CENTURION CONNECTION

                                                 CENTURION CONNECTION

    Every day we read or hear about faith from prominent people,  leaders and it seems everyone who wants you to believe whatever they have to say or sell. The importance of faith to this ministry is evident from the name, Faith Walk. It is important to understand exactly what faith is and isn't. For starters, an expression of faith should also reveal the basis of that "faith." It is the basis of your faith that is all important, and controls what you may expect from that "faith."

    An outstanding example of faith is found in Matt. 8:5-13. This is lengthy scripture, but we need to carefully examine all these  verses, because it tells us what will happen when we take the
word "faith" lightly. "Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented..' And Jesus said to him, 'I will come and heal him.'" A centurion was a very important Roman citizen, who commanded 100 soldiers and frequently was in charge of a political district. "The centurion answered and said, 'Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, "Go," and he goes, and to  another, "Come," and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this," and he does it."

    Let's examine this closely before we continue. The centurion understands FULL authority. The Roman government was cruel with punishment, but it was a society of law. The Romans had their various gods, but not the true god. Therefore, citizens held the belief that an authority over you was in effect the instrument of god with power including life and death. They had courts of law, but positions of authority ruled. Their religious faith may have been non-existent, but their faith in leadership direction was clear.

    To resume, from verse 10, "When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that  many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven . But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion,'Go your way, and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.' And his servant was healed that same hour.'"

    First, we see the centurion had full belief that Jesus could act as the true God. There was absolutely no doubt. He had total faith, not just ideological words used by so many "Christians." You may not have realized the centurion prayed to Jesus/God for the healing. His
words were a prayer, and he did not "expect" an answer--he KNEW his prayer would be answered. His words were REAL faith, not just what we see from so many professing Christians today. Their claims are frequently words without heartfelt impact. Unfortunately, many prayers fall into this category.

    Secondly, we see that God acts according to His will, and there is no limit on time or location. Prayers for healing or other things may not necessarily be fulfilled. But, without total FAITH, you should not be surprised when nothing seems to happen. There is an element of time, varying from instant to longer periods of time. You must also understand that if doubts creep in, the healing or answer to prayer may be withdrawn. The word "faith" should be understood as "belief," because we may misunderstand another verse of scripture.

    This explanation may seem confusing, but if you read Hebrews  11:1-3, you will see the clue that separates faith and belief. The Apostle Paul (or whoever wrote this epistle--there is some differing opinion on this) wrote to explain the difference between creation and the history of man. To do so, he had to explain that no one saw the process of creation, and that doesn't mean we should always expect to see God's work. A good example is radio waves. Paul said, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

    Still sound confusing? This verse (1) is not a description of faith, but a description of what faith does. "Hoped for" relates to the reality of things (substance). Faith (belief) treats the prayer substance  as reality, even if the unseen faith proves what may be unseen is real. This
is not always the situation, because often you can see the result. It is interesting that many Christians have a problem believing in "miracles," but that is often the case. The best example of this is faith healing. Some good bible teachers don't believe in faith healing. They have seen fake situations, especially where a fee was charged. Real faith healing should not be about any money. You see, God does the healing, not the person praying. The person praying is only reinforcing the prayer of the person seeking healing. That is why both people involved in faith healing must not doubt results. Healing does not always happen, because God may have other plans. That doesn't mean He didn't hear your prayer or doubt your faith; it just wasn't
timely.

 God is in control of everything; it's His universe. All material blessings belong to Him. That includes land and buildings. It also includes the leaders in government. Leaders in the remainder of the world serve at the Lord's pleasure--even dictators and ruthless bigots. God has His reasons and has explained them in scripture. The problems faced by leaders in both the church and government are with us because these leaders don't know, understand or follow scripture.

    There are two problems in particular religious leaders fall prey to: not realizing practically the entire Old Testament records punishment when people bastardize worship; and people can't be forced to follow any particular brand of religion. Even secular history bears this out.
You can't force anyone to be a Christian or Muslim short of laws or physical punishment (jail or death). Don't our pastors and religious teachers know scripture tells us we must be called to respond to Christ's offer of salvation? Christ never taught that people had to follow any man-made laws to be His followers. The key word for Christians is "choice."    

