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God's "Perfect Love Casts Out Fear" of His Judgment

  Dear Saints: I have often heard the Scripture quoted,  “Perfect love casts out fear ”. Most of its use is often to calm down our nerves when we are facing dire situations/uncertainties and are afraid. That application works but it is not the intended by the writer Apostle John who is inspired by the Holy Spirit. I must confess that I do not understand it all. I thank God, that today we are reading and studying it in its context. Let’s continue our study and read 1 John 4:17-21: “17  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.  18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  19  We love Him because He first loved us. 20  If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how...

Confessing Jesus As the Son of God

  Dear Saints: “But who among us would think of giving up his son to die for his enemy, for one who never did him a service, but treated him ungratefully, repulsed a thousand overtures of tenderness, and went on perversely hardening his neck? No man could do it.” (Spurgeon).  The only person who could and actually did so is God; who Himself is Love. God is love. God is also just and righteousness and that is why His love and mercy triumphs over judgment against us sinners and once enemies of God.  It is not enough to know by head knowledge this truth. That is why, there is no universal salvation for all people of this world. We must confess it to own it and we must confess it to live it out on a daily basis; thus: “ 15  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  16  And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:15...

The World Is A Big Funeral Home

  Dear Saints: This world in essence is a big funeral home. We are all dead in sins and trespasses. People are going around in the funeral parlors, looking into the open caskets and saying, "Oh she looks good or he looks good."  How good can a dead corpse look? It is all lies and liars. ALL HAVE SINNED AGAINST GOD. Except Christ by His grace comes and breathes new breath of His Holy Spirit and makes us alive; and remove us from the casket and from the funeral parlors, all we are doing is gradually decaying and will be buried at some point.   The message of the Gospel is dead man or woman made alive. It is not an improvement project but a total start-over. A dead person cannot wake himself up. This is where God begins and pours His Love. God is love, period. Love is therefore the highest and the supreme. If God is love, how can we love another if God is not in us and loving others through us? It is therefore impossible to humanly love another person without God. ...

"Many False Prophets" and False Jesus

Dear Saints: I was jogging yesterday and passed a man who shouted out to me with stern face, “that wouldn’t work “. He was referring to my alternative mask covering. I had folded my baseball cap to cover my nose and mouth as I passed people on the track which has lots of room for social distancing. I did not respond to his comment. On my way back, I met the same man as he was going the opposite direction. I had previously decided that if I saw him again, I  would say thank you for his comment. I did and said thank you; that I appreciate. He stopped and we ended up talking for more 30 minutes. Upon hearing his initial comment about my alternative mask, a bit of anger had welled up in me to say, who are you, a mask police? But as we both stopped and talked, I explained that I feel suffocated jogging and wearing a mask. I also found out that he was very worried and petrified about protecting himself; and shared how he had confronted many others for not wearing masks. My heart went out...

"Whatever We Ask We Receive" Really?

Dear Saints:  Why should God continue to bless you with more when He knows that you will spend it only on yourself without loving and helping your brother or sister who is in need?   As we continue our study, we see that apostle John ties answers to our prayers to obeying the Lord’s command to love our brothers and sisters and doing those things that are pleasing in His sight.  Disclaimer: God always answer the prayers of any sinner who cries out to Him for forgiveness and salvation. Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Prior obedience is not required for the sinner’s salvation. Apostle John is addressing the children of God (those born of God, born again by God’s grace and have trusted in Christ).   Let’s continue our reading and study of 1 John 3:18-24:  18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but indeed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts ...

"Whoever Hates His Brother Is A Murderer"

Dear Saints: Woo! Did you hear that? “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer”. Come on Apostle John, you are going too far. Are you saying we are all murderers because we all have hated someone at some point? I thought we only have murderers on the streets of Chicago and other major cities with gang warfare and in prisons. Apostle John, you are actually saying we have murderers in the Supreme Court, White House, Congress, Police, Courts, schools, neighborhoods, our homes and families and unfortunately in the churches and everywhere in this world? Note that Apostle John is repeating and paraphrasing Jesus who said, 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” Matthew 5:21-22. Let’s continue our reading and study of 1 John 3:10-15: . "10 In this the children of God and the ch...

"SIN IS LAWLESSNESS"

Dear Saints: There was a big controversy this past week when Don Lemon of CNN said, “Jesus Christ, if that’s who you believe, if that’s who you believe in, admittedly was not perfect when he was here on this earth". Don said this in the context of pointing to the nation’s forefathers and the confederacy that they are not perfect. But do you see the subtlety in his dismantling of Christianity and our faith in Christ? My reaction is, did Don really say that and is he now rewriting the Bible? Many others have spoken up since this aired all over the world. Why is this a big deal? If Christ was a sinner and imperfect, then He is not God, we can’t be saved. In addition, many like Don will have ample reasons to excuse their alternative and sinful lifestyles of homosexuality and other sins. Please let us be very very clear about Christ; “In Him there is no sin”. "Let no one deceive you." Please listen to the rest of our reading of 1 John 3: 4-12: 4 Whoever commits sin ...