A Tribute to UNCLE KARL, a CHRISTIAN MAN

This is the recent funeral tribute for a Christian man  who died suddenly of a massive heart attack. 

+ + +

In the Name of The FATHER, 

And of The SON+, 

and of The HOLY SPIRIT.

Amen. 

+  +  +

Greetings of love to each of you in the Life-giving Name of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST... the same yesterday, today, and forever... Who+ ever  liveth to make intercession for us.  

My relationship with Uncle Karl goes back about 69 years. He was staying with my family before I was born. Thus, our hearts were knit together for the rest of our lives. 

During his youth, Uncle Karl would share things with me and I , with him.  I would always give him bites of my popsicles... until my good aunts would chase him away!


He would call me to help him ... yes, to help him skin  all those rabbits he was so fond of shooting. "Here, hold these legs... now hold them TIGHT! " he would insist.  I would , but OH, how they stunk ! 

Through his young adult years, Uncle Karl had many hard knocks.  He had some harsh experiences that left him broken-hearted and hurt.  

Now Uncle Karl was a hard-worker all of his life.  He lived with my family while he worked in our town on the railroad, away from his family.  Uncle Karl did not have a lazy bone in his body.

Uncle Karl possessed another character trait.  
That was HONESTY. 
He was not a cheat. 

And, he did not lie.

  

 Uncle Karl carried his responsibility and commitments.  He took care of what was entrusted to him from his own labors.  But  still,  the hard knocks came. 

One day, through his middle years, he looked into the mirror... the MIRROR of GOD'S Word.  It stopped him cold.  Because of his deep inner honesty, he saw himself as he REALLY was. 

He saw that his own CHOICES produced the hard knocks.  He could not blame GOD for them. 

He said, 

" I,  I am wrong. 

LORD JESUS, 

YOU+ are right." 

Uncle Karl said, 

" I  am the sinner.  

YOU+, LORD, have not mistreated me, 

but I have 

mistreated YOU+ . " 

And he bent the knees of his heart and heartily repented... ashamed of choosing sin... and very hurt at himself; Uncle Karl repented. 

He pledged allegiance to JESUS CHRIST from that moment on. NOT to a LIST of Laws, but to The LORD JESUS CHRIST went his allegiance.

He yielded the CONTROL of his life unto the Savior+  of his soul. 

Uncle Karl rose up from his knees and entered the cleansing waters of baptism.  He was immersed and his soul was cleansed of sin. 

And when he emerged from that sanctified water, The LORD did something to him: HE+ made Uncle Karl into A New Creature in CHRIST!

MARVELOUS!  MARVELOUS GIFT! 

Now, how do we KNOW Uncle Karl became that New Creature in CHRIST? 

Well, that was easy:  we ALL KNEW that JESUS changed him ! 

First, he put away the booze bottles.  He would not have that devil water in his house.   He hated even the smell of it... because it had helped to ruin his life.  

It is hard to ask the LORD'S blessing before you drink your beer, isn't it ? 

Then, he stopped gambling and throwing his money away on fine race horses. He stopped going to the race track.  

JESUS said, 
" I+ don't go there; 
don't you go there, 
either. " 

THAT is what a New Creature in CHRIST does. 

Uncle Karl kept a clean heart and a clean house.  He cleaned up his language... and kept it clean.  He had no filthy magazines under his  bed. 

He forgave those who hurt him or ignored him or turned a cold shoulder to him.  And he kept on forgiving unto his dying day. 

Uncle Karl kept a reading rack in his bathroom.  It had a Bible in it.  A daily reading Bible, with portions for each day for a year.  He read through it several times.  

That is what a New Creature in CHRIST does ! 

He set his priority to keep his commitment to The LORD JESUS with at least as much diligence as he gave to his worldly jobs... and THAT was quite a lot. 

Uncle Karl asked the LORD'S blessing over his food  at  home, and in public restaurants.  He would NOT DENY CHRIST before men.  

Uncle Karl developed a deep companionship with JESUS by doing these things. 

As a result of his companionship with CHRIST JESUS, Uncle Karl grew tender-hearted toward those in need.  He opened up his heart... and his pocketbook followed... to the hurting and hungry and handicapped.  