    Now that we've taken a hard look at faith, hope and belief, let's look at prayer. We can separate prayer into three categories. Yes, not all prayers are equal. We have the "casual" prayer that Jesus describes in Matt. 25:31-46, where people have needs and prayers are given, but nothing of material substance. It's summed up by the comment, "I'll pray for you." If you are at a long distance away from the person in need, a serious prayer carries weight. If you are in personal or close contact, and something material will help, that is required if possible. It's "putting your money where your mouth is." The third category is the after effect of answered prayer. Christ talks about this in Matt. 17:11-19. Ten lepers asked Him to heal  them, and He did. Only one of the 10, who were all healed, returned to Christ to give thanks and glorify God. This man was a Samaritan, not a follower of Christ, and a religious "foreigner." These verses
indicate that God expects a recipient of special blessings to at least recognize the work of God. 

    Do we recognize the little frequent blessings each day and wait for something with bells and whistles? Do you attend a church that features bells and whistles, placing true study of the word as a secondary feature? Music and special events are not wrong, but they should not be the main reason for worship. Worship is to thank and glorify God, not to have amusement and fun. The switch from  bible study to fun was clearly pointed out recently by a pastor of a
mega television ministry who said God wanted us to have fun and enjoyment. We are to worship us, not God. And this ministry takes in six figure amounts in its weekly service. It seems that a large number of American Christians must agree with this directive. I pray
you are not caught up in a fun and games ministry.

Rev. Walbear

YOUR RAP SHEET

                                                                          YOUR RAP SHEET

    Christian friend or non Christian friend, have you ever thought about your rap sheet? Christ died to erase and cover your sins, but  that doesn't mean you didn't have a rap sheet before you were  saved. It may have been torn up by God when you accepted Christ as Savior, but that doesn't mean you should now act superior to others you consider unsaved. Salvation does not give you a special standing or privilege, but rather makes you a servant.

    Salvation erases your sins and gives you the presence of the Holy Spirit, but that only gives you the option to be Christ-like with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Salvation enables you to cross the threshold to eternal life. The original price tag was free, but that isn't the end of the story. If you really act Christ-like, you will begin to start another rap sheet, but it will be a works sheet. Your call to duty is given in James 2:17, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does
not have works, is dead."

    People talk about their faith all the time, but frequently their faith is exhibited as a special free pass to eternal life. They may have said a few words to accept Christ's offer, but their heart wasn't really committed. If you are committed, the Holy Spirit will "nudge" you frequently when there is an opportunity for you to do "good works." James spells it out in chapter 2, verse 15. This admonition is a repetition of Christ's instructions in the gospels, Matt. 25:31-46.
Don't think that these passages are only for nations. God judges each person individually as well. James found it necessary to repeat the admonition about good works because many people
thought the free pass from Christ also entitled them to loaf and ignore Christ's gospel teaching.

    There are many ways Christians influence others by their actions and words. The most serious mistake I usually encounter is that by leaders, religious or otherwise. This non-Christian mistake seems to be an immediate turnoff. It's a smug look of self satisfaction. The
bible explains it as self righteousness. Frequently, such judgment is made based on appearance or looks. Remember, Christ treated each person as a friend and companion. If you are a Christian, and especially if you hold a leadership position, do not let your station lead you to believe you are special. One of my boyhood examples of a real man of the cloth was a priest who did his ministry work on the waterfront. By waterfront, I mean the harbor area such as
San Francisco. His beat wasn't a church, but bars and dives that populate such areas. It was a tough venue that catered to a wide variety of tough guys, sailors, crooks, scarlet women and booze. Like Christ, this priest had the Holy Spirit power, and his presence was to spread the Word, but also to practice Christian principles to help those in need. He prayed for them, but he also provided other help and guidance. 

    Self righteousness is a bigger turnoff than drunkenness to many people. Drunks don't usually act as though they're superior to you. Most self righteous people treat others as inferior, especially if you are not well dressed or unkempt. When I come out of the barn sometimes, I'm not exactly spot clean. Some visitors have a mindset that my looks place me as a manure caddy. This amuses me, because I have the advantage of knowing a great deal about them from their
actions, and they are misguided by my looks. Most people don't expect a minister to fork manure, dig potatoes or milk a cow. When they engage me in conversation, they sometimes have a difficult time figuring out what I am.

