The Starting Point is Key To Understanding The Difference Between The True Reformed Christian, and The "Religious Christian"

Where we start is very important, and so you are not surprised I will tell you know that the Majority of "Reformed" Christian Churches are not Reformed, nor is the Pastor Preaching a Reformed (True Biblical Understanding) Sermon.

WE have traveled Coast to Coast, and sampled plenty of Churches, though Mostly PCA, and OPC, and have had to walk out on the vast majority of Sermons, to our Surprise only in a very few were we not the Only ones leaving.

In a PCA Church in Plano Texas as we walked out the Husband of the Couple in front of us walking out said, "That guy was full of $***", His Wife tried to apologize but I said to Her, "Your Husband is right!"

Mr 8:15 And He was giving orders to them, saying, "Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

16 They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.

17 And Jesus, aware of this, *said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?

18 "HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember,

Mt 13:14 "In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'

If Jesus cautions us about having ears and not hearing, and eyes and not seeing, why aren't we walking out more?

But how do we know we are not in a Reformed Church when the Denomination claims they are?

First: When did you accept Jesus?

Believe it or not this is one of the keys to knowing that the questioner is NOT Reformed as a truly Reformed person would by the Grace of GOD instinctively ask

When did the LORD Open your eyes?

Second: When Did You Find Christ?

Christ was NEVER Lost so HE never needed to be found, but we indeed were lost and we need to be (awakened) Found.

Third: I think this is HUGE, as I don't think most "Reformed" Pastors believe we start out Dead In Our Trespass and Sins, So There Starting point is already defective,

It is True, I had a "Reformed" Seminary Professor "scold" me saying "You have a Habit of telling us we are all no Good" Well to my Young Professor, it is TRUE We are NO GOOD, and Jesus says it!!

MORE TO Follow

Important Keys To Knowing You Are Not In A Reformed Church, Even Though They And The Denomination Claim To Be?

Look & Listen To Who Is The Seeker, If It Is Us They Are NOT Reformed, If It Is Christ Seeking Us They Are

Example From a PCA Church in NW New Jersey “OVERWHELMED BY THE GIFT OF SALVATION WE HAVE FOUND IN JESUS”

What do you read, who is seeking who here?

Yes This We have Found Jesus, and yes this maybe capturing the "Reformed Church" but it IS False Doctrine, As from Genesis 3 on it is clear we run from GOD and HE Alone Seeks US

"Redeemer exists to exalt and enjoy Jesus Christ "

More examples to follow

Reading of

The 95 Theses nailed to the Door of Wittenberg Castle on this 498 Anniversary

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Never meant to cause a schism, but a dialog, it ended up causing the former.

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther

on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences

by Dr. Martin Luther (1517)

Published in:

Works of Martin Luther:

Adolph Spaeth, L.D. Reed, Henry Eyster Jacobs, et Al., Trans. & Eds.

(Philadelphia: A. J. Holman Company, 1915), Vol.1, pp. 29-38

_______________

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.

6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.

7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.

8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.

9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.

10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.

11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept.

12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.

13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.

14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.

15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.

16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.

17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase.

18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love.

19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it.

20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties" the pope means not actually "of all," but only of those imposed by himself.

21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved;

22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.

23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.

24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding promise of release from penalty.

25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.

26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but by way of intercession.

27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].

28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.

29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.

30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.

31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare.

32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon.

33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;

34. For these "graces of pardon" concern only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.

35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessionalia.

36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.

37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.

38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way to be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of divine remission.

39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.

40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them].

41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good works of love.

42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.

43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;

44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty.

45. 45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.

46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.

47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a matter of free will, and not of commandment.

48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring.

49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.

50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.

51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.

52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were to stake his soul upon it.

53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that pardons may be preached in others.

54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.

55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.

56. The "treasures of the Church," out of which the pope. grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among the people of Christ.

57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident, for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily, but only gather them.

58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even without the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.

59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.

60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given by Christ's merit, are that treasure;

61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.

62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.

63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last.

