Is the devil black or white?

This maybe sound like a strange question to you, since the devil is a spiritual being, therefore having no "skin color". Of course i'm not talking about the devil's "skin color" nor i'm saying that the black color means evil, i'm talking about satan's character, since he is described in the Bible as the "ruler of the darkness": Ephesians 6:12; a "murderer" and the "father of lies": John 8:44; the "adversary": 1 Peter 5:8; the "wicked one": Matthew 13:19. How many times you heard people (including christians) telling what's called "white lies" without any shame of doing it? Since the devil is the father of lies and he is evil, we must answer these questions: Is there a "good" or "white" lie? Is there a "good" sin? When satan transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), does he become a "good" evil? Can light have communion with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)? Can we have sunshine and darkness simultaneously? Unfortunately, we have made so many concessions regarding to sin, that is very hard to fully speak the truth, "nothing but the truth". We've been living a double life, where we're trying to please God and satan at the same time, in the same sentence speaking truth and lying. If an episode like the lying of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), happens in our churches and we "detect" (discern) it, it'll be considered "normal" or just another "white lie". In the early church, Ananias and Sapphira's "white lie" cost their lives. Today, it probably wouldn't cost anything, because of our lack of discernment, we wouldn't even know that they were lying, instead, we'd probably "praise" them for doing such a beautiful act of compassion. Our "modern" Christianity is way too casual, there's very little if any of what the Bible calls "Fear of God" in our midst. How much "blood" are we shedding in our fight against sin? Hebrews 12:4. Are we really striving against sin or just giving up easily? Does sinning makes us cry for forgiveness or have we numb our conscience by never confessing our sins? Are we in and of the world or are we in but not of the world? John 15:19.

Wormwood: From Living Water to Bitterness.

Deuteronomy 29:18; Proverbs 5:4; Jeremiah 23:15; Amos 5:7; Amos 6:12. As you can see, in the Old Testament, wormwood is associated with bitterness. About the Living Water, Jesus says: John 4:10; John 7:38-39. First, we need to answer these questions: What is living water? Is it possible to have a river of living water flowing from our hearts and our hearts become as bitter as the wormwood? The answer for the first question, according to Jesus is: The Holy Spirit, "out of his heart will flow rivers of living water". But this He spoke concerning the Spirit. To answer the second question, we need to read what the Bible says in Revelation 8:10-11. There are many people saying that the "great star" is the planet-x (named by Nasa) or another "star" that will hit the earth, but, if you just think twice you'll realize that nothing will be left here if the smallest star hits the earth. According to the website "universe today", "the smallest known star right now is OGLE-TR-122b, a red dwarf star that’s part of a binary stellar system. This red dwarf the smallest star to ever have its radius accurately measured; 0.12 solar radii. This works out to be 167,000 km. That’s only 20% larger than Jupiter. You might be surprised to know that OGLE-TR-122b has 100 times the mass of Jupiter, but it’s only a little larger". If you read the Bible carefully, you'll see that the "great star" that fell from heaven is satan, Isaiah 14:12; Luke 10:18. So, since the beginning (literally from Adam and eve), satan is deceiving mankind and in this last days, he is fiercely attacking christians with false doctrines and teachings of man, because he knows that if he manages to introduce just enough of his demonic doctrine, he will pervert the believer's heart, turning the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ into man made doctrines and because those christians never "test the spirits", as John commands in 1 John 4:1, they will drink a "contaminated" water, and this water will make them as bitter as the wormwood. In this last days, satan will afflict the whole world, but christians in particular, those who are not washed with water by the word, Ephesians 5:26, won't be able to stand and be faithful, therefore, will become bitter, because they had false expectations, they never allowed Jesus Christ to transform their lives. Will one third of the rivers and the springs of water be literally contaminated? Probably! We're now watching what is happening in Japan, because the radiation leakage, water is being contaminated, so it's possible for one reason or another that a third of the drinkable water on the planet will be contaminated, time will tell. Did you know that the nuclear plants are built on the shores of lakes, rivers, and oceans because these bodies provide the large quantities of cooling water needed to handle the heat discharge, as energy is created? Haggai 2:6. What will happen when (not if) the Lord shakes the "whole" earth? Will those nuclear plants be severed damaged to the point that they will have massive radiation leakage, therefore contaminating all the lakes and rivers nearby? If you don't think it's possible to have the Holy Spirit living in you and later become bitter as the wormwood, read the story of king Saul, he had the living water (Holy Spirit), after the Holy Spirit left him, he became tormented by an evil spirit (wormwood). So, there's the literal and the spiritual side of this present-future apocalyptic story, but the truth is that we must be prepared for what is coming, and we can see that Christ's return is near. I started writing this post after having a very real experience couple nights ago. I had a dream and a experience with it. In the morning i was totally sure about the dream, it was a dream, but the experience was something else, it was kinda real. This is the experience i had: I was talking with a person who sold a water purifier and was asking him if his purifier was able to eliminate all the contaminants of the water (chemical, biological, etc), since all the drinkable water around was contaminated. Maybe you won't believe the experience i had, but i hope at least you'll believe what you read in the Bible, the Word of God.

The Father, the Prodigal and the Hypocrite.

