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CHAPTER FOUR
It is mid-afternoon, the next day and School is almost over for the day.
A Boy named Jimmy, is at A local High School in one of his classes sitting at his Desk,
when suddenly the School bell rings out loud dismissing the tired students after A long
hard exam. RRRRRRRRING!!!
As the students rise and begin exiting the class, the teacher can be heard exclaiming
outloud, "Allright everybody, put your exam papers on my desk as you leave and I will
have your scores tomorrow afternoon!".
Jimmy walks up to the teachers desk and waits in A small line behind A couple of girls
who are talking about A Bible study class tonight.
The two girls put their exam papers on top of the teachers desk, and then begin to walk
out of the class room, Jimmy following close behind.
The two Girls say good-bye to each other and head separate ways, then Jimmy goes up
to Ashley, ( who is A Christian ) and walks along beside her as he talks to her.
"Hello Ashley!, how do you think you did on the Exam?" Jimmy asks in A friendly ,
inquisitive tone of voice.
"I'm not sure Jimmy, but I think that I did pretty well, I should have anyway, I was up until
one O'clock this morning studying!" Ashley exclaims with A smile as they walk down the
hallway towards their lockers.
"Can I ask you A very important question Ashley?" Jimmy asks in A low, shy tone of
voice as they stop at the Lockers and Ashley begins turning the tumbler on her locker to
the numbers of her combination.
"Sure Jimmy, ask away" Ashley replies in her usual polite tone of voice.
Jimmy looks around as to be sure that nobody else can hear him, he then continues,
"Well you know, you have tried to get me to go to your Church several times, and, well
you see, I never really thought much about God. I guess that the subject does not come up
much at our house, and I listened to what you were telling Jennifer and her Friends at
lunch time today!, and I agree with you that there must be A God!".
Ashley closes her locker after putting her Books away, and replies with A smile "That is
great Jimmy, I'm glad to hear that!".
"Well Ashley, I really have thought about it alot today, since after lunch, and I believe
that you are right, you see, my Parents do not believe in God, I guess they believe that
everything just appeared on Earth one day!, like maybe man just popped up out of the
Crystal blue Ocean or something like that!, but if they are right then where did the Ocean
come from?, and where did all of the fish and Mammals on Earth come from?".
"That is A good question Jimmy, and it sounds like you have found the answer!", Ashley
exclaims.
"Well, I think I have, you are not going to believe this, but it really hit me while I was in
my Health class today. I began thinking about all of the Human body parts, and how
perfect they are. I mean every single part of our body, as well as other creatures, have an
essential function!. Everything is just too perfect to be left to coincidence, so, ahhh, I
guess what I am saying is that I would like to learn more about God , the only problem is
that it would be kind of hard to do around my House!" Jimmy explains.
"I have an idea!", Ashley replies graciously, "My Parents are hosting A Bible study class
at my House tonight, why don't you come over for dinner and you could join us!".
Jimmy looks at her with an astonished smile and exclaims happily, "You mean it?, I
mean would it be all right with your Parents?".
"Sure, they would Love to have you over for Dinner and Bible study Jimmy!, in fact I will
call you when I get home!", Ashley relies with A smile.
"Thanks alot Ashley!", Jimmy exclaims as he gazes into her humble eyes, "You know, I
have been reading that Bible you gave me A month ago, and I am almost finished with it".
"That's great Jimmy, I am so proud of you!" she replies.
"Well, I had better get going Home Ashley, Thanks again!, and I'll see you tonight".
"No problem Jimmy, see you tonight" She replies as she turns and walks away.
Jimmy turns around and walks down the Hallway, as he turns the corner by the Boys
restroom two big Boys jump out without any warning and grab Jimmy, one covers his
mouth as they drag him into the Boys restroom.
The two Boys slam Jimmy up against A bathroom stall and begin beating him severely.
One of the Boys strike Jimmy in the stomach, the other hits his slim, fragile face, and
blood begins to seep from his nose, and slowly run down his cheek.
As Jimmy falls to the floor, they both begin kicking him. One of the Boys throw some
papers on top of him and comments, "Next time I tell you to write an Essay for me, I
expect to get an A on it, not A B-", he then kicks Jimmy one last time and then they walk
out of the bathroom, leaving him lay on the floor, bleeding and crying.
Jimmy slowly gets up, and then stumbles over to the sink, and washes the blood off of
his face, his nose stops bleeding, and then he throws the bloody paper towel in the trash
can. Jimmy walks out of the Restroom, and to the Parking lot, gets in his car and heads
for Home. As he drives down the street, blood begins to seep out of his Nose once again,
so he wipes it on the sleeve of his shirt, and begins to cry once again.
Jimmy drives his Yellow, 1967 Mustang into the driveway at his House, his face is
bruised, and his eye dark from the impact of the punch his frail face absorbed.
As Jimmy gets out of his car he hears yelling and screaming coming from his House, so
he runs to the front door and opens it, only to see his Dad drunk again and beating on his
Mother, as his two little Sisters sit crumpled up in A corner screaming and crying.
Jimmy walks into the House, and see's his Dad slap his Mothers face, then she briskly
reaches out and scratches his face. Then his Dad grabs his Mother by her hair, and yanks
her to the ground, and begins dragging her across the floor, as she screams and cries.
"Let go of my Mom!" Jimmy cries outloud as he runs up to his dad, and is quickly
knocked down to the ground himself. His two little Sisters begin screaming even louder,
when suddenly the dad walks outside, and gets into his old beat up truck and drives away.
