TRUE FAITH THAT WILL WORK (12.29.18)

     I must at this time edit some of my previous thoughts and
comments in my life and in this blog.  At times I have failed
to consider or remember life in Christ is not only a learned
lifestyle, but one must "grow" into the life.  It is clear to me
my words and actions at times have seemed curiously harsh
or very strict, rather than considerate and kind.  I have had
a lack of humility and have required more of others than of
myself.  Clearly a  lack of  Christ-likeness and  a  self-righ-
teous  spirit influenced  my attitude  toward  others  caused
this, exacerbated by immaturity.  The apparent cure for the
condition must, of  necessity, be a careful, diligent study of 
the Word of God (Scripture) and adherence thereto.  

     We need only to live life the way our Lord lived among
"us" during his incarnation.  He was humble, but of strong
character with standards, unimpeachable.  There were the 
times of joy, times of sorrow and finally the ultimate appa-
rent  failure and death,  that  turned  out to be his ultimate
triumph according to the plan of  his Father in heaven.  It
is significant; he lived, knowing his life would be this way,
and  although He prayed at one time,  "...let this cup pass
from me,"  (Luke 23:42) his desire was to do the will of his 
Father, with whom He was "One."   ("I and my Father are 
One." ) John 10: 30

     It will take a strong commitment, Divine help and  the
fellowship of other believers to live a life pleasing to  our
Lord.  The end of a life so lived will be rewarding beyond
our imagination and to state it to be worthwhile, is under-
statement, to say the least.  May the Lord God bless your
efforts and faith as we serve the only entity worthy of our
faith, who is our only  hope for eternal life and a  calling
to service here and for eternity.

     There is a passage in Matthew, Chapter 12, verse 36
that has always given me pause.  "...That every idle word
that man  shall speak,  they shall  give account thereof in 
the day of judgment."  That is heavy.

donporter,sr  (12.28.18) 

AN END TO RACISM? 11.03.18

Today I have finally  gotten around to begin reading "The End 
of Racism," by Dinesh D'souza, published, 1995 by Simon and 
Shuster.  Although he is of eastern Asian descent, he has lived 
around the world.  His background and experience are varied. 
Having read only the information on the jacket of the book, pre-
face, and chapter one. This is not  about his book , as pertinent 
and deep as it is. It appears  to be well worth  reading and will  
be of  assistance to anyone  concerned with  a problem, racism, 
which infects every culture.  Here we do not offer the final end  
to racism, but an offer to create an atmosphere for one person  
at a time, to free himself from the injustice he might perpetrate  
on others, period. Though we may think this simplistic, the goal 
is to  make plain the fault  everyone has, as part of  their being.  
The sin to which I refer is a self serving mindset or inability to 
prefer others to self.  We do not even have the ability to look at
a situation to see a situation through the eyes of another.  If we
were to come to a place where we could settle those issues, we
would, effectively, end racism on our part.  It is on us; you and
me.  We may also develop relationships with part of the family

of God and man, now closed to us, missing  the blessing of fel-
lowship with them.  We have only to turn to Scripture and read 
the "Golden Rule."  "Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.  for this is the
law and the prophets."   Matthew 7:12  (Scripture quoted from
KJV and NKJV)
(Matthew 7:12) Since this is a Word  from the Lord, the follower 
of  Jesus Christ have the privilege, or responsibility to honor this 
great commandment from his God. This is the one command sta--
ted in Scripture, "to fulfill the Law" of God.  If we do not honour
this one commandment, we have all missed the mark and are lost
The sin of Racism will be with us still,  as well as other grevious,
debilitating practices that stain the soul and cause us to be of no
use in the Kingdom of our God...  This leaves us with a mandate 
to be to everyone with  whom we interact as we would they were
to us.  In Romans 12: 9-10, 14:  "Let love be  without dissimula-
lation."   (Hiding under a false appearance)  "Abhor  that which
is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned
one to another with brotherly love, in honour preferring one ano-
ther with brotherly love.  Bless those who peresecute you.   bless 
and curse not." 
     This passage gives us opportunity to build personal  relation-
ships, based on  the way our Lord has dealt  with us.  He is care-     
ful to relate to  his children  with a love that  places the recipient 
of that love above himself. Can we do less and still claim we are 
following  him?  This will require a  lot of  introspection, or soul 
searching,  and is certainly not going  to be easy.  Is anything of  
worth  ever "easy?”  God bless as we live in a way requiring the 
power and wisdom of God in you and me to succeed;  become of 
use in His  Kingdom, with a guarantee of  eternal life with Jesus 
Christ.  "And be not drunk with wine,  wherein is excess;  but be 
be filled with the Spirit."  (Ephesians 5:18) It might be rendered 
"be ye being filled," indicating  a continuous  flow of  His Spirit 
on and in you/me.  
                   ...PRAISE THE LORD GOD IN JESUS CHRIST...   