Luke 15:11-32. If you heard a preaching about the parable of the prodigal son like i did many times, you probably never heard anyone talking much about the "other brother". I'd like to talk about him, because he has a lot in common with most, if not all of us. I will call him the hypocrite son. Let's see what Jesus said: He was as son as the prodigal one; when the father divided his livelihood, he gave to each of his sons what they were entitled to receive (the older a double portion); the prodigal enjoyed his share (what he did is now irrelevant) but the hypocrite, consumed by his pride, didn't touch anything; the hypocrite, even being a son, lived as a hired servant, never enjoying his possessions; the hypocrite lived a miserable life trying to gain his father's approval by working hard; he became an angry, bitter, resentful and unforgiving person; he became blind, couldn't see his name in the "property title". Let's compare the hypocrite's life with our own: How many times we didn't "feel" like being God's children? How many times have we thought that God didn't give us anything but "work" to do? How many times have we seen our brothers and sisters living an abundantly life and we've been living a miserable one? How many times we worked so hard that we became angry, bitter, resentful and unforgiving not accepting the prodigals back? How many times have we lived as "hired servants", never enjoying God's blessings, like freedom, for example? Maybe you are different, but honestly, as Jesus only mentioned those two brothers, i don't think there's a way of escape, at one point in our lives, we were either the prodigal or the hypocrite one. Romans 8:29. So, the purpose of redemption is not to make us like the prodigal or the hypocrite son, but, to make us conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

Judas and the Money Box: A Test of Character.

John 13:29. Have you ever asked yourself: Why did Jesus give Judas Iscariot the money box? Wasn't obvious enough that he (Judas) was going to steal? Well, i asked myself many times and this morning (about 4am) i had the answer: Jesus gave Judas the money box to test his character. Of course Jesus knew that Judas was a thief and thieves are known by stealing stuff. So what was the purpose in giving Judas, a thief, the money box? Why didn't Jesus give the money box to Nathanael, since Nathanael was honest? John 1:47. Well, the answer is obvious: Because you don't have to test an honest person if you know that he (she) will not steal; you don't have to test a truthful person if you know that he will not lie; you don't have to test a faithful person if you know that he will not cheat, etc. A test of character is only needed if the person's character is dubious! Of course, if you are thinking about Job, since Job was blameless and upright, and asking: "So, why Job had to be tested?" It's because satan (adversary) didn't know or think that Job was all of that, satan thought that Job's character was tied to his (Job) fortune (money and luck), besides through the "test" Job acquired a more "intimate" relationship with God. Job 1:1; Job 42:5. By giving Judas the money box, Jesus was giving him a chance (three years) to confess his sins and repent, to be changed by the Holy Spirit, to become an honest and righteous person. Of course we know the story: Judas not only kept stealing from the box, but at the end "sold" Jesus to the religious people. That's what the Bible calls iniquity, It's a sin that one keeps committing over and over again, without any effort or willingness to change, a sin without repentance! Remember, Biblical concept of repentance is: To turn around; to stop doing it; to abandon it; to change, etc. We can see in John 13:29 that even the apostles thought that Judas was an honest and merciful fella, since he was the "treasurer" among them, his "reputation" preceded him, or his hypocrisy, whatever the case might be. Just like Judas, we are being tested over and over again. Life is cyclical, just because we passed the test yesterday, doesn't mean that we will never be tested again and because we didn't sin yesterday, we are guaranteed that we will not sin today. My point is: Don't rely on past experiences! Yesterday is past, tomorrow is future and today is the day to resist temptation! Sounds dumb but it is the reality, Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, Matthew 6:34, besides, Paul told us to be watchful, 1 Corinthians 10:12. Remember the story of Balaam? His character was tested, but he showed to be less faithful than his donkey: Numbers 22:28-33. In which area of your life you are been tested right now? Faithfulness, truthfulness, righteousness, forgiveness, mercifulness? Are you sure you are not been tested? I tell you the truth: If you think you don't need to be tested, it's because you are not a disciple of Jesus Christ!
Conclusion: Character matters. Don't postpone repentance, because you don't know if you will be alive tomorrow. Matthew 25:13. Remember that both Judas Iscariot and Balaam ended up in hell, one committed suicide and the other was killed, both because their wickedness (iniquity). Matthew 7:21-23.

Are you listening? Yes dear, i'm hearing.

Here is the difference between hearing and listening: Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear. If you are not hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens; Listening, however, is something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences. Listening leads to learning. First of all, men are hearers and women are listeners, meaning, men simply hear because they are not hearing-impaired, but women, they listen to everything, every time, everywhere and are able to have thousands of conversations simultaneously. They say that men are task oriented individuals and inside their brains everything is compartmentalized, in other words, we cannot watch tv and talk at the same time. Of course there are few exceptions, but, that's the rule! Probably, that's why the wife cannot understand why her husband is sitting in front of the tv switching channels all the time, in reality, he's only resting, reposing, lazing, etc. The tv and remote control are only tools to help him to fully relax. His brain is in a compartment called "resting place", so when the wife talks to him (boy they talk), he will hear the wife as much as he will hear the tv, meaning, the words will enter in his left ear, pass through his head, and exit through his right ear, in other words, very little if any will stick to his brain. They say that men are single-taskers. Women, however, are very (extremely) multi-taskers, they can do everything at the same time. Other day, i listened to a pastor, he's a Boricua (Puerto Rican) dude, i'm not a "smile always, again i say smile" kinda person, but i laughed all the way through his message, his name is Mark Gungor and his book is called "Laugh your way to a better marriage: Unlocking the secrets to life, love..." (i just found in the net). When he was saying those things, i could picture myself and my wife in those situations and realizing how different we are. So, how is it possible for me to become one with my wife, since we are so different? The skeptical will say: "give up man, it's impossible!", but Jesus commanded me to become one with my wife, it means that it is possible! Again, oneness is not singleness, is likeness. As much as we pursue Christlikeness, we will reach the oneness target. So, do opposites really attract? If the answer is “yes” or “no”, to me it is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that there are a lot of benefits in opposite attraction, for example: I am calm, most the time slow and usually i think a thousand times before doing something. My wife, on the other hand, is easily irritated, most the time fast and don't think twice before doing something. Now imagine if she was like me? We would be called the "snail" family! But, if we were like her, we would be called the "cheetah" family! So, our differences make our marriage better, they improve our lives, they bring the "balance" needed for a successful (not perfect) marriage. So, problems and challenges are part of a "healthy" marriage, the issue is, solving the problems together. So, if you want a "problem free" marriage, don't get married! Of course, singleness is a gift from God. Paul wrote about marriage, 1 Corinthians 7, and gave the pros and cons about it, it is personal and its an everlasting commitment, till death do us part: 1 Corinthians 7:28.

