Suffering As A Christian? Rejoice!

Brothers and sisters, in 2001 every thing in my life was going well. I was thinking mostly about business and going on with life. I did not forget God, but I awoke one morning and realized I was too caught up in the cares of life. I wept before the Lord and begged him not to let me be like Lot or let me and my family lose our souls. In his great mercy the Father almost immediately started a series of trials in my life. I walk in the understanding trials will continue for the rest of my life. The God who is Love is judging the household of God. The Holy Spirit is preparing a remnant to meet the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

While false teachers go about deceiving the world and telling them about "your best life now" and teaching "grace covers sins", we find that God tells us his children will suffer as he has a totally different plan for his children and says "it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God". Friends, we must die to our old nature.

• 19“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, 21because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
  
  
  22“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!”
  
  
  24“No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”n

1 Peter 4 ISV

Suffering as a Christian

12Dear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 

• 13Instead, because you are participating in the sufferings of the Messiah,g keep on rejoicing, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 
• 14If you are insulted because of the name of the Messiah,h you are blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God is resting on you.i
• 15Of course, none of you should suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker. 
• 16But if you suffer for being a Christian, do not feel ashamed, but glorify God with that name. 
• 17For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. 
• And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who refuse to obey the gospel of God?

18“If it is hard for the righteous person to be saved,

what will happen to the ungodly and sinful person?”j

19So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do what is good.

             When I Survey The Wondrous Cross

Godly Living And Suffering - We Are To Stop Sinning

Brothers and sisters, in a generation where the preachers have the crowds smiling and laughing and pronounce a false doctrine that grace covers their continuing in sin, the Holy Spirit of God directs Peter to tell us we are to stop sinning. 

After writing about how Jesus the Messiah suffered for his children's redemption, Peter encourages believers who are suffering. The scriptures do not give excuses for sinning. We are told "if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous". 

• 1 John 2:1 ISV " My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you might not sin. Yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus, the Messiah, one who is righteous."

1 Peter 4 ISV

1Therefore, since the Messiaha suffered in a mortal body,b 

• you, too, must arm yourselves with the same determination, 
• because the person who has suffered in a mortal body has stopped sinning,2so that he can live the rest of his mortal lifec guided, not by human desires, but by the will of God. 
• 3For you spent enough time in the past doing what the gentiles like to do, living in sensuality, sinful desires, drunkenness, wild celebrations, drinking parties, and detestable idolatry. 

4They insult you now because they are surprised that you are no longer joining them in the same excesses of wild living. 5They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

6Indeed, this is why the gospel was proclaimed even to those who have died, so that they could be judged in their mortal flesh like all humans and live in the spiritual realm like God.

Peter goes on to talk about the vapor we all live in which cannot be measured. It is an eternal zero (lifespan divided by eternity). So many do not understand that while we have life, we are writing our eternal life story. The righteous will have rewards in heaven, but all others will be condemned and go into the lake of fire. We must be born again. Jesus said "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously." Matthew 16:24 ISV Dear friends, be careful who you listen to. Ear tickling and false teachers cover the land.

7Because everything will soon come to an end, be sensible and clear-headed, so you can pray. 

• 8Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. 
• 9Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 
• 10As good servant managers of God’s grace in its various forms, serve one another with the gift each of you has received. 
• 11Whoever speaks must speak God’s words.d 
• Whoever serves must serve with the strengthe that God supplies, so that in every way God may be glorified through Jesus, the Messiah.f 

Glory and power belong to him forever and ever! Amen.

                      The Old Rugged Cross

Godly Living, Suffering & Christ's Accomplishment

1 Peter 3 ISV

13Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? 

• 14But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. 
• “Never be afraid of their threats, and never get upset. 
• 15Instead, exalti the Messiah”j as Lord in your lives.k 
• Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you to explain the hope you have. 
• 16But do thisl gently and respectfully, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak evil of your good conduct in the Messiahm will be ashamed of slandering you. 
• 17After all, if it is the will of God, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.