                       God bless, and thanks for reading.  donporter,sr

JAMES, the JUST, James 1: 1 - 8

"James, a servant of  God and of  the Lord Jesus Christ, to
the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.  My 
brethren, count  it all joy  when ye  fall into  divers tempta-
tions;  Knowing this,  that the trying of  your faith worketh
patience.  But  let  patience have her perfect  work that  ye
may be perfect and entire, wanting  nothing.  If any of you
lack  wisdom, let  him ask  of God,  that  giveth to  all men 
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
(verses 1-5, kjv)

       It  seems this passage is  written to new  believers who 
were  having difficulty  dealing with  the temptation  to fall
back into Judaism.  This, of  course would also apply to us,
as gentile believers, who  might suffer a desire to return to
life seeking  pleasure and  need strength and wisdom from
the Lord, to resist the natural tendency to fall in a lifestyle
inconsistent  with one  who is following Jesus Christ.  Just
ask the Lord God in the  name of our Savior, Jesus Christ,
and he will give it without any chide or taunt, (upbraideth
not) but will give it lovingly and liberally.  It is impossible
to serve our Lord with any effect without wisdom. Wisdom
required for service to him, and to mankind, must be tried 
in the fire of experience, having overcome trials and temp-
tations of life. Then it may be infused with His Spirit (God
the Spirit) according to Ephesians 5: 14-18, 

     "Wherefore he saith,  'Awake thou that sleepest, and
      rise from the dead and  he shall give thee light.  See 
      then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as 
      wise, redeeming the time  because the days are evil.  
    Wherefore be  ye not unwise but understanding what 
    the will of  the Lord is.  And be  not drunk  with wine
    wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."

    "But let him ask in  faith, nothing  wavering.  For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed.  But let  not that man think  that he will  receive any
thing from  the Lord.  A double minded  man is  unstable in 
all his ways."  (James 1: 6-8)

     This passage indicates our Lord's contempt for any who
are faithless and therefore unable to trust Him, without any
reservation, or answer a  prayer of  faith based on the truth 
of  God's Word;  Since  this one is not  trustworthy , he also
has issues of fully trusting his Heavenly Father to fulfill the
promises made in His Word. 

                                                          donporter,sr   10.25.18

     

     

     

TURNING FROM THE FAITH

  "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our Father, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen."  Galatians 1: 3-5

After this greeting from the Apostle, A Word from the Lord God 
to a fledgling group of Believers, he writes, "I marvel that you 
are  turning, so soon, from Him who called you in the grace of 

Christ,to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ."  

Galatians 1: 6-8

 Any deviation within a group of believers, from the pure, unadul-

 terated gospel, (inspired truth) of Jesus Christ is unacceptable to

  the Lord God,  and must be confronted immediately.  Otherwise,

the body will be tainted by the apostasy, and it will take the whole

congregation with it. Truth and false doctrine cannot exist side by

side, lest the falsity contaminate the whole.  As in baking, if there

is a  foreign substance used as part of the process, the whole will

be ruined.   I am convinced sectarianism, or denominations have

succeeded in  causing divisions among "brothers,"   and God will

judge that.  There may be some differences in interpretation from

Scripture that seem inconsequential, and there are supposed areas

of the Word having to do with form and ceremony that are not to

be divisive.  We must, however; encourage a return to fundamen-

tal truth. Proclaim that, and overcome our differences with prayer

and love for a brother.  Let's refuse to engage in disputes over any

part of  Scripture that may  not be fully understood, and  build up faith in Jesus Christ, his Word and grace, accorded every belie- ver, according to his faith.  (I believe we may well, even as follo-
wers of Christ, be unable to fully explain "Holy Writ, or attain the
depth of understanding available to us without maturity, leaning
on the wisdom of God the Spirit.

