The Current Friendship Crisis In the World

The Current Friendship Crisis                                   11-10-13             by Capt. Kelly Durant

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 18:24

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

2. Here is verse that can change your life… John 15:13 (GNT)The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them.

This attribute has caused men in battle to jump on a grenade in order to give their lives to stop the killing of all of their friends close by! Tomorrow we honor our vets, and we must recognize the honor they deserve! Many soldiers and people throughout history have sacrificed their lives so that others would not be hurt or killed. This is absolute love! A true friend is one who loves all the way and he will do anything, even die for you! Would you do that?

In the past decades I have noticed that a majority of people in society do not have many friends. This is a crisis in my opinion! In others words when you get a flat and need a ride while stuck on the side of the highway, who are you going to call? A large majority of people don’t have family nearby anymore either, so who will help?  Sometimes we as pastors are the only ones others call on for help and this should not be, you must cultivate friendships!  In this nation, and worldwide, there is a crisis of people not having a friend when they need one!

I observe that a few of you have a few friends, but a few more of you have only one or none though so let’s explore the dynamics of friendship. You need friends!  Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. The first prerequisite to having friends is that you yourself must initiate it, cultivate it, promote it, and it means that you must be friendly!

3. Friends usually are people that you enjoy hanging out with, people with the same common interests, people with similar backgrounds, quite often they are around the same age as you, and from the same race and country as yourself; these are common things but a friend can be anyone really! Look how diverse the disciples of Jesus were! But what more makes you and I be a friend to each other? It is in the sharing of our pains, burdens, and also blessings with others. 

When you are young, and start hanging with young friends you learn about life. You see life’s situations, you may see divorced parents, you observe one has a father always drunk, and you discover new things about people’s feelings, pains, and passions. Most young people are idealistic and accepting of one another despite differences, but what happens as we age?

As we age we are like cement. (Castillo who works with cement can relate to this, ha!) When we are young the fresh cement is soft and drying and people come by and leave their handprints and writing in it and then it dries hard, never to be changed. We all have seen sidewalks like this. So after certain experiences, what happens to us? Most people get bitter and protective and stop having friends! They dry hard and as a stone cold rock, keep others out! They become a rock and an island to their selves. Only you can fix not having friends.

4. I will define how I see what friends are. They are a people that are loyal and they are there when you need them and they sacrifice their time or material goods for you when needed. A friend is emotionally close to you so there is a connection that grows over time. And finally, a friend is a person you trust and have no fear of them harming you either by stealing, or speaking damaging words behind your back, and they never betray you.

To begin with, the values, or glue that causes people to stick together are inherently Christian. To make this clearer, do you see that basically only a Christian can have the values needed to maintain a friend relationship: The values of love, forgiveness, the serving one another foundation.  But be careful, you need to discern just how Christian the person is!

Jesus says in John 15:14 You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. What was Jesus greatest commandment? To love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself!

Only love can motivate a person to sincerely connect to others, and be loyal and trustworthy to them. Only Jesus transforms the character you and I have to remake us into friendly people and we learn to kill our pride and selfishness so we have noble sacrificial hearts.

5. Let’s examine the quality of loyalty, or as some would define it as faithfulness.

God has always modeled to us His loyalty, and in particular we capture this through the forgiving loving and sacrificial actions of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119:90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.

Here is also another thing involving faithfulness, we must forgive the offenses of our friends.     2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Within loyalty we conclude there is the attribute of sacrifice as well. Soldiers from all countries if captured by the enemy will always remain loyal and never share any damaging info about their country.  This means that even under torture, they sacrifice their lives. This sacrificial loyal quality we also know about took place within the first Christian matters in Rome.

Loyal until death is a faithful quality still happening in the world today with over 157,000 Christians being killed every year for their faith! They are being killed by extremists and the news media will not divulge these horrific acts! There are 2,400 media outlets in the U.S. controlled by only 6 corporations and they are not loyal to Christian values! To know truth, don’t trust the mainstream media that has an agenda diametrically opposed to Christ but rather search in Christian sources and alternative conservative ones.

6. Let’s examine the quality of connection, or as some would define it as an emotional attachment. What defines what this is better than “love”? Love is a the strongest emotion that exists and God even commands that we love Him (back, since He first loved us).

