The Great Benefit of Suffering for Christ by F.B. Meyer
F.B. Meyer, Joseph
The Great Benefit of Suffering for Christ
Of sufferings and as it related to the life of Joseph, son of Jacob, F.B. Meyer wrote:
“But besides all this, his religious notions added greatly to his distress. He had been taught by Jacob the theory which comes out so prominently in the speeches of Job’s three friends, and which was so generally held by all their teachers and associates in that olden, Eastern, philosophic, deeply-pondering world; that good would come to the good, and evil to the bad; that prosperity was the sign of the Divine favour, and adversity of the Divine anger. And Joseph had tried to be good. Had he not always kept his father’s commandments and acted righteously, though his brethren were men of evil report, and tried to make him as bad as themselves? But what had he gained by his integrity? Simply the murderous jealousy and hatred of his own flesh and blood. Had he not, in the full flush of youthful passion, resisted the blandishments of the beautiful Egyptian, because he would not sin against God? And what had he gained by that? Simply the stigma which threatened to cling to him of having committed the very wickedness it was so hard not to commit; and, in addition, an undeserved punishment. Had he not always been kind and gentle to his fellow-prisoners, listening to their stories, speaking comfort to their hearts? And what had he gained by that? To judge by what he saw, simply nothing; and he might as well have kept his kindness to himself.
Was it of any use, then, being good? Could there be any truth in what his father had taught him of good coming to the good, and evil to the bad? Was there a God who judgeth righteously in the earth? You who have been misunderstood, who have sown seeds of holiness and love to reap nothing but disappointment, loss, suffering, and hate – you know something of what Joseph felt in that wretched dungeon hole.
Then, too, disappointment poured her bitter drops into the bitter cup. What had become of those early dreams, those dreams of coming greatness, which had filled his young brain with splendid phantasmagoria? We these not from God? He had thought so – yes, and his venerable father had thought so too; and he should have known, for he had talked with God many a time. Were these imaginings the delusions of a fevered brain, or mocking lies? Was there no truth, no fidelity, in heaven or earth? Had God forsaken him? Was he to spend all his days in that dungeon, dragging on a weary life, never again enjoying the bliss of freedom: and all because he had dared to do right? Do you wonder at the young heart being weighed almost to breaking?
And yet Joseph’s experience is not alone. You may have never been confined in a dungeon; and yet you may have often sat in darkness, and felt around you the limitation which forbade your doing as you wished. You may have been doing right, and doing right may have brought you into some unforeseen difficulty; and you are disposed to say, “I have been too honest.” Or you may have been doing a noble act to someone, as Joseph did to Potiphar, and it has been taken in quite a wrong light. Who does not know what it is to be misunderstood, misrepresented, accused falsely, and punished wrongfully?
Each begins life so buoyantly and hopefully. Youth, attempting the solution of the strange problem of existence, fears nothing, forbodes no ill. The minstrel, Hope, keys her chords to the loftiest strains of exultation. The sun shines; the blue wavelets break in music around the boat; the sails swell gently; Love and Beauty hold the rudder-bands; and though stories of the wreckage of the treacherous sea are freely told, there is no kind of fear that such experiences should ever overtake that craft. But presently disappointment, sorrow, and disaster overcloud the sky and blot out the sunny prospect; and the young mariner wakes as from a dream, “Can this be I, who imagined that I should never see ill?” Then come several tremendous struggles of the soul to wrench itself free. The muscles are strained as whipcord; the beads of perspiration stand on the brow: but every effort only entangles the limbs more helplessly. And at last, exhausted and helpless, the young life ceases to struggle, and lies still, cowed and beaten, as the wild denizen (citizen) of the plains, when it has lain for hours in the hunter’s snare. Surely there was something of this sort in Joseph’s condition, as he lay in that wretched dungeon.
II. THESE SUFFERINGS WROUGHT VERY BENEFICIALLY. – Taken on the lowest ground, this imprisonment served Joseph’s temporal interests. That prison was the place where state prisoners were bound. Thither court magnates who had fallen under suspicion were sent. Chief butler and chief baker do not seem much to us, but they were titles for very august people. Such men would talk freely with Joseph; and in doing so would give him a great insight into political parties, and a knowledge of men and things generally, which in after-days must have been of great service to him.
But there is more than this. Psalm 105:18, referring to Joseph’s imprisonment, has a striking alternative rendering, “His soul entered into iron.” Turn that about, and render it in our language, and it reads thus, Iron entered into his soul. Is there not a truth in this? It may not be the truth intended in that verse, but it is a very profound truth, that sorrow and privation, the yoke borne in the youth, the soul’s enforced restraint, are all conducive to an iron tenacity and strength of purpose, and endurance, a fortitude, which are the indispensible foundation and framework of a noble character. Do not flinch from suffering. Bear it silently, patiently, resignedly; and be assured that it is God’s way of infusing iron into your spiritual make-up.
