THINGS TO PONDER

NICK CONNOR

The following articles are retrieved and posted with permission from a new friend of somewhat ancient history. Our spiritual roots go all the way back to 1975 in Mannheim Germany while stationed in the Army. Although we did not meet then we were both a part of a powerful apostolic ministry that birthed and fathered numerous powerful ministers of the gospel and their ministries; Joseph Tumpkin, Thomas Askew, Earl Wallace, John Monk, Myron Murray and Nick Connor just to name a few. Recently Nick and I connected on Facebook via a mutual friend from that time and place. Nick is an amazing brother with incredible insight, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. He has a tremendous grasp on current national and world events and how they relate to scripture and end times prophecy. He also has great understanding of how our nation was truly founded and established along with the heinous sins of our forefathers (our treatment of the indigenous natives that lived here before us, slavery, then ethnic prejudices, wars for profit and abortion) that have led us to the horrible condition our nation is in today. Don't get me wrong, he and all the rest of us from that humble beginning are true patriots and love our nation. We all willingly served and loved her. We just recognize and acknowledge the sins of our forefathers. We love it enough to speak the truth even though it may be too late for our nation as a whole. God's clock waits for no one and it is winding down to an end, soon.

It would be just wrong of me NOT to share his gifts and writings. So, he now has space on this site where anyone who desires to may benefit from what God has vested in him. These articles are taken directly from his Facebook page without altering. All having very fascinating and informative dialogues. The full benefit of his wisdom, and others, is found in the dialogues. Should you wish to read the them visit his FB page. He tends to attract spiritually mature brethren that share valuable insights into the matter being discussed on his feed. He also gets a few hecklers or scoffers from time to time but does not suffer them to remain and rightfully so. His feed is not a debate forum, but civil questions are encouraged and are always answered respectfully. The articles follow no chronological nor subject matter sequence as not all entries are dated. The first sentence of each article is its title. I will list them here and when you find one that interests you just scroll down to its location to read it. Please visit our site frequently as the contents of this page and others are periodically updated with new material.

The Church Will Go Out Just Like Her Lord, Not in Grandiose Triumphalism
Condemnation: Grace, Lawlessness and Sin
Freemasonry and the Foundations of America: Why there must be deep repentance back to the foundations
Racial Division in the Body and other Sins: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (I Pe. 4:17).
Divine Order and Sexual Purity in Ministry Relationships
Confessing the Sins of History and a Nation’s sin
Anyone cherishing “southern pride” needs to read this testimony.
The Founding Fathers of America and Our Repentance
As to tearing down statues/images, the Torah does forbid images (Ex. 20:6; Lev 26:1).
The Iniquities of America Have Reached Heaven: Her time to repent has passed and Judgment is Determined
Catacomb Saints
This is the effects of slavery.
His Blood is Sufficient
Religious Errors About the Hoy Spirit
The difference in the Old and New Covenant Love

May 2 at 5:23 PM ·

The Church Will Go Out Just Like Her Lord, Not in Grandiose Triumphalism

The Ecclesia is called to walk like her Lord. “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:1b, 2 KJV).

There is a false narrative of an end-time church triumphant. This narrative is sustained by the long-standing belief that the success of the Church is quantifiably measurable with external variables such as financial success, political/social influence, and large numbers. The very building blocks of this “church” are forbidden: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:16 KJV). The carnal man always goes by what he can measure through his five senses, and what his flesh appreciates. Hence, his concept of an overcoming church is a carnal concept. It is a false Great Awakening led by false apostles and false prophets, designed to deceive the multitudes and empower the antichrist.

The end-time Ecclesia will walk as Christ, full of glory and His very image. We will walk in more glory that the early church, but remember what the outcome was for the early saints. Most were martyred. Indeed, it began with Stephen who saw the glory and it reflected off his face. “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (I Peter 4:14 NASB).

“The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven. God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world” (Catechism of the Catholic Church; Paragraph 677).

The danger of the dominion theology and the seven mountains theology is that it represents the opposite of what things will look like in the Bride of Christ. She is called to walk in the fellowship of His sufferings. All of the original apostles left us an example of what happens when we become like the Master.

I had no idea that the Catholic Catechism stated this same thing which the Lord had been revealing to me. Now, many of the Catholic faithful are beginning to believe they are entering that season. Even some of the prominent Cardinals and priests have expressed concerns about how Pope Francis is behaving like the antichrist in his attempts to destroy the faith.

Before any Catholic-bashing protestants jump on the Catholics, you best look at yourselves. We are in the midst of the great “falling away” which must first occur before the Lord’s return. Most of the larger movements are swept away in complete error. Very few are even openly confessing the Lordship of Christ, His incarnation, death and resurrection. There is profoundly deep apathy and unbelief. This is the apostasy which must first take place before the day of Christ takes place. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first” (cf II Thess. 2:3). Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Pentecostals and Charismatics are all witnessing a falling away. What is left is a remnant of faithful saints and the one true body of Christ.

These are the days of which the Lord spoke, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24 NKJV). Be EXTREMELY cautious when it comes to charismatic apostles and prophets. There are more false apostles and prophets than true servants. You will notice that the false apostles and prophets do not point to the incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God. They do not point to His Lordship. The emphasis is upon self or the collective effort of several selves. This is the antichrist spirit which is behind the major concepts of a Great Awakening and Great Revival.

July 8th 2017

2. Condemnation: Grace, Lawlessness and Sin

A huge error is the belief that “There is, therefore, now no condemnation in Christ,” means “I can sin without feeling guilt or shame.” Grace does not mean you can live in sin without shame or condemnation. Being freed from the law does not mean one can be lawless.

What did the Apostle Paul mean when he wrote , “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those in the Messiah Yeshua”? One must read the entire text. He completed the sentence and the thought saying, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” You cannot walk after the flesh and claim this promise. There is no condemnation for those “who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.”

Many people are twisting the gospel and searing their conscience by claiming “there is no condemnation,” while living in sexual immorality, drunkenness, homosexuality, pride, resentment, unbelief, rebellion, and heresy. The prophets speak of those who are shameless about their sins.They use this verse to subdue any sense of shame and guilt. This is precisely how “lawlessness” increases in the last days in the house of Yahweh. But Paul’s discussion of “no condemnation” continues, “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4 KJV).

