Principles of Recovery Part 1

I. Introduction 

A. We live still in a throw away society in the United States.  If something or someone is no more use to us we throw them or it away in leu of whatsoever new thing or person we wish to associate ourselves with for whatsoever the reason.  We as a society has gotten better at it in recent years which is evidenced by the human services that has asrisen  to restore and rehabilitate the segments of our American society that have been injured, misdirected, and corrupted as a result of being thrown out of acceptable social circles.  The only place that it has not gotten better is in the Church community.  This, I believe in part, is the result of an abnormal  prosperity teaching.  Many prosperity teachers have taught that if a person suffers loss, socially and economically, that it is a result of being cursed by God, or due to their lack of faith.   They often point to a person's level of giving  as the cause of their social and economical loss.  Consecutively they also point to the level of a persons faith is equal to their level of giving.  What happens when a person suffers an social and economic loss that has been a faithful giver? Do we call that person cursed by God because they do not give at the level the Church was accustomed to them giving at?  The sad truth is that many Church communities do.   By doing so, they alienate people from their church and some of them choose to seek alternative faiths. What do these believers of God really need?  They need to be told how to recover from social and economic loss and how to keep their faith intact.  They do not need to be thrown out of or alienated from our church communities.   This is what this set of teachings is about:  How to recover and keep your faith in Christ intact.     This book is based upon scriptural stories and parables of recovery, so that the people of God may know the principles of recovery and understand how to recover from the social and economic loss they may have experienced in their lives.   

There are seven principles of recovery that the Bible shares through the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:14-24.  These principles are as follows:

1. Realization =Vs. 17

2. Resolution=Vs 18

3. Repentance=Vs.19 

4. Return=Vs.20

5. Reconciliation=Vs.20

6. Restoration=Vs.22

7. Rejoicing=Vs.23, 24                

II. Realization

"And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" -Luke 15:17

 A. Realization is defined as: (noun)  The process of making real or being made real something planned or imagined.-Source: Dictionary.com

1. Realization therefore is the process of the revelation of  a reality that supposed to happen from  either effective or ineffective planning or choices.

A. It was the prodigal son's poor planning and poor choices that allowed him to experience the reality of the pig pen. What choices did he make?

i) He chose to take his share of his inheritance and spend it any way he wished.

       a) He effectively excuted his plan and sqaundered his temporary wealth.

       b) He evidently was decieved by the amount of wealth he received from his father, he thought    
           that it was inexhaustible.  So he spent all of it down to the last coin, and found himself to be 
           in want.

*We find a truth here; That wealth is not determined by how much money you possess, for money does not last forever.

ii) His mistakes are notable: Luke 15:11-13

a) He was self deceived about the longetivity of his share of the inheitance.

    - This is why I say that the worse kind of deception is self deception

b) He made a  poor choice of friends:  They did not have his financial security interests in mind.

     -When you base your relationships upon what you can give them, when you fail to give them 
       what they expect at the level  they expected it, your relationships will also fail.

c) He excercised implusive and liberal spending habits.

d) He made no investments to secure his inheritance

iii) The one mistake he did not make: He did not attempt to borrow any money .  He was only in want, he was not in want and in debt.  Because he was not in debt, he preserved his name which was the only thing he possessed.

2.When he was in the pig pen, he came to the conclusion that his faither's servants has it better than he now.  He also realized he had it better off back home than how he was living now in the pig pen. -Luke 15:17

A. Isn't it amazing how a person's perspective changes when their financial circumstances change:

i. When one becomes financially wealthy, the amount, nature and quality of their friends change.  Their environment changes and their spending habits become more implusive and liberal.

ii. When one becomes financially poor, the amount, nature and quality of their friends change.  Their environment changes and their spending habits become more planned and conservative.

B. Life for many of us, is a struggle to transend from a status of being financially poor to being financially wealthy.

i. What the prodigial son exhibits for us are the things we ought not to do, if we aspire to leave the life of poverty behind.  We ought not to do the following:

a. Believe that any lump sum of money or wealth received  will last your entire life.

b. Make friendships on the basis of what you can do for them with your money

c.  Excercsie implusive and liberal spending habits.

d. Fail to invest to secure your money or wealth.

