark David Chapman (born 1955), the scumbag that cold-heartedly murdered John Lennon (1940-1980); who openly admitted decades later in a parole hearing, that one of the reasons he ruthlessly murdered John Lennon was due to anger over John's statement in 1966 about The Beatles are more popular than Jesus.

Admittedly, one of my favorite musical groups are The Beatles (not their wicked lifestyles, but the music itself). The Beatles were musical geniuses. You'd have to be a musician to truly appreciate the brilliance of their melodies, skill as musicians and iconic lyrics. That is quite astounding for four teenage lads from England. I am a musician, so I naturally love all kinds of music. As a Christian I filter what I choose to listen to.

Having said that, I already know that some hypocritical religious person—you know, the holier-than-thou type—is already condemning me for saying that I like The Beatles. Well, at least I am honest to admit it! Yes, I love The Beatles music! But just like hurtful religious hypocrites today, they condemned John Lennon (1940-1980) for saying in 1966 that The Beatles are more popular than Jesus. Oh boy, did John live to regret saying those words. I'll get back to this topic in a moment, but first I want to discuss the music of The Beatles.

1st John 4:1b teaches to “try the spirits whether they are of God,” so we need to evaluate each song individually with the filter of the Holy Bible. I'm just saying that some secular music is okay to listen to, in my humble Christian opinion. If that offends you, then don't listen to it. Romans 14:22, “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” I have no religious scrupulosity (religious guilt) about listen to some secular music.

Ladies and gentleman, John Lennon told THE TRUTH. At least from his own perspective. I am not sanctioning what he said, and John himself said that he regretted ever saying it. Those were just the words of a 26 year old young man, who had never been famous before. John later said that he sincerely meant no harm by his words, nor was he attempting to berate Jesus Christ, nor offend Christians. I believe him.

Unfortunately, John Lennon's enemies weren't going to stop criticizing him for the rest of his sadly premature life (when he was unjustly killed in 1980 by a crazed religious nutcase). It wasn't what John said that made millions of religious Americans angry at him; but rather, the fact that The Beatles were so popular, especially with the young girls. People were jealous of their success. I can show you the same type of hateful people attacking Pastor Jack Hyles, because he was a massive success in the religious world. So the issue wasn't about what John Lennon said, in my humble opinion, as much as it was the fact that The Beatles were super popular around the world.

It was difficult for me to read the details of John's killing. Chapman bought a .38 caliber gun, but didn't have any bullets. So he flew down to Georgia to meet a friend of his, who was a policeman (the cop had no idea what Chapman was planning on doing). The bullets were hollow-point tipped, which do maximum damage to the victim (blowing out the back of whatever is targeted). John was in a hurry that fateful night, headed from his penthouse apartment in New York to his waiting wife (Yoko Ono) in the limousine. He was headed for a recording session, to finish up a song that they hadn't put on their most recent album.

Mark Chapman approached John and asked for his autograph, which John kindly gave him. John even asked Mark if he needed anything else, which Mark admitted years later. Mark said that John was friendly and nice to him in every way. So why did Mark do the inexplicable evil thing that he did, to the man who had just befriended him with love? Mark shot John 5 times! One bullet missed him. Two entered into John's shoulder, but the two that entered into his lungs proved to be fatal, as he bled to death in the ambulance. Doctors spent 45 minutes trying to revive John's lifeless body, but he was gone from this earth. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” John Lennon hadn't the slightest clue that December 8th, 1980 would be his last day alive on earth, but it was. Dear reader, have you been born-again? If not, right now is the time, please.

Mark Chapman later admitted at a parole hearing (he has been denied parole 12 times already as of 2022), that he murdered John Lennon because he was angry at him:

• One thing that Mark was angry about was John Lennon's statement that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Mark says he became a born-again Presbyterian at age 16, and hated John for saying that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus.
• Another thing that made Mark angry (according to his own admission) is John Lennon's alleged hypocrisy for living such an extravagant lifestyle, which Mark feels is totally contradictory to John's lyrics in his 1972 number one hit song, Imagine, in which John sings “imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.”
• Mark Chapman admits though, that the real reason he murdered John Lennon was because he himself wanted to become famous, for murdering a famous person. He admits to having also contemplated killing Johnny Carson, Elizabeth Taylor and George C. Scott. Unfortunately for John, Mark said it was easy to gain access to John, where he lived in New York City. That is so sad and disturbing.

I think the only logical conclusion for any normal person is that Mark Chapman is a very wicked person! Mark's lawyers suggested that he plead insanity, which he himself refused to do, admitting to the judge that he fully understood what he did to John Lennon. At least the guy is honest to admit what he did. The real victim in all of this is John Lennon's family. I feel sorry for Yoko Ono, who still today lives in the SAME apartment in New York where she and John lived when he was assassinated by a nutcase.

