Mean What You Say, Say What You Mean

Matthew 5:37 (King James Version)

³⁷But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

It doesn't seem to bother people anymore that they don't mean half of what they say. People seem more inclined to speak "in the moment" than to actually take the time to think before they speak. What happened to having convictions? What happened to there being an absolute?

Recently a popular tel-evangelist was asked point blank if he believed that Jesus Christ was the only way to Heaven. The minister evaded the question until the interviewer demanded he answer the question, and then he said that he would not answer the question because he didn't "go negative."

I'm sorry, but the Bible is quite clear. Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. No man comes to the Father but by Him. Sorry Muslims, sorry bhuddists, taoists, maoists, shaolins, wiccans, and other non-believers. Unless you come to the Cross of Christ and give your life to Him, you can count on not enjoying the delights of heaven. Period.

Speak Words of Wisdom

PSALMS 37:23  - 31

  23   The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Isn't it reassuring to know that He is directing our steps? That He is in complete control, and even better, HE can take joy in our lifes journey?

  24    Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.

How many times a day do I fail Him? How many times a day do I backslide, and yet He still loves me!

  25    I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

All that I am, all that I ever will be, all that I possess, is because of His grace and kindness.

  26    [He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed.

Lendeth? Why this word? Because all that we have, all that we are, is given by His hand, and ultimately we belong to Him.

  27    Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

  28    For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

  29    The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

  30    The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

So let us speak wisdom! Let us judge ourselves that we be not judged. Do you see yourself here?

  31    The law of his God [is] in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

He has engraved His Word in my heart, and He has engraved my name in the palms of His hands.

Slow down, take a breath, and count to 10. Exhale slowly. Think about what you are getting ready to say. If we could just do that every day, how much better off would we be? How many arguments, hurt feelings, and tears could we avoid? 

Let's try a bit harder today, to say things how He would say them. Let's try to love others how Christ loves us. Let's live for others, as He died for us.

From Such Turn Away Part 2

I TIMOTHY 6:3 - 5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

We spent part 1 talking about those who divide us, and I want to take this post to talk about one of the reasons we withdraw ourselves from those described in topic Scripture. People who embody this Scripture are people I like to call "Energy Vampires."  I didn't coin the term, but it seems appropriate enough.

Who is an Energy Vampire? You've been around them plenty. It's that person who dwells in the negative aspects of life that when you leave their presence or hang up the phone, you feel mentally exhausted. Now, some people go through deep valleys, and they need our help, but I'm talking about the person who consistently is negative. The gossiper, the backbiter, those... well, those described in our Scripture. They criticize you and your loved ones and your passions, they do not consider your needs or desires, and they constantly complain.

We literally have to protect ourselves from these types of people because they leave us feeling drained, sluggish, and feeling like we have to build up our energy before we can accomplish our daily tasks. How do we defend ourselves? Here are a few tips!

#1 From such withdraw thyself!

#2 Learn how to limit your contact with these people (sorry, I only have 5 minutes to talk right now)

#3 Limit eye contact, and in depth conversations

#4 Don't allow yourself to be caught alone in a confined space with them, i.e. cars, elevators

#5 Practice walking away from these types, don't let them waste your time and energy

A Truer Gentleman I've Not Known

Words cannot adequately express the immense sadness I feel at the passing of our dear Brother Vincent Grillo. Born in Alife, Italy on May 7th, 1935, he was a man of passion and vigorous devotion.

He met his beloved wife Maria when he was 12 years old and she was five. Some unruly boys at the schoolyard in the village were pulling Maria's hair, and she had gone off to the garden to wipe her tears. Unbeknownst to her, the ink on her fingertips was smearing across her face as she wiped her eyes. Vincent came along, noticed her emotional state and began to wipe the tears from her face with his shirt tail. He was her knight in shining armor. And so began a fairy tale love that would last 60 years.

Brother Vincent Grillo and his beloved wife Maria
Photo by Laura Garrett, taken at the BCF Couples Banquet 2009

Brother Vincent was called to glory on July 12, 2009 in Lima, Ohio, following a short illness. He was preceded in death by his daughter Tonina Grillo, and is survived by his beloved wife Maria, son Franco (wife Amy), and his daughter Vittoria.

Brother Vincent impacted my life from the moment I met him. I'd just arrived home from the war in Iraq, and had not even begun to adjust to normal life. After my first Church service, Vincent made a beeline for me and wrapped his large, calloused hands around mine. He had been a soldier for his native Italy, and although he had not seen combat, there is a brotherhood amongst soldiers that spans borders and generations.

That day I made a soul to soul connection with Vincent that will forever impact me. I was incredibly wounded in my spirit from the dark face of war and he was instrumental in my healing. To my great regret our friendship would not include enough times of fellowship. Oftentimes we simply hugged each other in passing, and he would smile that dazzling grin, saying in that thick Italian accent, "God bless you Brother John."

He was a man who exhibted an incredible depth of sincerity, genuine humility, and incredible innocence. I marveled at the love of Christ which shined through him, and could only hope that he felt that same love reflected in me. He was nothing short of amazing. A tremendous man, whose passing from this world will be long lamented by those whose lives he touched. I simply cannot recall sorrowing over another persons death as I have Brother Vincents. The tears threaten to overwhelm me whenever I think of his glorious victory.

As we laid his body to rest just a few short hours ago, I could not help but think of the joy he is experiencing in that other dimension. Meeting his precious daughter Tonina, the prophet, and the Saints. I imagine that he has already turned his gaze back towards the river looking for his beloved Maria and the rest of us.