As a boy, Joseph’s character tended to softness. He was a little spoilt by his father. He was too proud of his coat. He was rather given to tales. He was too full of his dreams and foreshadowed greatness. None of these great faults; but he lacked strength, grip, power to rule. But what a difference his imprisonment made in him! From that moment he carries himself with wisdom, modesty, courage, and manly resolution, that never fail him. He acts as a born ruler of men. He carries an alien country through the stress of a great famine, without a symptom of revolt. He holds his own with the proudest aristocracy of the time. He promotes the most radical changes. He had learned to hold his peace and wait. Surely the iron had entered his soul!
It is just this that suffering will do for you. The world wants iron dukes, iron battalions, iron sinews, and thews of steel. God wants iron saints; and since there is no way of imparting iron to the moral nature than by letting his people suffer, He lets them suffer. “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Are you in prison for doing right? Are the best years of your life slipping away in enforced monotony? Are you beset by opposition, misunderstanding, obloquy (contemptuous speech), and scorn, as the thick undergrowth besets the passage of the woodsman pioneer? Then take heart; the time is not wasted; God is only putting you through regimen. The iron crown of suffering precedes the golden crown of glory. And iron is entering into your soul to make it strong and brave.
Is some aged eyes perusing these words? If so, the question may be asked, Why does God sometimes fill a whole life with discipline, and give few opportunities for showing the iron quality of the soul? Why give iron to the soul, and then keep it from active service? Ah, that is which goes far to prove our glorious destiny. There must be another world somewhere, a world of glorious ministry, for which we are training. “There is service in the sky.” And it may be that God counts a human life of seventy years of suffering not too long an education for a soul which may serve Him through the eternities. It is in the prison that Joseph is fitted for the unknown life of Pharoah’s palace; and if he could have foreseen the future, he wold not have wondered at the severe discipline. If only we could see all that awaits us in the palace of the Great King, we should not be so surprised at certain experiences which befall us in the earth’s darker cells. You are being trained for service I God’s Home, and in the upper spaces of the universe.” F.B. Meyer, Joseph, p. 44-48
In His book Joseph, F.B. Meyer captures and conveys a treasure chest of truth concerning the blessed benefits of suffering.
“JOSEPH’S COMFORT IN THE MIDST OF THESE SOFFERINGS. – “He was there in the prison; but the Lord was with him.” The lord was with him in the palace of Potiphar; but when Joseph went to prison, the Lord went there too. The only thing which severs us from God is sin; so long as we walk with God, God will walk with us; and if our path dips down from the sunny upland lawns into the valley with its clinging mists, He will go at our side. The godly man is much more independent of men and things than others. It is God who makes him blessed. Like the golden city, he has no need of sun or moon, for the Lord God is his everlasting light. If he is in a palace he is glad, not so much because of its delights as because God is there. And if he is in a prison he can sing and give praises, because the God of love bears him company. To the soul which is absorbed with God, all places and experiences are much the same. “If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night (of sorrow and of confinement) shall be light about me; yea, the night shineth as the day.”
Moreover, the Lord showed him mercy. Oh, wondrous revelation! … God our Father has often to turn down the lights of our life because He wants to show us mercy. Whenever you get into a prison of circumstances, be on the watch. Prisons are rare places for seeing things. It was in prison that Bunyan saw his wondrous allegory, and Paul met the LORD, and John looked through heaven’s open door, and Joseph saw God’s mercy. God has no chance to show his mercy to some of us except when we are in some sore sorrow. The night is the time to see the stars.
God can also raise up friends for his servants in most unlikely places, and of most unlikely people. “The Lord gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” He was probably a rough, unkindly man, quite prepared to copy the dislikes of his master, the great Potiphar, and to embitter the daily existence of this Hebrew slave. But there was another Power at work, of which he knew nothing, inclining him towards his ward, and leading him to put him in a position of trust. All hearts are open to our King: at his girdle swing the keys by which the most unlikely door can be unlocked. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” It is as easy for God to turn a man’s heart, as it is for the husbandman to turn the course of a brook to carry fertility to an arid plot.\
There is always alleviation for our troubles in ministry to others. Joseph found it so. It must have been a welcome relief to the monotony of his grief when he found himself entrusted with the care of the royal prisoners. A new interest came into his life, and he almost forgot the heavy pressure of his own troubles amid the interest of listening to the tales of those who were more unfortunate than himself. It is very interesting to notice what a deep human interest he took in the separate cases of his charges, noticing the expression of their faces, inquiring kindly after their welfare, sitting down to listen to their tale. Joseph is the patron of all prison philanthropists; but he took to this holy work not primarily because he had an enthusiasm for it, but because it gave a welcome opiate to his own griefs.