Freedom vs Slavery: Jesus the Master vs satan the taskmaster.

For a long time in my life, i was satan's slave. Of course i didn't think i was or even accepted the idea that i could be, but the "naked" truth is: satan was my taskmaster. I say taskmaster in reference to those appointed by pharaoh to afflict the Israelites: Exodus 1:8-11. Unfortunately, many people in our churches are in bondage (slaves) to satan, like i used to, they don't admit they are, they just think that life has to be "miserable", that's because we live in a fallen world and we would never experience absolute freedom. By thinking like that, they are (like i used to) contradicting Jesus Christ, because He said in John 8:36. So, Jesus was either lying or telling the truth, again He said in John 14:6. In other words: If you think there's no such a thing as total freedom, than for you, there's no total Jesus! Of course, the devil is very crafty (cunning), he will many times, as the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:14, show himself as an angelical, marvelous, beautiful, kind and friendly "dude", but in fact he is only deceiving, "behind the curtains", he is orchestrating a cunning plan in order to steal, kill or destroy, as Jesus says in John 10:10. Unfortunately, is not only satan that is working in the slavery business, there are many wicked people acting as taskmasters, afflicting others for personal gain. I wish this was only happening outside the church, but unfortunately it is also happening inside the church. Of course this is nothing new, as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:9. Jesus and His Apostles dealt with the taskmasters, pharisees and other hypocrites, who put burdens on people's shoulders, but they didn't even touched those burdens. Matthew 23:4. Some of my clients (i drive a cab) complaint that they are doing the work that two or three people used to do, yet making the same money but working very long hours, as they see their CEO's giving themselves huge bonuses, millions of dollars. If they say something, they are threatened. Isn't this a "modern" slavery? No wonder things are going from bad to worse. We live in a society where pets are more valuable than babies, kill a baby (abortion) and you will "be fine", kill a pet and you will "receive a fine" (if not jail time). are you free indeed? Only Jesus Christ can set you free! If you believe you are in bondage, commit yourself fully and unconditionally to Him, and He will set you free.

All for One and One for All: Why Unity Matters.

John 17:21. First of all, in this context, Oneness is not Singleness, is Likeness. Jesus and the Father are one, but at the same time they are two distinct Persons. In His prayer, Jesus asks the Father that He would bring unity among His children, that the Father would make us like-minded toward one another. Romans 15:5; Philippians 2:2. Here is where, as the motorcyclist use to say, "the meat rubs the road" (man it hurts). Why? Because it's not only agreeing on something, having the same desires, working toward the same goals, etc. Biblical Like-mindedness, according to Paul, is to have the mind of Christ: 1 Corinthians 2:16. Is it possible to have the mind of Christ? Well, if we all die to ourselves and allow Christ to live and reign in us, we will be successful, we will fulfill our calling, that is, to be the body of Christ. Think about this: What if the members of your body decide to be selfish and do their own thing? What a mess you will be! Unfortunately, that's the way we are doing most the time. When we are not divided, we are doing something to please God without even knowing or asking Him if what we're doing is what He wants us to do. We need to be transformed, not the external appearance, but the internal renewal. That's the only way we will prove (experience) the Will of God. Romans 12:2. So, why unity matters? Because that's the Will of God, that we would be a fully functional body.

True repentance: Removing the dirt swept under the carpet.

True repentance is many times, mistaken by sorrow or mourning alone, but in fact, it goes much further than just a feeling. John the Baptist defined as a change of heart, where the sorrowful feeling leads to behavioral changes and correction of the wrongs done in the past. Luke 3:7-14. Was John a revolutionary socialist? Was he playing a communist leader? Of course not! He was teaching the basic principles of God's Kingdom. How many people today in the church, that call themselves christians, are bearing fruits worthy of repentance? Not too many! That's probably why Jesus said that many are called and few are chosen. John is not talking about "equality", communism preaches that, that's why it's a failed system, John is talking about righteousness, where one cares for the others, where there's no "lacking" of basics, because the "have" help the "have-not". That's not the "utopia land", that's the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, because there's no "perfect political system", along the way the church became complacent, acting just like the world: What is mine, is mine, what is yours is equally mine. Generosity is a condition of the heart, not a feeling. Because i am a righteous person and i have two tunics, i will give one to him who has none. So, even when i don't feel like giving, because i am righteous, i will meet someone else's needs according to my capacity. So, if we say that we repented and don't show fruits, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. it's time to allow the Holy Spirit to remove the dirt (sin) swept under the carpet (our hearts) and become the people God is calling us to be. God is not calling us to become socialists, egalitarians or even capitalists, He is calling us to be His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Truth Without Grace: The Logic of the Psycho-preacher.