C. Why did the prodigal leave his home in the first place?

i. He possibly percieved that his life at home was not as interesting as what he imagined what was in the world.  He possibly heard about the exciting things that happened in other towns that his faither traveled to.  He possibly heard about the places that vistors told his father about.  So his vision of the world was that it was an exciting place more exciting than what he had at home.  Such things possibly fired his imagination and inspired him when he had come of age to ask his father for his share of the inheritance.  He wanted to see the big wide wonderful world for himself.  He figured that his inheritance was worth the adventure.  He had no way of knowing of the many pitfalls he would experience.  Maybe he did not pay attention when his father talked with other busniessmen that passed through, who his father warned of the dangers of the trail and the cities they intended to visit.  So the prodigal son's education was incomplete.

* Education is paramount for one to experience success in life, so pay attention and learn all you can.

a. The prodigal reasoned within himself that his share of the inheritance that he recieved from his father would last him for the rest of his life, so that he would never have to work. He found out that his money ran out before his life was over and he had to work for a living.

*This is why it is said that a fool and his money is soon parted from one another.

b. Many people dream of not having to work for a living.  The prodigal had a chance to establish his finances in such away that he could have accomplished what envisioned his life would be, but he instead squandered it all away.

1) Some people use unexpected wealth that has been deposited in their lives foolishly and implusively. Some do not.

*The people that become rich did not spend their wealth foolishly and implusively.

c. The prodigal's father was wealthy, so wealthy that he continued to be wealthy even after his yougest son took his share of his inheritance.

1) The father of the prodigal servant's were not financially affected by the withdrawal of the prodigal's share of the inheritance.

a. The father of the prodigal possibly hedged himself from financial damage by the withdrawal of the prodigal's share of his inheritance.

*It is always wise to protect your assests from financial loss so that when that loss occurrs it is easier to recover.

d. What did the prodigal do after realizing that he had it better back home?

1) The prodigal son realized that the foolish choices he had made has brought him to poverty , that all the fault was his for his present condition in the pig pen.

a. It is when a person accepts the mistakes he has made, then the opportunity of change is available to him.

2) The prodigal son found out that the lifestyle he ventured out to live with his wealth does not last forever.  He also learned that such a lifestyle comes at a cost, and that cost is poverty.

a. He realized how good his father servant's had it back home.  So what does he do? -He resloves his present dellemma and plans to to return as his father's servant. No longer disollussioned with the exciting wide world nor enchanted by it.

3. What did we learn about the principle of realization?

A. We learned that so many of us have taken what we have inheirited from God, our creator, our father; Our strength, our gifts and various abilities and have vainly squandered them in loose living in order to make fair wheather friends. Until our strength has gone, our health has faded and our gifts and various abilities have wained.  "Our friends" have left us and we find ourselves in the pig pen of life. Cast out of society and the lifestyle we aspired to live.  There is good news! We need not to wallow in the mire of the pig pen of life.  We have a father in heaven who still love us and is still waiting for us to return to him.  A Father who takes care of those who willingly serve him.  If only if each one of us who have found himself in the pig pen of life would choose to humble himself and choose to be a servant of the heavenly father.  All each one of us need to do is repent from our sinful and worldly ways and make Jesus the Lord of our lives. Secondly, we each need to commit to live according to the will of God.

A Gospel for Everyone

There are some people that believe that the Gospel message is only for the Israelites. The they use passages from the Bible that appear support their view such as: 

"And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils."
Mark 1:38+39

"But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Matthew 15:24

"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, 'Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter ye not:  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.'"
Mark 10:5-8

If this be so, then why did the Apostles appear to stray from their original commission? What made them change?  Well before we get into all of the reasons why the focus changed from bringing the Gospel to Israel to bringing the Gospel to the rest of the world.  Let is focus upon the verses shared in this article that appear to espouse this Gospel for the Israel only view.  The above verses were stated by Christ in the earliest part of his ministry.  The reason why Jesus was so focus on getting the Gospel out to only the people of Israel  was to fulfill God's promise to Israel. God's purpose was to keep the promises he made through the mouths of the prophets to Israel.  That He would have a son (Isaiah 9:6; 1 Samuel ), that son would be born of a virgin (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14), that son would be God's anointed servant ( ), That servant would die for the sins of the people (Isaiah 53:5; Psalms 22).  It keeping his promises to Israel God sent Gabriel to a virgin named Mary who told her about her selection and the soon to be born child's name. 

"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name [was] Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women. And when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
Luke 1:26-35

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
Matthew 1:18-21

Now this does not prove that Jesus and the Gospel that he preached was for everyone, for we have also read in the previous passages that Jesus will save HIS PEOPLE from their sins.  So the next question is: Who is Jesus' people? If we take a natural view, we will notice that Jesus was born as a Jew, raised as a Nazarene by Jewish parents and lived most of his youth in Nazareth.  So His People biologically and geographically speaking are the Jewish people, the people of Israel.  It would appear that the people who make the claim that Jesus died to save His fellow Jews only are correct. That is, if you only consider the verses that they use.  For Jesus himself before he left this earth, gave specific instructions to his disciples  to preach the Gospel message to all nations teaching them and making disciples.  (Mark 16:15; Mathew 28:18; Luke 24:46+47) Why the switch from preaching to Israel alone to preaching to the entire world?  It is because the Gospel was not fully accepted by the by the people of Israel that the message of salvation, the Gospel came to the nations.  