There is no anodyne (medicine) for heart-sorrow like ministry to others. If your life is woven with the dark shades of sorrow, do not sit down to deplore in solitude your hapless lot, but arise to seek out those who are more miserable than you are, bearing them balm for their wounds and love for their heart-breaks. And if you are unable to give much more practical help, you need not abandon yourself to the gratification of lonely sorrow, for you may largely help the children of bitterness by imitating Joseph in listening to their tales of woe or to their dreams of foreboding. It is a great art to be a good listener. The burdened heart longs to pour out its tale in a sympathetic ear. There is immense relief in the telling out of pain. But it cannot be hurried; it needs plenty of time; it cannot clear itself of its silt and deposits unless it is allowed leisure to stand. and so the sorrowful turn away from men engages in the full rush of active life as too busy, and seek out those who, like themselves, have been “winged,” and are obliged to go softly, as Joseph was, when the servants of Pharoah found him in the Egyptian dungeon. If you can do nothing else, listen well, and comfort others with the comfort wherewith you yourself have been comforted by God.
And as you listen, and comfort, and wipe the falling tears, you will discover that your own load is lighter, and that a branch or twig of the true tree – the tree of the Cross – has fallen into the bitter waters of your own life, making the Marah, Naomi, and the marshes of salt tears will have been healed. Out of such intercourse you will get with what Joseph got – the key which will unlock the heavy doors by which you have been shut in.
And now some closing words to those who are suffering wrongfully. Do not be surprised. You are the followers of One who was misunderstood from the age of twelve to the day of his ascension; who did not sin, and yet was counted as a sinner; concerning whom the unanimous testimony was, “I find in Him no fault at all”; and yet they called Him Beelzebub! If they spoke thus of the Master of the house, how much more concerning the household! “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”
Do not get weary in well-doing. Joseph might have said, “I give all up; of what profit is my godliness? I may as well live as others do.” How much nobler was his course of patient continuance in well-doing! Do right, because it is right to do right; because God sees you; because it puts gladness into the heart. And then, when you are misunderstood and ill-treated, you will not swerve, or sit down to whine and despair.
Above all, do not avenge yourselves. When Joseph recounted his troubles, he did not recriminate harshly on his brethren, or Potiphar, or Potiphar’s wife. He simply said: “I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the hole.” He might have read the words of the apostle, “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath.” “If when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” We make a great mistake in trying always to clear ourselves; we should be much wiser to go straight on, humbly doing the next thing, and leaving God to vindicate us. “He will bring forth our righteousness as the light, and our judgment as the noonday.” In Psalm 105:19 there follow words which, rightly rendered, read thus: “The word of the Lord cleared him.” What a triumphant clearing did God give His faithful servant.
There will come hours in our lives, when we shall be misconstrued, misunderstood, slandered, falsely accused, wrongfully persecuted. At such times it is very difficult not to act on the policy of the men around us in the world. They at once appeal to law and force and public opinion. But the believer takes his case into a higher court, and lays it before his God. He is prepared to use any means that may appear divinely suggested. But he relies much more on the divine clearing than he does on his own most perfect arrangements. He is content to wait for months and years, till God arise to avenge his cause. It is a very little thing for him to be judged adversely at the bar of man: he cares only for the judgment of God, and awaits the moment when the righteous shall shine forth in the kingdom of their Father, as the sun when it breaks from all obscuring mists. “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Ah! what a clearing-up of mysteries, what dissipating of misunderstandings, what vindication of character shall be there! Oh, slandered ones, you can afford to await the verdict of eternity; of God, who will bring out your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noon day.
In all the discipline of life it is of the utmost importance to see but one ordaining overruling will. If we view our imprisonments and misfortunes as the result of human malevolence, our live will be filled with fret and unrest. It is hard to suffer wrong at the hands of man, and to think that perhaps it might have never been. But there is a truer and more restful view, to consider all things as being under the law and rule of God; so that though they may originate in and come to us through the spite and malice of our fellows, yet, since before they reach us they have had to pass through the environing atmosphere of the Divine Presence, they have been transformed into his own sweet will for us.
It was Judas who plotted our Saviour’s death, and filled the garden with the capturing bands and flashing lights; and yet the Lord Jesus said that the Father was putting the cup to his lips. And though He was murdered by the chief priests and scribes, yet He so thoroughly acquiesced in the Father’s appointment, that He spoke of laying down his life, as if his death were entirely his own act. There is no evil to them that love God; and the believer loses sight of second causes, so absorbed is he in the contemplation of the unfolding of the mystery of his Father’s will. As the dying Kingsley said, “All is under law.” F.B. Meyer, Joseph, p. 48-53
The More I Suffer, the Freer I Become
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Apostasy
Wolves who Weaponize and Monetize! Beware! [podcast]
Wolves who Weaponize and Monetize! Beware!
Church membership as perpetrated today was never supposed to be. It’s not found in the Scriptures. Each of His people are members of His body, His one church. Real fellowship and assembling, getting together, is biblical and yet as has always been the case, sinful men use it to exploit those who gather to worship their LORD. At the beginning and end of His ministry, Jesus destroyed the wicked leaders who were robbing the people.