Jimmy gets up and runs over to his Mom, then gets down beside her and hugs her, then his
two little sisters get up and join them. The four of them hold one another as they weep
uncontrollably.
MEANWHILE,... ACROSS TOWN ANOTHER SCHOOL IS JUST GETTING OUT
FOR THE DAY........
Two Women are standing in front of A school talking to one another as they wait for
their Children to get out of School.
"Did you see the News this Morning?", Barbara asks the other mother whose name is
Ann.
"No, I didn't, the News is just too depressing to watch anymore!" Ann replies with A nod
of her head.
"Well, I watched it this morning , and they said that People are fighting over food in
Russia, and they even said that some People wait in line for hours just for A loaf of bread,
and by the time they get up to the front of the line, the food is all gone!" Barbara exclaims.
"No wonder everyone wants to come to America, it seems like they are starving
everywhere else!" Ann replies.
"Well, I'll tell you something!", Barbara exclaims "With all of these murders going on in
the World, and Gang wars, and all of the other things that are going on in the World, I
think that the end is near myself!".
"Yeah, I know what you mean!" Ann replies. "All you hear about anymore is rape,
murder, drugs, gangs, and people killing their own children, and even molesting them.
I'll tell you, it isn't like it use to be in the old days, when you could leave your doors and
windows unlocked at night".
Then Barbara exclaims, "Well, that is exactly the way it said it would be in the Bible in
the last days, in Second Timothy, chapter three verses one to five it says, "this know also,
that in the last days perilous times will come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
they will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at
God, disobedient to their parents, unthankful and unholy.
They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and
troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and
sneer at those whom try to be good. They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded,
puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshipping God. Yes, they will be lovers
of pleasure more than lovers of God. They will go to Church, yes, but they wont really
believe anything that they hear. Don't be taken in by people like that".
Just then the School bell rings. RRRRRIIIING.
As children come walking out from the crowded hallway of the School, the two women
look through the excited crowd of children, waiting patiently for their children to come out.
"Mom!", A voice shrieks out as A little boy runs up to Ann and hugs her, "Look, I got an
A on my Math test!" the cute little boy exclaims in his proud tone of voice as he shows his
Mother the graded test with a big A on it.
"An A!", the Mother replies with A smile as she takes the paper and looks at it.
Ann bends down and hugs her little son and replies, "Good Timothy, I am so proud of you
honey!".
Barbara see's her daughter in the hallway talking to A young boy, and calls out to her,
"Cecilia!, hurry up and say good-bye now dear, I have to get going to work".
Ann smiles at Barbara and says, "Well, I will see you later Barbara, have A nice day!".
As Ann and her son turn and head down the sidewalk Barbara replies, "Good-bye Ann,
it was nice seeing you too!", then Barbara pauses and asks Ann, "Hey, do you need A ride
home?".
Ann smiles and replies, "Oh, no Thankyou, we just live A couple of blocks from here".
Ann turns and begins to walk across the street as she holds Timothy's little fragile hand,
when suddenly, A bunch of loud popping noises ring out, and People begin screaming.
Ann notices A tall boy across the street firing A gun at some kids behind her, so she
grabs Timothy, and knocks him to the ground, using her fragile body as A human shield to
protect her son from harm.
A bullet strikes Ann in the left arm, and then another strikes her in the head.
Just as suddenly as the shooting began, it now subsides as Ann falls to the ground, bleeding
profusely. Barbara screams in terror and runs up to her as she lays dead in the street, her
body still lying on top of her son Timothy, whom is screaming at the top of his lungs, in A
blood curdling cry for his mother.
MEANWHILE, ..... across town.....
Two men are sitting on A couch in the Living room, watching A Baseball game in action.
Larry, the owner of the house, is sitting at the left end of the couch, and his friend Steve is
sitting at the opposite end of the couch, there is A huge bowl of buttered Popcorn
in-between them. The two men are drinking iced cold Tea, and muttering the usual "don't
steal A base ya dummy!", ect.
Larry glances through the front door, which is wide open, and notices two Women
across the street walking up to his neighbors front door. The Women both have brief cases
in they're hands, as well as A bunch of literature. As Larry watches, he notices that his
neighbor rudely slams the door in the women's faces.
The two Women walk back down the sidewalk, and then go to the next house, which is
on the corner. Larry now realizes that the two women are Jehovah's Witnesses, and that
they will cross the street after talking to the people that live in that house, and come to his
house next.
Larry laughs in his usual ghoulish, yet comical tone of voice, then he gets up off of the
couch, and rushes over to the door, and closes it quickly. Steve watches with A confused
look on his face, then asks, "What's going on?".
"Just sit and enjoy!", Larry exclaims with A devious smile as he grabs a remote and turns
the Television off, "here they come!".
"Here whom comes?", Steve asks as the curiosity grows more intense.
A loud knock at the door finally disrupts the silence, and Larry looks at Steve with one
last devious smile, then he faces the door, drops his pants, and opens the door with A big
smile on his face, and asks, "Yes, may I help you?".
The two Women, still holding their brief cases and Jehovah's Witness literature, stare in
astonishment, for A few seconds, then they walk off as one shrieks out angrily, though her
words can not be heard over Larry's laughter.