64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.

65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.

66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men.

67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the "greatest graces" are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote gain.

68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.

69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of apostolic pardons, with all reverence.

70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own dreams instead of the commission of the pope.

71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him be anathema and accursed!

72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardon-preachers, let him be blessed!

73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.

74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love and truth.

75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God -- this is madness.

76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is concerned.

77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter and against the pope.

78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians xii.

79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.

80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.

81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.

82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."

83. Again: -- "Why are mortuary and anniversary masses for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"

84. Again: -- "What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious and beloved soul's own need, free it for pure love's sake?"

85. Again: -- "Why are the penitential canons long since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive and in force?"

86. Again: -- "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?"

87. Again: -- "What is it that the pope remits, and what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?"

88. Again: -- "What greater blessing could come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and participations?"

89. "Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"

90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy.

91. If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved; nay, they would not exist.

92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace!

93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross!

94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell;

95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.

Author Dr. Martin Luther

Wittenberg, Germany 1517

If We Believe We Were Dead In Our Trespass And Sins And We Should, Why Don’t We Preach It?

**** Please take the time to read this lesson, as it is one of the most important explanations of the Gospel that I have posted to date****

I have preached on this subject but this is my first posting on this truth of the Gospel and will possibly challenge the way you listen to a message again, and yes I really mean it really will challenge what you are listening to each week as the overwhelming majority is Religion and NOT the Gospel, in fact it is far from the Gospel.

I was walking through the channels on TV early one Sunday Morning and stopped to listen to the Reverend Joel Osteen talk on 2Ki 5:9 ¶ So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha.

10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean."

11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.'

For the record Pastor Osteen interprets the passage like 90% of today’s Speakers, as He tells the 17,000 plus in his audience, “Elisha told him to do such a small task to have his Leprosy cured, and he was so angry, yet His servant convinced him to try it and Naaman was cured”, Pastor Osteen’s take “I have seen how the LORD Bless even small obedience in big ways”

Be honest this is what you hear each week, and especially in the third point of the typical 3 point sermons that are Religious and as we will see THIS IS NOT THE GOSPEL!!!

We will notice that our starting point is where the trouble really begins as the Church and Synagogue really don’t believe we are dead in our trespass and sins and really don’t believe Romans 3:10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

They simply don’t believe nor preach John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

In ourselves We are condemned to Hell as we ALL fully deserve, after all that is what Total Depravity really means, and That the LORD has to Choose us PERIOD, and has had to seek us out from the very beginning of Time(see Genesis 3)!

As with all of our lessons, I would ask you read the two passages at the bottom of the lesson as the really give you the context our lesson is based on, you can also go to the Web Page It’s All About Jesus

https://sites.google.com/view/itsallaboutjesus-paulwallace

So let’s explore in this lesson and our next why it doesn’t matter whether we obey or not as we are incapable of obeying, so it matter after we are awaken from the dead how the LORD brings us to obey.

That subtle difference is the huge difference between the teaching of the Pharisees and the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

So let’s look at;

1 Are We Dead Or Not?

2 Can A Dead Person Make A Decision For Christ?

3 Jesus NEVER Waivers On Who Chooses Whom

1 Are We Dead Or Not?

Well are we or not, the very fact is we are!!!!!

Almost all of us have been to a viewing of a friend or loved one at the local Funeral home, and the picture of the deceased must be fully ingrained in our mind as this IS our true starting point.

It is sad that his lesson has to be written, but indeed the starting point of the religious Church and Synagogue is that we actually have a chance in our salvation.

Now be honest, how many times have you heard the following;

“When did you make a decision for Christ?”

“I came to Christ”

or “I came to the LORD”

We also need to be honest and say, yes each week in the third point the Pastor or Rabi hammers on how we must change, and if only we Prayed more, or read the Bible and Tora more or Love of Enemies and Friends more”

If these are the lessons we are being taught weekly and we all know it is, it actually presumes we are not dead, but actually have a choice.

As I say in each lesson, DON’T Believe me, search the Bible to see if this is so!

