*******ARE YOU IN THE FAITH?*******

                      SEE IF YOU ARE IN THE FAITH
                       OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

    "But let a man examine himself, so let him eat of
   that bread and drink of that cup.  For he that eateth
    and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh dam-
    nation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
                                          1 Corinthians 11: 28-29

The Scripture above is generally consulted as one is to partake
of the  "Lord's  Supper."   Taking of  the Lord's Supper without
adherence to  the instruction  above is  dangerous,  and might
result in unexpected and tragic consequences.  The Lord takes
the instruction from his Word seriously.

 1. How does your belief in a crucified, buried, risen and
    ascended Christ who was God in flesh, affect your life 
    everyday? Rom 6: 1-11_____________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

2. Does it matter what you believe if you do not have a changed
life?   Has your heart changed.  Are you truly who you say you
are?  James. 2:14-20,26, James. 1:22-27. __________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

4. Have you made the changes or is the change in your life a God
thing?   In other words, is the change on the outside only or does
it reach into the heart?  Philippians 1:6, ______________________________________________
______________________________________________

5. What are some of the changes He has already made in your life?
(If you cannot give an answer or answers to this question, can you
say with conviction, “I am a child of God and am following Christ?”
Romans 7:4-14, 8: 13-14 ____________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

6. Do you have higher standards for any person than for yourself?
(Why would you?)  Romans 12: 1 - 3 ______________________
__________________ _____________________________

7. Can  you name at  least  one Spiritual gift you have as a result of
Christ in your life?  Are you using that gift in a way to bring glory to
God the Son?  Rom. 12: 4 - 16, 1 Cor. 12: 4-11, James 3: 13 - 18,
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

 After reflecting on these questions are you pleased with your perso-
 nal experience (relationship) with Jesus Christ?  Romans 8: 38-39

If you are not pleased with your relationship with your Heavenly
 Father in Jesus Christ, see link below: "Just what is the Gospel?" 
                             
https://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2016/10/just-what-is-gospel_67.html                                
   ***  Comments are welcome at jlrsbnch@msn.com  ***

                                                                              

HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS..... 1 Thessalonians 4 ..... A Favorite

                                          
     A disturbing  fact was brought to my attention today as I was  
listening with half an ear to radio.  The statement that changed 
my day was, “as others that have no hope...”    There was much  
more to the speaker’s remarks  this  afternoon,  but that phrase  
has  haunted  me  since.   Is there truly a class,  group, family or 
multitude of people on this earth, sharing the air, space and time 
who do not have hope?  If so, what are the circumstances of their 
pitiable plight?   Another question  comes to mind,  “What sepa-
rates the hopeful from the hopeless?  So far three questions are 
on the  board with no  answers.   If we "hope" for  answers,  just
ask more questions. The first might be, “What is hope and  is it
important?”  Secondly,  we  ask,  “How does one know  when he 
has hope, and how do you know if you or others are hopeless?”

First, look at the complete sentence I overheard that brought this 
to my consciousness.   From my  radio,  I  heard,  “Brothers,  we  
do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, (die)  
or  to  grieve  like ( others) the rest of  men who have no  hope.”   
That's what I heard that changed my day;  possibly my life.  

     According to the author who penned the words over 1,900 years 
ago, there are two “classes” of  people;  hopeful and hopeless. We 
may look at the subject from each side and ask, What do the hope-
ful know the hopeless do not? or What is the reason for one group 
having hope and the other group having no hope?  Will you agree 
a definition of  hope is;  “Having a confident expectation of  future 
 good?"  We hope for  future good,  not seen  at present.  Another  
way of expressing it may be; a person who has  hope is  optimistic 
and one who has no hope is pessimistic.   Just suppose the persons 
involved are realists.  Although  hopeful is aware of  the facts por-
tending  good for  him and  ill  for the other,  hopeless isn't  aware 
there is hope to be had in this life.

   Of course,  the sentence causing the stir came from the Bible is
 found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, written by an  intellectual Jewish 
 leader of  the first century who lived  at the time of  Jesus Christ.  
This Saul of Tarsus,  later called Paul,  was an early persecutor of   
the Church of Jesus Christ.  After a dramatic experience along the  
road to the Syrian city of  Damascus, he was converted to the very 
faith he had opposed.  He saw the risen and ascended Christ.  He 
was blinded by the experience.  He later  became the leading  pro-
ponent for the faith he had  vehemently condemned.  His eyesight 
was  restored  by a  gentle,  hopeful soul in  Damascus.  (That's in
in Syria.)

Now, what about the hopeful?  There is a group of people, known 
as the Church of Jesus Christ, who are hopeful that any one who 
has died, fallen  asleep,  with their hope and  faith in Jesus Christ,  
God's unique, "only begotten Son," will be restored to new life and 
an eternal  body, to live in a prepared place with their Lord.  They 
love life here, and are not anxious to meet this enemy called death;
but they are hopeful about their eternal destiny,  having “an expec-
tation of future good.”    

What about the hopeless,  or those “others  having no hope?” Is it 
possible they are unaware of  their plight and are leading normal, 
seemingly well  adjusted lives.  The truth is, they are aware with an 
 unease,  that their destinies are out of  their  hands and  uncertain.  
They have concern for their eternal destination and find every kind 
of diversion, good, bad, or indifferent,  to fill the void of their  hope-
less existence.  There  is  every kind  of  person in this mix.  There 
are  those who  live respectable  lives, and  those who  live in debau-
chery.  There are  the seeming  religious  as  well as the  irreligious.   
All kinds of persons make up  the group and even the hopeful were  
part of that group at one time.

           How then, do the hopeless become hopeful?

