Proverbs 4:1-27

“Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life”

[Study Aired Nov 28, 2024]

The body of Christ can and does benefit from the wisdom that God gave to Solomon who passed this wisdom onto his physical children. That relationship that he had with his children typifies the spiritual relationship that God’s children have with Christ who is our wisdom (1Co 1:30-31), who freely gives to us what we freely give away (Mat 10:8 , Joh 3:21 , 1Co 12:4-6 , Eph 4:7-16) as his wisdom and knowledge is made manifest to us via the church (1Pe 1:12 , Eph 3:10-12 , Col 1:26).

1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption:

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (sanctification)

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

It is one thing to apply the wisdom of Solomon in a very practical earthly way, versus seeing the hidden messages that are there for the benefit of the few branches that are called and chosen to be connected to the vine, Jesus Christ, who is typified by Solomon. Being connected to the vine requires the faith of Christ, otherwise our house will not stand in the day of adversity (Mat 22:14 , Pro 24:10 , Luk 22:32).

Keeping our heart with all diligence, spoken of in (Pro 4:23), is speaking about not neglecting the mind of Christ that has been given to the body of Christ (1Co 2:16). With these principles in mind we can now look at chapter four of proverbs and, Lord willing, be spiritually enriched as we are reassured of the benefit and blessing that has been promised to those who are blessed in this life to read, hear and keep the sayings of the prophecies of this book, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.

Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

These opening words are so instructive, as they represent Christ pointing to God the Father who is ultimately the one who is giving all the instruction that we receive through Christ and His body. Christ attended to the instruction of His Father as we must attend ^H7181 to what Christ our head tells us.

H7181 qâshab kaw-shab’

A primitive root; to prick up the ears, that is, hearken: – attend, (cause to) hear (-ken), give heed, incline, mark (well), regard.

Total KJV occurrences: 46

“Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father” is a verse that reminds us that we are to hear Him through Christ just as wives are to hear Christ in their husband who is the head (1Co 11:3). Christ heard the Father and obeyed him, setting us an example of how we are to be subject onto Him and to Christ in each other (Deu 6:4 , Eph 5:21-25).

1Co 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

He has given us “good doctrine” and, when we value the things of the spirit, we, like Peter, will say “to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (Joh 6:68). Only God can give us the power to not forsake His law, “forsake ye not my law“, and only Christ can give us the faith and strength to not faint in the day of adversity, so boasting is excluded by the law of faith as we “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Luk 22:32 , Php 3:14).

As an important side point, when we forsake the assembling of ourselves together, we are forsaking that part of the law that tells us not to do that (Heb 10:25), thereby robbing God and ourselves of the true riches that come to us when we do present our whole life unto Him as a living sacrifice (Mal 3:10 , Rom 12:1). You may have, by physical circumstances beyond yourselves, never attended a gathering of the saints and yet because of a dedicated wholehearted desire to serve God, you have never forsaken the assembly of God. Conversely, we can show up physically and be guilty of abusing our time together (1Co 11:20-22). The point being, God looks on our hearts and we are striving together in heavenly places to be sanctified through Christ wherever we are, and blessed by the occasions that we can do so physically, or via Zoom or email etc. (Php 3:14 , 1Co 9:24 , Eph 2:6 , Eph 3:10 ,  Heb 10:14).

Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Pro 4:3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

These next verses explain that Christ was born of a virgin and came in corruptible flesh (Mat 1:23 , Psa 51:5). He was the only begotten of the Father (Joh 1:18) and “tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother“, which signifies Christ and our blessed relationship with the church that is typified by Mary.

As a physical man, Christ was taught of his Father just as we are taught of Christ now via the church of whom Christ is the head. What the Father taught Christ is what Christ teaches the church and that is, “Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live“(Rev 1:3).

Christ was told to “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth” and these following verses show that relationship of growth that both the head and the body of Christ must experience: (Luk 2:52 , 2Pe 3:18 , 1Jn 4:17). If we are granted to not forsake God’s law which is found in his doctrine, not forsaking the words of His mouth (Luk 6:46), “she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee“, again the “she” representing the body of Christ, in the feminine.

Luk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

We are as Christ in that regard as well (1Jn 4:17), needing to be judged in this life (1Pe 4:17) as we learn obedience by the things we suffer (2Ti 2:12 , Col 1:24). We are called to not “decline from the words of my mouth“, growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Heb 5:8 , 1Th 5:21 , Joh 8:31-32 , 2Pe 3:18).

If we “Forsake her not“, we are told that we will be blessed with wisdom, and Christ will “preserve thee“. If we show love to Christ and the church by keeping God’s commands (1Jn 5:2-3), the church will keep us, “she shall keep thee“.

The church is also represented by Noah’s ark, whose family was preserved. The ark did not build itself either, it took planning and consistent hard work on the part of Noah and his family. We are told specifically that Noah moved with fear, which is the spirit that we must have if we are going to go unto perfection on the third day (Heb 11:7 , Heb 5:7).

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Pro 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
Pro 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

Christ’s mind is the principle thing, and it is through our Lord who is the head of the church that we can “get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding“.

We exalt Christ and glorify our Father in heaven as Christ did when we have a desire and hunger to know the Lord and His body with all our hearts. Therefore we are told, “Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her“. The “her” again in these verses represents Christ in the church and we “embrace her” by following each other as we follow Christ (1Co 11:1).