The real victim is Mark's wife, Gloria Chapman, who married Mark in 1979 in Hawaii. She said later that December 8th, 1980 was the worst day of her life! That was the day her husband committed the unthinkable, killing John Lennon. Unbelievably, Mark and Gloria are still married in 2022, 42 years later! Wow! Gloria is a born-again Christian living in Hawaii still today. I must say that I greatly admire Gloria for staying married to Mark all these many years. That is uncommon among married couples, to see that kind of dedication. All it took was one fight between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and she quit their marriage in 2016.

I chose the three Scripture passages for our text, because of the often contrarian nature of the Bible. I have learned that the word “balance” is important when studying the Bible. For example: We are commanded as believers to “hate evil” (Psalms 97:10). But we are also commanded to love our neighbour, which means every human being on the planet (Matthew 7:12). Anytime that you get your spiritual life out of BALANCE, you're headed for trouble!

That is what I think happened to Mark Chapman. I do believe that he is a born-again Christian, but I do not know for certain. We know from the Bible that saints can do some horribly unsaintly things; such as, Moses and David unjustly murdering another human being. I would need to talk with Mark Chapman directly, to hear a clear testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ without any works, to determine if he is truly saved or not. Sadly, most religious people who claim to be a “Christian” are not! That unsaved group includes: Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh-Day Adventists, Church of Church, Lutherans and the United Methodist Church. All of these groups corrupt the Gospel, adding works to faith (Hebrews 4:10-11).

The Beatles still today are indeed MORE POPULAR than Jesus to many people. This is called the sin of IDOLATRY!!! Anything or anyone that you hold, love, cherish, worship and idolize in your soul and life above the God who created you, is the horrible sin of IDOLATRY!!! ...

Exodus 20:1-6, “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

Most Americans are idolaters and don't even realize it! For many people (young and old alike), cars are their god. For others it is their motorcycle, pet dog, golfing, a boat, fishing, hunting, a guitar, a band, cooking or their girlfriend or wife. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, not at all; unless you allow these things to take precedence over God in your heart and life. Deuteronomy 6:11, “And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” Moses warned the Jews—after God had delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and provided all their needs bountifully—that they not become ingrates by forgetting the Lord. Sadly, they did forget! BEWARE LEST THOU FORGET THE LORD AMERICA!!!

Mark Chapman hated sin so much that he became disillusioned with reality, hating the sinner instead. Dear reader, we should never accept the sin with the sinner; nor reject the sinner with the sin. I love that important truth. It is worth remembering! We should never accept the sin with the sinner; nor reject the sinner with the sin. I am a born-again Christian first and foremost. That is the ONLY reason why I am going to Heaven, because of what Jesus—the Christ, the only begotten (biological) Son of the living God—did through Calvary's cross to pay my sin debt (and yours too friend)! Jesus was buried and bodily resurrected miraculously (by the power of God) three days later from the dead. This is “the Gospel” (or Good News) by which all who BELIEVE IT are immediately, irrevocably and forever saved (1st Corinthians 15:1-6; Romans 1:16; Galatians 3:26; Philippians 3:9; 1st Thessalonians 4:14).

I grew up in our American culture, born in 1967. I grew up listening to beautiful music, and was influenced by the same celebrities that the rest of us have. But now they are growing old, many having already died. I always wonder if famous people went to Heaven or Hell. If you listen to the ungodly world at their funerals, most of the time they automatically assume that everybody goes to Heaven. That reminds me of United Artist's 1989 movie: “All Dogs Go To Heaven.” I think it is so sad. In fact, it is evil blasphemy! Many children's resources are now advertising: “In Dog We Trust,” instead of “In God We Trust.” If you think that is merely harmless and cute, you are not right with God friend! The things of God are sacred, and no one ought ever diminish, make fun of, belittle or take God name in vain. If you think God has a sense of humor akin to perverse Late Night Television, you are in for a horrific surprise in eternity (Hebrews 10:31).

Anyway, I wrote this blog after watching a YouTube documentary about the life of John Lennon. At one time in John's life, he sought out compassion from Pastor Oral Roberts. Unfortunately, Roberts didn't treat John very well, and I have no doubt that it discourage him. Like most other Americans, John has seen Oral on television. All of those TV preachers are of the Devil!!! But in his search for God, John did publicly announce to the world that he became a Christian. I don't know if John went to Heaven or Hell, and that is the honest truth. I hope that John did, but I don't know. Only John, God, the Devil and those already in eternity know for sure where John Lennon is right now! But I can tell you upon the authority of the Scriptures that John either went to Heaven or Hell (John 3:16-18; 8:24; Revelation 14:13; 20:11-15).

Recently Olivia Newton John (1948-2022) died. I love her song: “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” I often here that song in my mind and it is so beautiful. Olivia did profess to be a Christian, but I couldn't find anything concrete online to determine if she was really saved. It always bothers me when someone claims to be a Christian, but there is no public testimony of it. Of course, that doesn't mean she didn't go to Heaven. In John 12:42-43, the Bible says that many of the chief rulers believed on Jesus, but they DID NOT confess Him, for fear of the Pharisees. The wicked Pharisees had warned that if anyone confessed Christ, they would be excommunicated from the synagogue. John 12:43 says that those chief rulers who believed loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. I think that was Olivia's testimony too, but I have a good feeling that she went to Heaven. I think there are quite a few celebrities who are saved, but keep it quiet to avoid public scrutiny (Luke 8:13; Galatians 2:2).

