Martyrs of the 1st Century

John the Baptist had a six-month ministry and then was beheaded for telling a king that what he did was “unlawful”. Jesus preached the truth for 3.5 years and was crucified by the world, being hated by it because “He declared to it that its deeds are evil” (John 7:7).
Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, rebuked the hard hearted religious leaders for never listening to the Holy Spirit, and was thrown outside and stoned to death, (the following Passover from the death of our Lord). As Stephen was dying, being pelted with rocks, he prayed that the Father would forgive his murderers. Following the death of Stephen, about 2,000 Christians were also martyred in the persecution that arose.
Ten years after Stephens death (44 AD) we see James the Great, the brother of John, being beheaded by King Herod Agrippa. So courageous and resolute was James as he went to go die that his accuser asked for his forgiveness, confessed himself a Christian, and joined James in being beheaded himself.
In 54 AD, Philip, after laboring diligently for the gospel in upper Asia, was scourged, thrown into prison and then crucified. In 60 AD Matthew, who we all know and love, after writing the gospel in Hebrew and preaching to the people of Parthia and Ethiopia, was later killed with a halberd (a spear like weapon) in the city of Nadabah.
Next we have James the Less, who wrote the epistle of James, and was the brother of Jude. James was martyred at the age of 94! He was beaten and stoned by the Jews, and then had his brains smashed out with a fuller’s club. Then we have Matthias, who was elected to take the place of Judas Iscariot. Matthias was stoned in Jerusalem and afterwards beheaded.
Then we see Andrew, who brought his brother Peter to Jesus, and later brought the good news to many Asiatic countries. When he got to Edessa, they took him and crucified him on an X shaped cross. Let’s look at Mark, of whom we get the book of Mark in the New Testament. This was originally written in Greek and was an account of the apostle Peters eye witness. Marks body was dragged to pieces by the idolatrous people of Alexandria.
Now to Peter, one of the pillars of the Church. Peter walked with Jesus for 3 years, then saw Him betrayed, saw Him beaten and verified that He had been crucified, yet Peter proclaimed the gospel until he was crucified upside down during the reign of emperor Nero.
Paul, that great apostle, who planted Churches all over the known world, suffered much for the name of Jesus, but continued to preach the gospel and make disciples until he was behead in Rome, also under the edict of Nero.
The author of Jude was also the brother of James the Less, and often called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa, in 72 AD. Bartholomew, one of the 12, preached the gospel in a number of countries and also translated Matthews gospel into Indian, spreading the good news of Jesus there. Upon this happening, some idolaters brutally beat him and then crucified him there.
Tomas, who was also called Didymus, preached about Jesus in India and Parthia, and upon doing so, was impaled with a spear by angry pagan priests. The beloved Luke who worked closely with Paul was said to have been hung on an olive tree by Grecian pagan priests. Barnabas was supposedly put to death in 73 AD.
Simon the zealot preached the gospel in Africa, Mauritania, and also Britain, in which country he was later crucified in 74 AD. The beloved John founded many Churches in different places, and while he was in Ephesus he was called to Rome, where they attempted to boil him in oil. Supernaturally John was not affected by the oil, so Domitian of Rome banished him to the island of Patmos. John was the only apostle who did not die a violent death. While on the island he received and wrote the book of Revelations, and was later brought off the island by Domitian’s successor, Nerva.
In 67 AD there was a first great persecution of the Church, under the rule of Nero. He was so wicked that he lit Rome on fire, caused thousands of casualties, and then he blamed it on the Christians. Nero was so vile, and did whatever his evil imagination could conjure up: to some he would sow into animal skins and have them mauled to death by wild beasts, while others he would clothe in wax and light on fire in his garden, which is where we get the term “Roman Candle” from. This caused the Church to grow rather than diminish, as persecution fanned the flame of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of God’s people.
The second wave of persecution on a large scale was during the reign of emperor Domitian in 81 AD. Domitian was very cruel, and set out to destroy the line of David and all Christians. When they were brought to court, the trials were rigged as to ensure that those who professed Christ would be put to death.
Although it keeps going, I will end with the death of Timothy, the beloved disciple and protégé of the apostle Paul. Timothy was a faithful, humble, sincere believer and minister of the gospel. He continued the work of governing the Church of Ephesus until 97AD when he interrupted a pagan celebration of idolatry in the streets, and severely reproved the people to turn from their sins. Like expected, they were so angry that they laid hold of him and beat him with clubs so that he died within two days. Now I must say, If you are still reading this, that much of the modern Church today would accuse Timothy of being “unloving” in his approach to those celebrating sin in the streets, and these same professing Christians might be found at gay parades, condoning with their smiles the vile passions of the world, all in the name of “love”. The Scriptures beg to differ. We see the life of Timothy was completely devoted to Jesus, and helping people to know the way to eternal life. He traveled the world with Paul to share the gospel, spent time in jail for the name of Christ, and exemplified the love of God and man through his sacrificial life.
On and on, our Christian heritage is soaked in blood; in the blood of the saints. Not only is it their blood, but their willful sacrifice to die for the truth. Almost all, if not all of them, had a chance to deny their faith and be free of suffering in this life, but they refused. WHY? Why do we see such passion, such urgency, such sacrifice for the mission that Jesus left the Church? Why especially do we see that all of those who saw Jesus in the flesh dedicate the rest of their lives to spread the good news to the end of the world, to the point of great suffering and brutal deaths? History attests to these facts. No one in their right mind would surrender to such ruthless murder for a lie. Surely, These witnesses saw something that changed them forever… the resurrected Lord.
And that is the purpose of this paper, to compel Christians into a deeper walk with Jesus, that we would be stirred with an urgency, a calling from God, to further lay down our lives for Jesus sake and the gospel. Nothing else matters. We must be ready when He returns, and we must help others to be ready also.
Jude 1:14b, 15
“Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Polycarp

