Barabbas: who was he?

We have heard his name many times. We see him in films related to the life of Jesus. When the day of the crucifixion arrives, here he is together with Jesus. His name is Barabbas. Barabbas, was a criminal, responsible for insurgence, murder and robbery. He was a murderer. That’s how Peter calls him in Acts 3:14. The penalty for his actions was death. The name Barabbas is composed by “Bar” that means son and “abass” that means father. He was “son of a father” i.e. a son of somebody. Here he is therefore together with Jesus before the Pilate. From the one side the innocent, Jesus Christ the Son of God. No evil was found in Him. He walked doing good and healing the people. And yet He is in the death queue. From the other side a murderer, a criminal that was condemned to death. One of the two will go to the cross and Barabbas has all the reasons to be there. The cross is his normal end. But let’s read the relative passage in Luke 23:13-25 :

Luke 23:13-25 
“And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucifyhim, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.”

Jesus was delivered to be crucified and Barabbas was sent free! The innocent went to the cross in the stead of the guilty. But who is Barabbas anyway? I’ll tell you. It is me and you. In the person of Barabbas we are all of us. All of us “have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of us were condemned. All of us were worthy to go to the cross, and destined for the lake of fire. But here comes Jesus Christ, the innocent lamb, the lamb of God and He takes the place of Barabbas. Barabbas is now free. Me and you were released and are now free! See how the Word describes it in Ephesians 2:1-10 :

Ephesians 2:1-10
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

We were dead in trespasses and sins and God quickened us in Christ! He gave us new life! I believe God may had involved murderer Barabbas in the crucifixion scene to demonstrate his love: Barabbas’s life was saved by the death of Jesus Christ. He was destined to death, just as me and you were dead in sins and trespasses. The cross was made for him! Yet his life was spared by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus had not been “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8) Barabbas would be dead that day. Similarly it is through this obedience of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father that you and I, provided we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Son of God, became from dead alive. From children of wrath to children of God.

Galatians 3:26
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ”

From slaves to sin, members of the kingdom of His dear Son:

Colossians 1:12-14
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”

I don’t know what happened to Barabbas. But I know something: the next time that I will read the crucifixion passages or see them played, I will know that I was like him, dead in trespasses and sins, destined for the cross, and exactly as him I was released and set free by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who took not only Barabbas’ place in the cross but also ours. If you haven’t given your life to Jesus Christ, if you still haven’t tasted the sweet freedom He made possible for you with His death, I would very much encourage you to do so. Let Him set you FREE! As the Bible says:

Romans 10:9-10 says:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

It is not works that are going to save you, but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection. And as He saved Barabbas life from the death of the cross, as He saved my life as He saved billion’s of others’ lives from being dead in trespasses and sins, He will also save YOU! Don’t delay. Give your life to Him TODAY!

Anastasios Kioulachoglou

               Please check out Anastasios's book 

               "The Warnings of the New Testament". 

               Purchase at Kindle and Amazon or 

               download for FREE at: http://www.jba.gr/

               Articles/pdf/the-warnings-of-the-New-

               Testament.pdf

Jesus In the country of the Gergesenes

In Matthew 8:28-34 we are reading about the short visit of the Lord to the country of the Gergesenes:

Matthew 8:28-34
“When He had come to the other side [i.e. opposite to Capernaum, where he was in Matthew 8:5-27], to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Then those who kept themfled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.”

Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes. He loved those Gergesenes as He loves any man on this earth. So he came, even uninvited. He left Capernaum and he came to their country. He started His visit by delivering two demon possessed people. While somebody would say that this was a great start, here is the reaction of those Gergesenes: “when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region”! The Son of God came to be with them. And yet the whole city came out, before He could even get in, begging Him to leave! The reason? I believe it was because of the loss of the swine. They were afraid of this “loss” being repeated. The Gergesenes between the Son of God and their unclean “swine” choose the swine. The Son of God left.

