Deep Waters @ Applied Strengths Ministry

I was thinking of titling this brief testimony, “Wind Talker And Then The Real Story”, but I think it is too many words for such a short message. So it is always good for all of us authentically born again believers to share when God moves in our lives. It is expected that we do so because He Himself stated: Rev 12:11 - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Wow I think it is too early for such a scripture. Ha, but no I used it so that you could understand the value of sharing your testimony, and in part that value is that you can overcome the devil and whatever he brings your way by sharing what God is doing in your life with others. So I have shared previously that I have prayed when the wind was jus getting crazy on my trees in Paradise Ca. And at times they would come crashing down taking a bunch others with it. now none have landed on our home which is expected because why would God tell me to move to Paradise Ca to take me out when He could have done that so many other times in my life when I was a wild prodigal. And but at least three other times including during a snow storm I commanded the wind to stop and it did. And but now in this event I had read in a pop up from X the new twitter and fear spreader of America. We know that fear likes an audience and X provides that. So I read something to the effect that the winds were going to be dangerous in this storm.

So when commercial fishermen go out they usually take a crew of about 3 to 6 guys to handle the potential catch. Yes some boats have more depending on how large it is and how many fish that they harvest from the sea. They when they are loaded up or our of bait, they return to shore and drop off their payload, which then goes into a factory where many staff are waiting to process the harvest. Now I don’t know the process in a fishing factory but working a decade in lumber now doubt it works similarly. The fish must be separated into species, grades, sizes, and what not. And before I move on, the season of fish runs do, no doubt determine what process is used in the factories. So but now back to the fishing story and the point of this tale. A few peeps catch a large amount of fish, which is then processed by more people than who caught them. Works the same in mining or the lumber industry whereby a few harvest the lumber in comparison to the many that process the lumber in a lumber company. Back in my day 1981 – 1990 we had about 900 staff in just one location processing the lumber. We would never see 900 people up in the woods cutting down trees and driving them down to their final destinies for just one company. I am getting down to my point, a point that has been made in several other messages, and that point is…drum roll please… We should not be sending out the whole church to do the fishing for men and equipping so few to care for the harvest once it comes in. Ha, ha do you see it now?

This is a sporty shorty and but still is intended to help those who even today with all of our medical advances, still walk around spiritually blind thinking that they are in with Jesus. Ha, show me a Doctor who can cure spiritual blindness and I will show you an authentic born-again believer preaching the gospel in power, yes the power of God. How you measure what you are assessing determines the outcome of what you think about what you are assessing. Another way to see this is to know that you are wrong about what you think about other humans way more than you know. And when you look at them through a judging lens, the distortion of your opinion can be blinding to your own self. James 4:11 - Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. Judging another because they do not meet your idea or standard of how they should live, only exacerbates your spiritual blindness. The Pharisees struggled with this all of the time. It is the same spirit. And lo if you are back-slidden or have walked away from God, and not ready to come back home oh ye prodigal, then you can be prone and susceptible to supporting your weakened spiritual position by criticizing others who are not back-sliding or who have walked away from God. And refusing their help is ant- God. He joined us together so that we would find help in our time of trouble.

