PHONY RECEIPT

                                                PHONY RECEIPT

    When most of us buy something and pay bills, we usually receive a

receipt listing the purchase, price, and anything else pertinent to the

transaction. That's normal business. Is there a time when it is not

appropriate to receive such a receipt? The answer is a resounding YES! Unfortunately many Christians haven't bothered to study scripture. In usual buying, selling, and alms, we are dealing with material substances. This includes rent, mortgages, car payments, food, etc. But, scripture deals with receipts, the use of money, and the differences in acknowledgements for payments and offerings.

    We'll get to those scriptures, but first some thoughts about the

separation of the Christian church when the original Catholic system was split by the Protestant movement. The issue---at no surprise--- was money. The Catholic church experienced the same difficulty faced by all spiritual organizations. People don't want to spend money for something they can't see. If they aren't willing to pay for something they can't see, the church doesn't survive. Even though people observe or hear of a spiritual miracle, they usually have doubt. There is always the comment, "Let's see it again." Of course there are usually a number of flimflam artists trying to take advantage of people. When the Catholic church attempted to solve the money problem, leaders adopted a very carnal proposal: indulgence. What did this mean, and did it work?

    The answer is yes, it worked, but only until Martin Luther came along

and posted his objection on the church door. Indulgence offered the

Christians of that day the opportunity to have sins forgiven through

confession and repentance. That is still true today. Luther's objection was the added benefit that payment of money permitted the sin to be repeated over and over. As long as you could afford it, you could enjoy the sin, be forgiven, and then go back for more. Spiritually, that was bad, but financially it enabled the church to operate and actually grow. Luther's bold move created a firestorm, and eventually his condemnation of "pay to sin" resulted in the Protestant movement as well as the practice of the church designating the amount of the tithe (10%) of a family's income as well as indulgence payments.

    We still haven't talked about receipts, but we will after this further

information about how Satan manages to misdirect Christians about many things, including money. The Catholic church hasn't changed that much, but the Protestant church is so splintered you often can't recognize the relationship among the thousands (yes 1,000s) of denominations. When we began our non denominational ministry, a pastor opined we now have non denomination denominations. He was absolutely correct. There is a difference between a valid non denominational and a pretender. The pretender has a certain amount of set rules, much like a traditional denomination based on the guidelines of a denomination planter such as Luther or Wesley.

    Now to the business of receipts. The problem of church or religious

finance never leaves us because Satan knows it is vital. The first thing he does is mislead us, as Christians, to get law and grace mixed up. If you don't know the difference between the Law given Moses and repeated by Christ, and grace brought to us by Christ, you will not understand the principle of giving. You must also know the difference between a native Jew and a religious Jew. A person can be a Jew by birth and not choose to be a Jew by faith (religion). A Christian has to understand that Christ brought us grace to replace the blood sacrifice of the Old Testament. He also brought freedom from the complex social laws of the Jewish culture. This is the first step leading to the understanding of receipts.

    Under the Old Testament, Jews were required to offer a blood  sacrifice to be absolved of sin. This sacrifice should always be the finest example of the species you were offering. That meant the best ram, buck, ox or dove. That was the sin offering. The offering was hurtful in two ways. You had to kill a living creature that  represented the best breeding animal you had and took away the quality of your flock or herd. That meant it was expensive---a real financial loss. This was a stark reminder not to sin. This leads us to our first visit of receipts.

    That loss through sacrifice was the receipt. As a Christian, you have a receipt every time you sin and properly ask forgiveness. It is written in blood---Christ's blood. It covered all sins, both past and  present. When you celebrate communion or mass, you receive your receipt. Your acceptance of His offer of eternal life covers all. There is no paper signed by a human. No pastor, treasurer, or priest can replace Christ's blood, EXCEPT your drink of wine and taste of bread representing Christ's sacrifice for you and your pass to heaven. All the earthly church can do in the way of a receipt is to lead you through that observance. When you do this, your receipt is noted in heaven.

    I know church leaders will hate this message because getting  people to support the church poses the same problem that existed when Christianity was born. Humans have attempted to bolster giving in many ways, and today's ministries are mostly aboard the apostate train. Although communion and mass are observed, Christians don't realize the difference between the sin offering and money (material) offering. This offering is where a Christian earns heavenly rewards. You don't receive these rewards on earth, and, if you did, you couldn't take them with you. There are no scriptures so far in this message because salvation should be known and it's your job to tell others. The initiation into Christianity is simple and easy, and costs nothing material. It's just your word to accept and follow Christ's teaching to receive eternal life. When you do this, you must follow His direction. He gives us exactly the definition of responsibility and receipts. It's all in the four gospels.

    Forgiveness of sin is taken care of by Christ. Care of the physical and

spiritual church is now the Christians' responsibility. Christian leaders do not set proper priorities because the need to fulfill human material needs is foremost in their mind. We need a home, and Christ told us in  Luke 9:58, "And Jesus said unto him, 'foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.'"