We are delivered from the law through the cross, but we are also delivered from lawlessness. Being delivered from the law does not mean we are free to practice lawlessness. “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, SIN IS LAWLESSNESS” (I John 3:4 NIV).

The New Covenant provides a divine solution which appears contradictory. By not being under the law but under grace, we fulfill the righteousness of the law. This is quite different than the twisted doctrine which defines grace as “God accepts you and loves you in your lawlessness and sins.”

“ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for YE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE. What then? SHALL WE SIN BECAUSE WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE? GOD FORBID. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his SERVANTS YE ARE TO WHO YE OBEY; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:14-16 KJV).

“He that saith, “I know Him,” and keeps not His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him” (I John 2:4 KJV).

July 8 2020

3. Freemasonry and the Foundations of America: Why there must be deep repentance back to the foundations

Are you aware of how much freemasonry has to do with the founding fathers and the founding documents of America? Are you aware of how wicked some of those founders were? If they did not repent, they currently reside in the abyss. While there were some Christians in history, America is NOT a Christian nation. Men like David Barton have shamelessly woven a fictional myth, ignoring overwhelming evidence to the contrary to fabricate a Christian narrative. The founders were, in fact, philosophically oriented against the gospel. It should be of no real surprise since, as freemason scholar Christopher Hodapp puts it, “Freemasonry was the firstborn son of the Enlightenment, and it was a greater single influence on our Founding Fathers than any other” (Hodapp, Christopher. Solomon’s Builders: Freemasons, the Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C., p. 109).

George Washington was a 33 degree Mason who was sworn in to his presidency on a masonic bible. Benjamin Franklin was a freemason. At least 13 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were freemasons whose names are found in masonic registers, to include John Hancock, James Madison and Paul Revere. However, it is estimated that 19 to 24 of the names in the Declaration are freemasons.

The three main Generals of Washington’s army were all freemasons. The architect and designer of Washington, D.C. was a freemason. A bird’s-eye view of the city reveals a compass and square design which also forms the pentagram star. The cornerstone of the White House is a masonic stone.

At least 14 presidents are known freemasons. Several others were in secret societies. There is a reason that the first George Bush talked constantly about the New World Order and the “thousand points of light.”

American government, the progeny of the Enlightenment was not pre-empted by a visit from Gabriel. Those who assert that America is a Judeo-Christian nation, believe that the American documents are almost as authoritative as the stone tablets of Mt. Sinai. For some American Christians, it would not be too absurd to open the Canon of Scriptures so that the Declaration of Independence could be inserted as the 25th book of the New Testament, right after Revelation.

Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the Declaration of Independence, cautioned against divinizing the founding documents in a letter to a friend. In the following letter dated, 1816, Jefferson observed that this error had already occured:

“Some men look at the constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to the men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human …” (Jefferson, Letter to Samuel Kercheval, cited in Bernstein, R.B. Thomas Jefferson, p. 184).

The founding fathers rejected the Divinity of Christ, the revelation of the New Testament, the Trinity, the belief that man is sinful, the subsequent conviction that sinful man is in need of salvation. They rejected the notion of miracles, the Virgin birth of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection. All such ideas were, to them, the archaic superstitions of unenlightened fools, which kept people in darkness and willing bondage to governmental oppressors.

The early documents such as the Mayflower Compact and the Connecticut Constitution arguably had some influence on the Constitution. The same could be said about the “social contracts” created among the early Puritan citizens of Massachusetts. However, when John Winthrop envisioned a “city on the hill” whose Christian “light” would shine to the nations it was a narrowly defined vision of Puritanism. The Puritans expected strict adherence to their brand of Christianity. There was no tolerance for Baptists, Quakers or any other Protestant denomination which they regarded as heretical sects. Such heretics were tarred and feathered, jailed, banished or executed. Their vision for a Christian community was a narrowly defined Calvinistic theocracy which would exclude many contemporary American Christians. It failed by the end of the second generation.

Benjamin Franklin, a devout freemason, expressed the common sentiment among the majority of founding fathers: “My parents had early given me religious impressions, and brought me through my childhood piously in the Dissenting way. But I was scarce fifteen, when, after doubting by turns of several points, as I found them disputed in the different books I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself … I soon became a thorough Deist …” He boldly asserted, “Revelation had indeed no weight with me.”

While there is no record that Jefferson was a freemason, he inserts the masonic concept of God into the Declaration of Independence as “the Grand Architect of the Universe.” Jefferson was a borderline agnostic with a strong affinity for Epicurus and open rejection of the divinity of Christ.

Thomas Paine one of the most influential writers during the Revolution, was immersed in freemasonry. Washington made his work required reading for his soldiers. Paine argued that there was nothing “more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory in itself, than this thing called Christianity.”( Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason, (1795), P. 170)

He cynically spews, “The Christian theory is little else than the idolatry of the ancient mythologists, accommodate to the purposes of power and revenue; and it yet remains to reason and philosophy to abolish the amphibious fraud.” (Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason, (1795), P. 25)

Paine’s constant theme was that the Bible is not the word of God, and “we ought to feel shame at calling such paltry stories the word of God.” (Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason, (1795), P. 36) Paine engages in textual criticism of both the Old and New Testaments in order to “show the story of Jesus Christ to be false” (Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason, (1795), P. 142).

The majority of the founding fathers were, deists and freemasons, not Christians. Jefferson said that the majority rejected any language about Christ in the Declaration. He reflects the following: ““Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word ‘Jesus Christ,’ so that it should read, ‘a departure from Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;’ the insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every denomination.” (Jefferson, Thomas. Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, pp. 40, 41)

4. Racial Division in the Body and other Sins: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (I Pe. 4:17).

American believers are deeply divided on racial lines. When it comes to racial division in churches it goes both ways. I have caught opposition from both sides for declaring what is wicked. I have had professing believers who are white and black, flashing their teeth at me. There are some unbelievably wicked attitudes. I am not sure if some of these people are even saved. No wonder God does not pour out His glory or power on us.

