Showing posts with label lost. Show all posts

Friday, February 13, 2026

Grace is SO there for believing parents (even those with bullheaded prodigals..) and this anointing is more than sufficient in Christ.

Aren't you grateful for your forever family?

We Christians All Suffer Persecution At Some Time Or Another.. Unless We Are Not Living As We Should Be With Pure Uncompromising Devotion To Jesus Christ.

Who Were Some Parents In The Bible That Really Suffered? Who Were The Ones Who Had To Endure The Selfish Waywardness Of Hardhearted Prodigal Children? Can You Relate To Them?

What does the Bible say about comfort?

What does it mean that God is the God of all comfort?

Who is the Comforter?

How do I find comfort and peace when I have lost a loved one..maybe forever?

How can we walk in the comfort of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31)?

Christian parent, it's ultimately God with his Holy (Direct) Authority that many children, young and old, have outright rejected. So don't take it personally.

The world-system and worldly people love their own, so to speak, but they hate Jesus Christ. Their party family of sorts is far from a good family to be in.

What does it mean that Jesus loved His own to the end (John 13:1)?

How can I learn to hate my own sin?

What did Jesus mean when He spoke of those who love their life here more than all else?

Those of the world (the worldly) love their own in a way (is it real love), but what does it mean that God is love?

What does it mean that we are not to love the world?

“We must warn the nations of the world that they must repent and turn to God while there is yet time. We must also proclaim that there is forgiveness and peace in knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.” —Billy Graham

We are to show love to the people in this world, but we are to hate the corrupt world system.

“Who Is My Family?” — I Love How The Kingdom Redefines The Home!

When Jesus asked, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (Matthew 12:48), He was not confused about His earthly relatives. He was confronting a deeper confusion in His listeners. They knew His earthly household—Joseph and Mary (Matthew 1:16), and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55), along with unnamed sisters. The crowd knew. Jesus knew. Yet He asked the question to expose a spiritual blind spot: many trusted their lineage, morality, and religious pedigree as their passport into God’s kingdom.

But the moment matters. Jesus had just healed a blind and mute man (Matthew 12:22). The crowds marveled; the Pharisees fumed and credited His power to Satan (Matthew 12:24). That accusation marked a turning point. Jesus pronounced judgment on that unbelieving generation (Matthew 12:39–45) and began shifting His focus from the masses to the making of disciples who would carry the gospel after His cross.

While He was teaching about accountability and repentance, His family waited outside, seeking a word with Him (Matthew 12:46–47). The interruption gave Him a living illustration. He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:49–50).

A Radical but Righteous Reordering

Jesus was not belittling the biological family. Scripture everywhere honors the home. From the beginning, God established family as the cornerstone of society: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28); “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Genesis 2:24). The Ten Commandments protected family integrity (Exodus 20:12, 14). Paul later urged, “Children, obey your parents… Fathers, do not provoke your children” (Ephesians 6:1–4; Colossians 3:20–21). Marriage was sacred to Jesus (Matthew 19:4–6), and even mixed-faith households carried redemptive influence (1 Corinthians 7:14).

So Jesus was not minimizing the earthly home; He was magnifying the eternal one. He was declaring that bloodlines do not grant new birth, and proximity to religious privilege does not equal saving faith. John makes this unmistakably clear: “To all who received Him… He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent… but born of God” (John 1:12–13).

The kingdom family is formed not by DNA but by faith and obedience—repentance toward God and trust in Christ (Matthew 4:17; John 3; John 14:6). Those who do the Father’s will—believing in the Son—become His true household.

As Charles Haddon Spurgeon once observed, “The nearer we are to Christ, the nearer we are to one another.” Spiritual kinship is deeper than shared genetics; it is shared regeneration.

The Gospel Rewrites Our Identity In Christ

Many in Jesus’ day assumed that being descendants of Abraham secured their place in God’s kingdom (Matthew 3:7–9). Jesus dismantled that false security. Heritage could not replace repentance; works could not substitute for righteousness received by faith (Matthew 5–7). The Sermon on the Mount had already taught that external association does not equal internal transformation. Now He illustrated it: even His own physical relatives could not claim spiritual priority apart from obedient faith.

In Pauline language, believers are “adopted” into God’s family (Romans 8:15). In Christ, the dividing walls collapse: “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26–29). This new family spans cultures and centuries, drawn “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9). Its distinguishing mark is not ancestry but love: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35).

Billy Graham put it simply: “The family is the basic unit of society,” yet Scripture reveals an even deeper unit—the redeemed family of God that lasts forever.

When Faith Divides—And Yet Spiritually Unites Us

Jesus’ words also comfort believers whose devotion to Christ strains earthly relationships. Loyalty to Him may at times create painful distance. Yet He assures them they are never orphaned; they gain a greater family. As John Piper reminds us, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Satisfaction in Christ forms bonds stronger than blood.