This is the cost of discipleship. A preacher or teacher of God's word--- a person who devotes his/her life to this mission---should be the first, the primary, material benefactor of material offerings. This person is far more important than any building or memorial. Christianity began in small gatherings in homes and outside. Anywhere two or more believers gather is a church, because Christ said so in Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am  I in the midst of them." The beautiful buildings are nice and impressive, but Paul and Silas held "church" locked in stocks in the inner part of a prison. Read Acts 16:22-26, and you will see that God freed Paul and Silas by opening the prison cells and stocks when the faith of these two men was apparent. Something bad was turned into something good when the jailer and his household received salvation. Also note verse 40, where Lydia is again mentioned. She was the leader of the small Christian community there, which was mostly women. Buildings are not a priority, especially prisons.

    There is nothing sinful about useful buildings, but the primary need of any congregation or church body is a teacher of scripture. This is usually the job of the pastor. There are other responsibilities of a pastor, but teaching the word is the prime reason for a church service. This is the person who bears the responsibility to God for the people. Humans, since the founding of the Jewish and Christian faiths, have always suffered from misunderstanding and unwillingness to support teachers and pastors materially. Many people consider that pastors don't really work for their pay. They consider their offering a gift. Many pastors, in turn, realize the people don't want to study the four gospels. They don't want to sit through more than 15 or 20 minutes of a sermon. Topics frequently are heavy on being a good person or a bunch of "don'ts" that everyone should already know. Worse yet, is when the pastor panders to the congregation's loudmouths on social issues never spoken by Christ.

    Christ took care of the sin offering. It is the Christian's responsibility to take care of the disciples--the teachers of the word. We live on earth, and we have material needs. Christians think about serving God and making material offerings. Their duty is to support the work of the  disciple (pastor or teacher) as Christ directed in John 21:15-22. The directions were simple: feed the lambs and sheep (adults), and "Follow Me." Teaching scripture is the main responsibility. Faith believers often fail to support teaching. Israel brought captivity upon itself by failing to support the priests. When Jerusalem was restored under Nehemiah, fakers channeled church money into their own use while Nehemiah was away. Like Christ, he had to cleanse the temple. Paul worked as a tent maker. Many true pastors and teachers must work outside the church to make a decent living.

    A lifelong friend of mine was a pastor who worked as a school teacher

as well as a pastor. His church's Board decided his outside income was

sufficient that he should accept a 50% pay cut.The church didn't have to

provide him housing: he owned his home and paid taxes on it. These fake

faith leaders wanted to short change God's disciple. Most Christians don't understand that the pastors and teachers actually anointed by God frequently must have an outside job to provide a reasonable living. This is especially true if the person has a family. If the person has no congregation or denominational support, it must be a work of faith and

love. Otherwise, the person would have to live on welfare. It takes  genuine faith to minister in this way. Most Christians think a person who

works this way must have some other source of income. Who, in their right mind, would choose to live on faith? Which brings us to phony

receipts.

    Everyone---even welfare recipients---pays some kind of taxes. When  you pay taxes, you receive a receipt as proof that you obeyed man's carnal law. When you buy a house or car, you receive a deed or proof of ownership for the money you spent. There is always a need for that piece of paper for humans. When you graduate or receive some award, there is evidence of your success in something material. This is 

respected and admired by mankind. It may even include a financial award such as a scholarship or bonus. When you donate to the church or a qualified charity, you receive a receipt showing your money is not subject to man's taxes to operate ANY of man's earthly needs.

    The first problem with this system is that your tax exempt receipt is

worthless in heaven. Your generosity or greed is noted in God's account

books. Christ told us in Matt. 6:20. "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." Verse 21 sums it up: "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also." Your tax exempt receipt only counts on carnal earth. Your donation was a blessing from God, and He owns everything. When you take credit for the donation, you steal the

glory of God. The same is true for the church. Christ was born in Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary had to go there to pay their taxes. Matt. 17:24-27 tells us that Jesus and Peter paid tribute money (taxes). Christ told Peter in verse 27, "Not withstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the  fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened its mouth, thou shall find a piece of money; that take, and give unto them for me and thee."

    Now we need to examine what Christ said about tribute money (taxes). This may be puzzling to you because it does take considerable thought. Matt. 22:17-21 explains the need for taxes from everyone, including churches. "And He saith unto them, Whose is this image (on the money) and superscription? They say unto Him, Caesar's. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Your taxes pay for Caesar's things (government things such as roads, bridges, material items such as health care, military protection, support for widows and orphans, disabled people and many other human needs. When you don't pay taxes, you are shifting your share of these costs to other citizens. You and church members use all these benefits, so you should pay your share. If you give money to the church rather than Caesar, you are legally evading paying your share. Worse yet, you are using God as an excuse to direct your money away from all citizens' needs. You have man's receipt, but only man's paper for man's legal proof.