My first title of this message was going to be “Where's Solomon.” But then as it began to evolve and morph, it became clear that God may have been taking me in another direction. And well but I say may because isn’t it always the case that when something so…well, intriguing lands on the pages, it can go sometimes beyond what even you or in this case I had suspected. But then as I am reading this through to clean it up and prep to lay it to voice, I see that something epic has indeed landed on these pages. I never did see the end of this topic at its beginning. Nope, I was just wondering if Solomon had remained in salvation given what he did at the end of his life. Not that this wouldn’t have been a great issue to discuss as if it were possible that he did then it is indeed possible that we too can do the same thing and that sounds like it is important to discuss. But as God has done throughout my life, He likes to say what He likes to say and expects us to be a precise voice as we represent His message. Ha, maybe Moses knew this up front which is why he did not want to be that voice (Ex 3:10-11, 4:10-16, Acts 7:22) I added the scripture from Acts as we should see that maybe he just did indeed know. Ha. I then came up with the spy life of beauty because it appears to be an unmanageable force in our lives and one of the most, if not the most corrupted God attributes if ever He did create one. Now not that He corrupted it, oh no like all things God to us it was corrupted by sin and our fight as believers today is to discern the authentic from the corrupted. So but let’s kick this thing off and remember I do consider this to be one of the more revelatory messages that I have got, not because of the thought that the evidence of what I am saying is insufficient to support it, as we only need to be open to what is right now happening every minute of every day right around us. Oh this is so clearly evident it does concern me not just a little. And not just for the truth of it but because I dared to touch it in spite of my own life-long struggles with it. Hidden in plain sight. You know, and I will get it going in a minute, it has to fall into the same category of food. What I mean is that we all get hungry, and if you struggle with how much food or what kinds of food you eat which contributes to unhealthy weight gains, you of all people know the struggles other may not know or see right? For others, few others by the way, they eat and move on about their day, but for you, you see all of the bill boards, TV ads, coupons in papers and magazines, social media ads, ads, ads, ads everywhere. You cannot go anywhere where there is not some kind of temptation when it comes to food.

Well I guess I should explain the title just a minute because it can be a bit misleading if taken at face value. What I am really saying is that the rib taken out of Adam to create Eve, and the sword that pierced Jesus side breaking not one rib is one story about fulfilling a prophetic word spoken by king David, and God pointing out the future of mankind which is that it is not good that man be alone. So just a sideline being a bachelor or player is usually played by those who are actually lonely inside and know not how to stop being alone. They are not good being single nor are they good even if they drive a Bugatti up Mulholland Drive. A woman completes a man. Let’s support this revelation before we get too deep too fast: Gen 2:21-22 - 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He [a]made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Oh the coolness as Adam was made from a pile of dirt, and then only after he was made, was a woman was taken from his very side and made. Neither had a belly button, and but what is stranger is the fact that Adam received the breadth of God straight from the mouth of God but the first woman did not come into the earth the same way. I don’t know, I am just trying to take this message one way and it seems as though it may be going in another. It is probable that she too also needed the breath of God but I don’t want to assume that just because God was silent on the matter. And but he may not even been silent on the matter but she may have been made alive differently than Adam considering how she came into the world. The bible doesn’t say that but it is just me wrestling with God on the matter. Now let’s stay in the boat and go with it shall we?

All of the little and large lies have a purpose which is to train you how to differentiate the lie from the truth. And your conscious is there to help you. But then the whole of truth is that there is also an enemy to the truth and but to make it more interesting it comes born in human form. It is a spirit and but takes up residency in a human host. Let's remind my Christian learners of that story before getting on with this story after all you need to know this story so that you don't shout me down when you hear the rest of it. Tic toc time to take a walk: John 8:44 - 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Let’s hit it: Phil 4:4-8 - 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your [a]gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious (3X) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And I cannot but help to think that if we do the following it will because of two things, the first is that we have conquered anxiousness, and the other is that by doing these things it will keep us from falling into that pit again: 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. So now besides all of the great stuff in that scripture, I must define another word that meditate has triggered in my mind. And I need to do so because I think that that there is a great misunderstanding about the word that is so similar to this word meditate that people have been convinced to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Now but there is a path that can lead a person to meditate on the wrong things right (Pro 23:7)? Yes, but knowing what we should be thinking about and what we should not, we can manage those thoughts. Let’s look at meditations twin brother – D-Com please: Ruminate: verb (used without object),ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing. to meditate or muse; ponder. Psychology. to obsessively revisit the same thought or theme over and over again. verb (used with object),ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing. to chew again or over and over. to meditate on; ponder.

