Cordial greetings at the start of this New Year. Bible Gateway in its Verse of the Day reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Robin D. Bullock has prophesied that 2025 will be the “Year to be alive.” Rest assured the mere fact that you are still alive means that you were born for such a time as this. You made it! Do you ever wonder how many people went to sleep last night taking for granted that they would arise today and they didn’t? How many thought they would surely go to heaven when they died and came face to face with the instantaneous reality that they were bound in Hell for all eternity? Imagine the shock and disbelief. Psalm 9:17: The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God. Underscore of the word Hell is mine. (Original text in the AKJV is simply bolded here.)
I write to check in with you and to ask you to question yourself about your discipleship. As the one who led you to Christ, I have a duty to keep up with you to the extent that I can. In 2024, you made the most consequential decision you will ever make when you gave your life to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Before you did that, as you now know, you were on the road to Hell. That is the unvarnished truth. Recall John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I carry this verse with me both in my head and on my business card to remind myself that Jesus is the only way to the Father and to the glory of heaven. It is succinct and clear: There is no other way to heaven than by Jesus Christ. Most people who know even the bare minimum about the Bible are familiar with John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Yes, of course.When God gave His only son for our salvation, this was the greatest act of love, act of charity, that ever was or ever will be. Perhaps that is why some translations translate love as charity in 1 Corinthians 13, which I will cite here: 1 Corinthians 13:13: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. In the NKJV, the word love is used in place of charity. While we are talking about translations, how many different translations of the Bible do you own? Do you ever read the same passage in a different translation to clarify it in your thinking? Among mine, I have the AKJV, the NKJV, the NET, the AMP, The Message Translation, and The Passion Translation, just to name a few. Lately, I am fond of handing out the New English Translation, (NET) to new believers. Of all of the translations with which I am familiar, the Authorized King James version is still the best, because that is what Strong’s Concordance uses, but the others are great for figuring out what a given scripture really means. Other translations can add color and depth to the Word, making them valuable. If you would like another translation, ask me and I will buy you one.
You are walking with Christ. When you let Him in your heart in 2024, He gave you the Holy Ghost to abide with you all the days of your life.: 1 Corinthians 3:16: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? Do you hear His voice? Do you know whose voice you are hearing? 1 John 4:2-3: Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4:1 invites us to “try the spirit” to make sure that the voice we hear is not the enemies voice: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Make sure the voice you hear is the Holy Spirit’s voice. Any doubt, immerse yourself in the Word. Remember, Jesus is the Word made flesh. John 1:14: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. When you hold the Bible in your hand, you’re holding Jesus in your hand. As Robin D. Bullock says, “The Bible is the breath of God in written form.”
Do you read the Word every day? If not, you should. You weaken yourself. Thereby giving Satan an open invitation to take you back into his realm. Faith is like a muscle, the more you read the Word, the stronger your faith will become. In so doing, you are inviting the Lord to transform you, just as repeated exercise transforms sagging muscles into firm ones. He cannot do it if you lock Him out through inattention. Recall Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (I left it in it’s original font so that you could see the emphasis. If you are not in the Word every day, get back in the Word. According to Robin D. Bullock—I am paraphrasing here, the devil, your adversary has outlived every generation of your family that every was. Look closely at Ephesians 6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Those are four classes of demonic spiritual beings. What makes you think you can defeat them or the devil unarmed? Each one has a specific purpose in the war to take you out.
Your job is to preach the gospel. You may not be called to be a preacher like I am—how will we know if your faith is weak—but you still have a job to spread the good news, to further Christ’s kingdom here on earth. For all you know, you might be the one who saves that homeless person from hell or that depressed friend of yours from committing suicide. Do you know what is meant by “The Great Commission?” Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Maybe your world is six square miles. Maybe it is the whole earth. Who knows? How will you know if you don’t do what you are called upon to do? God told me to stay on Bald Head Island. What I don’t know is how long, but He was very clear with me. When I asked if I should move to Saint James, He said, STAY HERE! I know because I asked him if I should move and that was his terse reply.
