TODAY IS JUNE 4TH, 2011-THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

We pray for the release of the Holy Spirit of Wisdom in our lives to transform and lead the Church in these last days. OUR SONGS FOR TODAY NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD LORD, WE LIFT YOUR NAME ON HIGH HEALING RAIN IF WE ARE THE BODY FIRM FOUNDATION BACK TO BASICS-Part One I think as a Recovery Church we need to hear the Basics sometimes. So count this month as being a month where we hear and practice the basics of our Faith.

OUR GOSPEL FOR TODAY John 16

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These things have I spoken to you, that you may not be scandalized.
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They will put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth a service to God.3And these things will they do to you; because they have not known the Father, nor me.4But these things I have told you, that when the hour shall come, you may remember that I told you of them. 5But I told you not these things from the beginning, because I was with you. And now I go to him that sent me, and none of you asketh me: Whither goest
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thou?6But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send the Spirit to you. 8 The Spirit is come to convince the world of sin, of justice, and of judgment. 9Of sin: because they believed not in me.
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And of justice: because I go to the Father; and you shall see me no longer. And of judgment: because the prince of this world is already judged. I have yet many things to say to you: but you cannot bear them now.

But the Spirit of truth, is come will teach you all truth. For The Spirit shall not speak but what things whatsoever she Spirit shall hear, shall speak; and the things that are to come, shall shew you.
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The Spirit shall glorify me; and receive of mine, and shall shew it to you.

THE WARNING-Part Two

The Warning
(Ezek 36:31-32) Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel! Warning Resources An excerpt from "Garabandal Pines will enlighten the world":

The Warning of Gods Mercy The Warning is a great act of Gods Mercy, on such a big scale that nothing compares to it in all mankinds history, bar The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. However, its nature has nothing to do with the noiseless, lonely, humiliating, brutal and loving death of the Lamb of God; but its more like an universal smack, a sort of pulling down the world out of its motorbike, the same
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way Saint Paul was unhorsed, in order to make see the whole world at the same time the blurred figures we have had mocked about previously. Which information do we have? Here it is: It will be seen in the sky all over the world and immediately transmitted to the inside of our souls. It will be an astronomic phenomenon, similar to a bang of stars with a lot of light and noise, but it wont fall over us. It will be like fire, but it wont burn our bodies, though it will be felt physically and internally. It will last a very short time, but its effects on the world will be huge. We should not be afraid of death if we are not quaking with fear or, in some special cases, due to Gods Mercy. Everyone will see in a short period of time how their souls are before the light of God, and will know that He exists, and that He has been present at every single sin of theirs. It will be like a trial in miniature. God hopes that, through this act of His Mercy, we amend our lives, and turn away from the wrong path. Those who already know and love God, will be closer to Him. Many will be converted, but still many will keep on denying God, denying the One Who is, in an act of supreme hypocrisy.

THE EASIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TO HATE The Pharisees are the worlds easiest people to hate in the Bible. As Deacon Rob said recently, the Gospel shows how Jesus went after these religious leaders with pointed stories, parables and preaching. Our Lord was pretty harsh with them,

calling them too. Now when the Savior of the world calls someone names, its a serious situation. Even the dictionary gets in on the action:
pharisee (f r -s )

n. 1. Pharisee A member of an ancient Jewish sect that emphasized strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic Law in both its oral and written form. 2. A hypocritically self-righteous person. This passage kind of sums it up:

Weve all read this passage before: the snotty Pharisee standing up in the Temple, silently comparing himself to the lowly tax collector. HE was a righteous person. The Tax Collector was scum: Luke 18 9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
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I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. How do you feel when you read this? Do you find yourself sneering at this guy, who is so full of himself that he actually recites to God a list of his own goodness? As I said earlier, this guy makes it easy to hate the Pharisees. But back in the days of 1st century Israel, a Pharisee was anything but a bad guy. Heres how the Jews looked at them:
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Of the various factions that emerged under Hasmonean rule, three are of particular interest: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. The Pharisees The most important of the three were the Pharisees because they are the spiritual fathers of modern Judaism. Their main distinguishing characteristic was a belief in an Oral Law that God gave to Moses at Sinai along with the Torah. The Torah or Written Law was akin to the U.S. Constitution in the sense that it set down a series of laws that were open to interpretation. The Pharisees believed that God also gave Moses the knowledge of what these laws meant and how they should be applied. This oral tradition was codified and written down roughly three centuries later in what is known as the Talmud. The Pharisees also maintained that an afterlife existed and that God punished the wicked and rewarded the righteous in the world to come. They also believed in a messiah who would herald an era of world peace. Pharisees were in a sense blue-collar Jews who adhered to the tenets developed after the destruction of the Temple; that is, such things as individual prayer and assembly in synagogues. Did you know that? The Pharisees were not rich or famous. They werent the priests of the people either. They were the ordinary Jewish business men and women who gathered in their extended homes to pray and observe the Law. Heres what the Catholic Encyclopedia writes: Pharisees: A politico-religious sect or faction among the adherents of later Judaism that came intoexistence as a class about the third century B.C. After the exile, Israel's monarchial form of government had become a thing of the past; in its place the Jews created a community which was half State, half Church. A growing sense of superiority to the heathen and idolatrous nations among whom their lot was cast came to be one of their main characteristics. They were taught insistently to separate themselves from their neighbors. "And now make confession to the Lord the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from your strange wives" (Ezra 10:11). Intermarriage with the heathen was strictly forbidden and many