    Go back to Matt. 6:21. Your receipt from the church or ministry  reveals that you are taking the credit (glory) from God by claiming the donation under your name. All blessings and gifts come from God. If you collect receipts for religious donations for your private use, that is acceptable to God. When you make your generosity public, you are stealing God's glory. You are also shifting your civic duty and responsibility to others. It's a double sin. The excuse of sharing material things, including money, was one of the first directives from God through the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. God did not tell us to support socialism. He told us to be responsible for others, not to give up all our possessions. You need to compare His message through more than scattered verses. Read these passages:

    Acts: 2:44-45 are one of the most misunderstood and wrongly taught set of passages in scripture. There are two reasons for this interpretation. It is a provider for church financial support, and it feeds on greed and lack of compassion. Verse 44 explains, "And all that believed were together, and had all things in common;" The problem is misunderstanding "all things." The next verse (45) explains what the all things were. "And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man  had need." This is what we do today when we have pot luck meals after services, or distribute clothing, or share rides, or provide a place to stay temporarily for someone in need. The key is the phrase"as every man had need." This was not welfare because these early Christians were already working for Christ. Some had come quite a distance from their home. Nobody had to sell or contribute all their possessions. You need to know the difference between welfare and socialism.

    There are two kinds of welfare in the United States. Some people will work if they physically are able; in fact they want to work. Others are lazy and seek reasons to get welfare. The problem is that it is very costly to handle these latter people. They usually must have constant supervision and be in primary jobs. This requires hiring a supervisor, and this generally proves too expensive for both private business and the government. Rewarding laziness is cheaper than setting up some supervisory system. Another major reason that Acts 2:44-45 has been used to discredit Christian sharing is in Luke 18:18-25.

    "And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Master, what shall I  do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him,why callest thou Me  Good? None is good, save One, that is, God. Thou knowest the  Commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, Yet lacked thou one thing, sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, FOLLOW ME. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful; for he was very rich." You need to understand the next two verses to know why Jesus told him to sell all his possessions.

    Luke 18:24-25, "And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God." If you are puzzled by Christ's explanation, there are two factors: the rich man worshiped wealth (money), and you can't worship two things, Matt. 6:24. "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one , and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." The other factor is simple: if you have FAITH, you know God ALWAYS keeps His promise to provide for you. If necessary, He will cause a miracle. How many receipts on earth will get you anything in heaven? Is it really prudent to place your trust in money or God? We have the choice.

Rev. Walbear

ARE YOU LISTENING?

                                                               ARE YOU LISTENING?

If you are a regular reader of these messages, you will see that there are certain quotes from the four gospels repeated many times. Most of these quotes are not one-liners, but passages of several verses that fully explain the subject. This message begins with the short, but concise Christian "Manifesto." This manifesto includes ALL directions given His followers (us). Salvation begins the Christian walk, but the walk then must follow the path explained to us in Matt,. 28:18-20, and Luke 24:44-49. We'll examine these scriptures more closely, and you may see you have misunderstood parts of them. After reviewing these verses, we'll move on to the TOTAL job description for a Christian in Matt.  13:19-23. There's a warning about overdoing the Christian urge to  control Gentiles in Matt. 13:24-30. These latter passages also refer to the rapture and Christ's return as seen in Revelation. All scripture is related, but you must consider directions carefully. We will look at each of these references, and expand the meaning and use of the words. It's way too easy to jump to the wrong conclusions.

When Jesus had risen, He appeared to the disciples and gave them the exact directions a Christian must follow--no more, no less. The problem Christians have today is trying to expand these directions, going so far as to quote Jewish civil law and Proverbs. Jewish civil law is not part of the Ten Commandments, and Christ did not speak or write any Proverbs. Carrying out Christ's directions is work enough for any Christian. Matt, 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the  Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Amen."

Christ's directions are also very clear in Luke 24:44-49. I'll list only verse 47, "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." This much is crystal clear: A Christian's job is to preach the word of God. Our responsibility is to PREACH THE WORD, TO TEACH THE WORD. It is not to use other parts of scripture except to reinforce something He taught. Christ used prophets such as Isaiah, who told about the birth of Christ, among other information he received directly from God. The prophets did not preach do's and don'ts. They warned Israel they were departing from God's word and worship. This expansion by modern Christians to include focusing on issues such as same sex marriage and abortion, other religions and races has NO PLACE in following Christ's directions. I'll give you scripture to tell you why. Don't believe me, believe Christ.

The method of preaching the word is explained in Matt. 13:18-23. This is the Parable of the Sower. Christ tells us to sow (preach) His word. It is every person's choice to accept, backslide or reject the message. There is no force. It is a sin to try and force Christianity on anyone. Our job is to preach and teach. We are issuing a CALL, which may bring the person to be CHOSEN. Read the parable. We scatter the seed. We cannot force it to grow. The parable describes what happens to people who receive the seed. If you are a preacher or teacher, you will be held accountable for trying to force belief and wrong teaching. Every Christian has at least one gift of the Spirit. There is no purpose
in arguing with someone who doesn't agree with you. God and the Holy Spirit will do the CHOOSING. If a person is amenable, and will discus the subject reasonably, it could be profitable for both of you. If the discussion is about controversial issues, and the person becomes emotional or animated, it is correct to withdraw.