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
John 1:11-13

Some people have said that this passage is a later explanation of what occurred between Jesus, the Christ and His people for the Jews are still His People and God's plan of salvation is designed exclusively for them.  Yes it is true that the people of Israel are still Jesus' people in many respects, but not everyone in God's sight is not of Israel.  The Apostle Paul explains:

"... For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this [is] the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son."   Romans 9:6-9

and

"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.....That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.......For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:6-9, 14, 26-29

Jesus himself also stated that He had "sheep" that were not of this fold. (John 10:16)  Which only at first glance appear to mean that he knew of other Jews living outside of the Land of Israel that had not yet had a chance to hear the Gospel message.  That is until he says the following to the inquiring Jewish religious leadership:

"And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.'" John 10:23-28

So what Jesus said here is that just because they did not hear his call to be saved, they are not his sheep.  Here is the point, Jesus separated those who would hear and accept the Gospel from those who would not.  Those who did accept the Gospel was called "His Sheep", those who did not remain lost by the consequence of their own choice to not believe the Gospel. (John 3:16-21) It did not matter if they were of Jewish decent or not. Why did Jesus do this? Because the religious leadership and many of the people did not believe who  Jesus said he was.   He gave them the evidence and they still did not believe.  Jesus found many people that were not of Israel that believed in who he was (Matthew 15:22-28; Luke 7:2-10) So what we see is Jesus outlining three critical things that make a believer in God, His Sheep regardless of their ethnicity.  They are the following:

a) His Sheep, hears His voice
b) He has intimate knowledge of them and they have intimate knowledge of Him
c)  His Sheep follow his guidance 

Let us examine each of these qualifications:

a) His Sheep, hears His voice

How can anyone hear the voice of Jesus now that He has returned to the Father in Heaven?  When anyone reads, studies or recites any of His words that was recorded in the Gospel record they are hearing Jesus' voice. 

b) He has intimate knowledge of them and they have intimate knowledge of Him

How can anyone have an intimate knowledge of someone that has left this life? This is crucial for believers to understand, you can not be a follower of Christ without having a personal relationship with Christ.  How can someone have a personal relationship with Christ?  By getting born again, but we will get to that a little later.

c) His Sheep follow His guidance

How can one follow His guidance, since he is not with us physically?  Jesus did not leave us comfortless, he sent the Holy Spirit to assist us and guide us into all truth, to bear witness of Jesus, the Christ and empower us to live this new life in God.  He also gave us His word, the Bible so that if we lose our way, we can always come back and get on the right path.  So studying the Bible and understanding the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is imperative to walking in the guidance of Christ. 

This answers the question: Who can be one of His Sheep?  Anyone that hears his voice, accepts the Gospel message and follows His guidance.  This fulfills the prophecy that reads:

"... I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to [them which were] not my people, Thou [art] my people; and they shall say, [Thou art] my God."  Hosea 2:23

For who is these that had not obtained mercy? Those who once were not God's people.  God proclaiming through the prophet the selection of  a people of faith  from among the nations, a people who will believe in Him.  (Romans 9:26)

So how does God do this? He sends Jesus to keep the promises He made through the prophets to save Israel, but most of Israel refuses to accept the Gospel.  So God through Christ and His Apostles begin to preach to those who would hear and accept the Gospel of Salvation. Does this mean that that Israel can not be saved? By no means, the same salvation that was provided by Christ for all, also includes an open invitation to all Jews everywhere also to receive it.  Which brings us back to the question:  How can I receive this salvation provided by Christ?  The answer: By Being born again:

"...But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12+13

But How do you get born of God? Someone had the same question and asked Jesus to answer it, this is what He said to him:

 "'Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus saith unto him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?'  Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again...And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'" John 3:3-7, 14-16

From what Jesus had said getting born again is as easy as believing that he died for your sins.  Jesus corellated the lifting up of the Son of Man, that is God's man, to Moses lifting up the Serpent on a pole.  Jesus was appealing to Nicodemus knowledge of the sojournings of Israel in the wilderness when God was punishing the people for their unbelief, the people pleaded to Moses and God provided a solution that those who chose to repent and believe in God could be saved from wrath of God. (Numbers 21:4-9 ) God instructed Moses to make a brass serpent and lift it up upon a pole. That whosoever repented from their unbelief looked upon it they were healed. In very much the same way Jesus was to be lifted up upon the cross so that whosoever chooses to believe and repented of their sins can be saved.   How do one get saved?  The Apostle Paul explains the saving process further.