Matt 22: 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 

For me it is easy to get emotionally attached to people just because I do my best to love them! You can love everyone if you wake up a ask God to give you His power through the Holy Spirit. You can even look at the person on the street and feel a great love for them, even the one that has a dead face, being a beggar, prostitute, or drunk and feel in your heart sympathy that their pain and hurt with them for the lack of the knowledge of Jesus they have that has led them to such a sad desperate point in their lives.

In every person you can find reason to feel for them for all the suffering they have had, either in their childhood, or adult life. This is why we must as a Corps, and amongst our friends always have time just to talk, to share, to get to know, so we can sympathize and empathize with their lives. Technology has done us the favor of helping us connect more through Facebook, Tweeter, and email, but quite often people communicate the wrong things, the wrong emotions, and these damage the good emotions and connections that had already been set up.

7. Let’s examine the quality of trust, or as some would define it as an honoring of who you are.  Trust is when a person knows all about your secrets, your pain, your weaknesses, and they love and esteem, and honor you anyway! They also would never be unfair to you so others could have information to ridicule or humiliate you with.

Trust is what everyone wants and needs, but sadly, amongst friends and family, this gets violated! Today sadly hardly anyone trusts anyone!  And considering the violation of trust the current governments, false churches, and corrupt corporations and workplaces have modeled, there is good reason to mistrust all authorities and relationships!

A violation of your trust is the same as a violation of your right as a person, which is a disrespecting of who you are personally, which ultimately is an action of abuse against you. When people get abused they feel pain and to stop it they make their selves cold.

Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

8. Don’t confuse what all these values within friendships and family imply, as many have in today’s world. The law of God and certain laws of man surpass the concepts many people evaluate. We are friends but if, for example, if a good friend were to come to my home seeking refuge from the law because he did a hit-n-run while intoxicated, my duty, no matter the love, loyalty and trust, would be to call the authorities, right?  If not I am an accomplice aiding and abetting a fugitive. A friend is a friend only if they are not putting you in danger!

In the hood language of today a friend is one who does not “snitch” on you but I interpret that this is a quality of a person that is your enemy! If you have a so-called friend that commits illegal and immoral actions and then they want you to show your trust by not snitching on them, you need to recognize they are not your friend at all! I despise people who say they hate snitches! Exposure is honesty and the only way for truth to dominate over evil.

All organized crime, the mafias, business men, governments, anti-Christ religious, all of them operate with the expectancy that their friends will never expose their illegal and immoral activities.  Never misplace your trust in this kind of traitor as you may become the next “patsy” or fall guy for their cover-ups! Read books, read the news, people are killed all the time for trying to expose corruption or for not covering for their so called friends!

9.  A final thought for you about friendships.  How do you understand this verse by Jesus?

Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.

Jesus wants you and I to be friends with those of the world, not just friends with those of your faith! I see it in churches so often when the pastors or the leaders have friends with those outside the church people immediately get suspicious, jealous, and uncomfortable. Their first thought is, oh no their time will go to these other people and not towards my interests.

Here is the issue: It is the pastors (Captains) job to be friendly and to be a socialite like Jesus was and to hang out with the publicans and sinners seeking to love them into the kingdom of God!

In all workplaces and families there are people that are going to drink, swear, and not think like you, but if you always exclude yourself from them (and I understand why you want to since most of them are proud and ugly) but separating yourself too much means you will never be showing them enough acceptance so that they will listen to you about Jesus.

Jesus when he traveled did not always have friends of his faith, he stayed with Nicodemus and other people of the world who received him into habitations. To obey Jesus you must make friends with those outside your Christian world and I do my best to do this!

10. The truth is this, Jesus is your best friend, but you also need friends on the earth as well!

John 15:15

No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father, I have made known unto you.

This verse implies that a friend, spends time with his fellow companions, he reveals to them truths and secrets, he transmits teaching and information along that will bring them blessings and life, even eternal life! Do you do that after this example of Jesus? 

I want to challenge you here today. Some of you have looked at each other for years and never really talked in a deep conversation. I want to challenge you with making the people here more your friends! Several of you have already, but when is the last time you had lunch with someone you do not know so well here? Or even paid them a friendly visit? And others outside your world of current friends, are you trying to win them to the Lord by being friendly?

And if you have ever done anything, or said anything that has violated the trust of a person here, today is the day to make it right. Go and ask them forgiveness! Ask God to change your heart so you get ideas how you can be a better friend to those around you, in the church, within your family, and within your community! You can be proud that in The Salvation Army dozens of thousands give their lives for others daily! Prayer…  

Character Qualities...What are yours?