 If one comes into the assembly and is demonstrated to be trouble-
some, we must deal with this one.  "as you would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them, likewise."  Luke 6: 31 If we keep the
"Golden Rule" of Matthew 7 and Luke 6 predominant in our thin- 
king and action/actions toward others, we will do well.  If we fail
to keep this "principle" in mind, it is my conviction that we will do
nothing but bring similar actions upon ourselves.  I believe this is
a law of our God.   

                                                                                                           donporter,sr. 9.10.18

   

CONSIDER FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY

     Having given some thought to the passage of Scripture 
concerning "charity, faith and hope,"  from 1 Corinthians
chapter 13, I was compelled to get definitions of the three
words.  The best you will find are from Scripture.  Secular
sources also shed light on our understanding of the terms.

Let's deal with charity first, since it is stated as "greatest"
of  the three:  Charity may  be loosely defined;  eleemosy-
nary care in all dealings with others, whatever their state 
or status.  To express charity is to extend time, resources 
or support to those who have needs you are able to meet.  

This "action" is performed without prejudice, any hint of 

denigration or distain.  Rather, it is in the spirit of consi-

dering the one  for  whom you care to be a  peer in every

respect.  We must always take care to have an attitude of
"There, but for the grace of God, go I."  There is also the

principle of  Scripture;  "Therefore all things whatsoever

   ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to  

   them, for this is the law and the prophets."  (Matthew

  7:12)   Charity is the Lord's work and may only be done

in his name and power. (The fullness of the Spirit of God) 
If done "in the flesh," it will be fueled by self interest, with 

no positive, eternal effect or reward for the doer.  In later
English translations of Scripture, the word charity is ren-
dered love.  In this instance we might consider the wordssynonyms, but not synonymous. Charity could be defined 
as  "Love in action and  must produce  charitable actions 
toward others.       

       Hope is "earnest anticipation of future benefit not in

evidence." Faith may be defined; "the substance of things

hope for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

As long as faith and hope are based on knowledge of the

Word of God, (Scripture) they are the principles leading

one to  a dynamic,  personal  relationship with our Lord;
the ability to serve Him with heart, body, soul, and mind.   

Without these 3 principles at work in ones life, he is lost,

and there is no "hope" of  eternal life in Christ.  Motiva-
tion  for "charitable" acts is  the Love of our Lord Jesus
Christ with  a confessed belief that our eternal  life is of,
for, and by him.  
                            donporter,sr 7.30.18, edited 10.19.18         

    

          

FOREVER O LORD, THY WORD IS SETTLED IN HEAVEN... PSALM 119: 89

               OLD COVENANT/NEWCOVENANT

     I have heard it stated, "The Old Testament is  for  
people of that age," implying it  is for Israel, specifi-
cally. There is another application believed by evan-
gelicals.  Scripture is  the Lord God's  revelation  to 
mankind and we neglect it to our peril. 
"All Scripture is given by  the inspiration  of God, 
   and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, for instruction in righteousness: 
  that the man of God may be perfect, throughly 
furnished unto all good work."  II Timothy 3: 15-16
(I believe the word "perfect," might well be rendered
mature or sound.)

                                                   

  Every scholar/believer holds both the first 39 books 
and the 27 books to be equally inspired of God, to be 
Scripture, The Word of  God.  In the 39, referring to 
the  Old  Testament,  He  laid  the  basis  for  the 27, 

called  the New Testament.  It is  impossible  for one
to  understand the 27 without  the 39;  nor to under-

stand  the 39 without  the 27.  Both  Jew and Gentile 
alike,  fall short when they neglect either.  The word 

Testament is  equivalent to  Covenant. The Covenant 
of  39 is updated by the 27 and the  covenant of 27 is 
incomplete without the 39.  There are no less than  8
covenants from God to man.  Some were with indivi-
duals, other were for certain people groups , and the
remaining were with the world at large.  A covenant
may be described as a "solemn, binding agreement."  