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, 16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.” Matthew 21:12-17
They are making merchandise of you just as Peter foretold! Read 2 Peter 2:1-3.
Assembling as believers is commanded by God and yet not in order to be exploited by the devouring wolves we’ve been warned to beware of (Matthew 7:15; 24:11; 1 John 4:1-3, etc.). When God’s people gather, assemble, it is rather to be edified in Christ, richly blessed in the Word of God (Acts 2:42-47; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 10:24; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
“If you go to the brick and mortar buildings and you don’t give your money then you’re nobody to them. I was out searching for a place where I could stay and hear the true gospel but that’s not happening in these brick and mortar buildings. These people need to truly repent.” Veronica
Church membership is just another attempt, lure, and seduction to misplace the faith and allegiance and identity of Christ’s saints away from Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 1:29-2:5; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Colossians 2:18-19). Beloved of God, you are bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:23). This highest price—the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on a cross —was paid by the Son of God to purchase you to Himself and the Father (1 Timothy 1:15; 2:5-6; Titus 2:14, etc.). HE is your identity and thereafter His true remnant body who live for Him daily, who are crucified with Christ perpetually, not counterfeit church goers/members. Memorize Galatians 6:14. For more on the body of Christ, read Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 2 and 4. God’s Word is your final divine authority, not mere men or organizations of mere men (Mark 13:31; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21, etc.).
“Thank you for exposing this. I used to attend an assembly of God here in Olympia and I found it to be false. After a couple years my eyes were opened and I left because a lot of it was a new apostolic reformation or something similar to that they were just off, and at one point they had a homosexual male on the platform scolding the church for how they are mean and nasty to homosexuals because they think they’re better than them. I was attacked for forsaking the assembly and received other statements urging me to come back so I wouldn’t be sinning.” Bella
Anyone trying to get you to become a member of their church is seeking to monetize you to build a church business at your expense.
The reason why many professing Christian do not see the things we are seeing in the Word today in this message, is that they are not in God’s Word for themselves.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Most who claim Christ don’t know His Word and many don’t want to know it, otherwise they’d be in it and it would be in them.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6
QUESTION ASKED:
“What if someone is born again, biblically baptized by immersion, but not a formal member of any local church, however they attend church regularly. Could they partake in the Lord’s supper?”
REPLY:
Yes, who else is a higher authority than the Most High who saved you into His church/family? WHAT other “membership” would be needed as if Christ’s saving you and putting you into His family as a member of His body wasn’t enough? Read 1 Corinthians 12. You are a member of the one universal blood bought, born again body of Christ. Any other so-called church membership is a fraud and an afront to Christ. He didn’t die and rise again to then hand over the reigns to a bunch of self-serving enterprising, greedy pharisaical nicolaitan wolves. Read Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 34; Matthew 23; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Revelation 2:6, 15. Oh and this isn’t even to mention that these fake “churches” are 501(C)(3) corporations. They have entered into an unholy alliance with the state and by doing so have affronted, rejected the Savior. They entered into a contract with the state unnecessarily and are now under the antichrist dominion of the state, who can tell them where and what they preach and can’t preach.”
“This church membership topic riles me up! Many judge us because we don’t go to church. I want nothing to do with how apostate they have become. Most are in willful sin and could care less. Jesus is not there!” Karen Cochran
One dear sister in Christ shared this:
NEARLY EVERY LOCAL “CHURCH” IS A COMPLETE SCAM IN THIS LATE HOUR, JUST AS WAS FORETOLD.
“Partnership, as defined by most ministries, today, is you send them a check every month & they send you a letter with some Scriptures. Very sad. However, I take refuge in this Scripture – 1 Peter 4:17. It’s not a political problem, it’s a spiritual problem. During the scamdemic, I suggested we give groceries to those who needed them, have a cookout with burgers & hotdogs, offer healing to those who needed it, fellowship among the people. The church had a wonderful full circle drive so the people could pull in, we’d fill their trunk with groceries, etc. I was told “NO.” I offered to handle all of it, pay for it, still “NO.” The pastor wanted to remain shut down. I went ahead & did it from my home. I hired a Christian group to sing, we preached the Word, fed the people, prayed for anyone who wanted it. Quitting should never be a part of our vocabulary. The religious manipulation is off the charts. Filling seats & manipulating people for financial gain is repulsive.” Charlotte
The fact that most brick and mortar church building based churches are not run biblically in no way negates the need for essential, real, biblical fellowship. To this point, a brother in Christ named Peter writes:
“People want faith community even if there is church membership and mandatory tithing. People want social life with other believers. It’s safe and not that sinful. Yet, I’m against church buildings but I believe in accountability to one another and God.” Peter
Church membership ropes you into an unholy alliance with the state and a state owned church. Example:
“During the scam-demic, many churches hid behind Romans 13 and said they must obey the government. Yet there are many examples in the Bible where God’s people did not obey because it went against God and was evil. Just as in modern day with all the covid supposed mandates. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego did not obey. Daniel, and the apostles. And many more disobeyed civil authorities when they demanded things that went against God and His will. The fake churches used Romans 13 because really they were afraid of standing for Jesus! So they cowered in fear! Hiding behind masks, closed doors and vax’s. But wearing masks was not such a big deal because most already are wearing them. Hiding behind their pharisaical and self-righteous attitudes pretending to holy.” Karen Cochran
God exposed these fake “churches” and fake “Christians” for all to see. “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men“ (Acts 5:29). The false churches had already sold the Savior down the river for the state when they signed up for their 501C3—which is a contract with lots of small print. That contract they chose to enter into, makes those “churches” the government’s, the state’s churches. As we saw with the scamdemic, the state tells what they can preach, where they can preach, and when they can preach. I walked into a “church” to visit some friends during this period and was shocked that they all had on masks, were doing the 6-foot satanic ceremony rule etc. I departed. Sickening sacrilege.