   If you look further in the book of  1 Thessalonians you will find the
answers;  correct action based on  truth.  If you find truth and act on 
it,  you will  be free of hopelessness.   In John 8: 31-31, "Then Jesus 
said to those Jews who believed Him,  'If you abide in my Word, you 
are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth 
shall  make you free."  This  experience frees  one from  hurtful life-
styles and  restores  him/her to  harmony  with  his creator and  Lord.  
The facts  presented in  this epistle are;  You  can  live  hopefully  by 
establishing  a relationship  with Jesus Christ, the Son of  God.  Just 
as Paul submitted to Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, we must  
submit to  the claims of  this Christ on our lives.  You see,  He died a 
sacrificial  death  for the sins of  those who  receive Him as personal 
Savior and Lord.  He rose again after  three days; was seen multiple 
 times.  At  one time  he was  seen  by  over  500  persons.   He  then 
ascended  into heaven in  sight of some of  His  followers,  to  be with 
God the Father and is making intercession for you and me.  His work
on the earth was finished to effect our regeneration from death to life, 
moved us from hopeless to hopeful. The rest is history.  (By the way,
this  Jesus who  came to  earth,  lived a totally righteous  life of  good
deeds and hopeful teaching,  is one with  God the Father.   He is God,  
the one True Living God of the Old and New Testaments, the Bible.

     You too, no matter your condition, may be rightly related to the  
Father through thoughtful acceptance, by faith, in Jesus Christ, as  
Savior and Lord.  We must all acknowledge  (confess openly) Him 
as  the only hope for our  miserable estate  and recognize we have  
put ourselves into this condition by the transgression of  God's law, 
sin.  This is  the state of everyone who has not claimed the name of  
Jesus Christ as personal Savior,  made an about face, or repentance 
of our sin with the full determination to live for Him as He takes up  
residence in and control of life.  We must ask  Him to enter into our 
being by His  Holy Spirit  and release control of life to Him.  (Indivi-
dually)  The desire of Jesus Christ is to give us a hope of a future in
glory and in His mind, when we receive Him, it is done. (From God's, 
Word, read  the Apostle Paul's letter to Ephesian believers in that
letter, Ephesians 1: 15-23.  Vs. 18, "...the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling
what are the riches of the glory at His inheritance in the saints." 

      As I heard these words this afternoon,   it struck a note of sorrow.  
It is sad to think there are people with whom we  associate every day 
who are hopeless, and on a dead-end street.  What is my  response to 
this experience.  If I continue business as usual, my seeming hopeless 
friends and acquaintances will eventually depart life, entering a hope-
less eternity; their blood on my hands.  One day I will stand before my 
creator  and give  account of  my  response to  this  message of   Jesus
Christ.  He is counting on us to communicate the message of "Hope in
Christ" to those with  whom we rub shoulders daily,  and reach out to
people of the world who have lost their  way...You too can have a per-  
sonal  relationship with  the  Lord of  the Bible now,  by  placing  your 
faith in  his Son,  Jesus Christ.  (YESHUA)  Pray now and  ask Him to 
reveal  himself to you by  His  Word.  Pray  the Lord  God that  He will 
keep you and me  from ever simplifying or denigrating the message of 
salvation,  but to  learn to  live the  message through  faith  in  the one 
who  created  it all.  The  message is  just  that,  "plain," by  no  means, 
"simple."

                                  (The ball in in your court.)

                       For  words of hope, access the following from 
                                       God’s Word, the Bible:

     Romans 5:1-5, 8:18-30, 1 Corinthians 15:19-22, Ephesians 1:15-23,
     Colossians 1:3-8, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17,
     1 Timothy 1:1-2, Titus 3:3-8, Hebrews 6:11-20, 1 Peter 1:3-5, 17-23,
     1 Peter 3:15, and...1 John 3:1-3.

http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-new-creature-romans-51-2-81-4-14.html

        Don Porter, 2/1/03             Updates 11.25.14, 2.04.15

THE KINGDOM OF GOD; What Is It?

The Kingdom of God:  What Is It?       (Luke 17: 20)       October 2003

   "And when he  was demanded of  the Pharisees, when the kingdom 
of God should come, he answered them and said, 'the kingdom of God 
cometh  not with observation:  Neither shall they say,  Lo here! or, lo 
there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you."  Luke 17:20-21

