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Ministry Qualifications

"Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely, he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit". John 3:1-5

(CF. Acts 1:8, Acts 2:4-38, Mark 16:14-26, Matthew 28:19-20,)

Some time ago I out together a training course called God's Grunts: Training The New Third Order. This is designed for the person who is called to the ministry but has not time to seek professional training. This is a condensed version to get one started in evangelizing and then discipling.

However, it has come to my attention that some might not be ready yet to grab their mantle and go. The qualifications for the Lords ministerial work is two fold. One must be "born again" and water baptized. The second part is also crucial in that one needs to be Spirit baptized too. If Jesus told the desciples to wait until the Holy Spirit comes upon them then everyone else needs that same experience too. Getting baptized into the Holy Spirit means two things; 1. God has accepted you as family and 2. You are now ready for ministry.

Now, how do I know God is calling me into ministry? The easiest answer I can give is that for me it was a near audible calling and anew found need to learn what I was to do. For others, the call me be more subtle in that one just finds a path that works perfectly.

Some of us that were called God moved us away from our home base. I imagine this was for us to learn unencumbered by friends, family and others. Instead, we are given to others to teach us, or disciple us. My example is that I went to a Pentecostal Bible College in Louisiana. After that I moved to southeastern Tennessee where I stayed for 9 years. In the meantime, I was called into the Catholic Community where I taught for three years through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) prograsm. After that, I maintained a laid-back street ministry with bikers, punks, junkies, and gay folks. They all needed Jesus, but did not wish to hear any religious BS. They heard it all before, but never actually seen it in their lives.

This is a part of the training, to learn to be that beacon of light without being religious. Jamming Jesus down anyone's throat is a total loser. You might be surprised at how many will listen to you when you pray for them. They may not make any steps right then, but the seeds are planted and that is what counts.

In closing, one cannot do this without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Letting God work through you is not easy, but He produces results.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

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Of Backstabbers, Backbenchers, and Bloviators

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool. Proverbs 10:18

"They smiling in your face. All the time, they want to take your place. The back stabbers." The O'Jays Some of you may recognize the lyrics to the hit single by The O'Jays. They still ring true as the groove that made the song a hit. 

Backstabbers are a pain no matter where they are. These are the jealous ones because they are not the one leading the band, the choir, or preaching in the pulpit. These same people when they get their chance do not prepare or just are not up to the task at hand. When it happens, they blame everyone but the one in the mirror. 

In a church, backstabbers are devastating as they cause strife and division amongst congregation. These are the spawns of Satan and need to be dealt with as soon as possible. If not, then the church eventually splits and there is no growth as part of it dies off. The way to do this is found in Matthew's gospel 18:15-17. If the person is not responsive to in house rebuke for the sin of jealousy, then it is time to give them the right foot of fellowship out the door. Sound harsh? you bet it is, BUT it is what Jesus taught the disciples. However, forgiveness goes along way after repentance to.

The next problem child in the church is the bloviator. These are the self-professed "super saints" of the church. You know who they are as they make sure that you know who they are and how important they are. 

Bloviators are a problem because they really do not do anything and whatever advice they might offer a newbie might be detrimental to that newbie's Christian walk and growth. Bloviators just need to be held in check. A little talk and a refresher on what Jesus had so say about those that offer their prayers with a dash of flair for all to see. Rewards come to those who do their grunt work in private. 

The last ones here are the backbenchers. These are the ones that might be called the "cultural Christians". They are not involved in any church activities or outreach services. They basically blend into the background. Whie it is nice that they attend services, but unless there is a serious reasoning for them not to get involved and grow their Christian walk they will eventually fade when things get tough. 

The solution is a friendly chat to see if they need anything the church can provide. If they say, all is well then offer them a chance to get involved. Sometimes all it takes it asking them to do a little. 

My conclusion is this. Jesus calls us all to participate in the growth and spreading of His gospel. not everyone gets to be the star of the show. Many of us get to do other things for the gospel. Every job and task is important. Do not be jealous, do not brag, and do not be a wallflower.

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The Adventures of Rev. Harold "Harry" Tick The Bible

Let us introduce you to the Rev. Harold "Harry" Tick, head Pastor of the Fundamentalist, Holiness, Church of God. Rev. Tick believes that the Bible is the only thing one needs to preach God's word, and the King James Version is the only one "authorized". This is a pseudo conversation I had with the good Rev. Tick on the Bible.

