Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

The Foolishness of God

June 27, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

Read 1 Corinthians 1:25 KJV: “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” The context of the verse is the preaching of the cross (verse 18). The lost world thinks the Gospel of the Grace of God is foolishness. But, God’s response is this, in so many words: “Even on your best day, you could never outsmart Me on my worst day!” The human mind is very powerful, but it is no match for God’s intelligence. Albert Einstein was said to have had an IQ of 160, but he was a dummy in light of all that God knows! As 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, even God’s weakness is stronger than we are—He is that powerful!

Let us consider 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 KJV:

“26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

Basically, this passage explains to us that God often uses the weak people, the lowly people, to accomplish His will. Usually, God does not use the rich and famous, but the people of average incomes, or even people with very little to no income. He often uses shepherds such as Moses, tentmakers such as Paul, boys like David, shy men like Gideon, young women like Esther and Mary, and fishermen such as Peter and Andrew to accomplish His will.

Remember little boy David? Puny as David was, the Lord wanted him to defeat that 9-foot, 9-inch giant Goliath who was taunting Israel. God did not beckon a valiant brave warrior because He wanted that shepherd boy, little David, to slay Goliath! God chose us to serve Him because we are “nobodies,” common people; most Christians are not millionaires, and most do not have Ph.D.’s. Whatever we have accomplished as Christians, it was God that accomplished it in and through us. We were just the vessels; we cannot brag or boast. Our education and our status on the social totem pole are irrelevant.

All the “wisdom” of the intellectual community, the philosophical community, and the academic community is foolishness when compared to God’s knowledge. And one day, all of the wisdom of this world will be brought “to nought,” to nothing, as the Scriptures just said (1 Corinthians 1:28). The high and mighty self-righteous egotists will be brought low, and God will exalt the people who society calls “worthless” or “useless.” No one will boast in God’s presence.

Here is an example of God doing something contrary to what we would think of doing. Read Deuteronomy 7:6-8 KJV (which is Moses speaking to Israel):

“6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

Why did God choose the nation Israel? Were they the best nation? The largest nation? Because they were the smallest nation! As verse 7 said, Israel was the “fewest of all people.” God chose this little nation Israel to be the people through which the Messiah would come. Israel’s Saviour, Jesus Christ, is now offering salvation to everyone, too! It is because of the Jew that humanity has a Redeemer, Saviour, and Messiah.

God did all sorts of other things that we might deem as “silly.” He promised a son to Abraham and Sarah: two people well beyond the years of child-bearing (Genesis 17:1-22; Genesis 21:5); the same with Zacharias and Elisabeth (Luke 1:5-26). He saved His chief enemy at that time, Saul of Tarsus, and made Paul His apostle to the Gentiles (1 Timothy 1:12-16)! He told the Israelites to walk around Jericho, and no matter how silly it seemed, they did, and God honored their faith by defeating Jericho for them (Joshua 6:1-27)! He told the leprous Naaman to go bathe in the nasty Jordan River to be healed of his disease (2 Kings 5:1-27). As the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptian armies, God through Moses told them to “stand still” and do nothing (Exodus 14:13)! In Judges chapters 6 and 7, God used shy Gideon to lead Israel’s army to victory!

But again, God is so much greater than we are. We are no match for Him. He is so far ahead of us that His “ignorance” is BRILLIANT!!!! If He could look into the nothingness that was, and speak creation into existence, His power cannot be overridden. If He wants to do things “in mysterious ways,” He can because He has every right!

As the old saying goes, “Little is much when God is in it.” 🙂

Leave a Comment » | The Foolishness of God | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Masculine Progenitors

June 20, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

We remember our masculine progenitors on 21 June; hence the term, “Father’s Day.” Some of us here never had the opportunity to meet our biological fathers; sadly, others wish they had never met their fathers. Maybe you have a stepfather, or a grandfather, who serves as your father figure. On the other hand, my dad is still living, and I have known him all my life. Like all fathers, he has made mistakes. Now that he is a grandfather to my niece and nephew, he has the opportunity to learn from those mistakes he made with my two brothers and me all those years ago.

Recently, on my Geology Field Camp, I chatted with one of my classmates about parenting. When he said that had a baby son, I used that as an opportunity to give him some advice. He wanted to give his child everything he never grew up with. After he said he wanted his son to have “religion,” I simply told him Proverbs 22:6 KJV: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I told him that if he had a Bible at home, for him to highlight that verse, and to teach God’s Word to his son. I figured out that instead of attacking his denomination, I emphatically encouraged him to teach his son the Bible. I think he got the idea! 🙂

Now, back to my Dad. I am also a sinner, a son of Adam, so I cannot look down on my father for his mistakes. Though Dad did his best with my brothers and me, he could have taught us more from the Bible. I love Dad because he still has good attributes, and now he claims to be trying to do right. He has been saved for nearly 30 years, so I still pray that one day he would eventually try to make up for his mistakes by doing things differently as a grandparent.

Until our (former) local church split over 15 years ago, Dad was eager to take us to church every Sunday: the church split has since affected all of my family, except me because I was too young at the time. I think Dad was greatly affected spiritually, and it made him stumble in Christian walk with the Lord. This may have contributed to his spiritual problems. However, I want to comment on Dad’s good qualities.

Dad has always provided an income for our household, which is exactly what 1 Timothy 5:8 instructs: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” He always worked hard to put food on the table, even when economic times grew tough when I was quite young. Dad grew up on a farm, all of us still living on the farmland today (though it is no longer a functioning farm). His family worked the fields as he grew up, so he has good work ethics: even today, it is hard to get him to stop working and rest.

This is where my paternal grandfather comes into view. Dad’s dad never grew up with the Scriptures either, so he never taught Dad about God. Dad grew up in a false religion and had no childhood training in the Scriptures; regrettably, most of my dad’s family is still lost and unsaved today. Both of my parents were saved in 1980, and they shared the Gospel with their parents (my grandparents). Pawpaw (Dad’s dad) heard the Gospel, but he died in early 1989, the exact day I turned seven months old. As far as we know, he died without knowing the Lord, sadly. 😦 I was too young to remember sitting on his lap as an infant, and his enjoying my visit.

So, because Dad’s dad had no spiritual example to follow, Dad had no spiritual example to follow, and it hindered him from setting a spiritual example for us. Still, I have to give Dad credit that he did his best trying to teach us some Bible material—as I said, though, it was mostly Mom who taught us from the Bible.

