The Eye Is The Lamp Of Your Body

Matthew 6:22

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

I never understood until recently, that these few verses of scripture contain one of the keys to living a victorious, overcoming life in Christ Jesus.

I can't tell you the countless times I've read this scripture but didn't understand what it really meant. There's even a cliche about these scriptures that say, 'your eyes are the window to your soul', the cliche has some truth in it, because what you see through your eyes can enter into your heart and mind. 

If what you are looking at is evil and ungodly and you indulge yourself in it, then whatever evil it is will enter your body and soul, whether it be an evil spirit or more darkness to feed the evil that's already in you!

Did you know that you can grow in light and grace or more dark and evil over your lifetime? 

The scriptures testify of this truth.

2nd Peter 3:18

"but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

2nd Timothy 3:12

"But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."

People who are addicted to watching pornography and T.V. for hours on end don't understand what they are doing to themselves spiritually and physically, (I know I didn't!) But glory to God, because He has opened my eyes to this truth and it has changed my life. I pray that it will change yours also.

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Eternal Judgment (Your Soul Is Immortal)

Revelation 20:11-15

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

These words are faithful and true, make no mistake, we will ALL stand before the judgment seat of God. We are going to be judged by what we DO while living in these earthly bodies, those who do good will inherit eternal life, and those who do wicked will be eternally punished.

John 5:28-29

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

There are many who believe that God will not punish His creation for eternity, that He is not a God who would do that, but yet we have a multitude of scriptures that tell us exactly what He is going to do with those who do not know Him and have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2nd Thessalonians 1:6-10

"since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed."

Jesus told those who He separated at His Second Coming to depart from Him into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:31-33,41-46

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a  shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The people who will take the mark of the beast, and worship him or his image will also be thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 14:9-11

"Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Some believe that you will be destroyed in this fire but these scriptures make it very clear, your soul is immortal, and if you worship the beast and his image, or take his mark in your forehead or hand you will be tormented with fire and brimstone forever.

The beast and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire alive and will be tormented forever.

Revelation 19:20

"Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."

Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire after the one thousand year reign of Christ on the earth, and guess who will be there waiting for him?

Revelation 20:7-10

"Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.  The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

If you thought that the beast and the false prophet or the spirits who are thrown into the lake of fire will be completely destroyed these scriptures prove that the soul and spirit is immortal. The beast and false prophet are still in the lake of fire being tormented one thousand years later when Satan himself will also be thrown in. Jesus said the lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels, He doesn't want any of us to go there, and God sent His only Son to pay the penalty for our sins so that we wouldn't have to go there. We all have free will and a choice to make, either eternal life, or eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.

Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18

^"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We have a soul and spirit inside these mortal bodies, we cannot see them, but they are there, and they are immortal. I pray that you will accept the free gift of salvation so that your immortal soul may spend eternity with the Eternal God.

In His Light,
Tyrone

Sir, What Must I DO To Be Saved?

Mark 16:14-18

"Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

These words of Jesus Christ to His apostles should be enough to end this message right here, but unfortunately in these last days of deception and strong delusion these scriptures have been glossed over as if they didn't exist by those who claim salvation is by faith alone, 'you don't have to DO anything', they say, 'Jesus did it all for you on the cross'. No baptism, no Holy Spirit, no righteous works, no obedience, no repentance, no fasting, no ceasing from sin, no holiness, no suffering, no self-denial, no conformation into the image of Christ. Yet this is exactly what many believe inspite of the teachings of Jesus and the word of God that clearly explains to us all what we MUST DO in order to be saved.

Jesus COMMANDS His apostles to GO and preach the good news to every creature, he who believes AND IS BAPTIZED will be SAVED. Very clear right? God in the flesh giving a command right? Did the apostles OBEY this command? We have the clear evidence of their obedience recorded in the book of Acts. The only book that records clear examples of converts to Christ and what they DID after they believed  the gospel that the apostles preached.

The same Jesus who said, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved", is the same Jesus who said in:

Luke 6:46

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

Is Jesus preaching salvation by works? Of course not!

What Jesus is preaching is what we must DO in order to be saved! God is the author of salvation for our soul, not us! Who are we to change what He spoke? And who is man that decides how his own soul will be saved?

Let's break down what Jesus said in Mark 16:16

He who believes and is baptized will be saved

Jesus told His apostles to go into the world and preach the gospel (good news) to every creature. The man or woman who believes the good news and is baptized will be saved.

First the good news needs to be preached by those whom the Lord sends into the world, the person who hears this gospel must believe what they have heard. So what does it mean to believe? The Greek word for believe is Pisteuo.

4100. pisteuo pist-yoo'-o from 4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):--believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with. (Strong's Greek Lexicon)

What does the word faith mean?