"...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:9-13

It is upon the open confession of faith in the death and resurrection of Christ and an acknowledgement of His Lordship by a repented heart that saves a person from their sins. How does one do that?  All a person has to do is recite the following prayer with all his heart:

Dear heavenly Father, In Jesus' name come you now as a repented sinner, I confess all my sinfulness to you and ask you to forgive me for Jesus' sake.  I now believe that You sent Jesus to die for my sins according Your promises in the Bible.  I Also believe that You raised Jesus from the dead according to Your promises in the Bible. I therefore, invite Your Holy Spirit to live inside of me and ask You to make me Your Child.  I promise to strive to live Holy everyday with Your Help. I thank you Lord for saving me.  

That is it! You are now a Child of God! I welcome you to the Family of God in Christ. The next thing you need to do is find a Bible Believing Church and Learn all you can about Jesus.

Now for those of you who did not choose to say the suggested prayer.  I have a warning for you.  Just like those who chose not to believe in the wilderness were subject to the wrath of God for their unbelief.  You too are under the same wrath for not choosing to believe the Gospel of God's Salvation through Jesus, the Christ.  For the Bible states:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

Now why would you think that God would spare you in your unbelief, if he did not spare them that did not believe that sojourned in the wilderness with Moses, but died before seeing all that God had promised them?   God is no respecter of persons, in the matter of the acceptance of His salvation, He plays no favorites.  Who would want the wrath of God abiding with him for the rest of his natural life?  When the people of Israel saw the wrath of God, some of them quickly repented.  The others died in their unbelief.    If you are one of those who believe that there is nothing beyond the grave then listen on the testimony of a man recited by Jesus who thought the same thing.

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." Luke 16:19-31

As I said this was a testimony, not a parable.  If Jesus was teaching a parable He would state the the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven is like a or end with so it is in the Kingdom of Heaven or His Father.   There is no reference to the Kingdom of God or Heaven as a comparison to this testimony.  Because Jesus is God, he can recite the testimony of people who have died and their vain requests of God while in hell.    The point is that this testimony recited by Jesus proves that  the grave is not the end of it all, it is just the beginning.  Hell is not a place of comfort, there is not going to be a party there.  For Hell was not created for you dear reader.  Jesus says that hell was created for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41) , so if a soul would venture to go there, because of their unbelief of the Gospel of Salvation provided by God through Jesus, the Christ, they would be tortured by the demons of Satan himself for making such a judgment error.  

The choice is yours.

Support Your Local Pastor

One of the many reasons that Pastors these days have to work is that they are not getting the financial support they are suppose to get from the people of God that they are ministering to. Some people really believe that they are paying for just the livelihood of the Pastor, not for the Gospel to be preached because they believe the Gospel comes without a cost..  Some other people believe that Pastors do nothing worthy of getting support, because they see the Pastor of a particular church driving the best cars, living in the best homes and eating food that for the most part, in the view of the non-supporter, that Pastor did not pay for. Their thought is, well why don't he get a real job, like the rest of us and keep the Gospel free?  Or the sentiment is, Paul, the Apostle worked as a tent maker and preached the Gospel, why can't the Pastor of churches do the same instead of charging us for the message the he preaches?  The fact of the matter is that if the Pastor or Preacher desires to work in order to support his family and the Ministry, he has the scriptural right to do so, but that is not what God desired or designed.   God's plan of support of the Man of God who he has sent to minister the Gospel to your church community is that the Man of God is supported by the people of God.  Let us Go to the word, shall we?