   In our text the Lord said to the Pharisees,  in response to a question 
of when the Kingdom of God would come, “The kingdom of God does 
not come with observation...”   In other words the Kingdom Of God is
not of flesh and blood, but of the Spirit of God. He then turned to His 
disciples and stated; "The Kingdom of God is within you.'  I am sure 
they were just as mystified as were the Pharisees, at the time.  Since
little  is said  about His  Kingdom  today,  in His  incarnation,  Jesus
spake often of the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven interchan-
geably.  Much of the teaching  was  oblique, understood by his disci-
ples later as they were enlightened by  the Spirit of God.  Understan-
ding  the Kingdom  to be  God’s rule  and  reign in  the hearts of  His 
Children  as Sovereign of  Heaven and  earth,  let’s consider a few of 
these passages in the Old Testament and in the Gospel  according to  
Matthew:
1. Exodus 19: 6  (Israel to be a Kingdom of Priests...)
2. I Chronicles 28: 1-8 (Israel under David/Solomon Kingdom of the 
                                        Lord)
3. Obadiah 21 Finally, " ...the Kingdom shall be the Lord’s”
4. Matthew 4: 17 “...Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
5. Matthew 4: 23 Jesus Christ preaching the gospel of the Kingdom)
6. Matthew 5: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the King-
                             dom of Heaven.”
7. Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righ-
                          teousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
8. Matthew 5 19-20 “...least in the Kingdom of Heaven...greatest in
                              the Kingdom of Heaven...”
9. Matthew 6: 10-13 The Model Prayer, “...Thy Kingdom come... for 
                                Yours is the power...”
10. Matthew 5:31-34 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righ-
                           teousness and all these things will be added unto you.”
11. Matthew 7:24 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall 
                             enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the 
                             will of My Father in heaven.”
12. Matthew 8:11-12 “And I say to you that many will come from east 
                               and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and 
                               Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven...”
13. Matthew 10: 7 “And as you go preach, saying, “the Kingdom of 
                                  Heaven is at hand.”
14. Matthew 11:11-12“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of 
                                  woman there has not risen one greater that John 
                                   the Baptist, but he who is least in the Kingdom 
                                   of Heaven is greater than he.”
15. Matthew  12:25-28“...surely the Kingdom of God has come upon 
                                     you.”
16. Matthew 12:24-52  28.“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of 
                                       God,  surely the Kingdom of God has come 
                                        upon you..."
17. Matthew 16:19 “And I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of 
                                   Heaven..”
18. Matthew 16:28 “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing 
                                 here who shall not taste death till they see the 
                                 Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
19. Matthew 18: 3   At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, 
                               “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”  
                                 Then Jesus called little child to Him and said, 
                                  "Assuredly I say unto you, unless you are con-
                                   verted and become as little children, you will 
                                   by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  
                                 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little 
                                  child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven..."
 20. Matthew 18: 23 (Parable of the unforgiving servant)
21. Matthew 19: 11-12 (Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven...)
22. Matthew 19: 13-15 (“Let the little children come unto me for of
                                                  such is the Kingdom of Heaven...”)
23. Matthew 19: 23-24 (The rich and the Kingdom of Heaven)
24. Matthew 20: 1-16 (Day laborers in the vineyard)
25. Matthew 20: 20-28 (Seating in the Kingdom of Heaven)
26. Matthew 21: 28-32 (Parable of the two sons)
27. Matthew 21: 33-44 (Parable of the wicked vinedressers)
28. Matthew 22: 2-14 (Parable of the wedding feast)
29. Matthew 23: 1-15 (Woe on Scribes and Pharisees)
30. Matthew 24: 4-14 (End of time)
31. Matthew 25: 1-13 (Parable of the wise and foolish virgins)
32. Matthew 25: 31-46 (Dividing the sheep from the goats)
33. Matthew 26: 26-30 (Last Supper) In the Kingdom...

Since so much of  the  message of  Jesus Christ was  in direct refe-
rence to  the Kingdom  of  God/Heaven,  why  do we hear so little of 
His  Kingdom today?   If  what we have seen in Scripture,  relates to 
the Kingdom of God,  we must begin to place more emphasis on His 
Kingdom as we study  and teach  His Word.  The other prong of this 
subject is His soon catching away of  His church and removal of the 
purifying influence of His Holy Spirit from the earth.  
                     See 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 and Luke 17: 26-37...

Matthew 12: 25-28, "And Jesus knew their thoughts,  and said unto 
them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, 
and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.  And if  
Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself;  how  shall then 
his kingdom stand? And if  I by  Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom  
do your children cast them out?  Therefore, they shall be your judges.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God
is come unto you." 

(The term "devils" is translated "demons" in some texts.
                                           
                                         donporter,sr                                 edited; 10.25.14
 

THE MOTIVE FOR PERSONAL PURITY

        The Motive for Purity  (1 John 3: 1-2, “...We shall be like Him...”)
                                                      July 17, 2003

     "BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE THE FATHER HAS BESTOWED
          ON US, THAT WE SHOULD BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD!
      THEREFORE THE WORLD DOES NOT KNOW US, BECAUSE IT DID
          NOT KNOW HIM.
      BELOVED, NOW WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD; AND IT HAS NOT
          YET BEEN REVEALED WHAT WE SHALL BE, BUT WE KNOW
      THAT WHEN HE IS REVEALED, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE
           SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS."  1 John 3: 1-2
         
     In the Scripture passage under consideration, as brief as it is,  
there are important life changing principles.  These principles may 
not be stated exactly in other Scripture,  but can be confirmed  in 
other places in the Word. The first statement is an observation by 
the author, John the beloved Apostle, who reminds us of a unique 
privilege  we have in being called  Children of  God.   We know we 
do not deserve such  designation. It is afforded us because of  His 
great love for us.  We are reminded further that we cannot expect 
approval by our fellows in the world since like minded men did not 
know him.  We have  fellowship in  His alienation from  this world. 
(A high privilege, indeed.)  This takes us to Ephesians 2, where we 
are  (already) seated in  heavenly  places  with  Him.  Here  is the
magnitude of our  eternal estate;  “...we shall be  like Him.”  This 
one  statement  boggles the  mind since  we know  Jesus Christ  is 
Lord; God the Son, and has been given  highest honors in Heaven 
with God the Father. 

      Finally,  we find the practical aspect of this hope.  As we realize 
this, we  have the  motivation to  purify  ourselves  and in  essence 
become more like our Lord Jesus Christ even  while on  the earth.  
This  is one experience  God uses to purify you and me, along with 
other believers  who make up His church,  the Bride of Christ.   (A  
bride is expected  to to be chaste, or pure,  having a single minded 
devotion to her groom,)

Sin, and the Child of God? (4-9)
     As we continue,  we see sin,  lawlessness as foreign to a Child of 
God.  While we may not hold out for the doctrine of “sinless perfec-
tion,” we do recognize clear  teaching in Scripture, here and  other 
places.  One who is a Child of God does not practice willful  disobe-
dience to God’s Word.   In one place the term  is used,  “ life above 
reproach.”  So,  in addition to our  hope of eventual  likeness to the 
Son of God, there is the awareness from  Scripture that  if we know 
Him, we can measure up to  lofty and unimpeachable  standards. If 
our  standards are not high,  there is no evidence of a changed life.  
Having been born of God, we have the new nature within keeping us 
from sinful practices. (As in all aspects of humanity, nothing is done 
with perfection.  That quality belongs only to the Godhead.)