The Holy Ghost cannot and will not bless this mess. It is impossible that He is shed abroad in such hardened hearts which lack love on such a basic level. Before anyone jumps up and says, “You tell ‘em, Nick!” I am talking about all of us, including you.

Racism can be extremely covert. Contrary to what minorities say, they are just as capable of racism as the majority whites. I have encountered deep resentment, anger and hatred. I have had to disconnect from some professing “apostles” because of the venomous hatred they were spewing in the name of “social justice” and “righteous indignation.” That sort of unforgiveness and bitterness will take a person straight to hell. There is no way one can do the work of an apostle while full of the devil.

Contrary to what many whites say, they are racists at a very deep level. They may never say the “N” word, but they have assumptions, judgments, bias, fears and self-justification. How many of your family members are from another race? How many people in your fellowship are from another race? How many of your best friends and closest brothers/sisters in Christ are from another race? If the answer is “None,” you are a racist.

Let me be very clear. Segregation is a two-way street. Both racial cultures choose it. However, some individuals step out of this bondage. Unfortunately, the church looks just like the world. We ignore the commandment, “Do not be conformed to this world …”

The body of Christ is not divided. This division is a fundamental sin which must be repented and renounced, not in words but in actions. God is not manifesting His fullness and glory in a black church or a white church. The fullness of Christ belongs to the full body of Christ. THIS IS WHY WE DO NOT SEE MANIFEST POWER AND MIRACLES!

There are many other sins in the house of the Lord. There is arrogance, unbelief, error, worldliness, jealousy, impurity, and greed. There is a prevailing lukewarmness, prayerlessness and apathy. There is an absence of genuine agape. All of these sins are why “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (cf I Pe. 4:17).

Let us start with this very practical and obvious sin – racial divisions among believers! There is no way you can profess that Yeshua is your Lord while you hold animosity toward another race. He is not your Lord if you have no real relationships with believers outside your own skin color. You are a liar! Christ is not your Lord. Repent!

People wish to argue with me about the historical sins in the nation of America. Too bad! Take it up with God. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 KJV). God judges people groups and nations for their sins, not just individuals. The ekklesia (the church) is responsible for the sins of it’s community. Had we truly been what we were called to be there is no way this nation would be so wicked. The LGBTQ movement would not be so powerful, influential and visible. The abortion industry would not have murdered more babies than all the deaths in all the wars. America would not have built her greatness off of the backs of slaves. America would not have believed in her “Manifest Destiny” which justified taking the land from hundreds of tribes of Indians. American careers, comfort and wealth would not be a priority over following the Lord. Nor would we justify purchasing products from sweat shops in India or China (there is a reason the virus hit us from China).

We are being judged. It is beginning with the house of God. Thus far, there has been very little repentance. Mostly, people have hardened their hearts. They deny that we are under judgment. They deny that we need to be judged. Instead of confessing our sins, they assert where we are superior and righteous. Therefore, more judgment is going to fall like the rain of a thunderstorm. I have lost many relationships for saying these things. However, the naysayers will know by the end of the year. The level of haughtiness and rebellion among professing believers is simply stunning.

The refusal to repent is going to cause hundreds of thousands to die without crossing the Jordan. Indeed, millions will die in the coming judgment. It could have been prevented with repentance. There may only be a small remnant left, but the Lord will have a genuine expression of His Kingdom. Everything must be razed down to the foundations. The remnant will be purged, purified, humble, meek, loving and holy. The ekklesia will be a house full of vessels of honor and the latter glory of the house shall be greater than the former.

5. Divine Order and Sexual Purity in Ministry Relationships

A man and a woman should never be a ministry team alone unless married. While it is true that in Christ there is neither male nor female, do not be a fool. It is playing into the hand of the enemy. A married man should never partner with another woman, other than his wife. A married woman should never partner with another man other than her husband. This is a ruse for spiritual and emotional intimacy which is the stuff of adulterous affairs. Then next thing you know their “fellowship” is full blown adultery.

The safest way to function is for one to always have his or her spouse present. Also, ministry teams must consist of more than one man and one woman.

The Holy Spirit would NEVER call a married man to partner with another woman, or a married woman to partner with another man. That is disorder and rebellion, not the Holy Spirit. History is replete with moral failures and failed ministries because of such foolishness. There is ALWAYS impurity and rebellion. This also carries over into many women who become the confidant and prayer partner of some “wounded” man. Such intimacy outside the boundaries of one's marriage are justified as just “ministry” but it is actually emotional adultery. It often destroys marriages. These male/female relationships outside of marriage are always driven by people who have unmet emotional needs, feel lonely, or have dissatisfaction with their marriage. Such “ministry teams” cannot bring any sort of wise counsel or kingdom order to any individual or assembly. They are out of order and must repent.

6. Confessing the Sins of History and a Nation’s sin

It is scriptural to confess the sins of history and of a nation.

It is truly grievous that people wish to argue with me that they do not need to repent or confess sins of a nation’s history. Yet these same people wish to brag about the Judeo-Christian foundations in our history. Repentance is the only thing which goes back to correct the cracks in the foundations and restore correct foundations. Repentance is a matter of removing the weeds in the garden. We did not plant those seeds but we must remove the weeds. Instead, some people are nurturing and watering those weeds as though they were a prize flower garden. Repentance is a removal of the idols in the land. It is correcting a myth and propaganda with the facts.

The MAJORITY of professing Christians in America are as hardened and unrepentant as the Jews in the days of Yeshua. Just as judgment fell on Jerusalem, something similar is coming to this continent. Why? Because of the stubborn refusal to confess or repent.

The fact that one wishes to discuss the theological nuances of national repentance reveals a heart which is hard as a marble. Does it not concern you that the Almighty has been blasphemed? Does it not move you that the Holy Spirit has been grieved? Where is your indignation for the defilement of the gospel? Are you so indifferent to the injustice inflicted on other races that it does not bother you if others are still hurting? How often have you cried out to God for the slaughter of unborn children?

When is the last time you have wept over your owns sins, much less the sins of others?

“ And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and CONFESSING MY SIN AND THE SIN OF MY PEOPLE Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God” (Daniel 9:20 KJV).

