By Faith

Hebrews 11

By Faith We Understand

¹ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
³ By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Faith at the Dawn of History

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
⁵ By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”;^[a] for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. ⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
⁷ By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Faithful Abraham

⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
¹¹ By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child^[b] when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

The Heavenly Hope

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,^[c] embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. ¹⁵ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

The Faith of the Patriarchs

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”^{[d] 19} concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
²² By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

The Faith of Moses

²³ By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.
²⁴ By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶ esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in^[e] Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
²⁷ By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
²⁹ By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

By Faith They Overcame

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. ³¹ By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
³² And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: ³³ who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. ³⁵ Women received their dead raised to life again.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,^[f] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
³⁹ And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, ⁴⁰ God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

May God bless your faith,

Cynthia Palmer

Being Perfected Through Suffering

May the grace of God be upon you,

I would like to share some words that really touched my heart today while I was reading the word of the Almighty God. I hope these words may also lift you up and encourage you during times of sufferings in your flesh or in your spiritual man. All suffering has a profit to you IF your life is on the hands of God. Humble yourself under the mighty hands of the Lord and He will exalt you in due time, but accept what He has for you first for your own profit, growth, strength and perfection.

1 Peter 5:10 - But may the God of all grace, who called us  to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

See how wonderful this is: Suffering is NOT eternal with the Lord, the sufferings He makes us pass in this life they have a limit date, they have an end, but we must be tested and proved as well, but after a while, these sufferings will bring : perfection in our inner man, He will establish us, He will strengthen us, and He will settle us!!! This sanctification process is amazing! I know that sometimes is not joyful when you are corrected, when you are purged, when you are exhorted, but it produces much fruit afterwards. And we can be witness of His mighty work in us and glorify His Holy name.

You know that it is easy to be reading the Scriptures every single day, all day long like a book? Or even be listening to preachings in churches or internet all day as well? But, if the things that you read or listen about the gospel of the kingdom are not believed, they will profit you absolutely NOTHING! Pay attention to these scriptures below:

Hebrews 4:2 -For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

You must believe that sufferings will profit your soul and your growth in the Lord, you must stand firm in the faith when they reach you, for the Lord corrects and purges those who He loves. Your faith is the element that touches the Heart of God. Faith always moved the heart of God and will always do!

Why would we be different from our Lord? Look at all the sufferings Jesus Christ had to pass through to learn obedience as well, and the scriptures says:

Hebrews 2:10 - For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

(Amazing Scriptures right here to be meditated upon every single day) Hebrews 5: 5-11 -So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “ You are My Son,Today I have begotten You.”  As He also says in another place:“ You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,  called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.


I pray that these words may encourage you and lift you up in much faith that all sufferings are temporary and profitable and that your faith is the element that will move you forward in everything the Lord has for you!

May the Lord of peace and rest be with you always,
Cynthia R. Palmer

Jews & Gentiles, One In Christ

Genesis 17:1-8

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

Question: Did God make Abraham a father of one nation or many nations?

Question: Where is the land of canaan? Who has always lived there?

Thought: God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to bless him and his descendants. He gave him and his descendants all the land of Canaan, this land is the traditional home of the Hebrews (Jews) and the people who lived there were called the children of Israel or the nation of Israel. The name Israel comes from God who changed Jacob’s name to Israel after Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord all night. (Genesis 35:9-12)

Genesis 22:17-18

“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

Thought: Jesus Christ is a direct descendant of Abraham, and through Him all the nations of the earth are blessed. Because of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, every nation of people on this earth is able to have a relationship with the One True God who created all man-kind.

Matthew 1: 1

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:”

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Footnotes: Isaiah 7:14 (Immanuel) Literally God-With-Us

Galatians 3:26-29

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Colossians 3:1-11

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”

(Read Revelation 21:1-8 and 22-27)

Through The Fire

1st Peter 4:12-19

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”

Question: Do we as professing Christians really know what it means to be tried by fire? To be purified? To be sanctified? And partake in the sufferings of Christ? Do we understand what it means to be judged by God?

Thought: When we are tried by fire the one thing we all need to realize is that fire burns, fire hurts, and the process of purifying the inner man is not always pleasant. But it is a necessary work of God through the Holy Spirit that He places within the vessel of His choice. Scripture tells us that Jesus is returning for a bride (church) that is spotless, without blemish or wrinkle. This means that every individual believer with the Holy Spirit indwelling them will undergo trials, tests of faith, scourging, chastening, cleansing, refining, and purification. If we are not experiencing any of these spiritual works within us we should examine ourselves to see if we are really in the faith.