Polycarp

A.D. 65- 155

Overseer of Smyrna (Modern Day Turkey)

As wonderful as it is to study the Bible for the last 17 years, and be instructed by its ever-living words, it has also been refreshing to study the life of the early Church fathers, to learn what the early Christians looked like after the apostles were gone, and to compare our current practices with those who were discipled by Jesus’ disciples. It is absolutely intriguing to read the writings of the men who knew those who knew the Lord (in the flesh).

Polycarp was born years after Christ ascended, but was in fact a disciple of the apostle John, the one whom Jesus loved. Polycarp was a friend and fellow laborer with Ignatius, who also was a disciple of John, and of whom we have numerous epistles to the Churches in the 1^st, and early 2^nd century. Polycarp was born much later than Ignatius and also outlived him by many years. Polycarp also had disciples, one of whom was Irenaeus, who is well known today in Church history.

Along with his holy lifestyle, testimony and martyrdom, Polycarp was also known for his work-  a beautiful epistle to the Philippians. This was the same Church that Paul established and wrote to during his pilgrimage. I counted and found roughly 77 Scripture quotations in Polycarp’s 3.5-page letter, which shows that he lived and breathed the Holy Scriptures! We need to learn from him. Many pastors today are sparse with the Scriptures, replacing them with the doctrines of men, entertainment and savvy stories. May it never be so with God’s faithful ambassadors.

In his epistle, we see him praising the Philippians for their faith and perseverance, just as Paul did previously, even boasting of their faith to all the Churches. The fact that they were still standing during the time of this letter is an encouragement to us all, that God is able to make us stand, no matter what we endure.

Polycarp uses almost poetic words as he speaks of our chains in Christ as being the ornaments of the saints, and diadems (crowns) upon the heads of the elect of God. He exhorts the Church to stand strong in the faith, to endure suffering, to live holy and to pray for all people, including our enemies. As I read through the pages, I feel a sense of holiness and righteous living that convicts me to be more than I am now. It compels me to pursue godliness on a deeper level, being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses who have poured out their lives unto Him who died for them.

I also read in the pages a great exaltation of God Himself, of Jesus Christ His Son, and very much clarity as to many truths that have been blurred today. He pronounces judgment upon those who pervert the gospel, and also declares that any who do not confess the testimony of the cross, or that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, or any who twist the words of God, especially in regards to the resurrection and judgment, such a one is the firstborn of satan! I have to say, but the disciple of Jesus disciple just condemned many of today’s big-time preachers, calling them sons of the devil. That’s straight forward.

