What About Prayer?

When choosing new Apostles:

Acts 6:5-6 NIV
6 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The Greek word used here for "prayed" is proseuxamenoi which means "properly, to exchange wishes; pray – literally, to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes (ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith ("divine persuasion"). Accordingly, praying (4336/proseuxomai) is closely inter-connected with 4102 /pístis ("faith") in the NT."

When Peter and John were released by the Sanhedrin:

Acts 4:24 NIV
When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

In this passage, the word "prayer" is not present in the Greek. The Aramaic Bible in Plain English is closer to what the actual Geek says:

And when they had heard, they raised their voice as one to God, and they said, “LORD JEHOVAH, you are God, who made the Heavens and The Earth and the seas and all that is in them.” Acts 4:24 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

So they basically worshiped God when Peter and John showed up.

Acts 9:40 NIV
Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.

The Greek word used here for prayed is prosēuxato which is from the same root as used in Acts 6:6.  If you notice verse 6:6, it is pertaining to an action the Apostles took when new apostles were selected. They prayed for the new apostles to receive the Holy Spirit.

In the second example, Acts 4:24, the Apostles raised their voices in worship to God, and asked for boldness, signs, and wonders to be witnesses for Him (vv. 29-30). This is what happened next:

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." Acts 4:31 NIV

The word for prayed here is the Greek word deēthentōn which means "properly, to feel pressing need because of lack – hence, to make urgent appeal; to have deep personal need causing one to beseech (make earnest, specific request)."

If you continue reading from v. 24 to 31, it is all part of the same thought. They didn't pray (prosēuxato) TO God, they lifted their voices to Him to ask (deēthentōn) for boldness because they lacked it. After they made their "urgent appeal" to God, the place where they were was shaken.

In the example of Peter, his prayer (prosēuxato) accomplished something: It brought Tabitha back to life. He didn't ask God to do it, he did it himself. There is a definite correlation between what Jesus told us to do, and the word used for prayer.
 
Matthew 21:22 NIV
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

The Greek word for "ask" is aitēsēte which means "I ask, request, petition, demand." If you look at Peter's example again, when he prayed he did not ask God anything. He did not ask the spirit of death to leave. He did not ask the dead person if she had enough faith. He demanded Tabitha to get up. This is the way Jesus "prayed": He demanded the devil and his works to leave.
 
Luke 4:35 NIV
"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

Jesus told the demon to be silent and come out. The Greek word for said is "legōn" which means "I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, I call, name, especially in the pass., I tell, command. So He commanded the demon to be silent and come out. This is how we are to treat the devil and his works.

Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

The Greek does not have the word "the" it simply says, "Sick heal, dead raise, lepers cleanse, demons cast out; freely you received, freely give.

The Greek word for give is "dote" which means "Administer, give, supply, furnish." If we are giving first aid to a victim, we are "actively doing" something. We are to give people healing, resurrection, cleansing, and casting out of demons. We can't ask a demon to leave, that is giving it a choice to stay; we must force it out, and the same goes for sickness and the death.

Jesus is our example and the Gospels show us how we are supposed to "do the same works as me (Jesus) and even greater works." (John 14:12)

We walk daily with God. Our dialogue with Him should be continuous. When we encounter sick or hurting people, we need not bring it to God. In Matthew 10:8 He told us to do it. He also told us that the miraculous signs would follow us in Mark 16:17. We have the same Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us that rose Jesus from the dead, we are His ambassadors, our dialogue is no longer between us and God, it is between us and the problem. We tell the problem what to do in Jesus' Name. It MUST obey because Jesus is above everything that has a name (Phillipians 2:9), and all must bow to His Name. We are to "go about doing good and healing all who are oppressed of the devil."

Are You Really Humble?

Philippians 2:8-11 (NLT)

8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus humbled Himself. How did He humble Himself? By being obedient to God and dying on a cross. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42). He didn't want to go through it. But true humility is doing what God asks of you.