Now is a good time to bring up this point: it is not primarily the wife’s responsibility to teach the children about God and His Word. God has ordained the husband to be the head of the household. The Christian household is analogous to the organization of the Church the Body of Christ. Look at Ephesians 5:22-25 KJV for clarification:

“22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”

The husband is the spiritual leader of the household, just as Christ is the spiritual leader of the Church, the Body of Christ. Consider Ephesians 6:4 KJV: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Remember, the wife is of no lesser value than the husband; it is simply God holding the man responsible for the spirituality of the household. God does not want to burden the woman with a responsibility of this magnitude.

It is the role of the husband to instruct his family in the Scriptures: as Genesis 2:18 says, his wife is his “help meet,” his companion. The wife should teach the children the Scriptures too, but it is the man’s responsibility to be the spiritual leader of the household. In the absence of a spiritual leader (death of the Christian husband, or an unsaved husband), the poor Christian wife and mother is burdened. She is forced to play the role of the spiritual leader, a role she cannot adequately fulfill because God has not designed her to fulfill that responsibility. This is the role a man should be fulfilling because he has been designed to fulfill it. Mom had to endure that burden at times: she could only do so much. God will hold the husband responsible for the lawlessness in the household, not the wife.

Men and husbands, please do not abuse you position of spiritual leadership. Do not rule with an iron fist, as Ephesians 6:4 states: “nurture,” train your children in love, not in anger or tyranny. Compare with 1 Thessalonians 2:11 KJV: “As ye know how we exhorted [urged] and comforted and charged [instructed] every one of you, as a father doth his children,” As a father, you should be encouraging your children to do what is right (also Proverbs 22:6).

However, do not be idle and loose, letting your children do whatever they please, no matter how vile or worldly the action may be. One of the qualifications for a bishop (pastor) or a deacon was to have his children saved, taught in the Scriptures, and living respectable lives (1 Timothy 3:1-12; Titus 1:6). For our young men out there, please keep this information in mind—you too will be a husband in the future, and you need to be taught correctly now so that you can correctly teach your own children one day.

You will one day be a masculine progenitor to someone: be the example, the living Bible for all to see… especially those impressionable future generations….

Leave a Comment » | Masculine Progenitors | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Immunizations, Encapsulations, and Tribulations

June 5, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

It was certainly never fun to receive the tetanus shot, the flu shot, or the meningitis shot. We get so worked up about the pinch, it shifts our focus away from the reason why we got the shot in the first place—TO HELP, not hurt. We Christians should view our earthly trials and tribulations just as we view those immunizations. Of course they hurt, yet we are so pessimistic we tend to overlook the benefits that God will bring about. The “pinch” is but for a moment; the results are eternal.

You probably heard the erroneous idea that God promises the Christian a life free of trouble and suffering. On the contrary, the Bible confirms that we will heartbreak, sickness, misery, and death. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV). God has not promised to insulate us from “immunizations” in our lives. God loves us, but we live in a fallen world filled with sin. Our suffering never originates from God; His permissive will allows us to suffer in this nasty world of sin and death.

As Christians, our suffering can originate from three sources: the devil and his minions, the choice of us and others making bad decisions, and the curse of sin and corruption. Man’s sin initiated suffering in the Garden of Eden: this brought about the curse, and both physical and spiritual death. As long as we are on this planet in this life, we must experience suffering, and there is no getting around that. Romans 8:18-25 KJV:

“18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Even the Lord Jesus Christ was no exception: He suffered more than any man EVER has or ever will!

For a second illustration, think of a beautiful white pearl. From where does it come? On rare occasions, a grain of sand will find its way into the shell of a mollusk (an oyster, for instance), or perhaps a parasite is irritating an oyster inside its shell. As a defense mechanism, the oyster secretes layers of calcium carbonate, sealing off and encapsulating the irritant. Imagine that: the suffering of an oyster produces a magnificent pearl! Just like the painful immunizations are bringing positive results, the trouble that poor oyster experienced produced a beautiful, valuable gemstone.

“In order to appreciate the light, you must first be in darkness.” We appreciate God more when we are put into the predicament of needing Him more. If we lived perfect lives with no suffering, we would have no reason to rely on God to help us through our troubles because we would not have any troubles! But, God has a special purpose for allowing a Christian to suffer—read what the Bible says in Romans 5:1-5 KJV:

“1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

God does not enjoy seeing us Christians suffer. Our parents felt pity on us as they watched us struggle and squirm in pain for that brief instant, but the immunization was for our own good. Likewise, the Lord knows that our endurance through hard times will mature us spiritually. When we suffer, we pray more and we study God’s Word more. Our inner man grows stronger, more aware of false teaching, and we feel a greater reliance on the Lord. We realize we cannot make it on our own strength; it is a daily reminder we must get (and do receive). And look at what Paul wrote in verse 3: glory in tribulations—rejoice when you suffer, because you know God is still in control, and He is giving you an opportunity to grow spiritually! We can endure all the suffering life will throw at us, because “Christ strengtheneth us” (Philippians 4:13).

Let us consider 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 KJV:

“7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”

In conclusion, God does not take us to heaven the moment we are saved. Instead He leaves us here to grow and mature in Him. He uses us to witness to the lost world, to be His vessels, to be His ambassadors, to be His ministers of reconciliation. We grow in the Lord when we suffer in this present world. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” God will help us bear the trouble in Christ!!

As we Christians, God can use us to reach out to the lost world that is suffering under the bondage of sin and death. The Lord utilizes our suffering to show the world how He strengthens us to endure our trials. When the lost world sees us suffering, they get the chance to see how Christ handles stress and trouble. Without your suffering, this would be impossible for the world to see.

Suffering is never pleasant, and perhaps you are going through a tough time right now. You may feel like God does not love you because He does not deliver you from your suffering. But again, those feelings we have are wrong because the crosswork of Christ proved that God loves us (Romans 5:8). The important thing to remember is to focus on the Lord: keep your eyes on Him, talk to Him, read and study His Word, and He will comfort you with His Word.

Even when the poor Apostle Paul suffered with his “thorn in the flesh,” God did not remove his suffering; instead, He comforted Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV). This is exactly what God tells you today: “While I will not completely remove the burdens and troubles in your life, I will give you the strength and the grace to endure and triumph over them. It will be okay; I am in complete control of it all.”

“3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
8 we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” (2 Corinthians 1:3-10 KJV).

Leave a Comment » | Immunizations Encapsulations and Tribulations | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Biblos: The Bible Versions & The Bible Perversions

May 14, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux
2011 Update

“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17 KJV).