Are there things today for which you say “please Lord keep yourself away from this. This is my business”, because you are afraid of what He may do? Is there “swine” that you prefer to have it hidden than allow the Lord to visit? Do not be as the Gergesenes. Paul in Philippians 3:4-6 gives his short CV concerning his pre-Christian achievements:

Philippians 3:4-6
“If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”

Paul was according to the righteousness that is of the law, blameless! Not many men could say this. But he could! And yet…. here is his conclusion about all these “achievements”

Philippians 3:7-14
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul suffered the loss of all things. From a great man in his society and religious cycle, he found himself moving from town to town and preaching the gospel under great persecutions from his own people. His life was many times at stake. And yet he counted all his past achievements as rubbish in comparison to the knowledge of the Lord, looking not backwards but forwards, to those things that are ahead, pressing towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are there things, areas of our life today that we would prefer to keep the Lord outside? If yes, let’s do the opposite from what the flesh says. Let’s not carry on hiding from Him but let’s make these things open to Him. Let’s be fully transparent to Him, instead of keeping Him away as the Gergesenes did. Let’s put Him in control, expressing to Him our desires but allowing Him also to do as He desires. HE IS THE LORD!

Anastasios Kioulachoglou

               Please check out Anastasios's book 

               "The Warnings of the New Testament". 

               Purchase at Kindle and Amazon or 

               download for FREE at: http://www.jba.gr/

               Articles/pdf/the-warnings-of-the-New-

               Testament.pdf

The parable of the debtor of the ten thousand talents

I had an argument with somebody recently. It was not the first time that this had happened and I was wondering: “Come on. It can not be that the same behavior comes up every time I meet this person. It simply cannot be.” I was rather upset and in my morning study I told God: “this happens repeatedly. I can’t bear with it”. Then surprisingly the following answer came back to my mind: “you repeatedly do the same sins again and again and I forgive you”. Of course, I “shut up” immediately. It didn’t take long to bring into my mind the same sins repeated again and again through the years and the times I went to God, not with tears, not with much heaviness but with a simple sorry like nothing had happened, requesting that He forgives me because …. He had to! You know, we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). If you are hurt when your brother sins against you, God is also hurt when you sin to Him (and/or your brother). It does not matter whether your behavior affects anybody or not. Regardless of whether or not the sin is against another human being, it always hurt God. And He forgives. Continuously! Non stop! Later the same day, thinking of this incidence that happened in the morning God brought to my mind the parable of the debtor of the ten thousand talents. Before we go to this parable though, let’s look at its context. In Matthew 18:15-22 we are reading:

Matthew 18:15-22 
"[The Lord is speaking] Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that `by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

The verse that follows the Lord’s reply to Peter is the parable of the debtor of the ten thousand talents. But as we see the context is forgiveness. Jesus explained what must be done when a brother sins against us. Then Peter comes with the question of the number of times he must forgive his brother. He must have thought of it like this - like probably the way me and many of us think -: “OK Lord… if this brother sins against me I can forgive him the first time, even the second and the third time…. I must give him more chances. But after some times, it is enough! I mean I gave him many opportunities but he continuously repeats the same error. I cannot bear with this any longer. I already gave him enough opportunities to change”. For Peter, 7 times would be enough. If the same error was repeated after seven times, then he would probably not give to his brother another chance. He had enough. Imagine God following the same principle with us! Imagine that He had a certain limit where He would say: “OK little fellow… I had enough with you. I can’t bear with you and your character any longer. I gave you enough chances and this was your last. Finished!” But fortunately that’s not what God does! God is a forgiving God. There is only one sin that cannot be forgiven, the unpardonable sin, but there is no other sin and no limit of times that a sin can be forgiven. In I John 1:8-10, 2:1-2 the Word says:

I John 1:8-10, 2:1-2
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

The Word says these things that we may not sin. But if we sin and confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us! In Him there is unlimited forgiveness! It is not “up to 7 times and then finished!”. It is not “I can’t bear with you any longer due to it!”. It is not “I had enough with you and your sins!”. In God there is endless forgiveness. I believe this is one of the most wonderful news in the Christian faith! That’s why the Lord turning to Peter told him “"I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”, meaning “there is no limit Peter. As the Father forgives you so also you must forgive your brother.” As there is unlimited forgiveness from our Father to our sins, so also there must be unlimited forgiveness to the sins of our brothers towards us. When you think that “you had enough with it and you cannot forgive any longer your brother” please think of the thousands of times God has forgiven you and will be forgiving you. I believe you will change your mind.