Me: So, Rev Tick, no other Bibles can be considered authentic translations before the King James?

Tick: Why would there be other translations anyway? The King James is the one we use because it is the only one authorized.

Me: Then who authorized it? It should say on the title page.

Tick: Let me take a look and satisfy your question. See, it says "approved to be read in Churches."

Me: The other notation here says it was produced in 1611. That would be about 1600 years after the last Apostle died. That brings me to this question, "are any of the Bibles produced before the King James valid then? And then, if not why?"

Tick: You mean there are other Bibles before the King James? How can that be? This is the only one "approved to be read in Churches."

Me: Brother Tick, there was a Version of the Old Testament that was produced about 100 years before Jesus was even born. It is called the Septuagint. The Septuagint was produced for the Greek speaking peoples who were Jews. Most of the Greek Jews, or the Samaritans, did not read Hebrew and so 70 scholars translated the Hebrew scriptures, used at the time, into Greek.

Tick: So, what does that have to do with the King James?

Me: About 2/3 of the New Testament quotes are found in the Septuagint. Along with that there is the doctrine of the resurrection found in the books of the Maccabees. More important is that Jesus might have read the Septuagint too. This was the popular standard to read amongst the people.

Tick: What about the Hebrew scriptures?

Me: Once the Jews were dispersed from Jerusalem for the final time, until 1947, the priests and Hebrew scholars decided to codify the Old Testament in 490 AD. Their standard was that nothing written after BC 450, or not written in Hebrew would be included. That meant 7 books were left off the Old Testament you have today.

Tick: So, what did they do with those extra books?

Me: A version of the New Testament was compiled by the Gnostic Marcion in the early 2nd century. His version contained only edited copies of Luke's and Paul's writings and none of the Old Testament. Marcion considered the "god" of the Old Testament evil and the "god" of the New Testament good.

So, what this did was force the Church to compile and produce a New Testament. After many years of laborious work in settling into what we have today as the New Testament. Keep in mind there are literally hundreds of New Testament writings that were written in the early centuries.

Tick: so, what we have here is a Holy Ghost inspired Bible, right?

Me: Yes, we do Brother Tick. There were many updated translations over the many years and differences about the extra books in the Septuagint. Because the New Testament was not officially complied until the Council of Carthage on 397 AD were all 27 books of the New Testament settled as "authorized". In the meantime, the Church was using the Septuagint version of the Old Testament in their translations.

Tick: Why did the Church use the Septuagint instead of the Hebrew version?

Me: Well, Brother Tick, the versions with the extra books were considered the "authorized" versions when they made translations. For instance, the Latin Vulgate was translated into Latin for the Roman society in the late 4th century by St. Jerome and Latin became the official Biblical language in the Roman Catholic Church. There is more. Before the King James was produced, in 1568 the Latin Vulgate was translated into English for the Catholic Church. This was the standard bearer for the English-speaking Catholic Church until the 20th century. Why this version is important is that it was used in translating the New Testament for the King James.

Tick: How can that be? The King James is only used in Bible believing churches.

Me: What I told you is historical truth. Now, you can run but you cannot hide the truth.

Here is what I recommend to you so you can enrich your biblical knowledge. First head to the nearest Christian bookstore. Ask the clerk to get you a Strong's Concordance to go with your King James. This has every word in your Bible referenced and cross checked. Then, get a copy of Vine's New Testament words in Greek. This is for the person that likes to study but cannot read Greek. Finally, get a parallel Bible. This will help you get a grip on the context of the scriptures by comparing to other newer translations.

I see your church is stagnant. This might be that your sermons are stagnant and sometimes off target. Get these books, go home and pray for your next sermon and when God speaks a topic, or passage to you then go and dig into it with these tools.

Me: Brother Tick, I would not recommend anything to you that would not expand your biblical knowledge I do not use myself. Until next time Brother Tick, be open to what the Holy Spirit is telling you. God needs you to succeed.

