Is the Bible Important?

Ezekiel 3:1, 3 NKJV

Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV

Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Revelation 10:8-10 NKJV

Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.” So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJV

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord .

Matthew 4:4 NKJV

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Doctrine of Election Enforces Christ Centered Theology

No man can humble himself in truth unless it is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Finding truth is Christ centered because He does it for us, not man centered. Let me repost these verses you must have missed sir.

This is why the doctrine of election is so very important. The very doctrine itself is undermined by every aspect of LDS religion sir, yet it is a key part of the Gospel. You all bank on your "free agency", which is an abomination in the face of the sovereign and living God.

John 3:27 NKJV

John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven."

Luke 10:22 NKJV

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Matthew 11:27 NKJV

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

John 6:65 NKJV

And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

John 6:44 NKJV

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Romans 11:5-7 NKJV

Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it  is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it  is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Acts 13:48 NKJV

Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Ezekiel 36:22-28, 32 NKJV

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God : “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord ,” says the Lord God , “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.  Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. Not for your sake do I do this, ” says the Lord God , “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

John 10:26-28 NKJV

"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

Whatever it Takes

All the time as God has me witnessing  to people I hear their problems and I see the calamity that lays before them, and I do not attempt to steer them from it. I know that God brings us to a place of brokenness so that we can be humbled before Him, and ANYTHING a person must endure to get there is absolutely worth it. In fact, to the contrary, I pray that God will crush their pride, whatever it takes, so that they may turn to Him. If Hell served that same purpose, then I would not feel the need to prevent it.

I went to prison for 20 months, and it was an absolute blessing that I would never change. It was an opportunity that most people don't get, because I got to spend 6 to 8 hours a day in prayer and reading the Bible for 20 months. To some that would suck, but anything that brings us closer to Jesus is well worth it.

Here is a very real example in my life... I have men in my life that God has given me to love from when I was in prison. One guy in particular has gotten out and violated, got out again and violated again, and got out again. When I talk to him I tell him that if he belongs to God He will do whatever is necessary to bring him to Himself. Him going back to prison doesn't even cause me to flinch because I see the scope of the eternal. Whatever it takes will be well worth it. I know how bad prison sucks because I too was there, but who cares how bad it hurts if that is what is required to bring about the glory of God?

I have another friend, a very dear brother of mine, who has served 25 years in prison so far. He is a godly man now (has been for the last 15 years), and I would love to see him free. The thing is that we both know that our lives are God's, and we are willing to endure whatever He has called us to for His glory. We know that anything we endure for ANY amount of time is worth eternity with Christ.

If Hell was a duration of time that would end, and the result was eternal life, I would encourage anyone to endure whatever God has called them to knowing that the end result was eternal life.

Paul is the most blessed man with spiritual maturity in the Bible after Jesus came (in my opinion), and if I have this eternal perspective even though I am nobody how much more did He?! In Romans 9 he expresses his great sorrow for the Jews who could not receive the promises. If their missing out was only for a duration of time I am sure his response would have been of joy instead of sorrow.

I know it isn't though, so I preach the Kingdom of God and call people urgently to repentance.

Are You in the Faith?

The Greek word used for believe also means trust. Jesus drew a very clear line and He showed us that we are either ALL in, or not in at all. There is no fence.

Jesus clearly teaches that we must be sold out, and our lives a living sacrifice through faith. The cost of discipleship is extremely high, and it will cost us everything. He says that it will cost our very life, and that we will be hated by everyone.

This is why we must be sold out. The things of God are contrary to everything that is in our flesh, and many things are hard to receive. In this place of surrender though we simply take God at His Word, and place our selves entirely at His mercy. Look at Jesus and the cross. We say "Not my will Lord, but your will."

There is a tell I hear in people's words when talking with them that reveals their heart. When a person says "If God is ____, then I would/wouldn't _____" such a comment reveals that they are not resting in the broken place of surrender.

This place of surrender and humility before God is the tell of whether we are in the faith, for we can only be found at such a humble place through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It is here that we know we are His and our faith is secure.

We commit our souls to the Creator and ask that God will do with us as He pleases, whatever that may look like, for His own glory. The broken humility and surrender is what it is to be in Christ. When we know we are in Him, we can rest firmly in His promises. Godspeed my friend. May He continue to bring you to this place where His power is made manifest.

Romans 8:31-39 NKJV
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can  be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It  is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It  is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God Will Avenge His People

God will avenge the death of His people, of which Jesus is foremost.

Luke 11:49-51 NKJV

Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’  that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,  from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

Deuteronomy 32:39-43 NKJV

‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there  is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is  there  any who can deliver from My hand. For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, “ As I live forever, If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’ “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

Revelation 18:24 NKJV

"And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”

Revelation 6:9-11 NKJV

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the  number  of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

What are We Saved From?

Jesus suffered the wrath of God so that we won't have to. It is from God's wrath that a person is saved.

I Thessalonians 5:9 NKJV

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

I Thessalonians 1:10 NKJV

and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Romans 5:9 NKJV

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

And yet... Not everyone is saved from that wrath.

Revelation 14:10-11 NKJV

he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Sola Scriptura

I hear all the time that I am arrogant because of my absolute adherence to God’s Word, and my complete confidence in Sola Scriptura. I make no apologies for it. Far better to remove ourselves from the equation and just take God to the bank.

If we remove all human perception, take God to the bank at His Word, and stay solely within the confines of Scripture as the sovereign Lord has established it we would all come to the same conclusion. There is an absolute truth.

II Corinthians 10:17-18 NKJV

But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord .” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

Romans 3:4 NKJV

Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”

What is it We Fight Against?

We are in a spiritual battle, and it requires us to stand in the gap for the truth. We must know the Word, the sword of truth, so that we may rightly divide it to bring down anything that raises itself against the Lord. It is crazy how the one thing we are most called to do is the thing we are least likely to do because we don't want to offend anyone.

Jeremiah 1:7-10 NKJV

But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord . Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

For the word of God is  living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

II Timothy 2:15 NKJV

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

II Corinthians 10:4-6 NKJV

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

II Timothy 4:2-5 NKJV

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Titus 1:13-14 NKJV

This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.