Tag: Sabbath

The Back to God Movement

Without the anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit, our archenemy is using social injustice and political division as distractions for the saints of God, and we are failing to meet God’s standards of righteousness.

What does God require of us? Micah 6:8 reads, “He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

What is the Christian’s primary focus? To love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).

What is God’s standard for believers? “Be holy, because I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

The Character of the New Man (Spiritual Transformation)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ 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. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:12-17).

The Christian’s Secondary Focus: To love others!

Witnessing: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Giving to those in need: If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? (1 John 3:17). Those in the body of Christ should help their brothers or sisters in their spiritual family first.

God requires much from the righteous!

“To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). We are held responsible for what we have. If we have been blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, we are expected to benefit others.

For the prevailing social injustice distraction of abortion and mass shootings, God has addressed this heinous act with His commandment: “Thou shalt not kill”–“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

For the prevailing political conflict between Democrats, Republicans, and others, on gun control, and the COVID pandemic, Jesus addressed this, “And He said to them, “…Render [Give] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).

Are Christians supposed to ignore social and political issues? Absolutely not!

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

“LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil…” (Proverbs 3:5-7).

The Back to God movement is to get oneself in right standing with God and witness to those looking for peace in all the wrong places. Spread the gospel daily that Jesus, the Son of God, has a perfect plan called Salvation. His Plan of Redemption is life-saving for the sinner. Jesus died for humanity! And is currently serving as our Heavenly Intercessor. Glory to the Lamb of God! When we do our part, and with the sinner’s acceptance of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will initiate and complete the transformation from unbeliever to believer.

God’s plans most often do not include our personal agendas. Pray and wait on the Holy Spirit for direction before involving yourself in social or political issues. Every evil thought and action indicates that we live in the last days. This is the time to pray without ceasing, study the Scriptures, and wait on God for His answer. We are promised a New Heaven and New Earth. Amen.

The Righteous’ Reward: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

Prayer: God, we pray for your direction, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the strength to resist distractions that change our focus. Lord, reveal to us the agendas that are not in sync with Your will and plan for our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Question: “Do I [Really] Need the Holy Spirit?”

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)

The mystery of the Holy Spirit has many Christians confused. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “He,” which means the Holy Spirit is a living deity, the third person of the Trinity [God, the Father, Jesus, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit]. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit and we have evidence in Acts chapter 2.

Why are we confused about the Holy Spirit? In the Garden of Eden, Eve was deceived by Satan because she desired to possess God’s knowledge. The creation [humanity] has the innate desire to possess omniscience [all-knowing], which only belongs to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Have you secretly desired to know your future? Just enough to understand how your current situation will turn out. You are not alone. Yet, the desire to be god-like disrupts the peaceful life that Jesus promises us.

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.
‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.'” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Worldview: What is truth? The age-old question is now answered, “The truth is what I believe it to be.”

In John chapters 14 and 16, Jesus explained why we need the Holy Spirit. There is only one way to be assured that we know the truth. Always “Pray for the Anointing of the Holy Spirit Before You Study!”

Christian view: We listen to speakers, pastors, ministers, and others based on credible reputations. But frequently, in their sermons, a bait and switch technique is used. They read the Scripture, but then they interject their interpretation. Most speakers realize that many believers do not study the Bible. Tip: Does the speaker pray and ask for the anointing of the Holy Spirit before delivering their sermon?

Fact Check: “A survey from 2021 found that 11 percent of Americans read the Bible daily. Trends in reading habits over four years showed that the majority of Americans never read the Bible, however in 2021 this number dropped to 29 percent of respondents.” https://www.statista.com/statistics/299433/bible-readership-in-the-usa

The Function of the Holy Spirit When We Study:

  • “He will teach you all things”
  • “And bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you”
  • “He will guide you into all the truth”
  • “He will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Pentecost: Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:3-4).

Verse 4: “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues.”

Fact Check: “And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?'” (Acts 2:5-8).

Suppose you never prayed for the Holy Spirit because, from popular belief, the anointing of the Holy Spirit causes one to speak in an unknown tongue [a heavenly language]. In that case, you can be assured that the word tongue means a known language.

Clarification: “‘9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.’ 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?'” (Acts 2:9-12).

The Main Issue with the Human Mind

“Others mocking said, ‘They are full of new wine.'” (Acts 2:13). We attempt to create an explanation or strategy when faced with God’s infinite wisdom in our finite minds. And because we fail to pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we accept false teachings and a mixture of Biblical truth with the error of human interpretation of the Scriptures. Or we are part of the statistics that do not study the Bible.

Jesus promised us a Helper. Yes, the Holy Spirit has other functions, but our focus is on knowing that the biblical concepts we believe are the truth from God. We are blessed that our Heavenly Father has provided spiritual guidance so none will fall astray.

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” (2 Peter 2:1).

Prayer: God, we thank you for protecting us by sending the Holy Spirit to teach, lead, and provide discernment of Your truth. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.