The parable of the debtor of the ten thousands talents

It was in this context of unlimited forgiveness towards one another that the Lord spoke the parable of the debtor of the ten thousand talents. This parable follows immediately after the conversation with Peter and is given in verses 23-35 of Matthew 18:

Matthew 18:23-35
“Therefore [this word links the parable directly to what the Lord had just said about forgiveness] the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, `Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, `Pay me what you owe!' "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. `Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

The word “therefore” that opens the parable links it to what the Lord said in verses 15-22 about forgiveness. God brought to my mind this parable giving me also the following explanation: The king is God, the owner of the ten thousands talents is me, the debtor that owns me the 100 denarii is my brother that has sinned against me, the talents are a measure of sin. My sins towards God are like millions. Many, day after day, and many times the same again and again. I go to God for forgiveness and He does forgive me. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all my sins. God has deleted all my old debts and deletes any new one so that I can day after day live “debt-free”!! But now this fellow, my brother, comes and sins against me. And instead of thinking “I’m a debtor to God also. He forgives me and my debt every day. The same I will also do to my brother”, I say “No. I cannot accept your debts towards me. I had enough. I’m not going to forgive this. Put this brother to the prison. Throw him out. I don’t want to know him any longer (or more subtle like “I will keep my distances from him”)”. When we behave like this, we have forgotten from what God has forgiven us! And not only that but by doing “judgment” to our brother we also call the judgment of God in our lives. See what the Lord said:

Matthew 18:32-35
"Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. `Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

When instead of forgiving your brother you act as a judge, passing judgment and punishment to him, then you invite the judgment and punishment of God to your life and your sins! Jesus is very clear: “So my heavenly Father also will do to you”! What Jesus is saying is “be careful. If you act as a judge for the sins of your brother toward you, expect God to start acting as a JUDGE and start passing judgment on your sins too. Instead of forgiveness of the “debt”, expect punishment! Instead of “debt-free” life you may be “thrown into prison”. You may not like this, but that’s how it is!

Forgiveness: Other references

Here are some other references especially for those of us that have taken God’s forgiveness as granted and find it hard to forgive others:

Matthew 6:12-15 
“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Mark 11:25-26
"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Luke 6:36-37
"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

What about if God stopped forgiving you? Terrible eh! What about if God started passing judgment for your sins? Awful! Well, that’s what is going to happen when we do not forgive others but we harbor in our hearts sins and hurts they may have given us, denying the gift of forgiveness to them. If we don’t forgive we will not be forgiven. If we pass judgment then we may find God passing judgment on our sins too! Who wants this? Certainly not me!

Ephesians 4:32
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”

Also Colossians 3:13
“bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

If you are looking for a measure of forgiveness, well here it is for you: “just as God in Christ forgave you”, “even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do”.

Conclusion

Forgiveness is not an option. It is a MUST. Sin is a reality and as others sin against us so also we sin against others and against God. Whenever you find it hard to forgive, whenever you come across to same behaviors and sins that are repeated, think of the forgiveness of God. Think of how many times, He has forgiven you and will keep forgiving you. We are all of us debtors of ten thousand talents and what is owed to us is just a few cents. Let them go!

Anastasios Kioulachoglou

               Please check out Anastasios's book 

               "The Warnings of the New Testament". 

