Chapter 1: Born Again Chapter 2: Faith Chapter 3: Keeping Your Faith Chapter 4: The Book Of Galatians Chapter 5: Sin

Chapter 6: What Goes Around Comes Around Chapter 7: The Faith Of David Chapter 8: Spiritual Gifts Chapter 9: Basic Christian Doctrines Chapter 10: The Lifestyle Of John The Baptist

Chapter 11: The Lifestyle Of Jesus Chapter 12: Hypocrites and Pharisees Chapter 13: The Teaching of Paul Chapter 14: Charity and Judgment

One of the greatest failures of the church down through the ages and continuing until this day is its treatment of the poor and needy.

There should not and would not be a social welfare system in the United States if all of the Christian churches had been doing the job that Jesus and the apostles had given them to do.

Acts 6:1-7 NIV in those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "it would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Luke 14:12-14 NIV then Jesus said to his host, "when you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

That job is to preach the gospel and help all of those in need--any need. The reason that so many people, and especially young people, are deserting the church today is because the church has failed to extend a helping hand to the poor, the sick, the widows, the unemployed, the unwed mothers, the drunkards, and people with any and all manners of problems.

The very same bigots who praise God in church on Sunday will curse these people during the ride home.

Matthew 5:46 NIV if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

James 1:27 NIV religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

It is because the church has refused to do its job and give food, shelter, a change of clothing and the bare necessities of life to those who need it that the government now has to do it at ten times the cost. The government uses an army of highly paid bureaucrats and non-Christian social workers who are unable to give Spiritual counseling along with financial assistance.

Charity needs to be accompanied by Spiritual guidance, when necessary. By doing this there is a possibility that those who are poor because of sin will come to faith in Christ and become useful members of society, rather than a burden to the taxpayers.

The church has robbed the poor rather than helped them. The churches beg for money to finance huge building programs, business ventures, ornate interior and exterior decorating schemes, crystal cathedrals, amusement parks and on and on.

If the church had done its job for the past two hundred years, those in need would be receiving financial assistance and Christian counseling from the same place. Instead, if any counsel is given at all, it is ungodly counsel that will, in most cases, cause their life to become worse in the future rather than better.

It will come as no surprise when the churches are taxed, they deserve it. They have become a self-perpetuating big business, rather than a lifeline to those in need.

It was recently reported in the news media that a major denomination has decided to concentrate more on home missions in the united states. From their new twelve million dollar office building, they announced that they would spend a total of eight million dollars on missions, four million on foreign missions and four million on missionary work in the united states.

Well! Well! Isn't that just wonderful. Of this eight million, I wonder how much will actually go to the poor. If we are lucky, maybe one dollar out of a hundred of that eight million will aid those in need. Most of it will go for salaries and more new buildings to administrate this missionary work from.

The disciples of Jesus were also subject to being awed by the great buildings and edifices of the temple, before Christ was crucified and resurrected and they were truly converted.

Matthew 24:1-2 NIV Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "do you see all these things?" He asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

Many of the churches today are just like those in Jesus' day. The people in them worship the temple, rather than the God who dwells in the temple. They worship idols of wood and stone, fancy churches and office buildings.

The prophecy of Jesus proclaiming that not one stone would be left on another was fulfilled when the romans invaded Jerusalem and leveled the temple.

Let this be a warning to the churches of today. During the reign of the Antichrist and because of our wars with him, many buildings and churches will be destroyed. The churches should spend less money on expensive buildings and spend more money on preaching the gospel and helping the poor. By doing this, they will be building an eternal treasure that will last forever, not a temporary treasure on earth that will eventually be destroyed.

The left side

Not all of man's problems originate with the devil. Some of them we cause ourselves when we violate the natural laws that God has set in place. The laws of God are at work to insure that everyone will eventually get exactly what they deserve. (except those whose sins are forgiven)

The law states we will reap what we sow. If we do good, good will be returned to us. If we do evil, evil will pursue us throughout this life and the life to come.