Yes, The Beatles are still sadly more popular than Jesus in many people's lives. But from a historical viewpoint, John Lennon was so very WRONG! It is possible to like a music group, and listen to their music, without worshipping them. In this video gone viral about a decade ago, a young teenage boy (he sadly looks like a girl), says that he will kill himself if Britney Spears kills herself because of her critics on social media. Folks, that is America today!

On August 23, 2022 an emotionally distressed girl jumped from a school's third floor.

Our foolish culture thinks that more emotional support is needed to prevent students from trying to kill themselves. When will the heathen world realize that youth need God in their curriculum. I don't care how much a child may learn about God at home, that youth is going to be broken and messed up being indoctrinated for 40 to 50 hours each week from ungodly curriculum and homework devoid of their Creator. God made us humans! When all else fails, read the instructions, that is, the inspired HOLY BIBLE!!!

Please read what the Bible says these Last Days will be like:

2nd Timothy 3:1-7, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

All we keep hearing from the media, police, teachers, you name it, is that we need more of everything except to put the inspired Holy Bible back into America's classrooms!!! Children need Jesus. We've allowed a tiny group of God-hating atheists to destroy our entire society, but they accept no responsibility for it! Truly, Satan is the god of this evil world (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4; 11:13-15).

I'll stop here. This was a longer blog, but an important one. I could write about John Lennon's infamous statement that The Beatles are more popular than Jesus for days. There are many different aspects of John's claim that could be addressed. I think it is terrible that John made that statement, showing that he had no regard for God's feelings. God does have feelings. It is possible to grieve God (Ephesians 4:30). The Bible says that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalms 7:11). I think it is clear that George Harrison went to Hell, according to the Holy Bible, since George worshipped Hara Krishna instead of Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Paul McCartney has made subtle professions of being everything from an ashiest, to an agnostic (not sure what's out there), to a Roman Catholic, to following Harrison's eastern mysticism. Will the real Paul McCartney please stand up? I simply don't know what he believes, and I doubt if Paul does either. Worldly riches, pleasures and fame blind men to the seriousness of preparing for eternity (Luke 16:19-31). Ringo Starr professes to be a Christian, but I read that he is a member of the apostate Church of England, with their Sacramental Salvation from their accursed water baptistry. That is NOT the Bible way to Heaven!!! Jesus warned in John 3:3b, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.”

John 3:3b, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.”

It Is God's Gift To Be Able To Write Blogs For Jesus

2nd Corinthians 9:1, “For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous (more than is needed, desired or required) for me to write to you:”

Philippians 3:1, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.”

2nd John 1:12, “Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”

3rd John 1:13, “I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:”

Jude 1:3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

I love those tremendous Scripture passages. My mind is always thinking about truths, ideas and people that I pray for. God knows that I care. Little things are important. Our great God is not so high and holy (like many horrible pastors today), that He is too busy to pay attention to the details. If you pay attention dear reader, you will find that the Christians who care the most are the ones who pay attention to details. God pays attention to the small details. God sees every bird that falls from the sky (Matthew 10:29). God knows the exact changing number of hairs upon our head (Matthew 10:30). God sees when we lie down and when we get up from our bed, and He knows our every thought (Psalms 139:1-6). Nothing is hidden from the omniscient eyes of God almighty. Hebrews 4:13, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Amen! Nothing is hidden from our awesome God!!!

I don't know about you, but I want to care about the LITTLE THINGS that matter. When I go to the grocery store, I always grab an empty cart in the parking lot to bring back in the store. I'm going that way anyway. It might seem like a small thing, but it is really a big thing, because it is caring. God cares! I see dozens of shopping carts left in store parking lots everywhere I go. That shows how selfish Americans have become. There is one that cometh after you friend!

I was thinking today of the wonderful gift God has given to me of writing website articles and blogs. There are so many unsaved, confused, lonely and hurting people in this world. A dear man wrote to me today, who thanked me for my website ministry. I never give out any names. Just so you know, I keep everything confidential that you tell me. He said that God had used my writings to help and bless his life. He spoke of trials and circumstances that took him to the bottom of life (I've been there!). I wrote back to encourage my dear brother in Christ, and shared with him helpful books on salvation, since he said he had concerns about Heaven. What a blessed privilege to be able to feed Jesus' sheep!!!

One of the most common things that I've been told over the years by my web visitors, is that they have emailed pastors who either didn't care, didn't respond or mistreated them. I thank God for the opportunity to help those rejected people. It matters how we treat people! It really does. I've learned that people just want to be loved, so let's love the hell out of them!!! God pity and deliver us from today's shallow, uncaring, superficial and phony type of Christianity at Pensacola Christian College, that doesn't care if someone is sleeping in Walmart's parking lot. 