such marriages previously contracted, even of priests, were dissolved in consequence of the legislation promulgated by Esdras. Such was the state of things in the third century when the newly introduced Hellenism threatened Judaism with destruction. The more zealous among the Jews drew apart calling themselves Chasidim or "pious ones", i.e., they dedicated themselves to the realization of the ideas inculcated by Esdras, the holy priest and doctor of the law. In the violent conditions incidental to the Machabean wars these "pious men", sometimes called the Jewish Puritans, became a distinct class. They were called Pharisees, meaning those who separated themselves from the heathen, and from the heathenizing forces and tendencies which constantly invaded the precincts of Judaism (1 Maccabees 1:11; 2 Maccabees 4:14 sq.; cf. Josephus Antiq., XII, 5:1). It was the Pharisees who saved the Jewish faith. Their stubborn adherence to the Law and the Prophets is what preserved the Jews as a spiritual nation from being taken over by the secularists. They were definitely patriotic 1 Maccabees: 62-63 But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel. They went on to explain: They considered it an abomination to even eat at the same board with the heathens or have any social relations with them whatsoever. Owing to their heroic devotedness their influence over the people became great and far-reaching, and in the course of time they, instead of the priests, became the sources of authority. In the time of Our Lord such was their power and prestige that they sat and taught in "Moses' seat". While there might have been priests among the Pharisees, as we said before they themselves were not of the priestly caste of the Aaron family of Levites. They were indeed blue collar in their original members. They are a lot like the modern Orthodox Jews that way:

So what went wrong? How did these men who were Jewish heroes in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and the Maccabees end up becoming the butt of jokes and the class of people that the Lord Jesus seemed to despise the most? I think the answer lies in what Jesus said after the call of Matthew: The Calling of Matthew As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collectors booth. Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthews house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, Jesus said, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. A fellow preacher explained it very well: The fruit is what his mouth speaks, and his mouth speaks what is in his heart. We know what the doctrine of the Pharisees was by what doctrine they confessed with their mouths. And the doctrine they confessed with their mouths was the doctrine they believed in their hearts. What was the doctrine that the Pharisees confessed and taught? Luke 18:9 gives us the very heart of Pharisaism: "And He also spoke this parable to some of those relying on themselves, that they are righteous, and despising the rest." Here is Pharisaism in all its wickedness. First, the Pharisees "relied on themselves, that they are righteous." The Greek word for "relied on" also means "trusted in" or "had confidence in." They trusted in themselves - they had confidence in themselves that they were righteous. Did you get that? They trusted in themselves - they had confidence in themselves - that they were righteous.
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Re-read that sentence this way: They trusted in their views-they had utter and absolute confidence in themselves that THEY WERE RIGHT. That is the essence of a Pharisee- I AM RIGHT AND YOU ARE WRONG.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PHARISEES? WHERE DID THEY GO?

Maybe not very far. Maybe just to the end of our own noses. What do I mean by that? Lets go back to the Word of God: Exodus 20 The Ten Commandments
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And God spoke all these words:

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
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You shall have no other gods before[a] me.

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or
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female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
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You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbors house. You shall not covet your neighbors wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance19 and said to Moses, Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die. Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. Question: According to what we just read, is it a sin to commit adultery? YES. John 8 At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
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But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?
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No one, sir, she said.

Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. Go now and leave your life of sin. Question: Didnt the Law say it was a sin to commit adultery? YES Didnt the Law state that the punishment for adultery was stoning? YES Yet, here was Jesus forgiving this woman for the sin against the Law and letting her go free. Was Jesus right? Heres another: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Jesus did work on the Sabbath: Mark 2
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One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath? He answered, Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Bather the high priest, he
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entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions. Was Jesus right? We might argue: Well, thats Jesus. He said that He was the Lord of the Sabbath so if He wanted to break those laws, He could. Then he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Oh? Then explain this: The Fulfillment of the Law Matthew 5 17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said: Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Some people like to diss the Old Testament as if the One Who gave the Law is some different God than the One who came down to die for our sins. Thats a heresy called Marcionism Marcionism was an Early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year144; Marcion believed Jesus Christ was the savior sent by God and Paul of Tarsus was his
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chief apostle, but he rejected the Hebrew Bible and the God of Israel (YHWH Elohim). Marcionists believed that the wrathful Hebrew God was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament. Marcionism was denounced by its opponents as heresy, and written against, notably by Tertullian, It is a heresy to believe that the God Who appeared to the First Man and First Woman, Noah, Moses, etc was the First or Third Person of the Eternal Family of the Trinity. The Person with whom the people of the Old Testament interacted with was God the Son:

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Has anyone ever SEEN God?