He convicts me in the areas of prayer, fasting and showing more mercy towards others, reminding me that I also am under a debt of sin. He exhorts the Church to patiently obey the word of God, which is the word of righteousness. He makes very clear that salvation is not by works, but by grace, and yet in the same breath reminds us of our duty to depart from sin and live uprightly in all areas of our life, or we are in danger of judgment.

It is fascinating to read his letter, comprehending from his writings that he grew up on the heals of Christ’s disciples, whom we all know and love.  Equally fascinating is to hear him write of his contemporaries, fellow brethren in the faith of his time, new names unknown to the Bible. One brother, named Valens, he grieves over because he has left the faith and fallen into covetousness. We see Polycarp’s love for him, as he speaks of a desire for his repentance, and urges the Church not to view him as an enemy.

The theme that strikes me the most in this letter is to live holy, and be blameless before the world. James declared that that is true and undefiled religion before God, along with love for the poor. The brothers in the early centuries definitely exemplified that and we need to follow in their example.

We will end this report with the beautiful account of Polycarp’s martyrdom. As a rose when it is crushed lets off a beautiful fragrance, so the slaying of this saint only displayed the glory of God to the world, encouraging the faith of many and emboldening the suffering Church.

Polycarp, now an old man, was a shepherd to the Church in Smyrna, and very respected as one who had known the disciple of Jesus. Although the call went out to find him and have him executed, the Church continued to hide him for their own benefit. Who would want to lose such a guide?

But eventually, the time came that it was the Lord’s will for Polycarp to glorify the Lord Jesus through his death, and he had a vision while he was praying in which his pillow caught on fire, signifying how he was to be martyred. He was at peace and in no way disturbed by this. This comes from knowing and walking closely to Jesus.

Just as with our Lord, a “brother” betrayed his whereabouts and soon they came to his location. Now he could have escaped, but he had determined to put an end to this and fulfill God’s purpose, so he welcomed the soldiers in. He had the believers prepared food for his captors, and was permitted to pray before leaving. He prayed earnestly for 2 hours, praying for the guards, the Churches, and all those that he ever knew. It was so moving that some of those who had come for him repented for having to arrest such a godly man.

Nevertheless, he was taken, and others attempted to persuade him to deny the Lord Jesus, upon which he clearly refused. He did not count his life dear to himself, for he was not his own, he had been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Any attempt to cause him to spare his life in this world was futile.

Once in the stadium, Polycarp was again pressured to blaspheme Christ and so free himself, something that is extremely common through history. The fact that so often in different regions of the world the same spirit is at work, asking Christians to simply deny the Lord Jesus and live, gives us strong evidence that the world hates Christ Jesus because He is the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.

Polycarp’s second response was even bolder than the first, declaring that he had served Jesus for 86 years, and never had the Lord done him wrong; he was not about to blaspheme his King. On top of that, he boldly proclaimed that, “I am a Christian”. After being threatened with the flame, he responded in saying that this flame would only burn for an hour, but that the accusers were ignorant of the eternal flame of judgment that was coming upon all the ungodly. As Christians, we must have this eternal mindset as we walk through life, letting it govern our thoughts, affections, heart, and will. For this world is quickly fading away.

At the end of his speech he welcomed the flames and said, “Why wait? Bring forth what you want.” The proconsul was astounded as his faith, and had a herald declare 3 times, “Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.” Upon this provocation, the crowds demanded his death. The wood was quickly gathered, and after Polycarp’s prayer of thanks to the Lord, was lit on fire. Incredibly, for the glory of God, the flames had no effect on the brother, but he seemed to glow as bread that is golden, and a sweet fragrance immitted from him. The enemy seeing that he would not burn, ordered for him to be pierced with a dagger. When the blade penetrated his body, it is reported that blood gushed out so much that the fire was extinguished. These miraculous events made clear to the viewer that there was a difference between the wicked and the godly.

Polycarp’s body was burned but his martyrdom celebrated by believers, in remembering those who have gone before them, and also to prepare those who will walk in his steps, for the glory of God. Ultimately, dear reader, we are all called to such a life of sacrifice, if we belong to Christ. He has purchased you with His precious blood, He has blazed the trail before you. Because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, those who have left a history of faith, you also let your heart be entirely His, and come what may, but you serve Him with your life. As Leonard Ravenhill always said, “There is only one life, it will soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

 

Treasures by a Lying Tongue

Proverbs 21: 6

“The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.”