George Barna's research repeatedly notes that only a small minority of those who identify as Christians hold a consistently biblical worldview. That sobering reality echoes Jesus’ warning: outward association with religion does not equal inward submission to God’s will. The true test of belonging is faith that produces obedience (See John 14:1, 6).

God basically calls us to know Jesus well, and make Him well known around the world, starting at home -- it's a real close relationship!

Greg Laurie said: Jesus does not call admirers from a distance; He calls followers who trust and obey.

Need an Illustration?

Imagine a man raised in a devout household—scriptures read, hymns sung, prayers spoken daily. Yet years later, he drifts, relying on his upbringing as proof he is secure with God. One day he hears Christ’s words: “Whoever does the will of My Father is My family.” The realization pierces him—he had inherited religion but not new birth. He repents, trusts Christ personally, and discovers a deeper belonging than heritage ever gave. He has not abandoned his earthly family; he has finally joined the eternal one.

I enjoy the old hymn that captures it well:

“Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.”

Most people who live accusing (you know, like the devil does..) and grow up secretly writing about their hatred of their flawed parents.. don't change.

Comparatively, a few prodigals will repent and change as they turn to Christ (small is the gate and narrow is the way to life--it's as wide as Christ), learn to appropriate the grace to forgive, and to walk as they should in relationship with Jesus. Righteiously, not self-righteously or self-confidently.

Who is the accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12:10?

He was created such a beautiful angel, so why did Lucifer choose to become Satan the accuser and destroyer?

Is born again virginity possible?

What does it mean that the believers will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony?

Jesus’ question in Matthew 12:48 is like a spiritual scalpel. It cuts away all false confidence in ancestry, morality, or proximity to so-called sacred things. It reveals that the truest family is formed by saving-faith-filled obedience to the Father through the Son (Jesus Christ). Earthly families are gifts of grace; spiritual family is a lasting miracle of grace.

My Point?

The call of God the Father is primarily to Christ His sinless Son. None will have a good excuse before His Judgement Bar.

It's so clear and very urgent -- His call to life -- cuz life here is short and we have the Bible: Therefore, repent, believe, and belong in God's family before it's too late. While you are still sucking air.. you have a chance to repent and be forgiven. Otherwise not.

What does it really mean to choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19)?
Broad is the road that leads to destruction—why?
Is God totally sovereign or do we have a free will?
Choose Jesus and find out you've been chosen from before this world was created. So, why did God choose me, a sinner, a real enemy of His?
What does “I set before you life and death”?

Be reborn spiritually (the greatest free gift, can't earn it), get a second chance at life from Him who graciously and generously gives second chances to those of us who need em. Clean up your life and then come to God... BAD IDEA. Come to Jesus and He will forgive and clean up your life.

Not merely by a physical birth do we enter His forever family, but by His new birth (a free gift/blessing that's better than all other gifts or blessings. See John 3:3). Not merely by seemingly close association, but by true allegiance. Not merely by biological heritage, but by heart.

And when that allegiance costs you acceptance in your home, remember this: in Christ you gain forever brothers and sisters across the globe that really love you.. yes around the world and across eternity. The household of God is much larger, stronger, and everlasting. I value the people -- and this family dynamic.

So, Who Were Some Of The Parents In The Bible Who Endured Prodigal Children?

1. The Father of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32)

Child: The younger son who demanded his inheritance and squandered it in sin.
What the parent endured:
- Public shame (a son wishing his father dead by asking for inheritance early).
- Long waiting, grief, and hope: “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him…” (Luke 15:20).
Feeling explicitly shown: Compassion mixed with longing; he watched and waited.
Outcome: The son returned in repentance and THEN was restored in the family with JOY!

“This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:24)

2. Adam & Eve – Cain the Wanderer (Genesis 4)

Child: Cain rejected God’s counsel, murdered Abel, and became a fugitive.
What they endured:
- Loss of one son through murder and the other through exile.
Feeling implied: Grief beyond words; Scripture records the tragedy without commentary, emphasizing the devastating consequence of sin in the first family.

“You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” (Gen. 4:12)

Outcome: Cain did not return to God.

3. Noah – Ham’s Dishonor (Genesis 9:20–27)

Child: Ham dishonored his father and showed irreverence toward God’s order.
What Noah endured:
- Shame and humiliation within his own household.
Feeling explicitly seen: Noah’s grief surfaces in his prophetic pronouncement over Ham’s line.

Outcome: No clear repentance is recorded.

4. Isaac & Rebekah – Esau (Genesis 25–27)

Child: Esau despised his birthright and chose worldly priorities over covenant blessings.
What they endured:
- Deep family grief: Esau’s marriages “made life bitter” for his parents (Gen. 26:35).
Feeling explicitly stated: Bitterness and sorrow over his spiritual indifference.