    It is fascinating, when we read  Scripture, to find 
Jesus Christ called  the "Word made  flesh."  (man)  
"He came  to His own, and His own did not receive 

Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave
  the right to become children of God, to those who  

  believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, 
 but  of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt 
  among us, and we  beheld His glory as of the only 
 as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace 
   and truth."  John 1: 11-14

    The Lord God is Triune, but His manifestation is 
one, the Lord Jesus Christ, who though equal with 
God made himself somewhat lower than angels and 
became a man through his virgin birth to Mary of 
Nazareth.  He was born Jewish, lived perfectly the 
Law of God, as recorded in the Old Testament, or
Covenant.  He is the only man born of woman, who
 obeyed perfectly, the commandments of his Father 
who is God, creator and sustainer of our world, or 

universe.  He is one with his Father, co-equal with 

the  Holy Spirit of  God, who is the third  person of 
that we call  "Trinity."  He came, through a  mira-
culous birth, not to make us equal with God, but to

 open the door  through which we may  become the 
children of God.  Christ is the unique Son of God.     

     In the Psalms, 119: 89-92 we find, "For ever, O 
Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness 
  is unto all generations:  Thou hast established  the 

earth, and it abideth.  They continue this day accor-
 ding to  thine  ordinances:  for  all are thy servants. 

Unless thy law had been my delight, I should, then 

have perished in mine affliction."   

(There can be no authority for the Child of God out-
side the Holy Scripture; Old and New Testaments;
One Divinely inspired work. Personified by the Son.) 

donporter, sr 8.06.2018

                                                donporter,sr 6.08.18, 6.27.18

'ONE GOD, THREE PERSONS, ONE WORD"

         I have heard  it stated, "The Old Testament is for the people

of that age, implying it is for Israel, specifically.  There is another

application believed by evangelicals. "Scripture is the Lord God's

revelation  to mankind and  we neglect it to  our peril.  "All Scrip-

ture is given by  the inspiration  of God, and is profitable for doc-
trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all
good work."  II Timothy 3:15-16 Each scholar/believer holds both
the first 39 books and the 27 books to be inspired of God, or to be
Scripture, The Word of God.  In the 39, which we call the Old Tes-
tament, He  laid the basis for the 27, called the New Testament. It
is impossible  to understand  the 27 without the 39 and  we cannot
understand the 39 without the 27.  Both Jew and Gentile alike, fall
short if they neglect either.   The word Testament is the equivalent
to Covenant.  The Covenant of the 39 is updated by the 27 and the
covenant of the 27 is incomplete without the 39.

     It is fascinating, when we read Scripture, to find Jesus Christ
is described as the "Word" made flesh. (man)  "He came to His 
own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received
   Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, but
   of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and 
we  beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of 
   grace and truth."  John 1: 11-14

    The Lord God is Triune, but His manifestation is one, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who though equal with God made himself somewhat
lower than angels and became a man through his "virgin" birth to
Mary of Nazareth.  He was born Jewish, lived perfectly the Law of
God, as recorded in the Old Testament (Covenant).  He is the only
man born of woman, who obeyed the commandments of his Father
who is God, creator and sustainer of our world and universe.  He
is one with his Father, co-equal with the Holy Spirit of God, third
person of the "Trinity."  He came, through a miraculous birth, not
to make us equal with God, but to open the door for us to become
the sons and daughters of God.    

     In the Psalms, 119: 89-92 we find, "For ever, O Lord, thy Word
is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:  Thou
hast established  the earth,  and it abideth.  They continue this day
according  to thine  ordinances:  for  all are  thy servants.  Unless
thy law had  been my delight,  I should then have perished in mine
affliction."   

                                                      Thanks for looking, donporter,sr                                                                                edited: 4.28.18