“let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, CONFESSING THE SINS OF ISRAEL YOUR SERVANTS; I AND MY FATHER’S HOUSE HAVE SINNED” (Nehemiah 1:6)”

“For OUR FATHERS HAVE TRESSPASSED and DONE THAT WHICH IS EVIL in the eyes of the LORD our God, and HAVE FORSAKEN HIM, and HAVE TURNED AWAY THEIR FACES from the habitation of the LORD, and TURNED THEIR BACKS” (II Chronicles 29:6 KJV).

“Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had CONFESSED, WEEPING AND CASTING HIMSELF DOWN before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for THE PEOPLE WEPT VERY SORE” (Ezra 10:1)

7. Testimony of Josiah Conner(Nick’s son)

Anyone cherishing “southern pride” needs to read this testimony. If you confuse American nationalism with the Kingdom, you need to read this testimony.It is one thing to know about Christ or even be baptized. It is another thing to have a breaking encounter with the Son of God with deep repentance which we cannot manufacture. When we meet the living Yehsua it wrecks us.

I can bear witness that this conversion is real. I am a personal witness to what led to this encounter and breaking, and the subsequent fruit of repentance. It has cost Josiah dearly. He was always the life of the party but he has lost almost every friend because of how he follows the Lord. Only Yeshua can produce such a transformation.

Read and be blessed!

“Look man I want to share a couple things with you. I was raised in the south. I once carried that "southern pride", and "southern heritage" thing as a part of my identity. I flew Confederate flags, even tattooed it down my arm. I was proud of "my history". I defended slavery due to the lack of technology, the agricultural influence in the south, I sided with a separation of state and government, and "the price of a bail of cotton" to rationalize my allegiance to the south, and what I thought was my heritage. I was a proud southern white man, with no apologies for anything. I used many of the same arguments as you to explain why these things were in the past, how they would have changed either way, and how it should be understood from their perspective. These arguments protected my world view, and justified my prejudice...Then, I got saved. Man bro, Jesus touched my heart, and it broke me. I saw things in a new light, a heavenly light. Guess what? I saw that I had been so wrong! My perspective had all been screwed up. My ideologies hurt people. I had said things in front of many, many people, some minorities that I know was wrong. I hurt people with my world view. Man it hurt me realizing this. I had to repent over these things. I had to own the false narrative that I had told so many. I had to repent. My flags came down, and I had to look in myself and see where the hate from the old south had crept into my like, and influenced my views of politics, people, and even the past. I needed the blood of Jesus to cleanse me from a lie that I had allied with my word view. The Confederate flag tattoo, or hate tatto was covered up, but God was still dealing with my heart.

Another thing about me, I am a former Freemason. I supported my Masonic teachings and was proud to be connected to the many founding fathers of our nation, who were also freemasons. I was told that as a mason, these guys were now my brother. We were in a fraternity, the oldest, and we must respect our obligation. Like them, masonry was going to take me, a good man, and make me a better man. I was sold to this organization, that is responsible and very influential to the ways and history of this country. This caused my to read more about my Mason brothers. These are the men that formed your nation, not Christians. Let me tell you something, our founding fathers were not Christian's. Many were deists, some even agnostic, and atheist, but most did not worship Jesus.

Anyways, the Lord showed me that my connection to the south was not my only sin against Him. I had made the American flag as much of an idol, as I did the rebel flag. Many of the same unrepentant atrocities from the south, also existed throughout the history of the union. God showed me that I had to repent for allegiance that I had made to men and their ideologies, as well. I had to renounce freemasonry and repent for putting other gods before the true god. I had to repent over vows I had taken before God to this fraternity, or anti-Christ organization. The same organization, who many of our forefather's shared membership.

See these men were not influenced by Jesus. They will tell you with their own words, they were infuecned by enlightenment, and deism ( a deity that created, but does not influence men, but only observes), a powerless god, who remains hands off. This is the god most of your forefathers believed in. They looked within their selves for human progression, and an experience of "freedom". They denied that God could provide man with such things. These are your good men so many Christian's will fight to defend. They were "enlightened" individuals who denied the existence of your Christ as a deity.

These are the same men who took land from the Native Americans, broke nearly every treaty they ever made, and utilized slavery to progress their own "enlightenment". These were my "American heroes"!

God showed me that just like I held a false allegiance with the south, there was also a dark spiritual connection that I had made with my "American patriotic" history. I realized I had also made an idol of the red, white, and blue, as well as the founding fathers of this nation.

I burned my masonic bible, and cried out to god to forgive me for any oath I had made, and any connection I made to the worldly secular sins of our nation's past.

At this moment the gospel became even more real to me. I heard Jesus ask me to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him. By His grace alone, I obeyed. I instantly found that there is not room to hold any flag, national pride, worldly heritage, or any other allegiance to man when we are made citizens in His kingdom.

Have I walked this out perfectly? No! The world is always bombarding us to take a side. Our culture, our communities, even our churches influence us to align on principles that idolize our heritage, our nation, or the men in our history, and not on the Word and God alone. When we entertain this lie, the narrative becomes more important than the truth. The enemy has used these influences to keep many of us in bondage and rebellion against the scripture.

I first, am guilty of this behavior. I have made idols of flags, statues, stories, false narratives. I have hated my fellow man. I took the bait the enemy set as a trap. I know I am completely dependent of Jesus and His word for truth. Without him, my worldly ideologies take over, i deny Him, and take a side. Only His blood can protect me from this falling away.

If we do not stay focused on the cross, we take a side. No one is immune from this thing. Without Jesus, we elevate someone or something else; it may be a flag, or a statue, or a person, or even a reinvented idea of a person. Something will become the idol, and it will take what belongs to God alone. I am here to tell you, if a man will repent for these sins, Jesus will forgive him, fill Him, and empower him to follow his citizenship in the Kingdom of heaven. Then, he will be empowered to love his FELLOW man. This is what Jesus is calling us to walk out. This is denying our self, taking up our cross, and following Yeshua. When we die to the world, we die to the liberty of worldly allegiances. We have nothing but Him, and His call to point to. I pray you can hear what I am trying to share. I apologize for being so long winded, but I felt I should tell you a little more than slavery is bad, and our forefathers were sinners whose sins tend to be minimized and forgotten. There are many people who have been gravely hurt by the actions of our nation’s past. As Christian's, we are called to walk in the light. We must be ready to be the honest connection between those sins and that which needs love and healing. We must be willing to own the past, and show the love to others that Christ calls us to show. This is still the case, even when it is difficult. May His blood, His Mercy, and His power, enable us."