“God’s true church can’t be contained in a building…God’s true church is being led out of these lukewarm businesses labeled as churches….God’s true church isn’t a man led organization ….it’s a relationship with GOD Himself. God’s true church isn’t a temple made by hands….their very own body is where God resides.” Kathy Lemonds
A MEME FROM A SNAKE “PASTOR”
In a meme, “Pastor” HB Charles Jr. is promoting Michael Foster, who writes:
“Nothing grows a Christian like a serious commitment to a single church week in and week out for years and years. Not conferences. Not social media. Not even personal devotions. The local church is where mature Christians are slowly forged in the fires of mundane faithfulness.” – Michael Foster
Notice “a serious commitment to a single church.” This is something God never commanded and it contradicts the essential responsibility He gave anyone who would be HIS disciple. The fruit of good church attenders makes it more than abundantly clear that this whole church attendance, church membership push is diabolical. It’s irrefutably producing bad fruit (Matthew 7:15-21). Let’s further test ‘pastor” Michael Foster’s statement, shall we? So John the Baptist, the apostles Paul, John, Peter, etc., didn’t attend church weekly or “week in and week out” and so you are saying they didn’t grow? Wow. Michael Foster is a typical programmed pawn—an indoctrinated dupe. He reeks of pride and greed (2 Peter 2:1-3). He’s building a church busine$$. Read his words again and think $ and how he is bearing false witness against the LORD he deceitfully pretends to represent as he is seeking to ensure his income for a long time to come. Wolves are making merchandise of their prey (2 Peter 2:1-3)!
“Never heard of the church building places of ‘worship’ until Constantine came along, the father of that demonic religion called ‘Catholic.'” Mark Owen
Seminarian marketing to farm the community—not to preach the whole counsel of God but rather gain more church members. They push for their pawns to invite others in order to get them more members which means more money. They campaign for more money for their unbiblical “church” projects, and yet never push for more personal Bible reading, evangelism, more of the crucified life, more worship of God, repentance, holiness, the fear of the LORD, etc…. and you still don’t see what’s going on?
Wow!
Okay so you go to a church building on Sunday morning yet don’t seek God in His Word and prayer daily? You are backslidden—which means you are away from God. Any person saved in the past and yet who is not presently hungering and thirsting after more of Christ, of His righteousness, has backslidden and in need of true repentance before it’s too late.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
“The activities and ‘fellowship’ only among themselves can be a big distraction to serving the Lord and doing His work and will. Not to mention keeping you enslaved to the false unbiblical doctrines they preach there. No one is allowed to disagree with the pastor(s) and leaders.” B.
Totally disagree with these “pastors” who are wolves building church businesses. How many “good church members” do we see winning souls, evangelizing, feeding Christ’s sheep His Word, denying self, taking up the cross, devouring God’s Word, living the crucified life, talking about judgment, repentance, overcoming all sin, and being ready for Christ’s return daily? None. Jesus says we know them “by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16, 20). 99% of local churches = bad fruit. The LORD’s true under shepherds are preparing and equipping Christ’s disciples “for the WORK of the ministry” not to do THEIR (the pastor’s) bidding, work in his little Sunday morning circus gathering where he performs and collects money. Only counterfeits prop up, support counterfeits (Ezekiel 22:25-27; Hosea 4:9; 2 John 10-11).
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3
Here’s a biblical perspective: Being a good church member at a local “church” is never once taught in the Bible. No it’s something false prophets push for their own self-serving purpose and agenda. It’s for their benefit, not yours.
1 Chronicles 21:1 David was influenced by “Satan” in numbering the people …. this is a tool in order to control, manipulate and monetize the people…
GOD never called you to be a “good church member.” No, He called you to repent, to deny yourself, to live the crucified life, to seek His holy face daily with reckless abandon, to fellowship daily with His people, and to obey His Great Commission mandate.