The first day that I met Pastor Jeff Redlin on July 4th, 2021, at the Campus Church picnic, I told him that I had just arrived from the island of Guam 36 hours earlier, and the hotel that I made reservations at a month ago, screwed me, leaving my homeless. So I told Pastor Redlin the truth that I was sleeping in Walmart's parking lot. I saw the startled look on his face, that he was surprised and thinking, and then he just walked away, not to return. Folks, that is not a caring pastor. That is not a spirit-filled man.

Pastor Jeff Redlin missed a wonderful blessed opportunity that God gave to him, who could have helped me that day, but he dropped the ball and blew it, leaving his Christian brother to sleep in Walmart's parking lot. With several hundred church members present at the picnic, I'm sure anybody would have helped me, if their pastor had simply asked them, but he didn't care at all. I don't hate Pastor Redlin, but I concluded after being ignored, mistreated and insulted by him in July of 2021 that he doesn't care about people.

When I told Pastor Redlin that I was divorced and lonely, and hoped to find a wife at Campus Church, he shamefully scolded me, jumping to the false conclusion that the only reason I came to Campus Church was to find a wife. That is a belligerent and foolish pastor. Something is terrible wrong with Jeff Redlin, for which he ought not be a pastor. A pastor needs to have God's unconditional love for everyone. You don't scold a 54 year old divorced man for saying that he hopes to find a wife. Jeff Redlin has a wife for comfort, sex, companionship and home-cooked meals. But I'm supposed to eat at McDonalds, relieve myself with a pillow and napkins, buy a dog for companionship and suffer loneliness for the rest of my life. This is the INSANE mindset of the entire Pensacola Christian College camp, for which they royally suck rotten eggs!!!

There is not a more hypocritical, unbalanced, unrealistic and unfair group today than the PCC camp. SHAME on Jeff Redlin! SHAME on Campus Church! SHAME on Pensacola Christian College, for berating and making single divorced people who hope to remarry feel like garbage. What saith the Scripture? 1st Corinthians 7:1-2, “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” There you have it, in plain English. Evidently Pastor Jeff Redlin would rather that a man go to the brothel for the rest of his life to cope with his libido.

Do you really think that our great God doesn't care about divorced people? Some people can live alone and live without carnal knowledge (physical intimacy), but most men cannot! Many divorced men will go to Hell one day, because they wouldn't have anything to do with the hypocrites at PCC. It is the same as Christians who believe that the earth if flat. Normal people who are lost without Jesus Christ WON'T listen to a flat-earth NUT when they try to preach the Gospel. I sure wouldn't! The Young Earth Creation heresy is another rotten apple. I have heard many unsaved people criticize Christian NUTS who believe that dinosaurs walked the earth 5,000 years ago. Folks, these may seem like little things, but God does not. These are important issues. Science, the Bible and common sense teach an Old Earth.

I don't enjoy using strong language at times when I write, but it needs to be done! At times I may seem rude and crude with my words, but it only because I am preaching THE TRUTH as it should be preached, direct, to the point and without compromise or apology! I am calling Pensacola Christian College out for the mistreatment of divorced people and former students. They owe me a big apology at PCC, for their horrible senior pastor who woefully lacks compassion! Jeff Redlin is the opposite of humble. He is full of sinful pride, ego and stubbornness to apologize and make things right. The only apology you'll ever get from Mr. Redlin will be full of excuses, and junk like: “It was unintentional.” Redlin is a liar! He never did apologize for scolding me for hoping to find a wife at Campus Church. Pastor Redlin is not God, but he acts like it when he condemns people for being human (John 3:17).

I care about little things, which is exactly why I preach against phonies like Pastor Jeff Redlin, and I will continue to do so. It matters how we treat people. When someone asks me to pray for them, I PRAY FOR THEM!!! God knows that I have never once missed a rent payment in my life. Since 1993, I have never been late on paying a bill, except one time when the U.S. Postal Service got lazy and someone failed to do their job, leaving the mailbox at O'Hare Airport in Chicago full for weeks. My credit card payment sat idle in their mailbox. As saints our testimony affects others. That is exactly what the inspired Holy Bible means in Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Paying our bills on time as Christians is important, because we are ambassadors for Christ here on earth (2nd Corinthians 5:20-21).

Before 1993, when I was struggling to find a good job, during the nationwide recession around 1990-1993, I had difficulty paying my bills. When for the first time I had some checks bounce in 1989, I immediately closed my checking account and for the next few years paid all my bills with Money Orders. You know what, I NEVER had another bad check bounce, because I didn't use checks anymore! It is easy to hit the bottom of one's bank account when you're always scraping close to the bottom. I've been there! Psalms 37:21, “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.”

Little things are very important, not only to God, but also to other people with whom we interact. I bought some small pecans pies at a local gift store for a 91 year old lady in our church, just to let her know that I care. Jesus didn't spend His time selfishly thinking about Himself. The Bible says that He continually thought upon the things of OTHERS, thinking of ways that He could be a blessing. I'm confident that as a carpenter that Jesus fixed a lot of broken things for free, showing God's unconditional love, for He is God almighty and our blessed Savior (to those who have believed on Him - Romans 1:16).