8. The Founding Fathers of America and Our Repentance

Many Christians have perpetrated a false narrative about our founding fathers as godly Christians. Consequently, the restoration message being preached is an appeal for a Great Awakening which calls us to return to those godly foundations. The problem with this narrative is that it is blatantly false. Most of the founders were freemasons and deists. Many owned slaves. They were not godly or saved.

A recent post about the sin of slavery with our founding fathers generated a great deal of resistance. One individual was arguing that while Washington had slaves, he did a lot of good as well. He also threw up the fact that MLK had many adulterous relationships as a rebuttal and example that one could make mistakes and still be good.

The following message was the most comprehensive rebuttal. This is a response from my son,

Josiah Conner

. It goes to the very heart of the issue when we confuse Americanism with the gospel of the Kingdom.

Josiah writes,

“if these men did not confess their sins to Jesus, and believe on His name for forgiveness, they died and went to hell. What good is anything they did if this is the case? This is quite simple. Christian's cannot overlook sin, with the intent of telling a version of history that portrays these men as godly. That is bearing false witness. It is a lie. It is folklore, and though many preachers repetitively tell this story from behind the pulpit, it remains a false narrative. We either hold these actions up to the word of God, or we justify man by his works. We cannot pick and choose when one or the other is more convenient. This is hypocrisy in its clearest form. We must repent for ignoring our nations sins, repent from our continued telling of history that holds our nation in a false light. Portraying these unrepentant sinners, many who denied Christ, as godly, is anti-Christ in every way possible. Our founders did many great things. This does not negate that their sins violations against God, and his Commandments. Good deeds, and man's works will never undo these sins, only repentance and the blood of Jesus. Your bible will confirm this fact. These sins, without repentance lead to judgement and hell every time, no matter how great the American character was that committed them. This is not about statues! This about a nation who committed many grave sins, lied about it, and continues to accept these atrocities as acceptable ... Men of God are called to speak against such things, not minimize and condone them. We must repent of this hard-deceitful perspective of ourselves. If not, we have made idols of these men, their deeds, and their statues. We must repent!”

9. As to tearing down statues/images, the Torah does forbid images (Ex. 20:6; Lev 26:1).

The same Christians who take issue with Catholic and Orthodox images/icons of the Lord, Mary, or saints, are up in arms about the destruction of statues of slave owners. What confused loyalties! Some Christians are so iconoclastic that they oppose a cross on the church steeple, or wearing a cross. Yet these same yahoos are up in arms about secular statues, or, even worse, they are defending ungodly images.

The anarchists are not opposing idolatry. I am not condoning the irrational mob of spoiled millennial brats. Revolutionaries always dismantle images of history and then replace them with their own images – Lenin, Stalin, Swastikas, Mao, Che, Castro, etc.

Nevertheless, Christians (white Christians in particular) have divided interests when they become offended about the removing of such statues.They are blind to the fact that they are displaying defensive religious fervor over symbols of Confederate slavery or Masonic statues and symbols.

Are you oblivious to how hurtful and offensive it is for us to celebrate a slave owner, who may have been the master over the ancestors of our brothers and sisters? It really was not that long ago. What does the Word say we should do when something offends our brother? "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak" (Romans 14:21 NKJV).

Someone said, “They better not touch the Statue of Liberty or the Washington Monument.” Are you aware that those Masonic symbols are, in fact idols of a goddess and the Egyptian Mysteries? Honestly, they need to come down. Who is your God – YHVH or Baal? This idolatry is foundational sin in our nation where patriotism and the monotheistic concept of freemasonry are mixed. There is also the foundation sin of slavery of which many founding fathers were guilty. While I openly condemn the BLM organization as a Marxist revolutionary organization, we must own the sins of this nation and openly repent.

10. The Iniquities of America Have Reached Heaven: Her time to repent has passed and Judgment is Determined

NOTE: There is a reason that I have had little to say on FB. It is related to the principle of “radio silence” practiced in the military. It is related to the content of this post.

“For HER SINS HAVE REACHED UNTO HEAVEN, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Revelations 18:5 KJV).

“And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because THEIR SIN IS VERY GREVIOUS. I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to THE CRY OF IT, WHICH IS COME UNTO ME” (Genesis 18:20,21 KJV).

I saw the cup of wrath being tipped and pouring out. In other words, what we have seen up to now is merely the overflow of a foaming cup. Now, it is being tipped and poured out in larger portions. “Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double” (Revelation 18:6 KJV).

A verdict has been rendered and it shall not be reversed. There will be no reprieve. The Holy One has determined judgment.

The entire earth is experiencing judgments. America, in particular, is under very intense judgment. Why? Because so many confess her to be a Christians nation. “To whom much is given much is required.” Now, “Her sins have reached unto heaven,” The iniquity and lawlessness in the houses of worship has compounded the judgment. “The cry of it” has arisen to Yahweh.

America will no longer be an option of refuge for other nations. Europeans from the tip of Spain, through Germany up to the streets of London shall be under it’s own judgment and then the rule of the Antichrist. Many will seek to flee. But this continent will no longer be an option due to the judgments incurred. America will no longer be an option for Jews.

It is a grievous thing which shall occur because “their sin is very grievous.” It is not just the wickedness of the wicked. It is house of God which has not heeded the warning, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” It is a very grievous thing. Because you have not wept nor grieved for your sins many will now weep and grieve for the nation’s losses.