God does not demand anything from us. We have freedom of choice, which is why people are sick. The Word says, "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 11:29-30)

You see here that people are weak, sick, and dead because they did not recognize the body of the Lord. What exactly does that mean? It means that if you know the definition of His body broken for you, you understand that "by His stripes we are healed." His body was broken for us, and by His stripes we are healed. He paid for our healing at the atonement.  If you simply take communion and never grasp the reality and truth of His body being beaten and broken for your healing, then you will never reap the benefits from it.

If it were not for freedom of choice, we would simply be robots. God asks us to do certain things through the Bible. We don't have to do them. He does not force us to do what He asks. That is what the parable of the two sons is about. One said he would do what his father wanted him to do, but didn't. The other said no, he would not do what his father wanted, but turned around and did it. They both had a choice to make, whether to be obedient to what their father asked them to do, or not.

God does not take away our freedom of choice. But Jesus commanded His disciples to do things in His Name. Then He told them to teach others to do the same things He commanded them to do. So we are supposed to be doing the same things they did. In fact, Jesus said that we would do the same things as He, and even greater works because He went to the Father. Jesus also said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15) IF you love me. So anyone who says they love Jesus and doesn't do what He commanded does not really love Him.

He told His disciples, "If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." They were His friends, how could they possibly be glad that Jesus was going away? This is how: If their will aligned with God's will, they could be happy because God's will was being fulfilled. It makes men happy when Gods' will comes to pass. We have a role to play. We are ambassadors for Christ as though God is making His appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."(2 Corinthians 5:15) We are here to live for God. How do we live for God? By humbling ourselves. How do we humble ourselves? By being obedient to God. If we love Him, we should be glad to do His will. True humility is not saying condemning things about yourself like, "Oh, I'm a sinner," or "I'm nothing." That, in reality, is pride. How is it pride, you ask? By overriding what God has already said about you. God says that we are a holy nation, a royal priesthood, His beloved, His children, the righteousness of Christ, we are hidden in Christ, we are blameless. Shall I go on? If you think putting yourself down to lift Jesus up is right, you're wrong! God has lifted Jesus high above every name. Putting yourself down in front of God is sin, because you are telling God that He is a liar, or that you can somehow override what He says about you.

It doesn't get any clearer than this. God has said every good thing about you, and He never says anything bad about you. God never brings up your past; it is the devil who is the accuser. So stop listening to the devil and believe what God has already said about you.

Is It OUR Warfare?

Revelation 17:14

"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."

1. What occupations require you to carry weapons?
Military, law enforcment, secret service, security guard.

2. What do all these have in common?
They all protect something or someone.

With weapons, they protect themselves, they protect others, they uphold the law, they stop criminals.

3. What kind of weapons does God say we have?
God says that the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (2 Corinithians 10:4) The Word also says, "in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:7)

John 18:36
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
So Jesus has His kingdom, but it is not of this world. Jesus also says that His kingdom lives inside of us ("nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21)

Acts 5:38-39
"Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
A Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in front of the Sanhedrin and told them that if what Peter and the other apostles were doing was of human origin, it would fail. But if it were from God, the Sanhedrin would be fighting against God.

4. So what does it mean to fight against God?
It means going against what God wants, even if you think you are following the law to the "t". If you set yourself against people who are doing the will of God, even if you think you are right and they are wrong, then you are fighting God.

1 Corinthians 9:26
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
According to this verse, Paul fights. But he doesn't fight like a man beating the air.

5. What does it mean to fight like a man beating the air?
It means doing things that make you think you are fighting, but seeing no results from your efforts, and you are not really making any difference for God's kingdom. You have to have tangible results in order to be doing any good for the kingdom.

1 Timothy 1:18
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight

1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith

All the verses above mention fighting.

6. Who are we fighting?
The devil and his demons.

7. Are we effective when we fight?
Only if we know what the weapons are that God gave us, and how to use them.

Ephesians 6:17
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
As we see here, the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.

8. Why would we need a sword?
Because 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Self-controlled and alert describe all the occupations that use a weapon. Our ENEMY the devil prowls around seeking whom he can devour. That means he can't devour everyone. He is seeking someone to devour. We have to fight with the sword to keep him off us.