Hebrews 12:3-11

“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

These scriptures in Hebrews tell us plainly that those whom the Lord loves He chastens, rebukes, and scourges. This is an ongoing process, because we do not receive an all new spirit, mind, soul, or heart when we are born again, but we do receive the Spirit of God who comes to live inside our bodies. What He finds inside of us is years of stains from sin and strongholds from our service to Satan and the gratification of the flesh. Our vessels are unclean and we all need to go through a purification process and it’s different for each saint of God. The scripture tells us that if we don’t go through this chastening and purifying process then we are not sons of God. Even the twelve disciples had to go through it, when Jesus called them they were not chastened, and cleansed, but through the discipleship training and the acceptance of the word of God their vessels were made clean.

John 15:1-3

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

Revelation 3:19

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

The trials and tests of our faith that we all must go through are for our profit that will make us able to partake of the Lord’s Holiness. Our bodies are the temple of God in which He lives by the Holy Spirit, and it must be cleansed so that the Spirit will be able to fill the whole temple. Have we ever gone inside of a physical temple and saw garbage on the floor, dirt, and stains on the wall? I haven’t! The physical temples are swept clean and beautiful on the inside, and it should be the same for our temple (body).

1st Peter 1:3-7

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”

James 1:2-3,12

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

The Lord told Daniel the prophet that in the last days many would go through the fire to be purified and made white.

Daniel 12:10

“Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.”

1st Corinthians 6:9-11

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 5:25-27

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish”

To God be the glory,
Tyrone, a servant and apostle of Jesus

Come Follow Me (A Disciple Of Jesus)

Jesus is not looking for lukewarm disciples, He is looking for those who are willing to leave everything behind and lay down their lives for Him and for the gospel. Do you really want to be His disciple? Here is what you must do.

Matthew 4:18-22

"And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."

Luke 9:23-26

“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

Being a disciple of Jesus is a lifestyle, it’s an everyday relationship of love, discipline, sacrifice, praise, prayer, bible study, and self denial. We must be willing to not only let go of our lives in this world, but also make hard decisions that may cost us the fellowship of friends and family in order to follow Jesus.

Matthew 10:34-39

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Jesus tells us not to love anyone or anything in this world more than Him.

Mark 10:28-30

“Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Jesus promises His disciples who leave behind their families, friends, and lands for His sake, and the gospel’s, will receive a hundredfold in this time, along with persecutions and in the age to come they will inherit eternal life.

John 8:31-32

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Jesus said IF we abide in His word we are His disciples, He didn’t say to abide in another man's or woman’s word, but His. We are not even to lean on our own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;”

John 14:15-16

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—“

Jesus said that IF we love Him we will obey what He commands. We cannot even receive the Holy Spirit without being obedient to Him.

Acts 5:30-32

“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Without self denial, obedience, and self sacrifice we cannot be His disciples, we will start to build and not be able to finish. We must understand the true cost that we must pay to follow Jesus. He paid the ultimate price for us all, and His disciples are called to follow His example and walk as He walked. Will you follow Jesus? Will you accept the call of discipleship? The choice is yours.

With Love In Christ,
Tyrone

The Great Falling Away

2nd Thessalonians 2:1-4
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

The day of the Lord will NOT come unless the falling away comes FIRST! Jesus will not be returning to this earth without a falling away of those who profess His name.

According to current statistics there are approximately 2.1 billion professing Christians in the world. (Adherents.com)

In 2006, A Baylor University study said, about 34 percent of us -- fully 100 million Americans are Evangelical. That's an umbrella term covering dozens of denominations, as well as hundreds of independent churches. (CNN.com)

This is what Jesus said would happen during the beginning of sorrows:

Matthew 24:7-12
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

Understand that Jesus is talking to His disciples about what would happen to those like them in the future, He said “Then they will deliver YOU up to tribulation and KILL YOU, and YOU will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake (JESUS). Now these are the very words of God saying that there will be NO secret ‘rapture’ of Christians. And not only will those who profess the name of Jesus be delivered up to tribulation, killed, and hated, but they will be offended, they will betray one another, and WILL hate one another.

Now ask yourself this question: What would make any of the 2.1 Billion Jesus confessing, Spirit filled, God loving, Jesus following, bible reading, gospel sharing Christians fall away? Be offended? Betray one another? Hate one another? And cause their love to grow cold?

I have been meditating on these scriptures and the Spirit of God has been pointing me towards a few scenarios that I believe are possible during these last days that we are living in.