Many Christian “leaders” deny we are under judgment. They deny the sins which have incurred the judgment. This hardness and blindness is the very reason the earth and the house of God are under judgment. VERY, VERY soon the naysayers shall be shaken from their denial and sleep. The cup of wrath will begin to be poured out. Many think they are God’s children and it will not touch them. Yet they walk in darkness and unconfessed sins. They walk in haughtiness. They walk in unbelief. They walk in unforgiveness. They walk in lukewarm apathy. They walk in error, ignoring the glorious gospel. They falsely claim to be abiding “in the Secret Place of the Most Hight.” They falsely claim they are “under the blood,” when they are not. It will be very evident when the angel of destruction does not pass over their homes. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (I Thessalonians 5:3 KJV).

Judgment has been decreed and determined. Either one can live in denial about this season or draw near to God. Yeshua gave us very clear end-time instructions. He was speaking to our generation, saying, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:46 KJV).

11. Catacomb Saints

Our generation is coming full circles back to the lifestyles, faith and community of the early church of the first century. We will have our own version of the catacomb saints.

I see believers joining in community in the ruins of cities. They will only have their basic needs met through pooling resources. Their lives will be entirely focused on the Lord and loving one another.

I also see something which may be FEMA camps where people will reside. They will actually provide shelter, security and community for many people. These camps will be enclosed with a fence for security. It will be much like living on a military base with uniform housing almost like barracks. These camps have been prepared with food, water, electric generators, infrastructure.

It is not that people are rounded up. It is that they been displaced and they will find refuge in such locations. Very strong fellowships of the ekklesia will manifest in these settings.

Some of these communities of the ekklesia will earn a reputation for their holiness, love and faith. People will come from afar for ministry. Others will be sent out like apostles on missions, carrying medicine, resources, and communication to other locations.

The greatest manifestations of the fullness of the body of Christ will come out of this intense fire and purification. The Eucharist, koinonia and agape will be the foundational essence. Great unity will be seen with the remnant from Catholic, Orthodox and Protestants who come together as the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church (ekklesia).

Some will lose everything in the coming judgment. Yet they will be the richest they have ever been as God sets them in community in His kingdom.

12. This is the effects of slavery.

Yet some morons wish to say that slavery was "not that bad," sinful nor wicked. How can any born-again believer refuse to say this was evil or wicked? There was an account in the book, "Slave Religion," where the master brought his slaves to the Methodist church where he preached. After the service he went back to the plantation and beat one of his female slaves nigh unto death.

GOOGLE.COM

Image: US Slave: The Whipping Scars on The Back of The Fugitive Slave ...

Found on Google from usslave.blogspot.com

Oct. 11 2020, 22:30

God is Calling Many to Genuine Repentance

” For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I SHALL BE FOUND UNTO YOU SUCH AS YE WOULD NOT you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I SHALL BEWAIL MANY WHO HAVE ALREADY SINNED, AND HAVE NOT REPENTED of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed” (II Corinthians 12:20,21 KJV).

When it comes to sin and repentance a great many believers are falling short. Very few assemblies represent a group of believers who walk out this principle. Do you confess your sins daily? Do you look to the Lord for victory over sin or do just habitually sin without any concern? Are you tolerating sins because they are just normal and everybody does these things? When is the last time you have been on your face broken before the Lord?

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17 NASB)

Many are as stubborn and stiff-necked as the Jews of old. They refuse to humble themselves before correction. They resist and rebel, referring to correction as an attack. A great many professing believers are walking in sin, refusing to repent. Those who love their sin, hate the person who rebukes them. They bough up and seek to fight any call to repentance. They are oblivious to the fact that they have grieved the Holy Spirit. The hearts are so hardened that those who most need to hear the call to repentance cannot and will not hear. A great many of God’s people are virtually comatose and sleep walking in a “spirit of stupor” (cf Ro. 11:8).

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

9 BE AFFLICTED, and MOURN, and WEEP: LET YOUR LAUGHTER BE TURNED TO MOURNING, and YOUR JOY TO HEAVINESS.

10 HUMBLE YOURSELVES IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, and he shall lift you up” (James 4).

Christ Within and Christ Above

We are admonished to set our affections on Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father. In order to set our mind on Christ above we must set our mind on Christ within us. This is a mystery – Christ is in you but He is also above on His throne. This is known as “the secret place of the Most High.”

Yeshua is the eternal Son of God. There is never a time when He was not the Son. He was the Son of the Father before He became flesh. He prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5 NKJV). Christ ascended back to the right hand of the Father in glory. The difference is that He ascended with our humanity into the glory of the Father. When He sat down at the right hand He did so as both Son of God and Son of Man. He exalted the human being into the godhead. God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (cf Ephesians 2:6 KJV). This does not mean there are thousands of little thrones on which we sit next to Christ. No! We are in Him! We are with Him as He is seated on His throne.

We draw near unto God where Christ is seated at His right hand. Here we find the Holy of Holies, where the blood of Christ is sprinkled. At the same time the Word says that “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (cf I Cor 6:19). Your body is the outer court. Your soul is the holy place. Your spirit is the Most Holy Place where Christ dwells.

Paul wrote that he was “made a minister … which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, Even THE MYSTERY which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of THE GLORY OF THIS MYSTERY among the Gentiles; WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory: WHOM WE PREACH, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may PRESENT EVERY MAN PERFECT IN CHRIST JESUS (cf Colossians 1:25-28 KJV). Christ who is seated at the right hand of glory is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Paul preached and taught on the mystery of Christ in you. Later in this same epistle, after Paul writes about “Christ in you,” He writes about Christ above, saying, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are ABOVE, WHERE CHRIST SITTETH ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. Set your affection on THINGS ABOVE, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and YOUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD” (Colossians 3:1-3 KJV). You set your mind on the things above by setting your mind on Christ within. “Behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21b KJV).

Because we are “in Christ” He is seated above with our humanity. Because Christ is in us, we walk with His divinity in us on earth. “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (I Corinthians 6:17 NASB). This is what Christ meant when He said, “ABIDE IN ME AND I IN YOU … I am the vine, ye are the branches: HE THAT ABIDETH IN ME AND I IN HIM, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4a, 5 KJV).