It is tax season, and most Americans are hoping to get their biggest refund ever; but at what cost? Many people will not rob a bank, but they will lie on their taxes so they can get a bigger refund. That is called stealing, and lying. Liars, thieves and those who are covetous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Their future ends in eternal death.

What will a man give in exchange for his soul? A few hundred dollars? A boot- legged movie instead of paying $20? Humans will work every angle to benefit themselves, but at what cost? At the cost of their eternal soul. The money will soon fly away, the refund will be spent, the movie will grow old, but you will stand before God and be judged in righteousness. If you are found guilty, you will end up in hell, and that is horrific. Rather, let us all seek the Lord in truth. Abandon lying, cheating, scamming and stealing, and set your eyes on Christ, the One who died for you and rose again.

Condoning Sin

Acts 22:20

“And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.”

As the Churches of the world fall by the wayside and more and more cave into the pressures of this world, compromising truth to please the masses, there is a line in the sand that is being scrubbed out. With this line removed, the floodgates of compromise have been released and every evil thing is gushing out, all in the name of love.

As the word “love” get’s thrown around and sang a million times in each contemporary song, remember that the greatest command is not to love man, but to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:29). If we love God we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). If we say we are loving people but are opposing God’s word, we are neither loving God nor man (1 John 2:4).

The line that has almost been washed away by our ever-darkening world is the distinction between a Christian showing love to a sinner and a Christian condoning the sin of a person in the name of love. God never condones sin, ever in all of Scripture, but rather declares His judgment upon it and those who practice it (Ezekiel 18:20; Revelations 21:7,8). He commands His people to hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).

The common example in the US is that of the Christian baker who was friends with some homosexual customers, but when asked to bake a cake to celebrate their homosexual wedding, he declined. That being said, he was taken to court and lost his business. Now many Christians, Church leaders and Pastors have asked themselves, “would I bake the cake?” And it seems today that many have said, “yes, to show love to the couple.”

Now this in a sense sounds kind and loving, but I want to ask you: where does the line stop? If a known sex trafficker were to ask you to fix his vehicle that you knew was used to transport sex slaves, would you fix it in the name of love? Of course not, I hope! I would actually pull some parts out of his engine and call the police, in the name of love for those poor slaves.

How about making a cake to celebrate a recent abortion or a wedding between a pedophile and a 12 year old? Of course a Christian would never condone such wicked things because it would be promoting actions that God despises; things that we all know are wrong. By doing so we would be guilty of condoning sin. Things are excepted today that used to be appalling; and mark my words, there will be no end to the wicked things that will be condoned in the future.

When we look at the Apostle Paul’s confession, he expresses his guilt in the fact that he was “standing by approving” of those who were stoning Stephen. Paul’s hand was holding no stone, but he was supporting those who were. In doing so, he was guilty of murder.

When we look at Romans 1:32, people were condemned not only for practicing sins worthy of death, but also for giving hearty approval of those who practiced them. Even when Paul saw the Apostle Peter acting as a hypocrite, he did not condone it but rebuked him to his face, because he loved God, loved Peter, and those effected by Peters sin.

So how are followers of Christ supposed to treat people that are still practicing a life of sin? Our prime example is the Master Himself, Jesus Christ. In John 4 Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well. Now keep in mind that Jesus loved this woman so much that He was going to die for her sins soon after they met. Jesus starts by breaking cultural rules in befriending the woman, as Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. She is surprised by this and then Jesus starts speaking to her about spiritual things, intriguing her even more. After offering her living water, He then does something that most professing Christians will not do today; He confronted her sin. Before she could have this living water, she had to be convicted of her fornication.

Today, we would call this judgmental and awkward, but Jesus knew what was needed for her to find life. And behold, she believed! He revealed Himself as the Messiah and she was radically saved; not only she, but also the whole town through her witness! Hallelujah!

Today I plead with any and all who live for Jesus: please follow in His footsteps! If you have misunderstood love by condoning sin, please turn from doing that and follow the way of the Master. He is so much wiser than we. By all means, love sinners; feed them, clothe them, befriend them, share the gospel with them, and remember that you yourself once lived the same way, but by no mean do anything that would promote their sin. Don’t put a rainbow flag on your Church in the name of love, but do love homosexuals. Don’t pay for a drug addicts next fix, but do pray for him and give him a sandwich.  And above all, share the everlasting gospel with them, which is able to give them life forever more! That is love!