Outcome: Esau never truly returned to covenant faith.

5. Jacob – Sons Who Strayed (Genesis 37; 42–45)

Children: The brothers who sold Joseph into slavery.
What Jacob endured:
- Years of crushing grief, believing Joseph was dead.
Feeling explicitly stated:

“All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.” (Gen. 37:35)

Outcome: The sons eventually repented and were reconciled.

6. Aaron – Nadab & Abihu (Leviticus 10:1–3)

Children: Offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.
What Aaron endured:
- Sudden judgment of both sons in one moment.
Feeling explicitly shown:

“Aaron held his peace.” (Lev. 10:3)
A stunned, silent grief under God’s righteous judgment.

Outcome: No return; they died in rebellion.

7. Eli – Hophni & Phinehas (1 Samuel 2–4)

Children: Corrupt priests who despised the Lord.
What Eli endured:
- Reproof from God and eventual loss of both sons in battle.
Feeling explicitly recorded: Shock and collapse when hearing their deaths (1 Sam. 4:18).

Outcome: They did not repent.

8. Samuel – Joel & Abijah (1 Samuel 8:1–5)

Children: Corrupt judges who “turned aside after gain.”
What Samuel endured:
- Personal grief and national consequences; Israel rejected his leadership partly because of his sons.
Feeling implied: Deep disappointment, leading him to pray to the Lord (1 Sam. 8:6).

Outcome: No recorded repentance.

9. David – Absalom (2 Samuel 13–18)

Child: Rebelled, stole hearts, and led a coup against his father.
What David endured:
- Betrayal, exile, civil war, and the death of his son.
Feeling explicitly recorded:

“O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you…” (2 Sam. 18:33)

Outcome: Absalom died unreconciled.

10. David – Adonijah (1 Kings 1)

Child: Attempted to seize the throne in rebellion.
What David endured:
- Political intrigue and familial heartbreak near the end of life.
Feeling implied: Pain over a son exalted by indulgent parenting (1 Kings 1:6 notes David had not disciplined him).

Outcome: No true repentance recorded.

11. Hezekiah – Manasseh (2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33)

Child: One of Judah’s most wicked kings.
What Hezekiah endured:
- The heartbreak of a godly father seeing a son plunge into idolatry.
Outcome: Manasseh did repent later (2 Chron. 33:12–13) — a powerful prodigal return story.

12. Hosea – Gomer (Prophetic Marriage Picture) (Hosea 1–3)

Though a spouse, Hosea’s experience mirrors a parent’s heartbreak: loving one who repeatedly runs after sin, yet patiently seeking restoration—an image of God’s love toward His wandering people.

What Exactly Did These Parents Endure?

They in fact suffered:

Public shame (Luke 15; 2 Sam. 15)
Grief and prolonged waiting (Gen. 37)
Bitterness of heart (Gen. 26:35)
Betrayal and rebellion (2 Sam. 18)
Silence under God’s discipline (Lev. 10:3)
National consequences (1 Sam. 8)

God’s mercy remains available as long as life here remains for each of us.

Comfort From The Word For Parents of Prodigals:

“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” — Psalm 145:8

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6

“Return, O backsliding children, says the LORD; for I am married to you.” — Jeremiah 3:14

“I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely.” — Hosea 14:4

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” — Acts 16:31

“The Lord is not slow… but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish.” — 2 Peter 3:9

You Can Encourage Parents Who Are Waiting Year After Year For Prodigals. Me Too -- I Ain't Holding My Breath, But Am Trusting As God Meets All Our Needs.

God will respect the choice of any hardhearted stubborn sinner sending themselves to hell, but they'll have to step over Christ's dead body (that's loving them and now alive) to get there. He will allow anyone to go to hell. He forces no one to come be with Him (through the one Door--Christ) in His Holy Heaven who doesn't want to be there.

Charles Spurgeon

“If your children will not hear you, they cannot hinder you from praying for them.”

Monica (about her prodigal son Augustine)

“The child of so many tears shall never perish.”

Billy Graham

“Never give up praying for your prodigal. God specializes in hopeless cases.”

J. C. Ryle

“Parents cannot give grace to their children, but they can plead for it on their behalf.” I'm not the source of it, but I can share the grace I've recieved. I can forgive too, cuz I've been forgiven.. so I will.

Need Some More Encouragement?

The Bible never hides the real anguish and hurts of godly parents with stubborn, wandering egotistical children who live for self etc (mentally ill or not, He knows)—yet it repeatedly shows that God’s mercy often outlasts all the rebellion.

We're flawed, we've made some mistakes we do or don't even know about. There were times when I had my family in a few spiritually sick local churches.. before I knew they were.. and I sincerely apologized for that. We all need to ask the kids to forgive us when we blow it, as I have done more than once. Not easy. God forgives us parents, when we turn to Him.