INTRODUCTION

If you believe the King James Bible as the perfect and preserved Word of God in English, it is no surprise to learn that you have a lot of enemies and critics. If you take God’s side, God’s critics will become your critics. God’s Word has never been popular with sinful man. Is it really true that because you support the King James Bible, you are “old-fashioned?” No, for God’s Word never ages! What would the critics say about the original Bible manuscripts? (They were so “old-fashioned” they disintegrated and are non-extant today!)

Are you wrong for supporting the King James Bible as the preserved Word of God, seeing as to most professing Christians prefer a modern version like NIV, NASB, NKJV, NRSV, HCSB, or ESV? No, my friend, you are not wrong for supporting the King James Bible. Most people do not believe the Bible and most people are not even saved. Do you think the majority is right in either of these cases? Of course not. The majority is wrong in those cases, so why would it be any different with the Bible versions?

Many times, anyone who claims that the King James Bible is God’s preserved Word in the English language is labeled a “church splitter,” a “fanatic,” or a “heretic.” This is such a shame because the opposite is true! How can we be heretics, church splitters, and fanatics when we support God’s preserved Word in the King James Bible? When does a heretic ever support God’s Word? Since when do heretics hold to the Bible as the Final Authority?

The devil uses intimidation, attempting to pry God’s Word (the King James Bible) from your hands. If he can get you to feel bad for using the King James, then he will discourage you from using it!! Thankfully, you do not have to relinquish your good ol’ Authorized Version King James Bible. You do not have to trade off God’s infallible Word for man’s errant word (modern versions). Beloved, you can leave the modern Bible versions on the shelves, and you can leave your money in your pocket. Be not deceived by the modern Bible advertisements!

I devote this special Bible study to giving you basic information about the Bible versions debate. We cannot exhaust this topic, but we can give you vital information in order to introduce you to this issue so that you can make an informed decision as to which Bible you should use. I beseech you to keep these things in mind. I love you as a fellow Christian (if you are saved today), but it is my obligation to the Lord to preach and teach His Word and let it offend whomever it offends. If you happen to be a Christian who uses a modern Bible (such as NIV, NASB, NRSV, NKJV, ESV, HCSB, et cetera), please know that I do not want to attack you. I will not name-call or belittle, but I rather please God than man, and I must tell you the truth.

This is a lot of information, and while it may seem “too deep” for you at first, do not be alarmed or discouraged. It took me a while to get a working understanding of this material, but please read (and re-read) this and prayerfully consider this. Do further research into this matter. Please do not take my word for it. You need to understand that these modern versions are NOT reliable and are actually rather dangerous! I hope to show you the significance of the Bible versions debate, as well as provide you with a stronger faith in the AUTHORIZED VERSION KING JAMES BIBLE AS THE PRESERVED WORD OF GOD IN ENGLISH!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIBLE CORRUPTION

The Bible warns us in 1 Timothy 4:1-3 KJV:

“1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”

Notice how there will be people abandoning the teachings of the Bible rightly divided for the sake of teaching denominational doctrine and feel-good messages. This is the apostasy we are seeing even today! Yet, this apostasy is nothing new—Paul warned Timothy to watch for it 2,000 years ago!!!

Just prior to the Apostle Paul being martyred, the Holy Spirit moved him to pen his last epistle: his second (and final) letter to Timothy. In chapter 3 and the opening verses of chapter 4, Paul urged Timothy to remain vigilant, cautious, keeping watch for false teachers and heresy. Notice what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:1-4 KJV:

“1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

The instructions from God are clear. Satan’s goal is to deceive you by appearing to be an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Satan’s associates will have “the form of godliness, but deny the power thereof”: this is what these modern versions have done; they have come in the form of innocence, denied the power of God, and yes, sadly, people have turned to these modern versions, the “fables” the Bible spoke against in 2 Timothy! Instead of people TURNING AWAY from such “fables” like God instructed us to do, they are EMBRACING “fables.”

The Holy Spirit knew that the devil would continue to target the early churches, and poor Timothy needed to be ready for the deception that would only get worse. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 KJV). The devil hindered Paul’s work for the Lord throughout his ministry, so he certainly had no intention of allowing God’s Gospel of Grace to be promulgated after Paul’s demise.

Satan’s answer was to destroy God’s Word, to pollute it, to water it down, to do whatever he could to keep the Lord’s pure word out of the hands of lost mankind… the good news is that the old devil has not fully succeeded, as God’s Word has been preserved through the Byzantine/Antiochian Bible manuscripts, eventually bringing us the King James Bible (more on this later). God kept His Word to preserve His Word… He literally kept His Word! Still, the devil succeeded in bringing about his own “bibles,” counterfeit versions of God’s Holy Word!

With the apostolic age now gone and the Bible’s canons closed in the first century A.D., the corruption of the Scriptures expounded in a chain-like fashion.

In the second century A.D., Justin Martyr (A.D. 100–165) combined the heretical idea of Gnosticism with Christianity.
Following in his footsteps was his student Tatian (A.D. 120–180), who was just as guilty of adulterating the Scriptures. His most famous work, “Harmony of the Gospels,” was corrupt.
One of Tatian’s adherents was Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150–215), who founded his apostate theological school in Alexandria, Egypt.
Adamantius Origen (A.D. 184–254) attended the school in Alexandria, and his corrupt Bible texts led to his follower Eusebius.
Eusebius (A.D. 260–340), also a student at the Alexandrian school, and the editor of two heretical Bible manuscripts: Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus—the adulteration found in these manuscripts is astonishing, for they disagree over 3,000 times in just the Four Gospels alone!!
Jerome (A.D. 347–420) took the corrupted Alexandrian Greek manuscripts and translated them into Latin (a second corruption), to assemble the “New Latin Vulgate,” a Roman Catholic Bible that true Christians avoided. The date at this point was approximately A.D. 380—just a little more than 300 years after Paul’s death! See, the devil is not wasting time corrupting the Scriptures, is he? What do you think he has done these past 2,000 years, let alone the first couple hundred years A.D.? You will be amazed as we continue….

From the fifth to the fifteenth century A.D., the Roman Catholic Church was corrupting the Scriptures. This led to the Inquisition, and burning of Christians at the stake (and their Bibles) who refused to submit to the heresy of Roman Catholicism. [By the way, the text used by the King James Bible translators in 1603-1611 was the same text used against the Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation nearly a century earlier.]