It seems that many people can go through life and get away with just about anything and never get caught. This is true in a sense, because God has divided his promise of reaping what we sow into two separate streams--the left side and the right side.

Those on the right side are disciplined swiftly for their sins. Those on the left side are sometimes allowed to do what they will until the day of their death. They will receive their punishment at the last judgment.

Matthew 25:31-34 NIV "when the son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "then the king will say to those on his right, 'come, you who are blessed by my father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Matthew 25:41-46 NIV "then he will say to those on his left, 'depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "he will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Those on the left side who have no faith in God will be allowed to go through life sinning without immediately being chastened for their sins. They are those who God has foreknowledge will never attain salvation. He will allow them to enjoy themselves in the evil that they do. God knows that this is the only enjoyment they will ever experience throughout eternity, as their final destination is the lake of fire.

These people appear to others to be the lucky ones, but they are actually in the worst position. Once a person's heart has become so hardened against God that they can never repent, he gives them up to do whatever they wish.

Usually near the end of their life, God brings their world crashing down around them to give them one last chance to acknowledge him and be forgiven for all that they have done.

With some who have committed blasphemy of the Holy ghost during their lifetime, God simply leaves them alone to die in their sins and be punished later, at the last judgment.

Romans 1:20-32 NIV for since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the creator-- who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

The element of time is of no concern to God. He has forever. All people are coming to him. With each passing second every living being is closer to his or her death. They will stand before God, sooner or later. He will wait patiently until they appear before his throne. He has already set the day for the last judgment at the end of the millennium.

When a person hardens their heart beyond the point of ever repenting, God permits them to do whatever they wish for the rest of their life. When they have been presented with the truth but decide to reject it and push the knowledge of God out of their minds, it is blasphemy of the Holy ghost. If you think about God at all, you have not committed this sin. If you had committed it, you would not have read this far into this book.

Matthew 12:31-32 KJV wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Blasphemy against the Holy ghost is the only sin that is unforgivable. It consists of God opening a person's mind to understand the truth that he is the only true God, and then they knowingly and consciously reject the truth because they wish to continue on with their life in the same evil manner as they had before. At this point, God gives them what they desire and turns them over to a reprobate mind. They will never again think about the true things of God. They may be religious; but their religion is a false religion, like that of the Pharisees.

When Jesus spoke these words about the blasphemy against the Holy ghost, he was speaking to the scribes and the Pharisees who were the high religious leaders of the day. They knew the scriptures, had seen him perform miracles, and should have accepted him as their messiah. They attributed the miracles and healings he had performed to the power of Satan, although they knew otherwise.

They did this because they were afraid they might lose their position of power over the people who belonged to the synagogue. The Pharisees closed their minds and hardened their hearts to the truth because they loved this present world.

If Christ were to return as a humble servant today, it would be the church leaders who would crucify him again, for the sake of their traditions and to preserve their power over the people.

After committing this sin, a person continually becomes more and more hardened against the truth of God until the day of their death.

Romans 1:32 (KJV) who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

For these people, it would have been better for them never to have known the truth than to have known it and rejected it. People who commit this sin were never truly saved. There is a difference between knowing the truth and accepting the truth.

2 peter 2:21 KJV for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the Holy commandment delivered unto them.

God is under no obligation to reveal any more truth to a person until they have accepted what they have already been given. The first step is to believe there is a God. It will be shown at the last judgment that God has revealed to everyone who has ever lived, at some point in their life, that he exists. If they do not accept this, then they can never progress any farther with Spiritual things. It would be pointless for God to give them more information, because they would not be able to understand it.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are Spiritually discerned.

We have seen in this chapter how God will deal with those who will be on the left side at the judgment. Now, lets look at those who will be on his right side.

The right side

Matthew 25:34-40 NIV "then the king will say to those on his right, 'come, you who are blessed by my father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "the king will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Those on the right side will be dealt with differently by God. These people can't get away with anything. It seems as if they get caught before they even finish whatever evil thing they intended to do. This is a blessing from God to those whom he has foreknowledge will be on the right side at the last judgment.