Paul explains the entire basis of apostolic authority is the indwelling Christ when he writes, “Since ye seek a proof of CHRIST SPEAKING IN ME, which to you-ward is not weak, but is MIGHTY IN YOU. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. EXAMINE YOURSELVES, WHETHER YE BE IN THE FAITH; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU, except ye be reprobates” (II Corinthians 13:3-5 KJV)? If Christ is not speaking from inside the vessel he is not apostolic. If Christ is not manifesting mightily IN YOU when the apostle ministers, then he is not an apostle. Make sure that Christ is in you at all times. The purpose of self-examination is not to look for sins. It is to check your faith. It is to ensure that you are aware that Christ is in you.

Let the reality of His indwelling saturate you. “That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of EVERY GOOD THING WHICH IS IN YOU IN CHRIST JESUS” (Philemon 6 NKJV).

Paul prayed, “ That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be STRENGHTENED with might by his Spirit IN THE INNER MAN; THAT CHIRST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS BY FAITH; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:16,17 KJV). The mystery of the indwelling Christ is related to faith. He dwells in our hearts through faith, not through feelings. Even when we are not cognizant of His indwelling, He dwells in us. He dwells, not by our awareness, but by our faith. Even when we do not have the willpower or zeal to keep going, He dwells in us by faith.

Paul prayed, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TO USWARD who believe, according to THE WORKING OF HIS MIGHY POWER WHICH HE WROUGHT IN CHRIST when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:18-20 KJV).

What is Christ doing in you? He is not just inside you floating around like a detached entity. He is in you to live His life through you. His Lordship is His life governing every motive and intent of your heart, and empowering you to do the will of the Father. He is in you with power and wisdom. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to THE POWER THAT WORKETH IN US” (Ephesians 3:20 KJV).

Meditate on all the words about being “in Him.” Then meditate on all the words about Him being “in you.”

All Sins Are Not The Same

There is a completely unbiblical argument which is often repeated. It goes something like this: “All sins are equally bad and there is no difference. Sin is sin.” This is completely counter-intuitive to reality and our justice system. There are absolutely no scriptures to support this assertion. This heretical position is derived from a gospel of false grace, with a complete ignorance of the judgments of God. Thomas Aquinas wrote about the differences in “mortal sins” an “venial sins.” More importantly scriptures instruct us in wisdom and prudence when it comes judging different sins. All sins are not the same.

Typically, this argument is made by someone who has a personal history of grave mortals sins (I.e., abortion, murder, sexual abuse, sexual perversion, stealing, lies, etc.). Those who wish to minimize the seriousness of some sins will attempt to equate them with lesser sins in order to justify their own position. For example, one will find people trying to justify voting for a Democrat even though that Democrat is an open advocate of abortion (child murder). Such a murderer is incapable of being a true civil rights advocate.

I saw a documentary of a serial killer on death row who said he got saved. He told the TV journalist that all sin was the same and he was no worse than a person who stole candy, because “all sin is the same.” He went to his execution with this assertion, which indicates he never really repented because he never acknowledged the gravity of his sin. If one thinks that God judges the serial killer the same as He judges a child who steals candy, such a person is a fool who understands nothing about justice and equity.

All sinners are not equal. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (I Timothy 1:15 KJV). Paul said he was chiefest of sinners because all sinners are not equal in their sins.

There are different levels of sin and different levels and obedience. There are different levels of punishment and different levels of reward. “And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:47,48 KJV).

Paul rebuked the Corinthians for even allowing a specific sin to remain in the camp. “ It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife” (I Corinthians 5:1 KJV). Paul said there are sins which even heathen sinners know not to commit. For example, even sinners know that Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, Hitler or the sons of Saddam Hussein were a whole different level of evil and sinfulness. Paul instructed the Corinthians to put this man out of the church and turn him over to Satan. Such actions are not taken with every sin because all sins are not the same.

There are varying degrees of wickedness. Paul wrote, “For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness” (cf Ro. 6:19 NASB). He also wrote, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse …” (cf II Timothy 3:13). Yeshua refers to not neglecting “the weightier matters of the law” (cf Matthew 23:23). In other words all sins are not equal.

Some sins are so bad that “ it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:12 KJV). All sins are not the same.

The Law tells us that there are specific sins, such as homosexuality, which are referred to as abominations. Under the Torah such sins were worthy of death. Not every sin had a death penality. Not every sin was referred to as an abomination.

When it comes to the sin of abortion we are talking about a sin which is an abomination in the eyes of God. Yeshua said, “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6 NASB).

The conscience of this nation has been seared by rationalizing that this is about “Women’s healthcare.” Or, those who seek to minimize the seriousness of abortion will say, “Well, unless you are willing to pay for raising that baby, you really don’t care.” That would be like saying one should allow a serial child-killer to continue to kill children in your neighborhood unless you are willing to raise those children. Furthermore, you reap what you sow. If you fornicate like a rabbit, be ready to raise your rabbits.

In fact, the government programs have not helped the poor. They have created a poverty culture. The system actually rewards a girl/woman for having children out of wedlock. The government has created a cultural monster of poverty. Just look at cities like Detroit, Chicago, Portland, Seattle and Baltimore. Look at states like California. This not about race but a socialist systemic failure. Food stamps and housing assistance is not, in any way, the moral equivalent of abolishing abortion. Indeed, since LBJ’s “New Society” a welfare plantation has been created. The various government assistance programs encourages a woman to have more babies and shun marriage. Hence an entire culture of fatherless families has been created where it is acceptable for obese mothers to have children with three or four baby-daddies. In other words, the government socialism is not about taking care of the poor. It creates a poverty mentality from which there is no escape. It is immoral.

All sins are not the same. Just ask Sodom and Gommorah.

[RB1]

13. His Blood is Sufficient

“You have come to … to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (cf Hebrews 12:24).

The blood of Yeshua “speaketh.” Notice it does not say His blood “spoke,” but “speaks.” His blood, sprinkled in heaven, continues to speak. “The life of the flesh is in the blood” (cf Leviticus 17:11). The divine eternal life of Yeshua is in His blood. Therefore, His blood continues to speak. His blood is full of life, fire, and glory. The blood of Abel cried out from the ground for judgment on Cain. The blood of Yeshua declares that He bore our judgment, and speaks for our justification and redemption. The blood of Christ is the blood of the Anointed One. It is much more than the blood of an innocent and righteous man. It is the blood of the holy Son of Yahweh. It is the blood of One who was, and is both God and Man.