4102. pistis pis'-tis from 3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:--assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

Second, the person who believes needs to be baptized.

What does the word baptized mean?

907. baptizo bap-tid'-zo from a derivative of 911; to immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism:--Baptist, baptize, wash.

What does the word saved mean?

4982. sozo sode'-zo from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saos, "safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):--heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.

Jesus said to His apostles, go into the world and preach the good news, he who has faith in me or is persuaded by your message and is immersed in water will be saved.

What did the the people ask when they heard the gospel preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost?

Acts 2:36-37

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

What did Peter tell them when they asked him and the other apostles present, "what shall we DO?", did Peter and the other apostles tell them, "just believe!, that's it, that's all you have to do!", NO THEY DID NOT!. Peter being obedient to the command of Jesus Christ, and in agreement with the rest of the apostles and disciples said to them in:

Acts 2:38-39

"Then Peter said to them,“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Was Peter preaching salvation by works?

What happened when Philip the Evangelist preached the gospel to the Samarians?

Acts 8:12

"But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized."

What happened when Philip preached the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch?

Acts 8:34-38

"So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.  Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

Was Philip preaching salvation by works?

It is very clear in these scriptures as Philip preached Jesus to the Ethiopian Eunuch, that he explained to him what he must DO in order to obtain salvation for his soul, because the eunuch said, "see here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?" Philip was taught correctly by the apostles, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he knew what must be done by the one who believes the gospel. None of the apostles or evangelists in the first century told any convert to Christ that all they had to do was believe, so why do preachers today say this? And why do people believe this inspite of the clear teachings of Jesus and the clear examples of true conversion recorded in the book of Acts?

Paul's conversion:

Acts 9:17-18

"And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized."

The conversion of the gentile Cornelius and his household:

Acts 10:42-48

"And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days."

Again we clearly see Peter being obedient to the commands and teachings of Jesus Christ, what kind of minister would Peter have been if he were disobedient? He probably wouldn't have been the Lord's apostle very long!

The conversion of Lydia in Philippi:

Acts 16:13-15

"And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us."

The conversion of the Philippian jailer:

Acts 16:29-34

"Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."

Some use this scrpture as proof text of just believe and you are saved, but how could the jailer believe on the Lord Jesus Christ without first hearing the gospel preached? This is why the scripture goes right on to say, "then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house". Then we see the jailer and his family respond after they heard the word and believed it, they were immediately baptized.

Did the jailer receive salvation by works? Or was he and his family being obedient to the words of Paul and Silas?

Paul said to the Roman saints about the Israelites in:

Romans 10:14-15

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

In conclusion:

Jesus Himself taught His disciples the plan of God for the salvation of the soul, He appointed them, commanded them, and empowered them to go out into the world and preach the gospel to all nations. Those who believed this gospel were to be baptized, and because of their belief in the gospel, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the actions that followed their belief would lead to the salvation of their soul.

Abiding In His Love,
Tyrone

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

We Must Be Baptized

Did you know that baptism is more than just a symbolic ritual?

In this study we will take a look at why we must be baptized in water and what baptism really means for new followers of Christ.

The Greek word for baptism is baptizo and it means:

“To immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism:--Baptist, baptize, wash.” (Strong’s Greek Lexicon)

Matthew 28:18-20

“And Jesus came and spoke to them (apostles), saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Jesus), teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Question: Did Jesus command His apostles to make new disciples and baptize them or did He leave it up to the new converts to decide how they would be saved?

Mark 16:14-18

“Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Jesus tells His apostles again to baptize the ones who believe the gospel message of the kingdom of God. Jesus makes it clear that baptism in water is a part of God’s plan of salvation for the soul.

Acts 2:36-41

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”

Here we see Peter doing what Jesus had commanded him and the rest of the apostles to do; baptize new converts in water in the name of Jesus. They never changed their gospel message as long as they lived and they never allowed any believer to go without being baptized or receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14-17

"Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."

Romans 6:1-7

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

Paul tells the Roman saints that baptism is far more that a symbolic ritual, but a participation in the likeness of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. When we go into the watery grave we are putting to death the old man of sin, crucifying the flesh and being raised from the water a new creation in Christ. By this act of faith and confession, we come into spiritual contact with the blood of Jesus that washes away all our sins.

Galatians 3:26-28

“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.”

Colossians 2:11-12

“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

1st Corinthians 12:12-14

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”

When we are baptized in water and receive the Holy Spirit we are spiritually placed into the body of Christ, this is not a separate baptism but part of the one baptism that all converts to Christ are to receive.

Ephesians 4:4-6

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Jesus commanded His disciples to be baptized in His name for the forgiveness of their sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will empower them to live the rest of their lives in obedience to God and dead to sin. He who believes and is baptized WILL be saved!

In Christ,
Tyrone