The quicker he allows you to be caught and punished for your sins, the quicker you will come to your senses, stop whatever you are doing wrong, and get on with the business of laying up treasure in heaven. Laying up treasure in heaven is accomplished by the good that you do in your life when it stems from faith in God. What you do on earth will determine what your job and rank is in God's kingdom. God wants every person to earn the highest rank possible. He wants you to live up to your full potential, both in this life and in the life to come.

Revelation 3:19 NIV those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

God compares himself to a father that disciplines his children. The purpose of this discipline is not to hurt you, but to teach you the truth and the path which you should follow. As soon as you acknowledge your sin, God will forgive it. In fact, he has already forgiven it before you ever committed it. Although this is true, you may still have to bear some earthly punishment for whatever you did wrong.

If you murder someone and are sentenced to twenty years in jail, do not expect God to appear to the governor in a vision and tell him to pardon you as soon as you recognize that you committed a sin and repent. What he will do is make your burden easier to bear in whatever situation you are in.

Proverbs 13:24 NIV he who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Many people through the centuries have used the verse in proverbs 13:24 as an excuse to abuse their children. We need to discipline our children as God disciplines us, not in anger but with love.

Colossians 3:20-21 KJV children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

God has decreed that the punishment should fit the crime. He practices this; and you can see it in your own life and the lives of others who belong to him.

If you habitually lie, you will be lied to. If you steal, you will lose your own goods. If you cheat, you will be cheated. If you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. There are some cases where spanking is the correct punishment. In most cases, other forms of punishment are more suitable. If you are wise, you will be able to look back on your life and see that many of the bad things that have happened to you are the result of you receiving back in your body the same thing you did to someone else.

The same thing is true in reverse. If you help others, when you are in need you will be helped, if not by others than by God.

In the book of Hebrews, God repeats this same thing he told us in the old testament concerning chastening those that he loves.

Hebrews 12:5-11 NIV and you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "my son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the father of our Spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Worry

Psalms 37:4-7 NIV delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;

Psalms 37:24-27 NIV though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

The book of proverbs is full of wisdom and wise sayings. Solomon collected these and put them in the book known today as proverbs. Anyone wishing to make their life better should read the book of proverbs. Much of it is just good old common sense, put together in such a way that one or two sentences teach a whole lesson on a subject.

Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Notice in the verse above that trusting in God will bring health to your body. Many people do not realize how much stress, anxiety, worry and depression, are a detriment to us, wearing down our bodies and lowering our immunity to disease.

Ecclesiastes 11:10 NIV so then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body,

When we stop worrying about what tomorrow will bring, and relax, trusting in God to make it turn out for our good, our immune system can then concentrate on fighting off disease rather than being worn down by the stress we place on ourselves.

Matthew 6:25-34 NIV "therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "and why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?' for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1 peter 5:7 NIV cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

John 14:27 NIV peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The cloud of angelic witnesses

In the verses below it is shown that the beings known as angels are both interested and involved in the affairs of men.

Luke 15:3-10 NIV then Jesus told them this parable: "suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. "or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

1 Corinthians 4:9 NIV for it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.
 
Hebrews 1:14 NIV are not all angels ministering Spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

We are on display before the angels who rejoice with us in our Spiritual victories and agonize over our defeats. They are also there to assist us invisibly, when God commands them to do so.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Galatians 6:9-10 KJV and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV but as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.




Bibliography

The Holy Bible: New International Version, published by Zondervan Bible publishers, copyright 1984 by the International Bible Society.

Quickverse Bible Concordance, New International Version, by Craig Raiardin, Parsons Technology, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, copyright 1988.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, used in conjunction with Quickverse Bible concordance, by Craig Rairdin, Parsons Technology, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Copyright 1988.

The Holy Bible: New King James Version, used in conjunction with quickverse Bible concordance, by Craig Rairdin, Parsons technology, Cedar Rrapids, Iowa. Copyright 1984, Thomas Nelson.