Well so I think I should inform you that there will be a lot of scriptural references in this message. Normally I include the scripture in the message so that you have some context and support of the message. However, in this message it has developed quite interestingly, in that a particular paragraph might contain five or more scriptural references, but if I were to stop to read each scripture we would totally lose the paragraph. So it is intended in this message that you look up the scriptures to see that what I am saying is fully supported from the bible. Why Ken is this so important. Well, in this case it is because as you look up the scriptural references I believe you will be stirred to look up similar scriptures and in doing so there will be a release or impartation into your spirit whereby you will believe and act on the supernatural power that God has given you. We are to be supernatural Christians turning the world, our own little world if that helps, upside down. You should have a reputation of operating in love, serving, and preaching the gospel in power (1 Cor 4:20, Rom 15:18-19, Matt 22:29, Matt 9:8). So but we will transition from discussing the power of God that you may have and operate in, or not, and in truth probably not, and then transition to staying away from getting under someone else’s power. I.E ending up under their thumb. Let’s go…

Hey Ken shouldn’t this say the life that ends before “it” dies? Yup but nope. You see the message is for you and is intended to teach you how to check your own Christian effectiveness pulse and see if you are alive to all things God or if you gave up on Him and His pre-paid by Jesus package which has all of the instructions you need to be more than a conqueror in Him (Rom 8:37). Right? I know how could any Christian be living outside of their calling and purpose and consider themselves alive in Christ (Rom 6:11)? Oh, now you’re meddling Ken. Nope, I am just like you, destined to attend the same after-life on earth meeting as you will be, and I think it is better if you and I chat about your earthly Christian death before you or I have to explain it to Jesus. Again, better you and I have this conversation now so that you can change the outcome with Jesus at your future predestined date. Yes, even your death is predestined. If you think He will be tolerant of laziness, purposeful ignorance I.E. not reading your bible, or wants you to tell Him the story about how you a Christian had lived your life with one foot in and one foot out, then no doubt you know a Jesus I do not know nor have read about in my bible. Oh I know this just got real, but God gave us each other because we all have blind spots, and no matter how much anointing you have, you will still need others from time to time to point those things out hiding in them thar blind spots. I know that I have them and therefore pay attention to what others say when they think that they see something. No, not everything others say will be spot on but some of those things will be and they will be warnings and corrections sent by God. Wow Ken I heard you were a straight out of the gate Paradise Podcast Preacher teacher but this stings a bit. If it doesn’t you are either already dead and desensitized to the things of God and unable to hear or see Him, or you are still alive enough to change course, or to get on course, and/or to be encouraged to continue down the course as you are. The sting is a form of hope, and it is for this reason we are embarking down this trail and not climbing up a tree.

Why is this a gift and how can it make our lives more in line with Gods? That is that by being patient we are acting and behaving just like God does towards us and the rest of humanity. Yes from the beginning of time until the very end of it. You see we will not need patience once we are living in our salvation and everything it represents. So but now I must first define it as there are a lot of words in the definition of which if I had the time I might do as I have done in the past which is to define everyone one of them. But, yes but in this case I should ask that you D-Com the definition of patience and any and all of the words that you do not completely understand so that you have a thorough understanding of what this gift means: noun 1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. 2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: adjective 4. bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like. This is like the fullness of the Gospel short of love, although that may not be true because you will need to conquer you in every way, all of your wild and immature behavior that will rise up to defend itself when trouble shows up. Look, we haven’t even got to the 25 bible examples of how patience was used or how it is offered to us as a commandment that we ought to be patient.

I wanted to open up with a perspective about sin that, when we catch someone in a heinous crime such as a great big biblical sin, especially by those that openly confess that they don’t believe in God, and yet but believe that they know anything about someone else’s sin as they themselves blaspheme the Holy Spirit, that God sees it differently than you do. Look at why God selected king David: 1 Sam 13:14 - But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” You can miss both easter eggs if you are not careful in your reading or listening to that verse. But not today because I will show you where they are at. But first I must fetch the scriptural basket to catch these eggs: 2 Thess 1:8 - 8 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. Egg number one, “a man after His own heart”, as compared to “those who do not know God.” If you are inclined to be after the heart of God then you will “know” Him right? So king David desired to know God to which Paul stated in 2nd Thessalonians that it was one of the criteria to avoid the vengeance of God. We will get to why that is an important position to take with God in a minute. The second egg is that God saw that David was a good listener, and we can see this by understanding that God would not replace a commander who did not stay with what the LORD commanded him, with another person who would have had the same issue. And we see the fullness of the second egg because in Thessalonians Gods vengeance also applied to the non-listener as well as to those who did not or do not know Him.