He didn't blow a trumpet before him, so we are just finding out now some of the things he did.  

We discovered that he found a way to help the American Indians, a down-trodden people, the under-dogs...   because he had been an under-dog for so many years himself and he never forgot the pain of it. 

He said, 
" This is what GOD 
wants me to do. "

A Companionship with CHRIST is what he prayed for his family and friends and acquaintances he met in passing. 

I hate to say good-bye to such a man as this: an elder in CHRIST, an excellent example. 

So now, we have this confidence: because Uncle Karl was a New Creature in CHRIST, the LORD received him into His+ Heaven. 

Yes, Uncle Karl IS absent now from the body, but he is present NOW with The LORD. But, Uncle Karl will not ALWAYS be absent from the body.  He is not in these ashes. He is alive in soul and spirit... the Uncle Karl we know ... and in Heaven. 

These ashes sitting here in this urn are going to be changed !  Uncle Karl will be restored --- complete, whole, healthy, and happy --- in his body, AT THE LAST TRUMPET! 

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, 
at the last trump:  
for the trumpet shall sound, 
and the dead shall be raised... 
the DEAD shall 
be RAISED 
incorruptible  !  

And those who follow JESUS in a  daily,  honest,  and responsible  companionship shall be raised from their graves too... with bodies glorified like unto our LORD'S glorified body, according to the working whereby, CHRIST JESUS is able to subdue all things unto HIMSELF+. 

So... we say good-bye ... just temporarily ... to this dear man, as his spirit and soul enters into that Continuing City, whose Builder and Maker is GOD.  

Uncle Karl cannot come to us ... but we can go to him. 

I KNOW he wants to see you there, too. 

In the Name of GOD the FATHER, 

WHO created us --- 
and unto Whom we must give an account; 

And in the Name of His Beloved SON+, JESUS CHRIST,  Who+ knows every little thing about us 
... and still loves us.... enough to save us;

And in the Name of that Blessed HOLY SPIRIT Who+ sanctifies us by the BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST. 

AMEN. 

 + + +

LUSTING AFTER FLESH? Pluck out the EYE !

If YOU...

 are caught up in personal sins ... the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life ... you LOVE DARKNESS. 

 If you hunger after what the EYE sees, pluck it out and turn to 

CHRIST JESUS 

for the True Vision of Life in HIM+. 

It is far better to lose an EYE than to be cast into HELL... where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, torments and flame, and of course, DARKNESS. 

Afraid of the DARK ? 

You WILL be ! 

Just as soon as you close your EYES in death, you will SEE DARKNESS for all Eternity. 

If you hunger after the lusts of the flesh and REFUSE TO TURN AWAY from them, you have CHOSEN YOUR OWN CONDEMNATION... darkness for all Eternity... from which there is NO ESCAPE.

 You will forever be aware of your foolish and sin-filled CHOICES you have made to put yourself under this condemnation. 

 Remember: if you commit IMMORALITY IN YOUR HEART,  it is LAID TO YOUR ACCOUNT. 

If you lust after the flesh through pictures and photos, you are walking in SERIOUS DARKNESS.  THIS IS DANGEROUS. 

REPENT before it is too late...

and the DARKNESS

CHOOSES YOU ! 

Men  banished into darkness died, in prison camps.  But there is a darkness greater than physical darkness. 

JESUS said: 

And this is the condemnation, 

that LIGHT+ is come into the world

and men LOVED DARKNESS 

rather than LIGHT+ 

BECAUSE

their deeds were EVIL.

For, 

everyone that does evil

hates the LIGHT+

neither does he come

to The LIGHT+

lest his deeds 

should be reproved.

Who can save us from DARKNESS ?

For GOD sent not HIS SON+

into the world

to condemn the world, 

but that the world, 

through HIM+, 

might be saved !   

For GOD SO LOVED

the world, that HE GAVE

HIS only-begotten SON+

JESUS CHRIST, 

that whomever believes into HIM+, 

should not destroy himself, 

but have ever-lasting life.

John 3:16, literal Greek.