Larry pulls up his pants, as he laughs heartily. He is laughing so hard that he cannot
even catch his breath, his round belly shakes forthwith like A huge bowl of Jello. He then
rolls around on A loveseat which is by the front door, still laughing as Steve watches in
amazement.
"Did you see the look on their faces?", Larry asks Steve as he continues to laugh so hard
that tears roll down his chubby cheeks. Larry's laughter quickly drowns out as he notices
the expression on Steve's face, and realizes that Steve was not the least bit amused.
Larry lets out another short chuckle, and then asks "What's the matter?, didn't you think
that it was funny?".
Steve smiles and replies, "I found it amusing at first, that is until I realized that those two
Women were Jehovah's Witnesses!".
"Ahhh, come on Steve, I mean, I know that you are religious and all, but you are not A
Jehovah's Witness, now I know that for A fact!. Heck, everyone dislikes Jehovah's
Witnesses!, in fact I do not know one single person that likes to talk to them when they
come to the door. Why heck, my Dad used to cuss and yell at them, and chase them off of
his property, and my Brother says that all you have to do to keep them from coming up to
your door is hang the American Flag outside by the door, and they wont come to the
House at all!, but heck, I think that takes all of the fun out of it, ha ha ha!", Larry exclaims
as he begins to laugh once again.
"I don't have anything against A good laugh Larry, its just that you are right about what
you said, alot of People don't like Jehovah's Witnesses. However, it says in Exodus 6:3
that God's name is Jehovah, also there is A verse somewhere in the Bible, I don't know
exactly where, but when the disciples are asking Jesus what the signs of his coming will be
and one of Jesus's replies was, "You will be hated by many for my names sake!". (Matt
24:9) Now, I really do not have A particular religion, but I try to keep an open mind to
them all, and let my Heart be my guide, you see?.
Like whom does Jesus mean by YOU?. He says that YOU will be hated by many for
my names sake, and whom tries harder to spread his word than Jehovah's Witnesses?, and
they are hated by many for merely trying to spread his word!.
In fact, there is A verse in the Bible that says he is sending us out around the world to tell
all people everywhere the great things that God has done for them, so that they too will
believe and obey him".
"I guess that was kind of rotten of me, huh?", Larry replies.
"Well, to be honest with you Larry, even Paul preached from house to house, he was one
of the Lords right hand men, "so to speak", in the Bible.
And also, I have read A few of those pamphlets that they pass out, and I have found
them to be quite interesting. There are stories of the Bible, such as one article that I read
recently that explains what the end of the world will be like", Steve replies.
Larry looks more serious now as he walks back over to the couch and sits down facing
Steve and says , "You know, to be honest about it, that subject interests me, the end of the
World I mean, but I started to read the Bible once and it was too hard to understand".
"I know what you mean", Steve confesses, "I also found parts of the Bible hard to
understand, but these pamphlets that they hand out discuss some subjects from the Bible,
and make it alot easier to understand!".
"Well, I'll be!", Larry exclaims, "I always thought that those goofy people were just using
those pamphlets as A way to get money from me!, or that the pamphlets were just to brain
wash people into going door to door like those poor people do, so other people could just
slam doors in their faces!".
"Or so people could embarrass them!", Steve exclaims with A short laugh as he shakes
his head from side to side.
"Aha!, I did getcha A little bit there, didn't I?", Larry exclaims with A smile.
Steve laughs, and then grabs A handful of Popcorn out of the huge bowl and throws it at
Larry.
Larry gets A serious look on his face as he continues to talk, "You know what though, I
do agree with you Steve. I never stopped and thought about it before, but those People
must really love God to go through all of that trouble just to spread his word".
Then Steve replies, "I don't know whether or not you know this Larry, but it says in the
Bible that there will be A special place in Heaven for those whom bring people to him!.
And in John 4:35-36 the Bible says, Great are the rewards for the sowers and the reapers".
"I just do not understand your way of thinking Steve!", Larry exclaims, "I mean, you
believe in some of the ways of Jehovah's Witnesses, but not all of them!, what religion are
you?" Larry asks in A confused tone of voice.
"Well Larry, let me explain!, alot of people are down on Jehovah's Witnesses simply
because they do not celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Saviour. I believe that they
celebrate it in their own way. You see, rather than having their children only worry about
what kind of gifts they were going to get, or how much they are going to spend on gifts,
they simply set aside the gift exchanging, which brings on greed and selfishness. Instead,
they remember Christ's Birthday for what it really is!. In fact, to prove my point, I'll tell
you what my wife said when I merely remarked that people get too wrapped up in gifts and
celebrations at Christmas time.
She said, "well I don't care, we are still going to celebrate Christmas!, I don't want my
son to be the only kid on the block whom doesn't get toys for Christmas, while all of the
other kids at school brag about what nice gifts they received, he would feel out of place,
and left out".
"Sounds to me like, whether you want to admit it or not, you are for the Jehovah's
Witnesses!" Larry exclaims.
"Well, not quite!, you see, now I'll tell you something that I dislike about their religion.
You see, I went out with A woman whom was A Jehovah's Witness once, and if someone
in A Jehovah's Witness family goes astray, I was told that their own family disowns them,
even the Church. So if A seventeen year old girl sins against the Church, she is cast out
from the family, and the Church. I believe that God would not want you to throw A
sinner to the Wolves. Rather, I believe that God wants you to help them, stand beside
them and try to help them, if it is at all possible. If we gave up on everyone whom went
astray then I would be in A lot of trouble, because I got into drinking and drugs A couple
of years ago, and if my family and friends had not been there for me, there is no telling
where I would be today. In fact , there is A verse in the Bible that states, "if A shepard
have one-hundred sheep, and one goes astray, does the shepard not go after the one whom
went astray?" (Matt 18:12), after all, the other ninety-nine sheep are already safe at home.