Now these three, Judgement, Condemnation, & Conviction can be considered train-wrecking power words by our misunderstanding of them. Each has a place in ministry be it making disciples or equipping the saints for the work of ministry or as Timmy states in: 2 Tim 3:16-17 - 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Now if these three are used incorrectly, like a knife, gun, pen or our words, they can inflict such pain as to turn someone away from even the idea of living with a God defined as love. No but imagine what I just said here. They would be so injured inside that they would decide, even if for a moment or week or years, that living in hell apart from all-things God, that this is a better option. And but for the uninjured we could see the absolute ridiculousness in it, but it is not so for the injured. We could even say for the offended. This is why I think God dropped this message in my heart. Maybe it’s because I needed to process through it myself. But no one that I am aware of has God precisely dialed in as we ought. So the word accusation is a stopgap that someone uses to resist the Holy Spirits work in their lives. Accusation never did raise up a disciple of God but of the other guy. Now you might think this is a strong leap out of the gate but if you find yourself in a defensive posture in every conversation that has to do with your speech and actions, then you are not receiving the help of God but are pushing His love of correction away. Yes, He states rod of correction in one place but then also states in another that He corrects those in whom He loves. And you might say, there you see Ken, all corrections, rebukes, and disciplines should be brought to me like God would bring them to me. And but though this would be ideal, the real issue is not the delivery but your openness to grow and to be a disciple that is willing to change. You either do or don’t period. I know that’s as straight as I can say it, but there are way too many of us playing games, self-assured in our open rebellion against all things God, that He will accept us and our modified version of what it is to be a Christian. Yes, you have to modify your Christianity if you operate from a spirit of accusation. So now we need to D-Com some words so that we know what they mean, not what we think they mean but what they really mean. It’s like knowing what kind of ammo you are using when hunting, and not just grabbing any-ol-thing and launching out into the wilderness. Accusation: noun 1. a charge of wrongdoing; imputation of guilt or blame. 2. the specific offense charged: Imputation: verb (used with object),im·put·ed, im·put·ing. 1. to attribute or ascribe 2. to attribute or ascribe (something discreditable), as to a person.

John 14:12 - 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. So again the title of this message is “Doing The Works of Jesus”. Hum Randol why did Ken bring un the title again? I think he is trying to tell us to hold on because this is a separator or disruptor type of message. What do you mean, is he trying to create division. Oh no you will have to read his 4th book coming out in 2024 titled for now, “The Sword That Rightly Divides Rightly.” Wow, that’s a really weird name for a book title. You must know Ken very well. Ha, but no this message will allow you to learn whether you are being effective as a Christian or if you are being lazy or somehow you fell in love with god ignorance and just decided to ignore all things God because He is a good God and requires nothing from nothing. Ah, I can hear Ken saying that yes we were at one point in time nothing, but now we are god-kids restored to the Father who gave us the Holy Spirit that we would wage war and get to know Him at all, yes, all costs and to listen to what He asks from each and every one of us. We have been given authority, in other words, or in addition to those words Ken has already spoken of, to do all that Jesus did and more. So a little more and then we get to it. Let’s look at another supporting scripture as to why we read the bible and attend a church that is equipping the saints for the work of ministry and making disciples, and teaching those of faith to teach others also: 2 Tim 3:16-17 - 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [a]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Shall we open this up with a testimony of epic proportions? Yes Ken who got healed? Ha, but so that would be awesome as nothing is impossible with God and us, we and/or them right? No but this is the relational part of God that I think can often get overlooked. It’s the touchy, touchy feely, feely miracles of God that can sometimes be overlooked. Oh how much He cares about the minutest part of our lives, and I believe He does so just in hopes that we would 1), ask Him, and 2) that we would recognize Him when he responds to the ask regardless of how small the ask or un-asked. So I was loading my splitter on my truck and did the normal prep for towing that I usually do. And but there was this Holy Spirit nudge, and so I asked, “hey God am I ready to tow? Did I miss anything?” and as I did that immediately a little pin swing arm started moving at the bottom of the splitter. This pin holds up the front legs which supports the 1000lbs beast. Now had that pin slipped out to which it would have because the swing arm was not set in place to hold the pin in, the legs would have dropped down in tow and tow (tore) a whole bunch of things up, including possibly detaching the splitter from the truck. Swing, swing, swing. It is as if God flicked that little swing arm so that I could see that it wasn’t set in place. Small but big? No matter, I was working with God hand-in-hand in relationship and it is this that make the moment so big. He has our very small matters as well as the big ones. Do not think that you should be in anyway screening out the insignificant should-be-prayer-requests out of your life because you think that they would be nothing more than a nuisance to God. Hey if it was your kid making the ask, no matter how small, 1) you would respond and 2) you would not wanted him or her to have withheld the ask. It’s called relationship.