I have to be honest with you. In the beginning, when God started teaching and revealing things to me, about His Word and about peoples lives, i took it to the extreme, like: "Repent or die you sinner!" Well, fortunately for me, God wasn't in a hurry to kill sinners, because the first one the be killed was myself, the biggest sinner. Of course, at that time i was a "little baby" acting as if i was a "giant" (spiritually speaking), it was too much for my small brain to understand. Today, i'm much more sympathetic to the sinners, realizing that i'm the biggest one, therefore, i abandoned the "truth only" approach. As i wrote in another Post, it's very hard to find the balance in the christian life, to demonstrate Grace and Truth without showing partiality. I'm still learning how to be a Truly Graceful person. So when i hear preachers condemning sinners, i understand their logic (been there, done that), the problem is that they don't see the Grace that is intrinsically attached to the Truth (Is Christ Divided?). Of course, if you keep walking the Truth-only path, you will reach the "point of no return", becoming what i call, a psycho-preacher. When i acted like that, i did because of ignorance, because i couldn't understand that God hates sin but He loves the sinner. That's the very reason Jesus died on the cross, to save sinners, like me. As Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15. So, the reason preachers still preach the truth-only gospel, is because they don't know Jesus Christ intimately, they forget that once they were lost (are they found?), that they are still sinners and without Christ, they are just like the ones they are condemning. 1 John 1:8-10. Of course, once we're saved, we cannot live a life of sin, otherwise, we are denying God's grace. Romans 6:1-2. Even if it's is really hard achieve, we need to live a life of holiness. 1 Peter 1:15-16. So, what's the logic of the Psycho-preacher? This is it: Since sinners will go to hell if they don't receive Jesus, let me tell them and command fire to come down from heaven and consume them. Luke 9:51-56.

Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty? The Danger of Partiality.

From the standpoint of an ex-lukewarm person (by the grace of God, now i'm hot, it's everything or nothing), i can say without any shadow of doubt, that commitment matters. In my BC (before Christ) life, i rarely commit myself to anything or anyone, because i knew that commitment always costs something and i was rarely willing to pay the price. Unfortunately, the very reason we, christians, don't see God's glory as the early church saw, it's because we are not willing to fully commit ourselves to what God is calling us to, we're most the time divided between pleasing God and someone else, between God's plan for our lives and our own. The Bible says in James 2:1. In the context, James is talking about personal favoritism, when believers were making distinction between rich and poor (sounds familiar?), and he is saying in James 2:9. So, every time you and i are showing partiality, we are sinning, that's how dangerous partiality is. Paul says in Romans 2:11. God does not see color skin, background, possessions, etc., when He looks at us, we are in the same level before Him. Answering the question: Is the glass half full or half empty? Does it matter if "lukewarm" is half cold or half hot? Well, according to Jesus it doesn't, in fact He says this: Revelation 3:15-16. So, for Jesus being lukewarm is even worse than being cold, Why? Because, just like the pharisees, the person "appears" to be good but in fact is just bad. I always thought i was a "good" person, until i met Jesus Christ and realized how "bad" i was. Jesus said this: Luke 18:19. Of course Jesus wasn't saying "He was not good", He Is God, He was saying that there's no human being who is good. So, by doing "church" things, we don't become any better than we used to be. It's the Holy Spirit in us, molding Jesus' character in us, helping us to bear His Fruit, which contains a "seed" called Goodness. Again, along the way we've being offered a "cheap" gospel where the "lukewarm" is good enough, where we are never confronted with the reality of God's Kingdom: Matthew 10:39. Remember the Parable of the 10 Virgins? Who entered in the wedding? I wrote a Post about it: Wisdom vs. Foolishness: What kind of Believer are You? So, it doesn't matter if you are "Half Committed", before God there's not partiality!

Is It ME or Is It I? The weakest link in God's chain.