The Greek word for character is charakter. It is translated in Scripture as the “express image.” According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament, the word “originally denoted an engraver or engraving tool. Later it meant the impression itself, ususally something engraven, cut in, or stamped, a character, letter, mark, [or] sign. This impression with its particular features was considered as the exact representation of the object whose image it bore.” In Hebrews 1:3, Christ is referred to as the “express image” of God; He fully expressed the character of God through His life.

One of God’s primary goals for believers is to transform them into the image of His Son so that they may be a reflection of the character of Christ. We can take comfort in this purpose when we experience difficulties because “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Operational Definitions of 49 Character Qualities

Alertness vs. Unawareness

Being aware of that which is taking place around me so I can have the right response to it (Mark 14:38)

Attentiveness vs. Unconcern

Showing the worth of a person by giving undivided attention to his words and emotions (Hebrews 2:1)

Availability vs. Self-centeredness

Making my own schedule and priorities secondary to the wishes of those I am serving (Philippians 2:20–21)

Boldness vs. Fearfulness

Confidence that what I have to say or do is true and right and just in the sight of God (Acts 4:29)

Cautiousness vs. Rashness

Knowing how important right timing is in accomplishing right actions (Proverbs 19:2)

Compassion vs. Indifference

Investing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts of others (I John 3:17)

Contentment vs. Covetousness

Realizing that God has provided everything I need for my present happiness (I Timothy 6:8)

Creativity vs. Underachievement

Approaching a need, a task, an idea from a new perspective (Romans 12:2)

Decisiveness vs. Double-mindedness

The ability to finalize difficult decisions based on the will and ways of God (James 1:5)

Deference vs. Rudeness

Limiting my freedom in order not offend the tastes of those whom God has called me to serve (Romans 14:21)

Dependability vs. Inconsistency

Fulfilling what I consented to do even if it means unexpected sacrifice (Psalm 15:4)

Determination vs. Faintheartedness

Purposing to accomplish God’s goals in God’s time regardless of the opposition (II Timothy 4:7–8)

Diligence vs. Slothfulness

Visualizing each task as a special assignment from the Lord and using all my energies to accomplish it (Colossians 3:23)

Discernment vs. Judgment

The God-given ability to understand why things happen (I Samuel 16:7)

Discretion vs. Simplemindedness

The ability to avoid words, actions, and attitudes which could result in undesirable consequences (Proverbs 22:3)

Endurance vs. Giving up

The inward strength to withstand stress to accomplish God’s best (Galatians 6:9)

Enthusiasm vs. Apathy

Expressing with my soul the joy of my spirit (I Thessalonians 5:16,19)

Faith vs. Presumption

Visualizing what God intends to do in a given situation and acting in harmony with it (Hebrews 11:1)

Flexibility vs. Resistance

Not setting my affections on ideas or plans which could be changed by God or others (Colossians 3:2)

Forgiveness vs. Rejection

Clearing the record of those who have wronged me and allowing God to love them through me (Ephesians 4:32)

Generosity vs. Stinginess

Realizing that all I have belongs to God and using it for His purposes (II Corinthians 9:6)

Gentleness vs. Harshness

Showing personal care and concern in meeting the need of others (I Thessalonians 2:7)

Gratefulness vs. Unthankfulness

Making known to God and others in what ways they have benefited my life (I Corinthians 4:7)

Hospitality vs. Loneliness

Cheerfully sharing food, shelter, and spiritual refreshment with those whom God brings into my life (Hebrews 13:2)

Humility vs. Pride

Recognizing that it is actually God and others who are responsible for the achievements in my life (James 4:6)

Initiative vs. Unresponsiveness

Recognizing and doing what needs to be done before I am asked to do it (Romans 12:21)

Joyfulness vs. Self-pity

The spontaneous enthusiasm of my spirit when my soul is in fellowship with the Lord (Psalm 16:11)

Justice vs. Fairness

Personal responsibility to God’s unchanging laws (Micah 6:8)

Love vs. Selfishness

Giving to others’ basic needs without having as my motive personal reward (I Corinthians 13:3)

Loyalty vs. Unfaithfulness

Using difficult times to demonstrate my commitment to God and to those whom He has called me to serve (John 15:13)

