General Articles

Hebrews Lesson 53: Conduct as God’s Children :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR10

Chapter 13: 7-17

7 “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.

12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Over the past few weeks, we have talked about brotherly love and how important it is to live a moral life before the Lord. We have also looked at the wonder of a godly marriage; God designed marriage to be the backbone, the very foundation of a society. Without strong, godly marriage, a society will fall apart, and we see that today. The attacks on marriage, from the welfare system to the homosexual movement and other movements, have chipped away for 50+ years on marriage.

Over the past few weeks, we have looked at the moral conduct that a child of God should show as we live daily before the Lord’s churches and the world around us. These codes of conduct help us to live lives pleasing to the Lord and open the door for others to see how we live and want to know about the God we serve. But there is another side to how we live n Jesus; it is the side in the Lord’s churches. All too often, we make out the spiritual life to be all fluffy and, frankly, almost impossible to live. On the other hand, some of our churches are filled with division and competition. Some people make it sound like they own the local church and they are there to make sure it runs the way they want it to; this should not be the case.

  • Good Pastors offer good Leadership, verses 7, 17

If you are in a church with a good pastor — one who loves the Lord, puts in the work of studying and researching, one who teaches well, one who serves the people and is in love with them, you are blessed. There are many churches in the world without pastors and many more with lazy, undisciplined men who are in it for the money, the fame, and the prestige. Most of them are not truly called by God. They gave themselves the position or got it from dad.

If the Lord has blessed you with a good pastor, follow him as he follows Jesus. Pastors have a hard enough life living in a fish bowl, along with their kids and wives. They do not need to be in a combative situation every time they come to church. This is not to say that he, the pastor, is the head of a local church; Jesus is. This is not to say that he is always right; and when he is wrong, a good pastor will admit it and try to be better. This is not to say that his opinion is all that counts; rather, he should be given the benefit of the doubt. Your pastor spends more time thinking about and planning the things that he feels God is leading him into, along with the church he serves. Give him some leeway; trust him even if it is not something you’ve done before.

  • Good Pastors Watch out for you Souls, verse 17

A good pastor can see that you are heading into danger, and he prays for you, seeks the Lord for you, and under much duress, approaches you to tell you that you are doing something wrong. This is all having the pressure of worrying about if you leave because he has done what he was supposed to. Have you ever been in church and the pastor preaches about something you are doing, but you have never told anyone? God knows, but you get mad at the pastor and quit going to church. I have had this happen to me; the person asked me how I knew about something, and I did not even know as they were speaking to me, but God did, and He sent the message.

Good pastors get to know you. They have to let their guards down and let you in, making themselves vulnerable to attacks and opening their families to a lot of hurt. But if one wants to pastor like Jesus, people must be close — and close can be dangerous. If you have a pastor that preaches the truth, speaks lovingly about right and wrong, one who seeks your best even when it might cost him, thank God for him. Thank God for his wife and kids; they are under pressure as well.

  • Good Pastors are Judged Harshly, verse 7

Consider the outcome of their conduct; it is often a no-win situation. If you say nothing, you are wrong before God, and if you do speak out, people may hate you. A good pastor needs a thick skin, as do his kids and wife. In James 3:1, we are reminded of this,

“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”

Those of us who are pastors understand that we will be held to a much more harsh and stricter judgment than the people we pastor. We have to be more disciplined and careful than they are. Once we have spent time with and seen the hand of God as we do, it is imperative that we also be more obedient. In Luke 12:48, this is a dire warning to us who have received much from the Lord,

“But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

Thank God for a good pastor. Pray for him, love him, take good care of him, and protect him and his family. Help him, serve with him, be his friend and trustworthy co-worker. Always give him the benefit of the doubt; do not entertain gossip about him or his family. And when he fails – and he will – forgive, restore and be kind. His kids and wife are watching how you deal with their husband and dad. God is watching how you deal with one of his called leaders.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

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Sweet Land of Liberty? :: By Candy Austin

Published on: by RR10

“My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim’s pride!
From every mountainside,
Let freedom ring!”