So let’s for a second check our spiritual pulse, pre regeneration, if we have really read the scripture it would indeed declare us dead, and incapable of changing on our own.

What do we notice by the Grace of GOD as we stroll a bit from the very beginning of the Bible?

We see the LORD Seeking us in the Garden of Eden, post Sin.

We See the LORD giving Abel the Heart to Serve the LORD, and allowing Cain the Natural Heart of Stone,

We See the LORD Choose Noah, and Declares Him Righteous, even though Noah has a drinking problem,

We See the LORD Choose Abram, a person given to lying and then blesses Him,

Jacob and Esau, and yes you have heard it preached on what Jacob chose to do, but that is against the narrative as both equally deserve Damnation and the LORD chooses to give Mercy to undeserving Jacob, and rightly as HE should to us ALL to Esau by damning him.

I could go on, but let’s jump to Moses, who the LORD again comes to.

David the Rapist, Murderer to whom the LORD Grants the Heart to love the LORD.

We could fill this page and you know we could, but these examples should clearly show us, if of course our eyes are opened by Grace, that the LORD doesn’t save saints (There are no saints), but we sinners.

The LORD alone opens our dead eyes and can only alone regenerate us.

This also brings us to the second part of our lesson, and this will get you to possibly walk out on your speaker every week.

2 Can A Dead Person Make A Decision For Christ?

This will be our longest point, it will be blunt and to the point so please follow, and again, DON’T believe me, believe the WORD of Our LORD, and the Salvation in Jesus Christ ALONE.

So when I ask this question is not a joke, and yet this understanding of the salvation path has become so confused that the majority opinion is that we must choose the LORD as if we are alive in the first place.

So let us honestly flesh this out as it is the major problem the Church and Synagogue previous face, and actually where the leaven of the Pharisees sneaks in.

Thanks solely to the HOLY SPIRIT opening of our eyes, We MUST view the start of ourselves in the Salvation path as not just dead in our sins figuratively, but dead in our sins PERIOD, and FULLY.

This really means WE ARE THE CORPSE in the Casket we go to view, and when we actually have this by the Mercy of GOD alone, now firmly in place, we can really start.

Now we have this in mind correct?

How capable is the corpse to choose anything??

You really have to answer this as I am sure this is NOT Preached week to week.

Eph 2:1 ¶ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Col 2:13 ¶ When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

Of course NONE, you see we do NOT come to Jesus Christ, as Jesus Christ comes to us.

You see the proper treatment of the Nicodemus conversation with Jesus about being born again is NOT what you may have heard, as again I ask you the question and ask you to allow the HOLY SPIRIT to open your mind to facts and NOT the Fiction that you have been taught over and over, are you ready?

Did you choose to be Born in the first place?????

Honest question, and you must honestly answer it, as you see Nicodemus DID get it and answer Jesus honestly when he said

Joh 3:1 ¶ Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."

3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

4 Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"

5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

Today Pastors toss “You must be born again” as if it was possible, when in fact it is IMPOSSIBLE to be born again and Nicodemus understood this!

And yet We really must be born again, confused yet, well if you don’t believe we start out DEAD and Really Dead in our sins and deserving of Hell.

So we all firmly understand that We can’t be Born again, We can’t choose, as we are DEAD.

Look at Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

It clearly states we must be regenerated, and I will again ask, can you regenerate yourself???????

Of Course not, but you might ask but Jesus tells us we must believe in HIM, and be born again doesn’t HE?

YES HE DOES, and NO this is NOT a Confusion but a Fact, as Salivation is only possible by the Will of the FATHER alone, through the Full Purchase of Jesu Christ, and the true regeneration of our Dead souls by the HOLY SPIRIT and it is ALL a work of the LORD!

For the Record this is the proper reading of John 15, as it has NOTHING to do with our Abiding, but the Work of the Vine Dresser (The FATHER), The Vine (Jesus Christ) and the life giving sap of the Vine (The HOLY SPIRIT), as branches cannot graft themselves in, nor tend to themselves can they.