And remember that Jesus said he came to heal the sick , to save the sinners, not the
righteous. Also the Bible says, "for it be the will of the Lord that not one Soul should
perish" (Matt 18:14)
"That is interesting!", Larry replies
"It also reads in James 5:19-20", Steve replies as he picks his Bible up and reads from it
after turning the pages to James 5: 19-20
- Dear brothers, if anyone has slipped away from God and no longer trusts the Lord, and
someone helps him understand the truth again, that person whom brings him back to God
will have saved A wandering soul from death, bringing about the forgiveness of his many
sins.- Steve sets the Bible back down.
Larry looks at Steve and exclaims, "I see, so they would be better off to pray for them
and try to help that person, and bring them back to the Lords ways, then to throw them
back out to A world of sin".
"Yes," Steve replies, "Of course, that may not be A very good reason to dislike their
Religion, but I feel in my heart that you should work with A sinner, and try to help them,
as my family did with me. It took many years for me to find the Lord, I mean really find
him, not think that I knew him, like before. But, had my family threw me out of the house
when I was on drugs and drinking, I would have moved in with some of my friends whom
were on drugs, and they did drugs non stop, twenty four hours A day, then I never would
have found the Lord. I believe that the lord wants you to be patient, and help them learn
from their mistakes. The Bible speaks of helping others whom are lost, and it says to be
WISE AS A SERPENT, YET , HARMLESS AS A DOVE. (Matt 10:16)
When ever my family fought with me, and yelled and screamed at me, it just made me
mad, and gave me A reason to go out and get drunk, because it looked like my life was A
mess, and I wanted to get messed up and forget it. But that did not help, because the
problems did not go away, they were always still there when I woke up the next morning.
"Well, I see what you mean about their religion, that is, if they really do shun people"
Larry exclaims.
"Well they do, but they probably do allow them back into Church if they change their
ways, in I Timothy 1: 20, it reads, - Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples of this. I
had to give them over to Satan to punish them until they could learn not to bring shame to
the name of Christ - So I think that you should give them A chance, but if all else fails,
sometimes you have to shun them, to teach them A lesson. So I am not really against the
Jehovah's religion, but I am still working with their beliefs.
However, let me make myself clear, it does say in the Bible to cast out A sinner whom
gives the Church A bad name, in first Corinthians 5:1-2 Paul demands that A man living
with his Dads wife be cast out of the Church. So, I guess that it all depends on the
situation.
There is one religion, I think that it is the Jehovah's Witnesses, that believe only one
hundred and forty four thousand people are going to Heaven, and if that is the case, then I
am sure God has selected that many by now, after all of these years, and that would mean
that there is no hope for us!, and I refuse to believe that. But, I talked to A Jehovah's
Witness A few days ago, and he said, "Yes, only one hundred and forty four thousand are
going to Heaven, but the rest of the Christian's are going to live on Earth in Paradise.
So, some people believe that all Christians will go to Heaven, and some believe only one
hundred and forty four thousand will, and that the rest will be in Paradise on Earth, either
way, it will be Paradise!, so why worry about where it is, or how many are going?, the
important question is, "how do I get there?".
Larry smiles and replies "True!, that's A very good point!".
Then Steve continues, "However, I have A relative whom is A Catholic, and he drinks
almost every day, he cusses, and commits all kinds of unholy sins. But he claims that the
Catholics believe you can sin, as long as you ask for forgiveness.
The Bible says "whomsoever confesses and FORSAKES their sins shall have mercy"
and if you look up the word "forsake" in the dictionary you'll find that it means to "give up,
leave, or abandon", so you must realize that the sin is bad, and confess it, then abandon it,
completely quit doing that thing which is bad, only then will you have mercy".
Now, I do not know if that is really how their religion believes, or if it is his
misunderstanding, but you see, I believe that if you commit A sin, knowing full well that it
is A sin, and that it is wrong, then it will be counted against you on Judgment day, because
you claimed to be A Christian, yet you took advantage of Gods kindness.
I believe that him committing sins, knowing that they are wrong, and expecting
forgiveness, would be more wrong than A sinner asking forgiveness after he learns of
Christ and wants to become A Christian.
If your three year old daughter picked up A piece of candy in A store, and walked out
with it, without you noticing until you both got outside of the store, you would take the
candy back into the store and ask the clerk to forgive her, and the clerk would, because he
would know that she was A babe, and did not know any better. However, if you took
something from the store, you would go to jail, because you knew the law, and broke it
Anyway's!".
"That is A good analogy, but you must be careful about judging others, because I do
know that it says somewhere in the Bible, "Judge not, less ye be judged!" Larry exclaims.
"Yes, that is true! that is why I try to stay as close to the Bible as possible on my views,
because one of the worst sins is changing the word of God!. But it says in the new
testament that Christ did not come to change the laws, but to enforce them, in Matthew
5:17 the Bible says "Don't misunderstand why I have come - it isn't to cancel the laws of
Moses and the warnings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them, and to make them all
come true. with all earnestness I have I say: Every law in the book will continue until its
purpose is achieved. And so if anyone breaks the least commandment, and teaches others
to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those whom teach God's laws and
obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven".