Q. Has anyone ever SEEN God? Scriptures such as John 1:18, Exodus 33:20,
John 6:46 and 1John 4:12 say NO. Bible passages such as Genesis 32:30, Exodus 33:11, Isaiah 6:1 and Job 42:5 appear to say YES. Is this a contradiction in scripture?
(Submitted by: J. J. )

A. The quick answer is NO, no one has seen God (the Father) at any time and NO,
there is no contradiction of scripture. However, while no one has seen God, the Father, SEVERAL have seen God, the Son. The apparent contradiction is one brought about by a misunderstanding of the nature and person of God. The easiest route to understanding this sometimes difficult to comprehend subject is to review the scriptures below.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:1-3, NIV)

As the context shows, John is speaking of Jesus / Yashua who was with God the Father at the beginning and who, Himself, WAS God. Moses asked God to tell him His name so that he could tell the enslaved Israelites in Egypt who it was that sent him to them:
"Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO ["that" rather than "who"] I AM." ""This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob -- has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation." " (Exodus 3:13-15, NIV)

Later, when Jesus was on this earth living as a man, He told those He was speaking directly to that He was,

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indeed, the "I AM". Jesus, speaking to the religious leaders of Israel who thought highly of themselves because they had Abraham as their father, said:

"Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. 'You are not yet fifty years old,' the Jews said to him, 'and you have seen Abraham!' "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I AM!" " (John 8:56-58, NIV)

WHY did Roman soldiers fall BACKWARDS while arresting Jesus?

"When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered . . . Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" "They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." "Jesus said to them, "I am " . . . Now when He said to them, "I am," they drew back and fell to the ground." (John 18:1, 3-6, NKJV) I asked myself, and many others, what made the soldiers go BACKWARDS and fall "to the ground?" No one could answer. Then, after I bought a somewhat more expensive King James Version Bible translation, I noticed that "he" was in italics, which means that it was ADDED by the translators to make the passage more understandable! I believe such an addition OBSCURES the fact that when Jesus said "I AM" His speaking of His own name was so powerful it knocked the soldiers to the ground!! How else can this passage be explained? John 18:6 should be translated: "Jesus said to them, "I AM." . . . Now when He said to them, "I AM," they drew back and fell to the ground."

The same One who created all this for His Father through Wisdom, the Holy Spirit is the same One who came down from Heaven to save us. Read this: Matthew 1:
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But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.
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All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel[g] (which means God with us). The Name that the Word made flesh was given is Jesus, God Saves. Thats WHO Jesus is to us-the Savior. But Immanuel is WHAT Jesus is-God with us. This same God the Son is the same God who was in the Old Testament. This is the same God the Son Who with God the Holy Spirit made the miraculous happen. So this is NOT the nice God of the New Testament being sweet while the Old Man Strict God of the Old Testament has His back turned. The same God who thundered from Mount Sion is the same God who had a man pick up His bed and move it on the Sabbath: John 5:9-11 New International Version (NIV)
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At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat. But he replied, The man who made me well said to me, Pick up your mat and walk. Is the Lord Jesus Schizoid? No. He is the Master of the Law because He created it. The Law stands. You see, a JUDGE has three duties: 1) To interpret a Laws meaning 2) to judge a persons guilt or innocence under that Law 3) to apply a penalty or liberation due to that Law A Judge doesnt CHANGE the Law. Thats why Jesus said: The Judge comes to tell you what a Law means to you, whether or not you broke that Law and the application of the Law in regards to you. So, Jesus as the Righteous Judge was the One Who gave the Law to Moses:
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Jesus is the One Who interpreted, judged and applied the Law while He walked on earth. And Jesus is the One who will interpret the Law, judge the earth and apply punishment or reward at the End of Days: John 5:22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, WHAT IS THE STANDARD BY WHICH JESUS JUDGES? Rahamim . "Rahamim," in its very root, denotes the love of a mother (rehem = mother's womb). From the deep and original bond indeed the unity that links a mother to her child there springs a particular relationship to the child, a particular love. Of this love one can say that it is completely gratuitous, not merited, and that in this aspect it constitutes an interior necessity: an exigency of the heart. It is, as it were, a "feminine" variation of the masculine fidelity to self expressed by "hesed.Rahamim" generates a whole range of feelings, including goodness and tenderness, patience and understanding; that is, readiness to forgive. The Old Testament attributes to the Lord precisely these characteristics when it uses the term "rahamim" in speaking of Him. We read in Isaiah: "Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even those may forget, yet I will not forget you" (Is. 49:15). This is the standard of rightness by which Jesus, God the Son, judges us-by the Blood, Water and Womb bond He has with us as brothers and sisters of the Womb of God:
John 5: 7