This next point is honest and yet firm, and I want you to really listen to the response of the Apostles back to Jesus

Lu 18:18 ¶ A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

19 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

Luke 18:24 And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!

25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

26 They who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"

27 But He said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God."

Is it possible for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle?

This is not a trick question but the heart of the Christian faith, and the Apostles got it, as they said what?

HOW CAN ANY OF US BE SAVED????

That is the only real reading of this passage as it cuts right to the heart, as the camel CAN’T possibly pass through the eye of a needle, pick one up and look at it, as Jesus said “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God” as our salvation can ONLY be given to us by GOD alone and is impossible for us to secure by effort.

I am licensed in the Presbyterian Church in America, and have seen in the past two years a Denomination that is on an apology tour, asking forgiveness for racism, and their treatment to women, but what is very sad is that This Denomination nor the Orthodox Presbyterian Church really seem to understand that those who have been regenerated by the HOLY SPIRIT CANNOT Be Racist, PERIOD!!!!

In fact the struggle they have with Racism and for that matter six 24 hour day Creation simply means they struggle with the power of GOD and have most likely have NEVER been regenerated.

We already told you that we have traveled coast to coast 8 times and North to South 6 times and the sampling of PCA, OPC, EPC and other Churches is sadly not small so I won’t bore you with those details again.

This brings us to our conclusion and I really want you to grasp this message, and ask if you have any confusion contact me at wallace.paul201@gmail.com please and I will be glad to answer your questions.

3 Jesus NEVER Waivers On Who Chooses Whom

I know this point goes against what you hear each week when we are told to be better Christians, Love Neighbors more, Read our Bibles More, Witness more, preaching foolishly like we have the power to change.

The fact are indeed facts, the LORD alone Chooses us, and gives us the Strength and ability, as the Fruit of Regeneration and to be a true Christian is to LOVE Neighbor and Enemy More, To LOVE to read the Bible More, to Witness more and naturally as we are now alive in Christ alone.

Let’s be a little blunt here, if you are not standing up and walking out on the Pastor who starts giving you the normal list of “What you must do to be a better Christian” then perhaps You have not been regenerated, as this is not the Gospel, but Religion and as the Gospel shows us how the LORD changes us, and we see the fruits of true Life in Jesus.

Did you notice the subtle and yet powerful difference?

Who is the burden of your changed life completely on?

Yes on the Triune GOD alone period, as HE chooses us, since we cannot choose HIM.

I ask you to read through John Chapter 15 just below, and as you walk through it, I want you to keep seeing what we talked about earlier in the lesson, as it is crystal clear who is active it this “I am the VINE Passage”.

I also want you to understand that seeing everything coming from GOD alone is NOT the normal pastoral rendering of this passage, as the fragmentist and most preachers fall into this category, can’t apply the whole Bible and end up horribly missing what the passage is actually saying.

Proof was as I wrote a few month back when the young speaker at Redeemer West New York, took the Congregation on a trip to “How we must abide in the Vine” missing the VINE DRESSER and the context of the rest of Chapter 15, the “I choose you, you don’t choose me”.

As we have learned and I have challenged, a branch laying on the ground cannot abide in the VINE on its own, and after grafting in is reliant alone of the Care of the VINE DRESSER, The VINE, and the SAP alone for life.

I close by saying, the Fruit of Regeneration by the HOLY SPIRIT bringing us to Life, is to see the fruits of Works the LORD gives this new living creature to do for the glory of Christ alone.

This simply means what we previously touched on,

You will not Be Racist, Nor Sexist,

You will love to Law of GOD, Love reading HIS BIBLE (Not Theologians Books)

You Will Witness, and Love talking about the LORD, and it will come naturally through your true New Life, Given to you by GOD.

I do hope this lesson has by the mercy of GOD opened your eyes to the great Love Story of the Gospel, and should you have any questions please feel free to drop me a question.

Our Next lesson as this one was written, takes us to Martyrdom Sunday and builds on this lesson, as it will show the preaching of the Church and Synagogue is actually killing Christianity as it Killed the Martyrs in the first place.