May The LORD hear your cry in the darkness. May your heart turn to HIM+ Who+ is the TRUE LIGHT+ available for every man in this world. 

HE+ has the POWER to chase that darkness away ... if you do not love evil. 

COME TO JESUS. 

COME NOW. 

HE+ will deliver you from the death-grip of pornography if you ask HIM+. 

Leave that pornography behind in the ash heap.  Sooner ... rather than later.  

  

The DESTRUCTION of the Wicked

That GOD will destroy the wicked is common knowledge. HE brings the FINAL “final solution” to evil in this world.

 

But before GOD’S destruction of the wicked occurs, there is another one who brings destruction to us human beings, even as we live.

 

Hidden in the language of John 3:15 ( and the same phrase in verse 16), “who” brings destruction to man is identified.  [ It may surprise us.]

Here is the WORD spoken by Our LORD JESUS CHRIST :

  3:14

And as Moses

lifted up the serpent

[ ophe0n = sharp-eyed one,not  herpaton, a reptile ]

in the wilderness,

even so must the SON+ of Man be lifted up:

 

3:15

That whosoever believeth in HIM+

should not perish,

but have eternal life.

 

3:16

For GOD so loved the world,

that HE gave

His only-begotten SON+,

that whosoever believeth in HIM+

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

+  +  +

“Perish” is the verb of focus.  The Greek root may sound  familiar to us: apollumi,

Strong’s # 622, which means

to destroy. 

 We recall this well-known verse in Revelation 9 :

 9:11

And they had a king over them,

which is the angel of the bottomless pit,

whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon,

but in the Greek tongue hath his name

Apollyon.

 From Strong’s: (623) Apolluwn, — ap-ol-loo’-ohn; active participle of (622) (ajpollumi); a destroyer (i.e. Satan): — Apollyon.

Thus we see that the verb APOLLUMI  means to destroy, in its various forms. 

 Now then, translators have assigned “perish” to this verb “DESTROY.”

This is an arbitrary designation that somehow, they have all agreed upon because the verb is in the simple MIDDLE voice, in the Greek language.

However , briefly note this: a verb in the simple MIDDLE form carries a reflexive meaning.  The subject does an action that REFLECTS BACK upon himself. 

 Thus, a more basic, more honest translation  of this verb phrase is this:

 That whosoever

believeth in HIM+

“…should not destroy himself “

 but may have everlasting Life.

 “Perish”  indeed happens to oneself, but WHO is making the perishing to happen ?  In the translators’ versions, no-one; it just “occurs.”

 Some people refuse to come to CHRIST JESUS on the grounds of this protest:

 

 Why would a Loving GOD

put anyone in Hell ?

 The answer is:

 HE DOES NOT. 

WE PUT OURSELVES THERE.

We do it to ourselves. 

 

We choose not to believe. 

 We choose to put our trust elsewhere instead of upon The LORD JESUS CHRIST.

 We choose to ignore HIM+, His+ servants, His+ Word, and His+ warnings. 

 We have free-will. The choice is ours, not His+.

.

 The LORD JESUS CHRIST

will NOT choose for us;

we must do it ourselves.

 

If we fail to make a choice, then by default our Adamic nature has chosen  Hell .  

 Originally, Hell was not created for man but for the satan and his rebel angels. Matthew 25:41. 

 When Adam and Eve chose to break the companionship they had with The LORD, they infected the entire Adamic race with the curse of sin.

 

The LORD JESUS CHRIST, however, re-established a Way for fallen, sinful man to come out from under the curse and have companionship with The FATHER again. 

 When man refuses The LORD JESUS, then we go with the being we follow. We have no power to stop our decline into Hell, apart from The LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Now, there is yet another gem of Truth hidden within this great passage in John 3:15 and John 3:16:

 That whosoever

believeth in HIM+

 should not destroy himself  

 but may have everlasting Life.

 

The verb phrase “may have” or “might have”  is in the subjunctive mood. We would understand this to be CONDITIONAL, hopeful, allowable perhaps … if the conditions are met.

 Those CONDITIONS are important ! 

 We may obtain eternal, everlasting Life  … IF… IF… IF… we stay with JESUS, nothing wavering. 

