SO HOW ARE WE TO BE?

We must all use common sense and watch for the signs of what is coming by watching what is taking place in our own times of deceit. Many things are avoided and or remedied by using God given discernment through the Holy Spirit showing us how to look and see what is taking place.

For too long there are many in the church who want to take discernment of world events noting what is taking place as some “mysterious prophecy” when it is more so being a watchman and warning others that a “storm is coming” or whatever danger is approaching.

It’s like seeing Joe Biden is not alert and coherent, and instead of just reporting that information, coming out and prophesying that information in a clouded manner with “thus saith the Lord.”  In trying to understand why so many are doing such a hodge podge of current events turning their ideas of what is taking place into a prophecy that it all just looks wrong. Whereas a person can relate events with what the scriptures have foretold… to say “God said He” is going to do this because … is scriptural. Just read the Bible for yourself. We are to share the truth and not make a mockery of true prophetic words.

Faith in the Face of Panic…

Dr. Melissa Scott foretold the dangers in where COVID was going when it was presented and how to look at real facts and not follow false information. Today we see those who warned as a watchman like Pastor Melissa Scott, were much more helpful than those who made up ideas based on their own perceptions.

The Holy Spirit shows each of us many things and when living with awareness and communication with the Holy Spirit and our Lord within us, we all can sense when things are not right versus when they are. It is at these times we must ask the Lord “what shall you have me to do?”. Listen, and you will know. The Lord will show you the way and or even send others into your life to help you. God works in our lives in ways we cannot imagine. All who belong to the Lord have His love and protection and he answers all who seek Him and ask for direction and understanding of things.

This does not mean you will not have trials and tribulations, far from it. What it means is you will never be alone and God will give you what you need to make it through.

Jesus said a little leaven, leavens the whole loaf.

Luke 13:20 “And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

We have most all heard this interpreted in a positive way that a little leaven spreads the word of God throughout the world, and some have said that a little leaven leavens the whole lump defining that as corrupting it as in Galations 5:6-10, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. ⁷ Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? ⁸ This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. ⁹ A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

So which way did the Lord intend it to be understood? When we see that in all the times Jesus used the parable it was as a warning. In digging to understand this better, I found an article by David C. Grabbe that explained the backstory of the leaven and how it was a warning.

Excerpts: “The “three measures of meal” first show up in Genesis 18:6: “So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, ‘Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.’” The occasion was God’s meeting with Abraham and Sarah to promise them a son, the next step—a miraculous one—in the growth of the family/kingdom. The meal symbolizes the fellowship between God and the family of Abraham.

“The Jews in Jesus’ audience were quick to claim Abraham as their father (John 8:39), and the “three measures of meal” refers to something easily recognizable in their history. But then Jesus introduces a subversive element into the story. Over time, something happened to the fellowship between God and the expanding house of Abraham—the kingdom became “all leavened.” Many commenters hold that this parable teaches that the gospel will spread over all the earth in the same way that leaven spreads, but this interpretation overlooks both the context and the fact that God’s Word never uses leaven positively. Instead, leaven is universally a symbol of corruption, especially of apostate doctrine and practice (Matthew 16:11-12; Luke 12:1; I Corinthians 5:8; Galatians 5:7-9).

“The parable indicates, then, that the covenantal relationship between God and Abraham’s family had completely degenerated. Israel “took” of pagan belief systems from the nations around her and introduced those corrupting ways into her relationship with God. The Judaism that Jesus encountered was a noxious blend of some Scripture with beliefs and practices picked up during the Babylonian captivity and flavored with Hellenism and the hardened traditions of previous generations.

“When Jesus delivered the parables, the major problem within the kingdom was not the idolatry of graven images as before the captivity, but one of false beliefs. He did not have to contend with pagan temples and high places, but with hearts hardened by anti-God doctrines and practices.

“The beliefs and practices that Jesus encountered suggested a thoroughly leavened covenantal relationship, such that “He came to His own”—the descendants of Abraham, in particular—“and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Therefore, as He later informed the religious leaders, God would take the kingdom from its current caretakers and give it to a spiritual nation—the spiritual seed of Abraham, those who are Israelites because of their faith in Him rather than their physical lineage.” Read: God’s Kingdom in the Parables (Part Two): Tares, Mustard Seed, and Leaven

Today we see the leaven has indeed leavened the whole lump. All one has to do is look at the world council of churches.

The leaven is seen in every city and nation for there are over 40,000 protestant denominations and many Catholic denominations and each has their own rules, covenants, and doctrines. So… which one is pure and untampered with? We are also watching seething attacks of one denomination against the other and all sorts of “thus saith the Lord” where he never said it. But all of this was foretold by the prophets. And is also seen in the parable of the wheat and the tares.

There is nothing new under the sun. History does repeat itself….which bring us to the sins of prophets, priests and princes…

Ezekiel 22:23-29, “23And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 24Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. 25There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. 26Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 

“27Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. 28And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. 29The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.”

God appointed watchmen who were to watch out for approaching armies and also to guard over the ways of God and warn Israel when they were wandering away from His commandments, morals and values. And there were times when the watchman were not watching. In Isaiah 56:10, it says, “His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. ¹¹ Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. ¹² Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.”

This has been and is taking place across America and throughout the world.

None of this is new, nor should it be surprising for the Lord spoke of it in the parable of the wheat and the tares. He said in Matthew 13:24-30, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” 

Later, his disciples came to him and asked him what he meant by the wheat and the tares and the Lord answered them in Matthew 13:38 saying, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.”