Recall The Parable of the Sower. Matthew 13:1-23. I have shared it with at least one of you; although, I am reasonably sure that I have shared it with more than a few of you. After you have read it, ask yourself where you see yourself. Herewith:
The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
When you read this parable, where do you see yourself? On rocky ground with no root, or perhaps choked out by the cares of the day? You must apply yourself. You must soak in the Word to understand it. You need time: Isaiah 28:10: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little[.] A good way to do this is to read the scriptures daily aloud. Better yet, if you can read them and pray in tongues at the same time, this will increase your understanding exponentially, 1 Corinthians 14:4: He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. Rest assured,It is possible to pray in tongues and read scripture at the same time. This is because the voice of the Holy Spirit comes from your belly, not your head. Go back and read lines 16 and 17. How lucky are you that the Lord loved you so much that he gave you the ability to understand the parable He wrote to you. Think of the prophets and righteous men throughout history who “desired to see…and hear,” but were not given this ability. Honor your Lord and Savior. Use the gifts He gave you. Remember, Romans 11:29: For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. He won’t take them back, but He also won’t force you to use them. He gave you free will. As it says in Galatians 5:13: For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Do you pray in tongues? I do. I cannot teach you to pray in tongues, but I can lead you. Praying in tongues is the first step to accessing the supernatural in the kingdom of God, but you can only have this ability if you have a passion for God. You must demonstrate that passion to the Lord before He will trust you with His prayer language.
Have you found a church? An excuse I often hear is “I don’t have time. I have to work.” Make time. Rearrange your schedule. You know that if you wanted to go on a date, you’d ask your boss for time off, offering to switch with co-worker and work extra shifts; in short, you would do whatever it took make that date happen. Remember, Jesus will be your intended one day. How do you think God feels when He sees your priorities? Churches meet at other times, not just on Sundays. If the church you like doesn’t meet at a time convenient for you, meet with the Pastor and ask him or her to consider a Bible Study or starting a service that is more convenient to you and your group of friends. Be proactive. Frustrated by a lack of progress in other churches I attended, I started Holy Spirit Church here in my house. Holy Spirit Church meets every Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., other times by appointment. You can come here and pray with me and take communion. There is power in corporate prayer. I have also started a prayer group. All you need is an iPhone, and I will sign you up. Church can be wherever you are: Matthew 18:20: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. That said, the more of you there are, the more power there is to come against Satan. Teaching and learning take place as well. Iron sharpens iron: Proverbs 27:17: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Your friend will hone your understanding of the Word and you will do so for him.
If you have a church, do you give to it? Do you tithe? Do you know that these scriptures mean, the power of them, and how you can use them to get out of debt and to become prosperous? The first one is Luke 6:38: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. This is a giving scripture based upon the immutable law of seed, plant and harvest, which governs all of the universe. Recall Galatians 6:7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Note here that Luke 6:38 does not just refer to money. (Robin R. Bullock) We could be talking about grain or grapes or wine. Joy or grief. Pain and sorrow. Get into the habit of giving, not just to your church, but to those in need and even just people you meet. You’ll be surprised at the smiles you engender and the new friends you make. You can change a strangers day and give him or her a new outlook upon life. Best of all, you’ll be demonstrating kingdom principles in action.
How about tithing? Do you tithe? When the subject of tithing comes up, I have observed that people get nervous. “A tenth you say?” “10% to the church?” “That’s a lot.” “I don’t know if I can afford it.” “This church is just about money.” “All they want is money.” Really? Buildings and salaries cost money. Pastors have bills too. One church with which I am familiar has a budget between $300,000 and $400,000. When I first discovered this, I was astounded. That’s what it takes to run a church with a congregation in excess of 300 people. Name one institution in which man is involved that runs without funding. No one is forcing you to give. Let’s be clear about that. There are benefits to tithing and I will venture to say that you never thought about some of them.
Malachi 3:8-12 is the tither’s scripture: Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
Here we have God pointing out that man has not kept up his end of the bargain. Man has not tithed and sufficiently given to the kingdom and that this parsimonious behavior is not just limited to a few, but to the whole nation of Isreal. Thankfully, God proposes a remedy by which individuals and the nation can avoid a curse—Tithing. Amazingly, Tithing is the one and only place where God says in effect, “If you don’t believe me, test Me.” I have been tithing for years and God has continued to bless me. Since I support many different ministries, I like to think that I am tithing to the Kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, Satan has done a very good job of talking people out of tithing, using all kinds of excuses: “I cannot afford it.” is the one that comes most easily to mind. “Yes you can would be my answer.” Tithing teaches financial discipline. If you tithe first and then set your budget, you’ll find that your financial house will come quickly to order. Tithing is giving 10% of your income. Try it! Let the Lord bless you. You will be amazed at the results.
As the one who led you to Christ, I can tell you that I consider it to have been one of the greatest honors of my life to have done so. The Pastor who led me to Christ Bill Bakkeby told me that to the extent that I can I should try to stay in touch with as many those whom I have discipled as I can. Sometimes this is not possible, but I want you to know that my door is always open. As I am sure you are finding out, life is full of challenges from the devil. He never sleeps and is driven by a fierce hatred of God and all that He stands for. Satan covets the position that we have in the Kingdom of God. Before you were saved, he considered you his property. Make is clear to him by your words, deeds and actions that you belong to Jesus Christ.