So that means we are still to obey the laws. Do you think that God wants us to commit
adultery and other unholy sins? Of course not! he is still the same God, with the same
principles, and the same laws.
However, there is alot more that can be learned on this subject. The most important
thing to remember when discussing religion is to be objective, and look at both sides, then
read the Bible and go from there.
Here, I'll show you where I think that he and his religion get their beliefs, and then where
I got my opinion on this matter in the Bible", Steve exclaims as he reaches over onto an
end table and grabs his Bible.
As Steve begins turning through the pages of the Bible, he says, "The New Testament
does clearly state, time and time again, that you can only be saved by Faith in Jesus Christ
our Saviour, for the forgiveness of your sins, because all men fall short of the glory of
God. So God sent his Son Jesus Christ to wash away our sins!.
In Galatians 3: 10-13 the scripture reads, - Yes, and those whom depend on the Jewish
laws to save them are under God's curse, for the scriptures point out very clearly, "cursed is
everyone whom at any time breaks A single one of these laws that are written in God's
Book of Law ", Consequently, it is clear that nobody can ever win God's favor by trying to
keep the Jewish laws, because God has said that the only way we can be right in his sight is
by faith. As the prophet Habakkuk says it, "The man whom finds life, will find it through
trusting God".
How different from this way of faith is the way of law which says that A man is saved by
obeying every law of God, without one slip. But Christ has bought us out from under the
doom of that impossible system by taking the curse for our wrongdoing upon himself. For
it is written in the scripture, "anyone whom is hanged on A tree is Cursed".
Then Steve begins to read A few more Bible versus to Larry. "In Galatians 5: 2 , Paul
states that, If you are counting on keeping the Jewish laws to make you right with God,
then Christ cannot save you!. I'll say it again. Anyone trying to find favor with God by
being circumcised must always obey every other Jewish law or perish. Christ is useless to
you if you are counting on clearing your debt to God by keeping those laws: you are lost
from God's grace. But we, by the help of the Holy Spirit, are counting on Christ's death
to wash away our sins and make us right with God. And we to whom Christ has given
eternal life don't need to worry about whether we have been circumcised or not, or whether
or not we are obeying the Jewish Ceremonies; for all we need is Faith working through
Love".
Steve stops reading and looks up at Larry, then Larry replies, "So what that is saying is
that if we claim to be perfect and Holy, and that we live by the Bible, we are doomed,
because we will break those laws no matter how hard we try to keep them, so we must
trust in Jesus to wash away our sins! Right?" Larry asks in A confused tone of voice.
"That is right!", Steve replies graciously.
"But, I don't understand . That means that your brother-in-law is right, he can sin, and
will be forgiven as long as he has faith in Christ, and asks for forgiveness, right?!?" Larry
asks still confused.
"Well, what this is saying is that, basically, we were all doomed before Christ was born,
because all men sinned and fell short of the Glory of God. In fact in Galatians 2:16 it says
that, "And so we, too, have trusted Jesus Christ, that we might be accepted by God
because of faith - and not because we have obeyed the Jewish laws. For no one will ever
be saved by obeying them".
But, to answer your question, it states in Galations 5:13-26
- For dear Brothers, you have been given Freedom: not Freedom to do wrong, but
freedom to love and serve each other. For the whole law can be summed up in this one
command: "Love each other as you love yourself ". But if instead of showing love among
yourselves you are always critical and catty, watch out! beware of ruining each other. I
advise you to obey only the Holy Spirits instructions. He will tell you where to go and
what to do, and then you won't always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants
you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things
that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the holy spirit
has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us
are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free
from their pressures. When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need to no longer force
yourself to obey Jewish laws. But when you follow your own wrong inclinations your lives
will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, Idolatry,
spiritism, hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for
yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except for those
in your own little group, - and there will be wrong doctrine, envy, murder, drunkenness,
wild parties, and all of that sort of thing. Let me tell you again as I have before, that anyone
living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
So my friend, what this is saying is that once you trust in Jesus and give your life to him,
you will receive the Holy Spirit and will not want to live A life of sin, because the Holy
Spirit will be guiding you down the right path. Did you notice that it also said that if you
live A life of drunkenness and wild parties that you will not inherit the Kingdom of God?"
Steve asks Larry as he listens intently.
"Yes, I did!. Now I think I understand why you are worried for your brother-in-law.
Because if he was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, he would not even dream of doing
those evil things, no matter how great or small they are, right?", Larry asks.
"That is correct, and remember that he will come like A thief in the night, and if he finds
you in sin when he comes, then the wrath of God will be upon you, and let's not forget the
most important scripture of them all, this scripture is in Revelation 3: 15-16, "I know thy
works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither
cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth".
"Wow, that is heavy!, so basically your brother-in-law is lukewarm, and he probably
doesn't even realize it!" Larry exclaims.
"That's right, but it isn't necessarily his fault, because this is what he was taught!, but if
someone tells him the truth, and he doesn't except it, then he is in grave danger of the final
Judgment.
Steve turns his Bible ( the new testament ) to Romans 14:23, and says, "here, I think this
one scripture by itself will prove that I am right, then he reads the scripture,
"but anyone whom believes that something he wants to do is wrong shouldn't do it. He
sins if he does, for he thinks that it is wrong, and so for him it is wrong. Anything that is
done apart from what he feels is right is A sin".