               Purchase at Kindle and Amazon or 

               download for FREE at: http://www.jba.gr/

               Articles/pdf/the-warnings-of-the-New-

               Testament.pdf

US Bible Belt not that Biblical any more

Influence Of Churches, Once Dominant,  Now Waning In South

ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Jay Reeves - December 3, 2015 SYLACAUGA, Ala. -- Prayers said and the closing hymn sung, tea-drinking churchgoers fill Marble City Grill for Sunday lunch. But hard on their heels comes the afternoon crowd: craft beer-drinking, NFL-watching football fans. Such a scene would have been impossible just months ago because Sunday alcohol sales were long illegal in Sylacauga, hometown of both the actor who played TV's Gomer Pyle and the white marble used to construct the U.S. Supreme Court building. While the central Alabama city of 12,700 has only one hospital, four public schools and 21 red lights, the chamber of commerce directory lists 78 churches. Yet few were surprised when residents voted overwhelmingly in September to legalize Sunday alcohol sales. Churches lacked either the heart or influence to stop it. That shift is part of a broad pattern across the South: Churches are losing their grip on a region where they could long set community standards with a pulpit-pounding sermon or, more subtly, a sideward glance toward someone walking into a liquor store. In metro Atlanta, youth sports teams regularly practice and play games on Sunday mornings andWednesday nights - times that were strictly off-limits a generation ago because they conflicted with church worship services. In Mississippi, dozens of businesses display anti-discrimination stickers distributed by a gay rights group rather than worry about a church-based backlash. "It doesn't matter who wants to buy a house," said real estate agent Diana Britt, who drives around Jackson, Mississippi, in a work vehicle decorated with one of the stickers. "If they want to buy a house, I'll sell them a house." Church-based crusaders against gambling also are on a losing streak as all but two Southern states, Alabama and Mississippi, have lotteries. And, perhaps most tellingly, a recent survey by the Pew Research Center showed 19 percent of Southerners don't identify with any organized religion. That's fewer "nones" than in other regions, but the number is up 6 percentage points in the South since 2007. The South is still the Bible Belt, and that same Pew survey found that church affiliation remains stronger in the states of the old Confederacy than anywhere else in the United States. Seventy-six percent of Southerners call themselves Christians, and political advertisements often show candidates in or near church. Religious conservatives remain a powerful force in many Southern statehouses. Still, the same South that often holds itself apart from the rest of the country is becoming more like other U.S. regions when it comes to organized religion, said Jessica Martinez, a senior researcher in religion and public life at Pew. And while race divides many things in the South, the trend is evident among blacks, whites and Hispanic adults, she said. "We've seen this sort of broader shift throughout the country as a whole with fewer people identifying as being part of the religious base," she said. "In the South you see a pattern very similar to what we are seeing in other regions." ... Edited :: See Original Report Here http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHANGING_SOUTH_CHURCH_INFLUENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-12-03-11-21-23

John MacArthur Told Your Children They Can Take The Mark of the Beast and repent later.

How about heretic John MacArthur's evil? He is so evil that he takes the position of God All Mighty!!! MacArthur tells us WE can commit occasional acts of adultery!! No wonder he told God "I can override your word that those who take the mark of the beast, can repent later". God said "MacArthur will never eat from the tree of life".


* "A true Christian possessing saving faith can commit occasional acts of adultery." If that does
    not sound like "a license to sin", I've never heard one!
    (Hence, MacArthur claims there are some Christian adulterers.) God forbid!

* "A true Christian possessing saving faith can commit occasional acts of drunkenness." If that
   does not sound like "a license to sin", I've never heard one!
   (Hence, MacArthur claims there are some Christian drunks.) God forbid!

* "A true Christian possessing saving faith can murder himself (be a suicide) and afterwards
   go to heaven, even though he died as an unrepentant murderer." If that does not sound like "a
   license to sin", I've never heard one! God forbid!

* "A true Christian can commit the list of sins cited in 1 Cor. 6:9,10 just short of going all the way
    back to live like he used to and still have a saving faith." God forbid!

Here is that list, in case you are unacquainted with it.

OR DO YOU KNOW THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD! DO NOT BE DECEIVED: NEITHER FORNICATORS, NOR IDOLATERS, NOR ADULTERERS, NOR EFFEMINATE, NOR HOMOSEXUALS, NOR THIEVES, NOR THE COVETOUS, NOR DRUNKARDS, NOR REVILERS, NOR SWINDLERS, WILL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. (1 Cor. 6:,10

* MacArthur says "no sin regardless how heinous, including child molestation, rape, murder, homosexuality, etc., will ever prevent a person previously saved from entering heaven." Hence,  If that does not sound like "a license to sin", I've never heard one! God forbid!

* MacArthur says "Sin works for our good! If that does not sound like "a license to sin", I've never heard one! God forbid!

* MacArthur says, "a person who is lacking saving faith is one whose basic character is summed up in the uninterrupted and unrepentant practice of them [sins] ...(The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1798, comment on Gal. 5:21). Hence, anything better than an uninterrupted and unrepentant practice of sin could describe a person with saving faith bound for heaven because of eternal security, even though he might be living in many of the sins cited in 1 Cor. 6:9,10. God forbid! Jesus told us to stop sinning!!!!

http://wmcgrew.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-flowchart-depicting-some-of-john.html

http://wmcgrew.blogspot.com/2015/11/some-of-john-macarthurs-anti-christ-and.html

-------------------------

If the root is rotten, the result is a mixed, confused, false gospel. MacArthur is not from God. He told the world that you can take the mark of the beast and repent later. That has just added to his spiritual death. Jesus makes this crystal clear, as we see