For there are three that testify: 8 the[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. God has given about his Son. 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. A member of Gods Family has God the Father as a father Matthew 6:9 Pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven
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God the Holy Spirit as a Mother: Luke 7: 35 But Wisdom is justified of all her children. And God the Son as a Brother: Matthew 3: 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother Therefore, Jesus judges us by the fact that we are a part of His Family. We are judged by the standards of Gods Family-the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Thats why Jesus-the Righteous Judge said: Matthew 5: 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Those standards are FAMILY Standards! FAMILY LAW VERSUS SECULAR LAW Did you know that a husband cannot testify against his wife and a wife cannot testify against her husband? Do you know why? Because the bond of spouses gives the right of privacy. This same standard applies between Christians. We are Family. Christians may not take Christians to court unless the two stated exceptions are involved, (see the end of the sermon for the Exceptions) We are to settle our differences between God and each other. No, not each other. GOD and each other. Why? Because God is Our Family and children do not settle a serious problem without the Parents and older siblings being present. A Church Court involves the whole church in the worshipping presence of God to solve a BIG problem: Numbers 12 Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? they asked. Hasnt he also spoken through us? And the LORD heard this.
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At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you. So the three of them went out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. You notice where Moses, Aaron and Miriam went to decide their differences?-The formal Presence of God in the Tabernacle Thats what Peter did with Ananias and Sapphira:
Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wifes full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles feet. Then Peter said, Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didnt it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasnt the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God. When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land? Yes, she said, that is the price. Peter said to her, How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also. At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (Makes you wonder what would happen if the Church judged a brother or sister who had been accused of pedophilia in the Presence of the Trinity. If he or she was found guilty would they SURVIVE long enough to be arrested by the police?) It has to be a serious matter. A serious Church matter is the violation of the Law before you call in the Church: So it is not whether you get along or whether you
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hate the way someone combs his or her hair of chews their food. As Saint Augustine of Hippo liked to say:
In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

The problem is that Christians dont grasp three things that Jesus as Judge teaches us: ONE: We are in Gods Family through the Mercy of Adoption. We got in here by the KINDNESS of God, not our own worth or merit. After all the family chooses the child to adopt, not the other way around. TWO: We remain in Gods Family through the Practice of Mercy: THREE: Whosever does walks in the way of Mercy is a member of Gods Family. Whosoever does not is NOT a child of God. Jesus made this abundantly clear: If you have mercy for your brethren, you are a Child of God and a member of Gods Family. If you do not, youre a wolf in sheeps clothing, a tare in the wheat field and a thorn on the Heart of Jesus Himself. THAT IS WHY THE PHARISEES WERE CONDEMNED FOR THEIR SONSHIP John 8 We are not illegitimate children, they protested. The only Father we have is God himself. Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. Jesus was basically saying, You are liars when you say you are children of Abraham because if it were true you would be my brothers and sisters. Family loves each other. Period. You dont love Me so you arent any kin to Me! The Pharisees didnt get it. They measured their connection to God by how well they followed the rules. That would have been fine if it stopped there. But they set themselves up as the family Court and demanded that judgment be passed on other
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family members as they saw fit-OUTSIDE OF THE WOMB COMPASSION OF GOD. In other words, they demanded that God treat THEM like children while God treated everyone else like red headed stepchildren. Thats why they wanted Jesus to STONE that girl to death while they got their feelings hurt when Jesus called them white washed tombs. Oh so you want the Judge to KILL someone in the family, but you want that same Judge to overlook any problems you might have? Hmmm, how does that work? ARE WE MUCH BETTER THAN THE PHARISEES? I dont think so, not in many ways. It is easy for us to look at the Pharisees in the Bible and criticize them as being judgmental, narrow, cruel and petty. But are WE so sure were better? Let me repeat the vision that started this fellowship: I was sitting in my room at Bethel House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1977 when I saw a clear vision of a beautiful Woman who was as tall as the ceiling. She had a mantle made of reddish colored, glowing cloth. Under the mantle were countless faces of people of all shapes and colors along with wounded dogs, cats, birds, even rodents and some wilder animals. As I watched I heard a voice say: These are the ones I am giving to you. These are the ones you are to protect, guide and shepherd; the lost ones, the rejected, the unwanted. These are your flock. I am giving them to you to take care of for Me. Some people have taken offense at this. I know one woman who walked out of church back when we were still meeting at our trailer, (Resurrection House), because she didnt like the idea that we were associated with losers like drug addicts and alcoholics. As she put it, I am NOT one of those people. I am better than that. I dont want people to think I have a problem like that. The irony of it was that she was in a relationship with a cocaine addict and dealer whom she chose over her own kids. But SHE didnt have a problem. Oh no. This is a RECOVERY Church. Everyone in this church is in recovery from some addiction that they struggled with at one time. Mine was sexual addiction. Ill admit it. Not proud of it. But it is what it is. Oh well. I HAVE to stick close to God because if I didnt I would end up right back in the sin gutter where I was before. If
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we keep our problems in mind and hold God in our hearts we are less likely to end up being Christian Pharisees. How does that happen? 1. THE PHARISEES PRIDED THEMSELVES ON BEING RIGHT And they were! Adultery is a sin. Refusing to observe the Sabbath is a sin. We might say, Oh, thats Old Testament stuff. But Jesus IS the God of the Old Testament and the Bible says: Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. This same Jesus said: So, you cant just toss that Law out of the window and say it doesnt matter because were under Grace. Grace simply means that we have been favored with adoption into the Family of God. That doesnt give us license to act badly. It means we have a greater responsibility to be MERCIFUL as our Father in Heaven is merciful. If anything, we should run to Church every week because Family hangs together. Thats as much New Testament as it is Old Testament Hebrews 10: 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. So the Pharisees were right to state that the Sabbath was sacred. And for Christians it is the first day of the week starting at night fall: Acts 20:7 And on the first day of the week, when we had come together for the
holy meal, Paul gave them a talk,