If you, unlike ME (or I?), are a grammar expert, you know the answer. The correct answer in both cases is: I! Two days ago, i had a very hard time, after being called, a "liar" twice from two different people (God knows i was telling the truth), i hit rock bottom. Well, yesterday early morning, i realized that the bottom of the "pit" i felt in, wasn't a rock, but a sinking sand, the more i moved the more i sank. In the process i had a break down, cried my heart out to God asking why this was happening, why things have to be so hard. In the afternoon, i caught myself lying, literally. So, today, after the storm, i can see things clearly, like, apart from Jesus i cannot do anything, much less resist the devil. Given the right circumstances, if i'm not fully depending on God, i will sin. That was a hard lesson, so, dependency matters. I believe, whenever we think that we are strong enough to resist sin, God will allow temptations to come just to prove to us that we are sinners, and falling into temptation we will be put where we belong: dust. Many of God's servants had hardships and struggles, like Paul for example: 2 Corinthians 12:9. Or Elijah after having a tremendous victory, he felt so weak that he asked God to take his life: 1 Kings 19:2-4. Or Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane: Luke 22:39-46. In no way, shape or form i'm comparing my hardship with those examples, there's no comparison, i'm just trying to show, to myself first, and hopefully to you, that there are good and bad days, there is victory and defeat, there are mountain top and rock bottom times in our lives, the only One who never lost was Jesus Christ. If we think about it, Jesus' greatest victory was His death, it sounds crazy, but it is true. Death was the last enemy He had to defeat, and He did it, and because He did it, we can have life. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:54-55. Here Paul is saying that one day death will cease to exist, once and for all, because Jesus already defeated it. Jesus also said that we will have tribulation, but, as He defeated the world, so can we. I believe that times like this come so i will not feel strong enough to do things my way, relying in my own strength, depending on myself. After the "storm", i'm again trusting in God's promises, realizing the truth in God's Word: Deuteronomy 31:6. If you are facing many battles and tribulations, don't give up, believe in Jesus, even if it looks like He is "sleeping" in your boat, He is aware of you trials, even if your boat sinks, He will take care of you. Acts 27:21-24. No matter how fierce the battle is, He will lead you to victory.
Conclusion: We are in the battle to fight, if we believe in God, He will help us to defeat the "giants" and enter in the "promise land". If we look the size and amount of "giants", we are already taking the first step to be defeated. 1 John 4:4.

Mega Complex: The Mega Mind Preacher and his Mega Church.

Once upon a time, in a not so far land, called MEGAlopolis, there was a little boy who dreamed MEGAdreams: "When i grow up i will be biggest, most powerful man on earth, the MEGAman". After many years, he started his own business: A construction business. One day he decided: "I will build the biggest hydro electric dam in the world, it will generate 20 billion MEGAwatts, i will call it the MEGAdam". He tried and tried and tried... but he wasn't an hydraulic engineer, so, he failed. Then he started another business: A warfare business. One day he decided: "I will build the biggest atomic bomb in the world, it will have 20 billion MEGAtons of power, i will call it the MEGAbomb". He tried and tried and tried... but he wasn't a nuclear engineer, so, he failed. Then he started another business: A computer business. One day he decided: "I will build the biggest computer in the world, it will have a 20 billion MEGAbytes hard drive, i will call it the MEGAcomputer". He tried and tried and tried... but he wasn't a computer engineer, so, he failed. Then he had a period of depression, suicide came to his mind, but, one day he decided to pay a visit to the neighboring church. The preacher was on fire, shouting: "You cannot outgive God. If you give $10 He will give you $100 back; if you give $100 He will give you $1,000 back...". Then he started another business: A church business. One day he decided: "I will build the biggest church in the world, it will make MEGAmillions of dollars, i will call it MEGAchurch". He started preaching the prosperity theory and the "broadway" gospel, selling t-shirts, holy water, handkerchiefs, coffee mugs, etc. One day he woke up and realized that his dream came true. He became The Mega Mind Preacher. My point is: Along the way, the church embraced the cultural "american dream", which means: Bigger, better, more, in a way that it is doing whatever it takes to have a bigger temple (building), a better environment (grace only gospel) and attract more people (size matters more than righteousness). In itself, the bigger, better, more, is not wrong, the problem is, in order to achieve that, preachers lowered Jesus' "standard" to a "human standard", as Jesus said, Matthew 15:7-9. From Jesus being "the narrow Way", preachers are "broadening" the way to allow more people to walk through it, just forgetting that Jesus said that the "broad way" leads to eternal condemnation. So, holiness, truthfulness, righteousness, faithfulness matter. Again, we must go back to the beginning (early church) and learn with the apostles of Jesus Christ, how to be faithful to Christ's Gospel. By the way, a time is coming, Jesus spoke about it in Matthew 15:13, that the "business oriented churches" will close their doors (file for bankruptcy), because Jesus Christ's church is a "body", not a "business", an "organism", not an "organization". Even if this sounds "crazy" right now, time will tell if i am lying or speaking the truth. Again, i'm not against Mega Churches, maybe there's one out there that is a "body", not a "business" oriented church, i just don't know anyone. Still, i prefer a "David" like church (full of the Holy Spirit) than a "goliath" one. For the ones who think that size matters, i wish you could ask goliath about it.

Was Jesus a law breaker?