Jumping up to the late 19th century, in 1859, a German Bible “scholar” Tischendorf discovers Codex Sinaiticus (Eusebius’ and Origen’s work) in a monastery trashcan! No more than two decades after Tischendorf, you find two additional Bible “scholars” named B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort. These two men were unbelievably apostate, yet they are exalted as Bible “scholars” today. Using the already perverted Alexandrian manuscripts, they constructed their own Greek text. Eventually, the 1881 Westcott-Hort Greek text was submitted to the Committee to be used as the basis for the Revised Version. In 1881, the Revised New Testament was completed; the Old Testament was finished in 1885.

At the very end of the 19th century, a new face in Bible corruption appeared: Eberhard Nestle. Nestle’s work was first published in 1898, and it was based on the corrupt texts of Tischendorf, Weymouth, Westcott, and Hort! The “Nestle-Aland (NA) Text,” as it is currently known, is in its 27th edition. This Nestle-Aland text is the basis for most modern English Bible versions’ New Testaments! So, you can trace the corruption in modern Bibles back to the first century: from Nestle, to Westcott and Hort, then to Tischendorf, to Jerome, and to Eusebius, then to Origen, and to Clement of Alexandria, and then Tatian, and right up to Justin Martyr! See how the corruption trickled down? The devil attacked the Bible’s purity almost as soon as it was completed—first century A.D.!

By the dawn of the 20th century (see “A Century of Bible Versions” Timeline below), after the 1881 RV, the first in a series of new Bible translations was produced. As we noted earlier, Nestle’s text was based on the corrupt Westcott-Hort text, and Nestle’s text is the basis for most modern English Bibles even today. Currently in Christian bookstores, you can find over 100 paraphrased, watered-down, inferior, corrupt English Bible versions—pitiful!

In 2008, the most popular English Bible among evangelicals was certainly not the King James Bible, but rather the NIV—of course, the majority never flocks to God’s truth! Young adults and teenagers have been told the King James Bible is too “archaic” for them, so they need a modern version with slang, street-language that they can understand, and it looks like many young people have fallen into that devil’s trap. Shame! I am waiting for the day when we have another new translation filled with emoticons and “text-messaging language”…like “PTL” (Praise the Lord) replacing “Hallelujah.” Spiritually lazy people want an “easy-to-read translation,” and they refuse to think on the Scriptures and “STUDY” the Bible like 2 Timothy 2:15 says!

A CENTURY OF BIBLE VERSIONS

(Non-exhaustive; just a small sample of the over 100 modern English versions today). Dates indicate when complete Bible (OT & NT) was released.

1885. English Revised Version
1901. American Revised Version (later renamed ASV, American Standard Version)
1946. New Berkley Version
1952. Revised Standard Version (RSV)
1960. New American Standard Version (NASV)
1961. New World Translation (NWT) – Jehovah’s Witness bible
1965. Amplified Bible (AMP)
1966. Jerusalem Bible
1967. New Scofield Reference Bible (NSRB)
1970. New American Bible (NAB) – Roman Catholic bible
1971. Living Bible
1978. New International Version (NIV)
1982. New King James Version (NKJV)
1987. New Century Version (NCV)
1989. New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
1995. Contemporary English Version (CEV)
1995. God’s Word (GW)
1995. New American Standard 1995 Update (NASB95)
2001. English Standard Version (ESV)
2002. The Message (MSG)
2004. New Living Translation (NLT)
2004. Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2005. Today’s New International Version (TNIV)

ARE ALL ENGLISH BIBLES REALLY EQUAL?

Like most of our poor Christian brethren, I used to think of the Bible versions debate as something minor. At one time, I also believed the myth that all English Bibles basically said the same thing. However, since researching the subject, I have found that the modern Bibles are guilty of removing MUCH, MUCH more than just the “KJV-isms” like the archaic verb endings like “-eth,” “-est,” and the “archaic” pronouns like “thee’s” and “ye’s.” Some of the modern Bible translators will even admit they have done much more than that too!

People do not realize the seriousness of the Bible versions issue. Major doctrines of the Christian faith are being questioned, watered down, twisted, or even omitted from these modern versions! If you think the blood of Christ, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the eternality of hell, the sinlessness of Christ, and the virgin birth of Christ are minor doctrines that can be compromised, then a modern “bible” is for you! If you feel that these are important doctrines that cannot be compromised, then you need to stay with the King James Bible.

Now, I mentioned the Nestle-Aland text earlier. I want to show you the difference between the modern versions and the King James Bible. To give you an idea of just how far removed these modern versions are from the King James Bible, the table to the right is how the Nestle-Aland 27th edition (NA27) compares with this selection of English Bible versions. The higher the percentage, the more the version is identical to the corrupt NA27. So, you can see there is a substantial difference between the reliability of the NASB and the KJB, with 84% of the NASB agreeing with the corrupt NA27, and over half of the KJB not agreeing with the corrupt NA27:

Now, you tell me, after viewing this information about the NA27, are all English Bibles equal in authority? The King James Version is the most reliable of all because it is the LEAST identical to the corrupt NA27. And as you can see, the NKJV is not a King James Bible either. In fact, the NKJV is nothing like the KJV because the NKJV removes “God,” “blood,” “repent,” “Jesus,” “Lord,” and “heaven” several times! Even the word “hell” has been completely removed from the NKJV!

Facts do not lie; we can confidently say without doubt, “No, all English Bibles are not equal in authority because all English Bibles do not say the same thing.” The King James Bible is substantially different from modern bible versions because they are based on two separate families of Bible manuscripts. The modern Bibles are based on the adulterated Alexandrian (Roman Catholic) manuscripts, the corrupt manuscripts that underlie NA27. The King James Bible is based on the Byzantine/Antiochian manuscripts, the Textus Receptus, the reliable manuscripts, which is why over half of the King James Bible is NOT identical to the corrupt NA27. Which Bible should you be using? Obviously, the King James Bible!

The irony of it all is that you get pummeled with criticism when you expose the heresy behind these corrupt texts and the resulting modern English Bibles. I know that firsthand. The majority has abandoned the King James Bible for an NIV, an NASB, or an NKJV that is more “modern,” more “scholarly,” and more “popular.” A plain fact of Scripture is that when it comes to spiritual things, the majority is usually wrong! The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14 that very few people will ever go to heaven, that few will ever believe His truth, and that few will ever embrace His Word. When God approves of what you are doing, man will feel the opposite toward you. So, are long as you support the King James Bible, be ready to get more criticism (and be ready to ignore it too)!