    Many self righteous people wear their "look" for others to see. My wife and I were in a parking lot recently, and we were parked next to a car that had "clergy" on a window and several slogans on the bumper and elsewhere. I waited in the car while she went inside a
store. In a few minutes an older couple emerged from the store. I watched them approach down the aisle and noted their body language and dress. I bet myself these were the people from the
religious car. I was correct. The couple left, and a short time later my wife returned to the car. She asked me if I saw the people who were from the religious car. I replied yes, and I knew who they were when they entered the aisle. She said she thought she knew who they were, too, because of their manner and the way they were dressed. She described their clothing, and was correct. The  giveaway wasn't really their clothing, it was the smug look on their faces.

    Christ believed this subject was so important, He devoted 36 of 38 verses of Matt. chapter 23 to the self righteousness and false teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. Christ adapted Himself to the people surrounding Him. He was not an "elite", and He shunned the places reserved for VIPs at gatherings. He broke bread with saints and sinners. How can you "save" people if you exclude them from church? Church is where you are supposed to learn about God and His Word. It is not the place to go to show how "religious" you are.

    Our ministry is not housed in a traditional church "building," and we have no set congregation that supports our work. We reach out to people in several states and work one on one in our local community. People locally are in the poor to modest range, and work together in sharing food and labor. Only part of the neighborhood is saved, but most work together. We supply messages on a regular basis, and much of our time is spent counseling. The Holy Spirit
guides us in our work, and we expect the Holy Spirit to "touch" those He wants to contribute to the ministry. We put out one call for financial support, and it was answered by an anonymous donor who paid our taxes. People who are righteous don't have to assume a position of self righteousness. Only God needs to know you are following His direction.

    Good works is not just supporting a ministry or charity. It is  providing for a specific need. If you look at the explanation of works in the first part of this message, you see how Christ identifies the term. So now we get to your Christian rap sheet. And yes, you do have a Christian rap sheet. God awards crowns to people in Heaven. If you doubt this, check the following passages in scripture: 1 Cor. 9:25; Phil. 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:19; 2 Tim. 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4,
and Rev. 2:10. These are heavenly crowns, nothing like earthly crowns that eventually disintegrate. These are eternal awards, crowns of glory, earned through obedience to Christ and His teaching. They may mean nothing on earth, but in heaven, awards are eternal.

    Many times people think support and tithing is represented mainly through donations or other financial means. When it is used as a tax break, it violates Matt. 22:17-21. The entire story of Christ begins with scripture giving the reason Mary was going to Bethlehem. Christ spent His entire lifetime from birth to death paying taxes. It is not wrong to be generous financially to a ministry, but God examines the reason for generosity. You may not like this explanation, but it is the simple truth in how God assesses the donation: does it appear on your rap sheet? If the donation was to reduce taxes to any government, the purpose was to YOUR benefit as well as God's. If it was not to reduce taxes, it was to God's benefit. Before you delete this message, please have the patience to read a bit more about giving. If you give, give
anonymously. All money belongs to God, it's really not yours,

    The difference is explained in Luke 21:1-4. "And He looked up and  saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. (These were small copper coins, the smallest currency) So He said, '"Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood  that she had.'" This explanation makes it tough on generous givers and ministry workers. Serving God and Christ isn't easy. Look at scripture history. We name buildings and sports stadiums for the donors--people, and now corporations (who are considered a person, but don't resemble Christ as a likeness of God and the Son).  The glory goes not to God, but to a person with lots of money. 

    If you are a Christian, you do have a rap sheet in heaven. For the unsaved, there is also a rap sheet. There is a final judgment for them, so no one escapes a rap sheet. Your history is recorded, and that should tell us we need to study history to learn from mistakes. Your history on earth is recorded on earth and may be lost, but your history in Heaven is eternal.

Rev. Walbear

SIFTING FAITH

                                                  SIFTING FAITH    

    Most people believe in a God of some type, and many non Christians
are used by God to accomplish His purposes. Unsaved people play a
major role in God's creation as well. God selects the people He knows
can fulfill His plan. We may think we know how we can best serve God,
but He sifts people and assigns His tasks to those He selects. We can
not do the picking and choosing (sifting). That's a good thing, because
many people we select or appoint are really not able to accomplish His mission. One major thing we must understand is, our mission is never completed. If we post a sign that says "mission accomplished", Satan has a hearty laugh, because he knows the door is open to completely overturn what we have accomplished.