Love and the Child of God (10-15)
   The two great commands of Scripture have to do with love;  love 
of God and love of our brother. In the Decalogue,  the first 3 com-
mandments  have to do with  our  relationship with  our  God,  the 
fourth has to do with wise, balanced  living by  observing the Sab-
bath,  while the  balance have  to  do with our  relationship to our 
fellowman,  or  brother.  We cannot love God our Father and fail 
to keep  the former.  We cannot love our a  fellowman  and fail to 
keep  the  latter.  You see  in  verse 13;  the “world”  hates,  there-
fore,  those who are of  the world  rebel against God and mistreat  
others.  Since we,  as God’s Children, show them truth, the world 
hates us just as they hated and mistreated  God the Son.  It is still  
a significant  statement uttered by  Christ on  the  Cross,  “Father  
forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Those of the world  
are deceived and  incapable of making  right choices in relating to 
God or man.  Since they are “wise” in their own eyes,  they cannot 
countenance  being shown up by a person  living truth.  You and  I 
will have persecution in this world as we show love for God and for
each  other.  The  Apostle  Paul  says;  the  troubles  we  encounter  
here hardly compare with the glory to  be ours throughout eternity.

Love working in the Life of Believers (16-23)
   Finally, John the Beloved ties this up in a practical bundle when 
he says, “...let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in 
truth.”  Here he removes  us from  the ivory  tower of  theoretical 
theology  and  brings  us “up,”  (not down) to living the Christ life.   
It  is obvious that Jesus Christ lived His  life for his “brothers and 
sisters”  according  to  the flesh  and never gives up on them.  He 
healed, raised the dead, met needs of all He encountered and was 
ever a positive force wherever He was seen.  His life was not flash 
and image, for He was known to live in the real world, meeting peo-
ple at their point of need.  His life was not just a good example or a
model to follow.  He was not just the greatest teacher ever known.
He  did not  leave us a  job  to do for which we  are  ill-equipped. We 
We  have the  unprecedented  privilege  of being   indwelt with,  and  
empowered by and given the wisdom of God to  carry out  otherwise 
impossible tasks on this earth.  He even stated His disciples, left in 
the world, would do even greater works than He.  There is a possible 
understanding of  this statement by our Lord.  Since He was here in 
the flesh,  during His incarnation,  he could  be in but one place at a
time.  With power and  wisdom of  His  Holy Spirit on and  in the life 
of the believer,  the work is multiplied.

     What then is our motive for purity?   As  the Child of  God lives in 
the world, he is no longer living for himself.  Jesus Christ is  involved 
in everything we do.  If  we  are crucified with  Christ and  the life we  
now live is in the power of His life in us,  we  make Him part of every-
thing we do in this  body.   Knowing this and our eventually becoming  
like Him  in truth,  we are  highly  motivated to  live an exemplary life-
style.  We will refuse to bring reproach on the one who has loved and 
given so much.

http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2014/07/thou-shalt-not-take-name-of-lord-thy.html
                       
donporter              12.23.12 edited: 5.05.17

WHAT!! ME WORRY?

   What God’s Word says about worry.”                                           12.20.12

                                       (Matthew 6: 19-20, 25-34)

                 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? 
           or what shall we drink?  or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
               (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)  for your
            heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things
             But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;
                         and all these things shall be added unto you.
              Take therefore no thought for the morrow:  for the morrow
              shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the
                                     day is the evil thereof.   vs. 31-34, kjv

         It  has  been said,  "Most of  the  things we worry about  never 
happen."  Our worry has to do with self-concerns,  not concern for 
others.  Since worry  is an unproductive and debilitating habit into

which one may fall,  we should see what the Bible says about it.  In 
the 6th chapter of Matthew there is  a list of things about which we 
should  not concern ourselves.  We are then  given  the reasons we 
are not  to worry about  them nor anything else.  It  is evident  from  
Scripture.  The word of  God holds  worry to be baseless,  accompli-
shing nothing.  Worry shows us to be earthbound, and  overly con-
cerned with creature comforts;  therefore we fail to focus on weigh-
tier  matters in  the Kingdom of  God.  About what then,  should we 
not  worry?   We are taught not to worry about  our  food,  clothing, 
nor tomorrow.  

       We are then informed about  what we should concern ourselves.  
    Our priority is to  get into the Word of God, centering life on Jesus 

    Christ.  Empowered  by His Holy Spirit, for the glory of the Father, 
    brings about cleansing and  healing enabling us to  reach, disciple,
    teach others. (Titus 3: 5,  "Not by works of righteousness which we
    have done, but according to his mercy He saved us, by the washing
    of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.") 

          We are to be concerned with the Kingdom of  God and must 

     direct our energies into promoting His kingdom on the earth by
     communicating the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to others. 
     We  are to arm  them for  the conflict of  good vs. evil.   In Mat-
     thew 6:33, we find the reason  not to worry.   Here we see God
     already knows our necessities and  will meet  these as we  focus 
     on His kingdom and His righteousness.   Our faith is demonstra-
     ted  in this way.  

          There is at least one more reason not to worry.  In verse 27,
     we see; by worry or thought, we are unable to change anything.   
     In  Proverbs 3:5-10 we find   God to be sovereign,   creator and
     the  prime mover of  the universe.  Everything  is in  His hands. 
    It is up to us to acknowledge fact and to never trust in self.  

     In Romans 12: 1-2: 
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you 
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which 
is  your  reasonable service.  And do not  be conformed to this world, 
but  be  transformed  by the  renewing of  your  mind,  that  you  may 
prove  what is that  good and acceptable and  perfect will of God.”  
This, my friend must be the cure for worry.  