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The Adventures of Rev. Harold "Harry" Tick Getting Saved and Predestination

When I first encountered Rev. Tick the first thing, he brought up was if I was saved or not. That made for this delightful and yet kind of disturbing discussion on salvation and predestination. Here we go….. Me: Brother Tick I never have any reservations taking about my salvation through Jesus Christ, but I feel i must ask you the same question. Wht makes you saved

Tick: First of all, the way you look tells me that you might not be all that saved. You need a haircut, a shave and certanly a new wardrobe.

Me: So, what you are saying is that I need to get me a $100 haircut and shave, along with a Men's Warehouse black three-piece suit and a pair of Wolf and Shepherd shoes so I look more funeral director than Wall Street broker, correct?

Tick: Well, maybe not that extreme, but as Jesus did say, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” Mark 2:2

Me: That is a good point there, but were all the people Jesus healed and forgave sins go home and put on their "Sunday best" for Jesus first? So, that makes what you said not quite applicable. I believe the verse you are using is where Jesus is referring to the new person once they receive the gift of salvation from Jesus. All things are now new, and the old "skins" are discarded. In other words, I really do not need to be shaved to be saved, correct?

Tick: You know you got a great point there. I think even Peter encountered Jesus while working in the buff.

Me: No hiding anything there.

Tick: However, I believe that there are some people God has predesignated to Heaven and others to Hell.

Me: Really, so no one gets a free choice in the matter.

Tick: Not really, because the Bible is full of references to predestination.

Me: In other words, if no one has a say in the decision by God s to where one's soul ends up then why do He need you? The final decisions have been made and there nothing you can say or do about it.

Tick: The fairness is the God will judge us all the same.

Me: According to what you tell me is that even though you have been a man of God for decades your destination was made up before you were born. It is a nice way of telling you, Harold Tick? Am looking in my Book of Life and you are not in here. Sorry, but you cannot come in.

Now, the jerk behind you has done nothing worthy of Heaven including denying all things Jesus Christ gets invited in because God chose him before he was born. That is predestination to me.

Tick: I never looked at it this way.

Me: I do believe God has foreknowledge of a person's destination, but there always has to be the chance to make a decision for Christ or not. Before we leave the subject of getting saved, do you believe in "once saved always saved"?

Tick: Yes, I believe that thoroughly.

Me: Let me ask you this then. If a person sincerely accepts Jesus as their savior. They repent get baptized, etc. and sometime down the road they reject their faith and publicly denounce it. Are they still saved?

Tick: The question would have to be, were they saved in the first place? They would be considered liars and reprobates and never were saved.

Me: I believe this goes with that "free will" part of the human experience. Either way, I think we both agree that it is how one finishes the race, as St. Paul said in 2nd Timothy, "For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance."

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The Adventures of Rev. Harold "Harry" Tick Lessons Page

The Bible - What one should take away from this lesson here is that using a Bible that was written 600 years ago as the only source for scripture study can lead to one to unintended doctrines. What one does need to go with that KJV is a Stong's Concordance, and a Vine's New Testament Words in Greek, and maybe a parallel Bible. Remember, the three things always are true when readng scripture.

What does it say?

What does it mean?

How does it apply to me? (read Romans 12:1,2) Getting Saved and Predestination Jesus and the Apostles gave us the traditional formula for a person to be saved.

Repent (admit you screwed up, ask forgiveness and ask Jesus into your heart)

Get baptized (getting poured on or dunked both count)

Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (you know something has changed inside) 3a. Get baptized in the Holy Spirit (this is having God give you your spiritual gifts) Predestination means no one knows until they "finish the race" but everyone gets their chance at redemption during their lifetime. (read John chapter 3:1f) The Church Read and study all the "Great Commission" passages in the New Testament. Read, study and discuss 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 how this applies to the church today.

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Could Be Rough Times Ahead

“When you see the desolating abomination spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house, a person in the field must not return to get his cloak. -- Matthew 24:14-18

You have heard it, seen, and maybe even felt that there are wars, and rumors of more wars, diseases, famines, and persecutions happening. Some theologians have been spouting the dispensationist pre-tribulation rapture since the 19th century. The question is if that is true then why is the Church beginning to see and feel the pains of persecution?