America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) Song with Lyrics:

https://youtu.be/sN2I6vdzgts

It has been and still is (for now) a privilege to live here in ‘Merica. Especially while living most of our lives growing up in the Southern part of this great country, we became accustomed to having our liberties and freedoms… or so we believed.

Mainly the idea of the ‘freedom of religion’ (to be able to practice and carry out our precious Christian faith)!

Not only that, living out in the countryside and being down here in the Bible belt, where life tends to be, may I say… ‘sweeter’ in a sense.

For example, I’ve been bashed on for living ‘out in the middle of nowhere.’ (Side note: let’s be real… what haven’t I been bashed on at this point by now). #comeswiththeterritory #identifyingwithchrist #hatedbyallmenforhisnamessake

Anyhow, believe you me, looking out my kitchen window this morning and seeing multiple red cardinals flitting to and fro among the nearby trees is something I wouldn’t trade for any day in the big ol’ nothing- burger city!

Not to mention the farm animals (cows, horses, goats, chickens, and pigs) grazing along our new fence and property line behind our house. All with a picturesque backdrop of a field of warm yellow flowers, lush green trees, bright blue sky, and white fluffy clouds to complete the jaw-droppingly gorgeous canvas!

Such a pristine and serene sight to behold straight from the windows of our house! One that will always bring a smile to our hearts! So ‘bash’ all they may… the country life is where we’ll continue to gladly and willfully stay!

#goodbyecitylife #greenacresistheplaceforme #farmlivingisalifeforme

Back to the term ‘sweeter’ in a sense… meaning more laid back, with humble surroundings and a friendlier atmosphere in comparison to the ‘stressed and frenzied vibe’ that tends to come with the territory of living in the hustle, bustle, and rushed city life and pace!

Also, being able to stay away from the big city life and the pervasive pop culture influence that usually tends to cloud the judgment and take away from trying to live a more godly, peaceful, and nobler life.

A lifestyle that makes it easier to lead one of humility, honor, and reverential service to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Case in point: Not too long ago, there was word of an employee who called out during a crucial week of training. The apparent reason was that his girlfriend was ‘severely traumatized’ due to being held up at gunpoint at a gas station in the city just the day before!

Within hours, said employee called back and stated that he was now leaving his position due to him and his girlfriend no longer wanting to live in the big city and that they were moving back to another state and smaller hometown from where they came.

Can’t say that I blame them.

It is really sad to see cities in this southern state that we have lived in for most of our lives come to this level of crime and depravity due to so many coming here from states that have been run into the ground through woke liberal policies!

To be honest, this land that we love, this country called the United States of America, is ‘largely unrecognizable’ compared to the one we grew up in just 30 to 40 years ago!

If we could go back those three or four decades and hear how things are now, we would have been shocked to hear that in the not-too-distant future, there would be something called a ‘Satan Con’ (a conference for satanists/a convention for demonic unbelievers) to mock God and Christianity by ripping up His Holy Bible while chanting evil things that I don’t care to repeat here!

Never in my lifetime would I have thought to see this kind of darkness displayed so openly!

Matthew 24:37 “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

We are truly in the days of Noah and Lot!

How about this? We would have also been mortified upon hearing that pedophilia would be pushed in hopes of conditioning and normalizing future generations to this disgusting practice by having Drag Queens come to libraries across the country and read books to children, among other debased acts, ideologies, and practices!

Not to mention, our towns and cities becoming like something out of Sodom and Gomorrah with all the immoral and ungodly filth that is proudly displayed in the ‘affront to Almighty God parades’ while shoving it all down our collective throats as well!

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Basically, there are principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places that have been working relentlessly and for numerous decades now to systematically tear down and dismantle our political and religious freedoms.

Especially the freedom of practicing our Judeo-Christian American way of life that we have been fortunate to have freely carried out up until recent years! #censoringfreedomofspeech #truthisthenewhatespeech #foolsdespisewisdom

After all, one may say, “Let us not forget that this country was once one Nation under God”… or was it?