We're coming my brother.

From Such Turn Away Part 1

I TIMOTHY 6:3 - 5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Consenting to wholesome words is a defining characteristic of a godly man. Let's take a second to break this Scripture down into two parts: the uniter and the divider.

A godly man loves the truth. As we have been taught, truth, by definition, is exclusive. Truth is immutable, immovable, and irrevocable. God's Word is Truth. By telling us who to withdraw ourselves from the Scripture is telling us who we should gravitate towards. The wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His doctrine unite His disciples. They bring Life, and Life more abundantly.

Proverbs 16:27 - 28 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips [there is] as a burning fire. A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

The Divider is always present to destroy our fellowship with one another, and with Christ. Scripture warns us that these men do not understand the Word and as a result form theory instead of receiving revelation. Then they gather people around them to support their theories and endlessly attack those who do not agree.

I wonder... you brothers who preach against big Message Churches, while you mostly have smaller congregations; you say they must not be preaching the Word because the Word is too straight, and will cause people to leave; Scripture tells us here that the Word will unite people too; what about those African Churches with thousands of congregants? Are they off too? Or does your jealousy only extend to the borders of North America?

He Spoke, and It Was

Psalms 33:6 By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

"I hear Him say, "Let there be light." And when He did, an atom broke yonder, and the sun come into existence. I watch that sun burn for millions of years. The first thing you know, went a clinker. He stood and watched it. And it flew, fell for a few million years; He stopped it. Then another one flew, and He stopped it. What? He was putting the solar system. He was writing His first Bible.1"

God's Word is creative. It never stops creating until He tells It to stop. The evidence of that is found by scientists who can use technology to measure the expansion of the galaxy. When those clinkers flew off into space they just keep right on going until He commands them to stand fast. 

You know, God sometimes does things in an instant, and sometimes He takes His time accomplishing it. Some people experience miraculous, instantaneous healings which defy medical explanations. In these past few years, the deaf have heard again, the blind have received their sight, and the dead have been raised back to life... all in an instant. God has instantly delivered people from addictions and sinful conditions, and if you ask around, I'm sure it won't be long before you find someone who'll testify of the miraculous in their life.

But most of the time God will allow time to come into the equation. And here's the true paradox friend, because in Gods mind, it's already done and time is not a factor in the finished work. When He speaks His Word, It Is Finished. That's one reason why I disagree with Christians who believe the whole work of creation lasted seven literal days. Science testifies to the power of God. Don't put God in a box and think you have Him figured out. His ways are past knowing, they are not our ways.

Here is the equation: He Spoke + He Believed His Own Word = It Happens  (time is not a factor)

1. Show Us the Father It'll Satisfy, William Branham, June 10, 1953 MP3

Words of Forgiveness

Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

 

Luke 17:3 - 4 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

 

And after Jesus Christ spoke these words, the disciples said "Lord, increase our faith!" Let's face it, forgiving isn't easy! And, it's easy to see from these two Scriptures, that forgiveness is a requirement set by the Messiah for His children. I believe the wording "thou shalt" to be fairly important words to listen to when Christ is speaking to us. I believe that Christ requires two types of forgiveness. I call them heart forgiveness and verbal forgiveness. 

Heart Forgiveness must be given unconditionally, while verbal forgiveness is often conditional.  
Heart forgiveness is a battle, verbal forgiveness is a response.  
Heart Forgiveness is a battle in your spirit to subdue the reaction of your flesh to the injury.

Greg Wright says the following, "Verbal Forgiveness is the response of the forgiving heart to the repentence of the offender. Generally, Christians who only recognize one kind of forgiveness--verbal forgiveness--still would agree that bitterness must be overcome in the heart, but they would not refer to this heart-work as forgiveness. However, I maintain that not only is this heart-work appropriately called forgiveness, but this is the kind of forgiveness that is always demanded by Christ. Even when offenders do not repent, Christians are still required by the Bible to forgive personal offenses from the heart. 

These two methods of forgiveness differ from each other in many ways. 
They differ in direction:

• Heart Forgiveness is godward and vertical. With the help of God the victim seeks to set aside bitterness, hatred, and revenge.
• Verbal Forgiveness is manward and horizontal. The victim responds to the repentance of the offender by telling him that he is forgiven.

They differ in what is accomplished:

• Heart Forgiveness restores the victim. It removes the evil thoughts that undermine communion and fellowship with God.
• Verbal Forgiveness restores the offender. It renews fellowship and makes full reconciliation possible.

They differ in what is required:

• Heart forgiveness is the required response to all personal offenses.
• Verbal forgiveness is required only when the offender repents.

They differ in location:

• Heart forgiveness can be done alone before God in prayer.
• Verbal forgiveness must be communicated to the offender.

They differ in possibility:

• Heart forgiveness is the response of the offended party, so it is always doable. The victim does not need the cooperation of the offender.
• Verbal forgiveness requires the repentance of the offender, so it is not always doable.

They differ in finality:

• Heart forgiveness must be done continually. Man might sooner tame the wind than still the recurring bad memories that ignite bitterness. Yet as often as he remembers he must forgive.
• Verbal forgiveness is required only once. Yet the victim may need to reassure the offender of forgiveness, just as Joseph had to reassure his brothers after Jacob died.

They differ in dependency:

• Heart forgiveness may be done without verbal forgiveness.
• Verbal forgiveness means nothing without heart forgiveness. The man who verbally forgives yet nurses a grudge has not truly forgiven