In the Book of Numbers Chapter 18 versed 20 to 24, God instructed Arron the selected High Priest that he has no inheritance among the people of Israel. It goes on to say that neither does the Levites have any inheritance among the people of Israel.  What was their inheritance?  Their inheritance was God himself, therefore whatsoever tithes God received of the people, the Levites also received.  After which they had done so the Levites were instructed to tithe the tithes that they received of the people to the Lord and his house (Numbers 18:26).   This is the principle that I stated before that Gods people must support Gods man,  but those of us who believe that this principle is not applicable to us today because of the belief that Jesus took away the Law and now we live by God's grace, we do not have to look far to find that even before the Law was ratified the principle that God people must support God's man selected to minister to them.  In Genesis 14:18-20 we find that Abraham gave tithes to the man of God in his day.  This occurred before there was ever a law given to the people of Israel, for Israel was not even born when Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek.  Because Abraham gave tithes, not under any commandment, but by faith under the promise of blessing, we too must give support of God's  man by faith and not under any compulsion for we too are under the Abrahamic blessing by faith in Christ. The point is the principle is still God's people must support God's man is still in effect because the Bible stipulates that the Law which appeared 430 years after the Abrahamic promise can not put out of legal effect or disannul the promise that was made by God to him.                         (Galatians 3:15-18)

Well somebody will say that Jesus did not receive tithes when he walked the earth with his disciples, nor did he command people to give to God tithes.  Well yes he did, recall the the time when the religious leadership tried to ensnare Jesus in his words and asked him whether or not should they pay tribute to Caesar or give to God? How did Jesus answer them?  He said, "Give unto Caesar what the things that is Caesar's and to God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17-21) Jesus did not oppose people giving to God what is His. Among the things that are His, the tithe offering is one of them.(Leviticus 27:30,32) The fact of the matter is that Jesus did not oppose the people tithing at all.  He opposed the way the conducted the tithing process, like it was a money making venture,. (Matthew 21:12-14,23:23+24) squeezing every coin out of it for themselves. It is true  that there is no record that Jesus did not receive tithes, but he did have a treasurer because he constantly was supported by God's people,which echoes the principle I mentioned before, God's people must support God's man.  Why did Jesus not receive tithes when he was among us?Jesus could not receive tithes while he walked upon the earth because he had not died yet and the old law of tithing was still in effect.  Remember Jesus came to fulfill, or satisfy the Law, not to destroy it, so while he was on this earth he could not receive tithes.

Furthermore, the Old Law gave power and authority to the priestly order in his day to determine sin and pronounce God's per-scripted judgement upon it. Understanding that God himself set up this order of priesthood, while the Law still had legal power Jesus could do nothing, while he was alive on this earth, that would offend it. All He could do is satisfy its righteous demands, which required His death. For sin gave the Law the power of judging it and exposing it.  As long sin is found, God must judge it, for he is Holy. God did so through the legal sacrificial system that God set up from the beginning of human existence,(Genesis 3:21,4:3-5,8:20-22) but mankind is frail and prone to sin. (Hebrews 8:8)  Therefore, finding the fault in mankind,  God had to do something to save mankind from the penalty of sin, which is eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire.  God sacrificed a part of Himself, he sent Jesus, His only begotten Son to save mankind from their sins and ultimately from the condemnation of the Law. (Galatians 3:13; Romans 8:1-4).  When Jesus satisfied the righteous demands of the Old Law, by shedding his own blood, he put a legal end to it. What people do not understand that God through Jesus set up a New Law which fulfills or satisfies the Old Law. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) That Law is the Law of Christ (Romans 8:1+2) His shed blood satisfied the righteous demands of the Old Law of God and also ratified forever the all the promises of God made to mankind. (1Corinthians 1:20).

When Jesus arose from the dead and entered into the true Holiness of Hollies, in the presence of the Father, God, He went showing Himself that all has been fulfilled as He has spoken concerning the redemption of mankind.  Jesus took his rightful place at the right hand of God, the Father interceding for us as a High priest over our profession of faith in Him and our confession of faith concerning things in this world.  So what does this have to do with supporting our local Pastors?  Before Jesus went to be with the Father, God, He instructed and called men to continue the Preaching of the Gospel to all men.  Anointing them with power of the Holy Spirit, they preached.  That tradition of preaching is continued today through our local Pastors, under that same anointing. Just as Jesus and His Apostles, even the Apostle Paul received support for the preaching of the Gospel, so should the Local Pastors ( Luke 10:1-12,17-24; John 13:29; 1 Corinthians 9:14). That God's people support God's man.  Point of clarification: When Jesus told his disciples to not carry a money purse or script of money on them when preaching the Gospel, it was not because he did not want them to receive  money, He was protecting them from depending upon money to corrupt the power He had given them. (Acts 8:9-20)

It is only in these recent times that people believe that Pastors should themselves pay for the Gospel to be preached and not, in their minds, force the people to pay anything.  Please understand that No offering is to be given under compulsion, but by faith in the one who has provided all good things to us.(2 Corinthians 9:6) To give as though it was a bill, or a tax is to dishonor the principle upon which the first tithe was given.  Which was by faith in the Goodness of God and to praise God for his goodness toward us.  It is only in these recent times that Churches have to pay for buildings to be constructed, and pay people to do it.  It is only in these recent times that giving an offering to the man of God is an option.  It is only in these recent times that people expect  God to change what he has written, to suit their own appetites.  Well God does not change, His word does not change and his principle that God's man is supported by God's people has not changed.  So what shall we do? We need to repent, and support our local Pastors that are preaching the Gospel, because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the commission he gave to us.  Nothing more nothing less.