THE FACT that you have no Great Commission involvement, no personal evangelism, no real fruit of good works in your life…. doesn’t this clearly reveal that you, as a good church member, are merely propping up a church busine$$, funding a fraud?
Can a man or woman of God sit back and just allow lost souls to go to hell without doing something about it, without having great conviction of conscience toward repentance, refreshing, and Great Commission Gospel action?
The next time some churchianity dupe begins to preach to you about “going to church”…. Tell them you don’t wait till Sundays, you fellowship in prayer and the Word daily with other saints of Christ (Acts 2:42). Ask them when the last time was that they personally preached the Gospel, fed the flock of God the Word of God, and led someone to Jesus…. mic drop, crickets.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
Okay so you go to a church building on Sunday morning yet don’t seek God in His Word and prayer daily? You are backslidden—which means you are away from God. Any person saved in the past and yet who is not presently hungering and thirsting after more of Christ, of His righteousness, has backslidden and is in need of true repentance before it’s too late.
The Truth about Fellowship and Going to “Church”
Perhaps a simple observance of the earliest followers of Jesus would inform us that they weren’t always “in church” serving some wolf but rather they went “every where preaching the word,” etc. (Acts 8:4), right? Oh and their gatherings were quite simple with no religious gold gathering bureaucracy! See Acts 2:42.
What they do is basically make you their good church member then get you to go tell others so that their church busine$$ grows that way. Notice how no one is being equipped “for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-14) by being taught to minister and to do it out in the world daily…. to bring the blessing, the bless-ed Gospel to the people. No. Instead they become like little agents of their local church which is now their idol. They are sent out to invite folks to church instead of bringing the KING to those same people.
Wake up. Repent before God of wasting His time and resources on such wolves in sheep’s clothing. Deny self, take up the cross, follow Jesus (Luke 9:23-24).
“Being a Christian isn’t about making a weekly trip to a so-called church building. No, it’s about BECOMING the church, an actual place where Jesus lives.” Matt McMillen
“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.” Psalms 89:7
Good Church Member or True Disciple of Christ?
Wolves can be known in that they don’t get their prey in the Word for themselves (2 Timothy 2:15).
Going to be entertained on Sunday mornings as what some call “church” does not replace daily Bible reading and prayer and the cross (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:17, etc.).
Anyone not in God’s Word and living a life of prayer every day as they seek His holy face fervently, has told the LORD that He is not important to them … and they will not make it (Matthew 25:1-13).
There is NO work, no-thing transpiring on the earth more important than the work of our LORD’s Gospel. Most of the other things are vying for your affections. Read Luke 21 and Colossians 3:1-4. JESUS is coming.
Summation:
The instruction of Hebrews 10:24 is from God and yet never intended to give license to men to build their own kingdoms, to exploit and use the people for their own self-serving and greed-driven agenda.
Yes there are elders ordained in Christ’s body and they are to feed (John 21:15-17), to warn (Colossians 1:28), to teach sound doctrine to the members of Christ’s body (Titus 2:1), to teach them discernment (Ezekiel 44:23), etc. This can be in a regular meeting time and place. That’s not a sin. The sin comes in when we don’t see biblically stated things being accomplished and that’s how we know those are false shepherds and this would involve most local brick and mortar based “churches” today.
The truth is self-evident. Fruit. Not all but the vast majority of local churches are absolutely apostate as the Bible foretold (2 Timothy 3:13; Matthew 24:11; 1 Timothy 4:1-2, etc.). There is no blood of Jesus, no cross, no crucified life, no judgment to come, no sin, no repentance, no holiness, no readiness for Christ’s return, no KJB, etc. Apostasy. Fellowship as defined by Holy Writ is essential, not church attendance. Saints, people do not need us. They do not need our fellowship. They need Christ and His people and that should be 24/7. The headquarters of the true saint is the throne of our God, right? (Jeremiah 17:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:24-26). That doesn’t mean that attending a fellowship weekly is wrong and yet, is it a real fellowship? One should examine the fruit and ask: Am I growing in Christ? Am I growing to know Him (John 17:3)? Do I live a repented life and a crucified life? Is the extent of my relationship with the LORD going to church/church attendance? Do I care for and help the body of Christ? Do I evangelize? etc. The professing church has largely misused Hebrews 10:25. Fellowshipping, assembling is essential, is commanded, and that would be according to how Scripture defines assembly fellowship, not the modern church (Acts 2:42-47; Colossians 3:16, etc.). If one is part of a rare truly Christ-centered, Scripture-rich fellowship, that’s a blessing. The problem is that most aren’t. And they must be exhorted to “try the spirits” as 1 John 4:1 instructs.