18For the Messiahn also sufferedo for sins once for all,

an innocent person for the guilty,

so that he could bring youp to God.

He was put to death in a mortal body

but was brought to life by the Spirit,

• 19in which he went and made a proclamation to those imprisoned spirits 
• 20who disobeyed long ago in the days of Noah, 
• when God waited patiently while the ark was being built. In it a few, that is, eight persons, were saved by water. 

21Baptism, which is symbolized by that water, now saves you also, not by removing dirt from the body, but by asking God for a clearq conscience based on the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah,r 22who has gone to heaven and is at the right hand of God, where angels, authorities, and powers have been made subject to him.

Please note in verses 18 and 19 that Jesus paid for sin by taking the wrath of God his Father while he was on the cross, then went to tell the imprisoned spirits to proclaim the gospel. Many if not most of the teachers in the Word of Faith movement say Jesus was punished for sin by the devil and demons went he went to hell to preach. That is an evil, false doctrine as Jesus took on the sin of the world, then his Father poured out his eternal wrath on Jesus.  

                            At The Cross

The Lord Opposes Those Who Do Wrong

As we continue on in 1 Peter 3, I felt led to look at what Jesus said in the Revelation about sin. In our day most of the preachers do not preach against sin. When believers are living in sin, just as the Catholic priests falsely claim to pardon the sin of "believers", so the pastors pronounce the "believers" under "grace" and "saved". However, the scriptures require the believer "must turn away from evil and do good".

Jesus Christ and the only begotten of the Father speaks in Revelation 21 ISV:

5The one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!”
He said, “Write this: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”

6Then he told me, “It has happened! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life to the one who is thirsty. 7The person who conquers will inherit these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 

8But people who are

• cowardly, 
• unfaithful, 
• detestable, 
• murderers, 
• sexually immoral, 
• sorcerers, 
• idolaters, 
• and all liars 
• will find themselvesb in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Brothers and sisters, unless we repent and turn away from these sins to follow Jesus, those who practice the sins listed above will forever be in the lake of fire. The grace of God was never meant to be a charm that covered sin. Those who practice evil will experience the lake of fire.


1 Peter 3 ISV

8Finally, all of you must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble. 9Do not pay others back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, keep blessing them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.

10“For the person who wants to love life

and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit.

11He must turn away from evil and do good.

He must seek peace and pursue it.

12For the Lordc watches the righteous,d

and he pays attention to their prayers.e

But the Lordf opposes thoseg who do wrong.”h

                    Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Wives And Husbands - A Biblical Command

Continuing on in 1 Peter we find the Holy Spirit giving Peter commands for wives and husbands. Though multitudes ignore the scriptures, the children of God should obey them. If we cannot stand faithful in our marriage, how will we stand in the days of persecution the bible tells us are coming and we see approaching at a very rapid pace in the USA?

In the Greek and Hebrew there are not two separate words for "faith" and "faithful". To have faith  is to be faithful. To be faithful is have faith. I do not say this to condemn, but to warn of the necessity of obedience. I have failed, as is talked about in some of my posts.

In chapter 1 of 1 Peter we read:
6You greatly rejoice in this, even though you have to suffer various kinds of trials for a little while, 7so that your genuine faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus, the Messiah,g is revealed.

1 Peter 3 ISV

1In a similar way, you wives must submit yourselves to your husbands so that, even if some of them refuse to obey the word, they may be won over without a word through your conduct as wives2when they see your pure and reverent lives.

3Your beauty should not be an external one, consisting of braided hair or the wearing of gold ornaments and dresses. 

4Instead, it should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which God values greatly.a 5After all, this is how holy women who set their hope on God used to make themselves beautiful in the past. They submitted themselves to their husbands, 6just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters by doing good and by not letting anything terrify you.