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Somehow, in light of all that has been happening in recent years, it ultimately begs the question… “What ‘god’ were they really talking about?” #thegodofthisworld #littleggod

For most of us, we thought it was the God of the Bible, who is the One True and Living Creator God of the Universe, who is none other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

Matthew 22:31-33 “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.”

With hindsight being 20/20 and the rose-colored glasses that have pretty much been smacked off by now, one can’t help but discern that, in reality, we are all just being deceived!

What with the rigged ‘selections,’ ahem… I mean ‘elections’ to the systematic indoctrination of our children in the public school system (from rank evolution to gender ideologies to critical race theory to ungodly versions of sex, politics, and religion)!

All of which is obviously designed to brainwash, put into derision, program, and deceive the masses into becoming anti-American, anti-God, and anti-Freedom!

Basically, to become Communists, more or less!

Go ahead, do a deep dive into the rabbit hole on the true meaning behind the Statue of Liberty and its occult symbolism. See what he, ahem… or do I mean what she represents! #androgeny #baphomet #genderfluid

While you’re at it, dig into the real meaning behind all our National Monuments and the occultism tied and connected to them as well! Like I said before, the rabbit hole runs deep on all the secrets that have been kept from us on the true history of things in this world. Not to mention all the overt lies we have been told about this country we live in as well. This is sad yet true.

Are we really free?

Seeing how there are tons of surveillance cameras spying on us literally everywhere now (like in China), to our home phones and household devices listening in, recording, and videotaping us 24/7.

Let alone the top-down tier of the monopoly on world banks and finances, to multiple, if not all, products and name brands, which are being monopolized and more and more controlled by the same source, company, producer, and provider. All of which means that we are really just given (the illusion of choice).

The illusion that our voice and vote really matters or counts. The illusion that certain name brands or food choices are from different competitors when in reality, they all come from the same manufacturer! The illusion that we have some sort of choice and/or control when, in fact, we are just ‘another cog in the proverbial wheel of conformity’!

A CALL FOR AN UPRISING

(How They Condition Us Through the Television):

https://youtu.be/IfKiqL5m9r4

As well as the nonstop predictive programming, the brainwashing, the stereotyping, the ‘monkey see-monkey do’ mentality, the ongoing traditions of men, and the cookie-cutter following of each other.

In addition to the mindless zombies (frankly, most people in the world) who are also on autopilot, and that way of life just seems to continue on generation after generation. Unfortunately, only a few will truly be able to break out of this persistent mind control!

This ‘unpleasant reality and stark information’ may be nothing new to some, but to others who may still be asleep and who are mindlessly on autopilot, this piece may somehow help to wake them up!

Bottom line, this so-called “Sweet Land of Liberty” that we live in has obviously been morphing and changing for many years now.

Depending on how far one goes and digs down the rabbit hole… it may never have been the country that we were led to believe it was to begin with anyway!

Hebrews 11:16 “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

All I know is that for the true believer, we know that this world is not our home, and we are always looking forward to a better country… a Heavenly one!

A country that we are currently citizens and ambassadors of, but are for the time being having to patiently and eagerly await our glorious entrance into!

Malachi 4:2 “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”

Just like calves let out of the stall, I imagine that we will run into this unspeakably beautiful place leaping, laughing, hugging, crying, singing, and embracing each other!

1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

All while finally in our glorified bodies and actually in this ‘beyond description’ place that we know is ‘our true home’ with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

#cannotwaittogohome

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Hebrews 13:14 “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”

Until next time… Maranatha!

Sincerely & In Christ,

Candy Austin

(I have no Accolades….
I am just a Nobody,
Trying to tell everybody,
All about Somebody,
Who can save Anybody!)

https://youtu.be/_wCTQdmXkUg

My Mission is to be ‘Salt and Light’ to a Lost and Dying world,
To be an Ambassador for Jesus Christ.
All for Him and His Glory!