The Apocalypse of John To get to the point here one has to have a cursory understand of what apocalyptic literature is. Without that basic understanding then there are many bad and dangerously false teachings to come out of this book. First of all, this type if literature was not unusual during the times of Christ. It was developed to hide messaging from the Romans through types and symbolism. Second, it was to convey current messaging of the day of what is going on and hope for the future. Third, while the types and symbolism were meant for the ancient days it was written in one can get a glimpse of prophecy in the messaging.

The Church is not mentioned by name after chapter two but is referred to throughout the book. The Church is what the book is all about. Suffering persecutions on Heaven and Earth the Church does prevail in the end and that is the hope of glory right there. So, not see the word Church mentioned in the book after chapter 2 does not prove anything for a pre-trib rapture.

However, in the two chapters where Jesus is messaging the churches the messages is for what was happening to the various churches back the day and what is going on in today's churches. The message is this, "get back in line with the gospel."

Jesus Said It The lines of scripture that this is revolved around tells us the Jesus makes the reference that the Church is going to go through some hard times. Take a look around and open your eyes. Wars all over the place, starvation creeping in due to human interference, and persecution of the Church is stepping up in very destructive ways.

Persecution has now come to North America. Canada was the first to outlaw speaking off parts of the Bible that condemned homosexuality because it offended people. The lockdowns were on people of faith but not the stoners and drunks as liquor and refer stores were to remain open. I guess that meant getting high substances instead of God was a preventative of the fake flu.

Now that the fake flu has passed the Church still gets persecuted for standing up for the Biblical principles of life and morality. Christians going off to prison for the crimes of praying in front of an abortion gulag. Satanic sycophants launching attacks on pro-life clinics unabated and uncharged with criminal offences. Churches getting desecrated and sometimes torched for the crime of upholding the cross of Christ boldly. By the way, you do not hear about those "feel good gospel" type of churches getting persecuted. Something to think about.

Now What Here comes the good part. Even though the Church is in for a rough ride just remember the good times are coming sooner than we think. Although I might not be all in on a pre-tribulation rapture I am down for a rapture to come. I firmly believe that before Jesus comes to bring the hammer down at Armegeddon we will all be making our ascension to meet Jesus in the air.

So, as we look around and see the coming of the Demonic army of the man-machines (Borg), brainwashed eunuchs, and the zombies from the vaccines it is all supposed to happen. When we see the Anti-Christ in the temple then get them bags packed. When you might land in jail for your faith just remember Paul and company wrote some of his more uplifting letters from prison cells. As much as it may seem to be all bad news remember the original Apostles all met a martyrs death save John. Are we much better?

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Grunts

You recall, brothers, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. -- 1st Thessalonians 2:9

What are the grunts, you may ask? Grunts is a term used to describe people that get their hands dirty when they work. Grunts are mainly the blue-collar people that do the jobs that are not the "celebrated" jobs in society. Grunts do the jobs that are essential to keep the society moving in the proper direction.

In the Christian ministry there are the "stars" who preach in opulent churches wearing custom fitted suits with perfectly coiffed hair and with an alphabet in front and behind their names and then there are the grunts. Grunts in ministry go out and do the work to lay groundwork for the Church "stars" can build upon their labors.

Grunts are missionaries, evangelists, prophets and sometimes teachers in the scope if the ministry. God called these people into doing His work with a call that is near audible. They are called because they have a skill set already that God needs in a person to do His work.

The Apostle Paul was the most celebrated grunt in all church history. Paul had a day job of making tents and preached the gospel while he worked, or on his downtime. Today the church has its modern-day grunts working outside the four walls of the church house to take God's word to people that normally are not interested in that Jesus thing.

In my own humble experience, I was not meant for the administration of the pastoral ministries. I worked with pastors and priests to open the church doors to receive those newly found sheep in the area. What I ended up doing was ministering to a lot of young adults that felt the Church was a load of crap. Corrupt legalistic preachers that led to families that started fighting while leaving the church parking lots, and even worse.

These are people that heard the gospel but never saw it in action. What all they needed to hear is the love of Jesus was not corrupt preachers, overbearing fathers that quoted the King James while beating up the family on a Sunday afternoon. Tough crowd, but the grunts are the ones that reach out to them in a way almost unheard of in today's church.