9. Are we really in a battle?
Yes. God's Word says so by talking about the weapons of our warfare. It is OUR warfare because we are the body of Christ. It says that God will crush satan underneath OUR feet.

10. Why does God's Word say that we must fight the good fight?
Because we MUST fight. If we are sitting around doing nothing, the devil will find us and devour us.

11. Does anyone fight sitting down or while they are sleeping?
Not normally. That usually means you are not self-controlled and alert.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

12. If we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us (1 Corinthians 6:19), then don't you think we are supposed to be active and continue the ministry of Jesus Christ?
Yes. He gave us His Spirit for a reason. In this world we are like Him, and we are His ambassadors. We do the same things as He did, and even greater works for this reason. (2 Corinithians 1:22, 1 John 4:17, 1 Corinthians 5:20, John 14:12)

Hebrews 10:32 (NKJV)
But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions. (The Greek word for fight is altheo, which means "a struggling, as in an athletic contest.")

13. Why would we struggle when we get saved? Isn't it supposed to be all peace and love once we are in Christ?
The reason we struggle is because we have an enemy, the devil. He is against everything good, and he is the author of sickness, disease, and everything that is against God. Once we are saved, we become members of God's household and the kingdom of God. The devil then actively pursues a battle against us. Peace and love come from God, and we can have peace in the midst of hardship, but we should never say that it is God giving us sickness or disease. When you do that, you are calling God a liar, because God is always good. Jesus says that no one is good except God. If parents can love their children more than themselves, and God loves us far more, He would never give us a sickness or disease to teach us a lesson. If parents can love their children this much, and Jesus walked the earth doing good, and then He turns around and says that even loving someone that much is not as good as God, then why do people blame God for the sickness the devil gives them?

2 Corinthians 10:3
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

14. So then, how do we wage war?
With the weapons God gave us, by following Jesus' example. When the devil tempted Him in the wilderness, He used the Word of God to fight back. When the devil had His cousin John the Baptist murdered, He went out the next day and started healing people. That is how we gain ground for God's kingdom.

15. How do you know that sickness and disease is from the devil?
Because Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus "went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil." That shows that the people were sick because they were oppressed by the devil, the devil gave them the sickness to oppress them.

1 Peter 2:11
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

16. What does it mean that sinful desires war against our soul? I thought our fight was against the devil, not our own sinful desires.
There are many places in the New Testament that show where our natural mind fights against us. But if we are living by the Spirit, we are spiritually-minded. It also says that our natural mind is enmity, or at war, against God. The King James Version is closer to the definition of the Greek word for natural mind. The problem with the NIV is that it says our sinful mind is against God. If we are saved, we have the mind of Christ, and our mind is no longer sinful, we simply have to renew the way we think to think more like God thinks. So the KJV saying our "carnal mind" is against God is much more accurate because it means that our mind before we were saved, before we had the mind of Christ, is against God. That is why Jesus told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan." Because Peter was thinking with his natural mind and not with the spiritual mind; not with the mind that supports God's purpose.


Revelation 12:17
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

17. Who is the devil at war against?
Us! We are God's people and we hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 19:11
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.

Revelation 19:19
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.

18. Who is the army that is with the rider on the horse?
We are.

19. How do you know?
Because "whoever is not for Him, is against Him." (Matthew 12:30)

Revelation 2:16
Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Key Verses

Romans 2:2-4
Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

1 John 3:1-3
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

1 Johhn 4:17
This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Proverbs 3:28
Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"--when you now have it with you.

Luke 10:17-19
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

1 John 5:18-20
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Truth About Tithing

Leviticus 27:30-34
"'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD." If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’”

These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

Numbers 18:20-26
The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.

“I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting. From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.'"

Deuteronomy 14:24-26
“Now when the Lord your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe. If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the Lord your God has chosen. When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want—cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household.