    To give you an idea of how God does some of His sifting, please turn to Judges, chapter 6. Before we begin, I want to stress again that God's displeasure can be seen here following yet another period that Israel fell away from God and brought about oppression. The people were laboring under the rule of the Midianites. God always rescues His people, and chooses the leader. Then He uses a sifting method to fill the ranks of His army. Don't forget God has the most powerful army in the universe. Refresh your memory and go to Joshua 5:13,14, where the commander in chief of God's army makes an appearance. God has no conscientious objectors.

    All of Israel feared the Midianites, and that included Gideon. God,
however, knew Gideon would be obedient if he replaced doubt with trust and belief. Mark this carefully: trust and belief. We throw that word "trust" around quite liberally, but somehow our belief in God frequently is lukewarm at best. Gideon couldn't believe he was  God's choice to lead the rescue. His doubt was not so much fear of the enemy, but rather that he wasn't equipped to handle the responsibility. Gideon was willing to take on the task, but he wanted reassurance that God had indeed selected him. Sometimes Satan selects individuals and assigns certain tasks. This has led to many serious problems in the church and Christianity. Satan knows many men allow personal desire and ego to lead them away.

    An angel of the Lord was sent to Gideon where Gideon was threshing
wheat in a winepress. He was using the winepress to hide the wheat
from the Midianites. Gideon asked why the Lord had not used a miracle
to overthrow the Midianites (Judges 6:13), and the angel told him they
 would be defeated "as one man." That seemed pretty far fetched to Gideon, and he asked the angel for a sign. Did he ever get a sign! The offering placed on a rock was consumed by fire from the rock! In verse 25 we see the recurring reason Israel was under oppression. They were serving Baal rather than God. Their priests (pastors) were no longer following God. This can be a subtle change over a period of time spanning an entire generation. It continues to happen.

    The verses 22 through 32 give us a lesson in the stupidity of people
who follow a false god. After Gideon and his servants destroyed the altar of Baal, the Midianities wanted to kill Gideon. His father challenged them to "plead" before Baal. In effect, he said if Baal was god, he should\ be able to defend himself. Look at 1 Samuel 5:1-8. Dagon, the god of the Philistines, could not stand before the Ark of the Covenant, and the Lord brought so much disaster to them they returned the Ark to Israel. The Midianites did decide to organize a sizable army and settle the  score with Israel for tearing down Baal.

    God does talk to mankind today, but so does Satan. Gideon now  needed to remove all doubt from his mind so he could completely trust God's directions. We are approaching the sifting process, but still have to see Gideon in total trust and belief. Gideon asks for a sign guaranteeing success, and God had patience and gave it to him. The sign was a fleece that did the opposite of the mornings' normal settlement of dew. See Judges 6:36-40. If the fleece was wet and the ground was dry, it was a sign. Gideon still had some doubt, so he asked that the fleece be dry and the ground damp. God showed great patience, and Gideon now had full trust to follow God's directions.

    God had put His man in place because He knew Gideon had faith. What Gideon had to demonstrate was trust. The fleece brought that about. Gideon had summoned many men for the confrontation about to take  place. This is when the sifting process began. God explained to Gideon the number of men to go forth for Israel had to be reduced. The reason: God did not want to give Israel the puffed up opportunity to take credit for His intervention. The victory was coming because of God's plan and preparation, not because of men and a nation who had fallen away were capable of doing this thing alone. This was to serve as a wake up call to worship God, who would deliver them from oppression. God decides when a mission is accomplished, not any man.

    We see here something God warns us about: pride. Too often we claim superiority in some way. We mistake confidence for pride. We should express confidence in work we do, but always remember we only have the gifts He gives us. To Him should go the glory. God used drinking water to sift the men. Of the 32,000 Israelites who responded to Gideon's call, 22,000 were dismissed because they had fear. That left 10,000, and that was still too many for God. God used water to sift the group even further. God separated the men by selecting only those who lapped water like a dog. That reduced the number to just 300 men.


    The military intelligence of the Lord's army and any army of mankind
He leads can accomplish anything. The normal way for an army to  overcome the enemy is by superior numbers and having unlimited 
firepower. God does not need to rely on man's methods. To bolster
Gideon's resolve, God sends Gideon and Purah down to the enemy
encampment to spy on them. They hear two Midianites talking about
a dream. For those Christians who don't believe in conversations with God, or in dreams, verses 7:13,14 should make you think seriously about it. Remember Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." God does not change any more than His Son.