 

IF we stay anchored on HIM+ through the testings that come our way, THEN we are allowed to retain our hope of Eternal Life with JESUS in Heaven with certainty.

 If we leave HIM+, though, and deny HIM+ before men, HE+ will deny us before His+ Heavenly FATHER and HIS angels.

 

Whosoever therefore

shall confess ME+ before men,

him will I+ confess also

before My+ FATHER

which is in heaven.

 

But whosoever shall deny ME+

before men,

him will I+ also deny

before My+ FATHER

which is in heaven.

Matthew 10:32-33

Scriptures Courtesy of Bible Gateway

We have NOT MET THE CONDITIONS to obtain Eternal Life, at that point.

 

And, worse.  Unless we repent, we will lose our soul in Hell.  A Living, tormenting Hell, not a perpetual soul-sleep, as some teach. See the account of the beggar Lazarus in Abraham’s Bosom and the wicked rich man in Hell. Luke 16. 

 

Furthermore, “may have” is present active.  What does being “present active”  in Greek tell us ? 

 

It tells us that “may have Eternal Life” is a continuous happening occuring right now… if we stay anchored in JESUS CHRIST The LORD. 

 

  John 5:24

Verily, verily, I+ say unto you, He that heareth My+ word, and believeth on HIM that sent ME+, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;

but is passed from death unto life.

 

IF we remain, abide, stay anchored

in The LORD JESUS, we are passed

from death unto Life even now, JESUS told us.

 

He that overcometh,

the same shall be clothed

in white raiment;

 

and I+ will not blot out his name

out of the Book of Life,

 

 but I+ will confess his name

before My+ FATHER,

and before HIS angels.

Revelation 3:5

ALERT ! The Purple UNICORN is COMING to DESTROY Your CHILDREN ! The New GENDER-CHANGING School Curriculum

A guest post by Brother Brendon ....

Do

the STATE and FEDERAL

Governments

REALLY   OWN  Your  Children ?

They DO .  .  . 

 .  .  .  as PARENTAL RIGHTS are being stripped away in the public schools by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Obama Mis-Administration.

The public schools “owe their souls”  to the federal purse strings attached to the states’ departments of education. 

That is why COMMON CORE,  a federal curriculum,  is mandated by law to be enforced in all public schools, no matter the state. 

The federal government pours BIG MONEY into the states for education; hence, the Federal government controls it.  The states MUST do as the federal DOE says and follow its “guidelines” ( read: mandates)  … or the money is with-held.  

The most recent  FILTH  emanating from the federal DOE into the States’ DOE, is the UNICORN GENDER Curriculum.

This program is NOW being implemented by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC  school system… which is doing its best to ignore and out-shout the local parents who are enraged about the UNICORN GENDER program.

Usually, schools do everything they can to enlist  parental support. Indeed, special education programs are swamped with paperwork needing parents’ signatures, input, and approval  for every nuance of change in the student’s special ed. program and behavior plans.  

But NOW …   when it comes to SEX EDUCATION,  this federal program is telling parents:

“YOU have NO RIGHTS.” 

From a Christian news site, End Times Headlines.org:

Schools Push For New Identities

For Boys and Girls

by End Time Headlines.org  

8 August, 2016

Are you aware that Public Schools are pushing for a plan to re-identify your boy or girl?

http://endtimeheadlines.org/2016/08/schools-push-disturbing-gender-unicorn-on-your-kids-read-more-at-httpwww-wnd-com201608schools-push-disturbing-gender-unicorn-on-your-kidsc6ucp4lupswdweel-99/

This Charlotte school has just introduced “The Gender Unicorn.” which is the Charlotte school system’s new teacher’s assistant.

His mission ( i.e., the friendly purple UNICORN )  is to help our children explore and discover

who they “go to bed as,”

and who they like to

“go to bed with.”

Excerpt From WND:

1) Parental involvement dependent on student’s permission: “Involvement of parents in the plan is determined in working with the student, considering the student’s age and health, wellbeing and safety concerns” (Page 34).

2) Students can choose their bathrooms and changing facilities: “Students must have access to the restroom/changing facilities that correspond to their gender identity” (Page 42).