When these young people getting into a web of hurt via drugs, sex and bad advice and saw their lives collapsing they were looking just exactly what Jesus offered them. They heard, but never saw it until a grunt would sit and just talk until all that pain went away as Jesus filled their heart. No "Evangelism Explosion" hard sell nonsense. Just listening, praying and trading contact info.

St Francis of Assisi once told an acolyte before the young one went out," Go and preach the gospel, and if you have to use words."

What the grunts offer is honesty. The grunts might work with them at a job, or check some live music in the same venues, whatever. The thing is grunts mingle and "get their hands dirty". You might be surprised how many people are willing to open up to the gospel in a bar, at a biker rally, at an outdoor festival and even at work. The grunts are willing to go into these places like missionaries that went into Africa, Asia, and Oceania years ago.

Now, we never know how well we did in sharing the good news of Jesus. Grunts do not keep score because it is not about collecting names. It is about sharing all that changed our lives around to give it all away to others so they can receive the goodness of salvation.

To all you pastors and church leaders out there, how about a day for giving props to the grunts who do the building maintenance, ushering, hospice, rescue missions, and the ones taking the church to the streets. Leonard Ravenhill observed, "The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity; it's waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity.

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The Trans-Mutation Stations

But these people, like irrational animals born by nature for capture and destruction, revile things that they do not understand, and in their destruction they will also be destroyed, suffering wrong as payment for wrongdoing. Thinking daytime revelry a delight, they are stains and defilements as they revel in their deceits while carousing with you. Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable for sin. They seduce unstable people, and their hearts are trained in greed. Accursed children! 2 Peter 2:12-14

The time is at hand as we are witnessing the rise of the trans-mutation of humans into something totally ungodly before our eyes. We have been getting gaslighted for years now to get the world ready for the rise of the unhuman army. Many of us have sat back and allowed this to happen and not thinking much of it until it is slapping our faces and mocking our faith. What are the ways of this is happening to us and mainly the children of all ages.

The Media Prepares The Mind The media has been salting the mind for ways that the one world government will be transforming human behavior from one of normal traditional values and customs into one of the abnormal. Non-stop movies and TV shows about Zombies or Walking Dead in positive lights as to promote cannibalism. Movies about hunting fellow humans for sport and food sources giving a sheen of acceptability for young adults to make it "cool". Vampire movies to incubate the mind where it is romantic for a blood sucker from the dead and a normal human to enjoy a relationship.

Am I getting through yet? The KJV version of the Bible calls these undead and other likeminded characters "brute beasts". In other words, unnatural, uncaring and unhuman.

The World Economic Forum This ungodly outfit is working its way through pandemics, vaccines and food shortages to transform people into bug eating zombies. Unleashing a flu, calling it a pandemic, concocting experimental vaccines (along with multiple boosters), masking, and forced confinements all to warp the mind into involuntary servitude and slavery, like and army of Renfields.

Food shortages designed to manipulate the population to start eating bugs for proteins instead of meat because meat will eventually become scarce through fear and decree. All this added to trans-mutate a world population into unwilling dupes to rise up against the people of the faith.

The Gender Bender Hoax It is now in our faces, the gender identity hoax. While there is a smattering of the population that truly do have gender dysphoria, that accounts for less than 1%. The rest takes place in Trans Mutation Stations we call public schools.

It is completely normal for girls to enjoy playing sports and boys to get into home economics. Generally, after puberty the girls get into more female things and the boys find their way to male oriented things. Telling little Suzy that she is in the wrong body because she likes sports at age 8 is a nasty lie told by people that have no business being near children, let alone teaching them.

The whole purpose is to transform the children into eunuchs, many who wish they never agreed to being carved up like a turkey on Thanksgiving. The dirty secret is that many that started down the road to reassignment surgeries begin to regret and turn back. Some that have gone through the whole chance realize this is ot the euphoria they hoped it would and some commit suicide. Where are those teachers, doctors and surgeons for the families of those they ruined?

What To Do As the late James Brown sang, "get up get into it and get involved". I say those are great words to go by here. If your kids are not at stake there is a family that needs help with theirs. First pray! Second, find your groove here and make a stand. Third, get the community involved. If you can start your own food garden and buy a freezer (without the gadgets). If you can invest in a side of beef, pork, etc. and fill that freezer. It is time to learn a simpler lifestyle and become more self-sufficient. If you have already taken the jab, do not do it again. Remember this is a flu and yes you can get very sick but the vast majority recover in a matter of days. Start a vitamin D and Zinc daily regimen.