There is only ONE person qualified to judge heaven and earth, and He does not need your "expertise." You have read in previous quoted scripture that Christ has dominion over heaven and earth. You should also be aware that Christ is the judge in the end times. Check out Matt. 7:1-5. These passages tell us not to judge people. All sins are equal in value, so if you pick one sin such as drunkenness or abortion, you must also list the others which include lying (false witness) and envy. Otherwise, you are judging others while you are ignoring your personal sins. The penalty from Christ can be your anger and charge returned to you. If you use your mind, you can understand that people don't have to be married to have same sex. They do have to be legally married to qualify for government benefits. If they are taxpayers, they are entitled to these benefits. Hate and greed replace the intelligence
of the accuser. Why do you think Christ didn't teach about these  subjects? Do you believe you are more intelligent than Christ?

Satan uses emotional issues and the lack of scripture knowledge to divide would be believers. To understand this apparent conflict with our desire for and hope for peace, you must know that the original presence of Christ on earth WAS NOT to establish peace. That will not come to pass until He RETURNS. Read Revelation to substantiate this. Here is the reason for His appearance on earth in the flesh, Matt. 10:34-39 tells us He came to DIVIDE us. "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I come not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his Father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth. Him that sent Me."

This scripture may confuse you if you fail to understand Christ came to offer salvation and The Way to eternal life. Mankind has the choice to FOLLOW Him and His teaching, or to decide what additional teaching from the bible, including Jewish social law and Proverbs. Your choice to follow His narrow path in the gospels or to expand to include other issues will separate or DIVIDE you from the body of Christ. You can either concentrate on His teaching, or go your own way, which is NOT The Way. Peace won't come until the earth is purified and Christ comes a second time to clear out all those who do not follow The Way. Read Revelation. Christians will not purify the earth. In America, Christians are wasting time and power arguing about issues Christ never mentioned. Many are obsessed with sexual issues, including such no brainers about who can use which bathroom, potty rules, what you can wear in your bedroom, how rape is okay in some instances, and how women cause rape because of the clothes they wear. Of course, men have no responsibility because....men will be men.

American Christians are splitting what heavenly power they are gifted with, while Satan is realizing His time is soon upon the earth. Proud men wear their earthly rewards and enjoy their idol---money. Those few understanding Christians who are issuing the warning of the Prophets in the Old Testament and the modern Prophets, who aren't recognized by the church, will receive heavenly rewards. Matt. 10:41 tells us, "He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward." You can find the definition of other heavenly rewards in the Epistles. Faith is more than a word: it is The Way. Are you separating yourself?

Rev. Walbear

DOUBTING THOMAS

                                                         DOUBTING THOMAS 

When a personal experience exactly matches scripture, the teaching of Jesus Christ really hits home. If you are a Christian, and base your "faith" on Christ, He will give you real life experiences that match His experiences on earth. This requires calm thinking on your part, because we are told both in the Old Testament by Isaiah, and by Christ in the New Testament that faith does not come easily. Thomas, one of the 12 disciples, spent time in the presence of Christ, hearing the teaching and seeing miracles. When Christ was risen and first appeared to some of the disciples, Thomas was not present. Thomas did not believe these disciples when they told him they had seen Christ. The second time He appeared to the disciples, Thomas was present, and expressed his disbelief. Look at John 20:24-29, where Thomas had to actually place his hand in the place where Christ had been pierced by a sword.

So much for scripture. We turn now to real life with real people, and I'm the real people. I'm not a doubting Thomas, but I have perhaps more reason to believe. The lack of faith to believe does more to hurt an innocent person than the disbeliever. It may not result in a physical scar, but a mental scar. Consider Christ's feeling when Thomas doubted. We shall address TWO vital characteristics through the examination of doubt. You should understand that doubt also often is accompanied by fear. There is a saying that if one good man doesn't stand up, the bad guy wins. Who stood up for Christ? You may not stand up for what's right because the opponent is strong and shows much force. That's fear, another word for lack of faith.

My father was a school board member for many years and served as the board secretary most of his tenure. He set the meeting agendas and was the guy people came to see when they had needs or problems. As a young lad, I saw many people come to him to register a complaint. He always listened and told them he would put their situation on the agenda of the next meeting. All they had to do was attend the meeting and present their case. Very few showed up. They either really didn't have a reasonable problem, or they were afraid to face officialdom. If they or their children were being wronged, the existing situation would continue or get worse.