     In conclusion, I  must admit  this is a concern  remaining  for me to 
conquer.  Having written this  down as  a thing  already accomplished, 
under goals,  it  is still an aspiration rather than an achievement.  So I
must go  back to a basic  premise of the life of a Child of  God.  God is
is working on and in me to conform me to the image of my Lord, Jesus 
Christ.  My part is to submit to this endeavor and through diligent and 
thoughtful study of God’s Word and prayer,  make myself available to 
Him  for whatever He may  have in  mind for me.  If I have undue con-
cern for myself, I can be of no value in the Kingdom of God.  It may be
that  concern about  self interest is  the primary cause for stress in my 
life.  If  I were to  imitate our Lord and focus on others; not self, I will 
have less worry and stress in life and become more like him.     

     “Lord, may I keep my eyes upon  you with eternity as  the  focus of 
my living.  Keep  me from worry, selfish  ambition, envy and pride that 
I may serve you,  living life in the promotion of your kingdom,  seeking 
your righteousness  and serving  people you  choose to  put in my path.  
                    All power, glory and honor be to you and your 
                      blessed Son, Jesus Christ,  forever, Amen."

                 (It seems these issues multiply this time of year?)
                               "Glory to God in the highest, and
               on earth peace,  good will toward men."  Luke 2: 14

                                                                                      12.20.12 donporter                                                                                            

THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH

  The Words of My Mouth                                                                12.12.12
                                                   (James 1: 26,27, 3: 1-12)

        "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be 
          acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.  
                                                                                            Psalms 19: 14
         "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." 
                                                                                          Proverbs 25:11
                                                                             
      There are a number of  errors the teacher of religion may make 
involving the misuse of the tongue, or words.  The practice of a lea-
der or  teacher in the  church of  Jesus Christ using  his position to 
enrich himself financially, at the expense of others, is most obvious. 
We  cannot,  however;  overlook  some errors that  are more subtle.  
There  are always  groups within  organized religion  favoring  man-
made tradition over  the commandments  of  God.  This creates dis-
ciples  who are not allowed  direct access to  the  Throne  of  Grace 
who must rely on clergy for a word from Deity.  
                        That flies in the face of true religion.

  Along with this is the tendency in religion to hide behind ritual, or 
form and tradition,  keeping adherents from experiencing the truth 
as revealed in God's  Word.  Having a verbal  religion  that does not 
change  the heart is called  Hypocrisy by the  Savior.   Pharisees are 
alive  and well  in the  "Christian  Church"  today.   Men  eventually 
reveal the contents of their hearts through their speech, for a bitter 
or poison spring cannot produce sweet water.  As Abraham Lincoln 
is quoted, "You can fool all of the people some of the time and some 
of  the  people all of the time, but you  cannot fool  all of  the  people 
all of  the time."  (I would add to that;  You cannot fool the Lord any  
time.)  This is possibly one reason for the abbreviated tenure of pas-
tors in many churches.  In evangelical congregations,  it's less than 
two years, on average. We find it takes roughly one to two years for  
parishioners to discover that their new pastor is no more worthy, in 
many cases of being followed, than his predecessor and another year
or so to get  him to leave.  The process is repeated all too often in our 
churches, making us a laughing stock among those on the outside.

     Looking  into the Epistle of James, the brother of Jesus,  we find 
that those of us who lack control of our tongues are deceived. To be 
deceived and yet remain a teacher,  leader or pastor in the Church is  
a scary proposition.   One who is a teacher of  The Word is  held to a  
strict standard of conduct.  If he does not teach the truth as revealed 
in God's Word, he lacks the integrity for the position.   The tongue is 
a small part of the body,  but ramifications of our words are wide ran-
ging, can teach error, deceive and engender strife.  The worth of man 
is revealed by his words, taken on the whole over a period of time.   
Teachers have in their hands the eternal destiny of persons in their  
charge. The Berean church in the  New Testament is  an example for  
us to follow.  We must search the the Word of  God and  measure the 
teaching, then we may be approved by the Lord as more noble than 
those who blindly accept error, as taught.

      Finally,  we find Christ saying in Matthew 15, when asked why His 
disciples  did  not strictly observe  the  ritual  of  washing  their  hands 
before  eating.  "Hypocrites!   Well  did  Isaiah   prophesy  about  you, 
saying:  These  people  draw  near  to me with their mouth,  and honor 
Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they wor-
ship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

     He then turned to the multitude and said: "Hear and understand:  
Not what goes into  the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of 
the mouth, this defiles a man." The principle we must understand is; 
we are responsible for our own  relationship to the Lord.  Since it  is 
the most important area of life,  we must  guard  our lips  from error 
and live the truth we, personally, glean from the Word of God. What  
then,  is  the responsibility  of  the  teacher?  The  Spiritual  teacher/
minister  brings, from the Word of  God,  truths  that encourage, dis-
ciple and inspire us, that we  may become  teachers  of  the best.  All  
this is done  under the anointing of the Holy Spirit as Jesus lives out 
His  life  in  us.  This  is the  only source of  life to  the  Child  of  God.
When Christ found us,  we were  dead in  trespasses  and  sins,  with-
out hope in the world.

“The letter of the law brings death, but the Spirit of God brings life” 
and with it, freedom in Him.  A caveat here; we cannot expect  per-
fection, even in a gifted  pastor/teacher or  other leader within  the 
church,  but overall, his life must be a reflection of the life of Christ 
in word and deed, and free of reproach that  might reflect poorly on 
our Lord.  