I feel unqualified to delve into such things as this from the position that I will be trying to take. And I say so because really there are others who have done a better job at explaining these kind of things. So why do it Ken? Because it occurred to me when I was read a book this past Sunday that something strange bumped into my current thinking. Allow me to share. So I have done more than one message and a book soon to be released down the road, on whether if you could lose your salvation standing or not. And I did it from some of the same scriptures that I will be using in this message, but from a new angle. We will take a look at the inerrancy of God predestining His peeps to salvation which if this is the case there is no guesswork as to who name is in the book of Life and who’s is not. It is finished before it started, so to speak. The other angle is that your name could be in the book of Life but because you went south in your walk with God your name vanished from the book. I will provide the scripture and the event which alludes to the fact that this could be the case. And but now we can’t have one thing cancel out another, you see the bible doesn’t contradict itself. And so when I go to that part of the story in a minute, I will express my concern for the proof of name in the book and then removed from the book so as to leave some doubt as to whether it really is a name in and then name out scenario. Luke 10:17-20 - 17 Then the [a]seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but [b]rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Ok so now we know that Judas was with these guys as he was a part of the original 12-disciples. And we can ponder the fact that this must have looked strange to satan after the fact, when he entered into Judas later in the story considering that Judas was casting out demons from others (Luke 22:3). But so in this scripture we see that Jesus corrected their over-zealous joy in the power that they yielded over the demons by saying, “rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 22:47-48 shows us that clearly Judas no longer considered it a valuable commodity that his name is written in heaven. Invisible ink? I don’t know but let’s continue to see if there is any relevance in adding this little ditty to the message.

You have nothing to add to God but your heart - give him that and he will turn you into a genuine supernatural super-human. Double vision? Why yes of course. The title is so Saturday morning that I had to say it twice with the extension added to the second. I mean here we are on a Monday going through the editing of the message, and I can’t but be totally excited that God got me up 4:am-ish to speak this one into existence from, la la land. See how He wants so much to be in relationship with us? He’s like looking down from heaven asking, “hey you awake yet, how bout now, how bout now - hu, hu” Ha, no but right straight away you will be more, more, more than a conquer, if you surrender your heart completely and totally, yes 100 to God (Rom 8:37). You see this answer’s your right now question, and Solomon's as well when he stated in Ecclesiastes, well lets hear it from his own lips - well ok but so you get what I mean ha: Eccl 2:12-21 - Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?— Only what he has already done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all. 15 So I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is vanity.” 16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool! 17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. 18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his [a]heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