CONCLUSION – NINE QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

How is there unity in the Church the Body of Christ if everyone is using a different Bible version? If one Christian is using the King James Bible (based on the reliable Antiochian, Byzantine manuscripts), and another Christian is using a modern version (based on the unreliable, corrupt Alexandrian manuscripts), how is this unity in the Body of Christ? One totes heresy under his arm, the other holds God’s preserved Word (KJV) … oh, how sad.
Is it not odd that you have professing Christians attacking you as a King James Bible-believing Christian because you support the infallible Word of God as the infallible Word of God? Sound ridiculous, but it is true!
The Jehovah’s Witnesses can freely distribute their corrupt bible (New World Translation), and the Mormons can even produce a “sequel” to the Bible (Book of Mormon), but they will never get as much flak as the King James Bible users. Why? [Of course, you know why, heresy is all the rage in this day and age!]
If Bible manuscripts produced by apostates are unreliable, what can we infer about the Bibles based on those manuscripts? Would they fare any better? Many of today’s Bible scholars look at apostates Origen, Westcott, and Hort, and defend them as being great “scholars!” Pitiful.
How is it possible that God’s Word is preserved in every modern English Bible, seeing as to each and every modern Bible contains various omissions, additions, transpositions, paraphrases, slang terms, and mistranslations (remember the various percentages listed above)? Each modern Bible is copyrighted; they all say different things, or they would not be able to have a copyright. And considering the KJV and the modern versions have two separate sources, does the KJV really say the same thing as the modern versions?
According to Psalm 12:6,7, God promised that He would preserve His WORDS, not just His thoughts! God’s WORDS will not pass away, which is what Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33. Or, will people be guilty of unbelief in denying the infallibility of those verses? Interestingly, modern versions distort Psalm 12:6,7 so it reads that God will preserve the Jews—the King James Bible says God will preserve His words.
Is it not sad to see professing Protestant Christians hold a Catholic Bible in their hands while getting on your case because you support a NON-Catholic Bible, THE preserved Word of God? Pitiful.
The Apostles Peter and Paul gave clear warnings about “many people corrupting the Word of God” (2 Corinthians 2:17) and people “wresting [twisting] the Scriptures to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16). Why should we ignore these warnings from the Holy Spirit? Are we “wise in our own conceits” as Paul would say?
In the fall of 2009, a 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland text is expected to be completed. Why another edition? Does it need more “correction?” Or does it need more “perversion?” Will a new translation based on this new NA28 be released as well? (As of the summer of 2011, the NA28 has yet to be published.)

You may also want to check out http://www.chick.com/information/bibleversions/ for more information on this subject.

Leave a Comment » | Biblos: The Bible Versions & The Bible Perversions | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Urgent!

May 13, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

At one time, probably everyone has been driving along peacefully and then suddenly they hear the wailing siren of an emergency vehicle. Fire trucks and police cars rush to the scenes of accidents because someone’s life and/or health is in danger! Just the other day while doing some interstate driving, I saw an ambulance speedily heading in the oncoming direction. It certainly was urgent because someone’s life was on the line. These times also make a great opportunity to pray for that person and their family for their salvation.

Salvation itself is an urgent matter, a matter that so much of the world is overlooking today. Time is running out as people continue living their vile, lost, godless lives. They need to come out of spiritual blindness. They need to be free from the shackles of religion and the devil. They are so confused and the devil is desperately trying to keep them blinded so they do not believe the Gospel of the Grace of God (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). They need the Lord’s finished crosswork on Calvary, but most of them do not stop to give God even five minutes of thought! Is it not sad?

The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:11 KJV: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” As Christians, we know that the lost world is headed to one horrible eternity. Imagine the regret that will always bother them, the agony that will never be numbed, the torment they will always endure, and the fire that will never be quenched. God’s Word is almost screaming of the impending judgment of lost mankind, the lake of fire of Revelation chapter 20. “No one has to go there if they would just trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation!”

God gave so much to provide our salvation, the life of His dear Son Jesus, yet so many people ignore the Lord and His gift of salvation. Some people are so content to stay lost that they will ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit when a Christian witnesses to them. Look at Felix in Acts 24:24-27, a Gentile who kept putting off salvation, and as far as we know, Felix never did come to know the Lord. The Bible is clear: do not put off salvation. “Now is the day of salvation,” Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV. Get saved today!!!

But, why does someone need to get saved today, if they can do it tomorrow? Because that lost person is NOT guaranteed tomorrow. Today may be the last day they deny salvation. Today may be the day they get a brain injury that leaves them in a vegetative state for life. How can they come to a knowledge of salvation once their mind no longer functions normally? Today they may die in an accident and their soul will go straight to hell. Once a person dies, the Bible says that there is no second chance for salvation (Hebrews 9:27).

Visiting a nursing home recently, I witnessed the sad mental state of a poor elderly woman. Her mind was gone, and she was unable to respond to someone who was trying to give her the Gospel of Grace. The poor woman could only mumble incoherently. Oh, how sad because it is too late for that dear woman’s soul.

It is this urgency that drives us, as Paul wrote, “to persuade men.” Lost mankind has to hear the Gospel of Grace from us. We as members of the Church the Body of Christ are the only people who can tell the lost world about their need for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ! It is our responsibility as members of the Body of Christ to let them know that God has already reconciled them with Himself through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). All they have to do is trust in Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary! It is so simple, and people complicate it.

Had the Lord Jesus Christ not saved us, that horrible lake of fire of Revelation 20:14,15 would be our eternal home too! Imagine that before we came to know the Lord Jesus as our personal Saviour, we were headed there too! Our lost family members, our lost friends, our lost coworkers, and our lost classmates; they are all headed to a devil’s hell, and we have to warn them. We do not want them to go there, so as a Christian, speak up to them whenever you can, because it really is URGENT!

Never, EVER forget that the salvation of lost mankind is URGENT!

THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV)

“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
Acts 16:31 KJV

Leave a Comment » | Urgent! | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Was God “Bored” Before Creation?

May 12, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

God has always existed, and He will always exist. Imagine that! Read it again. God has always existed, and He will always exist. We cannot begin to imagine such a concept, but we take it by faith because the Bible testifies this to be true.

Everyone knows Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Yet, the question often arises, “What was God doing before creation?” Was God bored without the angels and man? Besides God, nothing existed. No angels, no people, no animals, nothing. So, was God “bored?” No, He was not bored. Why? The doctrine of the Trinity answers this question. Although we cannot give a detailed answer, we can grasp a better understanding of what God was doing before creation.

God exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—but He exists in one “Godhead” (see Acts 17:29 KJV, Romans 1:20 KJV, and Colossians 2:9 KJV). For instance, Jesus said in John 10:30: “I and my Father are one.” The Lord Jesus and God the Father are separate Persons, yet they are one God. Speaking of Jesus Christ, the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). There are many references in the Bible to the Godhead, but here are the three most obvious:

Matthew 28:19 KJV: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”
1 John 5:7 KJV*: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (*Unfortunately, 1 John 5:7 is omitted from many modern English Bibles.)

To get a brief glimpse of what God was doing before creation, we look at what the Lord Jesus Christ prayed to His Father in John chapter 17. Verse 5: “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” What was before the creation of the world? The glory that God the Father and God the Son shared with each other! There was fellowship among the Persons of the Godhead: the Father and the Son shared glory. Let us continue reading in the Scriptures.

John 17:24 KJV reads (Jesus still praying to His Father): “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” What occurred between God the Father and God the Son before the foundation (or the creation) of the world? Love! The Father loved the Son, and the Son loved the Father. The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, was there to witness the love between God the Father and God the Son!

Also, we can also add that before the events of Genesis 1:1, the triune God was “laying out blueprints” for the timeline of human history. For instance, Ephesians 1:4 reads: “According as he [God the Father] hath chosen us in him [Christ Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” What was God doing before creation? He was choosing His servants, people who would serve Him—us, members of the Church Body of Christ—and He was planning our role in human history and His plan for the ages. (Please take note that He was not selecting us for salvation [as Calvinism teaches], He was selecting us for service. God was determining our role as members of the Church the Body of Christ.)

In the eons of eternity past, prior to creation, God was also setting the stage for His own death, as we see what Peter says to the Jews in Acts 2:23 KJV: “[Jesus Christ] Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” The triune God already knew and planned Christ’s First Advent and His crucifixion from the foundation of the world! He already knew He would have to die for man that would come on the scene later.

While it is possible we have not answered the question to your satisfaction, this is all the information God has chosen to reveal to us in His Word. It is not important to know what God was doing in eternity past; otherwise God would have gone into great detail about it in His Word. Anything beyond what we have discussed here from the Scriptures would simply be speculation, with no supporting Scripture.

Leave a Comment » | Was God "Bored" Before Creation? | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

The Real You Must DIE!

May 10, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

The world’s pagan religions promote “self-help doctrine.” Within these groups, we hear expressions such as “finding your inner child,” “releasing the power that is within you,” “you are really a good person inside,” and “everyone is born with a blank slate and uncorrupt at birth.” Religion exalts a person as God—this social gospel makes one “feel good,” which makes it unsound. The Bible calls this, “worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).

Every human being, including you and me, is not “inherently good.” Even when we were in our mothers’ wombs, we were sinners! In fact, Jesus said in Mark 7:20-23 KJV:

“20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

What a horrible reality! We may not like what the Bible says, but so what: “let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). The Bible says that wickedness is overflowing within the heart of man. If you want to see a sickening sight, look at the human heart. YUCK! No wonder God hates sin; it is such an awful sight according to His holy and righteous standards. Although Jesus never explained to the Jews what He meant, we can go to the Pauline epistles and see the interpretation.

Consider Romans 5:12,18 KJV:

“12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: …
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

When Adam sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, he was defiled. Originally Adam was created perfect, but his nature was transformed into something wicked and sinful—he rebelled against God, and sin and death plague our world even to the present-day. That same nature was passed to every one of us, and it will be passed on to our descendents. King David wrote in Psalm 51:5 KJV: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” We just read where the Bible says, “by the offence [sin] of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation.” Although we are sinners, damned from birth, “the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

We are all sinners by birth, and while we are lost in our natural state, we are not hopelessly lost. We do not have to stay lost and hell-bound. The good news is that Jesus Christ went to a Roman cross to die for the sins of the world, He was buried, and He rose again on the third day. We do not have to remain dead in our trespasses and sins like Ephesians 2:1 says! We can be free the bondage of sin, death, and hell because Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins, each and every one of them for each and every one of us!

The Bible says in Romans 8:6-8 KJV:

“6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

The Bible tells us exactly what a human is really like inside. In God’s eyes, prior to our salvation experience, we are dead spiritually. Every human in his or her natural state is born with an “old man.” This “old man” is often called “old Adam,” or the “sin nature.” Humans have the natural tendency to sin; that is, humans are inclined to deliberately rebel against God. We have fleshly desires that are contrary to God’s Word. For this reason, all humans are born in their natural, unregenerate state. We are born as “enemies of God.” Ephesians 2:1-3 speaks of us a “children of disobedience” and “children of wrath.”

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been reconciled with God, and Jesus Christ has paid our sin debt, but we still struggle with sin on a daily basis. Until we are raptured from earth and brought to heaven, we will live in these bodies of human flesh, and we will experience the daily temptation to sin. Paul wrote a whole chapter, Romans chapter 7, on believers struggling with sin. Even Paul himself admitted that he sinned after salvation!

Let us see what Paul wrote in Romans 7:15-20 KJV:

“15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”

After a person trusts the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour, he or she still has the sin nature, but the sin nature has lost its dominion over the individual. Romans 6:6,7 say, “Knowing this, that our old man [sin nature] is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.”

At this point, the believer in Christ is faced with two choices: he can give in to the lusts and desires of the flesh, or he can let the Holy Spirit guide Him and empower Him to be victorious over sin. Let us consider what God’s Word says in Galatians 5:13-18 KJV:

“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.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”

We are free from the curse of the Law of Moses (Romans 6:14-15): “ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Although the Law of Moses was crucified on Calvary’s cross, just as Colossians 2:14 states, this does not mean we should abuse God’s grace and this does not mean we can live any way we want. Galatians 5:17 says that the Holy Spirit and our sin nature have two separate appetites: the Holy Spirit seeks righteousness and holiness, the sin nature seeks to disobey God.

The Holy Spirit empowers us believers to do what the Law of Moses demanded Israel do in their own strength! As long as we allow the Holy Spirit to control us, we will fulfill every demand the Mosaic Law; however, when we “quench [prevent, hinder] the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19), we sin. What are some examples of sin? Continue reading in Galatians chapter 5:

“19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The above sins offend God’s righteous standard because they are all generated in our sinful hearts. Let us now read what the Holy Spirit produces in our hearts as we Christians walk by faith:

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

There is nothing evil about love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. We can choose these things for our lives, and this will bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Or, we can go live in the energy of the flesh and commit the sins of Galatians 5:19-21—this will only ruin our Christian testimony. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” If we are Christians, our lives should reflect sound doctrine we read about in God’s Word rightly divided!!