Meekness vs. Anger

Yielding my personal rights and expectations to God (Psalm 62:5)

Obedience vs. Willfulness

Freedom to be creative under the protection of divinely appointed authority (II Corinthians 10:5)

Orderliness vs. Disorganization

Preparing myself and my surroundings so I will achieve the greatest efficiency (I Corinthians 14:40)

Patience vs. Restlessness

Accepting a difficult situation from God without giving Him a deadline to remove it (Romans 5:3–4)

Persuasiveness vs. Contentiousness

Guiding vital truths around another’s mental roadblocks (II Timothy 2:24)

Punctuality vs. Tardiness

Showing high esteem for other people and their time (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Resourcefulness vs. Wastefulness

Wise use of that which others would normally overlook or discard (Luke 16:10)

Responsibility vs. Unreliability

Knowing and doing what both God and others are expecting from me (Romans 14:12)

Reverence vs. Disrespect

Awareness of how God is working through the people and events in my life to produce the character of Christ in me (Proverbs 23:17–18)

Security vs. Anxiety

Structuring my life around that which is eternal and cannot be destroyed or taken away (John 6:27)

Self-Control vs. Self-indulgence

Instant obedience to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:24–25)

Sensitivity vs. Callousness

Exercising my senses so I can perceive the true spirit and emotions of those around me (Romans 12:15)

Sincerity vs. Hypocrisy

Eagerness to do what is right with transparent motives (I Peter 1:22)

Thoroughness vs. Incompleteness

Knowing what factors will diminish the effectiveness of my work or words if neglected (Proverbs 18:15)

Thriftiness vs. Extravagance

Not letting myself or others spend that which is not necessary (Luke 16:11)

Tolerance vs. Prejudice

Acceptance of others as unique expressions of specific character qualities in varying degrees of maturity (Philippians 2:2)

Truthfulness vs. Deception

Earning future trust by accurately reporting past facts (Ephesians 4:25)

Virtue vs. Impurity

The moral excellence and purity of spirit that radiate from my life as I obey God’s Word (II Peter 1:3)

Wisdom vs. Natural Inclinations

Seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference (Proverbs 9:10)

How Deceived By Man Are You?

How Deceived By Man Are You?                                 by  Kelly Durant  10-27-13

1. Matt 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

2. Have you ever been to a magician show? When I was a kid I loved them! Have you had a magic trick done to you? Some people are so fast with their hands it’s amazing! Like all the card tricks people do! In Bolivia I had a friend who gained his living by doing a show. He showed me how a pigeon could be flattened like this to fit in a hat (show hands 1 inch apart)! It is an amazing talent these people have!

One time I had the craziest experience at the border of Colombia and Venezuela. I had sold our old car and I had about $1,000 dollars in pesos on me. And as I am in the bus station, sitting at a table right beside the ticket booth 3 men came up and asked me if I was traveling on the bus line that I had a ticket with. I replied that I was and they explained that due to thieves stopping buses on the highway and stealing everyone’s things (which had been happening), they wanted me to declare the cash I had so they could write me a receipt of insurance from the bus company for my protection. Since they were right by the ticket door, it all seemed authentic to me. They counted my money in front of my eyes and it appeared like everything was fine. I got the receipt.

But while sitting on the bus while it was leaving I decided to recount the money and I discovered I was missing about $250! My eyes had been fixed on the counter’s hands like a dog stares at a piece of meat as bill by bill went by, so his talent to deceive was amazing! Until today I have no clue how he managed to slip some bills out from the ones of that stack! Down the road it struck me that they were not of the bus company either! And, guess what, when I asked the bus company didn’t have insurance either! What happened to me? I had forgotten for a moment how I am as a dumb sheep!

3. Isn’t it amazing how you and I can think we are fairly smart but then out of nowhere we get tricked by someone? When something happens to you beyond your recognition, do you replay it over and over in your head trying to figure out what happened? My conclusion from this event is I was naïve and I did not expect to meet up with a con man because I am not one, I don’t think like one, so I was unprepared for these tactics. If someone would have said to me, be careful with people pretending to be a part of the bus line with insurance because they are thieves, maybe that info would have prevented my loss!