So I return to this message as I myself am in need of healing. I didn’t do it on purpose or to demonstrate to you that I am on top of every subject that I have sitting in my Q, and that when things come up, I know right where to go. Ha, nope. This is not me. I sat here this very morning (September 14th 2023 Thursday), talking to God about why my gout has flared up and whether it has a spiritually legal right to be attacking my body. I’m not a good pain guy whatever that is. When I was younger I would cry before the first lick of the belt would come sailing my way. Nope, don’t do well with pain. So but then this is why I go to God regarding any sicknesses or diseases that tries to embed itself into my life. Well that and the fact that Jesus stated I that when I was born again I received as part of my benefits package a certificate of healing (Is 53:5 / 1 Peter 2:24), and that my carrier was Red Cross and not Blue Cross. Ha right that’s just me. Oh wait not the Red Cross but His red cross; almost lost that one to lost semantics. So but wait as we have a commercial interruption. As I am typing this message out Thursday remember, out of no where which is usually somewhere, I got what I can only explain as a 15-min flu. Yup, right here and then. My temperature shot up to only God knows what, I could feel the heat tingle right up both of my arms like pins and needles. Insto-swet, clothes all wet and I am on my way to the restroom. A few minutes later and I am on my way home, and even while I am on my way home I am feeling great ceptin the gout shout in my foot. I remember thinking what is going on that I would feel so badly in one moment, and then out of no where as quickly as it came, it left. My thoughts were, as I was heading into the weekend with this event still swirling around in my head, that it must have something to do with this message. I mean I am talking about believing in healing so you can receive your red cross benefits from Jesus and pow. So anyway, don’t need to know the devils business so I am back September 18th 2023 Monday to finish what I started.

So I decided to go on a scripture overload so as to show you how they support the message and how it is that I can come up with a message for anyone who may not know that the story or parable is fully supported by scripture. Please write them down, or if you are so inclined you can stop, look them up, and move on, if it doesn’t feel like your in a canoe on choppy waters in the Atlantic Ocean in a winter storm. I am a disruptor. Disruption follows a disruptor. Any time you stand for what is right in evil days, in days of evil, is a disruption to evil and his brother. When God is actively removed from a culture then the culture is inclined to become occultic. Yes of course I am talking to you Christians with a fat Buddha statue in your flowerbed or on your porch. Yup, we have God's own people to thank, and I say this not out of sarcasm, as we are now repeating the sins that separated them from God back in their day. So it is Israel we should thank. One is compelled to ask why we write anything of helpfulness down if we are not the tiniest bit inclined to follow it's advice, instruction, and even it's command. They scribed their mess with God, ought not we pay some attention to how that happened? I mean ought we not feel embarrassed at the fact that what we have sown what we have reaped, and reaped what we have sown? And yet we were told that, this is how the principle works. We should be red-faced as the whole world got to see the judgement of God fall on His, yuppy puppy, His self-declared own people. Did we not know, you know, back in the days when we were more sanctified and reverent towards Him, that if we declare that He is our one and only God and Father, that it comes as a two-sided coin. One of necessary correction in love and the other in blessing? And but are they not both blessings anyways?

This portion of the message came to me after I did what is now the second part of what I thought was going to be the first and only part of the message. And but this message in totality is discussing Christians who get taken out due to trials and tribulations and give up on God and what they can do to get back in the game. It’s a shorty but important if you are one who is watching Christianity go by, and by the way if you can see it let me know because I have been dying to see it. Ha but no joke it’s become a rare bird. So now but I really felt that it was missing something, because I get around people who were Christians in title, yes I say Christians in title, who have changed their original Christian behavior after getting offended by other believers, the church, or other people in general, and then because of the excuse that those offenses have occurred, they go back to seeking all the pleasures of the world, swearing up a storm, watching nothing but negative this and negative that on the TV, they have become nothing but negative speakers always finding fault in everything, always concerned about stuff that they don't have any control over, and then tell you, and this is very important if it’s you and I am sorry but if you have fallen this deep you may not know it’s you, that this is actual you, but you can know if it’s you because you will claim when challenged on your lifestyle choices, that you are still okay with God. This is one of the most painful things to experience in Christianity.