When the Lord builds the house within us (Psa 127:1), it is being done through the church and so when we read, “She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee“, we are looking at words that typify the earnest of our inheritance (Eph 1:14) that will ultimately lead to our being in that blessed and holy first resurrection as kings and priests (Rev 20:6). The goal is reached via the many members that supply their part in love (Eph 4:16 , Rom 8:17) within the church (1Co 9:24 , 2Co 9:6), provoking one another unto love and good works, thereby helping each other obtain “an ornament of grace” and a “crown of glory“.

Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (1Jn 3:1)
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.(Rev 1:13)

Pro 4:10  Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Pro 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Pro 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

If we receive the sayings of Christ and continue in them, they will set us free and “the years of thy life shall be many“. This is a spiritual statement telling us that if we are blessed to read, hear and keep the eternal words of God, enduring until the end of this life, we will be saved and be in that blessed and holy first resurrection. The years of our life are abundant and many when Christ’s life is in us (Col 1:27 , Joh 10:10).

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

We are that angel to each other that not only strengthens Christ in the garden (Luk 22:43 , 1Jn 4:17), but also the angel that God uses to help each other remain on the “right paths” so that we don’t stumble (Mat 4:6 , 1Jn 4:17). When we move forward together as one body, with one spirit, as one bread, then “our steps shall not be straitened“, and when we run we “shall not stumble”, seeing we will hold each other up in those moments when we need to bear each other’s burden and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).

Pro 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

Taking fast hold of instruction; and not letting go is saying the same thing as (1Th 5:21).

1Th 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

The mystery that has been hidden from the ages is this very relationship with our “life” which is Christ (Joh 14:6) who is the only “way” by which we can come to know the Father as we continue in the “truth” (Eph 5:32 , Col 1:18 , Eph 5:25 , Joh 8:31-32).

With Christ as our shepherd in this life, the holy spirit is going to lead us into right paths “not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil“. Through Christ we will be compelled to “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away” as he leads us by still waters, for His name sake (Psa 23:1-3 , Rom 8:14-16).

Psa 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Pro 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Pro 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

“They sleep not” means the world does not rest in the Lord but rather lives in spiritual darkness being mischievous (2Co 4:4 , Rev 12:9 , 1Jn 5:19), and can only find rest after they have caused others to stumble. This causing others to stumble and not even knowing what they are stumbling at, “The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble“, is what Christ calls the dead burying the dead (Luk 9:60). It is not the true bread of life, it is the mammon of this world and the pursuit of evil that sustains the first man Adam described as “the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence“. It seems right but it leads to death (Pro 14:12).

The sleeplessness of the wicked is contrasted with the path of the just which is “as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (2Pe 1:19 , 1Pe 2:9).

2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Pro 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Pro 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Pro 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Pro 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Pro 4:25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Pro 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Pro 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

In conclusion, with these last verses of chapter four, Christ brings us back to the principle points that we are to know, as we sojourn in the Lord who tells us we can be victorious through Him when we are granted to know and believe [blessed eyes that see and ears that hear Mat 13:16] that we are more than conquerors through Him, as these verses demonstrate: (Rom 8:28 , Rom 8:31-39 , Rom 5:5 , Rom 5:10).

The earmarks of a true son of God (Rom 8:14) and the blessing of knowing our Father and Christ are made very clear in these last few verses (Pro 4:20-27). We simply must attend to God’s word, which Christ brings to the body, and we are told to incline our ears unto these sayings, and never let them depart from our eyes, keeping them in the midst of our hearts, binding mercy and truth on our hearts as we die daily, and stand on God’s word (Rev 1:3).

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

God’s words are the spiritual manna that sustain us, and it is meat and drink indeed as Christ told us to eat the body of Christ and drink his blood, which is the true bread from heaven that the manna only typified in the wilderness. That bread will be “life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh“(Eph 5:30 , Pro 3:6-9), unto those who “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life“, who will as a result of that diligent search caused by Christ (Php 2:12-13), be able to “Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee” from within primarily, but also knowing when we need to leave a situation of evil communications that will corrupt good manners, fleeing fornication, idolatry, and youthful lusts (1Co 15:33 , Gal 6:7).

Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. “health to all their flesh”
Pro 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

[We honour God by simply acknowledging that He is the one who gives that increase in our lives (1Co 3:6), and He is the one who leads us unto repentance (Rom 2:4), and He is the one who gives us the ability to confess our iniquities (Psa 32:5  , 1Jn 1:9), it is all of the Lord.]

The elect must first experience not letting “thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee” before we can teach this way to others (Isa 30:21), and it is when we “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established” by committing our ways unto the Lord (Psa 37:5), that we will be given the spiritual strength to “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:“, “removing our foot from evil“!

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

[Study Aired January 17, 2022]

Mat 15:32  Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 
Mat 15:33  And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 
Mat 15:34  And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 
Mat 15:35  And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 
Mat 15:36  And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 
Mat 15:37  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 
Mat 15:38  And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. 
Mat 15:39  And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

INTRODUCTION

All the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John talked about the feeding of the multitudes. In Matthew and Mark, they mentioned the feeding of the five and four thousand people but in John and Luke, only the five thousand people fed by the Lord are mentioned. As we have come to understand having two or more witnesses assures us that this story is well established. In other words, it will surely come to pass as sure as the sun rises in the east and set in the west!!