Keep your lamps trimmed and burning because the new beginning is near. Be ready.

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How Big Is God For You?

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14

How many have heard the statement, "God is not in a box". Really? Then why do most Christians keep God in a box? Think about your stance on the Holy Spirit. Are you exercising your faith to the point where it becomes natural to expect a move from God? If not, then why not?

God is ready for you to start asking Him for your situations. If you are asking for a change in your financial situation are listening to what the Spirit is telling you? If you are praying for a healing, are you really believing in the healing? Faith is a mighty big factor in what you are asking from God and actually believing it.

Two big factors are working against the Christian to reach their spiritual potential.

The first is those that think all that Spirit stuff ended with the Apostles

Proof texting scriptures to match their ideology. Ignorance of Church history. Rationalizing the miraculous workings of the Spirit to explain them away. The mixing of philosophy and psychology with their spirituality.

The second big factor is the skullduggery of the workings of the Spirit.

Looking to formulize the workings of the Spirit to achieve material gains. Fake faith healers that "perform" healings that might touch on symtoms, ut no real healings of broken bones, sever illnesses and exrocisms. Faith movements that incorporated pagan mind sciences with their spirituality. (Word Of Faith)

Let us all get on the same wavelength here. One should never limit the power of God to move a mountain and by the same nature let us not turn the power of God into a circus act. One leads to a dead church and the other leads to going over the cliff of apostasy.

As St Paul explained to some of disciples that the manifestations of the Spirit are subservient to love. Without love you have nothing. So, do not limit yourselves to a powerless Spiritual experience.

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AI Is Man Trying To Be God

"Let the wicked still act wickedly, and the filthy still be filthy. The righteous must still do right, and the holy still be holy…. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the unchaste, the murderers, the idol-worshipers, and all who love and practice deceit." Revelation 22:11,16

We made it! We are now at the turning point of becoming like God. We are creating our own beings from the machines. How soon will it be that the specter of God's original creation begins to mesh with the synthetic creation of man?

God Is Not Copied Ever since the dawn of time for us mankind has tried to reach God or be God. That has never come close enough except in this passage above. The message is that mankind has kept at it and getting closer as time marches on.

Now that we are on the verge of creating a false society based upon the lie that we can be gods. AI is being heavily promoted as a boon to society to relieve loneliness, used in diagnosing medical procedures or setting civil, or criminal, cases in court.

What can go wrong? For openers AI can only regurgitate what is fed into it. It can figure out mathematics because there are no human variables in the equations. What happens when the human variables are involved? Does this then alter the correct determination, or will it give a deadly wrong answer? What happens when, and if, the AI created beings turn on us? The human variable, we call a soul, cannot be copied and when one is created without a soul it is nothing more than a machine.

God Will Be At War When the time comes for the Armageddon to happen, I wonder how much of the demonic war mongers will actually be human? Let us give thought to that possibility. As in the Tower of Babel mankind tried to reach God by building a massive tower. Now that are basically telling God that He is not needed and that humans are being replaces with AI drones.

All the ones that joined up with the machines will end up in the fiery lake that awaits them. Trying to be God is a loser and at the end of the age it will all come out.

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The Church is the Government of God

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 16:18-19

There are many versions of this passage of scripture, but no matter how you look at it, Jesus picked His first leader of His church. Yes, it is Peter He chose to lead the church when the time came. He did not pick a born leader, or an educated leader, or even a wealthy leader. Jesus chose one who would give his all for the Church, even after selling Him out.

The Office of The Apostle There are some that believe that the office of the Apostle died after John. The Apostles all performed the duties of the "office" of being an Apostle. The main duties were to establish the Church into new parts of the world. In turn the Apostles would gather new disciples and begin to teach, and train, them into doing what God was calling them to do.

The office of Apostle rarely used as a title today, but the office is still vital and vibrant. Most Apostles today are titles Bishop, or Archbishop. In fact, the Pope's official title is Bishop of Rome/Vicar of Christ. However, he does the work of an apostle.

There are many apostles in the church all over the world. Their work is the same, watch over the church body in their area, or parish, teach and train new disciples for the ministry. The Church is never done growing.