Earlier, we read in Romans chapter 6 that our “old man” has already been put to death and nailed on Calvary’s cross with Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago. Yet, we are living—we are living in the power of Christ’s resurrection. Just as we were buried with Jesus Christ, so we were also raised with Him “to walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). As Romans 6:5 continues: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his [Christ’s] death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”

Galatians 2:20 KJV says it like this: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” We are a “new creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17); we have a new identity in Jesus Christ, and we no longer have that old sinful identity we inherited from Adam. Our lives should reflect this new identity.

The first step in coming to a knowledge of salvation is to grasp a full understanding of WHY you need to be saved. As I stated earlier, the natural man is an enemy of God, and the holy God of the universe will not allow a sinful person to be in His heaven. Our true self has to be put to death with the Lord Jesus Christ so that we can be raised again with Him! As Christians, we must continually die to the old habits and corrupt thinking processes that we had when we were lost and dead in trespasses and sins. We need to study God’s Word rightly divided so our minds can be renewed by sound doctrine (Romans 12:1,2; Ephesians 4:23).

So, are you willing to let God put your true self to death, or will you continue in your ungodly ways? It is your choice and your choice alone. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today for salvation, and then let Him live His life in and through you.

Leave a Comment » | The Real You Must Die | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

‘Good Enough’ is Not Good Enough

May 10, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

The vast majority of our world is so burdened and weighed down with works-religion. What a shame!!! Our world is laboring with the hopes of somehow appeasing their false idol and/or religious hierarchy. The God of the Bible is not asking us to blindly perform a large set of ridiculous religious rituals: He wants us to obey Him in light of faith (1 Samuel 15:22). The nation Israel was religious, but they were not following God’s instructions with faith, and God was sick of their vain religious performance (Isaiah 1:11-15). Today, the world is no different. Society fasts, prays, goes to church, meditates, water baptizes, sacrifices, burns incense, lights candles, tithes, tongue-talks, does the “jitterbug for Jesus,” and sings hymns and chants. It makes God sick because there is no faith in any of that mindless religious activity!

God is not pleased with our world. They have a so-called “spiritual” outward appearance, but an unbelieving heart on the inside. God wants us to trust His Word, the Bible, and people are not doing that. They ignore Paul’s apostleship, they spurn the Gospel of the Grace of God, and they refuse to believe anything God says.

In Matthew 23:27,28 KJV, Jesus referred to these Pharisees as “whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” What did Jesus mean by this? The Pharisees were self-righteous, having a godly outward appearance but an evil heart of unbelief. This is why Jesus repeatedly called them “hypocrites” in chapter 23 of Matthew. They were religious leaders and sticklers for the Mosaic Law, but had no real desire to follow God. They would call everyone else evil, but they were oftentimes the ones who would attempt to trick Jesus into saying something incriminating.

They loved their high social status, their religious authority, their formalism (grand outward appearance), but that did not matter because they were lost, dead in their trespasses and sins! They wanted nothing to do with their Messiah-King Jesus, which is why they refused John’s kingdom water baptism in Luke 7:29,30. But, they had an outward appearance that seemed to convince you otherwise, huh?

The Apostle Paul (formerly Saul) had been a Pharisee, and throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, Saul persecuted believers. He thought he was good enough by performing the demands of Judaism, but again, God had to save his lost soul in Acts chapter 9! As you can see, religion cannot save anyone. Just because people have a religious, godly appearance does not make them people of faith. Compare Scripture with Scripture, and you will get a better understanding.

Do you remember the Lord Jesus’ parable about the 100 sheep, found in Luke 15:3-10? This is the perfect analogy of self-righteous sinners. The shepherd in the parable has 100 sheep, and one sheep gets lost. In order to seek out the lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep out in the wilderness. Once the shepherd finds the lost sheep bleating for help, he brings the sheep home, and celebrates that he found lost his sheep! In verse 7, we read Jesus saying, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth [changes his mind], more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

The reason why they needed no repentance is because they were lost, but they thought they were “good enough!” The 99 sheep thought they were doing “good enough” by themselves, and were comfortable lost in the wilderness! The poor lone sheep lost in the desert knew he was lost, and cried out to the shepherd for help! This one sheep symbolized the few Jews who embraced Jesus as Messiah; the 99 other sheep were the “good-enough” Jews who ignored Jesus Christ. But, today is no different.

People confused by religion, for the most part, want to remain lost. “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:9). The “god of this world” Satan has blinded them using works-religion, so they remain in darkness (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). But, thank God that we have been set free from the spiritual blindness, and we can see what God’s Word says about “good enough” people—none of us are “good enough” for heaven.

Salvation belongs to him who “worketh not, but [who] believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly; his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). You cannot provide your salvation by performing religious rituals because there is no saving power in religion. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, we read that “the power of God” that is needed for salvation can only be found in the Gospel of the Grace of God. Certainly, the Bible affirms that Christians are called to do good works (2 Corinthians 5:14,15; Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-15), but I want to be emphatically clear that goods works are a result of—not a prerequisite for—salvation! Never confuse Christian good works with good works to become a Christian.

Biblical salvation is not available for “good enough” people who are “doing the best they can.” Salvation cannot be acquired by those who are “keeping the Ten Commandments.” Remember, “the [Mosaic] Law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…” (1 Timothy 1:9,10 KJV). Had we been good enough on our own, there would be no need for God to institute the Mosaic Law (Ten Commandments). But why does the Law exist? To prove our failures and prove God’s righteousness.

Romans 3:19,20 KJV say, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The Ten Commandants only condemn us; they do not make us righteous.

Do not work for salvation, for as a sinner, you cannot do enough to please God. God is not asking you to join a church, “measure up,” or pay a large sum of money. God’s salvation is a gift to you, and gifts are free. God will never owe you salvation, and it is only by grace that God is offering salvation freely to you through the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished crosswork on Calvary. Christ was the only one righteous and holy, fully able to bear your sins and take them away with His shed blood.

Remember God is only pleased with His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, who is faithful. Only Jesus Christ was “good enough.” Everyone else, including you and I, are not “good enough”—if we were good enough for heaven, then Christ would have had no reason to come and die! When God applies Christ’s righteousness to our account, we become the “righteousness of God in Christ,” and then we become fit for heaven (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus Christ was our substitute, which is how we sinful beings can be have a perfect standing before God.

THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV)

“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
Acts 16:31 KJV

“‘Good enough’ may be good enough for you, and good enough for religion, but it shall never be good enough for God, neither shall it be good enough for heaven!” —arC Quote

2 Comments | "Good Enough" is Not Good Enough | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

A Higher Education: It’s Up to You!