But Jesus as the Judge had the right to apply the Law on behalf of Mercy. YES it is the Sabbath but it is MERCY to heal on that day.

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The Pharisees were right to say adultery was wrong. But Jesus as the Judge had the authority to apply the Law in mercy and say, Guilty but free to avoid this sin in the future. Thats MERCY. The same MERCY that made Jesus pull us out of our mess and adopt us is the same MERCY that keeps us from falling back into the cesspool we all were in at one time. That is the same MERCY that will keep us sober and whole in the future. BUT we have to choose whether we are going to walk under the RIGHTNESS of the Law applied in full, ruthless measure or walk in the MERCY of a Family who loves us no matter what and corrects REAL sin with REAL healing, recovery and love. 2. THE PHARISEES DEMANDED RIGHTNESS AND MERCY-FOR THEMSELVES The Festival of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, centers on begging God for the forgiveness of sins:
A holy day observed on the tenth day of Tishri and marked by fasting and prayer for the atonement of sins. Also called Day of Atonement.

Goat for the Lord as Sin-Offering for Kohanim The Kohen Gadol went to the eastern end of the Israelite courtyard near the Nikanor Gate, laid his hands (semikha) on the goat for the Lord, and pronounced confession on behalf of the Kohanim (priests). The people prostrated themselves when he pronounced the Tetragrammaton. He then slaughtered the goat, and received its blood in another bowl.

Sprinkling of Goats Blood in the Holy of Holies The Kohen Gadol took the bowl with the goats blood and entered the Kadosh Hakadashim, the Temples Holy of Holies again. He sprinkled the goats blood with his finger eight times the same way he had sprinkled the bulls blood. The blood was sprinkled before the Ark in the days of the First Temple, where it would have been in the days of the Second Temple. The Kohen Gadol then left the Kadosh Hakadashim, putting the bowl on a stand in front of the Parochet (curtain separating the Holy from the Holy of Holies).

Sprinkling of blood in the Holy Standing in the Hekhal (Holy), on the other side of the Parochet from the Holy of Holies, the Kohen Gadol took the bull's blood from the stand and sprinkled it with his finger eight times in the direction of the Parochet. He then took the bowl with the goat's blood and sprinkled it eight times in the same manner, putting it back on the stand. 22

Smearing of blood on the Golden (Incense) Altar The Kohen Gadol removed the goats blood from the stand and mixed it with the bull's blood. Starting at the northeast corner, he then smeared the mixture of blood on each of the four corners of the Golden (Incense) altar in the Haichal. He then sprinkled the blood eight times on the altar.

Goat for Azazel The Kohen Gadol left the Haichal and walked to the east side of the Azarah (Israelite courtyard). Near the Nikanor Gate, he leaned his hands (Semikha) on the goat for Azazel and confessed the sins of the entire people of Israel. The people prostrated themselves when he pronounced the Tetragrammaton. While he made a general confession, individuals in the crowd at the Temple would confess privately. The Kohen Gadol then sent the goat off to the wilderness. In practice, to prevent its return to human habitation, the goat was led to a cliff outside Jerusalem and pushed off its edge.