Jesus knows man’s weakness of easily being tricked and being fooled and enticed. Usually it involves a personal gain or some false promise so He warned us, his followers, about trying the spirits, about not allowing yourself to be deceived by anyone, because evil deceivers would become worse and worse. Jesus told us to be wise as_(all say it) _and harmless as__(all say it)____.

4. What was going to be the main deception in the last days? People believing and accepting anything contrary to Christ’s teachings! 2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.  Jesus is the only one that leads us to the truth, and the life, He is the authentic and only Savior who liberates whosoever will accept Him from their spiritual and material poverty created from their bad choices of a life of sin and corruption!  

Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draws near: go ye not therefore after them. What we see in the world today is that, due to the ignorance of the truth of God in the Bible, people are swallowing what anyone says and they are being enslaved by sin.

Practically every law and attitude in our world today is diametrically opposed to the healthy values of the Bible. Satan has gained ground like never before by the darkening of the mind and hearts of any weak person who allows their self to be seduced. In the U.S. and around the world in past few years there has been an increase in gang violence and crime, drug use, theft, suicide, sexual perversion, corruption, narcissism and basically there is an exponential increase of everything bad!  The problem is people are being seduced to worship contemptible entertainers, hoaxed into supporting corrupt governmental officials, and being pushed into tolerating antichrist religions!

5. Why do people admire persuasive deceptive people? Hitler deceived the masses touting his cause to help Germany out of their dismal problems and millions loved and worshipped him. His followers were committing the mass murder of Jews (which was hid from the public) and he even killed multitudes of Germans who spoke out against him.  What a horrible lesson we learn from history, but this same lesson is being repeated many times over around the world! People want social solutions, but tyranny is what they get for taking action in a vacuum without a man of God as their guide.

What elements are in our bent human nature that causes so many people to ignorantly and blindly adore and support evil doers? Why do billions of people today praise people of power despite their sinful acts, violations against them, and the mounds of evidence proving them as abusers, con men, and deceivers?  Don’t people often appear enchanted by false words like a cobra dancing to a flute player?

6. Deception: Let’s look at it point by point and the first situation is this, the person being fooled makes the mistake of trusting the person giving the information. What happened to Eve in the garden? She trusted the serpent’s word more than trusting in the word that she had been told from God. This is still the problem with the world today! People are trusting in people they should have nothing to do with! We must pray over all influences in our lives. Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

What is disappointing is many Christians have become victims to many deceitful people. Today many churches have people who use false doctrines to manipulate the newcomers. Some church members go to church so they can use their friends as clients for some personal business. Many hypocrites come in Jesus name, but their plans are not Jesus plans which are to set people free from the lies of Satan and of their sins but rather to control others to use them for some alternative agendas. 

Right now there is a controversy over a book by a famous author John MacArthur who just published statements against the deceptive leaders of the Charismatic Pentecostals who abuse what they call the Holy Spirit; how they are burning a strange fire and offending God (see Lev. 9 and 10). Check it out on Christianpost.com. I thank the Lord for each of the Bible teachers we have here in the Hialeah Corps because I trust you totally to teach Biblically with veracity and sound doctrine!

7. Also, have you ever noticed the people deceptive with money in our world all want to appear to be doing good and they run their own charities? These bogus charities are widely promoted and the idea is to replace them from the honest religious ones. Hitler’s concept was that if you repeat a lie often enough to the people, then they will eventually accept it as truth. They claim, oh we care for you, the people, poor and minorities.

Always doubt everything! Always research the facts! Where is the financial proof of it? Ask how many millions of dollars are documented as going back to the poor? I challenge you to research this subject. Most charities connected with famous people use 90% on their administration flying in jets everywhere and give a meager 10% to the cause. With the Salvation Army that is reverse with 85% given back to the people in help in disasters, shelters, rehab, with food, clothing, and gift cards, using only 15% on administration.

8. The second problem with deception is the pride each of us have and we must purge it out.  People who see others in power today have a carnal jealous tendency in their bent nature to want to possess that glory and adoration for themselves! What did the serpent tell Eve? You will be like God, with your eyes opened! That is pride, wanting more than what you deserve! If you have not prayed for God to take away your pride, then do it urgently today or you are ripe to get ripped off from some deal offering you something too good to be true! Pride allows deception to work.

If you read about the history of the Romans, or about any leaders in our past cultures, their pride always was so huge that they lived in a paranoiac agony constantly worried about who would be more adored than them, or who would try to take their position. What egos our current dictators and wealthy influencers have in the world today! These egos make others suffer as they operate applying fear and intimidation, yet they are powerful only for a while because everyone secretly hates their arrogance, abuse, and selfishness.    