Endurance

Matthew 24:12, 13 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

Jesus promised that the world will grow darker and more wicked the closer it gets to His return. The hearts of many will grow cold, people will betray each other, even family members betraying one another; drugs, violence, lust and hate will all increase, and God will even send a strong delusion upon the earth so that those who do not want to believe the truth can hang themselves upon the gallows of deception. It is because of these things that there will be a great falling away from the faith, before the return of the King of all Kings, Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Now, although these will be days of great darkness, darker than anytime that has ever been, there is a powerful ray of hope that shines forth from the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ, “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..” (John 10:27-28). You see it was not by your power that you were born, nor by your power that you were born again. It is because of God that you were drawn to Him, it was God that intervened into your sinful life and called you.. you simply responded to His call. It was by His grace that you were saved by the faith that He gave you, and Jesus says that He is able to keep to the uttermost the life that you have entrusted to Him; no one is able to snatch you out of His hand.

With such wonderful assurance as this, we can surly have hope of enduring till the end. The key is in making sure that your heart has been given completely to your Master. For if you came to Jesus in full surrender, giving Him your life and your dreams, your heart, mind, body and soul, then when you are presented with the question, “do you also want to leave Me?” you will answer with Peter, “where else will we go Lord, You have the words of eternal life!” (John 6:68). It is to the glory of God that He leaves His children in this crooked world, so that we may endure all things, and shine as the stars of heaven, standing fast in Him and being a witness to all of His matchless power. So stand fast in His word and build your life upon the Rock who is Christ, for none can snatch you out of His hand!

Do You Know Him??

Do You Know Him??

Psalms 146:1, 2

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

When you hear the name Jesus, how does it make you feel? Does it bring no joy to your heart whatsoever, or does it flood your soul with gratitude because He, the King of glory has saved you from your sins? Tonight I urge you to examine your own heart to see where you stand with God.

Now, we are not discussing religion this evening, for there are tens of millions of pious believers on the earth today, strictly following the rules of their gods, but they do not have eternal life. No, tonight we are talking about, “DO YOU KNOW GOD?!” Jesus Christ proclaimed that, “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).”

Jehovah does simply want us to follow a bunch of rules, but wants to have fellowship with us, and to give us the life that is in Him! He wants to become one with us in spirit and dwell with a holy people for all eternity. Every good gift has come from Him; oh, do you love Him tonight? Does His presence mean anything to you? Do songs of praise rise up in your heart when you meditate on His great mercy toward such sinners?

I inquire of you this evening to examine your own heart, and consider if you see any of these evidences in your own life to confirm that you know the Lord of glory. One of the greatest signs of a believer should be a humble gratitude towards Jesus Christ because they have realized the depth of their own wretchedness, and in turn have seen the abundance of grace that Jesus has given them at the cross. Anyone who can take the topic of Jesus as a light thing should strongly consider why. Your attitude towards the One who gave His life for you should be the same as it would towards someone who pushed you out of the way of a bus, losing their own life to save yours. You would not feel “whatever” towards that person.

Do you have a deep love for the brethren and desire to fellowship with those of kindred spirit, or would you rather mingle with the world? For “we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren (1 John 3:14)”. When you hear of His wonders at work in the earth, like Muslims being converted through visions of Jesus, does your heart rejoice? Are you brought to tears at the testimony of His faithful martyrs? When you hear a Spirit filled message from a man of God does it hit your soul like a ton of bricks? Does the message resound within you for weeks to come, God’s words working in you to transform you into the image of His dear Son? Do any of these experiences ring true in your ears?

Does it wrench your spirit when you hear others blaspheming and using as an expression of disgust the one name that is above every name, the name of Jesus? Does your heart delight in God’s commandments, or are they a burden to hear? Can you relate to the Psalmist as he cries out, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day (Psalms 119:97)”, or is it foreign to consider? Does your heart now love holiness and hate wickedness; has your relationship with the world, the devil and the flesh changed?? Do you grieve when you sin and hunger to be more like Jesus?