So we have the five-fold ministry gifts where we previously have talked about in the book of Ephesians. Look Jesus Himself gave some to be Apostle’s, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, and Teachers. Let’s look as it is the heart of this ministry that we get to doing this very thing. Better to do that, than to hope God does see the church the way you do. Rev 1:2 thru 3:22 tells us of what He will think about the church if he doesn’t already. And no doubt you want to hear what I think, ha, ok so but anyway, I will let you know which is that I think we are in the last age of the 7-churches and I think that many of us will miss the event because we really are not plugged in. See let’s walk a narrow unrelated but related path shall we? Luke states that many will try and get into the Kingdom of God and will not be able, and Matthew states that the gate is narrow and there are few who find it because it is difficult. Ha, see the key as to why the easy-livers may not get in? Ok so but then we continue on with Him stating, that is God, that He will come as a thief in the night. Here are the thief in the night scriptures as well as a glimmer of hope scripture that well gives us who really want to forsake all to follow God so that we find the narrow path. And don’t think for a minute that the narrow path excludes those who are in cults or false religions, or that do not nor were ever made to believe. The kids of satan – the vessels made for dishonor. Let’s first look at the scriptures that I referred to in this paragraph before I refer to Ephesians list of gifts: 1 John 3:10 - In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

The Base Things of The World Boom, boom, boom no not that kind of base, but the base that is the bottom or defined as the bottom. Our first and primary scripture for this message comes to us out of a conversation Paul was having with the Corinthians. So but now this goes out to all of those peeps that had lunch in high school alone, for all of those in whom the pop kids laughed at, for the kid who had to run home every day to avoid being ramble-rumbled by the football and gym rats. Oh this is a message to the nerds who well, migrated in camps in small herds being mocked for being smart. Hum, is this a sign of the times when the smart kids are made fun of because they are smart? Well, I am running out of examples so let’s get to scripturing: Base, base, base things: 1 cor 1:18-31 - 18 For the [a]message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the [b]disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a [c]stumbling block and to the [d]Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For [e]you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many [f]noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

So this is going to be an experiment in sound effects. I wanted the message to be more serious but no, seriously, more on that later. And well I have a surprise for the listeners of this message which is that my first book has been accepted by a publisher as of August 31, 2023. What this means is that the ministry will begin to prepare material that will help to equip you for the work of ministry and to help you to settle into being a disciple and being a disciple that will reproduce disciples (Matt 28:19). For those of you that think that God cannot use you for what you don’t have just kill those thoughts and listen to His voice for your ministry and start running. No but ok so you can walk the first five steps then you can move to a brisk walk, then a jog, and then when you are ready, or not, a full-blown sprint. Time is a tickin’ and we don’t have much of that left when you compare it to eternity. No opportunities lost in our generation, right? The overly dramatic ministry of Jesus. Oh boy this is going to be good for those of you that don’t like heavenly party poppers (Sound). In other words you hear stuff that is so far beyond anything you have been taught in church that you think the guy who is sharing that stuff, as you imagine him standing next to John the Baptizer eating crickets in suckers (Sound), as one who is far from the quiet peaceful heaven that you imagine. But listen, they called Jesus crazy, and Paul was told that he was out of his mind due to looking into this God stuff with every fiber of his being. And what of the Apostles who were killed because they were so, so, so disruptive to the prevailing cult and religious cultures of the day. Oh I would name all of the false gods, false religions, and cults of those days, but no need as we have found a way to add volume to that mess through our own getting sideways in this relationship with God stuff versus religion with God stuff. Acts 26:24 - 24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” Mark 3:20-21 - 20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” Acts 12:15 - But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