All these shameful big name preachers today, like Pat Robertson and Benny Hinn, who dishonestly lie and con people out of their money are of the Devil (John 8:44). LIARS!!! Benny Hinn was proven a blatant fraud by the media many years ago. Pat Robertson and company have been lying to people for decades, falsely promising divine healing through their TV sets. Anytime that money is involved with God healing anyone, you KNOW that it is of the Devil (Acts 8:20). God's power is NOT for sale, and neither am I. My ministry labors are all for God. My preaching is none of my business, God alone tells me what to preach!!!

I THANK GOD with all my heart for allowing me to live to preach THE TRUTH, to write blogs and website articles to reach lost people for Jesus Christ. I THANK GOD for the wonderful gift and privilege to write blogs to FEED HIS SHEEP (John 21:17). I am just a humble, redeemed, broken, sinner, like anyone else. I do not claim to be a good Christian, but by God's grace I want to be. I long for the glorious day when my soul and spirit depart from this sinful flesh, to go to be with Jesus in eternity (2nd Corinthians 5:7-8). Jesus is worthy!!!

Years ago, around 1990, I had a car fall on me and I came within just second of dying. I had been replacing a deflective starter motor. I was working in the street in front of my father's Rescue Mission. I placed the weight of the car upon the jack, instead of lowering the car upon the two jack stands that I did have in place. When my creeper wheel got stuck on a pebble, I pulled on the car to unstick the heel, and unknowingly toppled the car and jack stand over. I had the full weight of a Ford Toranado front-wheel drive vehicle weighing down upon me, with a creeper under me. I was suffocating quickly. I couldn't breathe, screaming for help in an empty neighborhood. I almost died that day.

But I thank God for a black man who heard me cries for help. With trembling hands he didn't know what to do. I knew that if I didn't calm down, I would pass out and he wouldn't know what to do, and I would have died. So while gasping for breath I explained for him to place the car jack under the frame, and to tighten the value and pump the jack handle. I THANK GOD for that dear man! I THANK GOD that he had enough mechanical know-how to work the jack. That man saved my life! I often think about all the people who wouldn't have been saved, and how meaningless my life would have been, and I couldn't have been a father to my four children, or a husband to my fie, had I died that frightening day. If it hadn't been for that dear black man, I wouldn't be writing this blog, and none of my 9 websites or 8 blogs would exist. So I THANK GOD for giving me a second chance at life, and much moreover, eternal life.

I love you dear friend, whoever you may be. God loves everyone, saved or lost, and so should we as God's children. God pity the foolish preacher who teaches his congregation to hate anyone! We must hate sin, but never people. We ought to never accept the sin with the sinner, nor reject the sinner with the sin. People just want to be loved. Jude 1:22, “And of some have compassion, making a difference:”

Focus On Christ Alone And Not Yourself For Assurance

2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

A hurting man has been emailing me in recent months. He is struggling with sin in his life, both past and present. According to his testimony, he has done horribly sinful things in his past, so much so that he is finding it hard to believe he is saved. I have exchanged a few dozen emails with him, recommending free online books, sermons, Gospel tracts and other helpful resources to guide him along. Mostly, I have encouraged him to spend a lot of time meditating in the King James Bible. Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you are struggling dear reader with any type of faith based issue, I highly recommend that you get into the Word of God. All of the modern Bible revisions are corrupted by the Devil, so I only use and recommend the inspired King James Bible.

I also gave the man I mentioned a few dozen Scripture passages, kindly suggesting that he commit them to memory to help him combat his doubts. As we just read in Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing God's Word. That is also a big reason why it is very important that you and I, and every born-again believer, attend a solid Bible-believing church in your local community. Sadly, there are a lot of junk churches today, especially in the United States. You never know what to expect when you walk into a new church. So be on guard. Just be friendly toward everyone, humble, and go see what the church is about. Here is a list of Baptist churches near you (more).

It is normal to feel a bit awkward and strange for the first few visits. It is important that you feel comfortable overall being there. Just give it some time. It is very important that the pastor preaches a free grace view of the Gospel, and not the demonic junk called Lordship Salvation (LS). LS basically teaches that faith is not enough to get to Heaven. In addition, you are told that you must turn away from your sinful behavior, surrendering “all” to Christ, in an exchange of all that you are for all that Jesus is. LS is a toxic poison which has contaminated many churches today, turning once great churches into deadly religious cults. Please RUN AWAY quickly from any church, if you hear the pastor saying that you cannot merely accept Jesus as your Savior to be saved, but also, in addition, he says we must watch to examine that person's life for awhile to see if they're really saved. That is not the saving Gospel of free grace, not by a longshot, it is a works-based type of counterfeit salvation.

Getting back to the man I mentioned, I also sent him a link to my 42 chapter book called: 'SALVATION' to share my own testimony and truths which the Lord has taught me in my Christian life. I kindly sent him internet links to hundreds of helpful Bible sermons about salvation. Some of the best and most helpful salvation sermons you can share with others is on YouTube by Pastor Ralph 'Yankee' Arnold. Yet, despite all these helpful resources they guy emailed me back in desperation, saying that he needs me to pray for him that God will force him to believe, because he just doesn't have any faith that Christ will save him because of his wickedness. 