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

In Matthew, the feeding of the four thousand was introduced by a story pertaining to Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. Let’s take a look at this story as it sets the basis for the feeding of the multitude:

Mat 15:21  Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
Mat 15:22  And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
Mat 15:23  But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
Mat 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mat 15:25  Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
Mat 15:26  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
Mat 15:27  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
Mat 15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Here Jesus traveled outside Israel to Tyre and Sidon which were Gentile cities north of Israel. Tyre and Sidon represent people of the world, and so what took place there reflects God’s plan for the people of the world. There Jesus met a Canaanite woman who requested that Jesus would have mercy on her daughter. Apparently, the daughter was severely oppressed by the devil. This woman had heard of Jesus, and being a woman means that she represents the physical churches of this world, that is, Babylon. We all came out of the world (Tyre and Sidon) into the church system of this world where the daughters of the churches of this world are under bondage to sin. This bondage to sin is the same as the oppression of the devil who became our father in Babylon.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Jesus’ refusal to answer her is to let us know that in this dispensation the word of God is for the elect and not for Babylon or the world. In other words, the word of God is written only for the elect to understand.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (Babylon and the world) it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they (Babylon and the world) seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

At that time, the disciples of Jesus were not converted, and so their mentality was just like us when we were in Babylon. They told Jesus to send the woman away. This is the same as saying that people should be responsible for their own actions. We also had the same mentality as the disciples, thinking that people are responsible for going to hell to burn forever. However, our Lord has a wonderful plan of salvation for the world which will be unveiled at the right time.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

Verse 24 says that Jesus told the disciples he came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That is to say that in this age, the Lord is focusing on His elect who are His lost sheep. As He is, so are we. We also have the mandate to seek after the lost sheep, who represent the Lord’s elect. We are that one sheep that strayed from the ninety-nine sheep, who the Lord is going after in this age.

Mat 18:12  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 
Mat 18:13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 
Mat 18:14  Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Jesus told the woman that it is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. The children here are the Lord’s elect, and the bread is the word of God. The dogs represent us while we were still in Babylon. At that time it was impossible for the word of God to penetrate us because of the evil one. Not giving the children’s bread to the dogs therefore means that we were not capable of receiving the word of the Lord.

2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

The woman’s response in verse 27 was very insightful. She said to Jesus that dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table. What this means is that the woman accepted that she was a dog. In other words, she was a sinner. It was only then that Jesus answered her request or healed her daughter. Accepting that we are dogs is the same as admitting we are spiritually poor. It is when we admit this that salvation comes to our doorstep. The healing of her daughter is the same as bringing salvation to the world. So, the whole world would have to admit their spiritual poverty before salvation can be theirs. This will be accomplished in the lake of fire age.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The next few verses of Matthew chapter 15 therefore talk about the salvation of the world.

Mat 15:29  And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
Mat 15:30  And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: 
Mat 15:31  Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

The multitude here represents the world including Babylon. The lame being healed means we can walk before the Lord blameless. The blind are those who do not understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. At that time, the children’s food will be given to the dogs. The maimed are those wounded or oppressed by the evil one. They shall no longer be in bondage to the evil one. The dumb are those who cannot hear and therefore cannot speak the word of God. Casting their cares at Jesus’ feet means submitting to Christ.

Exo 4:15  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 

THE FEEDING OF THE FOUR THOUSAND

These introductory stories serve as precursor to the feeding of the multitude. Let’s now take a look at the feeding of the four thousand in Matthew 15:32-39.

Mat 15:32  Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

We must take note of Jesus’s compassion for the multitude. Compassion has to do with being merciful. One significant quality our Lord expects from us as we grow in Him is being merciful. We all start our lives in Christ thinking we call the shots, and therefore we were not merciful to those who were fumbling in their walk with Christ. We were just like the disciples who wanted Jesus to send the multitude away. The Lord is inculcating in us the need to be merciful because He has shown mercy to us.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

The fact that Jesus had compassion on the multitude is to let us know that in the fullness of time, our Lord’s compassion will be unveiled to the whole world. The fact the Lord said that He will not send them away without feeding them is to assure us that God has a plan for the feeding of the world with His word. This plan is centered on us as saviors for the people of the world. The whole story about the feeding of the multitude is about the salvation of the world.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Jesus said that the multitude had continued to be with Him for three days. At a point in our walk with the Lord, we were just like the multitude who had been with the Lord but are starving of the word of God. This starvation of the word of God is one of the four sore judgments of the Lord to bring us out of Babylon to Himself. The three days means that the famine of the word of the Lord is part of God’s judgment of us.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Mat 15:33  And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 

What the disciples said is the same as what they said to Jesus when he told them that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. The rich man here represents us at some point in our lives when we taught, we were spiritually okay in Babylon.

Mar 10:24  And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:25  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

Mar 10:26  And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 
Mar 10:27  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

The fact that the disciples thought it is impossible to find food in the wilderness spiritually signifies that they doubted the salvation of all men just like all of us when we were in Babylon.

Mat 15:34  And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

The seven loaves of bread signify the complete word of God which is the full counsel of God. What we are having now is the word of God which will feed the multitude or the world and bring them to Christ. The few little fishes are the elect. We, together with what the Lord has given to us through His word, is what will save the world.

Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 

Mat 15:35  And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 

Although in this age the whole world is not submitting to Christ except the elect, a time is coming when at the command of the Lord, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord!!