Preparation of sacrificial animals While the goat for Azazel was being led to the cliff, the Kohen Gadol removed the insides of the bull, and intertwined the bodies of the bull and goat. Other people took the bodies to the Beit HaDeshen (place of the ashes). They were burned there after it was confirmed that the goat for Azazel had reached the wilderness.

Jesus is OUR Yom Kippur when we come to Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. When we consume the Lamb of God we are calling down the Mercy of God upon us with the torn Body of Christ and the Shed Blood of Jesus. BUT---WE CANNOT BE RIGHT AND HAVE MERCY TOO Listen to me because I have a revelation from God on this! THE STANDARD OF CONDUCT, LOVE, HONOR AND RIGHTNESS THAT YOU AND I HAVE FOR OTHERS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WILL GET FROM GOD. NO MORE. NO LESS. The Pharisees called down the Mercy of God when they sacrificed the Scapegoat and sprinkled that blood on everyone. But then they turned around and applied the penalty of the Law against blasphemy to Jesus.

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It was bad enough that they refused MERCY to someone under penalty of death; Someone who had only done good and not evil. God gave them a second chance to choose Mercy when they were offered a choice between Jesus and Barabbas: Matthew 27:15-26 Today's New International Version (TNIV) Now it was the governors custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus[a] Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah? 18 For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
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Which of the two do you want me to release to you? asked the governor.

Barabbas, they answered.

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What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah? Pilate asked.

They all answered, Crucify him!

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Why? What crime has he committed? asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, Crucify him! When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. I am innocent of this mans blood, he said. It is your responsibility!
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All the people answered, His blood is on us and on our children!

Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. But they insisted on killing the Lord. Did they have a right to ask for the Death Penalty for Someone whom they considered a false prophet? Yes. But even without the fact that Jesus was innocent, the trial was rigged, etc-THEY WHO
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ASKED MERCY EVERY YEAR FOR THEIR SINS COULD HAVE GIVEN MERCY TO SOMEONE WHO HEALED AND HELPED OTHERS. Instead they insisted on being right and sent Jesus to die the most horrible kind of death ever invented. The minute they did that the MEASURE of Mercy God had for them and the people-the blue collars who were the Pharisees, the priesthood of the Temple, the liberal Teachers of the Law, the fake king of the Jews and the others who colluded in the death of the Messiah shrunk to nothing. THE MEASUREMENT OF JUDGMENT ON THE JEWS Forty years later, the number of judgment in the Bible, in AD 70-the number of destruction and final judgment came on the Jewish people. Their Temple was destroyed, their leaders murdered and their people scattered. Why did God send such judgment to His own people? Why did God cut them off even as they were begging God for mercy? Because they gave NO MERCY to the Son of God. So when they needed Mercy they got none. In other words, they decided how mercy THEY got by how much Mercy they GAVE. Jesus, one of their family got no Mercy. He was flayed and crucified. He was rejected and tortured to death. His Blood was made to run like water. So God allowed them the SAME AMOUNT OF MERCY-None! WHAT IS OUR MEASURE OF MERCY? Do you want to know how large our measure of Mercy is? Look at how right you think you are. The more you think, act, and speak on YOUR rightness, the smaller your measure of mercy is before God. In fact, here is a rule one of the saints had: For every time you condemn, flay, hurt or harm someone by a lack of Mercy it will return to you FOUR times over. Why four? Because every finger we point at someone in condemnation makes four fingers pointing back at us! Are we ready to be judged FOUR FOLD??????

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THE FOUR FOLD JUDGMENT OF GOD

Ezekiel 5:16-17: When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread: So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it. 1. 2. 3. 4. Famine rampant starvation, difficulty in acquiring food Evil beasts wild animals eating people Pestilence disease The sword or war