I get emails like this from time to time, and they are always easy for me to deal with. They are easy for a few reasons. First, God has blessed me with an excellent understanding of the Gospel. I had great teachers (Dr. Jack Hyles, Evangelist Harry Ironside, Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, et cetera). Second, the Gospel is simple. The Bible calls the Gospel “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). Men always complicate things, but God made salvation simple. The Lord needed to keep salvation simple, because there are a lot of ignorant and base type of people in the world who cannot grasp complicated things. God is a good, fair and reasonable Creator. You cannot outdo God friend, He knows what He's doing.

Unfortunately, the man has persistently written back to express his religious scrupulosity, afraid that he is not saved, worried about going to Hell, asking me to pray for God to save him. I kindly responded by letting him know that I cannot pray for what he is asking. I do not have the right, nor is it proper biblically, to ask God to save someone. There is only one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1st Timothy 2:5-6). I did however let him know that I did pray for God to give him knowledge and wisdom to help him understand the truth of the Gospel. I have explained the Gospel to him multiple times. But it doesn't matter what I say, because he is focusing on himself instead of Christ concerning salvation.

I didn't write this blog article to criticize the man in question; but rather, to help others who may be in a similar situation. It is my privilege to help others for Christ, so I maintain a humble spirit. Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Friend, I cannot save you. No Catholic priest or Lutheran minister has the right nor power to forgive anyone's sins. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and men. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

When I send several dozen resources (books, sermons and tracts) to a person who is struggling to settle the assurance of salvation, and they persist to tell me that they just don't feel like they are saved, then it becomes clear to me that they are either:

1. LAZY - They're not reading the books and sermons, nor listening to the sermons I have shared with them. Ninety-nine percent of the time, when people cannot get it settled after I help them, they never tell me about truths they read or learned from the resources I have kindly shared with them. Literally, some people would rather worry than study. They are lazy. For whatever reason they won't help them self by studying. What did Jesus say? John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Dear friend, if you are struggling to know you are saved, the answer is IN THE SCRIPTURE! I can show you Bible verses all day, but until you apply yourself to understand God's Word, you won't settle anything. People write to me and want me to tell them that they are saved, but I cannot and will not do that. You need to KNOW that you are saved based upon the written PROMISES of God in His Word. Jesus said to SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES!!!
2. LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE - They are focusing on them self instead of Christ. When Moses formed some brass into the shape of a serpent, the Israelites were told to LOOK AND LIVE. Because of their complaining God sent fiery deadly serpents (snakes) among the people to bite them. God instructed Moses to hold up the brass serpent on a pole, and whosoever LOOKED to the serpent LIVED. That serpent symbolized Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God Who chose to became as sin for you and me, to redeem us from the consequences of sin in Hell (2nd Corinthians 5:21). John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Get your mind off yourself concerning salvation. Your attitude toward your sins has nothing to do with getting saved, except that you acknowledge being a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God (Romans 3:19-20). 
You and I contribute NOTHING to our salvation except the SIN that made it necessary.

3. THEY HAVE OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) - OCD is a mental disorder, and no amount of Bible knowledge is going to help them short term. If a person is a worry wart, then their problem is psychological. The only advice I have for such a person is to bath your mind, heart and life with the King James Bible. Listen to Bible preaching every day. Every believer should attend a local Bible-believing church. I understand that there are many junk churches today, and not everyone has a good sound church to attend. But most people who email me with a bunch of problems DON'T go to church at all, nor do they desire to go. We all need fellowship with other believers, to encourage, comfort, love and help one another. There are several helpful website for people with OCD concerning assurance of salvation. I can help people who are ignorant of the Bible, but I cannot help people who refuse to trust Christ in lieu of the plain truth set before them.

Dear reader, please don't be scared off if you have any Bible questions for me. As long as you have Bible questions I CAN help you. But when you write to me, after all the truths I have shared with you, and tell me that you just don't trust Christ and you don't know why, I cannot help you any further. When a man tells me that he doesn't trust Jesus, and asks me to pray for God to force him to believe, I have nothing else to say to him. What do you mean you don't believe, but want to believe, and want me to pray for God to save you? I mean, you either believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, the Christ, or you don't. You are either wholly relying upon Jesus, Who became the sacrifice for your sins on the cross, or you don't.

I kindly told the man that he is suffering from religious scrupulosity and is driving himself crazy by thinking too much. Salvation is so simple friend. Men always complicate everything. I understand what it feels like to have doubts, fear and cry in torment because I couldn't find the assurance of my salvation. But I never told God that I don't believe and don't know why. That is ridiculous. I always told God that I DO believe, but I still didn't FEEL like I was saved. I suffered for 7 miserable years as a lonely teenager, unable to find the sweet peace that I was saved. In hindsight, I learned many years later that I was simple ignorant of how salvation works. I had been misled by Baptist preachers my whole life, whole taught me to pray a prayer to get saved. That is the worst advice you can give an unsaved person, to pray to get saved.