    "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his 
    tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.  
     Pure religion and undefiled before God is this, To visit the father-
   less and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted 
     from the world."  
                                                                                      James 1: 26-27

                       See the post; "Religion Gets a Bad Rap."
http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2012/09/religion-gets-bad-rap.html
                                                                                       donporter     12.19.12

SHOOT YOUR TV

“Shoot Your Television”                                                                     11.02.12

   Do we not like to think that men of a by-gone era were of a  holier 
and a more Spiritually alive sort?  Today we  find ourselves  settling 
for watered down  brand of  character that would rather  recline in a
la-z-boy watching some innocuous  perversion of  life on TV,  than to
be about the business of making a life for our families.  One wag put
it thusly;  “If we were not busy watching others do it on TV, we could 
be doing it ourselves.”  Whatever it is you enjoy watching  others do 
would  be much  more enjoyable if  you were engaged in that activity. 
Since  I can still remember a  time when  entertainment in the  home 
was centered  around the family doing,  instead of  the family sitting 
around watching others. The sense I get from this phenomena is loss. 
The loss of children developing talents within the safety of the home 
and the loss of a closeness to members of the family getting to know 
each other, for better or for worse.  Without touching on the fact that 
most of the stuff we see on the tube is sub-standard at best, the indo-
lence it breeds is destructive to the fabric of our culture. Why do we 
believe we must be constantly entertained and why are we willing to 
sit through an endless stream of commercials that create desires for  
things  we must have that  are not by any stretch of  the imagination,
 necessities?  

   We do not have time to learn the art of conversation because of this 
obsession with glitz, mush and sleaze called entertainment that perpe-
tually gushes into our homes . Over the past few years there has been 
in circulation, a bumper sticker that reads, “Shoot your TV.”  The lon-
ger I live, the more the idea appeals to  me.  The television,  like any-
thing  claiming our  attention, must be regulated.  (Within the family, 
without government intrusion.) How do we go about the responsibility
of controlling how we spend our time?  During the past few years the
successful elements of our culture have started using  planners on a 
daily basis to segment their days into manageable bytes. In the plan-
ner, the day is divided into hours and minutes and the goal is to make 
the best use of our time a daily habit.  If one does this, he is bound to 
be more effective and productive in whatever he does.  Normally this 
is done by planning ahead about two weeks and becoming more spe-
cific as the day gets closer. On the evening before, the day is laid out 
as nearly as possible to make best use of that day.  Some are so spe-
cific there are no more that 5 minutes at a time, during that day, for 
which there is not a planned activity.  Is this the way to live a success-
ful life?  Let me suggest something more practical. 

          The best plan I have seen is for the person planning to list the 6
most important things to do for the next day. In the event the 6 things 
on the list are finished by noon or even sooner, another  plan is made 
with another list for the day.  If  for some reason  the 6 things are not 
completed,  the unfinished business is carried over into  the next day.  
This plan is practical and do-able.  Since there have been few days in 
my life when things have gone as  planned, one must always be some-
what flexible to accommodate the unexpected.  There must be an abi-
lity to factor in  the unexpected as  it appears.  Without surprise,  life 
might be dull and  uneventful.  (I have  not experienced a day without
surprise.)   If  everything were  planned and arranged ahead of  time, 
where would we find the “spice of life?”  Know this, you and I are not 
in charge of the happenings of the day.  We can be prepared for most 
eventualities if we take care of the necessities of life on a daily basis.   
Always  be prepared for  things to cost a little  more than  you expect, 
and to take a little longer than you had planned
.
     Just what does all of this planning have to do with dispensing with 
TV?  If we have a plan for each day, we are not as apt to “flop” down 
in an easy chair and waste our evenings or afternoons in such a mind-
less  activity as watching TV.  (Read a good book,  or write a book of  
your own.)  Another good reason to do away with  television is, moral 
decay is evident in almost every program.  Today’s programs contain 
scenes of  explicit sex,  semi-nudity,  vulgarities and  innuendo  not in 
evidence just a few years ago.  The general trend in all entertainment  
today is coarse and  has a tendency to  cheapen the chaste lifestyle of 
the Scripture.

      This article was  conceived some  time prior to  the emergence of 
     FaceBook, Texting and the practice of almost everyone constantly 
     using a  cell phone.  This  subject  requires  a completely  separate 
     consideration and is, in my estimation, an even worse scourge than 
     anything  mentioned above.
                   No extra charge for the personal opinion about that. 

 donporter,sr 12.14.12, edited 5.5.17
   

MORE ON MARRIAGE

More on Marriage  (Ephesians 5: 15-6: 4)  05-21-03
       
         Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the 
         church, and gave himself for it.  Ephesians 5: 25

   Scripture is very plain when instructing us on marriage, and there is
much to learn, in addition, by the experience of  living for  54 years in 
such a  blessed  union.  There is very  little of  benefit  learned  about 
marriage unless the partners are operating on Scriptural principles as 
outlined in the Word of God, and are willing to follow the  instruction.
There is  no other authoritative source for instruction on how to have
a marriage reflecting  the relationship of  Jesus Christ and His Bride, 
His church

  The first thing we learn is every aspect of our lives has changed and 
is now a shared experience rather than an individual experience.  
                            (...two shall become one flesh...)   
Everything each marriage partner does must be considered by each in 
light of how it will affect the spouse. The best practical mechanism for 
this,  is for each partner to live life with the stated goal being the hap-
piness of the other.   As the partners are  inextricably joined, and any  
attempt at changing this is intensely painful, ie. divorce or separation,
death of  a spouse or even  the disappointment of  a spouse.   It is not 
possible to  avoid  the  fallout  when  this relationship is  abused.  It  is 
most important to realize marriage is an earthly picture of a heavenly
reality.

   Since the husband represents Jesus Christ in the home and the wife 
represents  the church,  we see the following:  Jesus Christ  loved the 
church so much He gave His life for  “her.”   The husband represents
Jesus Christ; his great love for his wife,  not as  lord and master over  
her but one who loves greatly; willing to sacrifice himself for the good 
of his  beloved.  We see also,  the wife submits to her  husband out of  
obedience to God.  She has a reverence for her husband as the church 
does Jesus Christ,  and  just how  important is  this submission  to and 
reverence for her husband on the part of the wife?