Did you know that MacArthur has likely told your children that they can take the mark of the beast and repent later? Jesus says just the opposite.  MacArthur is attempting  to destroy the children. He is responsible for evil. 
----------------------
Revelation 22
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

18 I TESTIFY TO EVERYONE WHO HEARS THE WORDS OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK:

IF ANYONE ADDS TO THEM,

GOD WILL ADD TO HIM THE PLAGUES WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK; [MacArthur added to the book when he said "you can repent later" after you take the Mark of the Beast]

19 AND IF ANYONE TAKES AWAY FROM THE WORDS OF THE BOOK OF THIS PROPHECY,

GOD WILL TAKE AWAY HIS PART FROM THE TREE OF LIFE AND FROM FROM THE HOLY CITY,

 WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK.  [MacArthur took away the words of this book, when he ignored what Jesus said, if you take the mark of the beast, you will go to hell]

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Americans Skeptical Of God But Think Heaven Is Real, Somehow

Since 1980, the number of Americans who believe in God has decreased by half and the number who pray has declined five-fold.  Has America lost its faith?

This picture is meant to be sarcastic. But the sad reality is that this idea is part of the zeitgeist of these last days in which these lost souls need to hear the pure unadulterated Gospel of the Kingdom before Jesus returns.   Be Alert! VOCATIV (Proprietary deep web data-mined media) [Mati Kochavi/New York-Tel Aviv] - By Joshua A. Krisch - March 21, 2016 The United States formally separates Church and State, but it's hard to deny that America is inundated with religious innuendo, from its controversial pledge of allegiance all the way down to its Judeo-Christian courthouse displays and faith-espousing legal tender. Yet fewer Americans pray or believe in God than ever before, according to a new study in the journalSage Open. Researchers found that the percentage of Americans who claim they never pray reached an all-time high in 2014, up five-fold since the 1980s. Over the same time period, belief in God and interest in spirituality appears to have similarly declined, especially among young adults. The findings suggest that, "millennials are the least religious generation in memory, and possibly in American history," says Jean M. Twenge, psychology professor at San Diego State University and coauthor on the study, in a press statement. "Most previous studies concluded that fewer Americans were publicly affiliating with a religion, but that Americans were just as religious in private ways. That's no longer the case, especially in the last few years." The notion that the U.S. is inching away from organized religion is nothing new. Throughout the 2000s, studies repeatedly found that many Americans had lost faith in religious institutions. But scientists suspected the shift was from organized religion, rather than spirituality-that Americans had stopped attending formal services, but that they still prayed and believed in private. And it made sense. The Catholic Church's highly publicized sexual abuse scandals had shaken America's faith in religious leadership right around the same time that our faith in non-religious institutions was beginning to wane. One 2014 study found that Americans had grown skeptical of Church power in much the same way that they had grown suspicious of all major institutions, including the media, the medical establishment and Congress. But this new study suggests that Americans have a problem with God-and that our spiritual issues run deeper than paltry mistrust of religious institutions. For the study, researchers pulled 58,893 entries from the GSS, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults. The results suggest a steep decline in the number of Americans who pray, believe in God, take the Bible literally, attend religious services or identified as religious-all factors that should have relatively little to do with America's skepticism of large institutions. As of 2014, nearly one third of thirty-somethings who matured in the 2000s said they were "secular" and one fifth reported that they were not even "spiritual", suggesting a decline not only in religious affiliated but also in the core beliefs of Generation Y. "Decline in religious affiliation and participation has now extended to private practices and beliefs," the authors write. The next generation, often referred to as iGen, is even more secular. By 2014, the number of 18 to 22-year-olds who reported no religious affiliation rose from 11 percent in the 1970s to 36 percent; the percentage who said they never pray rose from 4 percent to 28 percent. Belief in God and attendance at religious serviced declined by half while self-reported spirituality declined five-fold. "This suggests that iGen will continue the decrease in religious orientation rather than reversing it, even in spirituality," the authors write. One odd quirk, however-Americans have become slightly more likely to believe in an afterlife, even as they are abandoning prayer, belief in God and rituals. This, too, is perhaps a telling sign of America's newfound relationship with old-time religion. "It might be part of a growing entitlement mentality," Twenge said. "Thinking you can get something for nothing." Unedited :: Link to Original Posting http://www.vocativ.com/news/299168/americans-pray-think-heaven-is-real

As to Christ (Ephesians 6:5)

We find the above words in Ephesians 6 where starting from verse 5 we read:

Ephesians 6:5-8
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ; Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he is slave or free.”