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Articles
Gospel Action Mexico Part 39
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14
This is our sister in Christ, Maria. Will soon drop a new video on how the LORD is using her and you to reach many. Maria is now passing out 80-100 JESUS tracts daily! More on that soon. When initially meeting with her, after she was given about 50 JESUS tracts she asked for more. 24 hours later she called back and asked for more. She had passed all of them out. So she was replenished with hundreds more. Saints, this is 100 fold kingdom opportunity. Please pray for the fruitfulness and supply of this outreach, and for more support/supporters. We are Christ’s and your feet on the ground here and it’s getting out of hand is a bless-ed way! Miracles of fruitfulness via Jesus, via the Holy Ghost!
“And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:20
I have encountered and ministered to this beloved woman, Maria. And now I realize why she has an eternal, a perpetual smile—as in it’s the joy of the LORD. She shared last night that she is born again and we rejoiced. Maria asked for a supply of the JESUS tracts and was given about 80-100 tracts. I gave her a stack and she asked for more after we were fellowshipping in Jesus more. Boom. This all spells kingdom momentum to the glory of the nail scarred risen Savior and LORD!
“WE are labourers TOGETHER with God”—that’s us, saints (1 Corinthians 3:9).
Saints, the supply tracts is running low and we are going to have the bless-ed opportunity to replenish the supply of JESUS tracts to brother Juan and this sister, Maria. Both of them are consistently, daily ministering God’s love and Word.
So, should we go with the $270 option which is thicker paper, better quality printing OR the $120 option with thinner paper and lesser quality ink?
TODAY I ordered 1,000 more JESUS tracts at the cost of $120. Anyone wish to cover this opportunity? We are hoping to be able to order a larger quantity, like as in 5,000. It’s more cost effective that way and also the tracts are not flowing out to the people in a more rapid manner. | Give here.
This beloved man walked by, as God would have it, and he was given our LORD’s Word, in God’s love. He stopped and turned to me as if he could not believe he was hearing the Word of God. Tears filled his eyes. Obviously he is going through something and sin had just worn him down, severely as it has all of us (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3, 7).
“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” Psalms 142:4
He continued to receive ministry, including John 8:36. A friend was near and she began interpreting and she broke down and is getting saved. She is also in awe. God is moving saints. He’s answering your prayers. The neighbor, Nayeli, was shocked at how God was touching this man Cesar. She can’t shut up. She was a Jew and is now reading John 8 tonight. She read it to Cesar and is still talking about Jesus and John 8.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:44
You saints who know John 8 know exactly what’s going on! And it’s JESUS! The LORD is moving on the wings of your prayers. Both of these precious souls are shocked in a heavenly way!
“For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:19
Cesar was instructed to go home, repent, receive Jesus by faith, and receive new life in Christ. He was showed the prayer on the back panel of the JESUS tract and told to pray it to God and be forgiven, to be saved.
Please pause and lift up these two precious souls !
“Wow! I stand in awe of God whenever you share these divine encounters! And in this picture, it is obvious this man is ready to receive, as his hands are lifted up in surrender! Psalm 143:6 “I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.” And he is obviously thirsty! Praying for them all to harken unto Jesus who is the only One who can save their souls from death! So they can experience His freedom from the bondage of sin! And become servants of righteousness. Earnestly, and tenderly Jesus is calling!” Karen Cochran | Mission Mexico
Let’s Roll Saints!
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“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
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Download. Read. Print out your supply of the JESUS tract – English and Spanish.
Apostasy
Is Karma Biblical? [podcast]
The Karma Concept is a Diabolical Con Job and a counterfeit for God’s system of sowing and reaping: No disciple of Jesus should ever use the word/term “karma” unless exposing it for the lie that it is.
First off, the concept of karma is antichrist in that it teaches that people, sinners, can earn their own way into a better eternity by living good or kindly in this life. Lie.
The concept of karma is based on the lie that men will be reincarnated and that sinners, based on their own performance on earth in their first life, will be rewarded accordingly in their next life. Well the Bible teaches that mankind is hopelessly sinful and cannot forgive or save himself (Genesis 6:5,12; Isaiah 59:16; Jeremiah 17:9; Ezekiel 22:30; Romans 3:9-29; Galatians 2:21, etc.). The Word of God informs us that our next destination will be either Heaven or hell, not coming back to the earth for a new life or do-over. The Bible teaches us that “ALL have sinned” against our Maker and our eternal, irrevocable destination will be based on whether or not we receive or reject His gift of salvation granted solely on the basis of the perfect and precious blood of the Son of God who died on the cross and was raised again to take away our sins (Romans 3:21-25; 5:1-2; 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 3:18, etc.).
The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the only payment that could have ever and did fully satisfy the claims of the Father’s justice to redeem fallen mankind back from sin.
“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied (paid in full – “It is finished”): by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11
1 Peter 1
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:18-23
Karma is a lie.
David Taylor writes:
“Sowing and reaping: is always a true biblical principle, and for those who heap up judgement for themselves.”