3) CMS ( CHARLOTTE – MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS ) will remove some gender-based activities: “CMS will evaluate all gender-based activities; maintain only those that have clear and sound pedagogical purpose” (Page 46).

4) Students can choose their gender-based activities (intramural sports, dress codes, classes, ceremonies, photos, extracurricular activities, etc.). This includes choosing which gender they participate with during overnight field trips: “Students are permitted to participate in gender-based activities consistent with their gender identity” (Page 46).

5) Students shall not be referred to as “boys and girls” in classrooms, but “scholars” or “students”: “Avoid gender-specific classroom management techniques” (Page 46).

Parents have been very VOCAL in opposition to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system’s decision on this, but to NO AVAIL.

Ministers and well-known Christians, like Franklin Graham, have warned parents of  the evils of the Purple UNICORN GENDER Curriculum.  

From WOMEN OF GRACE. blogspot…Outrage Grows Over School’s “Gender Unicorn” Program | Women of Grace

Outrage Grows Over School’s “Gender Unicorn” Program | Women of Grace

Even the Rev. Franklin Graham weighed in on the controversy, warning everyone that the innocent-looking purple unicorn seems harmless but is actually being used as a tool to brainwash children into accepting homosexuality and transgender behavior.

“Parents, watch out,”

he warns on his Facebook page.

“They are using this unicorn to grab the imagination of children and make this seem acceptable. Their new school policy, set to go into effect August 29, includes very concerning gender neutral bathroom/locker room policies and more.”

Even though the Supreme Court ruling in the Grimm case has caused the school to put a hold on its policy of opening restroom and locker room facilities to students according to the gender identity, they insist that the Gender Unicorn regulations “will remain intact as we welcome students back to school later this month.” 

+  +  +

Why are SCHOOLS even INVOLVED in a gender ( sex ) education curriculum ?  So many of the young people graduating from high school cannot even read and comprehend a written report or story. 

So many graduates cannot write a coherent paragraph.  Look at  the colleges and universities which have HAD TO ESTABLISH “remedial”  reading and writing programs because their in-coming freshmen  DO NOT HAVE THESE BASIC SKILLS. 

[ We have first-hand knowledge of this fact from a Developmental Studies teacher in a Technical College.  The students may have the intelligence  for the technical training in computers and such … but they cannot read nor write coherently. So, the colleges insist they take remedial coursework BEFORE they enter into their major field of study.  This is also true in the medical field. ]

  It cannot BE because the public schools care about the character and well-being OR EVEN JOB-MARKET SKILLS of the young people entrusted to them. 

This gender-changing program has

NOTHING TO DO WITH EDUCATION

and MOST CERTAINLY,

NOTHING THAT SCHOOLS

SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN DOING.

At best,  a program of this sort should be handled by medical clinics CHOSEN by parents of these poor, mixed-up youth.

This EDUCATIONAL program is opening a flood-tide of evil, promising to engulf the younger generation, wrenching them away from parental controls and family values…  not to mention, CHRISTIAN values ! 

NO,  the reason the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board is  being DOGMATICALLY  “politically-correct” and pleasing  to their masonic friends in Washington, D.C. , must be because of …

… MAMMON.

 

[ Does not one always find mammon and sex and the free-masons as bed-fellows with the devil, yes ?  Where one is, the others are also, yes ? ]

So,  for mammon’s sake,  the school board of Charlotte-Mecklenburg,  North Carolina,  is selling the souls of over 140,000  young students to the devil and teaching them his ways.

BE AWARE: This is part of the over-all plan

that is being worked out,

to destroy

the Body of CHRIST / MESSIAH in the US.

+  +  +

When the wicked rise,

men hide themselves:

but when they perish,

the righteous increase. 

Proverbs 28:28

There is nothing more to do now except to hide the children, like they did in Nazi Germany… those who could.  HIDE IN HIM+. 

Conscientious Christian parents might want to consider home-birth, registration with the church and certificate of Dedication to The LORD for the Baby’s official birth records, and home- or church-schooling.

Remove your children from the corrupt US public Education System.  It is a tool of satan, run from the “city of ba’al” called Washington DC.  Do what you have to do or what you can do.