Some prodigals in the Bible returned Home to their Father (BEAUFIFUL! ie, the younger son, Manasseh), and some actually did not (Absalom, Cain--they apparently went their whole life in sin), but in every case their parent’s faithful love mirrored the heart of God Himself—who still waits, who still calls, and who still receives all who truly repent and come home.

Thursday, September 18, 2025

America, snap out of it. Throw some cold water on your face or something. American, get a hold of yourself! If you've been celebrating that someone was shot and killed cuz they believed differently that you do, ya might want to rethink your humanity and start acting like a human.

Your very humanity, heart, and future are at stake.

If you have been celebrating lately (I mean in between your ears, inside your hardened heart or publicly..even posting about it) that someone was shot and killed in America because they simply believe differently than you, you might want to rethink your humanity. That type of thinking and behavior is SO FAR FROM humane.

Listen, we are part of the same human family so guess what..we are allowed to disagree with each other because this is America. It's so true that if God made any two of us exactly the same, then one of us would be unnecessary..but we don't need to be and act evil.

In America, we are allowed to think differently and be unique, even if you don't believe in the one God who gives us freedom and wants us to appreciate freedom on every level.

Sure, in America, we're allowed wonderful freedoms other Americans died for us to enjoy .. freedoms other nations aren't allowed.. that other nations don't enjoy.

Do you consider yourself a unique person of freedom? Are you a real American or just living here enjoying the benefits of other humans' sacrifice.. and of American soldiers' sacrifices?

If you've lost your humanity somewhere along the line and you're actually celebrating someone's death who simply wanted to hear and dialogue with you, then you need a change starting inside.. of heart and mind today. You desperately need a major course-correction too, before you end up with other heartless non-humans in an undesirable place.. in a Lake with an unending and extremely strong burning sensation. You were born a human, so search what's left of your heart, be changed, start over. Yes, have a new beginning and then act accordingly.

Q: How dead is spiritually dead inside, how depraved is real depravity? How very broken and lost are people in this world?

Why did Jesus say, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners?

Is it right to be praying on behalf of the unsaved in colleges and elsewhere? Sure!

Jesus was human, too. He didn't have that or any evil inside--no, He had and still has a heart for those who agree or disagree with Him.

You were born into the human family, so please act like a human. Do you have a hardened heart? Can you still distinguish right from wrong? Do all murderers listen to other voices?

The liberals think being fired is worse than being fired at and into. I say ditch them - choose to be humane. Don't walk run.

In such a short time, there's been a whole lot of confirmed firings of wrongly celebrating heartless Liberals from their jobs.

TPUSA: In one week, there have been 54,400 new Chapter inquiries since the murder of Charlie Kirk, who simply wanted to dialogue with college kids.

"I now realize not every voice deserves an audience. Some people don’t want dialogue—they want chaos. And I see the best way to defeat hate isn’t to engage it, but to starve it. Hate thrives on attention and dies in neglect." – by that theologian, Jillian Michaels

The hate was towards the one telling the truth.. Charlie.. not the one who shot him.

What does God actually say about self-deception?

How will the strong delusion cause people to believe the lie? Are we really living in the last days? Are we at the end times of the end times? Even if you don't believe this, I promise that you are living in your last days as will give an account.

How did "The Fall" affect you and all humanity? Sup with "the fall?"

One of the immediate ill effects of the Fall was that humans started acting like they were non-humans. Yep, like animals gone stark raving mad, cuz they were now separated from a loving God. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect communion before their poor decisions.

What does it really mean to be human? What is a man or a woman, a boy or a girl?

A part of humanity in the end times, really? (each of us with huge value is made in the image of God)? So what is human nature inside, and what has your nature been like?

God created man and woman, that is, mankind--you, even, with a body, human spirit, and a soul inside that will exist forever in one of two places. The body is the material, whereas the soul is immaterial and endures beyond the physical surroundings. So have you discovered your specific human purpose here?

You know the creation mandate in the OT (found in Genesis 1:26-28), reveals that the purpose of man is to reflect God's image, to glorify Him, and to wisely rule over this creation.

Qs: Is your human soul mortal or immortal? Do you now have a seared conscience or a normal human conscience? We're all with value in the human family of sorts. Are we all children of God, or are only Christians God's children? Who are the people of God?

How can I have a new beginning and get a clear conscience?

You and I are to live as humans--is there any goodness left? I'm talkin' about what sets human beings apart from the animal world.

What does the Bible say about your human heart and inner motives?

Is it even biblical to ask Jesus into your heart?

What!?.. there's such a thing as the fallen condition of human hearts? See Mark 7:21-23: “From within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality.."

He was caught, and he confessed to it. Was he sorry or sorry that he got caught? What does it mean that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.."

Why is there so much paranoia, delusion (people believing lies), and mental illness today?

What does God have to say about dissociative identity disorder?