Also, in John 9:41, the scriptures read, "if you were blind, you would not be guilty, but
your guilt remains because you claim to know what you are doing!".
"And, here is even more proof that I am right!" Steve turns his Bible to Romans 6:1 and
begins to read, "Well then, shall we keep on sinning so that God can keep on showing us
more and more kindness and forgiveness?
Of course not!, should we keep on sinning when we don't have to?
For sin's power over us was broken when we became Christians and were Baptized to
become A part of Jesus Christ; through his death the power of your sinful nature was
shattered.
Your old sin-loving nature was buried with him by Baptism when he died, and when God
the father, with glorious power, brought him back to life again, you were given his
wonderful new life to enjoy.
For you have become A part of him, and so you died with him, so to speak, when he
died; and now you share his new life, and shall rise as he did. Your old evil desires were
nailed to the cross with him; that part of you that loves to sin was crushed and fatally
wounded, so that your sin-loving body is no longer under sin's control, and no longer needs
to be A slave to sin; for when you are deadened to sin you are free from all its allure and
it's power over you.
And since your old sin-loving nature "died" with Christ, we know that you will share his
new life. Christ rose from the dead and will never die again. Death no longer has any
power over him. He died once and for all to end sin's power, but now he lives forever in
unbroken fellowship with God.
So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to
God, alert to him, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to it's sinful desires.
Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but
give yourselves completely to God, every part of you, for you are back from death and you
want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.
Sin need never again be your master, for now you are no longer tied to the law where sin
enslaves you, but you are free under God's favor and mercy.
Does this mean that now we can go ahead and sin and not worry about it ? (for our
salvation does not depend on keeping the law, but on receiving God's grace!) of course not!
Don't you realize that you can choose your own master? You can choose sin (with death)
or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself, he will take you
and be your master and you will be his slave. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord".
And then in I Peter 1:14 Peter says, "Obey God because you are his children; don't slip
back into your old ways, doing evil because you knew no better. But be holy in everything
that you do, just as the Lord is holy, whom invited you to be his child.
He himself said, "YOU must be holy, for I am holy".
And, again in II Peter 2:11-12 Peter said, "Dear brothers, you are only visitors here.
Since your real home is Heaven I beg you to keep away from all of the evil pleasures of
this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls. Be careful how you
act among your unsaved neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk
against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when Christ returns.
"So, what I am trying to say here is this," Steve exclaims, "being A Christian really doesn't
mean that you can sin all that you want as long as you ask forgiveness, that is like gambling
with your Soul, because you never know when he is coming, and Lord forbid that he
comes and finds you in sin.
I will read you another part of the Bible to back up my feelings about this," Steve turns
the Bible to I Thessalonians 5:6 and begins to read, "So be on your guard, not asleep like
others. watch for his return and stay sober. Night is the time for sleep and the time when
people get drunk. But let us whom live in the light keep sober, protected by the armor of
faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the happy hope of salvation".
Also, in Hebrews 10:25-26, the Bible says "Let us not neglect our Church duties and
meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the
day of his coming back again is drawing near. If anyone sins deliberately by rejecting the
saviour after knowing the truth of forgiveness, this sin is not covered up by Christ's death;
there is no way to get rid of it. There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible
punishment of God's awful anger which will consume all of his enemies".
"Well, I must agree that all you have said sounds very true to me, but what about
drinking, I mean, I thought that people in the Bible drank" Larry asks.
"Well," Steve replies, "according to the Bible, people did drink, and even get drunk, but
that does not mean that God approves of it. Here is A Bible verse that explains how God
feels about drinking and drugs, in First Corinthians 3:17, the Bible reads, "If anyone defiles
and spoils God's home, God will destroy him. For God's home is holy and clean, and
YOU are that home".
Also in the book of Matthew 24:36-51 Jesus Christ himself said "But nobody knows the
date nor the hour when the end of times will be, not even the angels of heaven, but my
father only. The world will be at ease, having banquets, parties, and weddings, just as it
was in the days of Noah before the sudden coming of the flood; people wouldn't believe
what was going to happen until the flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall
my coming be.
Two men will be working in the fields, one will be taken and the other left. Two women
will be going about their household tasks; one will be taken the other left.
So be prepared, for you do not know what day or hour that your Lord is coming. Just as
a man can prevent trouble from thieves by keeping watch for them, so you can avoid
trouble by always being prepared for my unannounced return. Are you a wise and faithful
servant of the Lord? have I given you the task of managing my household, to feed my
children day by day? blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work.
I will put such a faithful ones in charge of everything I own! But if you are evil and say to
yourself "My Lord won't be coming for awhile', and begin oppressing your fellow servants,
partying and getting drunk, your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected, and shall
cut you in two, and appoint your portion with the hypocrites, there shall be weeping and
knashing of teeth."
And again in I Thessalonians 5:7 the bible says "Night is the time for sleep and the time
when people get drunk. But let us who live in the night keep sober"
Also in Ephesians 5:18 the bible says "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
but be filled with the spirit" I must tell you that being filled with the Holy Spirit is more
beautiful than any wine, or any drug imaginable.
And lets not forget that while your under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol Satan has
more power over you than at any other time. So he uses this to his advantage to
demoralize you, and make you look like A fool. So the next day everyone is talking about
all of the bad things that you said and did the night before.