I saw this happen once to a woman I knew who the most critical person least merciful I knew was. She was constantly giving her spiritual opinion on people and telling everyone how she knew so and so was in spiritual sin and such and such were just not right. I hated being around her because she was always tearing people down. (I used to call her Cloudy Day). I told her that her mouth was going to bring down something she didnt like if she didnt judge people less harshly. She told me that I was just too soft hearted and God had told her to speak the truth in love. She told everyone how a mutual friend of ours was lazy because she wouldnt work a secular job in union with her ministry. I said that she was in her 60s and not well so who was going to hire her? She can always clean toilets, she said. Not too long after that she lost her job and had to apply for food stamps. Oddly enough they kept denying her, even though she had friends in that department. The paperwork kept getting lost. She went on to tell everyone how her old boyfriend ended up cheating on her with her old friend. She was pissed about it so she spread her reputation as a slut everywhere she could. A few months later an old boyfriend came back into her life and started stalking her. She was harassed everywhere she went for weeks at a time. And when they caught one, another would take up stalking her too.
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Then she boasted about how God had given her perfect health because of her faith. A week later she had Tic Delarue, one of the most painful facial diseases you can ever have. They had to cut the nerves in her face to make it stop, which caused her mouth to droop. Finally she started going on about how people should avoid ministering to the unwanted. I asked her what she meant and she told me that it was wrong for me to take care of my niece when my sister dropped the ball. I asked why and she said, Well you are just making her dependent on you. You should let her make her own mistakes. What about the child in the situation? She could die. She shrugged and said, Maybe thats the only way shell learn. Isnt that worth the death of your niece? One year later her son who had lost his mind ran away from home completely and later died. I liked this woman, believe it or not. I used to hold her while she sobbed over her pain and I would beg God to deliver her from these problems and hurts. But God later showed me that He was helpless in this situation. GOD HELPLESS???? Jesus said to me, My daughter and Lady, when I say something is so, it is so. A person who screams for Mercy gets only as much as they give to others. If you give a spoonful of mercy to others I must use that same spoon to measure back to you. Some people have gallons of mercy. Some have a thimble full. How can I give more if you give less? But Lord, I said, Your Word says that Your Mercy endures forever and Your Anger lasts but a moment. Yes, BUT HOW CAN I GIVE YOU MERCY THAT ENDURES FOREVER WHEN YOUR ANGER LASTS FOR A LIFETIME? I have never forgotten that. MERCY DEPENDS ON US If WE are gentle, kind and forbearing, then God will give us the same back 100fold. If WE are cruel, judgmental, and harsh and mean, then God will give us the same back four fold.
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Its up to us. WHAT IS YOUR DEBT LOAD BEFORE GOD? You see, if you give alms and tithes, take Communion and do your best to be kind, you will get back a decent harvest, even if you are a bit mean-as long as you dont get self righteous about it. But the minute you start thinking and feeling youre all that, youre done as far as God is concerned because thats pride and GOD HATES PRIDE. GOD PUNISHES PRIDE. HOW DO WE KNOW? Take a spiritual audit. Let me say this because I do this all the time. Whenever I hear about taking an audit, especially on Pride, I am always tempted to analyze everyone else in that area. I start thinking about how awful so and so is and how they should do this and get better. WHAT A JOKE! Every time I do that I hear this Gospel song playing in my head: Chorus: It's me, it's me, oh Lord Standing in the need of prayer; It's me, it's me, oh Lord Standing in the need of prayer. Not my mother, not my father But it's me, oh Lord Not my brother, not my sister But it's me, oh Lord Not my elder, not my preacher But it's me, oh Lord Not my woman, not a sinner man But it's me, oh Lord Standing in the need of prayer.
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One way is to play back all the things you said, thought or did each day. Thats called an examination of conscience. You should look carefully at what ran through your head, rolled off your tongue or controlled your body. THINK of what you said, did or thought and then ask God to show you how YOU would have felt if what you said, thought or did to someone else had been said, thought or done to you. How would that have made you feel or act? Good or bad? No More Butts If God shows you that you screwed up, do NOT say, Oh I admit I did that and so BUT___________ Do not go there. I can tell you from sad experience that the minute you start making excuses for the mean things you said, thought or did, you have just cancelled the forgiveness you were about to get from God. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR CRUELTY. You can snap when youre tired. You can scream when youre in pain. Self control would be nice, but distress and pain makes fools of us all. But there is NO excuse for being deliberately mean. BUT she started it! BUT he said- BUT we were here first. These are all ways of saying the same thing; IM RIGHT. IM RIGHT. IM RIGHT. (And youre wrong, dang it!!!) And you can then choose to be RIGHT or to have MERCY. You cant have both. My poor friend with the dead son, the messed up face, the stalking boyfriend and the lay off was RIGHT-in some ways. At least she thought she was. Mercy to her meant running people down and then tossing in a quick prayer for their sins out loud for everyone to hear. It didnt fool God. As he once said to me, Get off your butts before I kick it.
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CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL AND GREAT FOR MERCY Tonight before you go to bed, do an examination of conscience. The best one I can think of was taught to me by Father Faricy, (irony huh?) He said to take 1 Corinthians 13 and ask myself if the words, thoughts and actions I had done that day reflected Love or Self. He did it this way: Read the verse and then ask yourself, were my words, actions and thoughts kind, patient, etc. If you were 100% Merciful that day, thank God for giving you the Grace of His Presence and Power to be merciful. If not, then ask His forgiveness and be better tomorrow. Dont leave it to chance either. PLAN how you are going to do better. Choose what you are going to say and do when certain things come up. Dont leave it to chance. Remember: MERCY IS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO ARE MERCIFUL DONT FIGHT TO BE RIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT THINGS-love, family, honor, hope and faith. If you find yourself getting angry-SHUT UP FIRST and SPEAK LATER. Look at your actions, words and thoughts Ask yourself-Is THIS what I others to do to me? Ask GOD-Is this what I want from YOU? MOST OF ALL REMEMBER THE FAMILY MOTTO For Your Mercy Endures Forever If you are in the Family of God speak Mercy as your native tongue to be answered Mercy is essential if we are ever going to please God. And pleasing God is ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE. Mercy from God is not based on Seed Time its based on NEED time. You need Mercy when you are in trouble. Its like your emergency fund in Gods bank. You dont want to run to the bank
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and find out you got buckus in the Mercy column because you blew it all years ago. God said to me, Mercy meets you when you come on the wings of love. Otherwise you will run to the Hills from whence comes My help and find bears waiting for you. Remember the Pharisee! He boasted about being RIGHT on his behavior, his giving and everything he did. He pointed a finger at the Publican and sneered at his supposed behavior, (how did HE know what this guy did???) in front of God. Did HE get mercy when the Romans burned down Jerusalem or some other disaster hit him in life? I hope so. MERCY IS ALWAYS IN STYLE I am not saying that people shouldnt get consequences for their actions. Thats what the Law is all about. But outside of children or violence, where Jesus says all bets are off, we need to tread carefully when it comes to rushing in to scream our Rightness to someone elses wrongness. Be Careful God is Listening. God is Keeping Track God Does Not Like Ugly I was reminded by God about my parents. Here is my mother, a serious minded, loving Christian since the age of nine whose last words I heard before she died was, For the Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness. She tithed every Sunday, loved her husband, raised her kids, was honest about her faults and cared for children no one else would touch. But when she died she spent five years in Purgatory dealing with her mouth before the justice of God. Yet my heathen father who was a nominal Baptist and barely darkened a church door got a year in Purgatory after death healing from his hurts and learning more about God. More like a time out with cookies and milk as opposed to an intense cleansing.