How do we distinguish a psychological disorder from real demon possession?

What is scrupulosity, and how can it be overcome?

What does the Bible say about dealing with mental illness?

Do or can.. mentally ill people go to heaven? Why today is there so much schizophrenia?

What does God say about enjoying mental health?

What is the great deception in the Bible?

What does it mean to be pure in heart? Can you be washed clean all the way, forgiven of sin, and have pure motives that please the Lord? Sure, but not make that happen all by yourself. You've tried to perhaps. Will all the consequences for my wrongdoings go away? No.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). And blessed are those who mourn too.

Be careful, little tongue, what you say, freak out and yell, or post? You want to stay employed, right? What are idle words (Matthew 12:36)?

Can He really enter and rule as a kind Lord inside? What did Jesus mean when He said, “I stand at the door and knock.."?

Have you heard this.. "if you would only “open your heart's door” and let Jesus into your life, all will be well. Uhh, yes, and no. You might just experience fierce opposition for dialoging with kids about what's so and get shot in the neck!

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Have you been mourning, grieving, and troubled inside? So sorry about that. It's indeed a process to go through. So many people around the world have been wearing a heaviness after the shock from the attack against Charlie Kirk. God loves you. He can heal and help you. When Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” He was comforting His disciples with those words, who definitely had troubled hearts. Please become His (not my) disciple.

What does the Bible mean when it says that we humans will receive a new heart? God in the Bible speaks often of the human heart, mind and inner motives. What's a motive? It's the underlying reason for any action. Proverbs 16:2 says, “All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD."

It's been said that truth hurts until it sets you free. Sometimes the motive of wicked humans was to just silence what people like Charlie Kirk or Stephen were saying.

But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence and the power and inspiration of the Spirit by whom he was speaking. Acts 6:10 amp

Stephen’s life, brief as it was, was used of God to make a monumental impact. His influence came not from the length of his ministry, but from the fullness of his faith, courage, and submission to the Spirit. In many ways, he bridged the apostles’ ministry to the global mission of the church. Through persecution, God’s plan moved forward. Through Stephen’s martyrdom, the gospel reached new lands and hearts.

We can look at Stephen and see what God still desires in His people: courage, wisdom, grace, faith, and a life so surrendered that even death cannot shake it. His story reminds us that significance is measured not by years, but by depth, faithfulness, and alignment with God’s will.

(NKJV), They were "not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit" by which he spoke.

(NIV): "But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke."

(NLT): "None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke."

(KJV): "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake."

(NCV): "But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him."

52 "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law as ordained and delivered to you by angels, and yet you did not obey it!”

54 Now when they heard this [accusation and understood its implication], they were cut to the heart, and they began grinding their teeth [in rage] at him. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit and led by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory [the great splendor and majesty] of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened up [in welcome] and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and together rushed at him [considering him guilty of blasphemy]. 58 Then they drove him out of the city and began stoning him.. (yep, to death for simply having true ideas other than theirs.) amp

Stephen had been serving others, and then doing wonders (8). Have you done any waiting of tables? From serving tables to doing miracles! Yup, real ones--they don't call those regulars" cuz they typically would happen very rarely.

Stephen reached out to the lost and sought to win them to Christ. If you are faithful with a few things, the Lord may give you many things (Matt. 25:21).

He was simply dialoguing while facing his enemies who hated him and the good he stood for (9–15). He took a stand for the God of truth that he adored.

The unbelievers treated Stephen the way the Sanhedrin treated Jesus: they arrested him on trumped-up charges and hired false witnesses to testify. Stephen experienced “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10), and so will you if your witness hits home (Matt. 5:11-12). They lied saying Stephen was opposing Moses, but God graced Stephen--he had a shining face just like Moses (Exod. 34)! Don't you get it religious and other folk!?

They were so hateful and angered so they accused Stephen of being false and unorthodox in his beliefs (Acts 6:13); but yesterday’s sound orthodoxy had become today’s heresy to them - the council was behind the times! The Law had been nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), and the veil of the temple had been torn in two. Within a few years, both the city and the temple would be gone, and Hosea 3:4 would be fulfilled. Are you following man’s mere tradition or what's really true?

My Current Musings and Reflections:

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” – C.S. Lewis
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” – Tertullian
“Grace is the beauty of form under the influence of freedom.” – Friedrich Schiller
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28

It all began with a local church problem (think early church). Some of the Hellenistic widows—Jewish women who had come to faith in Jesus but were from Greek-speaking regions outside Jerusalem—were being overlooked when it came to the daily distribution of food. The Jerusalem widows, those familiar to everyone, were cared for diligently, but these others quietly slipped through the cracks.

To ensure fairness and provision, the apostles decided that someone needed to oversee this work. Seven men were chosen, described in Acts 6:5 as “of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom.” The first on the list is Stephen—a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. From this point, Stephen takes center stage in the narrative of Acts 6–8.