Or else your busy apologizing for what you said and that you did. Either way, Satan has
used your weakened state of mind against you, so you do things that you normally would
not do.
"Man, your Brother-in-law had better hope that he is sober when Jesus comes for the
chosen ones!" Larry exclaims " Anyway, I think that I see what you mean!" Larry replies
"Rather than pretending to pick A certain religion, even if you do not feel right about some
of that religions beliefs, which is what I think scares some people away from religion, you
just follow your heart and let your conscious be your guide!?!".
"Exactly!", Steve replies, "At least until I feel strong enough to pick A certain religion.
I am not against any particular religion, I am just weighing the good and bad, and I will
decide from there.
For instance, Catholics call their priest's "Father", and the new testament speaks strongly
against this. In Matthew 23:7-10 the Bible says this, "How they enjoy the difference paid
them on the streets, and to be called "RABBI", and "MASTER"!. Do not ever let anyone
call you that. For only God is your Rabbi and all of you are on the same level, as brothers.
And do not address anyone here on earth as "FATHER", for only God in heaven should
be addressed like that. And do not call anyone "MASTER", for only one is your master,
even the messiah". And remember, Jesus himself said this!"
And after the Pope saying that he agrees with the scientists about the theory of evolution,
man, that is like slapping God in the face! I can't believe that he said that!
Also, one of my other friends told me the other day that he is a Catholic, and he likes
that religion because he can commit any sin he wants too, and say a few hail Mary's and be
forgiven. This is very wrong!!! It says in the Bible that you can only be saved by Jesus,
there is no other name in which you can be saved! Mary was chosen by God to bear his
son, but she was still human, and therefore cannot forgive, or save anyone! you can only
be saved by Christ!
And another thing is that you are to be Baptized by being emmersed in water, not
sprinkled, like the Catholics do.
Paul said, "We are buried with him by baptism", and also, remember that when Jesus
was baptized by John the Baptist, the Bible says that Jesus came up "Out of the water",
and Philip and the eunich went down "into the water", and came up "out of the water".
However, one of the things that I do like is the communion service that the Catholics
perform. But I also heard that the Roman Catholics took the Bibles away from everyone
for over one thousand years, and if you notice, the Bibles that they use are different than
everybody else's
Anyway's, in my opinion, most things point away from the Catholics religion.
One more bit of proof regarding my brother-in-law. It states in Matthew 7:13
"Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to Hell is broad, and
its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes whom choose its easy way. But the gateway to
life is small, and the road is narrow, and only A few ever find it!"
So, alot of people pick A religion, such as the Catholics, because they think that they can
get away with more. I have a friend whom is a Catholic, and he told me that he picked that
religion because he can sin, say a few hail Mary's and be forgiven!, so you see, they pick
the religion with the simplest path, yet the Bible says the highway to Hell is A broad and
easy road, and that my friend is the road they may be on.
However, I believe that even if I do not say that I am A Mormon, or I am A Catholic, or
A Jehovah's Witness, I personally do not think that it is picking the one right religion that
gets you to Heaven. Rather, I believe that it is the Love that you have in your heart for
God and mankind that earns you A place in Heaven, and how you live your life here on
earth, but you must still obey his laws!.
Also A person needs to go to Church, to help keep them in tune with God. It's like A
farmer can plow the field and plant the seed, but if it is not watered it will not grow. So
going to Church helps them learn and grow, and keeps them from going astray!, and
always remember that it states in the new testament, "those whom give up the most for the
Lord, will have the greatest rewards in Heaven," for instance, I went to A Pentecostal
church, and they do not believe in watching television, because it states in the Bible, "set
nothing wicked before thine eyes".
Well, alot of People believe that it is not the television, but the person watching it that
matters. Paul states in the new testament that, "I can do anything I want to if Christ has not
said no, BUT, Some of these things are not good for me. Even if I am allowed to do
them, I'll refuse to if I think that they might get such A grip on me that I can't easily stop if
I want to".
In other words, if you watch A television show where people go around blowing up A
government office that did them wrong, and this makes you think about doing these things,
then you should not watch television.
So the bottom line is this, I would rather give up the television to show God how far I am
willing to go for him, than to have to face God one day and say that I didn't think he was
worth giving up A stupid television set for. Or if someone said, "if God convicts your
heart that television is wrong, will you give up watching television for him?", my answer
would be 'Yes!', if I knew that God did not want me to watch it, I would give it up for him.
Again, I emphasize on the fact that , he whom gives up the most on Earth for the Lord,
will receive the biggest rewards in Heaven .
I have to admit that A few years ago before I became A Christian, I was having problems
with A particular Government Office, and I thought about blowing the building up. It was
silly of me I know, but I did come real close to doing it!. I realize now that watching
violence on television all of these years had A detrimental effect on that decision.
I have also noticed, from watching a friend of mines children lately, that they come up
with alot of bad habits from movies these days. Just sit back and watch the Children play
sometime, or listen to the words that they use. I have heard his kids use words that I do
not even like to use, and then I have seen the movies they watched, and realized that the
movie was where they got those particular quotes from. I am still battling with this
television question, but I believe the Lord will let me know, by convicting my heart.