I saw this phenomenon when I was in college, and the state was moving to eliminate small schools by consolidation. This process is continuing today. There were nine smaller districts involved, including one with a high school. In America, bigger is always believed to be better. Serious research showed this consolidation would save money immediately, but reverse financially a few years down the road. The state's man (a county superintendent of schools) knew his job, and put great pressure on the school directors in the nine districts. All were honest men (no women), but only one had 20 years of experience and had met with actual state professionals in the state's capital. That was my father. Although he had the facts and figures, a majority of the board members endorsed the superintendent. When it came to a vote, my father was the only no vote. Fast forward one month, and the other four members of my father's board came to him and apologized for their vote. It took only that long for the financial numbers to suddenly prove him correct. But, it was too late. The small schools were closed as was the small high school. Taxes went up, and the "advantages" of the big school didn't materialize. The superintendent didn't tell them subjects could be expanded only if funds were spent to purchase additional materials, such as more typewriters, books, and numerous other items. Students didn't have the promised options.

Now, return with me to yesteryear, and we're at a trial before the Roman judge. Jesus did not attempt to defend Himself, He had no witnesses, and the Jewish priests and politicians wanted Him dead; they testified against Him. They had no evidence. Pilate wanted to set Him free. Not one person stood up for the Son of God. Remember, women didn't count at that time. They did what they could, witnessing His cruel death. There were no "believing" men around. Think about this again. Here were men who were sent out to tell people the gospel (Matt. 10:5-25). He gave them power to heal and cure. Still, they didn't believe resurrection was possible. The fact they failed doesn't give you the same excuse. We have a personal relationship with Him.

I have been blessed several times when people stood with me and supported me in important issues. This is a wonderful feeling. The feeling of disappointment when support hides is devastating. Losing the issue is minor compared to the lack of trust and support. This lack of trust is evident in our society today, and the result is that people accept negative information if it has any chance to correct a real or perceived problem. Satan has a huge cadre of people right now misrepresenting the gospel, and that includes a large number of apostate church leaders. Most believers fear opposing anyone or group who uses character assassination or lynch mob tactics. It's not fun to be attacked.

Two brief instances where I had a ringside seat to observe evil overtake truth, and how to retreat as God always directs when He will accept a brief battle victory by Satan. The church (us) is in a delaying action at present, as we should understand by studying Revelation. The first situation involved a battle mixing politics, greed and influential power. The head of one agency didn't get the prime office space of another department head. He directed an employee to lie about a trivial matter, and solicited the help of a politician to build upon a minor lie. There was no support for the innocent department head, so he had to resign. The big loser was the people, who lost an honest and diligent worker. There was no support to get the department's work accomplished.

The second situation involved an innocent person doing a job very well. There arose a problem with the job caused by a vicious individual possessed by the combination of greed and power. The innocent person would have to go to court to rectify the problem. In this situation there were witnesses who could correct the situation. However, the evil person had the power (money) and reputation to frighten people. The witnesses were common people who would be no match for a clever attorney. Rather than go through court, and subject these people to embarrassment, the innocent person decided to accept the loss. Being honest and correct in a court of law does not mean a fair decision. God is always in charge, but He uses people to do things, and each is judged by Him according to their actions.

If you are a committed Christian, the Holy Spirit will tell you when you took the easy way out. It's a sin of omission, but it is a sin that is forgiven by Christ's sacrifice. He does understand your thinking and decision. When several people are involved in a situation, a Christian is expected to be concerned with all participants, including a guilty party. God's Chosen person or people didn't always come out victorious in the first battle. They were taken captive many times when they forsook God. They were always restored when the lesson was learned and they repented. The Jews were warned before World War II to leave Europe.

They chose to stay for several reasons, but mostly because they had become physically "comfortable" there. Although somewhat discriminated against, they were having a very comfortable life, according to carnal physical conditions. The comfort zone was provided by money. They displayed the ingenuity and work ethic inherent in the Jewish nationality. Remember, a person can be a Jew by nationality and/or religion. Money replaced their loyalty and allegiance to God. When it comes to supporting God AND truth, few people are left standing.

Many Christians in America are imitating the apostles in their lack of support for His teaching. Rather than follow directions in the four gospels, they are championing the discriminating rhetoric of race, other faiths, personal life styles, dress, Jewish social customs and laws, gender, and other methods utilized to separate WOULD BE BELIEVERS. If you find yourself beating the drum for a politician or church leader constantly harping on these subjects, you are in serious trouble. Ask the person to present the scriptural reference from the spoken word of Christ in the four gospels. Don't be sidetracked by reference from Jewish laws or Proverbs. A Christian follows Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is no other. You are accountable.

Rev. Walbear

DECORATION DAY

                                                            DECORATION DAY 

Monday, May 30, will be observed as Memorial Day, which is confusing to an old timer like me. Back in the Old Days, before the end of World War Two, this date was known as Decoration Day. It was a day primarily set aside for families to remember departed loved ones. There were some military veterans included, but the majority of those departed were family members. Family ties were much stronger then, as wanderlust, jobs, education and travel were more restricted. Family history was very important. The changes in the past 80 years have been radical, and they are reflected in all our society, but especially among Christians. I write this to compare Christian history with Jewish history, and warn the many complacent Christians that uncomfortable history may be on the verge of repetition.