Stephen was a Greek-speaking believer, a Hellenist, familiar with Jewish synagogue life but also navigating a world that was partially foreign to him. Yet he, along with the other six, was entrusted with the care of those widows who needed it most. And this was just the beginning of what God would do through him.

By Acts 6:8, Stephen emerges as “full of grace and power, performing great wonders and signs among the people.” His ministry stirred opposition. Members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen—including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others from Cilicia and Asia—challenged him. Yet they could not withstand the wisdom and Spirit guiding his words. Out of envy, they arranged for false witnesses to accuse him of blasphemy, dragging him before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest demanded a response. Stephen spoke at length, recounting God’s faithful work through Israel and culminating in a vision of Jesus at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55–56).

When his audience rejected his words, they stoned him. In his final act of faith, Stephen cried, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” and, astonishingly, prayed for his killers, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:59–60). Saul, the future apostle Paul, was present, consenting to Stephen’s death, and from this moment persecution scattered the believers, sending the gospel outward to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1).

Stephen’s life was brief in human terms, yet its significance is immense. He was not a deacon—those came later—but he served tables faithfully. He was not an apostle, yet signs and wonders confirmed his divine calling. He was not a prophet, but he preached the truth of God with authority. He bridges the early apostolic ministry of Peter and the later mission to the Gentiles under Paul.

His choosing reveals the esteem in which he was held. The church selected seven men from thousands for this responsibility, and Stephen’s name heads the list. His name, Stephanos, means “crown,” and indeed, he earned the victor’s crown through martyrdom. Acts 6:5 highlights his character: “full of faith,” completely governed by a consuming, unwavering belief in God’s promises.

Stephen believed in the God of the Old Testament, in the sovereignty of God over history, and in Jesus as the Messiah, risen and exalted. He trusted fully in the Holy Spirit, yielding his life entirely to God’s guidance. He spoke with wisdom that confounded his adversaries, and his grace was evident even as they sought to kill him. In Acts 6:8, he is described as “full of grace and power,” a man whose life radiated the Spirit’s presence.

His courage was extraordinary. Straightforward Stephen confronted those who were angry, very hostile, violent and resistant to truth, boldly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, even at the risk of death. The Synagogue of the Freedmen and other Hellenistic Jews rose against him, yet he did not retreat. In Acts 7:51, he rebuked them with clarity, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears… you have now become the betrayers and murderers of the Righteous One.” This was not timid evangelism—it was heroic faith.

Finally, Stephen’s countenance reflected his inner life. Acts 6:15 records, “All who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.” Even under accusation, threatened and surrounded by false witnesses, the glory of God shone through him, reminiscent of Moses after encountering God in Exodus 33–34. The Holy Spirit manifested visibly through his presence, a living testimony to God’s sustaining power.

Stephen’s martyrdom was not the end—it was a beginning. It triggered the scattering of believers, fulfilling Jesus’ promise in Acts 1:8 to spread the gospel beyond Jerusalem. The very man who would become Paul likely carried in his memory the image of Stephen’s unwavering face, a vision that would shape his own transformation and mission.

Today, Stephen is still a model of what God is looking for on earth. He wants more people to one day join Him in heaven. He saw in Stephen such a courageous faith that dominates old fleshly nature (not the new nature or Holy Spirit in Him). He saw godly wisdom that confounds the corrupt world system and fallen angels even. He saw a robust muscular yet respectful grace (He as God put in there..) that extends even to real enemies, courage that faces death without hesitation, and a life wholly surrendered to the Spirit. His brief ministry illuminates the enduring truth that it is not the length of life, but the depth of faithfulness, that changes the world.

READ some more on speaking truth in love, and sometimes suffering or dying for it:

John the baptizer had boldly called the sin in Herod’s marriage to Herodias as sin (see the contexts - Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29). It cost him his head.
See Deuteronomy 22:5 (often used in debates on gender expression) — Kirk himself quoted from this.
Muse on Leviticus 18, and 20 (on sexual immorality, same-sex relations).
Think about natural law - God “created male and female” – Genesis 1-2.
Jesus’ teaching the truth in love was offensive to some. People chose to get triggered by what they shouldn't have been triggered with (e.g., John 15:18-20; Matthew 10:34-39 about being a divisive message). Jesus wanted and still wants people to come to repentance, faith and God's free salvation but some just won't have it. What did Jesus mean by coming to bring a sword in Matthew 10:34-36?

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Only two kinds of people these days -- Judah-types and Reuben-types. Back in Joseph's day he had some rascals as brothers. How did they differ?

Seems like there are only two kinds of people these days. There sure are two: 1.) Judah-types, who turn and confess their sins to God. Their hearts are softened, and 2.) The hard-hearted Reuben-types who for some excuse or another.. cover their-sins-up and refuse to humbly repent and believe. They are calloused, or seared dead inside. Even the fig leaves don't work good enough with them. The Bible says...