How do I do that, when I don't have a church home?  Find a local Pastor and support him, church membership is not required to support the Man of God.  The Widow of Zerephath was down to her last meal, but there came a Man of God to her and instructed her sacrifice a piece of the meal to him first. This woman was not an Israelite, that means that she was not privileged to receive the blessing of the covenant, but she did what the Man of God instructed her to do.  God, blessed her for her obedience and provided for her throughout the famine.  This is what can happen if the people of God support the man of God, whether they are a church member or not, that is preaching the word of God.  (Luke 4:25-27; 1 Kings 17:8-16). In short, you don't have to be a Israelite to receive the blessing of God.  All you have to do is support God's man, that is preaching the Gospel. All you have is comply with the Biblical principle that God's man is supported by God's people.  The Local Pastor is God's Man in these days sent to preach the Gospel to God's people.

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God, the Just

Can the God of the Bible still be just for allowing one man to die for the sins of others? 

The answer to this question may appear to be a no-brainer  to most Christians, but there many other people that believe that it is unjust or even unfair for God to make one man pay for the sins of others. People's sensitive sense of justice logically says that whosoever did the crime must serve the time.  In religious thought, every man is accountable for his own sins.  Why would anyone would want to take on the sins of other people and be punished for it? Why would anyone do such a thing? Why indeed, for God is holy as well as just and it is His justice that demands satisfaction when anyone violates his commands.  That makes that person who violates God's commands, His laws,  a transgressor and a sinner.  Here is the point, there has been no man, except for one, that has lived a sinless life,  everyone else  is a sinner before God. In fact the prophets said there is none righteous (Isaiah 41:26) If anyone thinks himself righteous apart from God beware, for the prophets also proclaim that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags to the Lord God (Isaiah 64:6).   So bad was our condition that David said, " Blessed is the man who transgression is forgiven, whose sins are covered..." (Psalms 32:1) His statement illustrates the fact that sin continued to be a problem all because Adam disobeyed God's command and transgressed His law (Genesis 2 +3), but God being a Just and Holy God must judge sin, but how can He do it without condemning His chief creation, mankind? 

How does a Holy God forgive a sinning  person?

Surely, God can just forgive Adam? Can't He? Yes he can, but the problem is more complicated than that. When Adam sinned, he violated God's law, God's command, his action was a illegal act.  One illegal act must be remedied by another legal act.  This is like someone killed someone else, which is against God's law.(Exodus 20:13; Romans 7:7-13,24+25) When the killer is tried and convicted, God 's law requires the death of the killer.  Should God show the killer mercy and make void his own  Law? Or should God allow the legal judgement of His law prevail? What should a Holy God do? 

How does a Holy God look upon a sinful man?

Let us look at what did God do in the Bible, when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden. When he disobeyed God's command, Adam became a sinner, God being Holy can not look approvingly  upon sin and still remain Holy, if He did, He would have destroyed Himself along with anyone and any thing that is attached to Him, that means the end of all creation, for God is a holy God and judges all uncovered sin. He is the foundation of all that is created. So when Adam sinned, what God did to remedy the problem in the short term? God killed animals and covered Adam with their bloody skins.  This allowed God to look upon with Adam in his sinful state without destroying him,  from that point on mankind, when  anyone came into the presence of God they  had to offer a blood sacrifice of an animal, because the sinful nature of mankind is transferable from one generation to the next, or there would be no need for animal atonement sacrifice in subsequent generations . Thus God averted judgement upon Adam's sin through blood atonement. Which He directly administered to Adam.


The Practice  of the Blood Atonement. 

This practice of the atonement sacrifice through the use of animals continued from the time of Adam until the time of Moses, where the practice was codified, or made law. (Genesis 4:4, 8:20, 31:54; Exodus 3:18, 23:18) According to the law, once a year the atonement sacrifice had to be made by each person who was the head  of his household and the High priest each year had to offer also an atonement sacrifice, one for himself and another for the people and intercede for the people, because the people's sin offering was to atone for the sins of the people and allow God to be with them. The problem with this was the fact that mankind manipulated the atonement sacrifice system so that only those who could afford atonement of their sins got their sins atoned (John 2:14+15), while the ones who could not afford to get their sins atone for was left without hope until the day of Atonement. Even then not everyone could get their sins atoned for. Also the blood of animals did not permanently deal with the sin issue, the blood of animals only covered sins temporarily.  So what can a Just and Merciful God do? Should He continue the blood atonement offering system or eliminate it?  If He did eliminate it, God would have to destroy Israel, their laws, and anyone one else that came into the knowledge of his existence. 