The Jewish religion was based on family. Societies that moved away from this concept have collapsed. Even Israel, the very heart of God's Chosen, has collapsed--not once, but many times. Israel is God's choice, and it will always rise up after correction. Christianity, too, will rise up after it crumbles. If you don't believe it will crumble, read the Book of Revelation. This is not a doomsday message, because Christianity will be the new face of humanity when Christ returns. Until then, Christians will continue to divide themselves into those who leave earth in the rapture, and those who are DELUDING themselves into believing they are actually committed to Jesus Christ. I repeat this direction in almost every message: read the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These are the words of Jesus and instruct you exactly as God intended when He gave Moses the Law. There are only Ten Commandments, but many Christians, including pastors and teachers, don't fully understand some of them. Worse yet, it seems a majority of Christians fail to follow the one addition by Christ: Love thy neighbor.

I keep repeating God's reasoning for the Ten Commandments and the difference between law and grace, but there is a continuous drumming that other Jewish social laws and Proverbs must also be followed. Proverbs were not written or spoken by Jesus. There are several different writers of Proverbs, and none of them were disciples. Solomon wrote some, and His rule began with murders and continued with hundreds of concubines and direct defiance of God's order not to have large stables of horses. He was a great leader, but disobeyed God big time. Proverbs includes some good advice, but it has nothing to do with the original Law. Have you broken any of those laws? Have you ever seriously studied them? Christ said the Ten Commandments and His additional one to love thy neighbor were The Way.

There are reams of Jewish social and criminal laws, but they are no part of Christ's teaching. He gave us the simple, but difficult rules to follow. There are countless denominations and cults today who take steps to separate their group from all others. They believe by doing so they are more righteous. Their different rules or interpretations do separate Christians, and, in so doing accomplish exactly the opposite of His teaching that we are all part of one body---the church. This move to separation began as each church was planted by apostles and the leader that served as pastor. These new leaders had no New Testament to guide them, and many went far astray from His teaching. The Gentiles
did not have any Jewish background and the Jews had trouble equating their Law with Christ. The question for every Christian should be, "Did Christ violate the original Ten Commandments?" There are some groups or denominations that are so confused they are unknowingly teaching this falsehood.

Christ taught in the synagogue on the Jewish Sabbath, which was observed on Saturday. He also taught in the synagogue and in many other places on Sunday and other days of the week. That was wrong according to the Jewish interpretation of the Ten Commandments. So was Christ a sinner for having days of worship other than calendar Sabbaths? When the apostles planted churches, they taught on Sundays when they were converting local Jews to Christianity. These Jews had to be taught on Sunday because they had to be at synagogue on their Sabbath, Saturday. So were the disciples sinning? Let's think about this discrepancy. God knew if He didn't designate a particular day of the week for rest and worship, people would eventually ignore the direction. Look at today's Christians. He was correct. What He gave as instructions was accepted as word for word law. That was the accepted way in the Old Testament. Look at the Book of Esther, where a king's word to slay Jews couldn't be simply amended. He had to issue a second decree to permit the killers to be slain if they attacked the Jews, which was a back door cancellation. Life or death depended on the king's decree. Mistakes were not altered.

Christ straightened the Jews out on the Sabbath ruling with a very short, concise explanation in Mark 2:23-28. You only have to read the final verse in this passage to KNOW the TRUTH. Read all the verses so you really understand Him, and it's not just picking out a verse to support anyone's opinion. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." It matters not that your day of rest and worship is a Sunday, Saturday or Wednesday. It's the purpose of the day and how you use it. How much scripture do you study---not just read---on your Sabbath? Too many Christians today misunderstand Romans 10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." There were no books to study at that time, so listening to teaching was the only way to learn the directions of Christ. Today we have scripture to check the teaching we receive. It's much easier to listen to someone on the radio or watch television. Few people bother to check these preachers for accuracy. That's not their fault; it's YOUR FAULT.

This is the time of apostate teaching, and the world is full of apostate teachers. Many are church leaders. Most politicians campaign using emotional apostate issues to inflame Christians who have not studied scripture. When Christians quote issues Christ didn't teach, they have been snared by Satan. Most of these issues are not new, and none have ever changed the direction of the world. Fear is a key issue, as is another often used excuse for high taxes: it's for the children. The continuing failure of professing Christians to study scripture will fulfill the result we are warned about in the Epistles: TRIBULATION. This is nothing for committed Christians to fear, because we won't be on earth to cuddle up to the Anti-Christ.