For if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)!! Do you know the Savior today? Can you say Christ is mine and I am His? If not, fall on your knees tonight and do not rise until you know He has saved you. He is waiting for you to turn to Him now!

With Love, Jonathan Ball

Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah

Jude 7

“As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

Recently I have been very disgusted to hear that people are now pushing our nation to tolerate and accept pedophilia. Pedophilia is a heinous crime and should be strictly punished, as children are being victimized and manipulated for the perpetrators selfish pleasure. Below is a video on Hulu promoting child/ adult relationships; the whole video is geared towards causing the viewer to accept the concept of a boy marrying a grown man:  https://vimeo.com/user21156251/bravestknight. There is actually an organization called N.A.M.b.L.A. that fights to change the laws that hinder adults from sexually assaulting children. Another article shows that even Cambridge University in England has allowed the promotion of such wicked views to infiltrated their establishment: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/10948796/Paedophilia-is-natural-and-normal-for-males.html

It should make everyone of you sick, and the promoters of such should be thrown into jail; but sadly, the way our country is going, people like me will probably sooner be thrown into jail for speaking truth while pedophiles are cheered on for coming out of the closet with their brave new concepts.

Folks, this is the end result of the satanic spirit of tolerance in our world. When we are pressured to just accept every form of sin, then the floodgates are opened and every filthy desire of hell comes rushing through. When God’s moral standards are rejected, even by professing Christians, and when those who stand on moral absolutes are considered “haters” for actually saying something is “wrong”, the result is that “all goes”! Since there are no boundaries, America praises a man for becoming a woman; since there are no moral standards, America defends the right for a man who is gender confused to use a woman’s restroom regardless of the danger that a little girl might be in there. Since God’s ways are thrown out, the 6,000 year old definition of married is redefined, allowing men to marry men and adopt little boys. And now, since the walls are down and everyone is tolerant of everything accept truth, the devil will drive home his perverted agenda and the world will simply accept it; even protect and promote it. Lord have mercy on us.

I must proclaim that God is holy! He will by no means clear the guilty (Numbers 14:18). Drunkenness is wrong, homosexuality is wrong, hatred is wrong, fornication and lust are wrong, idolatry, covetousness, greed, selfishness, not loving God,  not loving others are all wrong, and those who practice such things will by NO MEANS enter the kingdom of heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9- 11; Galatians 5:19- 21) . Unless the world repents it will perish (Luke 13:3). The stench of perversion in Sodom and Gomorrah finally reached heaven and God had enough; He rained fire and brimstone upon them all as an example to us of His holy retribution. Even today you can find balls of sulfur lodged into rocks in the vicinity of Sodom and Gomorrah, more condensed (98% sulfur) than any other place on earth. Billy Graham’s wife, after reading her husband’s book about the conditions of America, proclaimed that if God does not judge America soon then He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.

God must punish sin, and He will. Look at the bloody cross and realize that that was supposed to be you; it was supposed to be me. Because Jesus died, you can be forgiven. Because He was raised, you can live forever. Please, let us all turn from the wickedness of this life and put our faith in the Lord Jesus. Let us follow Him down the difficult path of righteousness while the world continues loving evil. The wrath of God is coming and will be executed against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, consuming them with unquenchable fire. Throw yourself upon the mercies of Christ today, and escape the judgments to come. God is rich in mercy and is willing to wash your sins away, never again to be remembered.

Surrender to the God that made you, the God who gave you life. His hands are stretched out to you today… will you come to Him?

With deep concern for the world, Jonathan Ball

Website: www.jonnyfivealive.wix.com/pyroounderground

Home Church: www.goodfight.org

True Love

True Love

1 John 4:8

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

What is love? Today’s miss conception of love is a vise by which sinners and professing Christians may live as they please, while believing that God is ok with their sin because He is love; So let us look closely at God, who is love, to see how He lived when among us.

Jesus was moved with compassion continually, and fed the hungry, clothed the naked, cast out demons and healed the sick; all of which a Christian should practice. He spent much of His time teaching people the word, loudly no doubt because thousands of people had to hear His messages. Therefore preaching loudly in public is not hateful, unless the content and spirit of the message are hateful. Unfortunately there will always be those people who do preach with hatred, telling people that God hates them and calling them whores etc. That is a grievous evil and makes it harder for preachers of the gospel because we get judged with the same label for simply following in Jesus’ footsteps.