Christian parents who do not wish to  hand over their youngsters to the state, might seriously consider a move  to  an area not so closely monitored by “Uncle Sam” and his evil  cohorts.

Most importantly, Christian parents might want to re-consider “attaching”  their youngsters to  government money.   

A sacrifice of  a few tax dollars , if need be, may be  in order,  to hide your baby and children from the Federal government if you do not declare them as dependents.  Why should you sell your child’s information — and safety —  for mammon’s ease for a few  dollars and a few short years ?   

Otherwise, the State will be demanding your compliance with  mandated  sex education given to your YOUNG CHILD, along with knowledge of contraceptives and sexual behavior.  It is likely that “animal demonstrations”  will be done in “science class”  in the near future.

The public education system

is programing the children for hell.

As the “right” to be a Christian is diminishing swiftly in this country,  we will all be  shuttled to the out-skirts of society and  closed out of the job market.

Are you ready to make the sacrifice

in order to stay true to JESUS?

( How  easy is it going to be for ANY  conscientious Christian teacher who remains in the public schools nowadays ?   Evaluations  involve working with the “team spirit”  of the school system. )

+  +  +

The shew of their countenance doth witness

against them;

and they declare

their sin as Sodom,

they hide it not.

Woe unto their soul!

for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Isaiah 3:9

Courtesy of Bible Gateway

+  +  +

SEEK THE LORD.  HE+ knows what you have need of before you ask.  Do not hide your head from these unpleasant tidings, but be forewarned. 

Make plans NOW,  while we are still in a SOFT “police state.”  It will soon become a “HARD” Iron-Fisted Police State.

 

Mr. Obama , heading to the U.N.,  has an “international, global”  police force envisioned… as well as “NATIONALIZING”  all  local US  police forces. 

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/20305-obama-unveils-plan-to-further-nationalize-local-police

Then Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that an agreement  has been reached to move toward a GLOBAL POLICE FORCE to combat extremists. Can you say “Global Gestapo”?  See link below.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/02/obama-administration-and-un-announce-global-police-force-to-fight-extremism-in-u-s/

( Why else are there FEMA  camps  everywhere, and processing centers set up in quickly-abandoned Wal-Mart centers ?  Maybe Sam Walton IS  Uncle Sam himself ! ? ! )  

The LORD continues to call,

” COME OUT OF HER, MY+  PEOPLE,

and touch not the unclean thing.” 

HE+  MEANS IT.

+  +  +

MORE  NEWS LINKS:

The link below has information on the  GENDER CURRICULUM developed… ( by whom ? the muslims ? ?) … and is translated into several  major languages.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/20305-obama-unveils-plan-to-further-nationalize-local-police

From the National Conference of State Legislatures,  here is a summary of states’ policies on sex education.  How does your state deal with it ?  

http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx

STUMBLING Block or BUILDING Block ? ... WEIGHING our Witness of CHRIST'S Divine Scales

Are we a Stumbling Block or a Building Block to Young Christians ?

Are we causing weakened, young, or  new Christians to STUMBLE  or to be EDIFIED  by our actions  or … 

·       by our words ? 

·       by our countenance ? 

·       by our attitudes ?

Is what they SEE in us drawing them closer to CHRIST JESUS ? 

Is what they see us doing REMINDING them of The LORD ?

Is what they see in us bringing CONVICTION upon them... without us speaking a word  ? 

If NOT, then we need to change something we are doing.  

Is our walk so full of "freedom" from the "Law" that our freedoms cause a young or weak brother to stumble ?  

Does our "freedom" wound the conscience of a weakened brother, causing him to think that self-indulgence is okay with The LORD ? 

Weak brothers, as the Apostle Paul terms them, may NOT necessarily be "weak" because they do not love CHRIST JESUS. 

They may have wounded hearts.

These wounds may stem from circumstances over which they had no control as a babe, child, or youth. 

Oftentimes, such wounded ones STRUGGLE every day with trying to "be normal" or "be happy." 

Even though they have turned to CHRIST with all they know, they may  have  wounds that simply have not been  healed yet, in the timing of The LORD.