Do you recall how Herod felt so threatened by the birth of baby Jesus that he killed all the babies in his town? How absurd and how cruel! Never believe the words of the leader when they say they are on your side and really care about you, the little people! Historically the evidence proves that 99% of the time they are only looking out for their selves, as they scheme, exploit, abuse, and covertly rip off millions affirming power!

9. The third situation deception creates is the shame that follows. After buying into the wisdom that Satan offered Eve then Adam from the fruit on the garden, what happened? Adam and Eve were enticed and wanted a change, an upgrade in status and power, They expected to gain superiority to be like God. But the change they got was not what they expected as it was deceptive information that brought them into a severe downgrade and shame.

They then were motivated to hide from God due to their uncomfortable loss of innocence. The predicament we as humans have after being fooled by someone is later you feel ugly, dirty, ashamed and violated and discouragement and depression set in, and you just want to hide yourself away from God and everyone.

Sometimes we wonder in the church, what happened to so and so, they don’t come anymore.  It possibly could be due to their shame (but you nor I should never judge!), maybe they bought into a deception somewhere along the way and now they want to live a private life because they are ashamed of the truth that others will see in them, that they were fooled. It takes a lot of love and healing to win others back!

10. What is said of the ones living in shame in the word? Jude 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Here is the solution to get free from the guilt and shame that comes from being deceived… Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may be rich; and white raiment, that thou may be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see.

The shame of nakedness is a very visible exterior condition symbolically depicting an inward condition of exposure, of one being unprotected by God’s righteousness. When a person is conscience that they are naked spiritually it is humiliating, and it incites ridicule and mockery from those that do not understand. If you have ever felt humiliated and shamed and think that was the worst feeling in the world, be comforted to know you did not suffer that alone! Jesus went through that for you as well. Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

11. What are the greatest deceptions of all time invoking fanaticism and misguided convictions? It is from dark powers in high places, within governmental and religion systems.  Political systems such as communism offered a utopia of wealth from the purses of the rich into the hands of the poor? But until now there is no evidence that the poor got anything more than a few handouts. Since 1917 there have been many nations in history suffer because alternatives to God’s loving teachings on sharing does not work due to man’s greed. Christians share as in Acts 2:44, 45; only love for one another will provide for all.

With atheism, without God in the consciousness of the leaders, those in power are free to steal and kill with no restraints as they please. Stalin killed 10 million of his own people and Mao Tse Tung 26 million of his own that would not submit to them. The greatest deception today is that there is no God! Without God absolute power corrupts absolutely and they all end up as ruthless murderers!

Why is real Christianity, the most helpful religion to support the poor, and show compassion being hated and persecuted? Because its practicing and teaching expose the fakeness and cruelty of the other religious substitutes! The religion, whose translation means “submission” have throughout history killed millions in the name of religion and their princes have yachts and multiple wives while 99.9 % of their people live in abject poverty! What deception these systems offer young weak minds in the neighborhoods and in the prisons!

12. Jesus says that we, his followers, should be as a harmless doves, but wise as serpents? How wise is a serpent? A serpent knows when to hide in the rocks to not been seen. It knows when some powerful person or animal is putting it in danger and it strikes or escapes into the scenery as necessary; this is a quality of discernment we should pray to have. Jesus repeated several times to his followers to not be deceived.

Today in the world, because people are not reading the Bible, or praying to be led by the Holy Spirit for every decision they take, they are being deceived by misinformation supported by entities in power with absolute dominion in mind! Why are powers always trying to expunge God from every institution? Because God enlightens the mind and most Christians are not so gullible to obey blindly what corrupt leaders command. Jesus is their worst enemy competitor preventing them from having a total dominance of power over the people’s worship and devotion!

If there is anything you and I need to pray for today, it is for wisdom! I have claimed this promise of God a few hundred times and I hope you claim it too! James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Ask for the gift of discernment! Maybe you are more mature and no dark powers will convince you, but how good are you at warning others?! Since only a current 4% of the U.S. youth are active in churches, since only about 1/3 Americans even go to church, we have a huge job to inform a low information public concerning deception and spiritual matters. Start warning others of deceptions today! Jesus is truth!