The signs of apostate abound today, aided by the breakthroughs in communication. Going to church, listening to a radio program, watching a television preacher or participating in fun family activities with an organization won't cut it. There is no substitute for studying scripture. Candidates for church and government leadership continually use the Christianity card. Scripture clearly tells us a Christian commits to Christ and accepts the free gift of salvation, but the proof of a heartfelt commitment is in the good works that follow. Christian leadership today devotes much time to pandering for money. Fund raisers abound. Yet,
many of these organizations separate Christians according to money. It costs money to succeed in man's carnal world, and we must make budget goals and keep expanding. If we use common sense and have faith, we don't have to worry about budget and expansion. One of God's names means to provide. Any group or organization that follows Christ's teaching will be successful. Special events to draw people through entertainment and raise funds exclude people who are poor and large families. Christ and the apostles did not rely on such tactics. Paul had an occupation. Originally, Jewish priests worked at assigned jobs in the temple. Eventually greed, power and money coaxed them away and into
the mire of carnal man. Money is necessary in the carnal world. We live here, but if we are truly Christian, we are not of this world.

We belong in the spiritual world of God. We do need to work, make a living and survive the vices of our carnal surroundings. This is a dilemma, and Satan is well aware of it. He sweetens the pot by giving us the opportunity to short change God's directions and introduce controversial issues or misleading information. When spiritual directions seem too good to be true, they probably aren't true. When you're too busy to worship, or it's too boring, you are lacking in your contract agreement. This happens to all of us. A real Christian's conscience will tell you when you're guilty. Then, it's up to you to keep your name clear in that Little Book. Having your name clearly written there is an unmatched privilege. Keeping it clear in this carnal world is difficult, but that's our job.

Why do I write this gloomy message when the subject is about decorations and memorials? The name change is fitting, considering the changes in America. Eighty years ago this special day was somber, but a joyous somber, because we remembered the accomplishments of our ancestors and the positive things they brought about. The flowers and decorations were joyous. Today it is difficult to get families together because people live virtually all over the globe. Families don't stay together long enough to learn much of their history. There is not much to celebrate, and the break up of family units frequently means children don't even know one of the parents. The younger relatives are concerned with their carnal lives, and elders are rarely respected for their wisdom. The strict branch of the church is turning off Gentiles and much of the moderate and liberal church. Instead of studying scripture to reason who is correct, ultra conservative church people and ultra liberals continue to mindlessly argue. Conservatives refuse to discuss the issue because they have the truth, or so they think.

Nobody knows it all, including me. There should always be room to discuss any issue. The important thing is to establish facts. No one who believes he/she knows scripture because he/she read a verse about a subject should also believe that one verse is all the explanation there is. After 80 years, I still have two teachers who have spent their lives studying the word. Sometimes I learn from them; sometimes they learn from me. We always go to scripture to determine the appropriate answer. They also know history, culture and many languages. Accepting Christ's offer should only be the beginning of kindergarten for studying the word of God. Are you indicating to God you are an eager student? Heaven is not a retirement home.

Rev. Walbear

TEN LEPERS

                                                            TEN LEPERS

When you have an active outreach ministry, you soon find modern, real life experiences that match passages of scripture. People don't change, whether they're Christians or Gentiles. Our example for this message could be from Ripley's Believe It Or Not files. We learn two truths from the experience. Turn to Luke 17:11-19.

"Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'"

Leprosy was an incurable disease that required those afflicted to be held separate from society. These ten men were not Jews or Christians. In fact, the Gentiles of Samaria were despised by Jews.

"And when He saw them, He said unto them, 'Go show yourselves unto the priests.' And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks; and he was a Samaritan." Our first important lesson is that God loves all of us: Jews, Gentiles, Muslims, Christians. He will work in your life if you believe and have faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. His work may not be according to your desire, but it will be for His purpose AND your purpose. It may require some sacrifice on your part. Good deeds don't cost; they pay.

We continue with verse 17. "And Jesus answering, said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger."' And He said unto him, 'Arise, go thy way. Thy faith has made thee whole.'" You do not have to be a Christian to have faith in God. These Samaritans had faith in God and recognized Christ as the Son of God. We don't know if they became Christians, but we do know they would have to have changed their life style and studied the Word of Christ to reach that status. There are many professing Christians today who accept the blessings of God who don't bother to properly thank Him. If they understand the path to eternity, they should know Christ is The Way, and failure to accept His offer assures you an appearance at the final judgment seat.

The present day unfolding of this lack of thankfulness also sometimes is accompanied by resentment, slander, and pain. An outreach ministry may not have an organization to provide support, and relies on the leading of the Holy Spirit and people who are volunteers. Many of these volunteers give of their time and experience because they cannot support the work with money. They are willing to get their hands dirty to help others. Our ministry, and occasionally our volunteers, are the victims of shady Christians more often than you might believe. These

pretenders frequently proclaim faith while "using" the resources and help of real Christians. God is not mocked, and these fake faith people don't realize God has His way of settling the matter.