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy..” (nlt)

Joseph was a saved-sinner by faith -- he'd experienced brokenness like Judah had. So many people on earth -- there are only two types of em really. Lost or saved, (forgiven). Those not yet born again spiritually, and those totally cleansed and regenerated. Those in Christ who are open to maturation, wanting to grow in the grace and truth of the Scriptures..... and those not yet this way who have remained closed to His Message of truth. They’re just not yet into being spiritual in a healthy balanced sense, not into maturing on every level. They don’t want to think about heaven, hell or the spiritual battles that rage around them.

Judah was a rank sinner too, like his brothers were, but remember how he claimed that his wrong was greater than Tamar's, and how his offense was more worthy of punishment. True, it was. But his changed heart was the start of his true repentance. Some are merely sorry that they got caught, that they've been exposed and there are now consequences. I'm sure that you've encountered false repentance before, but this wasn't like that. I personally was saved in a moment when confronted with my sin in a small Newport Beach Bible study. Sometimes there's a bit of a process when someone's coming to repentance though. The Spirit works as their mind engages with Him -- God reasons with them.

"Come now, and let us reason together,' Says the LORD, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.'" Isa. 1:18 nkjv (Come to Christ right here and now. No excuses. No need to wimp-out and put it off another moment!)

Then his inner changed heart led to outward changed behavior: "And he did not know her again" (v. 26c). Although in some perverted way Judah could have rightly taken Tamar as a wife, he knew that would be wrong. So he never again indulges in lustful pleasure with her again, completely turning from his past sinful ways.

Think about it. Judah does seem to be a man transformed by genuine repentance—a change of mind leading to an ongoing change of behavior. For throughout the rest of Genesis, we witness Judah's nobility, his selfless leadership, and his courage. God will use this changed sinner with faith to carry on the covenant name—the promised seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Judah had lost his seal to a prostitute, but here God seals him with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14; 4:30). He had lost his staff in a proverbial and perverse one-night stand, but God would replace it with a royal scepter (Gen 49:10). He had been impure with a woman not his wife.. God hates such infidelity ..but the Lord would make him a new man with a new heart who longed to worship and obey Yahweh.

No, but Judah’s a believer whose faith points ahead in time to the cross. Our saving faith points back in time to the Cross.

Are you open or closed? Do you live a life of integrity, a life on-fire for Christ?

Believer, I challenge you to. Yes, live the life by faith and the power of the Spirit, and go tell your story. And share the Gospel tactfully. Do this clearly. boldly, accurately. I like to spend my time verbally witnessing to people who are open to the truth rather than those how stick a palm in my face. You know what I mean - I only want to be a blessing to people. And why cast my pearls before spiritual swine who are closed-minded? Maybe they've been burned somehow before by a so called Christian? I want to pray for both open and closed people. -- we all need to do that because God can turn a closed-minded person into an open minded by His mercy and grace.

Are you open to the Gospel or closed-minded? Are you forgiven and forgiving?

Forgiven people really need to become forgiving people, and those "cover-ers of personal sin" need to learn how to run to God to uncover it all to Him. He knows it all anyways.

It’s a good thing to quickly..not slowly..go tell on yourself to God asking for his cleansing so you can learn to hate sin like He does.

For me what's beautiful to see is not only how Joseph constantly gives the credit to God with the use of his gift, but I never seem him exploiting or maneuvering or manipulating or even grasping for a higher position in life (Love.. isn’t self-seeking). He wanted the baker to remember him in prison because he suffered injustice and wanted deliverance is all. It was Pharaoh's birthday and what gifts did he get? He got two dreams and a leader in Joseph. Joe's head is lifted up elevated (Study: Remember what happened to John the baptizer’s head on King Herod’s birthday after all that dancing?). After interpreting the king’s dreams, Joe sees the great need immediately (for two Egyptian administrators, a wise and a discerning one there. v.33), but he not once acts self-seeking or self promoting (he obviously does not view himself as wise or discerning. See the context. Joseph in Gen. 41:34-35 says, “Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.” What was the greatest gift there with Joe? This.. “The Lord was with Joseph” (the Giver of good gifts was there. Genesis 39:3, 5, 21, 23). You and I may also suffer injustice or come into other distressing circumstances at times, but our attitude, outlook and how we respond is always important. Think, talk and act like proper men.. men. Think, talk and act like proper women.. women! As we learn from the account of Joseph’s life, by remaining faithful to the Faithful One (the Lord) and accepting that God is ultimately in charge of the situation, we can be confident that the Lord will deliver, will comfort, will restore, and will eventually... in His perfect time.. reward us. Who would blame Joseph if he had turned his brothers away in their their time of need? Yet Joseph showed them mercy, and God desires that we exercise mercy above all other sacrifices (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13). Joseph’s story shows us how God overarching sovereignly works to overcome evil and to bring about His good plan. After all Joseph’s multiple ordeals, Joseph was able to see God’s hand at work..even to fix his own family situation. As he finally revealed his identity to his brothers, Joseph spoke of their sin this way: “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.. It was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:5, 8). Later, Joseph again reassured his worried brothers, offering them his forgiveness and saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Man’s most wicked intentions can never thwart the perfect plan of God.