    God sent the Midianite a dream, and enabled Gideon to overhear the
two Midianites discussing its meaning. The dream (Judges 7:13,14) was
interpreted by the Midianites to mean Israel would defeat them. Although
the Midianites had a huge army and countless camels, the dream made
them fear "the sword of Gideon," (Judges 7:14) a well known biblical
reference. Understanding the fear the Midianites felt, Gideon was certain
God would give His people the victory. God's plan for the battle was
 based on fear. When Gideon's 300 men carried out the plan (Judges
7:16-22), confusion and fear so filled the Midianites, they fought each
other and fled. It was indeed God's victory.

    Men from the other tribes of Israel joined Gideon and his men, and
pursued the fleeing Midianites. The act of faith and trust in God enabled
Israel to overthrow the oppressors and regain their land. Once Gideon
fortified himself in faith and trust, he had the confidence of a man on
a mission for the Lord. God can turn things around with miracles, but
He chooses to sift and use people. When a leader realizes and honestly
knows God is in control, there is an aura of confidence that is contagious and enables great things to be accomplished. Man's usual problem is to conclude he has accomplished a great work and the mission is complete. Satan never quits, and it is at the time of victory that is frequently the most dangerous. Man tends to begin celebrating, but Satan is reforming his plan. Any celebration should be to the glory of God.

    Gideon was asked to rule over Israel, but told them God would be
the ruler. There was peace for 40 years, but the people again abandoned
worship of God and turned to idols. The lesson here is that when things
go well, we tend to forget why things are well. Our leaders and priests
don't want to rock the boat by following Christ's teaching in the gospels.
There are different kinds of captivity, and different kinds of idols. No 
nation can escape God when He passes judgment on idol worship.

Rev. Walbear

TRUTH IN CHRISTIANITY

                                          TRUTH IN CHRISTIANITY       

    From what I read and hear, there is a marked absence of truth in
American Christianity. Church goers seem to readily accept what they
are told by pastors and church leaders. Questions are rarely asked
concerning sermons and teaching. That's not the worst part of this
backward slide in truly following Christ--if He is really your leader. The worst part is the strong possibility this person may not believe basic tenets of Christianity. Numerous polls bear out the fact that many Christian preachers and leaders do not believe in absolute basics including one or more of the following: virgin birth, no strings attached salvation with a FULL commitment to Christ, His raising from death, belief in Heaven and Hell, the Ten Commandments Plus One, and His teaching in the four gospels.

    To make this situation more serious is the wanton method some  politicians are using Christianity to further their personal agendas
and influence legislation. Going to church and following this false
teaching does not make you a Christian. Your pastor or teacher may not make you a Christian, either. God expects you to know the truth about His matters, and to carefully select where you get your Christian teaching. Aside from actually making your commitment to Christ, you need to understand that God does not force you to follow theocratic rules of faith. You have a choice. You always have a choice. You have the choice to commit a sin--any sin. You have the Holy Spirit--if you are truly saved--to help you make the correct choice.

    Before we get to the problem of false and bad teaching, we need to
understand sin. If you know the difference between right and wrong, you know some of the basics. All sin--every kind--separates mankind from God. No one kind of sin is worse than any other. Perhaps the most damaging sin to others is gossip and lying. Once you have told anyone something untrue, you can probably not reach all those you've told to correct your information. Your gossip or lie will live on indefinitely. Gossip and lies spread rapidly. It's doubtful you'll ever know how many people believed your false information.

    None of us--not even your pastor--has the knowledge, wisdom, or  privilege of judging others. Matt. 7:1 warns us, "Judge not, that you
be not judged." The peril you place yourself in is clear in verse 2, "For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the
measure you use, it will be measured back to you." If you follow false
teaching, and make a judgement on that basis, you have committed
two sins. A Christian is expected to know Christ's teaching. If you do know it, you won't be guilty of a double sin. You are expected to
understand all the elements of "sin" subjects. In fact, some subjects
include both sin and non-sin understanding. Homosexuality is a sin, but of no more negative value than lying or overeating. It is always a sin, but should not be something to merit excommunication from God's house. Same sex marriage is one of the most misunderstood "sins", in that it is not always a sin. Most people only consider it is a sexual marital relationship, when it may not be. Companionship is vitally important, especially for the elderly and handicapped. It may be a purely platonic (non sexual) relationship. It also gives these citizens certain rights enjoyed by other couples such as eligibility to various programs. Americans are obsessed with sex, and men, especially, seem to be mired in "dirty" thoughts. Some people can't even understand the tenets of true friendships between opposite sexes.