 Marriage on this earth, between a man and a woman, is a type, or a
picture of Jesus and the church. The church, will be perfected by our 
Lord; is being groomed to be the eternal bride of  God the Son.  The 
church submits to Jesus Christ and reverences Him.  If one refuses 
to submit any part of  life to Christ,  our  Lord brings things into the 
life causing him/her to submit.  This discipline is a means of sanctifi-
cation. (Purification)  When a wife refuses to submit to her husband,
she  is presenting a flawed picture of the church and of Jesus Christ
When a husband refuses to be faithful to his wife,  love her and give 
his life for her,  he is painting a distorted  portrait of Christ.  He will 
be  held  accountable for  his  actions  before  the  Judgement  Seat
of Christ.  To take this one step further,  the father represents God
God  the  Father to the children.  The vagaries of  fatherhood prac-
ticed in the USA today,  gives an erroneous picture of God, and  the  
Fathers will  be rewarded or suffer  loss, as each  stands  before the 
Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ, and be held accountable for failure 
in this aspect of his life.   The Judgment Seat of  Christ,  is reserved 
for believers only.  Unbelievers will not  make it that far, but  will be 
judged at the Great White Throne of God for a final  judgment prior 
to being cast into an eternal hell with Satan and his angels.  
                                                               Revelation chapter 19 & 20...

In my humble estimation, the poor performance of the fathers in the 
home and in our culture,  is one  reason for  a wrong view  of  God by 
the  populace.  If  one has a wrong  view of  God the Father,  God the 
Son  or  God  the Holy Spirit,  there  will  be no practice of  righteous 
living in our  land and  until we the fathers  get  it  right,  we are on a  
downhill  slide to  perdition in a proverbial "hand basket."

Then, there are the children of the home.  Just what is their responsi-
bility?  We do not  have to consider  long to realize  it is  the same as 
the husband, wife or father.  The Children of God  have a responsibi-
lity on this earth and  the children of  the family have the  privilege to 
reflect how one  relates to his/her heavenly father.  We,  as  Children 
of God,  are commanded in Scripture to “...love the Lord our God...”  
we are instructed to obey Him,  reverence Him, and speak well of, or 
honor Him.  Since the Father, God, has a great love for Jesus Christ, 
the  father in the  home must  have  great love for his wife who repre-
sents Jesus Christ in the home. The children,  in order to please their  
father  must  have a love and  respect for  their mother,  who is loved 
and respected  by their father.   (One of  the things my  father did not
tolerate,  was  disrespect  by one  of  his  children for  his  wife,  their  
mother.) 

There are,  many other responsibilities for  the Child of God, relating 
to God the Father,  but  these are primary concerns.  All of  these are 
directly commanded of  children of earthly fathers.  There are  promi-
ses to obedient children.   At Judgment,  we will be held  accountable 
for our response to both our earthly fathers and  our heavenly Father. 
Can it be made clearer?

Note:   The practice of the wife making it her goal to please her hus-
band a most Scriptural of practices. You and I are created to become 
one with our Lord,   just as  wives are to  become one with  their hus-
bands.  Since the husband  represents  Jesus Christ in  the home, his 
great love for  his  Lord and  love for  her are strong  motivations for 
giving of  himself to please her, and his Lord.  

     Think of the positive changes in our world,  were each husband to 
 begin to love and care for his wife as Jesus Christ loves and cares for 
His bride, the church.  In addition,  each father would  begin to  relate 
to his children in the way God the Father relates to His children.  This
would cause children,  early in life,  to see God the Father  modeled in  
the home.  Would this not help a youngster gain a correct view of God  
and come to  Christ early in life for salvation, preventing shipwreck of
many lives...

  Who is responsible for problem youth in our culture today?  Parents 
do not have to be immoral,  criminal or even  misfits to rear  problem 
children.   All  they have to do is fail to  model  God the Father,  God 
the Son and the church properly before their families.  Children with 
an incorrect view of God are unable to become all they could be.   All 
of us know parents who name the name of Jesus Christ but fail mise-
rably to demonstrate the love of God in the Home.  We all, of course,  
fail at times to  properly display Christ-likeness in the home.  We will 
be held accountable on this earth through rebellious spouses children 
and will  be required  to give  account for  that  failure  when  we  face 
the Lord God in eternity.  

http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2012/10/leave-and-cleave.html

           donporter 12.08.12, edited 2.26.15






WE ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING ....................... 1 Peter 4: 8-11

       (1 Peter 4:  8 - 11)                                                             11.08.12

   “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same 
     one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God,”  
                                                                                           (verse 10)

In the four verses referenced above,  faith is not mentioned, as such.
It is heavily implied and the very basis of  the passage.  We see  the 
principle of  the sharing of  resources  because of  the love  between 
believers,  and the cleansing that  comes as we give , sacrificially of 
ourselves.  

  "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for 
       charity shall cover the multitude of sins."  (vs. 8)

  If we hold our  blessings  loosely;   quick to give ourselves and our 
means,  we are,  in  that  respect,  like our Savior.   In  the verses to 
follow  we  see the  grace  of  hospitality  offered  freely,  as  though  
personal possessions were  held in common.  There is  a sense of  joy 
in the sharing,  because it is without compulsion.  Everything we have 
is a gift,  whether  material or  Spiritual blessing, it is  from  the Lord 
God.   We are merely channels  through whom  grace flows to  those 
who have need. 