1) When Jesus says there will be famines, pestilences, and great earth quakes in various places is He excluding America? Not according to prophecy. Many prophecies have already been received about a great earth quake coming to California and the devastation that will follow, testing those prophecies by scripture leads me to believe that when these things come upon this country the millions of professing Christians in America who believe in the false teaching of the rapture will realize that they are NOT going to be raptured up but will be on this earth during times of distress, persecution, and tribulation, having believed a lie they will be dismayed and stunned. They will revolt against those who told them the lie, and they will most likely revolt against God, blaming Him for all that is happening to them. This could cause a great falling away.

2) Because millions of Christians believe in the false teaching of praying Jesus into your heart, these professing Christians will NOT receive the Spirit of God and will have no power to overcome sin, the world, themselves, or Satan, and will quickly fall away when tribulation and persecution comes for the name of Jesus.

3) The one world religion that will be established could cause a great falling away as well. When many Christians and denominations align themselves with all the world’s religions making a claim that all roads lead to God. Possibly lead by the anti-christ and the false prophet.

These are a few scenarios that are very possible in the coming months and years. One thing is for sure, the word of the Lord will be fulfilled; His word is true and never fails.

With Sincere Love In Christ,
Tyrone D Palmer, servant, and apostle of Christ

Cultural Christianity Vs Biblical Christianity

Was Jesus culturally relevant to the 1st century world? Did He teach His disciples to fit in with the world? Was Jesus concerned about what the world thought of Him? Did the 1st century apostles and believer’s compromise their faith and the gospel message to save the lost?

In this bible study we will take a look at the teachings of Christ and the inspired scriptures to answer these questions. If we are to be the bride of Christ, who will be spotless and unblemished; made ready for the Bridegroom, we need to know exactly what God says we must do to enter His kingdom.

Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:18-19
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

If Jesus was culturally relevant to the 1st century world wouldn’t they have loved Him and accepted Him as their own? Yet we know He was hated and crucified by those He came to save.

Look at what John 1:10 says:

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

To say that Jesus was culturally relevant in His time is saying that He was in agreement with religious pride, unbelief, and idol worship. All of which were very prevalent in the culture during the ministry of Christ. Many talk about how loving and tolerant Jesus was and how He didn’t condemn anybody. It’s true He did not condemn, He didn’t come to condemn the world but to save it, He didn’t condemn the woman caught in adultery, but He did speak out against sin.

John 15:22
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

If Jesus was relevant to the culture of the 1st century world, He would not have been crucified and He would have failed in the work that God sent Him to do. Because He would have been more concerned about what people thought about Him, and not offending anyone. He would have been trying to fit in with the world and please people instead of pleasing the Father. He would have tried to be friends with the world and compromise His faith. In fact Jesus was so un-relevant and separated from the culture of His day even many of His disciples who followed Him left Him.

John 6:60-66
“Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

Jesus said plainly that He was not of this world and neither were His disciples because He had chosen them out of the world.

John 17:14-16
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

If Jesus came back to earth right now and wanted to become relevant to this American culture today, what would He be doing?

The truth is that the gospel message of the kingdom of God and how to enter in will never change regardless of the culture, or the century. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Here is what Paul told the Roman believer’s:

Romans 12:1-2
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

How many professing Christians look and act-like those in the world? Where is the holiness? Where are the fruits of the Spirit? What is the difference between sinners and saints today?

We know that the 1st century church never compromised their faith to fit in with the world or to please man. In fact they suffered persecution and death for their belief in Christ, if Christians today would start to stand up for righteousness and holiness in this culture today, they would face the same thing!

Hebrews 11:37-38
“They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.”

Paul also told the Ephesian church:

Ephesians 5:8-11
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

How many professing Christians are speaking out and exposing works of darkness?

Sin, repentance, holiness, righteousness and the coming judgment are not being addressed much in the body of Christ today, and the church has become lukewarm and Laodicean. Some say I am so blessed because I have a nice house, a nice car, a big screen T.V., all the food I can eat, I don’t need anything. Yet their soul is naked, blind, poor, and wretched. (Revelation 3:15-19)
Are you a cultural Christian or are you a biblical Christian? Are you holding to the teachings of Christ, or are you just hearing and not doing? There is a BIG difference between the two, and the Judge Jesus Christ Himself will make this clear on Judgment day.

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Today is the day of your salvation, the Lord is standing at the door and time is short. I pray that these words of God will spur you on towards a sincere devotion to bible study, prayer, and obedience.

Love In Christ,
Tyrone D Palmer, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