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 
Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 
Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Mat 15:36  And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

The breaking of the bread by the Lord is the opening of our understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. In this age, the Lord is breaking bread and giving them to his disciples who symbolize the elect.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

During the age of the lake of fire, the elect will serve the whole of humanity with the word of God which we have received from the Lord. That is what will bring about the salvation of the world.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 
1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 
1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Mat 15:37  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

During the lake of fire age, the whole of humanity will walk in the word of the Lord and understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 
Rev 7:11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 
Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 
Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 
Rev 7:16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 
Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

The broken meat that was left was about seven baskets full. The broken meat represents false doctrines. The number seven means complete, and so what we are being told is that the complete false doctrines in the heavens of all humanity will be left behind or burnt as everybody will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. That is what will enable all humanity to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

Col 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Col 1:10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

Mat 15:38  And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

The number four stands for the whole of the matter under consideration. 4,000 = 4x10x10x10. Therefore, four thousand men feed means that it is when the whole of humanity is full, they will be fed with the word of the Lord. The statement that the four thousand men, besides women and children, did eat is to make us aware of the irrelevance of the church system of this world with all her children in the salvation of the world.

Mat 15:39  And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala. 

The sending away of the multitude is to make us aware that the time for the salvation of the world is not in this age. Our Lord is currently sending away the multitude by taking away the little knowledge of the Lord they have and giving it to us. He is also speaking to them in parables, blinding and making them deaf and hardening their hearts, all in a bid to send the multitude away.

Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

The spiritual significance of the feeding of the four thousand is the salvation of the world. There are slight variations in the story as presented in the gospel and this is done to give us additional information about the salvation of the world. I will take this opportunity to point out the additional information given in the account of this story. In Matthew chapter 14:13-21, the feeding of the five thousand is presented.

Mat 14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 
Mat 14:15  And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 
Mat 14:16  But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 
Mat 14:17  And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 
Mat 14:18  He said, Bring them hither to me. 
Mat 14:19  And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 
Mat 14:20  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 
Mat 14:21  And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. 

Verse 16 says that the multitude need not depart and that the disciples should feed them. This is to emphasize the point that it is the elect that will feed the world with the word of God. The five loaves hers is the word of God. The number five means grace through faith. The grace on a positive note is the Lord Himself coming to us to be our enjoyment. So, the five loaves is Christ coming with His brightness which is His word.

Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

The coming of the Lord also has a negative context which is that of chastening. The brightness of His coming is the fire of His word which will destroy all our carnal thoughts.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

As we are aware, the teaching here is actually chastening. The fish represent the elect, and the number two means a witness. We are the two witnesses that will feed the world with the word of God. As indicated, the fragments represent false doctrines, and the number twelve signifies the number of Christ. The twelve fragments of baskets are to remind us that all of our false doctrines are all part of Christ plan for our lives. The five thousand men fed means that we are saved through grace when our sins are full and that it is not of ourselves but the work of Christ.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

“Counting on leaders to follow Jesus Christ”

September 3, 2014

It indeed is not a “new thing” to wonder if we place our trust in those who may not be worthy of our trust. After all, we have all experienced those who are respected overseers being deceived in doctrine or outright refuses to follow the doctrines of Christ set forth and established by Jesus Christ and the “sum of thy word”.

Psa 119:160 (ASV) The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.

However, that does not mean that the Lord has not placed faithful servants into these positions of oversight.  Leaders placed in the church have always been questioned as to why “they” are qualified to be leaders, so let us go to the sum of the Word, not just SOME of the Word, and see what the Word of God has to say on this topic.

What then is the function of a teacher, preacher or leader in the body of Christ? Paul proclaims and tells us to “be a follower of me as I am a follower of Christ,” so that would instruct us that Paul is a leader of followers of Christ. It is also easy to miss the point the Paul himself calls himself ….. a follower.

In other words, we all fall in line in following Jesus Christ.

“Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen”

In the beginning,  the Lord asked Cain why he was wroth and why his countenance had fallen.

Gen 4:5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

“If thou doest well …. you’ll be accepted ….. but if thou doest not well ……sin liest at the door.”

Sin is simply missing the mark, and it is the discernment the Lord has given me that tells me that you are missing the mark in doctrine when you believe that the Lord does not have anyone He has placed in the church in the roles of teachers, preachers and elder-ship.

I hope everyone can come together with one mind on this topic, and that one mind can only come from the Holy scriptures. I am hoping to be used to help us look at this from a different angle which will hopefully be used to shed some more light on this topic as the Lord wills it.

G2233

hēgeomai

Thayer Definition:
1) to lead
1a) to go before
1b) to be a leader
1b1) to rule, command
1b2) to have authority over
1b3) a prince, of regal power, governor, viceroy, chief, leading as respects influence, controlling in counsel, overseers or leaders of the churches
1b4) used of any kind of leader, chief, commander
1b5) the leader in speech, chief, spokesman
2) to consider, deem, account, think
Part of Speech: verb

The Greek word “hēgeomai” (sounds like hedge to me) 2233 is used in many different ways and translated into English in a variety of words, but it is used to give a very defined concept of what it is this Greek word means.

We can look at these examples, study them, and then pray the Lord will reveal to us what is being said. I will give you what I believe the Lord has shared with me about what they mean, but I implore you all to consider the matter for yourselves.

It is easy for us all to say “we think” or “I feel” or “I know” but at the end of all of those statements, I personally only want to follow what scripture tells/shows me is true about ANY doctrine.

Here is where G2233 is used in the New Testament.