7In a similar way, you husbands must live with your wives in an understanding manner, as with a most delicate partner.b Honor them as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing may interfere with your prayers.

Brothers and sisters we are to be faithful as Jesus Christ, who is God is faithful  We are to be holy for God is holy. The following video is about God who is always faithful. 

How To Commune With God, By Henry Gruver

Brothers and sisters, if you truly desire to serve God with all of your heart, you will be so blessed as you watch this video which has Henry Gruver speaking about how to commune with God. Mr. Gruver has walked the nations praying as he goes. He has seen many miracles and I know of no one else who has experienced so much.

He is Mr. Henry Gruver. He boasts no title. You will hear almost 3 hours of what he has experienced in the Lord and if you are truly concerned about living a holy life and desire to be used of God , you will love this teaching. The video gets better and better as it goes along.

Please let me know if you are blessed by it. As far as man's words, this may be the best video I have ever seen. It calls me to seek the Lord with all my being. I was very stirred up in the Spirit. If you listen to it, make sure you watch it all as it gets better and better as he goes along.

You can find many of his messages at www.YouTube.com.

God bless you!
Warren McGrew III

When Suffering Patiently Brings God's Approval

Moving on in 1 Peter 2:18-25, we find Peter instructing believing household servants to submit to those who rule over them. This would apply to all believers who find themselves under unjust people. Currently in the USA most of us are blessed to have many ways out of such situations. As our nation continues to be punished for its sin we will see unjust treatment more and more.

The word the Holy Spirit  gave to us would apply to the time we are under the unjust. As I wrote this I was reminded of what God said elsewhere:

•   "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 ISV 

We should examine ourselves to make sure we are obedient. The Holy Spirit also tells us through Peter something that should define us:

• You were “like sheep that kept going astray,”n

Paul soberly warned us in 2 Corinthians 13:5:

• Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don't you, that Jesus the Messiah lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test?

Brothers and sisters, countless pastors and teachers act out the role of a king. Those with gifts of the Holy Spirit are not heard from anymore as the scriptures teach they should be. Only the king gives what he wants and most of them have forsaken warning the people. They tickle the ears and give their opinions, not God's. They constantly address the crowd as believers and say "we this" and "we that", reinforcing over and over the listeners are believers while countless of them have never been born again. 


1 Peter 2  ISV

18You household servants must submit yourselves to your masters out of respect, 

• not only to those who are kind and fair, but also to those who are unjust. 
• 19For it is a fine thing if, when moved by your conscience to please God, you suffer patiently when wronged. 
• 20What good does it do if, when you sin, you patiently receive punishment for it? 
• But if you suffer for doing good and receive it patiently, you have God’s approval. 

21This is, in fact, what you were called to do, because:

The Messiahj also suffered for you

and left an example for you

to follow in his steps.

22“He never sinned,

and he never told a lie.”k

23When he was insulted,

he did not retaliate.

When he suffered,

he did not threaten.

It was his habit

to commit the matter to the one who judges fairly.

24“He himself bore our sins”l in his body on the tree,

so that we might die to those sins

and live righteously.

“By his wounds

you have been healed.”m

25You were “like sheep that kept going astray,”n

but now you have returned to the shepherd

and overseer of your souls.

I am confident the Lord led me to this video this morning. They do not get better than this one. I trust you will be greatly blessed by it!

"You Must Be Born From Above", Jesus Christ.

While the world mocks being born again and many teachers are ashamed of the phrase, we must recall one of the most powerful, sobering statements in the bible as Jesus said, regarding being born again.