Never insult this blood which has redeemed you. Never denigrate it’s holy power by questioning if the blood can cleanse your sins. You still feel guilty, ashamed and unclean. This is not humility but unbelief. What are your going to believe –your “feelings” or what His blood speaks? Do you dare to treat the blood of Yeshua as something anemic or unclean. This is the blood of the Author and Prince of Life. This is the blood of the Light of the world. The holiness of His blood eclipses your unholiness. Listen! His blood is speaking on your behalf.

14. Religious Errors About the Hoy Spirit

There are several errorneous assertions made about the Holy Spirit. Errors are often promulgated through traditional doctrines – ideas commonly accepted and handed down, which sound pious but are unscriptural.

The common errors about the Holy Spirit which are often repeated:

1. The Holy Spirit is an “it” – a force, entity or attribute of God.

2. The Holy Spirit only leads and never drives.

3. The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman. He will never force Himself on anyone.

1. The Holy Spirit is not an “It,” but a “He.” Yeshua said, “He when He comes” will not speak of “Himself” (eautou) (see John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. He was not incarnated or crucified. He came upon the Son at His water baptism. He “proceeds from the Father.” He does not proceed as an entity or force but as a Person. The Holy Spirit is God. When Ananias and Saphira lied to Peter about the proceeds they were giving, He asked them why they agreed to lie to the Holy Spirit. He went further saying, “You have not lied to man but to God.” The Holy Spirit is God.

2. A common teaching is that the Holy Spirit leads and never drives us. However, consider what happened to Yeshua after the Holy Spirit came upon Him: “ And immediately THE SPIRIT DRIVETH HIM into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12 KJV). Paul also had an experience with the Holy Spirit which was more than a gentle leading. He said, “And now, behold, I go BOUND IN SPIRIT unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there” (Acts 20:22 KJV). This could also be translated, “I go COMPELLLED IN SPIRIT …” In another place the Holy Spirit ”FORBID” the apostles from going somewhere (see Acts 16:6).

3. A common erroneous assertion: “The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman. He will never force Himself on anyone.” Consider an incident involving King Saul pursuing David who was dwelling with the prophet Samuel in Naioth. King Saul sent messengers to take David. Each time they ended up prophesying when they got near David and Samuel. King Saul became so enraged that he decided to go get David himself. Guess what happened? The Holy Spirit forced King Saul to do something against his will. That’s right! This Gentleman imposed His will on Saul: ” And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets” (I Samuel 19:23,24 KJV)?

15. The difference in the Old and New Covenant Love

Under the Old Covenant

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV).

Under the New Covenant

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10 NKJV).

Under the Old Covenant

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (cf Leviticus 19:18 KJV).

Under the New Covenant

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12 KJV).

Under the Old Covenant

One strives to improve and grow in his love for God.

Under the New Covenant

Discipleship consists of the following: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (I John 4:16 ESV) and, "We love because He first loved us" (I Jn. 4:19).

16. What was Christ’s Commandment Regarding the Church (ekklesia)?

Christ didn’t command “go to church” and “drop your tithe in the plate.” He commanded, “love one another as I have loved you.” Agape demands that we are around each other constantly. While you boast about your faithfulness in giving 10%, Agape demands 100%. One can be a faithful church attendant without ever approximating being a true disciple. Being a disciple demands that one takes up his cross and dies to his own interests, comforts, and ambitions. He dies daily, not just once a week on Sunday for a couple of hours (although, arguably, many church services are nothing but a miserable spiritual death).

God’s word does not command us to go sit in a pew and listen to one man pontificate from a pulpit. No wonder there are so many carnal and anemic babes. Rather, we are commanded to “exhort one another daily.”

The command to love one another is a commandment to lay down your lives for one another. It is a profoundly intense commitment to relationships. Turning around and greeting the person sitting next to you in the pews is not even remotely close to Christian koinonia.

Somehow we have twisted the demands of discipleship into a convoluted notion about a “Great Commission” where discipleship is a series of behaviors like bible study, prayer, and evangelism. Evangelical Christianity is notorious for manic activities which imply one is really doing something for the Lord – preach, build bible schools, provide health care, build orphanages, and conduct big crusades. It is a subtle sort of deception where we think we are following the will of God, when we are not. Christ commanded the apostle to teach what He commanded them. What did He command? His number one commandment is that we love one another. The enemy seduced western Evangelicals into a ministry of high-profile activity but very little “love one another.” We must return to the priority of doing what He commanded us to do – love one another. We cannot conduct discipleship with classes, bible studies, and ministry activities while ignoring what it means to be His disciple. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35 KJV).

Institutional Christianity invokes the commandment, “Forsake not the assembling together of yourselves.” They think this is a command to “go to church.” It is not.

What happened when they assembled together? They partook of the body and blood of Christ. They ministered to one another as each person had a gift or manifestation of the Spirit. They were “admonishing and teaching one another.” They all employed their gifts to steward the manifold grace of God. If this is not occurring at the local assembly then they not legally or correctly obeying the commandment about not forsaking the assembling together.

Scriptural Church Assembly and Relationships

“How is it then, brethren? WHEN YE COME TOGETHER, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying” (I Corinthians 14:26 KJV).

“ When YE COME TOGETHER therefore into one place, this is not to EAT THE LORD’S SUPPER … Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another” (I Cor 11:20, 33 KJV).

“And THEY CONTINUED STEADFASTLY in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46 And THEY, CONTINUED DAILY WITH ONE ACCORD in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2;41-47 KJV).

“But EXHORT ONE ANOTHER DAILY, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13 KJV).

“LET THE WORD OF CHIRST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY IN ALL WISDOM; TEACHING AND ADMONISHING ONE ANOTHER in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16 KJV).

“ As EACH ONE has received a special gift, employ it in SERVING ONE ANOTHER as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:10 NASB).

THINGS TO PONDER

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NICK CONNOR

13. His Blood is Sufficient

Nick Conner