I was thinking of titling this message “Family First Bra” but however “Family First Braata” both mean the same thing, and but so but this message is about the dichotomy of this title, especially by those who have been authentically born again. Now if you are like me you want to know what dichotomy means as I am not really into using fancy language for the sake of the language itself, but because it actually says what I mean it to say and in this case in less words. D”Com: dichotomy 1. division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs. 2. division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups: a dichotomy between thought and action. You will see as we move through this message that there are two things at play here in this message. This word dichotomy covers both of those things. The first is that family does not mean the same thing after you get authentically born-again, it is in other words redefined. You can listen to my message titled family redefined for more on that. The other thing is that well over 95% of those who declare that their family is first does not actually prove it with action and the treatment of their family. Which shows and clearly demonstrates that we seem to always overestimate who we are in terms of having the right things in order in our lives. “I am a good family man” I say ok let’s interview the family and see if this statement is true. Ha, this is where we digress and say “well I try to be.” You see that statement should be our go to but instead we overestimate first hoping there will not be an interview following, but then hoping that people will actually believe what we say verbatim. Look I know, I am human and this also applied to me at one giant point in my life which was primarily, but not completely, but primarily, before I was born again. Look, divorce is just one measure that proves this infallible. And the believer is subject to a different set of rules that ensures that their words are their bond, not comparatively, the non-believe doesn’t play by any set of “God-rules.” They are not required to. You see when you are destined for hell by your own choice you can do whatever you want on this earth providing you can get away with it. But the day comes when you will have to answer for it, and if you think about it now you will not have a sufficient enough answer to change your destiny, the very destiny that you thought you could avoid. And perhaps it is because you though that God would believe your every word about you. This is a grave error no pun intended. So in essence they are not held to the same standard. So don’t look for positive change from someone who is solely dependent on themselves to change. It cannot happen! The hidden heart is not seen by man but only by God and in His ability to do so He says of us unsaved folk in Genisis that their hearts are set on evil continually. Ok so I just wanted my unbelieving audience to know I care for their very soul and would never hope that they die in any condition without the knowledge of God in their spirits.

I guess right out da gate we should define what a cult is. I will not necessarily define Christianity because yall should know it basically means Christ In Me. No other religion declares such a statement of truth or offers salvation resulting in forgiveness of sins and a wonderful future spent with God in a new heaven and on a new earth. 1. D-Com Cult : a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies. So that’s a big help right? If I said devils and angels I believe it would have been a little more help, yes even without context. Well, lets go to Google and see if we can do better: 1. Google Cult: One not recognized as an established religion. And all of the angels and devils stand up and shout nope not a complete def man. OK so well perhaps I can try and shed some light on this misunderstood mystery. Of course Hollywood and the movie industry does not help with the situation at all when you consider the amount of movie mis-information that is gurgitized by the watching public. Now if you have ever been a member or inquiring mind of any of the following religions that I will be sharing today, then hopefully you come away with understanding that you have some options. Now when I say options, I mean that you come to understand that Jesus Christ is the only God person to do what He did, so any other religion that doesn’t have that going for it, is out of contention, or should be out of contention for your attention and soul. Now there are other more crafty religions that, instead of out-and-out rejecting the entire truth of the bible, they either take parts out and put other parts in, mixing it with the other spiritually considered thought-oh-man writings, or we have those who add to the original text, and simply change what the text means, and yet others including some of these that will be mentioned, just writing their own bible. This way they have full control of what goes in and what goes out. And lastly, as I understand lastly, we have the dearly departed who simply wrote their own version of what they believe a holy book is and run with that such as Baha’I World faith or Buddhism. Unfortunately for its followers their sin is left unchecked. That is when they get to heaven with their “I lived a good life and did not believe in you, as the only way to the Father, Jesus baloney, they will stare in His eyes, the eyes of all life and know their mistake, an eternal mistake, and boom-flash, their mind will see all of His attempts to win them to His eternal love and their rejection thereof. John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

So let me begin after I have been clicking away at this complex message for a minute or so. I do get why so many shy away from taking on such issues as this because it could be a real barn burner. And what, why should I say this among so many professing Christians who by all means ought to be the most humblest bugs on the face of this earth? Because we too often fight to be right by the show of evidence that things must be approved by God because of the ministry success I have had. Ha don’t we know that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the same tree? Well. Hummm. No signs and wonders from John the Baptizer and yet Jesus had this to say about a man who lost his head and his disciples: Matt 11:11 - “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. So let me start again. I feel ill-equipped to be one speaking on such a topic, and but I do so because it is on my heart to do so. I have been under the authority of a woman pastor and she eventually, in part, and had a very big part in dismantling a 14-year church. Funny thing is that I gave her a word, which I still believe is accurate, which is that she would be a pillar in the church. May God restore her properly and in so doing advance her ministry in its proper position, and that is under authority.