What was God's plan to save sinful mankind? 

What did God do? He decided that he would sacrifice a part of Himself to redeem mankind. What choice did He have? He could not legally just forgive sins for His law required judgment upon all uncovered and un-atoned for sins, and  His  Holiness destroys all the uncovered and un-atoned sins that it sees and every thing or person it is attached to. If He did not do something to remedy the fact that many people was not getting their sins atoned for, He will lose all their souls to Satan and Hell.  Hell is the place where all who are condemned in their sins go after their physical death on earth.  Now I ask, would God be Just if he allowed such a thing to happen? He would not be, so in his Mercy He decides to have a son, born of a Virgin, of the house of David. He calls and send prophets to tell the people that still believe in him that a redeemer is coming. Like Moses, a deliverer, who led the nation of Israel to their freedom. 

God then chooses Elizabeth to give birth to the messenger who will prepare the people for arrival of His Son, none other than John, the Baptist. Six months later God chooses Mary, a virgin girl who is engaged to Joseph, a son of the house of David. God sends the Angel Gabriel to tell her of her selection and of the child that she was going to conceive. Gabriel tells her that the child will called the son of the Most High (the phrase "the Most High" is another name for God) and His name will be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35 ) She accepts the assignment, and God makes her conceive, Jesus.  Jesus, whose Mission from God, was to  tell people of the Good news of God's redemption and then die for their sins so that God's Holiness and Justice can be satisfied.  For the illegal act committed by a Man like God (Adam), that brought sin into the world must be condemned, and the sins of many people must be atoned for by another legal act  by a holy God like man (Jesus). This is what God's law and Holiness required, in order to be permanently satisfied.  Since the blood of animals did not permanently eliminate sin, the blood of His only begotten Son, pure and holy surely will eliminate the sins of those who believe in Him and permanently free mankind from the penalty of sin, which is death and eternal damnation.  So Jesus had to die for us, in our place so that we who chose to believe in Him will not have to pay the penalty of sin, which is going to Hell with Satan in the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but each one of us, through Christ,  will have the opportunity to live a righteous life before God without sin disqualifying us. Which also allows each of us who believe entrance into Heaven.

Which is more just? To die thinking or believing  that your are forgiven without your sins covered or to die knowing that you have the atonement for your sins through faith in the shed blood of Jesus?

So what do you think of God?  Would He had been just  to let all of mankind die in their sins without hope of redemption? Do you think it would have been fair for God to allow a man to die in his own sins, believing that he is forgiven?  No it would not have been fair or just for God to allow people to die in their own sins under the presumption that they are forgiven.  So a Just and Merciful God must allow one man, His Son, to die for the sins of the world and cover mankind with the Holy and Righteous blood of His Son, Jesus. For without His sacrifice upon the cross, we certainly all would have been lost forever.

The Water and the Blood

There has been a lot said about salvation these days.  Some have said that the current Christian community is really deceived. Why? Because many believers were not baptized for the remission of their sins as illustrated in the Bible. Many people who say that they are believers in Christ have made only a faith confession, to which other people have said that this is not enough telling people that they have to be water baptized in order to be saved.  There has been nothing short than a clear rift between believers on this issue. So we ask today are believers saved by faith in the finished work of Christ, faith in the blood  of Christ or are they saved by the act of water baptism?

The crux of the matter is the Remission of sins, the word remission is another way of saying forgiveness of sins.  John, the Baptist preached a gospel of the remission of sins, and he used water to symbolize the cleansing power of God over those who came with a repented heart.  Understand that John, the Baptist used  water baptism to show what God was preparing to do by he who was to come after him.  "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire:"  (Matthew 3:11) This signifying a change when the one that was to come institutes a new type of baptism.  He also stipulates here that his administration of water baptism was a work for repenting people.      So what we understand here is that water baptism is for people who believe in God  who has already repented of their sins and want to openly declare that testimony. (Mark 3:6) John, the Baptist never says that the administration of  water baptism cleanses people of their sins rather at that time it prepared people to receive the forgiveness of their sins.  For John, the Baptist could not grant or administer forgiveness, that was not his mission, his mission was to prepare the way of the Lord. 