G2233

hēgeomai

Total KJV Occurrences: 28

count, 7

Phi_3:8 (2), 2Th_3:15, 1Ti_6:1, Jam_1:2, 2Pe_2:13, 2Pe_3:9

chief, 3

Luk_22:26, Act_14:12, Act_15:22

counted, 3

Phi_3:7, 1Ti_1:12, Heb_10:29

rule, 3

Heb_13:7, Heb_13:17, Heb_13:24

esteem, 2

Phi_2:3, 1Th_5:13

governor, 2

Mat_2:6, Act_7:10

think, 2

Act_26:2, 2Pe_1:13

thought, 2

2Co_9:5, Phi_2:6

account, 1

2Pe_3:15

esteeming, 1

Heb_11:26

judged, 1

Heb_11:11

supposed, 1

Phi_2:25

Here then are some of the above verses listed out.

Very early in the gospels, we are told that a Governor will be given to us:

Mat 2:6  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

In English, I know the word “rule” can be quite offensive, but the thought being conveyed by a Governor being given, is that the very definition of “Governor” used here EQUATES to and is the same as “rule” mentioned in other places in scripture.

Then, we are told this Governor will rule “my people Israel”. The word used as rule here has a very specific meaning.

Those who “rule/govern” feed the flock, and those who FEED the flock RULE, but what does that mean according to scripture?

The Father’s Governor will be used to, “poimaino”, to “feed” the flock.

G4165

poimainō

Total KJV Occurrences: 12

feed, 4

Joh_21:16, Act_20:28, 1Pe_5:2, Rev_7:17

rule, 4

Mat_2:6, Rev_2:27, Rev_12:5, Rev_19:15

feeding, 2

Luk_17:7, Jud_1:12

cattle, 1

Luk_17:7

feedeth, 1

1Co_9:7

One who is used to be a governor, a chief, a judge will FEED Israel.

So, in context of this topic, does the Lord place those who are ruler/chiefs / judges / governors to oversee His flock?

Let us see if if we can scripturally determine sound doctrine, with these above scriptures, to answer this question.

We are talking about G2233 (govern/rule/chief/judge) and G4165 (feed).
 

Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count (G2233) all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Those that are esteemed as leaders have done what we all must do and have counted the cost. When we get done counting, all that is counted is LOSS. Do the leaders of this fellowship demonstrate that within their example?

So leaders are “counters“.

2Th 3:13  But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
2Th 3:14  And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
2Th 3:15  Yet count (G2233) him NOT as an enemy, but ADMONISH HIM AS A BROTHER.

Those which have been appointed by God to be overseeers of the flock are told to not become weary in well doing, and just what is a HUGE PART of this well doing? –> “If any man OBEY NOT OUR WORD ….”

What then is “our word” if not the Word of God, which we weigh ALL THINGS, the ALL THINGS which have been given to the flock, AGAINST the Word of God?

We are followers of Christ. We are followers of the Way, Truth and Life and we implore all of the SHEEP under our watch, whom have been appointed by the Lord Himself to the membership in this body, to follow the voice of the True Shepherd. Follow us as we follow Christ.

We tell the sheep to COUNT the cost of listening diligently to the Words of the Lord, apply them to your hearts and minds, and be DOERS of the Word.

Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

1Ti 6:1  Let as many servants as are under the yoke count (G2233) their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
1Ti 6:2  And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

Keep counting daily.

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count (G2233)  it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Here then is the negative application of “counting“. My comments are emphasized in ( ).

2Pe 2:11  Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. (against whom are accusations brought against I ask you all?)
2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count (G2233)  it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

The Lord is not slack when suffering such things and those whom He dwells in learn to be the same.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count (G2233) slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Anyone who has been placed to be an overseer within the body is not only placed there by God’s will and manifested to be placed in this role, but is also explained as being counters of all the things mentioned above.

Those who have been “set” into these positions are the first ones to tell you that the role of counting the cost is NOT an EASY one. In Truth, it is an impossible one for any of us without the Lord working miracles in us.

Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:

1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

It is true that we can have certain times that these traits come out in all of us, but as far as “established governments” go, the Lord is not slack in telling us to be diligent in recognizing His will in this process and placements of these overseers for the benefit of the flock.

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

Jesus Christ alone gives His gift of Faith, and counts out who He deems is faithful to be set in these gifted positions. Ask yourself, to WHOM does He send these prophets and apostles to?

“Also said the wisdom of God, I will send them…..God hath set some in the church” It is God who predestines it all.

So, when He appoints anyone to MINISTRY, to SERVICE, to be a servant, He does so by giving faith and counting those same folks as FAITHFUL. Do you see this in your leaders?

Here are some other G2233 definitions taken from scripture and defined by the same.

Luk 22:26  But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief (G2233), as he that doth serve.

Act 14:11  And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
Act 14:12  And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief (G2233) speaker.

Act 15:22  Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief (G2233) men among the brethren:

Here then are some of those things which are hard to be understood if we do not weigh them against the “sum of thy Word”.

We must not let words, and how we personally define them, be what drives our thoughts on a doctrine.

Heb 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Heb 13:7  Remember them which have the rule (G2233) over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; NOT WITH MEATS, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

Grace is a gift from God. It is something He gives according to His Will. Who are we to question who He the Lord gives Faith (which is made manifest in someone or not according to the Lord) or grace to, in order to accomplish the work of the ministry?

Heb 13:17  Obey them that have the rule (G2233) over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Heb 13:24  Salute all them that have the rule (G2233) over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.

Those that have “the rule over you” have so much more to their role in the body of Christ than what appears on the surface and in the letter.

That is not to say that it is MORE IMPORTANT than another’s appointment, but simply that these verses alone don’t fully reveal the entirety of the conversation on this topic and doctrine.

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem (G2233) other better than themselves.