Does being gentle and loving mean we must always speak softly? Was Jesus loving when He called the Pharisees “sons of hell” (Matthew 23:15)? Was John the Baptist loving when he called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7)? Yes they were, because sometimes “open rebuke is better than hidden love” (Proverbs 27:5), and sometimes love means “pulling people from the fire” (Jude 23) as Jude puts it. Some people need a strong loving rebuke to shake them to their senses, so they may escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. This in no way gives us the license to be reckless with our words, but we must always operate in humility, being guided by the Holy Spirit.

God is patient by allowing a sinful world to continue so that some might be saved, and He is kind by warning us of judgment so we may flee from the wrath to come (Luke 3:7). Personally I have never used the severest threatenings of God’s word in the quantity that Jesus and the apostles did, maybe to my detriment (Peter 2:4- 6; Peter 3: 5-7; Rev. 21:8; Rev. 14:10, 11; Rev. 6:16; Daniel 12:2; Matt. 24:51; Matt. 25:46; Luke 3:17; Rom. 2:8, 9; 2 Thess. 1:9; Jude vs 7, 13). Perhaps I have not warned enough.

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It is imperative that we not remove the harder things of Scripture from our messages, for in doing so we are telling God we are wiser than Him. God is holy and must punish sin, and it will be severe; just look at the cross. We must preach heaven and we must preach hell, we must tell of grace and we must warn of wrath, we must preach of righteousness and we must preach of sin, we must preach repentance toward God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ. In failing to do so we are being unfaithful to preach the whole counsel of God, and will have the blood of many on our hands. Fear God! If you really believe the Scriptures, you will warn people; if you don’t believe them, you will argue with those who are warning people.

In the end, the only loving thing to do, once the reality of eternity has gripped your heart and the urgency of God has been laid upon you, is to cast off your own pursuit, set aside your personal agenda and live to seek and save the lost. For if you still live in complacency, comfort and pleasure, how does the love of God abide in you?

Web: www.jonnyfivealive.wix.com/pyroounderground

Home Church: www.goodfight.org

Billy Graham “Unless we believe in a future judgment, the cutting edge of evangelism is blunted.”

Tithing- the Final Frontier

Tithing- The Final Frontier

“It has been said that the wallet is the ‘final frontier.’ It is often the final area to be conquered- the last thing that we surrender to God. Jesus spoke much about money. He said that we cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). ‘Mammon’ was the common Aramaic word for riches, which is related to a Hebrew word signifying ‘that which is to be trusted.’ In other words, we cannot trust both God and money. Either money is our source of joy, our great love, our sense of security, the supplier of our needs- or God is.

When you open your purse or wallet, give generously and regularly to your local Church. A guide to how much you should give can be found in the ‘tithe’ of the Old Testament: 10 percent of your income. Whatever amount you give, make sure you give something to the work of God (see Mal. 3:8- 11). Give because you want to, not because you have to. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:6, 7), so learn to hold your money with a loose hand.”

Ray Comfort

Evidence Bible, page 1413

Arrogance

Arrogance

Isaiah 2:11

“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.”

One of the greatest enemies of God is pride; for the wicked man in his pride will not seek God, and He is in none of his thoughts (Psalms 10:4). Man enters this life through no authority of his own, and becoming aware of himself he lives out his life as if he were god, arrogantly rejecting submission to the LORD of all creation. The little being says, “I don’t need God!” and yet on the day he dies he will have no power at all!

Oh foolish little man! Seek God! For you could not even breath unless God granted you air, and the body you now use to defy Him is not your own. If the God that you reject did not instruct your heart, it would not beat! Unless He had written the 3.1 billion letter code book called your DNA you would not have eyes at this moment to read my words, nor ears to hear the sound of your friends, nor the ten thousand taste buds to enjoy your next meal! On the Day of Judgment, the LORD alone will be exalted, but the prideful man will be brought low.

Let us humble ourselves today and take our rightful place as the creature, not the Creator. Let us submit to the Almighty God of the universe, and He will give us grace through His Son Jesus Christ. Blessed be His name.

With love, Jonathan Ball

Web: www.jonnyfivealive.wix.com/pyroounderground

Home Church: www.goodfight.org