Martyrdom Sunday also tells us that the Preaching in the Majority of Churches and Synagogues is not the Gospel, and I will let you mull over why (Hint it is at the top of our lesson today).

First Reading

John 15

1 ¶ "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

9 ¶ "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

17 "This I command you, that you love one another.

18 ¶ "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.

22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also.

24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

25 "But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.'

26 ¶ "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,

27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

(NAS95)

The Holy Gospel Of Our LORD Jesus Christ

Response By ALL: All Glory To YOU LORD Christ

Second Reading

Ephesians 2

1 ¶ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

4 ¶ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

11 ¶ Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands--

12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 ¶ For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,

15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,

16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR;

18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,

22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

(NAS95)

This Is The WORD Of The LORD

Response By ALL: Thanks Be To GOD

Learn To Listen, no Really Listen PLEASE, As Just Because the Church your attending and it's Denomination Claim to be Reformed, actually means NOTHING!

We have seen more and more that just because the Church or Seminary claims to be Reformed, doesn't mean ANYTHING, and when we actually listen is is really clear, they aren't even close to Reformed.

1 As we listen we hear a former Orthodox Presbyterian Pastor who works at a West Coast Seminary telling the world on a video promoted by this "Reformed" Seminary "We are equipping students with the skills to Win people to Christ!"

2 A PCA Presbytery in Texas fast tracks a sitting Baptist Pastor through a "Transfer" of His Ordination as a Pastor of a 300 member PCA Church, it took LESS than a Month.

3 We hear Sermons after Sermon all a cross the Country, and for the record this includes, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, California, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, so the sampling is not small, digress into how we need to improve.

4 A Pastor at a OPC Church Tell his Congregation how 90 % of New Year's Resolutions fail by the end of February, and then he challenged his Congregation to "Resolve" the read the Bible and commit more to the Church in the coming year, telling us the Idiot didn't even read his own Sermon Examples nor did he understand the he was setting up his New Congregation to fail.

5 Pastor after Pastor imploring his Congregants on how the Righteous should act, and turning to social Justice, and loving Neighbors as proof of the "good" Christian.

6 We read Pastoral Bios that tell us when they "Came to Christ" or "When they made a decision for Christ"

Please take a moment to add your favorite lecture example;

I want to stop a second and ask, Do you have an issue with me pointing these things Out?

If you struggled with these points, and I want to be kind to you but also truthful here, you are not Reformed.

Before you get offended think about this and ask Why?

Well were you?

This is where we all started out, and there is no wiggle room;

Ephesians 2:1 ¶ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Colossians 2:13 ¶ When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world,

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;

10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

13 "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Psalm 51:4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

7 ¶ Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 ¶ Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

If you say Your Cherry picking Wallace!

Well actually I could fill this page with Examples, but let's let Jesus answer your questions, are we good, do we accept you, are we righteous?

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:9 "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?

10 "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Luke 18:18 ¶ A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

19 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

These next are important to read together;

Matthew 5:20 "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

(NAS95)

Mt 23:13 ¶ "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Mt 23:14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Mt 23:15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Mt 23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.'

Mt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Mt 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

Mt 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

Mt 23:29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

More to Be Posted

A Quick Answer is that the Reformed understanding is just a return to the original and true understanding of the Bible.

As we look through the Bible Cover to cover it really is about Jesus finding us and saving us, and HE says so OVER & OVER

Genesis 3:1-15

1 ¶ Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"

4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 ¶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 ¶ Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

11 ¶ And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

14 ¶ The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

Two Things jump off the Page here and if we actually paid attention we will see this theme is the point of the Bible!

The LORD comes and saves us and HE alone chooses WE DON'T

John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

In fact the first line in Matthew to a First Century Jew, would cause them to need a chair, as Matthew Bluntly tells the Audience that the Whole Old Testament points to Jesus Rescue Mission as Christ in Greek means only one thing Cristov Christos, khris-tos' from 5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:--Christ.

Mt 1:1 (NKJV) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

• We will post more later