Well, it all depends on what law we are talking about, God's law or Men's law. This is another of those highly controversial subjects, that everyone has his (her) own opinion, and very few are willing to subject (submit) their opinion to Jesus' opinion (will). Let's choose, probably the most controversial one: The Sabbath. There are few branches of the Christian Church that even named themselves accordingly, like: Seventh-Day Baptist Church, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, etc. Again, first we need the definition of Sabbath: Sabbath is the day of rest. The first time we see it in the Bible, is in Genesis 2:2-3. From that point on, the Bible talks a lot about the Sabbath. in Moses' law it was very strict, Exodus 20:8-11. In Jesus' time, it became so rigorous (of course because the religious people added so much to it), that they even persecuted Jesus because of it. Luke 6:1-11; Luke 13:14. So, by healing on the Sabbath day, was Jesus "breaking" the fourth commandment? Just because He was the "Lord of the Sabbath", was He guiltless? Why He broke His own law? The truth is: He never broke any of God's Laws! So, how to make sense of it all? First of all, we must define what rest means in the Biblical context. If you take the dictionary, there are tons of definitions for rest, from "a state of inaction" to "the repose of death" (RIP). If you consider the Biblical rest as the "absence of motion", than you will remember that, at least once in your lifetime, after sleeping 8 hours or more, you woke up very tired, like if you didn't sleep at all. So, just because your body came to a "motionless state", can you say that you rested? If not, why not? Ok, read this first: Jeremiah 6:16; Matthew 11:29. Jeremiah is talking about Jesus, the Good Way; John 14:6. So, answering the question, why didn't you rest? Because your soul couldn't rest and it affected you body, that’s why you woke up so tired. The problem with the “view” that “Sabbath rest” means physical rest only, is that your conclusion will be that Jesus Christ broke the fourth commandment when “working” (doing the will of His Father) during the Sabbath. Besides, Paul the Apostle writes this: Romans 14:5-6; Psalm 118:24. So, what’s the Lord’s Day (Sabbath) for you? Saturday? Sunday? Everyday? To me, everyday is the Lord’s Day (Sabbath), and I will choose to rest in Jesus Christ who is my Prince of Peace! Again, was Jesus who said: Luke 20:25. So, answering the question about Jesus being a law breaker, the conclusion is: If the law of men did not violate the law of God, He obeyed it. If it did, He didn't obey it. The same way it works for us. If the law of men doesn't violate the law (commandment) of God, we must obey it. If it does, than we must choose what law (commandment) we will obey: God's or men's. Acts 5:29.

Childlikeness: The Practicality of Jesus' Gospel.

Luke 18:16; Mark 10:15. Since Childlikeness means to exhibit childlike simplicity and credulity, we can see why Jesus said that we must receive the kingdom of God as a little child. Of course, in Jesus' time children were taught to obey their parents, unlike today. When i tell Camilla, my baby girl (she is 20 months old) to jump to my arms, she doesn't theorize, like: Maybe dad is not strong enough to catch me; i shouldn't jump because i'm 23lbs heavier than the air and the law of gravity states that i will fall; i don't feel confident enough to jump right now, etc. Unlike us, grown-ups, little children just do it without any reservation. In that sense Jesus told us to become like a little child, to obey without questioning, to follow without arguing, to believe without reservations. Since practicality means to be concerned with actual use rather than theoretical possibilities, our problem as grown-ups, is trying to understand Jesus commandments before obeying, we usually forget that He is not Savior of the one He is not lord, we cannot divide Jesus, therefore salvation and lordship are indivisible. Of course the actuality, obedience, is way harder than theorizing about the matter. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-30. Do the birds of the air or the lilies of the field worry about anything? Of course, if you think about the birds, they don't spend the whole day in their nests chirping or singing; they don't expect that the worm will crawl all the way to their nest, etc. They leave their nest seeking for food and come back to feed their chicks. So, having faith has nothing to do with laziness or idleness, absolutely, we must work but at the same time acknowledge that all comes from God, that God is our provider. See what Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10. Working is not an option, neither faith is. Little children are not worried about clothing or food, they just live. We must become like a little child, knowing God as our giver and provider. James 1:17; Matthew 7:7-12.

Have you been with Jesus today?

Acts 4:13. There are many sayings that i believe, are partially correct, like: Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are; you are what you eat; i think, therefore i am, etc. When i say i believe they are partially correct, it's because you can be a godly person and have ungodly friends; eat bitter melon and never be a bitter person (bitter melon is known as the most bitter vegetable in the world) or even if you are not a thinker, you still are (exist). Examples: Matthew 11:19 Jesus was called "friend of sinners" because He loved the sinners and yet He never sinned; Mark 1:6 John the Baptist ate locust and was never able to fly; Acts 12:21-23 after the crowd called Herod "god", he died because he really thought he was a "god" (of course he wasn't). The point is: What you think, eat or who you associate with will only influence you to become what you will be, but you still have the freedom to decide what you will be. You can change your "environment", be changed by it or be in constant fight against it. I know it still sounds kinda confusing, so, let's use the disciples as an example: Judas Iscariot walked with Jesus as much as Peter did. Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied Him. Nevertheless, Peter repented and lived and Judas had remorse and killed himself. Peter became so much "like" Jesus (likeness is not equality) that the religious leaders realized that, as in Acts 4:13, Peter had been with Jesus. Many times we try to lead people to Jesus by "saying the correct words", "quoting the correct Bible verses", "showing ourselves to be morally correct", etc. In this case, Peter and John went to jail because they reflected the "Light" (Jesus Christ) so much that even the "blind people" (the religious leaders who Jesus called blind), could see the Light in them. Let's compare Jesus with the Sun and Peter with the Moon. We all know that the moon doesn't have light in itself, it only "reflects" the sun's light, so: We have "night" because "at night" the earth have rotated (the other side of the earth, let's say Japan, they have day), and we suppose to have the sun's light being reflected by the moon. Of course the moon has its phases: New, quarter, full. The moon is at its best when is full, it fully illuminates the night (darkness). The same way we suppose to live (operate): The more we align ourselves to reflect Jesus (the bigger Jesus is in us) the brighter the Light (Jesus) will be reflected through our lives. When we are born again we are like the "new moon" (partially reflecting the sun's light), then we should grow to "quarter moon" and then to "full moon". Of course, the more the "earth" gets between the sun and the moon, the less the moon will shine. The same way it works in the spiritual life: The more attached to the earthly (worldly) living we are, the less of Jesus we will have in our lives, therefore, the less Jesus Christ will shine in and through our lives. 1 John 2:15.
Conclusion: The more Jesus grows in us, the more His light will shine in us, the more His light shines in and through us, the more people will see His character in us (we'll be more like Him). Matthew 5:16.