The Ministry Gifts of the Spirit There seems to be sort of a difficulty amongst the Church about the Gifts of the Spirit. All the gifts are in the government of the Church for the benefit of advancing the gospel. This includes gifts of "speaking in tongues", prophecy, and miracles of hands-on healing. Why are these particular gifts targeted for extinction, according to some scholars. There really is no legit reasoning that backs that claim up and to proof text scripture is not only lying to people but lying to oneself.

When Paul was chastising some of the brethren for over emphasizing their gifts, he reminded them that those gifts are used and then it's over until they are needed for the next time, but that love supersedes all of them. It is reference to the Shema, as retold by Jesus (Mark 12:29-31) In other words, all the gifts of the Spirit are to produce those fruits that Paul talks about in Galatians (5:22-25).

How it all fits together Here how it all fits together for the Church. There are the various works that God wants for certain of His people to do in the Church. This does not slight anyone who does ministarial work as lay people either. We are all called to a mission and we are also equiped by God the gifts of the Spirit for everyone.

Anyone who has a problem with the continuing of the Apostolic Commission in growing Church has already built their four walled prison of ignorance. The Church continues to grow whether Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant. As Jesus told Peter to "feed my lambs, tend my sheep, and feed my sheep" (John 21: 15-17)

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God's Five-Fold Government

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

As we read the passage from Ephesians, we can see the God through Jesus set up a ministry designed to have a purpose and model of how His Church is to be run. If we look closely, this is a form a government for the Church to follow. Each position/office has its role to play and yet they all overlap to interact with each other. What I have done is try to define the roles of the five parts of ministry.

What Is an Apostle Today? In the Christian faith, apostles were those entrusted by Jesus to help organize the church and spread the message of His teachings. The word apostle comes from the Greek word, apostelló, meaning a messenger or one sent on a mission.

Apostles, as defined and explained above, do still exist and are still called by God to carry out the mission of growing the church. “Apostle” is clearly listed as the first in a series of gifts believers can receive from the Holy Spirit. Just as in Jesus’ day, not everyone will receive this gift. But, as God continues to grow the church, there will always be a need for this gifting.

What Is A Prophet? A prophet is someone chosen by God to speak for God. Their job, whatever the time period or tidings, was to accurately impart His message. Men and women called to this task came from differing backgrounds, personalities and levels of social status. But what they all had in common was a heart for God, an anointing to hear from Him, and the faithfulness to impart his message to others.

A prophet may have a message for a singular person or a multitude. The intinerary prophet usually travels for the purpose of speaking. In the early church the prophet was not to ask for money, but accept what was offered to him or her.

What Is The Purpose of a Missionary? A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development. Missionaires are church planters and usually supported by a consortium of churches or a denomination.

What is Role of the Evangelist? Evangelism or witnessing is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. The evangelist is the preacher of the group. You might say he is the face of Jesus to the public no matter the setting, either in a church, outdoor meeting, or a street corner. Many evangelists offer up a gimmick to draw people to listen to them preach. This not a bad thing as it will draw new people to hear the word of God for the first time.

Pastors and Teachers While the Church expands and grows there is a need for pastors to administer to the needs to their congregation and teachers to disciple new converts and those preparing for the ministry. In other words, the local church is the care center for the community as well as the graduate school for prospective disciples for the ministry.

There you have it, God's Five-Fold Government. The Church has pretty much followed this pattern since day one. It works, and when implemented right, is flexible and ever growing. The part where you fit is when you find out what God wants you to do for Him and then go for it.

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The Irrational Gifts Of The Spirit

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. - 1st Corinthians 12:4-11

What is meant by the irrational gifts of the Spirit? Let us look at the passage of scripture here and see. The Holy Spirit gives to each individual certain gifts needed for their part of the ministry. By ministry, I mean everyone has their part to do in the whole scheme of things. Some get gifts of enlightenment and wisdom, others get the external gifts of glossolalia, healing, and prophecy and all to work with each other towards outreach to the world for Jesus Christ.

Trying to make the irrational rational. Mankind likes to have a hand in how they wish to satisfy the spirituality of their soul. Enter Greek philosophy into the picture. As the Church began to grow and learn many of the Christian scholars began to look to philosophy as a way intellectually satisfy the needs of the soul. In other words, the spiritual side was being corrupted by philosophy to the point to which the "reformers" would replace spiritualty with rationalization.