1Th 5:12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13  And to esteem (G2233) them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And BE AT PEACE AMONG YOURSELVES. (they had to deal with this same spirit from the beginning)
1Th 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Paul was a “counter”.

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15  And account (G2233) that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Those who have been appointed as governors/judges/chiefs/counters simply tell all the body of Christ to follow the voice of the True Shepherd.

Heb 11:11  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged (G2233) him faithful who had promised.

We as leaders judge Him Faithful alone. Just as Moses laid out judges to judge all of Israel, so too has Jesus Christ appointed judges of many different types to do the work of the ministry, but ALL still pointed back to Moses who judges the “great matters.” 

This is what my Awesome Hands study is about in the next study since we’ll be in chapter 18 of Exodus, and this is a great type and shadow of what we are talking about here.

Exo 18:22  And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

Exo 18:25  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
Exo 18:26  And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

Isn’t is plain to see? RULERS are MEASURING STICKS. Rulers are those that measure out the pattern of what is being said and done, versus what has come before them, as an EXAMPLE laid out by Jesus Christ.

Eze 43:9  Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
Eze 43:10  Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
Eze 43:11  And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.

We bring and doctrine, and false doctrine and all spirits to the flock for YOU to measure the pattern. We are asking the flock to do what is so often proclaimed boldly…. being a follower of Jesus Christ the Word of God.

Do not follow a man, but be a follower of Jesus Christ in another member of the body who has been manifested to be set into a position of leadership, teaching, preaching, apostleship, so on and so forth.

Doesn’t the Word of God make it clear that the Lord has set these ministering roles out for those whom He has found faithful?

“Feeders of the flock”

The Father’s Governor, the pattern which must be measured against —– Jesus Christ —— sets out His own governors/rulers (hegeomai) to be used to “poimaino”, to “feed” the flock.

Here it is:

Joh 21:16  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed (G4165) my sheep.

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed (G4165) the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

1Pe 5:1  The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:1Pe 5:2  Feed (G4165) the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed (G4165) them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

What then has the same Holy Spirit of God inspired ALSO be equated to FEEDING the flock? “Follow me as I follow Christ Jesus”

Mat 2:6  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule (G4165) all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule (G4165) them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev 2:24  But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have NOT THIS DOCTRINE, and which have not known the depths of Satan, AS THEY SPEAK; I will put upon you none other burden.
Rev 2:25  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule (G4165)  them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

There you have it.

To feed the flock is to rule with a rod of iron. That may not sound flattering. It may sound cold, but as it sounds in your ears and as it is seen by yours eyes, so will YOUR IDOL be used to judge you no matter who you are.

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, FEEDING THEMSELVES WITHOUT FEAR: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

“Feeding (G4165) themselves WITHOUT FEAR”

Those which attempt to RULE THEMSELVES, taking the gold of the Word of God and turning it into fruit that withereth and which is plucked up by the roots, will reap what is sown, corruption.

“Lord of lords, King of kings”

Lordship, which can easily be intertwined with the English word “rule”, but there is only one who is the Lord of lords, and King of kings.

G2961
kurieuō
Total KJV Occurrences: 8
dominion, 4
Rom_6:9, Rom_6:14, Rom_7:1, 2Co_1:24
exercise, 1
Luk_22:24-25 (2)
lord, 1
Rom_14:9
lords, 1
1Ti_6:15
lordship, 1
Luk_22:25

 

Being a Lord over someone is not ever in the mind of Christ for those who follow Christ. We are commanded to not “Lord” over anyone for any reason. We no more have dominion over another person than death has over Christ.

Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more “dominion” over him.

For us to understand just what this means, all we have to do is learn from our own expereinces.

What has had dominion over you in the past? What currently has dominion over you? That is the “lordship” we are talking about. To have complete control of the subject or servant one has control over is to be their lord.

In the case of something that has dominion over us, it is an absolute power in our lives. It is a power that we ourselves CANNOT overcome without Christ in us doing it via grace, which chastens us.

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Rom 7:1  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

2Co 1:24  Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

There is no WAY for anyone who has been given the role as a leader, a teacher, a preacher, an apostle and evangelist, so on and so forth, to have dominion over FAITH…. which is freely given by our True Lord.

Luk 22:23  And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.
Luk 22:24  And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.
Luk 22:25  And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
Luk 22:26  But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

We serve by example by saying, “follow me as I follow Christ” which was the focus of this entire study.

Rom 14:9  For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Dominion which I am speaking of here is the type of lordship that a slave or servant can never overcome. When a lord says “jump” that servant jumps.

However, the previous sections were all about governors/rulers (measuring sticks of sorts)/judges/chiefs who have been given to be full of Faith given to them and have learned to discern both good and evil …. and are still learning daily.

Their job is to lead others to this same spiritual place, just as Jesus came to show us the Way.

Luk 17:7  But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding (G4165) cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
Luk 17:8  And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Luk 17:9  Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

1Co 9:7  Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth (G4165) a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

It is the duty of a leader, preacher or teacher to deliver the feeding, the rule of the Lord, to those whom He alone has placed under their care which only ever points to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

What Is Christ?

The scriptures instruct us:

Rom 10:6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 
Rom 10:7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 
Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word [Christ] is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

The apostle Paul had no doubt that what he was preaching was “Christ… the word of faith, which we preach”. These verses, reveal, for those who have the eyes to see it, that Jesus Christ is the fire that comes out of the mouth of His witnesses. “Christ… The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth…”

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 

Christ is the fiery words in the mouth of His witnesses, and while it is very little understood or appreciated, God Himself has empowered those in whom He dwells to devour their enemies with His fiery words which proceed out of His mouth. He has even empowered them to shut off the waters of heaven from their enemies, and to “smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will”.