John 3 ISV

• 1Now there was a man from the Pharisees, a leader of the Jews, whose name was Nicodemus. 2He came to Jesusa at night and told him, “Rabbi,b we know that you have come from God as a teacher, because no one can perform these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.”
• 3Jesus replied to him, “Truly, I tell youc emphatically, unless a person is born from aboved he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• 4Nicodemus asked him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He can’t go back into his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
• 5Jesus answered, “Truly, I tell youe emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.f 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Don’t be astonished that I told you, ‘All of you must be born from above.’g 8The windh blows where it wants to. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. That’s the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Continuing on in Peter's letter, he tells us we are to love one another and to submit ourselves to those in government. Yes, God's children are to submit to President Obama and the leaders in our government. The Lord Jesus Christ has chosen them for his purpose which is yet to be revealed. We are first and most importantly not to disobey God or do evil things. Pray for our government.

1 Peter 1 ISV

22Now that you have obeyed the trutho and have purified your souls to love your brothers sincerely,

• you must love one another intensely and with a pure heart. 

23For you have been born again, not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish—by the living and everlasting word of God.p

1 Peter 2 ISV

1Therefore, 

• rid yourselves of every kind of evil and deception, 
• hypocrisy, 
• jealousy, 
• and every kind of slander. 

2Like newborn babies, thirst for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in your salvation. 3Surely you have tasted that the Lord is good!

11Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and exiles to 

• keep on abstaining from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 

12Continue to live such upright lives among the gentiles that, when they slander you as practicers of evil, they may see your good actions and glorify God when he visits them.g

13For the Lord’s sake submit yourselves to every human authority: 

• whether to the king as supreme, 
• 14or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 
• 15For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talkh of foolish people. 
• 16Live like free people, and do not use your freedom as an excuse for doing evil. 
• Instead, be God’s servants. 
• 17Honor everyone. 
• Keep on loving the community of believers,i fearing God, and honoring the king.

               Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart

BE HOLY - In Every Aspect Of Your Life

The teachers in vast numbers have perverted the grace of God and use it to cover the sins of those who willfully continue in sin. They pronounce the sinner who is continuing in sin "under grace", just as the Catholic priests do when they falsely claim to be able to forgive sins and pronounce a sinner "forgiven". This along with the teaching of easy believism which has people repeat a sinner's prayer. They then pronounce the sinner "saved". This has devastated the church by creating countless believers who are indeed still "unbelievers". Both the Protestants and Catholics have come together in these lies, preparing the great falling away, the apostasy. 

Brothers and sisters, are you listening to Laodicean "man's opinions" teachers who tickle your ears with a few pleasant verses and thousands of their own words? Or are you searching the scriptures, judging yourself with the word of God and correcting your life as we are commanded to do? We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We have not finished the race yet.   

• And so, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I am absent, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12 ISV
• 24You know that in a race all the runners run but only one wins the prize, don’t you? You must run in such a way that you may be victorious. 25Everyone who enters an athletic contest practices self-control in everything. They do it to win a wreath that withers away, but we run to win a prize thatj never fades. 26That is the way I run, with a clear goal in mind. That is the way I fight, not like someone shadow boxing. 27No, I keep on disciplining my body, making it serve me so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 ISV

We saw in the previous verses of 1 Peter 1 that the prophets and those who went before us were not serving themselves, but those of us who would believe after the cross. As we continue in Peter's letter to the church, we find that we who believe the Gospel are personally responsible 
to be holy in every aspect of our lives, just as the one who called us is holy.

1 Peter 1  ISV  Be Holy

13Therefore, 

• prepare your minds for action, 
• keep a clear head, 
• and set your hope completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah,k is revealed. 
• 14As obedient children, do not be shaped by the desires that used to influence you when you were ignorant. 
• 15Instead, be holy in every aspect of your life, just as the one who called you is holy. 16For it is written, “You must be holy, because I am holy.”l

17If you call “Father” the one who judges everyone impartially according to what they have done, 

• you must live in reverent fear as long as you are strangers in a strange land. 

18For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, 19but with the precious blood of the Messiah,m like that of a lamb without blemish or defect. 

20On the one hand, he was foreknown before the creationn of the world, but on the other hand, he was revealed at the end of time for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

                   Write It On My Heart