What draws my attention in the above passage is the phrase, “be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart AS TO CHRIST”. We are to treat our bosses, our masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart as we would treat Christ! “AS TO CHRIST”! I find this so amazing! It forces me in my interaction with my boss to treat him or her in the same reverence - with fear and trembling the Word says! - as I would treat Christ! God considers this very important for He repeats almost exactly the same words in the book of Colossians. There in chapter 3 verses 22-25 we read:

Colossians 3:22-25
“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men; Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done: and there is no respect of persons.”

Whatever we do we must do it from the heart, as we would do it to the Lord! And in the beginning of the above passage we see it again: we are to obey in all things to our masters according to the flesh.

However the above verses are not the only ones speaking about work relationships. Here are some more:

I Timothy 6:1-2 
“Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather servethem because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.”

The second part of the above passage speak of those whose masters are believers, and it commands that the servants of those master must not despise them! In other words if your boss is a Christian don’t take advantage of it! The fact that your boss is a Christian does not mean that you have the right to be lazy and “relax”. In contrast, we must even more fervently serve our Christian bosses for the ones that will be benefited are believers and beloved of God.

Well the Word of God does not finish with the above passages. Moving further to Titus 2:9-10 we read:

Titus 2:9-10
“Exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”

Also in I Peter 2:18-20
“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.”

What is the conclusion from all the above? I don’t think it needs much to understand it: the Word of God commands that we must submit to those we serve in everything. We must render good service as unto the Lord. This does not refer only to our bosses. The Word of God speak about servants and those whom they serve. You may be a self employed: those whom you serve, your customers, are your “bosses”. In general, serve always as UNTO THE LORD. Many people don’t like the work they are doing. Instead they would like to do something else. The above commandments of the Lord do not have any condition attached to them, not even the condition “if you like what you are doing”. Many rebel against the job that God may have given them and instead of moving forward and accepting it and be thankful they move backwards in bitterness or they just do the job longing for something else. I know this because I used to be there. I studied Economics up to getting a Ph.D. and my vision was to work in the Bank of Greece doing research concerning the national and the world Economy. Ten days before I finish my military service, a very good friend and brother called me and asked me whether I would like a job in the firm he was working for and which was expanding very strongly. The job would be as an SAP consultant (At that time, I had almost no idea what exactly this was). I asked the Lord and the Lord told me that this work was from Him. I accepted immediately the offer. My first months turned out to be very difficult. My biggest difficulty was that my work had very little relationship with what I had studied and wanted to do. It was a very good job, in fact my company was voted the third best company in Greece concerning employees satisfaction. However for me everything was painted black. I didn’t want this job. I wanted what I wanted! After half a year of struggle I started looking for another job. But all doors closed. Then I decided that I would stop it even if I had to stay unemployed. How foolish I was! Praise the Lord, the day that I was to make the announcement the Lord impressed deeply to me that I should not announce what I had planned. And I didn’t. But I was struggling till one day after some more doors closed I saw it crystal clear: I was fighting against what God had intended for my life! God Himself gave me this job but I had never submitted to His will. Instead I acted as a rebel. I was a rebel! Then I went to the Bible and there it was: “work heartily AS UNTO THE LORD”. Not as eyeservants but as UNTO Christ. With the strength of God I started the change: this job was God’s job and I did like working. I wanted therefore to work as hard as possible. And I did! Soon I discovered that I really loved what I was doing but my stubbornness never left me to appreciate it. I turned a page in my life and started working as hard as possible and serving the customers in the best of my abilities! As unto the Lord. Three months after, a significant pay rise came. Then another one. Then a promotion. I left this company in 2000 coming as a freelancer to Germany. I’m still doing what God gave me 7 years ago and I’m so thankful to Him for this. Coming to Germany I met my wife and got married some months ago. But the turning point was to understand and accept that whatever you do, God has given you to do. Work therefore on it as unto the Lord. BECAUSE THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD.

Anastasios Kioulachoglou

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