What to do when doubt strikes.

I think satan's best weapon is doubt. From the beginning (literally), we see him using that weapon. His first "victim" was Eve: Genesis 3:1. Here is what God said to Adam: Genesis 2:16-17. See how cunning satan was, he changed just a little bit what God said (half-truth) and gave it a whole new meaning: God said that they should not eat only the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they could eat from every other tree of the garden. Along the Bible we see satan using the same tactics over and over again, even when it's not explicit, like with John the Baptist, when asking if Jesus was the Messiah. First, John gives testimony about Jesus being the One: John 1:32-34. Then he doubts and sends his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the One: Matthew 11:2-5. What is beautiful is that Jesus didn't answer yes or no to John's question, He only quoted Isaiah 35. To me it means that Jesus was assuring John that He was the messiah but at the same time saying that John still had to believe what God told him. There are different ways that satan uses the weapon of doubt: Through people, circumstances, etc. How many times you and i were pretty sure about something and someone came and said something else and our faith (assurance) just melted down? I remember (i wrote about this) when waiting for our son (it took five years to see the promise fulfilled) that i was completely sure about the promise, and the promise was a Son (boy), when Fabiana got pregnant, people started saying that it was a girl, i kept saying: "No, it's a boy!". Until one day, when one's the most godly friends i have asked this question: "Are you sure God was specific or generic when He spoke about the child?" Like: Didn't God say it was a child instead of a Son? That question struck me so bad that my faith was shaken. Then i started praying like crazy, asking if what i had was faith or only a "deep desire" to have a Son. Couple days latter the Holy Spirit said: "What I said, I said". After that i was ok, but God taught me a great lesson: Make sure that you are hearing God's voice and whatever He says, that's what you have to believe. So, what to do when doubt strike? Keep believing! Just like Jesus Christ told Martha: John 11:40.

Complacency: A Disgraceful Grace.

As of today, the most common definition of grace I heard is: An unmerited (undeserved) pardon (forgiveness). Well, I always bought it, until today (silly right?). When writing this post, I came across with different definitions and distinctions of grace, making my already shortsighted view of grace even shorter (cuckoo). The problem with this limited view of grace is that it is a half-truth (since Jesus Christ is the Truth, there's no half-Jesus). I say that because this vision of grace has a limited application. We could apply it in the case of our salvation: Ephesians 2:8. But, if you consider grace as an unmerited pardon only, how do you reconcile what the Bible says in John 1:14; John 1:17. Can you say that Jesus was full of unmerited pardon? If so, what did Jesus had to be pardoned (forgiven) of? Was He guilty of something? Yep, I know it is a complex subject, right now my mind is twisting and turning trying to make sense of it (I’m praying right now to have a clear understanding about God’s grace). To make matters worse, read this passages: Psalm 45:2; Proverbs 3:34; Proverbs 22:11; Zechariah 12:10; Luke 2:40; Acts 4:33; Acts 13:43. Pay attention to what the Bible says in Luke 2:40; Luke 4:17-19. How about this: Acts 13:43; Galatians 3:3; Galatians 5:16. And this: Romans 8:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Acts 1:8. Well, then you ask: What all of this have to do with Complacency? I’m glad you asked! Here is what Complacency means: The feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself. Why is Complacency a Disgraceful Grace? Because it's not the grace of God! Matthew 16:24. Today, this is the church’s motto: I’m leaving my life by the grace of God! Yeah right. If Jesus Christ said that we must loose our lives: Matthew 10:39; Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33; John 12:25. The question is: Are you satisfied with yourself?
Conclusion: What is now my understanding about grace? Grace is the Holy Spirit in me, helping me to lose my life, therefore, fulfilling God’s Will for Me. James 4:6. Don't be complacent, be filled with the Holy Spirit!

What's the state of the water you're walking on? If so...

Matthew 14:28-30. Of course you know the three states of water: Solid, liquid and gas. Figuratively speaking, walking on water means walking by faith. So when I'm asking what state of the water you're walking on (if you are), I mean, how deep is your faith, because even if you're walking on water (the vast majority of christians are not), you can still be walking on solid water (ice). I remember, about 9 years ago, me and my wife went to Michigan to our friends house and her boyfriend took us to a "ride on the lake" (his car was not amphibious), of course the lake was frozen. It was amazing to me that the ice was so thick that even a car could ride on it. He had some friends ice-fishing in the middle of the lake, really cool, it was an unforgettable experience. So, comparing our walking by faith to walking on water, I could say that when we're born again, we start walking on a very thick ice (it's already water), but as we progress in our journey, the ice starts to get thinner. So, the thinner the ice the bigger the faith. Of course, as it was for Peter it is for us, the purpose is not to keep walking on thick ice, but to progress to a point that we would be able to walk on liquid water, as Peter did in the beginning (also after the Pentecost). I'm sure that Jesus already knew what was going to happened: The storm, Peter walking on water, Peter sinking, etc., and the purpose was to teach His disciples how to walk by faith, that even when it goes against all odds, against the law of nature, laws of physics, etc., still the Word of God, which is Jesus Himself, (in our text: So He (Jesus) said, “Come”), is above any other law. So, when God tells us to walk on water, if we obey, He will give us enough faith to do it. In the beginning of our walk by faith, we don't have enough faith to walk, but, as we obey, we start seeing the results, then our faith will (should) grow to a point where our faith will lead us to obedience. God only asked Abraham do sacrifice Isaac when Abraham was able (had enough faith) to do it. We should stop giving Cain's excuse (when sacrificing): I'm not Abel (got it?). Of course, even when we are able to walk by faith, sometimes we are not willing to do it. So why did Peter began to sink? Because when he (Peter) saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid! So, fear is probably the biggest giant we have to defeat (it's our personal goliath). Just like Jesus' disciples, We are in the same boat, the difference among Jesus' disciples (ourselves) is the willingness and courage to step out of the boat. Remember what the Bible says in 1 John 4:18.