Christ’s witnesses are a power for their enemies to contend with, simply because they know Him, and they have His words in their mouths. Christ Himself made this same statement earlier in Mat 18:

Mat 18:18  Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.

The things which have been bound and loosed on the earth, and the things which have been bound and loosed in the heavens are all the Words of Christ, which are always true.

If we are not even aware that we have these powers, it is because we do not have them. Paul knew his own powers in the spiritual word of God, and he did not waver in that power.

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 

I have emboldened the words “my speech and preaching was… in the power of God”, because it was what Paul said and preached that demonstrated the spirit and power of God. If I say anything of my own, it is nothing but “enticing words of man’s wisdom”. But when I demonstrate what the scriptures actually teach I am “demonstrat[ing] the spirit and power” of God.

When we live in and by His word that is what Christ meant by “abid[ing] in my word”. (Joh 8:30-31)

1Co 7:40  But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

“I have the spirit of God… we have the mind of Christ… The word of faith [is what] we preach, [and we] know the Truth”.

Joh 8:31  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
Joh 8:32  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (ASV)

“If you abide in My Word” means that you and I must know Christ before we can abide in Him. If Christ is in any man, that man knows Christ is there, and he also knows Christ when He hears Christ’s voice in another man:

Joh 10:4  When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

“Know not the voice of strangers” actually means the exact opposite of what it appears to say. What that means is that anyone who “know[s Christ’s] voice, recognizes when they are not hearing Christ’s voice. “They know not the voice of strangers” means they do not identify with a stranger’s voice, and the word voice means the “speech and… preaching” is recognized as the “enticing words of man’s wisdom” instead of “the demonstration of the spirit and of power” which “spirit” is the Word of God:

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they
are life.

So that is ‘what’ Christ is. He is His Word, and His Word is Him:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3  All things were made by him [the Word]; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Who Is Christ?

As Saul of Tarsus, Paul wanted to know who had struck him down on the road to Damascus, and the Lord answered him in no uncertain terms:

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

We, too, want to know who Christ really is, because Christ warned us that there would be many people who would come in His name and claiming to be Him who would not really even know Him at all:

Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Exactly when is this going to happen? Here is the answer to that question which the apostles asked our Lord:

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Christ has been in those who know His voice in every generation since He was raised from among the dead. Here is who He tells us long before He told Saul of Tarsus who He is:

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

“The least of these my brothers” is not just those in whom Christ dwells. “The least of these my brothers” includes the man who was robbed and beaten on the way down to Jericho. It includes anyone the Lord brings before us at any time. We must treat everyone as though “the least of these my brothers” is Christ Himself, nevertheless Christ and His body should come first as we deciding who Christ is and when we are pouring out our own alabaster box of precious ointment:

Mat 26:6  Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
Mat 26:7  There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
Mat 26:8  But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
Mat 26:9  For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
Mat 26:10  When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
Mat 26:11  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
Mat 26:12  For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
Mat 26:13  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

The holy spirit repeats the message contained for us in this story in these verses:

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 

‘Do good to all men’, but we are all commended for pouring out of our own precious ointment “on my body… especially unto them who are of the household of faith”.

That is who Christ is. He is “especially [His own] household of faith, [His] disciples”.

Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Where is Christ?

Earlier we read in Revelation 11:

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

“Them that worship therein” are those who know that Christ is His Word. They “know His voice when they hear it, and they worship in His temple.

Where is that temple?

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

That is where Christ is. He is in His temple. But we are also told that His temple is in the heavens:

Rev 14:17  And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

Rev 15:5  And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

The meaning of “in heaven” becomes much clearer when we understand the demonstration of the spirit and power of God in these words:

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves [you and I if Christ is within us] with better sacrifices than these.

When we come into that house of God we are commanded to watch our steps:

Ecc 5:1  Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Ecc 5:2  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

It is best to simply quote Christ’s words which are spirit and life, rather than to say anything. It is best to let Him do all the talking because that is where Christ is; He is in His temple, and He is in His “temple which is in heaven”. “[We] are the temple of God [if] the spirit of God dwells in [us]”. It follows that “the heavenly things themselves” are also those in whom Christ dwells because it is we who are “purified with… better sacrifices than… the blood of calves and goats”. (Heb 9:19) Christ has always been in His people, and that is what He Himself has promised us:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This is what, who and where Christ is, and where He has always been since His resurrection. He is His Word, He is those who are persecuted for His sake, and he is within His temple which is within the heavens.

This is what, who and where you and I are, if we are abiding in His Word. We are not just a group of men who are playing church for filthy lucre’s sake. We are filling up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of the Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church. We know the voice of the True Shepherd, and we flee from the voice of a stranger, because we “know the Truth” and we will both symbolically and literally die to be with Christ and His Christ in that blessed and holy first resurrection.

As overseers of the Lord’s flock we are first to “look well to [ourselves]”:

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

But we are also commanded to “take heed… to the flock over the which the holy spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God”. A godly overseer is a godly shepherd whose whole life in invested in the sheep under His care, and He is not just a hireling:

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 
Joh 10:12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Joh 10:13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 
Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Joh 10:15  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Christ’s sheep know who it is who “gives his life for the sheep”. The Christ of Christ is known of His sheep. The true shepherd, lays down his life for the sheep, and does not allow wolves to catch and scatter the sheep.