So we have a big world that is filled with God’s children, referred to as wheat, and the children of the wicked one which is referred to as tares. We are in the world but not of the world. We are wheat among tares living together.

This yet applies to this very day. It is the Lord who plants the good seeds and at the end of the age he shall have the harvest and that which is wicked shall be dealt with, even as it says in both Matthew chapter 13, and in Revelation11:15 where he rids the earth of all who offend and who practice lawlessness.

What does being a watchman for God mean?

We are not instructed to grab a Bible and go seek the sins of our neighbors, make a list of all of them, judge them and beat them up with our condemnation. Nor are we instructed by the Lord to curse any of them with our own “thus saith the Lord” ideas based on our own interpretations of scriptures taken out of context. Nor are we instructed to make self-proclaimed shouts of curses, get our own revenge and cast our own idea of judgement on our neighbors. Especially when we are wallowing in sins of our own. The Lord said to be as wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove, lest you drive them further from me. 

We are watching Hate wars in the name of God and lots of confusion of which God is not the author of any of that, nor did he tell us to do any of it. It appears we have circled back to the days of the reformation and witch hunt mindset. Literally. Come out from her my people… and let your light so shine that the world will see your good works doesn’t look like what is happening in many places.

We must look at the scriptures and do as the Lord said and that is to love God with all of out heart, mind, strength and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves… and Jesus said to even love your enemies. We are to study the scriptures for ourselves and let no man interpret for us. The Holy Spirit is sent to show all who seek what it is they need to know. When you start talking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit that is where you will learn the answers to what you seek,. The when, why and how of it will be given as the Lord sees fit to show you. For the Lord now dwells within you along with the Holy Spirit. Don’t ignore them… build your relationship. We are one with them and God our Father. We are to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Amen.

We are instructed to learn what the Word says and its truth. This sounds easy, but many false, and or misguided shepherds have went out speaking and few there are that will teach the truth in the mix up given in translations. For example, Pastor Melissa Scott shows how two Greek words, dechomai and lambano, are translated by the same English words, “take” or “receive” in our English Bibles. Understanding the difference between the two gives us insight into how we receive from God, specifically how we receive the Holy Spirit. This lesson is an essential part of authentic Christianity. It is the starting point of building a real, living relationship with God that goes beyond the surface of “receiving” and develops into fulfilling the purpose of our calling.

Dr. Scott makes her points by sharing her knowledge of the meaning of the orginal words used at the time of Jesus in a way people can understand. Excerpts: “The plero and pletho Greek words which translate in English as “fill, full” must be understood first for us to be able to distinguish between the Greek “take or receive”. In translation it can be confusing because the Dechomai word is not as complex as the Lambano word. The Lambano word as “epilambano”  is a compound which gives it a more complex meaning when used. Lambano is a Greek verb that describes an action into or by the receiver.

“Example: So take or receive but Dechomai and Lambano are NOT THE SAME. Both of these words are used in Matthew 10: 40 and 41. (40) “He that receiveth you, receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me.” Now look at verse 41- “He that “receiveth (Dechomai)” a prophet in the name of a prophet shall “receive (Lambano)” a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth (Dechomenos), a righteous man in the name of  a righteous man shall receive “Lephesetai” (which is from the word Lambano) – translated “shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” 

So how confusing is this that we have the word “receive”, “receiveth” and “receiveth” and they are being translated by two separate and distinct words? You have a similar scenario when used in Matthew 5:40 it may take the meaning of taking possession of a coat, a fish, a talent, to gather up or even to bear the burden of infirmities. The same word is used to taking one’s cross “Lambano”. Matthew 10:38. To accept a message, or even a piece of bread. It can connote the collection of taxes as in Matthew 17:24. Or to be awarded a hundred-fold as in Matthew 19:29 or be rewarded like wages Matthew 20: 7. It can also mean being succeeded – Acts 24:27, or producing a defense, adopting a sign, or winning a prize. You can see it is very broad. And when you get into the prefixes on the verb you can see it is a massive swath to take in.”

Please watch the video and see what scripture means based on the way it was spoken. The meat is in the word, and so much of the depth of the truth has been changed in translation based on whatever reason in translation. Yes the truth of the Lord’s resurrection and love for us all is still untainted, however the truth in interpretation has been left up to men to be able to tamper with it, even though those in authority shout “God’s Holy Word is inspired and not tampered with…” It has been. Woe to those who have done such things.

When we learn what things meant to those at the time of Jesus, we can understand why Jesus used many of the parables and terms that he used. He spoke so the people could understand the message.

For another example, and from the same article Titled, “God’s Kingdom in The Parables (Part Two): Tares, Mustard Seed, and Leaven” at cgg.org, when speaking of the parables, it states  “Recall that these parables come after a verbal altercation with the Pharisees in which Jesus calls them a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34), indicating they were offspring of the serpent—sons of Satan—because they bore his spiritual image. John the Baptist also dubs the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers,” implying they will be burned like the tares (Matthew 3:7-12). In John 8:44, Jesus tells the Pharisees that they were of their father the Devil, just another way of saying “sons of the wicked one.” He uses parallel imagery in Matthew 15:13, again regarding the Pharisees: “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.”

It’s time to read the scriptures and seek teachers who will teach and the best teacher of all is the one God sent to us to do this, and that is the Holy Spirit.

KEEP ON PRESSING INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD! PRESS, PRESS, PRESS!

DIANNE