Unforgiveness: The Cause, The Symptom and The Cure.

Probably one of the hardest issues to talk about in the christian life is forgiveness. Unfortunately, it's not often preached or taught, and people like myself, live most their lives imprisoned or entangled by a deep feeling of resentment and even hatred, finding no way of escape. If you ever experienced that, you know that unforgiveness drained the life out of you. I remember that the worst thing about unforgiveness was seeing the person I was hating living a happy life, smiling and such, and I was just slowly and painfully dying. Why do we feel so guilty and ashamed when we don't forgive others? Jesus answered this question in extremely simple words: In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, and in verse 35 He says: "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses". It means that if, from the heart (words are cheap), we don't forgive, we are not been forgive by God. That's why I felt so guilty and ashamed, because God was not forgiving me, of course, because I refused to forgive others. So, for the Cause of Unforgiveness, the guilt feeling is one of the easiest symptoms to detect and of course the Cure is Forgiving. It may sound easy and cheap, but, since there is so much unforgiveness in our world, it is everything but easy and cheap. Of course if you are, like I used to be, in bondage and slave of yourself and the devil, you need deliverance and only Jesus Christ is able to do it, and since there's no magic pill, you have to fight for your freedom. The worst enemy that needs to be put to death is the giant called self, then you must submit yourself to God, then resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you. It's very interesting how satan operates: he cannot touch us, so he will find his way in us through our minds (thoughts), that's why Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5, once satan captures our thoughts, it touches our emotions (soul), then our emotions touch our spirit and our spirit touches our bodies, as it says in Proverbs 17:22. I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist, but as I used to have depression, I can see clearly the way it works. I was amazed when I started writing this post, because I was listening on the radio a song from Chris August called 7 x 70 (I never heard before), let me borrow some lines from his song: 7 times 70 times. If that’s the cost I’ll pay the price. 7 times 70 times. I’ll do what it takes to make it right. I thought the pain was here to stay, but forgiveness made a way. Forgiveness is not a feeling, is an attitude of the heart. Only after we decide (act) to forgive we will really forgive. As Paul talks in Philippians 2, we must to have the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus, it means that as much as Christ forgave we must forgive. For the children of God, forgiveness is not an option, is a commandment!

Jesus Christ Crucified: The Counter-cultural Preaching.

It didn't take long for false doctrines and acceptable sins to appear among the early believers. Actually, in the very beginning Peter dealt with what we would call today in our churches, "white lie". When confronting Ananias and Sapphira, Peter makes it very clear that before God, there's no "white" (acceptable) lies and if you lie in His presence (Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit) you will die. In the context (early church), Peter didn't allow it to continue because it would be like a "yeast", Galatians 5:9, sinful living would be fine or normal, just as it is in today's church. Unfortunately, since the beginning there are false teachers and prophets spreading false doctrines in the church. Paul calls the false teachers "savage wolves", Acts 20:29-30. Jesus Christ himself dealt with false prophets and false teachers. When writing to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, He says that some people held the doctrine of Balaam; that there were false apostles; some were "synagogue of Satan"; there was the spirit of Jezebel, a woman who called herself prophetess, teaching and seducing people to sin against God. Today it's worse than ever, there are many false doctrines and half-truths being preached, so much that the vast majority of believers can't discern between truth and lie. Be honest, how many times you heard a preaching about "Jesus Christ Crucified"? If never, why did Paul specifically said that they (apostles) preached Jesus Christ Crucified and very few preachers today are preaching this Jesus? There are only two reasons for not preaching Jesus Christ Crucified: Preachers don't know this Jesus therefore can't preach Him; Preachers know that Jesus but they don't preach Him because they love the praises of people more than the praise of God. John 12:42-43. I already wrote about Jesus Christ crucified, that means: Unconditional Obedience to God! It's not popular to preach this kind of message, it's a lot easier and more convenient to preach Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Bread Maker, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Good Shepherd, etc., but it's hard to preach Jesus the Lord, because the vast majority of people want a Savior, not a Lord (owner), again, as Paul said: Is Christ divided? If your answer is No, than: Jesus is not the savior of the one He is not Lord! If you're asking: How do I know if Jesus is my Lord? It's simple: Since Lordship means ownership, if Jesus Christ asks you to follow Him will you do it? If He asks you to leave everything to follow Him will you do it? I'm not saying that He will do it or He will ask you to abandon your family, I'm only asking you if you are willing to obey Him whatever He tells you to do. I know it's tough, but the cowards will not enter in the Kingdom of God, as the Bible says in Revelation 21:8. So, as God said to Joshua, in Joshua 1:9. So, don't give up, don't loose hope, be strong and courageous, fight the good fight and God will be with you wherever you go. We must think like Paul: Philippians 4:13.