So what was John, the Baptist doing? He was preparing the people for the forgiveness that was to be received once Christ completed his mission on earth.  So people came out to him to be Baptized not to be forgiven  but to prepare them for the true baptism  that will cleanse them from their sins from the one that was to come. That baptism that was to come John called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and that this other baptism is the one that only Jesus, the one who came after John can administrate.  So what John was preaching was the Gospel of God's forgiveness: In that if people repent and confess their sins, they are candidates to receive the symbol of God's forgiveness to come, that symbol was water baptism.  No where does John testify that water Baptism will save any of them that repented of their sins or cleanses them from their sins. This is logical because Jesus did not die yet and shed his blood on the cross, so the water that John. the Baptist was using did not cleanse any one from their sins and did nothing for their salvation.

So why did the people repent and accept water baptism if it did nothing for their salvation?  Water baptism did two things, it publicly declared a person's turning away from his sins and prepared him to receive him who was to come after John.  

So why do some people today say that it is necessary to be baptized in order to be saved? This comes from a few verses in the Bible they are as follows:

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

and

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

and

"The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:" (1 Peter 3:21)

In Marks gospel, the 16th  chapter and 16th verse seems to confirm what some people testify of the necessity of Water  baptism  for salvation to be received.  Except for the fact which we have previously found out that water Baptism only prepares one to be cleansed from his sins it does not cleanse anyone from their sins.  Another thing to notice is that all these verses previously shared come after the fact that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead.  So this brings us to the question: What does water baptism has to do with salvation after Jesus had died? If we read from the context of each of the scriptures listed above, we will discover that water baptism was not necessary for salvation, repentance is.   For you can not be baptized unless you first believe and repent. In the case of  1 Peter 3:21,  the correlation between Noah and his family  being saved and water baptism saving us now is that Noah family was made up of repented souls who was brought into a new life when God delivered them from the water of the flood.  The point is,  you have to believe God's message and repent first before you get baptized and symbolically confess your faith openly. For to administer water baptism upon some who first does not believe and secondly has not repented of their sins, undermines the purpose of the Gospel and water baptism. The Gospel message is the good news that God desires to save each one of us, but we must have faith in his Son's death and resurrection, this is what water baptism openly declares for each participant who chooses to believe the Gospel.  Here is the question, suppose you believe in just Jesus' death and resurrection are you saved?  The Bible says yes.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9)

why?

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:10)

So water baptism does not cleanse anyone from their sins, but it is an open declaration of that which was already received.  So as long as a believer  confesses faith in Christ's death and resurrection that person shall be saved.  Why  shall be saved and not is saved?  Salvation is in the hand of him that judges all men. It is not in the hands of men to administer or to not administer.  The reason I believe that it is written is that salvation is not complete until we hear the Judge of all say "well done my good and faithful servant, enter in to the joy of your lord!" until then it is a faith walk. That is, we already received the salvation of God by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ.  

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

In other words, Faith is the title deed, the grocery receipt of what was purchased on your behalf.  The evidence of possession depends upon who has title, who has record of ownership, who has the receipt of that which was purchased.  Therefore, as long as we have faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God and openly confess that faith, we possess ownership of that salvation that we seek receive at the judgement seat of Christ.  The Bible never says that water Baptism is the title deed to salvation, but it does illustrate that water Baptism is an open declaration of an inward change. An open declaration of a repenting soul.

So what saves a soul from sin? What cleanses him from all unrighteousness? The imputed blood of Jesus the Christ upon him. It alone atones for sin and is imputed to every one that confesses faith in Jesus' death and resurrection.  It is applied every time a believer confesses and repents of sin. (1 John 1:9) David desired to see this day where a man sins can be blotted out, for he said.

"Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered." (Psalms 32:1)

He said this because in his day for a person to have his sins atoned for he had to present an atonement offering. Foretelling of the blessing that now befalls upon all who believe in Christ for Jesus is our atonement offering (Romans 5:10+11). For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins ( Hebrew 9:22,28) Without water baptism there is always the opportunity to repent and be saved, for salvation does not depend upon water baptism, but upon the confession of the faith of the one who believes in the atoning power of the blood of Jesus.  

So is water Baptism necessary for salvation? No it isn't.  For Paul, the Apostle met two people who believed after the Gospel of repentance, he expounded more accurately the way to them and they received by faith what the salvation the Gospel of repentance prepared them for.  (Acts19:1-7) The Gospel of God's salvation rests firmly on Jesus's death and resurrection and nothing more and nothing less. 

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