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Dad got a slap on the wrist on to speak because he was a walking poster for tolerance, kindness and generosity. In other words, he was Merciful. So God cut him a lot of Mercy when he needed it the most-at death. I very seldom heard Dad rag on anyone. He never scolded you in public, got loud or sarcastic or made you feel small. It was always controlled and calm. The one time he hit me was on the knuckles with a wooden spoon and he practically begged my forgiveness on his knees for that. It happened when he had been drinking and I think thats one of the reasons why he stopped. Now if a person who barely knew anything about Christ and the Cross could be that decent and Merciful. WHAT DO YOU THINK GOD WANTS FROM US? THE WARNING IS ALL ABOUT MERCY I truly believe that God is going to send the Church a warning to help us get on the path of Mercy before He sends judgment. God is going to part these skies like a curtain and show us all individually at the same time just what our words, thoughts and actions have been when judged in the light of Gods Mercy. I think He has to do that because we are so lost in our own sense of rightness that we cant even recognize that we NEED mercy any more. WE ALL KNOW WERE RIGHT. Oh yeah we say Im not perfect or I know I make mistakes but theres always that hidden, barely breathed BUT behind it all that excuses us from any real examination of conscience. How many times have I listened to people tell me, Im not perfect BUT or Not to be rude BUT or I know I should have done better BUT? How many times have I done the same myself? AND IT DISPLEASES GOD! IT HURTS GOD! IT ANGERS THE ONE PERSON WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO HURT OR DISPLEASE! I cannot tell each one of you how to face this challenge of Mercy in your lives. I dont have the authority to do so. Only God the Son who created you, redeemed you and made you a child of the Family of God through the Holy Spirit can help you truly examine yourself in terms of Mercy. But I urge you to do so. Otherwise the Warning will catch you off guard and devastate you. I do not look forward to it. My only consolation is that when we all get this correction from a just and loving God we will have solved the problems of Unity, Peace, Charity and Trust for everyone. We will not have to argue about petty things or divide over doctrine or quarrel between ourselves.
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Well know. God help us all. But we will know. BT+ PS: I always had two questions for God on this subject: 1) How then do we correct someone who is doing wrong? The Lord always laughs and says: Why do you want to know how YOU can correct someone? Are you so holy as to be someones corrector? Think on that first and then: a) Be certain that this is a matter that needs correction. If it is just something that annoys you, be long suffering and be quiet. b) If this is a sin, then do what John says and PRAY for your brother or sister. c) If this sin involves violence, scandal or the family, then do as I commanded and go in private first, then take a witness, then go with another witness and then the whole Church. But whatever you do, do it the way YOU want to be corrected and CORRECT YOURSELF FIRST. 2) When must we seek correction? In cases when the family or a child is in danger: But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or an abusive person, or a drunkard, or an extortioner. Don't even eat with such a person (if they refuse correction) Adultery and sexual abuse falls under those categories.

BT+

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