However, should we let our children hear all of this cussing, or let them see all of this
fighting, killing, adultery, and things that we see on television? Of course not!, for
it would be better for me that I had not been born then to cause one of them to stumble, it
says in Matthew 18:3-6 "Unless you turn to God from your sins and become as little
children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore anyone whom
humbles himself as this little child, is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And any of
you whom welcomes A little child like this because you are mine, is welcoming Me and
caring for Me. BUT, WHOMSO SHALL OFFEND ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES
WHICH BELIEVE IN ME, IT WERE BETTER FOR HIM THAT A MILLSTONE
WERE HANGED ABOUT HIS NECK, AND THAT HE WERE DROWNED IN THE
DEPTH OF THE SEA." Also, Law keepers in the Old Testament were told to remind
their children of the principles of the law constantly!, and the television teaches just the
opposite.
If I had Children, the television would already be gone! I watched A talk show the other
day where parents could not control their children, and the parents were crying on the
show, but what made these children the way they were? They watch shows on television
where teenagers do what they want, they ditch school, fight, drink, join gangs, indulge in
sex at a young age, and so the very things they try to teach their children to do, the
television undoes tenfold.
But I can tell you this; Since I have been going to this Church that does not believe in
watching television I have had such a great time. These people do alot of things together
and are never bored. There is nothing better for the heart, soul, and mind than being
around good, honest people, whom truly care about your well being, and spend quality
time with you as a friend, instead of using you.
Being around these people is so great that I can't even explain it! It makes me wonder
why I wasn't in Church a long time ago!
So, the important thing to remember here is that you must view the Bible with an honest,
and open mind, also, everybody believes that their religion is the right one, and many say
that if you are any other religion, that you are going to hell.
I am still battling with this also, but for now I attend Church with my friend, and wait,
and study, until I know whether or not it is the religion for me. It says in the Bible to
investigate whatever is said, find out if it is true or not. So I read my Bible alot, and if I
doubt anything that is said, I look it up.
But, I figure that each religion is different, and special, and we could all learn from each
other, if we do not argue over religion. Paul was constantly telling the Churches to quit
arguing amongst themselves.
I can tell you this much for sure, when the Titanic was sinking there were six men
stranded on A collapsible boat, they were in ice cold water, it was about twenty eight
degrees, and one of the men suggested that they all say A prayer together. All of the men
called out their religion, and they were all different, so they decided to say the Lords
prayer. I think that is beautiful!. So often you hear Christians arguing about which
religion is right, yet, when the ship was going down they banded together. And, they all
lived!.
And always remember that in Romans 1:19, it says that God put the knowledge in our
hearts from the very beginning. So we have no excuses for sinning, even if we have not
read the Bible. If you ever have any questions, then read your Bible; in fact it says in Acts
17:11 that people checked their Bibles to be sure that what was preached was the truth.
The Bible does have all of the answers. And in I Thessalonians 5:21 it says - But test
everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Also, I John 4:1
says, - Dearly beloved friends, do not always believe everything that you hear just because
someone says that it is A message from God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are
many false teachers around".
The most important thing is to read the Bible, study it hard, then pick A religion that you
truly believe is true, and practices what the Bible teaches, and most of all, do not pick any
certain religion simply because it fits your fleshly desires, and you can get away with things
that other religions do not permit. If some religions do not permit it, than there must be A
good reason. However, we must not confuse man made laws with Gods laws!.
And here is A scripture that Christians should really pay attention to, it says that you had
better not fall back into sin, once you have accepted Christ,
in II Peter 2:20-21 Peter said, "And when A person has escaped from the wicked ways of
the world by learning about our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, and then gets tangled up
with sin and becomes its slave again, he is worse off than he was before.
It would be better if he had never known about Christ at all then to learn of him and then
afterwards turn his back on the holy commandments that were given to him.
You, see, Jesus said that he did not come to destroy the old laws, and that we should still
live by them, in Matthew 5:17-19 , the Bible says, "Do not misunderstand why I have
come, it isn't to cancel the laws of Moses (the old laws) , and warnings of the prophets.
No, I came to fulfill them, and to make them all come true. For verily I say unto you , till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled.
"I don't know why Steve, but somehow that all makes sense to me!", Larry exclaims.
"Lets just hope that I am not wrong!", Steve exclaims with A smile. Both men laugh
and then go on watching the ball game.
A commercial then comes on the television set. In the commercial, an actor is talking
about the unbalance in nature lately, he says, "You have probably noticed the unbalance of
nature lately, as I am sure that you must have heard all of the commotion about the Ozone
Layer, but have you thought about the connection between the two of them?.
Kern County is in it's fifth year of A drought, in fact, this year was declared to be A
drought emergency!. Droughts around the World are not the only problem caused by the
diminishing effect of the Ozone layer. There has also been flooding in many states lately,
so do your part and plant A tree, help to preserve nature and save our planet from this
devastation. Remember, God promised not to destroy the Earth again, but he said if it
were to be destroyed, that it would be mankind that destroyed it. So remember to take A
bus, or rideshare to work, and plant A few tree's to help save our World. Thankyou!".
Larry looks at Steve and remarks, "Man, this World is certainly in bad shape lately with
all of this Carbon Monoxide wiping out the Ozone layer, and Oil spills, and litter ruining
our oceans, and then this Saddam Hussein character purposely pouring over one hundred
thousand gallons of oil A day into the gulf, making it the worst oil spill in History.
Then with all of these Earthquakes, starvation, and floods everywhere, I would say that you
had better pick that religion real soon!".
Steve looks at Larry and replies in A serious tone of voice, "And you too, my friend!".
Click here for chapter five---->