   "Use Hospitality one to another without grudging.  As every man 
   hath received the gift,  even so minister  the same one to another,  
   as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."  (vs. 9-10:)

  The implication is:
 People who follow Christ live with open hands, assisting, comforting 
and encouraging others whether or  not the “others” are in the faith. 
The first responsibility is to our families and  brothers and sisters in  
the faith.  As “stewards,”  those of  us  who are so blessed,  are  not 
owners of  the blessings,  or  gifts,  merely vessels our  Lord  uses to  
bless others.   It is not our  decision to  whom the blessing  goes.  We 
give as we are directed  in Scripture and led by His  Holy Spirit.  Is it 
not sad to witness one “called as a minister”  with hands reaching out 
to receive  of  others  rather than outstretched to give.  

Finally,  the purpose of  the matter.  Since we  take no credit to self 
for our gifts or  blessings,  there  is one who gets glory and  praise.  As 
As we begin to understand the principles, there comes a  deep sense of 
humility. We become aware of our unworthiness of the gifts we receive  
at the hand of God or the praise we  might receive of others. The Child 
of God is privileged to be used as  a conduit of  blessing to others.  
When we become cognizant of this fact, the Creator of it all deigns to 
take mind of us and to  even use us in  His great  plan,  we must fall on 
our faces with the Psalmist, and give our Lord thanksgiving and praise.

   “If any man speak,  let him speak as the oracles of God;  if any man 
   minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth; that God in 
  all things may be glorified through  Jesus Christ,  to whom be  praise 
   and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.”  1 Peter 4: 11
                                                                                  donporter   12.14.12

http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2012/11/take-acid-test-matthew-5-43-48.html

ed. 2.13.15,  "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is
          this,  To visit the fatherless and  widows in their affliction  and to 
          keep himself unspotted from the world."  James 1: 27 
                                                   

WHY WRITE? WHY PUBLISH?

Why Write; Why Publish?                  update 11.01.16                 12.12..12
 
Why Write?               
  Every Child of God has a story. Our story, called a testimony of faith,
must be told in the first person.  Were that not enough reason to write,
every  Child of  God  having  sons or  daughters,  is responsible  to the
next generation to build bridges relating to his progeny his philosophy 
of  life.   If one believes he has failed to leave a  proper legacy for  his
family,  there are warnings  to  deliver and  forgiveness to  ask.  Most
of us have mixed emotions about the legacy we have left; some  good;
some,  not so  good.   The  writer  must make sure  the  message in his
written “legacy,”  does not consist mainly of an apology or some lame
excuse for his manner of  life,  but a  positive affirmation  of truth and 
faith in God, even if that faith came late in life.
   
  Those who truly know a man are his family and very close friends.  It 
is also possible, even to them, some of the issues of his life are still hid-
den.  Even a  Spiritual man has issues he is  not courageous enough to
discuss during his lifetime and the written word is an excellent vehicle
for things he cannot express verbally. After this is on paper, sharing it
might  not be as uncomfortable as thought.  This will result  in passing 
along life principles from the author to his/her loved ones;  a  blessing 
 indeed...  In addition to the potential  blessing for the family,  there is 
a clearing of the air,  when one puts  thoughts on paper.  This benefits 
the  writer more than he/she may know until it’s done.

Why Publish?
 There are many reasons to publish a manuscript.  The overriding rea-
son for publication is, every Child of God has a story.  Since each story,
or testimony of faith is unique, each has an audience, a particular set of
circumstances will impact.  There  is set before us a work to accomplish  
during our time on earth and by writing and publishing the story,  I may 
accomplish the work. Persons affected by reading your story may be 
miles or  years separated from the author and publication is  the only way
to reach the audience.  Consider the impact 40 authors of Holy Scripture,
who  wrote over a 1,000  year span,  have  had over the past  2,000 years.
We must  take care to  acknowledge  nothing  we  publish may in any way
compares to  Scripture.   Every Word  of   Scripture  is  Divinely inspired,
but the pen, or word processor  is still mighty as led of the Spirit of God.

   “I am not articulate enough to put my thoughts on paper.”   By perusing
the internet, one is able to find publishing companies, who will correct the 
grammar and do light editing of a manuscript for as little as $100 for up to 
225 pages.  It is unlikely our pages would exceed that and $100 spent on a
legacy for family and potential benefit to people in the future is well spent
money. There are also Godly teachers in your local schools who will assist. 
As will be evident to all, this author has not as yet taken advantage of this resource.

 Something to remember:  Give our Lord Jesus Christ the honor due Him
Him for  the benefit of  a well lived or changed  life.  Mention of a  human
instruments  He used to  bring this  about  in  us  is always secondary  and 
possibly unwise.

     It is rare for a book written by an unknown  author  to  be financially
rewarding.  If that is the reason for writing,  it must be the poorest pos-
sible motive.   Any  book, when the motive is financial, cannot  be a true
success.  Writing and  publishing is  like  anything else  in the  life of  the
Child of  God.  The idea must have been born in the heart of God and so
empowered.  May the Lord  God give u s wisdom  as we  set our hand to
pen and  ink  (Word Processor) or  to do  anything in  Kingdom  service,
must be our prayer.

     There is also this; A blog is a pretty simple means of getting the word
out with  little expense.   Just a word about my experience;   I have been
blogging since June, 2012. There have been over 11,000 occasions of peo-
ple I may or may not know who have read posts from the blog with about
one-fourth of  the readers outside the US of A, 372 from Russian and 276
from Germany, 84 from Serbia, 32 from the UK. A number of others have
a lesser number of hits.  There have been comments that were humbling 
and gratifying.  Since I am not that literate, it is nothing short of a miracle.  
The Lord is in it and he gets all the praise.  Thanks for reading...

(In the Proverbs of  Solomon,  10: 19 we read;  In  the multitude of  words
sin is not lacking, But  he who restrains his lips is wise.)  With this in mind,
I  trust we  remember to  use economy of  words as we communicate truth.
Why  don't  I  just create a blog and  post  the results of  my Bible study on 
that???

https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7265643285949841765#allposts/postNum=102


           donporter   12.12.12    Updated 12.01.14