We older ones in CHRIST realize that  those deep inner healings come as  we  pick up our Cross and walk with The LORD JESUS, daily. 

As we eradicate sinful acts AND ATTITUDES from our lives, The LORD  strengthens us to live deeper in CHRIST.  

When we go deeper in CHRIST JESUS,  then the healings come.

For each of us, HE+ calls us to walk in the ways of righteousness with Our LORD. 

 No, we DO NOT FOCUS on our "healings."   Rather, we FOCUS on CHRIST HIMSELF+.  We strive to please HIM+ in act and attitude. 

When we fail, we repent.

HE+ LOVES HONESTY.  When HE+ sees our inner honesty... then …

HE+ picks us up, cleans the dirt off, and lovingly says,

" Next time, do it MY+ way."

Just like the 10 lepers that were healed in Luke 17, as we GO TOWARDS GOD,  HE+ heals us !

Marvelous!  There is nothing we have done to "earn" our healing... just like the 10 lepers. 

·       We simply MEET JESUS.

·       We acknowledge with everything that is within us that HE+ is indeed MASTER.... JESUS MASTER+ .

·       We ask HIM+ for mercy.

·       We listen for His+ Word to us.

THEN WE OBEY HIM+ !

And, as we walk along that path of obedience --- ALWAYS GOING TOWARDS THE LORD --- HE+ brings the healing.

Thus, those weakening and draining wounds we have carried so long gradually are healed as we make it a point to walk  closely with CHRIST JESUS daily, picking up our Cross. 

Then, we can hear HIM+ clearer.  We have authority and freedom when we are freed from sin.

Then we have some privileges and responsibilities because Our FATHER knows HE can trust us with them.  

HOWEVER ...   it is those "freedoms"  that the Apostle Paul was warning us about using .

The freedom and authority addressed in 1 Corinthians 8 was being able to eat meat, flesh, which had been sacrificed to idols and then sold in the market place. 

Some Christians knew they could cleanse the meat, spiritually, and thus were NOT eating corrupted flesh. Their conscience was clear.

Some, however, seeing them do this, thought it was "a thing allowed" ... when really, it was NOT CLEAN before GOD.   The  weaker brother did not realize the TOTAL situation, and thus, he was made to stumble into sin.

He was only trying to "be normal" or "be happy," just like he saw OTHER Christians do or be. 

In our day, what if we should see a pastor or upstanding Christian walk into a bar or tavern? 

A young Christian might not realize  that he was going there to rescue his neighbor from drink.  The young or new Christian might think the pastor was going to "un-wind" with his friends ... so it must be okay for him to do to this, too...  at the local bar. 

An older Christian might have been delivered from lust of the flesh, so he has the "freedom" to attend a swimming party with friends and family.  He himself will not fall into sin if he attends. 

However... if a younger Christian who has NOT fought the battle with lust of the flesh sees him attending, what will he think ? 

The ladies will be there in skimpy, form-fitting swim wear which is seldom modest.  The men will be scantily dressed also, to show their fine forms.

Yes, they are friends and family, but lust feasts on revealed flesh, regardless to whom it belongs.

The younger or weaker Christian will think this: 

"This must not be wrong to do because THAT older CHRISTIAN is attending. So I can go with my friends and family to the swimming pool ( lake, party, hole, etc.). "

Thus, following the example of the "freed" Christian, the younger, weaker brother  is  put in harm's way and his conscience is made weaker and even wounded.

Thus, let us spiritually WEIGH  the witness we are ABOUT TO  GIVE  when we do things.

Not only is our witness to the world, but also, our witness and responsibility is to younger or weaker brethren. 

Why should we think about them ?

BECAUSE CHRIST DOES.

Hear the Scriptures.

I  Corinthians 8

8:9

But take heed lest by any means 

this liberty of yours 

become a stumblingblock 

to them that are weak.

8:11

And through thy knowledge 

shall the weak brother perish,

for whom CHRIST died?

8:12

But when ye sin so against the brethren,

and wound their weak conscience,

ye sin against CHRIST.

+  +  +

Brethren,  let us  not  sin against CHRIST with our “freedom.”

Let us always walk in agapA  love  towards the young, the weak, and the new Christian.