God’s Culture Is Counter Culture!

God’s Culture Is Counter Culture                                         10-20-13     by Kelly Durant

1.Acts 21:27 Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 (For they had previously[e] seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. 31 Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

2. I hope by now you have learned to laugh at yourself when you are in one of those cultural situations that you just don’t know what’s going on. Like when I was young and before I met my wife I recall I arrived to Sta. Cruz on some holiday and everyone would say, “felicidades” to each other. I thought that was the way to say “good-bye” so for a few months I would say, “felicidades” to everyone after every conversation. People I noticed would smile really big.  Later finally they told me I should use that only for holidays, ha! Mistakes can be funny, right? Or my wife when she asked me, Why do Americans like to drink medicine in a soda?  I curiously asked, what do you mean? She replied, “Why do people think this Dr. Pepper will make them better, isn’t soda bad for you?” It tastes like medicine!  LOL!

3. Most of you here are culturally blessed by God! You know more than one language (sort of anyway, ha!) You also have a deep perspective of the United States culture and that of another one: the Caribbean Islands, South, or Central America. This gives you a great advantage in life with a broader perspective on life’s issues, believe it or not! You have lived extremes; you have experienced things others can only imagine. People of one culture may never imagine the traumatic events you have lived because their world is so very different from other realities.

Many of you have survived in circumstances that many people would go crazy under because you have been through horrible political persecutions, started a new life with just the clothes on your back, and gave up many things you grew up with.  Many of you have even given up ever seeing again your blood relatives as well! Well, today we can celebrate cultures with just a little nostalgia by bringing back some of the food & familiar things! These things you lived at one time but now you live a different life. Even those that visit their home birthplace often find it so dangerous criminally and politically they do not want to live there ever again!

4. So what culture are you now after all these years? Waiting for replies…Does it matter really? What is culture? The dictionary from “google” says it is: the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively (that of a certain society). The Bing search says: Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next. The basics of culture are specific influences and I personally categorize them as this: (geographical) environmental influences, language, religious, artistic and political (philosophical) persuasions! And, in life anyone can change these!

The obvious is that God created everyone on the earth making made each one of us different but in many ways similar, and He loves everyone the same! As we say today, “without discrimination”! This embarks people of any skin color, of all races, and of all languages, and from all places. One of my favorite verses is Revelation 7:9 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,” Each of us as Christians must adapt to our differences and contrasting cultures in this life, because heaven will be full of not just the cultures of today but of the past nations as well! That is a challenge! To love means to help anyone as the Good Samaritan did!

5. In the verses of today in Acts 21:27-31, Paul, being a Jew, broke away from the Jewish law and way of life and teachings, and he even invited the Greeks in the synagogue to teach them about Christ! This was shocking and very counter-culture!  The Jews got a mob together there wanting to kill him for disrespecting their race, place, and non-grace (the Law)! He was going against their norms. Sadly today some churches still reject new comers from other races & places! Some churches have doctrines that tell them only they have the truth, a shame, right?

But on the flip side of the coin Paul had a God given talent to be able to step into other cultures and relate to them in order to rebuke and convict them to live in the righteousness of Jesus. I Cor. 9:19 “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”.

What a great example of adapting to others to persuasively love them with the gospel! Being a Jew, he wrote to the Jews about not confiding in their traditions and in their race inheritance in the books of Hebrews and in Galatians. Being a Roman he wrote to the Romans about their sexual perversions and about the true application of grace and the law. Growing up with Greeks, he exposed their pride and mental vanities of empty philosophies in the Corinthians.

6. In other words, Paul could contextualize and be as a chameleon changing colors and mindsets. He could get into the minds of his specific audience and call out their sins, correct with them, rebuke them, and also praise their good! I admire him so much that my oldest son’s name is Paul! Paul should be one of the Biblical leaders you want to imitate! I do my best!

But here is something to consider, before Paul became a Christian, he as Saul looked upon all of the other cultures as being inferior segregated groups with their own cultural practices. For example, being a Jew, it was normal for him to kill another person for subverting the faith away from the Jews. He was killing Christians because his culture had the expectancy that he should!

The trick of Satan in all cultures is to get you or I to believe that one’s race, or country, or music, or food, language, or even politics is superior to the neighbors around you near or far.  This is pure pride!  This is never a license to kill and dominate, but men do! All nations have their merits of achievements but there is the ugly truth that all nations have their sins, corruptions and perversions.  One of the best ways to get your eyes opened to see the corruption within your culture is to step out of it for a long time into a different one. This allows you to compare differences and then you will see your original culture is not as wonderful as you think!