The whole problem with that is that these "reformers" began to erase the irrational workings of the Holy Spirit and replace it with a more rational spirituality that lingers today with many large denominations and intellectuals. These folks even go to lengths to proof text the very scriptures back their ideologies up, when in truth, they are turning away from the Word they say they believe.

Getting back to the irrationality of the Holy Spirit The beauty of this irrationality of the Spirit and the gifts are that not everyone gets the same ones. The manifestations of these gifts are personal and to glorify God through Jesus Christ. This may come to a surprise to high and mighty in the Church, but greatest manifestations of the gifts in practice came to the people of a simple faith. There is no trying to intellectually figure it out and apply a reasoning to them because it cannot be done.

Conclusion There will never be any rational reasoning when it comes to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They never "ceased" or died off with the last Apostle. That would be like a father giving his son/daughter a car and telling them there is no fuel for it. God, in His infinite wisdom has filled that car up with a never ending supply of fuel.

It is up to us to find our Spiritual gift, have the Spirit define it for you and then start to exercise it. Jesus did tell his disciples that we would do greater things that He did. (John 14:12)

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Counterculture Public Education Version

Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it. Proverbs 22:6

Last time I encouraged those that can do it to home school their kids. Some great programs for those folks out there to be had. What about those that cannot take the time off to home school and cannot afford a private school? That leaves the kids at the mercy of the public education system.

I do have a solution to this. With election year coming up get real involved in your child's education by getting on school boards. When there, scour the curriculums for every grade level and then check the textbooks used for any anti-American propaganda in them. Next, work on decertifying the union OR if their time is up do not renew their contract. After the teachers union is gone then offer the good teachers their jobs back with a raise. You can make a difference with only a couple of hours a month for the kids.

The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed a standard citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. H. L. Mencken

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Counterculture Home Education Version

Children, obey your parents [in the Lord], for this is right. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise, “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4

This might surprise some of you out there, but I have been an advocate of home schooling for many many years. My reasons are that the safety of the children are at risk in public schools. Getting brainwashed inside the classroom is bad enough, but then adding the thrill of taking one's life into their hands going to the school washrooms. The point is that if the parents can take the time do this home education proves to be a more effective way to teach the kids the fundamentals and critical thinking to succeed in life. Also, they will be far better prepared for the real world after high school. After all, aren't the kids worth it?

“What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children's growth into the world is not that it is a better school than the schools, but that it isn't a school at all.” ― John Holt

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Counterculture Fighting the New Religion of the State

Beloved, although I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I now feel a need to write to encourage you to contend for the faith that was once for all handed down to the holy ones. For there have been some intruders, who long ago were designated for this condemnation, godless persons, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 3,4

Once more the State is starting to unfurl it's latest denomination of their religion- Vaccines. Yes, to be approved by the State one must be jabbed at least once for the cure that is never sure. Two times to be full of the miracle working drug that only vaxxers can emit more infection than non vaxxers. In order for this sacrament to work one now has to down the special facial covering to prevent this good will from spreading again. All this coming from our sainted oracle St. Anthony Fauci, Patron Saint of Cooties. All hail the new religion and those resistance types might need some special reeducation classes in one of our camps nationwide. All bow down to the vaccines and that is an order.

“The greatest lie ever told is that vaccines are safe and effective.” ― Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz

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Counterculture and the Offensive Gospel of Jesus Christ

"For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps" 1 Peter 2:20

A while ago I wrote a sermon called The Gospel is Offensive. What happened in Portland last year (August 8th) was both foreseen and yet still inexcusable. Foreseen by the words of Jesus and inexcusable that the Portland po-po never showed up to protect Christians from having a peaceful service.

The usual fascists showed up and interrupted the whole thing to shut it down. Yet, no po-po came to help. This is what is in store for the full gospel Church in America. Will we see burning churches and crosses again? Will we see them wearing pillowcases over their faces again? You see folks, it is like this. Jesus points out our sin and it upsets us. Some make changes and others prefer to wallow in their own stew of hatred. Who are you going to be?

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. -- Winston Churchill