Joseph was a forgiven believer with a gift. He was a forgiver too like his God is.

Notice with Joseph’s forgiveness of his bros--there was a realistic appraisal of their sin. “You meant it evil against me..” No: “Aww, you guys, don’t worry about it. Just forget it--It was nothing.”

Remember this... that cheap or flippant forgiveness is no forgiveness at all. And apologies really ought not try to do the job that only repentance can do. A nicely worded slippery apology is merely a courtesy to civility--sure, it can be an end-run around true repentance. We all need the later and saving faith. How easy it is to be flippant in forgiveness or even in receiving God's free forgiveness. It’s been rightly said that, “Forgiveness is never any better than our personal ability to receive it.” Have you..yet?

Think about it, Jesus Christ came from Judah who humbled himself and changed Listen, when you and I get to heaven through faith in Christ and we get to meet some Old Testament people like Jacob, Judah, and Joseph we will see that they are there by faith alone with nothing added to it. None of them earned their way in by good works. Like we in faith point back in time to the Cross, these godly people in faith pointed ahead in time to that bloody Cross at Calvary -- to Jesus the Ultimate Solution for all mankind.

These believing-sinners were not puffed up with pride, but were humble, were open to and committed to Scriptural truth. They were submitted to authority (both Direct and delegated authority). There was brokenness, repentance, contrition, the fear of God and love with them. Their hearts had a Yes-posture towards the Holy Spirit of God, yes to whatever, whenever and wherever -- they maintained that. Their candid openness and confession towards God.. their relationship is what helped these men to obey, to grow, to mature and to glorify the Lord. And God used these people to save and help so many others! God can use us too!

See (Gen 44:18-32) how Judah tells Joseph the whole recent story from the beginning (JUDAH SELFLESSLY INTERCEDES FOR BENJAMIN).

When he Jacob sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die: Think about it, 20 years before Joseph’s brothers showed a callous disregard of their father when they reported Joseph’s supposed death (Genesis 37:31-33). Judah showed they were now greatly concerned for the feelings and welfare of their father. This was more evidence of a change of heart.

See (Gen 44:33-34) how Judah is ready to lay down his life for Benjamin and his father. You recall how Judah was the one who suggested selling Joseph 20 years earlier. (37:26-27). We tend to look up to our older brothers as heros or examples, so can you imagine how Joseph felt when all his bros completely betrayed him?

1. Who was this Joseph in the Bible? How did he not lose his faith or hope?

How is understanding the life of Joseph the overcomer valuable to our spiritual growth?

2. Why did Pharaoh give Joseph so much power?

Why did Pharaoh make Joseph second in command over all of Egypt?

3. What is the story of Joseph and Potiphar?

Why did Potiphar have Joseph thrown in prison of having him killed?

4. What should we learn from the tribe of Joseph?

What does the Bible say about the tribe of Joseph?

5. What is the story of Joseph and his brothers?

Why did Joseph's brothers sell him into slavery?

6. What kind of "divination" did Joseph do in Genesis 44:5, 15?

Why would Joseph even use divination.. or did he really.. when this is against God's commands?

7. Who were the priests of On? Was Joseph wrong to marry the daughter of a pagan priest (Genesis 41)?

Was Joseph wrong to marry the daughter of a pagan priest (Genesis 41)? Why did Pharaoh give Joseph the daughter of a priest?

8. Where was Joseph when Jesus was an adult?

What happened to Joseph? Did Joseph die before Jesus began His public ministry?

9. Was Joseph the same person as Imhotep in Egyptian history?

10. Why did Jacob give Joseph a coat of many colors? Was it wise for him to do this for Joseph?

Why were Joseph's brothers so angry at him? Every had a teacher, a boss or parents play favorites with a sibling.

11. What can we learn from the account of Potiphar’s wife?

Why did lustful Potiphar's wife get all warm to Joseph's form instead of remain faithful to her husband. As is so common in our day.. why did she get this urge to unrighteously merge..proactively trying to seduce him?

12. Who was Benjamin in the Bible and how did Joseph feel about him?

13. Today there are so many weird and off-base teachings on dreams, but what are some biblical examples of dream interpretation?

14. How did God use dreams and visions in the Bible.. even in the life of Joseph?

Why did God choose to give out some promises via dreams -- why did He communicate through dreams and visions to people?