First off, if you see where these scriptures come from, you'll notice they are from the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), or "The Law". Secondly, the tithe mentioned is a tenth of the fruit, grain, or animals, even though money was already in use (see Genesis 31:15, Genesis 42:27, Exodus 22:7, Leviticus 6:4, Leviticus 25:37, Deuteronomy 14:25). Deuteronomy gives the people tithing the option to sell their tenth of stuff for money, if the journey to the place God chooses is too far to carry their "stuff", then use the money to buy any kind of food, to feast in the presence of God. So the tithe was never meant to be money, it was supposed to be a celebration of honor to God for His blessings.

In the next verse, you see Jesus telling the Pharisees that they are wrong for tithing on everything but not upholding the more important things. While Jesus walked the earth, He talked to the people under the Law because He had not yet gone to the cross and done away with it. So He used examples from their everyday life to demonstrate what God wants from His people.

Matthew 23:23
“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You give God a tenth of your spices, like mint, dill and cumin. But you have not practiced the more important things of the law, like fairness, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the last things without failing to do the first."


Keep All The Law

Romans 3:19
What the law says, it says to those who are ruled by the law. Its purpose is to shut every mouth and make the whole world accountable to God.

Romans 3:27
So who can brag? No one! Are people saved by obeying the law? Not at all! They are saved because of their faith.

Galatians 3:10
All who depend on obeying the law are under a curse. It is written, “May everyone who doesn’t continue to do everything that is written in the Book of the Law be under God’s curse.”

Galatians 3:13
Christ set us free from the curse of the law. He did it by becoming a curse for us. It is written, “Everyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.”

Galatians 5:2-4
Here is what I, Paul, say to you. Don’t let yourselves be circumcised. If you do, Christ won’t be of any value to you. I say it again. Every man who lets himself be circumcised must obey the whole law. Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God’s grace.

Galatians 5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the authority of the law.

Hebrews 7:4-6
Think how great Melchizedek was. Even our father Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had captured. Now the law lays down a rule for the sons of Levi who become priests. They must collect a tenth from the people. They must collect it even from those who belong to the family line of Abraham. Melchizedek did not trace his family line from Levi. But he collected a tenth from Abraham. Melchizedek blessed the one who had received the promises.

James 2:10
Suppose you keep the whole law but trip over just one part of it. Then you are guilty of breaking all of it.

Galatians 3:10 tells us that all who depend on obeying the law are under a curse. In 5:2-4, we learn that people who are believers, who are wanting to get circumcised, will nullify what Christ did. If they keep one part of the law, they must obey all of the law. All the other verses show that Jesus set us free from the law, and if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the authority of the law. We are saved by faith, so why are we still trying to keep part of the law, tithing?


Giving is Not Tithing, There IS a Difference!

Matthew 5:42
“Give to the one who asks you for something. Don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow something from you.

Matthew 10:42
Suppose someone gives even a cup of cold water to a little one who follows me. What I’m about to tell you is true. That one will certainly be rewarded.”

Mark 4:24
“Think carefully about what you hear,” he said. “As you give, so you will receive. In fact, you will receive even more.

Luke 6:30
“Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, don’t ask to get it back.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you.”

Luke 12:33
Sell what you own. Give to those who are poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out. Put away riches in heaven that will not be used up. There, no thief can come near it. There, no moth can destroy it.

Acts 2:42-47
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.


"...But I say"

Matthew 5:21-22
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."

Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."


When Jesus quoted the Law, He made it more strict. Jesus' way of giving, and not tithing, makes people more responsible for others. In order to be aware to give, you need to know what others need, and meet their needs if you're capable. Tithing is the Law, but we're no longer under the Law. Giving is the way Jesus meant for it to be. So if you are still tithing instead of giving, you are bound to the law and under a curse. And if the teaching you are hearing in a modern day church is tithing, run! Run far away. Remember, if there is something being taught that you don't agree with, you vote with your feet and with your wallet.

God Is Good

Jesus has all power and authority on heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'")
If Jesus has all power and authority, then the devil has none and we have none.

We are in Him and He is in us (Acts 17:28 "'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'" and 1 John 4:13 "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.")

He is the firstborn of many brothers (Romans 8:29 "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.")

We are God's family, Jesus calls us His brothers (Hebrews 2:11 "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.")