    Now we move on to false teaching, which seems to be growing by leaps and bounds in both Catholic and Protestant denominations. We are warned about this in many places in scripture. The Second Epistle of John was expressly written to warn of false teaching by preachers, many of whom were Docetists. These were "Christians" who taught that Christ did not actually come in the flesh. He only seemed to have a body.  John described such a teacher as "This is a deceiver and an antichrist." (verse 7c) We are not talking about one person as an antichrist, but any human agent who works for Satan. Many Christians think the Antichrist is one person whose identity we don't know. Biblical writers label anyone preaching or teaching false doctrine to be imitation antichrists. There may be one or two in your church. You probably won't know unless you ask questions or understand the New Testament. Satan knows scripture
very well (Matt. 4:5,6). These imitation antichrists know scripture well enough to twist meanings and throw you off course.

    Perhaps worst of all is the preacher who gives you half truths that
sound reasonable. There is no substitute for research. An hour a week
in church and a brief sermon will not give you the answers you need.
When I first began this ministry, I contacted several mega television
and radio ministries to learn their process of success. One response
from an ongoing television ministry clued me in to the methods I have seen that are the normal methods. This ministry sent me a book that outlined how this man got started. The book said he was walking down a street in New York City with only $50 in his pocket. From that humble beginning, he built a mega television network. Research told me this man actually came from a wealthy background; he was educated in an elite atmosphere, and he was heir to waterfront property worth millions. He probably didn't lie about the $50, but he gave me a dishonest conclusion of his ministry. He later showed an interest in national politics and today he is very political on his TV programs. He frequently offers his opinion concerning issues, and these opinions have no basis in fact. He is using his elevated position to mix scripture teaching with his personal agenda. He is an example of the imitation antichrist.

    When a "person of faith" includes his/her religious opinion along with
a position on any issue, that person is attempting to be a religious  lobbyist. That person is simply trying to win votes and office by 
persuading Christian church members to agree with his/her position on one or more issues. Think about this: Christ was delivered to the Romans for judgement. The judge wanted to release Him. The Jewish religious leaders INSISTED Christ be killed. If you understand the cycles of rags to riches to rags in the Old Testament, you see that religious leaders were always responsible for the Jews being punished or led into captivity. The key element to these periods of national punishment was always the same. After the first rags period, the people realized they needed God, and worshiped Him. This was the work period, and moved them into the wealth period. Now people could live well, and looked to their considerable material wealth. They placed their trust in (you guessed it) material well being. Today we call that well being money. We have replaced the cross with the dollar sign.

    I am not preaching against money. I am pointing out God does not pay you or a nation in dollars. You earn your pay for eternity by your works; not your salvation, but your works after salvation. James 2:17 warns us "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." God wants us to have abundant life, but that is not to mean just  money. God expects us to put our spiritual life and growth first, not material wealth. That may come, but it must not be your first priority. If you place a dollar value on everything, including people, you are not following Christ's teaching in the gospels. Too many Christians and leaders are pushing policies and actions that are racist and supporting false claims about "entitlements." They claim poor people are lazy and won't work. They apparently don't know some jobs such as waitress don't even guarantee minimum wage. They also don't know anyone who gets any paycheck has taxes deducted before receiving his/her pay. Christians, anyone who makes these false statements is actually an imitation antichrist. He/she is working for Satan to divide people and turn the church away from Christ. 

    My early research about "growing" a church provided lots of tips and information about drawing people and increasing attendance at church. Then I realized the church was people, not buildings. It seems we have difficulty understanding that. The church is the spiritual makeup of humans; it is not physical. The reason for a church is singular: to teach the Word of God. Many things are used to draw people to a physical church. They include music, age themed classes, games, food, theater, financial drives, and others. None of these, by themselves, are completely wrong. The problem is, how much of the church time is spent on the extras compared to actual teaching. Most church people know little about scripture, and often quote particular verses to support an issue not relevant. Christ spent His time teaching and bringing people into The Way. Today, many pastors and leaders are using man's advertising methods to lead Christianity away from Christ's Way, which is a singular The Way. There is no substitution for studying and understanding scripture. John 1:1 is exactly what you need to understand. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Scripture is the milk of life, and each of us needs hearty drinks. 

Rev. Walbear