I have had preachers rebuke me for teaching that prayer is not the Bible way to be saved. Folks, it is not the Bible way to be saved. Nowhere in the Gospel of John are we taught to PRAY to receive Christ as our personal Savior. In particular, respectfully, Pastor Steven Anderson (and those pastors who are die hard followers of his New IFB movement) are adamant about the necessity to pray to get saved. That is unbiblical. Don't take my word for it, study the Scripture for yourself. I triple-dog dare you to show me where the Bible commands anyone to pray to receive God's free gift of eternal life. You cannot! I say that kindly, but truthfully. We are saved simply by BELIEVING. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Dear reader, Christ paid it all. Jesus paid your debt of sin and mine. Anybody who comes to God as a dirty guilty sinner, receiving Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for their sins, is immediately, irrevocably and permanently saved. Now, it is not wrong to pray a prayer at the time of salvation. In fact, it is natural for someone to desire to pray. That is fine to do. I am not saying that someone who prays and asks Jesus to save them is not saved. I believe that Pastor Anderson, and the other pastors who follow his leadership worldwide, are legitimately getting people saved. But I am saying that I personally went through several unnecessary years of confusion, worry and misery because I was focusing on whether I prayed right or left something out. I was trusting Jesus with all my heart. I know I was saved at age 13. But I was looking at the wrong thing to find assurance, and it misled me. Until you LOOK TO JESUS alone, and not worry about your part in salvation, you'll never find peace.

Being confused doesn't necessarily mean you are not saved (but it certainly could mean that too). It all depends on what you are confused about, and where your trust rests. I always trusted Christ 100% from the very moment I was saved. But I thought the way you trust Christ is by asking Him to save you through prayer. I came to eventually learn that we are saved simply by BELIEVING, and nothing else. Praying is not believing, but a person may pray because they believe, which is what I did (Romans 10:14). Focus on Christ alone concerning salvation. If your faith is in the GOOD NEWS of Christ crucified, buried and risen, you are saved according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4.

But Whom Say Ye That I Am?

Matthew 16:13-17, “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Jesus was testing His disciples in our text passage of Scripture. The Lord asked them whom the people say that He is. The disciples responded by saying that some of the people think he is Elijah the prophet. Others said that He is Jeremiah the prophet. Still other said He is John the Baptist. But the Lord asked them the $64,000 question: “BUT WHOM SAY YE THAT I AM?” I love how impetuous Peter was, speaking right up to say: “THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD”! Boy, I love that! And I 100% agree with Peter. Jesus is the promised Christ that should come, to save us from our sins. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the living God. Jesus “is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe” (1st Timothy 4:10).

Oh dear friend, do you believe? John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” Carefully notice that Jesus didn't ask the disciples in Matthew 16:13-17 if they had “repented and turned away from their sins.” This is a popular damnable heresy which has crept into most Baptist churches today, called Calvinism (aka, Lordship Salvation). The Gospel set forth in the Scriptures is intentionally kept very easy, simple and free, so that even a small child can be saved, simply by believing upon the name of the Lord. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. He was buried. Three days later He physically resurrected from the dead. This is the Gospel (or Good News) according to John 19-20 and 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Believe it oh sinner and you have eternal life!

The inspired Word of God is so simple. Men complicate everything, don't they? Yes, men make salvation hard. If you don't believe it, read what Pastor John MacArthur teaches, even using the word “HARD” concerning salvation. No my friend, getting saved is not hard at all, it is very simple according to the Bible. 2nd Corinthians 11:3-4, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” 

So I ask you friend, whom do you say that Jesus is? If you think Jesus was a mere historical figure—a man who once existed, but died like any other man, then you are not saved. If you merely think that Jesus was a prophet, as did George Harrison of The Beatles, then you are not saved. If you think Jesus was a remarkable man, who spoke some great enlightening words, but was elevated by men to the status of deity, then you are not saved. Ah, but if you accept what the Holy Bible teaches—that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16), the crucified, buried and risen Christ (John 20:31), and you receive His sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins—you have eternal life. Whom say ye that Jesus is?

You're Not Going To Heaven Just Because You Love God

Matthew 15:7-9, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

What an indictment against manmade religion! There are billions of religious people in the world, who sincerely think they love God. An estimated 1.6 billion Muslims reject Jesus as the Messiah, worshipping instead a false god called “Allah.” According to the Koran, Allah has no biological son. But the Christian Holy Bible teaches that God has a biological Son, whose name is Jesus. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Galatians 3:22, “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Before the world began, God promised eternal life through faith in Christ. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

There are an estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics who are infatuated with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Of course, we know from the Bible itself that Mary did not remain a virgin. Matthew 13:55-56, “Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?” In this passage of Scripture we learn that Jesus had at least four biological half-brothers and two half-sisters. Joseph was NOT Jesus' biological father, God Himself is. Jesus was conceived of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). Please note that all Scripture references are only to the inspired King James Bible, because all of the modern Bible revisions have been corrupted by the Devil.