After Paul’s Damascus experience with Jesus’ light he radically and totally changed mentally, culturally, and morally! After accepting Jesus, none of us can ever look upon our own culture, or other cultures, the same anymore. Suddenly there is no more willingness to participate in or tolerate the corruption, pride, and abuse most accept as normal. Jesus must rule within totally!

7. Christians with Jesus essentially become counter-culture! They receive a new culture of love and holiness that overrides all other cultural influences of their past, present, and future! I 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”.

There comes a time when you must denounce your own culture for its corruption! What happened to Moses while he was governing in Egypt? Hebrews 11: 24 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward”. Moses had a foreigner as his wife too! He rejected his own cultural upbringing (Egypt), and gave up everything living in the desert for the ways of God.

The term counter-culture in modern day terms was applied first to people of the love and peace hippie culture. But even today the youth take pride in saving the environment and resisting the huge rip-off corporations that produce fast food or name brand clothes and shoes by exploiting the ultra-poor in sweat shops. Certain counters and resistance is good. We should always go against the grain of abusive and corrupted systems! The problem is entire nations and media with propaganda are brain washing the youth to resist the good and accept the evil!

8. Being counter-culture is Biblical! It is better to obey God than man, right? Today Christians in this hostile world over and over get demonized as unpatriotic, uncouth, racist, pro-life, pro-marriage, antiquated conservative freaks! What an injustice, expose his filth! It is Satan’s people who are pretending to be better than you by being evil saying it is good! His motive is always the destruction of individual souls and all nations with divisiveness, perversions, hate, murder, and chaos! The haters of good  are on the rise and today many Christians are suffering!

Most of the Christians I know are the most non-racist loving people you could ever meet! Satan’s people always accuse others of what they are guilty of! Nero accused the Christians of burning Rome, but actually he started it! He blamed them so he could rebuild Rome as he wanted and eliminate the strange people who were exposing Rome’s false gods and sinfulness resisting him and his taste for blood. The irony is that later Rome converted to Christianity a few hundred years later! Paul was martyred in Rome for preaching Jesus essentially exposing the evil in their culture. Be prepared, some of us might even die in the future for Jesus as well as the world becomes more Satanic, anti-love, anti-Christian, which is anti-christ!  

9. The frustrating part is ever since the world was founded, people have gone from place to place hoping to find a better world, people, and land.  Possibly here in the U.S.A. some things are more still more favorable than in the former counties.  But this is summed up in Hebrews 11:16 “But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city”.

All cultures will pass away! This world is not our home, we are just a passing through! The love you have for Jesus, God and others will not pass away though! 1 Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away”.  One day we will all flourish in a borderless, unified theocratic heavenly city with God’s love reigning over everyone! How wonderful, no more sin and pain, no more corrupt politics and murderous military coups, no more prideful abuse people to put up with; it will just be heaven to enjoy forever!

10. It does not really matter what culture you identify with or what you prefer in the way of food, language, art, music & dance, (as long as its use is not for temptation or divisiveness) We all should make a serious effort to culturally adapt or at least respect others. I have grown to like every food I have every tried in other countries. And music, I grew up on Country & Western, then switched to Rock & Roll, then Blues, then Hard Rock, but then in South America I grew to love Andean music, Salsa, Bolero, Bossa Nova, all of it! And Praise and Worship now is above all that!

What you like is a matter of choice and I have always told myself I can like everything! If you take a good attitude, you will always be enjoying the moment because you like everything, no matter how different! I love Spainish, Portuguese, Sign Language, as well as English, I love it all because all of it is a part of what God created! God loves cultures but reject their sins!

In the end what matters is whether you are living within the culture of Jesus Christ, in His holiness, righteousness and peace, authentically loving and serving unconditionally those next to you no matter their race, social status, or culture!  Come now and pray and ask God forgiveness if you think you have not loved your neighbor as yourself! If you haven’t loved others enough to adapt you are offending God by offending others, because God made everyone! Today more than ever we must be counter-culture and it is a new day for us to be depend on God to be new people molded into Christ’s culture of love winning souls to heaven! Use your cultural knowledge for the good of God!