May 9, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

May 19, 2009 will mark the third anniversary of my graduation from Northwest High School. Wow, 2002 Freshman Orientation at Northwest seems like yesterday. Yet, I have just completed my third year of college—absolutely unbelievable. But enough about me. I would like to pass on this advice to those who are graduating high school in the near future.

With high school nearly finished (or perhaps already finished), you ask, “What now, Lord?” Firstly, I can assure you that God will not speak to you in an audible voice, “I want you to do ___.” Everything that God has to say to you is already in His Word—this is how God speaks to you today. Secondly, with God’s Word effectually working in you as you read, study, and believe it, you begin to think like God: this is where your answer to your question is. Look at 2 Timothy 3:15-17 KJV:

“15 And that from a child thou [Timothy] hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
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 perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

According to the Bible, God has placed His power and His wisdom in His Word (“God-breathed,” “inspired”), and you can draw on that power and wisdom through faith. What is God’s will for your life? It is in His Word! God’s will is already written in His Word; you need not ask for Him to reveal His will to you. Consider 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 KJV, and pay special attention to verses 10-12 which are oftentimes skipped:

“9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

As members of the Church the Body of Christ, God the Holy Spirit has already revealed to us in His Word everything He wants us to know. If we had to pray for God to show us something not found in His Word, that means the Bible is incomplete! But, we know that the Bible is complete. Again, “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” The King James Bible is all we need to know and do the will of God! Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:9,10: “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” God has already made His will known unto us—Father God wants to make His Son, Jesus Christ, the Head of the governments of the heaven and the earth!

College is not for everyone; do not be pressured if you are uncomfortable with it. Not going to college does not mean that you are dumb… even a vocational/technical school is fine! 🙂 Just get some education so that you can get a decent job with an income that you can use to support your family and yourself (1 Timothy 5:8). Actually, I am still unsure of what to do with my geology degree once I finish college, but I am going to analyze my options and I will know as time goes by and as I progress through the remaining semesters. Recently, the idea came to me to minor in geography (a good combination with my major in geology). We shall see in due time.

Choose a career that you will enjoy, as well as one that would be respectable to God: remember, “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). You cannot demonstrate God’s way of doing things if you are pursuing a “career” of fornication, crime, or other types of sin (wickedness). Remember, you are an “ambassador for the risen Christ,” so it must be a career that does not bring shame to the Lord’s name! 🙂

After choosing that respectable career (and thereby your college, or technical school), with Christ living in you, you will bring glory and honor to Him! Read Galatians 2:20 KJV: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Although the entire Bible is for you to read, make your decisions based on what Paul writes in the books of Romans through Philemon. These are God’s instructions to you today as a member of the Church the Body of Christ (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11).

Now, it is normal to be nervous, but listen, it is not like you are alone. The Lord will give you the wisdom and the strength that you need, as long as you remember where you can find that power, in His Word (Philippians 4:13, 19). You now face the option of making a positive difference in this wicked world, so stand firm in the Word of God and let it make a difference in your life. Then, it will all fall into place. You have the opportunity to bring glory and honor to your Saviour, Jesus Christ, so get out there, and let Him live His life in and through you!

I wish you all the best in your future endeavors….

3 Comments | A Higher Education: It’s Up to You! | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Tackling the Issue of Summertime Attire (Non-legalistically)

May 7, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

Summertime is the time of year when many people are prone to take off nearly every piece of clothing—some people are not ashamed to take everything off… in public! While I have this opportunity, I would like to lovingly and gently remind you to please have discretion regarding your Christian testimony. I want to show you how you as a Christian should go about this issue of “summertime attire,” (non-legalistically, of course).

First, consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 KJV:

“18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

We as members of the Church the Body of Christ, we are “set apart” from the world. The Bible term for this is “sanctified.” We are chosen to serve the Lord, and our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are not our own, they are God’s because we have been bought with a price—Jesus Christ’s sinless blood. In other words, our bodies were not bought with a cheap price! We need to be bringing glory and honor to the Lord with our bodies, so that means we cannot be dressing carelessly.

Our old nature of sin and carnal living was put to death with Christ on the cross of Calvary: our “old man” is dead (Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:5)! If you are not a lost person, why behave like one? We should be representing our homeland, Heaven, as Philippians 3:20 says: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” The world cannot see Christ in His physical body; instead, they see Him as He lives in us Christians. You have the choice of fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, or being submissive to God’s will. See, it is a choice you make—no one forces you, not God, not me, not anyone. You make that choice by faith in God’s Word to us (Paul’s epistles).

As a man, I know that men have an inclination to feel lustful toward women dressed in extra-short shorts, tight clothing, and skimpy skirts. Men are “turned on” via their sense of sight—this is how God designed the man. That is why it is important to note that these types of revealing clothing are only to be worn in the presence of your spouse: there is nothing wrong with a husband wanting his wife because of her appearance. The danger is when everyone dresses in revealing clothing for everyone else to see, which has obviously become a major problem these days.

Paul told Timothy to instruct Christian women to dress in “modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety…” (2 Timothy 2:9). Now, this is where we address this topic from the non-legalistic point-of-view. This does not mean that you have to be covered from head to toe in a robe all summer, it simply means to dress properly. While modesty also applies to men’s appearance, the Holy Spirit addresses women dressing modestly because men especially would lust when it came to articles of clothing. Also, remember the context of Paul’s writing: first century pagan Gentiles with their promiscuous priestesses (like in the city of Corinth)—God did not want His female Christians resembling prostitutes in their attire.

This summer, you have the choice to dress modestly and respectfully, honoring the Lord and your body. Of course, you can find decent summertime clothing to wear to the pool, to the beach, or wherever: after what I have seen in stores, these products are rare indeed, but you can find something the Lord would approve! 🙂 Keep searching.

How many times have I quoted the verse? We are “ambassadors for the risen Christ.” We cannot live loosely like the lost world and expect to win the lost world to Christ. We need to be separate from their lifestyles. All I can do is beseech (beg) you on the basis of these Bible verses to do the right thing. Ultimately, it is your decision. I will not force anything, and neither will God. You have the option of living as shameful and as carnal as you like, but you will be a miserable Christian. And remember, you would also be using grace as a license to sin….

I wish you a wonderful summer, and may you glorify Him always, the Lord Jesus Christ who loved you, and gave Himself for you!

Leave a Comment » | Tackling the Issue of Summertime Attire (Non-legalistically) | Permalink
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)