We are no longer servants (John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.)

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;")

We are anointed because we have the Anointed One living in us (Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.)

The anointing doesn't come and go because the Spirit in us abides (1 John 2:27 "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him." and Matthew 28:20b "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”)

We are ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.")

We do what He did (John 14:12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.")

We go heal the sick (Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.")

We make disciples (Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,")

We teach others to do what He did (Matthew 28:20a "and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.")

Whew! God is good!!!

No judgment until the Judgment

No Judgment Until The Judgment

Genesis 8:22

“As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease.”

God set the world in motion and He doesn't need to keep maintaining it.

Matthew 7:22

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’

Matthew 10:15

Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Matthew 11:22

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

Matthew 11:24

But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Matthew 12:36

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.

Matthew 12:41

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.

Luke 10:12

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Luke 10:14

But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

Luke 11:32

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

John 5:22-23

"The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him."

God judges no one but has given that responsibility to Jesus.

 
John 12:47-50

“As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Jesus says that He does not judge the person who hears His words but does not keep them. He says that the person will be condemned by the very words He spoke on the last day.

John 8:14-16

Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.

Acts 24:25

As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”

Paul witnessed to Felix, and told him about the judgment to come. That means that the judgment is not here yet.

Romans 2:5

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

People who are stubborn and unrepentant are storing up wrath against themselves for the day of God's wrath when His judgment will be revealed. So no one is being judged by God right now. They will be judged on the day judgment will be revealed.

Romans 2:16

This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Romans 14:10

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister ? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

We are not currently standing before God's judgment seat. It says that we will stand meaning that is in the future some time.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15

his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5

So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

Hebrews 10:26-31

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Many people use the last verse to say that as God's children we are being judged by God and receive punishment. But we have a covenant with Jesus. That means that we have already received forgiveness when we asked God for it because Jesus paid for it.

James 2:12-13

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

2 Timothy 4:8

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 Peter 2:12

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

2 Peter 2:2-10

Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

2 Peter 3:9-12

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

A lot of Christians spend their time studying and discussing the end times. Why? Jesus never told us to focus on the end times. He told us to be busy doing God's work so that He'll find us faithful when He returns. This verse mentions that we can speed Jesus' return if we are "doing" the Word: Living holy and godly lives.

Phillipians 1:4-6

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 2:14-16

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

2 Timothy 1:18

May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

2 Timothy 4:8

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 John 4:17

This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Jude 1:6

And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

As long as time endures day and night will never cease. God put the world in motion and it will cease when Jesus returns. At that time He will judge all creatures for what they have done. That being said, natural disasters cannot be the judgment of God. They are simply the laws of nature at work. That is why the Word says that all creation groans in eager expectation for the sons of God to be made manifest. We are supposed to calm the storms like Jesus did. Jesus said we would do the same things as He and even greater works.

Jesus says that we judge by human standards but He judges no one. Stubborn and unrepentant people are saving up wrath for themselves for the day of judgment. But if they repent they can avoid judgment. Even people's secrets will be judged when we all stand before God's judgment seat. Everyone's work will be shown for what it is on that day.

The Father has given all judgment to the Son, and Jesus says that He didn't come to judge but to save the lost. Jesus said that He does not judge anyone but that His Words will judge them on "that day." Jesus also says that the Father judges no one, but has given that responsibility to the Son.

You see in 1 Cor 5 that the destruction of the flesh is attributed to satan, not God. And in that instance it was for handing the immoral brother over to satan so that his spirit would be saved.

The day of judgment MUST come because God is just. He can't let everyone get away with sin forever. But He sent His Son so that He could treat us the way He has always wanted to treat His people.

“The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. That verse is constantly misused. People use it to say that we are being judged by God at the present time. But that is not what the Word says.

God is not being slack in bringing judgment but He is being patient so that more will be saved. We can speed the coming of the Lord by living holy and godly lives.

There is a crown of righteousness in store for all who look forward to the Lord's return. In order to have confidence in the day of the Lord, we are to be like Jesus while we are here on earth.