So just between Muslims and Roman Catholics, and another 200 million Orthodox Catholics and Europe and Russia, this amounts to 3 billion people who have religion without salvation. There is no salvation apart from faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:10-12). Bible salvation excludes the 1.6 billion Muslims who are trusting in Allah to save them, based upon their works. According to the Bible not one of them will ever enter into the Kingdom of God. John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” There is no true salvation in Islam.

And then there are 1.4 billion Roman and Orthodox Catholics, who elevate the traditions of men above the inspired Word of God, keeping their own commandments, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9b). I say that with love, and a kind heart, upon the authority of God's Word. Galatians 1:6-8, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” 

The Apostle Paul defines “THE GOSPEL” in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” The Word of God defines “THE GOSPEL” as Christ's death on the cross, burial, and bodily resurrection three days later. This is the GOOD NEWS (which is what the word “Gospel” means), that you must BELIEVE to be saved (i.e., to receive eternal life).

What saith the Scripture? Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The word “repent” in this verse simply means “to change one's mind,” but not to turn away from sinful living (which many heretical preachers teach today, like Ken Ham, John MacArthur, Ray Comfort and Bob Jones University). Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980) offers this helpful explanation...

There are those hyper-dispensationalists who think that John the Baptist preached a different Gospel from Christ when he commanded repentance (Matt. 3:2). But it is the same repentance Jesus commanded in Matthew 4:17, in Luke 13:3 and 5, and the same repentance that Paul preached in Athens that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30 31). Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith: it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith. 

Everyone who genuinely repented under the preaching of John the Baptist put his trust in the Saviour John the Baptist preached, and was regenerated. There is no such thing as being “a disciple of John the Baptist” in any honest sense without being a disciple of Jesus, that is, without trusting Christ for salvation.

There are those who think that Peter in Acts 2:38 and 39 preached that baptism was essential to salvation when he said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” But the phrase “for the remission of sins” could well be translated “referring to the remission of sins” for the indefinite preposition of reference and so used many, many times in the Bible. People are not baptized in order to be saved, but baptized with reference to the salvation they had when they repented. So it has always been among Bible-believing Christians who follow the Scriptures.

So here in Acts 10:43 we have the statement by Peter, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Get this great doctrinal matter settled: God has only one plan of salvation and that is all He ever had! He has only one Saviour, and that is Jesus Christ. Every Old and New Testament prophet agrees in this that “whosoever believeth in him shall have remission of sins.” [emphasis added]

SOURCE: Evangelist John R. Rice, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” pp. 250-252; Sword Of The Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; ©1963

Amen and amen! John the Baptist didn't preach a different plan of salvation than Jesus or Paul, but one and the same Gospel. Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith—it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather, repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. This is so important to see dear reader! One repents toward God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith. A person does not have to forsake sinful behavior to be saved; but rather, they must see them self as a needy sinner.

What saith the Scripture? Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” The purpose of the law is to show humanity our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24-26). We are all guilty sinners (Romans 3:23). Galatians 3:19, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” Jesus Christ is the “seed,” unto Whom God the Father promised that all men could be saved through faith in Him. The law was given because of man's sins, to show us our need for salvation through Christ. This is all part of God's sovereign plan for the human race—eternal life through faith alone in Christ—which was promised before the world began (Titus 1:2). The law was never given as a way of salvation; but rather, as a means to facilitate salvation by grace through faith.

Dear reader, you are not going to Heaven just because you love God. A man named Cornelius loved God in Acts 10:1-2, but he was not saved. You are not going to Heaven just because you are devoutly religious (as evidenced by the religious Pharisees in Jesus' time). Matthew 5:20, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Dear friend, you must be BORN AGAIN to get to Heaven! You are not going to Heaven because of your own goodness, charity, love, kindness, dedication, hard work, nor anything else that you can do. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9b). Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. 

A Poem I Made For Abby Who I Love

Song Of Solomon 4:7, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” Song Of Solomon 5-8-9, “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?”

I have been in love with a young Christian woman since 2017, who visits across the street from me. She used to live across the street in 2017, but then moved away last year to my sadness. Now she visits, sometimes a few times in a week; or sometimes I don't see her for a couple weeks, and my heart aches in loneliness to see her again. She is my happy thought. 

I lay thinking of her today, tears upon my pillow, hurting to be near her and part of her life. I wrote this poem for her, about her, which I hope she will read from my heart.

Abby is her name. 

Abby, 'tis such a pretty name, to match your dainty and charm, I pray and wish our hearts could be one, holding each by the arm; You bring me happy thoughts, thinking of you throughout the day, always praying that perhaps one day, you'll feel the same way.

You captured my heart four years ago, on a sunny spring day, as I watched you cut the grass, and my heart was mowed away; I think you are an amazing creature, spectacular by far, I wouldn't change anything about you, I love you as you are. 

Painting on the roof, working in the yard, I see Abby work so hard, She's special to me, for all to see, earning my highest regard; I pray one day she would be my wife, the happiest thought of my life, but if it's not meant to be, only God can set my heart's love for her free.

Abby is her lovely name.