When someone receives a blessing such as the ten lepers, there is only one way the blessing is to be received. That way is explained in the scripture above. The glory is to God, and the recipient needs to understand (worship) God's mercy and action. A human may be the catalyst in the blessing, because God prefers that mankind has a part in His work. Every individual who receives a blessing, no matter the size or nature, has an obligation to recognize where the blessing came from. They all come from God. The leper who returned realized that Christ was the Son of God. Being cleansed of the disease was his first blessing. We need to understand the role of faith in blessings, as pointed out to us back in Gen. 12:3. "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Read verse 3 very carefully. Your faithful blessing (gift) is recognized by God. There's more to this than what you give, but the sacrificial value of your giving. If you give true value, you give something you need, not just something you can do without. God requires the BEST you have, as we are told over and over in the Old Testament. The sacrificial animal was always to be of no blemish and the finest of the species. He will know if you don't give your best. He will also know why you are giving. If you make a big deal of your generosity to people, you will lose in the value of your blessing. Your blessing is the public acclaim; God's real blessing is handed out in heaven.

So...if you're tithing or giving to God, how can you determine what level of giving to follow? It's exactly like salvation. Ask, and, if you really want the truth, God will lay it on your heart. If you are only giving financially, you have to consider the depth of your faith. As a Christian, do you accept your faith for provision or material provision such as money or real estate. A Christian worships and lives under Grace, and not the Law of tithing. The 10 percent tithe was only the beginning of giving for Israelites. They had several levels of giving that included foodstuffs, fuel and other necessities of life needed by the priests and for the temple. I give some denominations credit for observing some of these practices of special purpose giving.

For those of you who are torn between spiritual and carnal choice, you may as well delete the remainder of this message. You can live strictly by faith or by man's method. God is always faithful, so when I understand He will take care of me as long as I try to fulfill the purpose He has for me, I will live by faith. That doesn't mean I won't work for a living. Man was created to work. Genesis makes that clear. If you understand how God delivered Israel time after time through perfect ways, you might get the idea His ways are best. Would you rely on the noise of beating on pots and pans and marching in circles would bring your enemy down? Or would you rely on smart bombs? Would you believe in money from a fish to pay taxes? Or would you give up when nobody would loan the money?

Now we come to the common denominator---money. Do you put your FAITH in a savings portfolio or God's provision? There's nothing wrong with prudent savings or honest insurance. But man's method of using financial planners (and this includes churches) who do not understand or know spiritual values, will neglect to lead you to practice faith. We are not to abandon financial planning, but are to base it on our receipt of blessings and proper thankfulness. I hear church leaders use two favorite proverbs repeatedly in error. One pastor is adamant that if you teach a man to fish, he will not need welfare. What about a crippled man, a bed ridden man, any person who can't totally care for himself?

This is bigotry. Another of these misused proverbs concerns an ant and a grasshopper. The ant is industrious and works to provide for winter. The grasshopper doesn't store food and perishes. Only the lazy deserve to perish. What about this situation. If you're still with me, read on.

Do you believe God created any species to destroy itself? If the inability of the grasshopper to prepare for winter meant "lights out," why aren't they extinct? What about the 17 year locusts? God created things; He only destroyed things that were evil. What does this have to do with faith, thankfulness and your duty to God? Think about the widow who had only two mites for her offering. She gave out of NEED. The elite gave sizeable amounts of gifts. Christ commended the widow's offering, but not those of the elite. They did not give an amount related to their financial blessings. Think of a man who earns $50,000 a year.

His giving should begin at $5,000. That's about $50 a week. But, that's only the beginning. If any part of the financial tithe is to circumvent paying a tax levy, the tithe isn't a tithe at all. The absence of that money in taxes pushes the tax burden on other people. Yet, this person is ignoring the burden on others while enjoying the fruit of the tax benefits such as highways, the military, bridges and public structures. You see, this switch is actually a sin.

This is in no way a financial plan, but rather a common sense to understanding what God and Christ told us about blessings. Christ made it clear in the gospels how your financial blessings should be used for God's glory. Under GRACE, you have free will to determine how to show thankfulness. In Acts, the disciples preached The Way, which was sharing as needed. I can hear all the church people yelling that is SOCIALISM. If you believe this lie, you need to understand the difference between "isms." Share as needed means no great income disparity. It means no bigotry. It means compassionate people. Is there ever enough money and power for anyone? Did you read about the young ruler in Matthew? How about the wealthy farmer in the Old Testament? A banker I worked for as a very young man told me, "There's never enough."

Thankfulness is not expressed in any material way. It is expressed in a spiritual manner---God's way and Christ's The Way. What did that one leper do to express thanks? He had nothing material to give in return. He glorified God and realized all blessings come from Him. Every American goes to school and has the opportunity to get an education and a job. To show thankfulness to God, every person needs to provide material and spiritual support for the facilities and teachers. Your teachers are God's servants whether they are Christians or not. Like pastors, they should be paid for their service. When you short change God, you should expect He knows what you're doing, and He always evens the account. There's no money in Heaven; the bible tells me so.

Rev. Walbear