“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” Psalm 7:11
“The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” Proverbs 3:33
“ALL men” have sinned against our Maker and are thereby guilty and separated from Him because He is “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 8:4).
“…they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one … 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:9-10, 23
God’s Word declares all men to be sinners, who have all broken His holy commandments, and who will reap eternal death which is irrevocable separation from God, if they die unforgiven by God through Christ (Romans 1-6, etc.).
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
How have we sinned against God? To begin with, we’ve all lied and the Bible says: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” We’ve all used the name of the LORD in vain – “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” We’ve all stolen something along the way – “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20).
In and of ourselves, outside of Christ, here’s what all men look like to God:
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6
In short, karma denies our need for Christ and says we can earn or merit our own way into comfort and blessings without Jesus.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
“Reincarnation is taught by true believers in Karma. Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in a new body. Depending on the religion or the particular philosophy the soul can make an appearance as another person, animal or plant as it makes its way to an eventual escape from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.” owlcation
The Bible term and associated definition, truth, is sowing and reaping, and not karma.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:7-8
In the Hindu and Buddhist religions, karma is the concept, the teaching that depending on how a person lives their life on earth determines how they will be reincarnated in their next life. It is the idea that how you live your life, this one, will determine the quality of life you will have after reincarnation. In these false religions there is no savior and so you are earning your own way to God and His blessings. False..
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Salvation is the gift of God purchased by the precious blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Karma is a false teaching. No born again believer should ever use this word unless they are exposing it for what it is.
Reincarnation is a lie and therefore so is karma because karma is the mythical, erroneous idea that the way you live this life will determine your plight in the next life. But the Bible says:
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Hebrews 9:27
Also, what do Satan’s heresies of purgatory and karma have in common? – They both promise a second chance. But the Bible says when we die our eternal destination is final – Heaven or hell.
Judgment immediately follows death, not a second chance.
Satan wants people to think they have a second chance and not to take this one and only life seriously. The Bible tells us that immediately upon death we are judged to go to Heaven or hell (Luke 16:19-31). When we die we will stand before our Maker to be judged for our one life in this one body on the earth (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15, etc.). There will be no second chance. We will not return as someone or something else.
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:46
“And he (thief on the cross next to Jesus) said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43
The way you live this life – in Christ or out of Christ – will determine your eternal destination, as in Heaven or hell.
“The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.” Proverbs 15:24
World religions teach that man earns his own way to God. God’s Word teaches that all men, born after Adam, are insolvently sinful (unable to pay the debt) and in need of the saving grace of God which is exclusively found in the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
More Verses Biblically Disproving Reincarnation:
“But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? 11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: 12 so man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” Job 14:10-12
“For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” Psalm 78:39
“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” Job 14:14
“But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:23
“When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.” Job 16:22
“As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. 10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.” Job 7:9-10
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28-29
“Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish.” Job 8:12-13
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
“When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.” Proverbs 11:7
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:1
Summation: When you die, you will be immediately in Heaven or hell – in bliss or blistering, burning fire.
Making Peace with God – Now, before it’s too late. Go here.
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Wolves who Weaponize and Monetize! Beware! [podcast]
Gospel Action Mexico Part 39
Is Karma Biblical? [podcast]
The Importance of Pureness of Heart [podcast]
God is Ready to Forgive and Plenteous in Mercy [podcast]
How We Know the Bible is the only Holy Book on Planet Earth [podcast]
Mission Mexico is now supporting Juan the Evangelist [podcast]
The Mandela Effect Busted and EXPOSED [video]
“Blessed are the Poor In Spirit” [podcast]
Having a Pure Heart Requires the Cross Life [podcast]
Is Hell Forever or Temporal? [podcast]
Mission Mexico Part 38
“Let the Redeemed of the LORD Say So” [video]
THAT SUBTLE SERPENT SATAN – NIV and Modern Bible Versions Exposed
Lance Wallnau Exposed
Lance Wallnau Exposed
How We Know the Bible is the only Holy Book on Planet Earth [podcast]
PURGATORY: CATHOLIC FRAUD [podcast]
“Blessed are the Poor In Spirit” [podcast]
Beware of the “Intercessors” [podcast]
Is Hell Forever or Temporal? [podcast]
Upholding Jesus, the Only Head of His Body [podcast]
Getting Gospel Grounded [podcast]
The Mandela Effect Busted and EXPOSED [video]
Teach the Bible [podcast]
THAT SUBTLE SERPENT SATAN – NIV and Modern Bible Versions Exposed
Is Karma Biblical? [podcast]
Beware of the Manipulating Monsters: Spiritual Identity Theft [podcast]
“A Flattering Mouth Worketh Ruin”
The Greatest of these is Charity [podcast]
Wolves who Weaponize and Monetize! Beware! [podcast]
Gospel Action Mexico Part 39
Is Karma Biblical? [podcast]
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