The true shepherd is still in a vessel of clay and is not yet perfected. Yet he lives for the sheep laboring in the word and in doctrine. Here is how we are told to treat the good shepherds among us, who “give [their] lives for the sheep”.

1Ti 5:17  Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

Tit 1:7  For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

A true shepherd of Christ must be blameless because He really is a steward of God, and this is how we are to act when we are counseled of our elders who preside well over, and have proven themselves to be good stewards of, the Lord’s flock:

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.”

Conclusion

God’s true shepherds are not hirelings. They are proven leaders who have given their lives for the Lord’s flock, and we are told to count them worthy of double honor, and we are told to “be persuaded of your leader and be deferring to them for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls.”

Nowhere is it ever said that a good shepherd has been perfected, but we are told that they have proven that they will lay down their lives for the Lord’s flock.

Mike,

I was reading in a Sunday School book about “men [ who] had turned the grace of God into lasciviousness” and looked up that quote on the internet and found your website. I just wanted to share my testimony regarding this.

There were many pastors, ministers, leaders in the Church who threw the word “grace” at me when my husband, who had been in ministry for over 30 years and pastored for 22 years, was caught in an adulterous relationship with a married woman on the church staff which relationship had been going on for five years. The church’s staff knew about it the whole time and just looked the other way because they knew that exposing him would affect their pay checks. These men (and women) took my husband from me and put him back into ministry while he was still married to me and refusing to reconcile, and he continued on in adultery with a new 28 year old girl, divorced me, and the new pastor of the church performed the wedding ceremony for them.

I was judged by them as unforgiving and forced out of my church. These people are all still in their positions of leadership in the Church. I am alone and homeless after being married for 28 years and being a pastor’s wife for 22 years, giving birth to and raising 4 sons and a daughter.

A “Christian” lawyer helped my ex- husband take custody of my 10 yr old daughter away from me illegally. I forgave him and pursued reconciliation, even appealing to the judge to not grant the divorce in hopes of reconciliation, but here I sit, alone and forsaken. I’d say that is not only injustice but a turning of the “grace of God into lasciviousness”.

B____

Hi B____,

Based upon what you say here, I would agree that the people you were dealing with were indeed turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.

I pray you are given to avoid having a root of bitterness over this travesty. It all serves to demonstrate how little regard for the doctrines of scripture there is in churches that condone and accommodate such outrageous actions, supporting the blatant sinners, while accusing the person who wants to obey all the scriptures which instruct us how we are to keep the house of God clean and healthy.

Here are just a few verses of scripture, which if obeyed will bring down upon you the wrath of the leaders of the daughters of the great harlot:

1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
1Co 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Those are very clear instructions, but instead of obeying our Lord’s words given us by His apostles, the powers that be in the churches of Babylon cut off a healthy limb, and cast it out of the body in order to preserve a cancerous limb. Obeying the commandments of scripture are deemed to be unloving and divisive simply because no one even knows that the only way we can really know whether we are truly loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is whether we obey God’s commandments.

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

But the tolerance of such immorality is just a carryover of the willingness to tolerate false doctrines and the unwillingness to deal with spiritual adultery within the body of Christ. Spiritual adulterers are known as heretics, and they, too, are preferred above those who want to be obedient to God’s commandments about how we are to deal with heretics within our midst:

Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Tit 3:11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Allowing spiritual heresy to remain in our midst is just as damaging spiritually to the body of Christ as is physical fornication such as the Corinthians were so willing to tolerate, and such damage as you have experienced. No one fears God to the extent of being obedient to His instructions concerning such false doctrines:

Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Should we obey these words of scripture? If you even suggest that we should, you will be labeled as ‘unloving and divisive’ by most Christians who think differences should be tolerated instead of being discussed and resolved with “a multitude of counselors” as our Lord Himself instructed us:

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee [ morally or doctrinally], go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

There is also these very clear words:

Tit 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
Tit 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
Tit 1:12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
Tit 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

You tell me they did what they did to keep their jobs. That is exactly what “for filthy lucre’s sake” means. Tolerating sin within the body to retain a tithepayer is the same corrupt spirit. It is all a spirit of turning God’s grace into lasciviousness.

Who in the churches of Babylon would dare to obey these words of scripture?…

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

The way we “prove what is acceptable unto the Lord” is by “trying the spirits to see whether they are of God, [ realizing] that many false prophets [ with false doctrines] have gone out into the world”.

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

You have been given the trial of having to deal with a few of the “many false prophets [ which have] gone out into the world”.

If this experience leads you to “try the spirits” and come to know that “grace chastens us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts” and you are given eyes to see that the churches of this world are the great harlot of Babylon, then in reality the loss of your home and your children will have been worth it, according to our Lord:

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Read what Christ had just told His disciples:

Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues [ in their churches];
Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Mat 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

You have lived all of this, and if you can weather this time of trial with the help of Christ, and if you will read more on iswasandwillbe. com and come to see that God is working all things after the counsel of His own will, and by knowing that, avoid developing a bitter spirit toward people who simply have not been given eyes to see or ears to hear, then this will all have been for your good.

This e- mail is already too long, but I want you to read about the function of grace and about the sovereignty of God in these two links as the Lord leads you:

http:// iswasandwillbe. com/ sovereignty. php

http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com/ Carlton_ Pearson_ et_ al. php

I hope all these verses of scripture and these links are of some help to you.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike