I’m a Goodfella. – Lies of the Enemy #35– Purity 1047

I’m a Goodfella.  – Lies of the Enemy #35– Purity 1047

Purity 1047 05/19/2023 Purity 1047 Podcast

Purity 1046 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a tranquil morning scene at Persimmon Lake In Murphy NC comes to us from Fred Dimmick who capture this beautiful scene, with the lake’s mirror like reflection of the sky and the morning mist rising off the lake’s surface, back on May 4^th as a case study in contrasts as Persimmon’s waters recede in the winter months leaving the shores looking like a barren desert but come May, the lake fills up again to reflect spring’s thriving abundance of life.    

Well, It’s Friday and I for one really appreciate Fred’s diligence of practicing and sharing his photography. In my full life, I don’t always have time to check in to Facebook or to plan the “photo of the day” and when ever I’m not sure what to share I have discovered that Fred is a reliable source to go to see the glory of God’s creation on “film”.   His penchant for sharing the views from his life consistently and reliably makes me appreciate Fred’s “friendship” and his life’s narrative. Although I have never sat down and chatted with Fred, he has told me bits of “his story” through social media and he comes across as someone who appreciates the simple joys of life in spite of some of the challenges he has faced in the recent years with finding a place to call his home, with health concerns, or with car troubles.  

You can’t always know who somebody is from looking from the outside, but I get the overall impression that Fred is a “nice guy”.  Although I can’t be certain, I think Fred is a “goodfella”.   

Now I use that particular phrase quite purposefully to highlight the duality of man – our mix of good and evil, that can sometimes define who we are and that just may seal our fates.    

The phrase “Goodfella” obviously is loaded with meaning for most of us  as Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster film is praised by critics and fans, resulting in several awards and nominations, and has been listed as one of the greatest films ever made, particularly in the gangster genre.  Based on the life of a real life wise guy, the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate, Henry Hill  and his family and friends from 1955 to 1980 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodfellas).  The film’s scenes are gripping, and its dialog is infectious as those who love the film are often known to echo its phrases. While I won’t share any quotes from the film on the blog I am sharing a link (https://decider.com/2022/05/26/ray-liottas-10-best-goodfellas-quotes/) to star, Ray Liotta’s 10 Best Goodfellas’ Quotes if you want to walk back to the dark side of memory lane.  

The paradox of the film of course is that Henry Hill and His friends are not “goodfellas” by the standards of traditional biblical morality. They are thieves, liars, adulterers, drunks, swindlers, drug addicts, and murderers. Their zeal for life is to serve themselves and take what they want by any means necessary. However, these men also have families and friendships that are defined by love and a strong sense of loyalty – unless of course those things get in the way of “business”.   

Ironically, members of “organized crime” sometimes surprise us by doing good. They give “justice” to those who don’t get it from police or the government. Sometimes they give things to those in need. Sometimes their ill-gotten gains even go into the coffers of charities and churches.  They may indeed seem to be “respectable businessmen” to their local communities and churches.  With these “good works”, one may wonder if these gangsters aren’t so  bad after all,  that somehow in the final accounting they may “do more good than bad” and find themselves in a state of grace – that God will declare that these criminals are “goodfellas” after all and welcome them into heaven.  

Now as much as I have introduced the subject of gangsters who have obvious concerns about their eternal destinies because of their many crimes, I actually mean to shine a spot light on all of those of us who consider ourselves “nice guys”, “good girls”, or a “good neighbor” who know they “aren’t perfect” but who don’t display any fruit or evidence of having a relationship with God but are putting their faith in their “good outweighing their bad” as the means to getting to be a part of God’s eternal kingdom.   

 And that brings us to our current series the “Lies of the Enemy”, which is an examination of some of the common lies, sometimes sneakily whispered into our minds as “first person” statements, that the enemy tells us to cause us to doubt our faith, lose our peace, cause division, or influence us to not follow the Lord with the way we live our lives. 

So today’s big lie is:

Lie #35:  I’m a Goodfella.               

This lie is so pervasive throughout the world that it not only infects the realms of supposedly Christian institutions it forms the basis of all false religions and the measure of performance of the world system.  

The lie – “I’m a Goodfella” is unbiblical as the Bible tells us in:  

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (NKJV)
²⁰  For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.

The Apostle Paul expounds on our moral hopelessness, inability to “do good”, and be approved by our own efforts in: 

Romans 3:10-20 (NLT2)
¹⁰  As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.
¹¹  No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
¹²  All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
¹³  “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”
¹⁴  “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
¹⁵  “They rush to commit murder.
¹⁶  Destruction and misery always follow them.
¹⁷  They don’t know where to find peace.” )
¹⁸  “They have no fear of God at all.”
¹⁹  Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
²⁰  For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

The lie of “I’m a Goodfella” – that proclaims that somehow God will forgive us because our evil will be less than our “good” is based in ignorance and ignores the word of God that tells us that we will be dead in our trespasses and sins without Jesus.    

I am sharing a link to Open Bible Info’s 100 verses about Jesus died for our sins on the blog today (https://www.openbible.info/topics/jesus_died_for_our_sins) if you need the scriptures to convince you that our works don’t save us.  

I know that most “Christians” “know this” but the Bible also speaks of those who will claim a relationship with Christ – by works or passing association – that will discover that their “show” of Christianity, “nominal agreement”, disingenuous faith, or infrequent participation in outward signs of worshipping the Lord won’t fool the God in the end.   

So before you anoint yourself with the “cheap grace” of having a “passing relationship” with God or of “doing more good than bad” as a means of salvation – Consider Christ’s words to the nonbeliever and to those who profess or try to prove their “faith” with works.   

For those who haven’t put their faith in Christ, I offer Jesus’ words in: 

John 14:6 (NLT2)
⁶  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

There is no other way to God but through faith in Jesus.  Sorry, Goodfella without Him you don’t get “in”.   Christ also said:

John 3:18 (NLT2)
¹⁸  “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

For those who are “doing more good than bad” but have an inconsistent or virtually nonexistent “relationship” with God, but have “a little faith”.  I offer.

Luke 13:24-27 (NLT2)
²⁴  “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.
²⁵  When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
²⁶  Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
²⁷  And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’

Just because you sat and heard Jesus’ teachings and had the Lord’s supper, doesn’t necessarily mean you are a Christian – Christ’s words indicate that we also have to repent of our sins because otherwise our “doing evil” – having regular periodic unrepentant sin in our life may indicate we are “false converts”. If we fail to “work hard” to overcome our sins, we may demonstrate we are not actually Christ’s disciples – those who obey what He teaches.

And as for those who are “working hard” and are proud of it, I offer Jesus’ words in:  

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
²¹  "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
²²  Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
²³  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Again, this is for the legitimate businessmen and those who stand out in public and  shine a light on all the “good deeds” you have done for God.  Christ wants you heart as well as your works, and your good works in the light don’t cover the “lawlessness” you practice in the dark.  

Christ call sus to be disciples to be “real” Christians – to seek Him, to love Him, and to practice what Jesus teaches.  Now don’t get me wrong, this is not some ultra form of performance based salvation – I don’t think Jesus was suggesting that, but I do think He was trying to convict all of us that we must believe in Him and to do our best to follow His example and to do so as an expression of our love for God – as part of our relationship with Him.   

My heart is to encourage people to walk with God humbly and simply but not so simply that we aren’t pursuing Him and seeking to do His will on earth, which includes our pursuing personal sanctification and spiritual maturity.  

The reason today’s lie of “I’m a Goodfella” has so inflamed my passion to exhort is because the WHOLE WORLD would consider themselves “goodfellas” – We are all “good” in our own eyes and we would all declare ourselves “good enough” by judging those who are worse than we are. However, the word God tells us we must be right with God through faith in Jesus and through our authentic attempts to follow Him into repentance.  

I know so many “goodfellas”, “nice guys”, “good girls. “free spirits” and “characters” that I love, find amusing, and genuinely “like” that have seemingly no relationship with the Lord. They don’t always do the right thing and often suffer for their poor choices but overall they “seem like good people.” 

 I know others who really seem to have it “all together”. They are successful and kind. They are good citizens and good to their families or friends, but they don’t demonstrate any faith in Jesus.  

So I say all this to encourage all the “goodfellas” out their whether you are an Upstanding citizen or a “wise guy”, to stand up and surrender to the Lordship or Christ and to be truly wise by declaring that you are not a “goodfella” and that you need the forgiveness and new life that only God can give you that comes through faith in Jesus and a life that is surrendered to Him.     

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple apologetic will provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verses are:

Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT2)
²³  Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
²⁴  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Today’s verses encourage us to work as if we were working directly for the Lord, because we do, and because the Lord will reward us with inheritance when we serve Jesus as the Master of our Lives.   

Verses like today’s passage indicate to us that our faith was never meant to be a weekly observance of worship. Our faith is supposed to be a way of life and we are to consider everything we do as something we are doing for the Lord. God made us and He will reclaim us and so we are to show Him that we know who our Master is by being His representative here on the earth.  

Everything we do we are to do for the Lord and although it may not always be easy to “do the right thing”, God’s word assures us that He sees what we are doing, and He will reward us for our faithful service.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we begin sharing from  The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.  This resource is available online for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3)  

                                                     1 - The Holy Spirit continues

The Problem: Effort in the Flesh

In the great majority of cases, professing Christians are too puffed up by a sense of what they suppose they are doing for God, to earnestly study what God has promised to do for and in His people. They are so occupied with their fleshly efforts to “win souls for Christ” that they feel not their own deep need of the Spirit’s anointing. The leaders of “Christian” (?) enterprise are so concerned in multiplying “Christian workers” that quantity, not quality, is the main consideration. How few today recognize that if the number of “missionaries” on the foreign field were increased twenty-fold the next year, that that, of itself, would not ensure the genuine salvation of one additional heathen? Even though every new missionary were “sound in the faith” and preached only “the Truth,” that would not add one iota of spiritual power to the missionary forces, without the Holy Spirit’s unction and blessing! The same principle holds good everywhere. If the orthodox seminaries and the much-advertised Bible institutes turned out 100 times more men than they are now doing, the churches would not be one bit better off than they are, unless God vouchsafed a fresh outpouring of His Spirit. In like manner, no Sunday School is strengthened by the mere multiplication of its teachers.

O my readers, face the solemn fact that the greatest lack of all in Christendom today is the absence of the Holy Spirit’s power and blessing. Review the activities of the past 30 years. Millions of dollars have been freely devoted to the support of professed Christian enterprises. Bible institutes and schools have turned out “trained workers” by the thousands. Bible conferences have sprung up on every side like mushrooms. Countless booklets and tracts have been printed and circulated. Time and labors have been given by an almost incalculable number of “personal workers.” And with what results? Has the standard of personal piety advanced? Are the churches less worldly? Are their members more Christ-like in their daily walk? Is there more godliness in the home? Are the children more obedient and respectful? Is the Sabbath Day being increasingly sanctified and kept holy? Has the standard of honesty in business been raised?

The Need

Those blest with any spiritual discernment can return but one answer to the above questions. In spite of all the huge sums of money that have been spent, in spite of all the labors which has been put forth, in spite of all the new workers that have been added to the old ones, the spirituality of Christendom is at a far lower ebb today than it was 30 years ago. Numbers of professing Christians have increased, fleshly activities have multiplied, but spiritual power has waned. Why? Because there is a grieved and quenched Spirit in our midst. While His blessing is withheld there can be no improvement. What is needed today is for the saints to get down on their faces before God, cry unto Him in the name of Christ to so work again, that what has grieved His Spirit may be put away, and the channel of blessing once more be opened.

Until the Holy Spirit is again given His rightful place in our hearts, thoughts, and activities, there can be no improvement. Until it be recognized that we are entirely dependent upon His operations for all spiritual blessing, the root of the trouble cannot be reached. Until it be recognized that it is “ ‘Not by might, (of trained workers), nor by power (of intellectual argument or persuasive appeal), but by MY SPIRIT; saith the Lord” (Zech. 4:6), there will be no deliverance from that fleshly zeal which is not according to knowledge, and which is now paralyzing Christendom. Until the Holy Spirit is honored, sought, and counted upon, the present spiritual drought must continue. May it please our gracious God to give the writer messages and prepare the hearts of our readers to receive that which will be to His glory, the furtherance of His cause upon earth, and the good of His dear people. Brethren, pray for us.^[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

For those who require the assistance of a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge     

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).

"Smile" - The Enemy Hiding in Plain Sight - Purity 859

"Smile" - The Enemy Hiding in Plain Sight - Purity 859

Purity 859 10/11/2022 Purity 859 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a display of the fruits of the harvest of autumn comes to us from a friend who visited Longwood Gardens in Kenneth Square Pennsylvania back on October 1^st and shared this among many other photos of the garden grounds on social media.   

Well, we are eleven days deep into the tenth month of the year and yesterday the stress of watching my beloved suffer from dental pain all weekend and the less than idyllic weather on the last day of our extended weekend sent me to Regal Cinemas yesterday afternoon to unwind by tensing up to the suspenseful macabre delights of a film called “Smile”, and although I heard some relieved laughter after a few “jump scares” in the theatre there was really nothing to smile or laugh about as this horror movie unwittingly portrayed some scenes and themes that were logically consistent with the realities of  demonic oppression and possession and how our secular society is ill equipped to resist and defeat the powers of darkness

While “Smile” was grotesquely over the top and “schlocky” with some of its special effects near the climax of the action, the movie was entertaining and informative if you have a knowledge of the scriptures in the Bible concerning the spiritual forces of darkness and how Satan operates.   

The premise of the movie is that people are being tormented and being driven to insanity and compelled to suicide or murder by an enemy that no one can see, who uses visions and memories of the past to torment its victims. The phenomenon looks like mental illness or a curse as the terror and carnage move from host to host leaving a trail of trauma and blood in its wake.    

Without giving away too much of the film, the main character is a psychiatrist who has unresolved issues in her past that drives her to serve in her post at the psychiatric ER with religious devotion, working 80 hour weeks. She also is under family stress due to issues with her PTA picture perfect sister and from being engaged to be married to a picture perfect fiancé.  All the “perfect” pictures in this woman’s life are exposed to the light of truth when she is suddenly exposed to the spiritual forces of darkness as one of her patient’s complains of an unseen evil entity tormenting her moments before she commits suicide in front of her with a silent and devilish grin.  

In the ensuing drama we see that the unseen enemy torments this young doctor to see things that aren’t there, to do horrific things she can’t remember, and to be confronted with the unresolved issues of her past.  

She pleads with doctors, family, and her fiancé to understand that what is happening to here is caused by evil spirit and no one believes her and fears that she has simply lost her mind.  

Because this entity requires a “witness” to be carried on to the next host, the main character makes the unwise decision to isolate and do battle with this, I’ll say it, demon with her imagination, on her own?  

Again, no spoilers, but let’s just say that there is more than ample room for a sequel, because although the demons of this doctor’s past are resolved, the continuation of the dark entity may be another story…  

The things that popped out for me in “Smile” that make me endorse it for as a somewhat accurate portrayal of demonic oppression and a decent movie to give you a few chills, although the running time may have been a little too long, are the way the film subtly laid out the things that can cause a demon to attach itself to someone and how a demon could flourish.  

In describing Satan, Christ says in

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…

The dark entity in “Smile” definitely came to steal and destroy the peace and sanity of its victims and actively sough to kill thtem.

James 4:7 (NKJV) tells us
⁷  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  

Although the doctor in “Smile” was told by her patient, and was herself later convinced that, this situation was caused by a spiritual force of darkness, no one in this entire movie ever even mention a spiritual remedy to try to cast it out. No mention of the Bible, no mention of God, priests, or even voodoo or white magic or any spiritual means were considered to solve this problem.   

In our modern secular post Christian society, this shouldn’t be too surprising but I knew that the only thing that can cast out darkness is the spiritual power and authority of the light of the world found in Christ alone.

Instead the doctor actually asks for medication to make the disturbing images go away and then only seeks to play by the enemy’s rules and in her desperation even considers murdering someone else to save her own life and pass on the demon to some one else.   

Instead of submitting to God, the doctor considers submitting to Satan!

And you may ask yourself why is this doctor selected by this dark spirit, how can she be tormented so badly by this unseen enemy.  

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV)
²⁶  "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
²⁷  nor give place to the devil.

As I indicated the doctor had no relationship with the Lord.  She wasn’t submitting to God but by her lifestyle of casual sin also makes room for the enemy in her life.  

In the early going we see the doctor self-medicates against stress with alcohol, against the Bible’s clear instruction against drunkenness.  

The doctor lives with her fiancé, from which we can surmise that she has gone against the word of God by committing fornication.    

And finally, she has unresolved guilt from the past that the enemy delights in tormenting her with that could have been removed by a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.   

In the thick of the action of when the doctor decides to fight the enemy,  the dark spirit cackles: “Your mind is SO inviting!” which caused me to think that the enemy really is hiding in plain sight in this movie and seems to be cackling at the audience who disbelieves in the spiritual forces of darkness, who has no relationship with God, has no conviction of the sin in their lives, and who finds entertainment in a movie that puts the enemy’s dark arts on display.  

At the end of the film, some people actually applauded as there was room for more fun with this dark spirit as a sequel is all but certain.    

I know, it’s just a movie, right?   Society is basically good and we only watch these things for entertainment, right?  

Well, let’s just say I think it is dark out there and things are getting darker as the more secular we become the enemy is drawing people deeper into sins that are now common place where they were taboo in no too distant past.

Rather than resist the devil, people resist God.  

I wouldn’t think that’s true but over the weekend I had a comment on my videos on You Tube, that suggest that because Christians should pray for sinners, that we should pray for the biggest sinner of them all, Satan.  Even in jest, the suggestion to pray for the Evil One really shows the spirit of darkness, rebellion, and ignorance that is common in our world.   

Revelation 20:10 (NKJV) tells us
¹⁰  The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

So as scary as the enemy can seem He is defeated foe. He causes evil to flourish in the hearts of men and He is not worthy of our prayers or sympathy.  

 

So as we walk through the spooky month of October, let those around you know that God is in charge and although the spiritual forces of darkness and the evil that they perpetrate in the hearts of men will be overcome by the Lord when Christ returns and that if we submit to God and resist the devil in our lives we can live in peace and safety with the Lord’s protection. 

 

The enemy may be hiding in plain sight these days but we should point Him out when we see flee and cause him to flee by the power and authority that Jesus gives to all the people who put their faith in Him.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Matthew 16:25 (NKJV)
²⁵  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Today’s Bible verse encourages us to put our faith in Jesus as He assures us that our life is found when we lose it for Him.  

Christ encourages us to pick up our cross and to follow Him in the previous verse and this is the promise for those who do that.

If we surrender our lives to the purposes of Christ, we will find life in Him.

But if we choose our own plan for saving our lives, by our own efforts or reasoning we will lose our life.  So keep walking and talking with God and follow Christ and you will be saved.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Discipleship”, also known as “The Cost of Discipleship”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

Chapter Six

The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5

On the “Extraordinary” of Christian Life

The Beatitudes – Continues

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” No rights they might claim protect this community of strangers in the world. Nor do they claim any such rights, for they are the meek, who renounce all rights of their own for the sake of Jesus Christ. When they are berated, they are quiet. When violence is done to them, they endure it. When they are cast out, they yield. They do not sue for their rights; they do not make a scene when injustice is done them. They do not want rights of their own. They want to leave all justice to God; non cupidi vindictae [not desirous of vengeance]^[22] is the interpretation of the early church. What is right for their Lord should be right for them. Only that. In every word, in every gesture, it is revealed that they do not belong on this earth. Let them have heaven, the world says sympathetically, that is where they belong. But Jesus says, they will inherit the earth. The earth belongs to these who are without rights and power. Those who now possess the earth with violence and injustice will lose it, and those who renounced it here, who were meek unto the cross, will rule over the new earth. We should not think here of God’s punishing justice in this world (Calvin).^[24] Rather, when the realm of heaven will descend, then the form of the earth will be renewed, and it will be the earth of the community of Jesus. God does not abandon the earth. God created it. God sent God’s Son to earth. God built a community on earth. Thus, the beginning is already made in this world’s time. A sign is given. Already here the powerless are given a piece of the earth; they have the church, their community, their property, their brothers and sisters—in the midst of persecution even unto the cross. But Golgotha, too, is a piece of the earth. From Golgotha, where the meekest died, the earth will be made new. When the realm of God comes, then the meek will inherit the earth.^[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, ed. Martin Kuske et al., trans. Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 105–106.

General Woundwort and My Friend Dahmer!?!?! – Harmless Horror Movies? - Purity 857

 

General Woundwort and My Friend Dahmer!?!?! – Harmless Horror Movies? - Purity 856

Purity 857 10/08/2022 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of my neighbor’s mangy cat, driveway, and rustic barn with pumpkins adorning the pathway to their home comes to us from yours truly as I decided to capture a candid of my neighbor’s cat as I departed my countryside home on October 2^nd, thinking “this is the cat that hisses at you arrive at “the creepy place” in a horror movie!”   

But seriously, ok I did think that, but my neighbor’s cat may look a little feral and untrustworthy, I can attest to the fact that he is actually quite friendly even though his outer appearance, with his matted fur and damaged ear, make him look like the feline equivalent of “General Woundwort” from the 1978 animated classic, Watership Down, (which is available to stream on HBOMax and YouTube.

Okay, the cat doesn’t look that bad, General Woundwort still creeps me out. Who knew that bunny rabbits could be so vicious!

Anyway, I decided to share today’s photo because I thought that  the cat, the barn, and those pumpkins were a good visual representation of the month of October, Autumn, and the Harvest season.  Autumn is my favorite season and October is in the heart of it as the fall foliage changes and people begin to decorate their homes for Halloween. 

I was and am still am a fan of Halloween and, horror movies, but I have to admit that as I have grown in my knowledge and experience of the reality of Spiritual warfare, the spiritual forces of darkness, total depravity of man, and how it all ties in together and results in suffering and the evil that men do, I am less enamored with the macabre as I used to be and have increasing grown in my sensitivity of spiritual discernment and no longer see these dark forms of entertainment as “harmless”.  

Ironically as I have grown more sensitive to what I will allow to put in front of my eyes and less tolerant of the things I can stomach, the horror genre and society in general has become more desensitized to what disturbing images, subject matters, and themes can be offered up as entertainment.  One of the latest evidences to this trend is the  Netflix series: “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story”, starring Evan Peters.

In recalling the details of Dahmer’s grisly crimes, I have to wonder why anyone would watch this show.

But in my limited research this morning, I realized that I was a huge consumer of and a reason for the success of shows like this.  There was one article online that presented a list of the 26 best TV shows about serial killers (https://tvshowpilot.com/fun-posts/best-serial-killer-tv-shows/) .  26!  I am somewhat ashamed to admit that of the 26 shows I had watched 9 of them in the years before and after I came to Christ.   

I also have to have to admit that I did watch the 2017 film: “My Friend Dahmer”, which was a memoir of one of Dahmer’s childhood friends, graphic novelist Jack “Derf” Backderf, that presented scenes from Dahmer’s life before his murders that highlighted the serial killers “inner demons”, his victimization at the hands of school bullies, and the neglect by the adults in his life.  The film concludes with the victim of abuse and neglect becoming a murderer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Friend_Dahmer) .

But Backderf was clear in his comments regarding his memoir that he in no way sought to justify or excuse Dahmer for his evil actions but was only presenting his recollections of what happened in Dahmer’s life prior to his crimes to show how evil doesn’t necessarily just happen, that often atrocities have a back story rooted in abuse and points to the cycle of the abused becoming abusers, or even killers.  

My education in Biblical Studies and Christian Couseling, along my training as a Community Ministry Freedom Associate for Freedom in Christ Ministries, helps me to see these crimes and these macabre forms of entertainment in a new light that makes them less palatable.

In the realty of serial killers, while society and our justice system should never excuse killers with a defense for demonic possession, demonization, or demonic oppression, we should consider that spiritual forces of darkness could play a role in the violence and grisly crimes we see. 

The Bible describes the world as being under the sway of the evil one. I am sharing a link to an article on gotquestions.org that briefly touches on this subject (https://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-god-world.html) and provides the scriptures that back it up.  

So what’s my point? 

I guess, my point is that as we go further into the month of October, many of us may feel, like I did, that we want a good scare.

 And while I think that we should all be free to choose to do that, I think we should be aware of the spiritual realities of the world and be highly concerned for our friends and family that don’t know about the principles of spiritual warfare or don’t have a covenant relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ that enjoy these dark forms of entertainment.   

I feel that horror movies can be entertaining, and educational, but we should try to instruct others in the supremacy of God over evil and be genuinely concerned about people that don’t have faith in Christ and isolate and watch violent or horrific films and TV shows.   

According to an article on Psychology.com (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/resolution-not-conflict/201408/does-media-violence-breed-real-life-killing)

"In thousands of scientific studies over the last six decades, researchers have documented four basic negative effects from exposure to screen violence: increased aggression, increased fear, desensitization to real-life and screen violence, and increased appetite for more violence, on and off screen". (p. 54)”

None of those effects sound very good and without a Biblical basis of wisdom considering evil, sin, the spiritual forces of darkness, and the God who stands above it, our loved ones could suffer from negative mental, emotional and spiritual consequences as our society will continue to only grow darker.  

So we need to know the truth, that God is sovereign, He is in control, and that He provides eternal security and spiritual safety and power to those who put their faith in Christ. Jesus reconciles us to God and provides us with a share of His spiritual power and authority to confront and confound the works of the devil.

As Christians we are to shun what is evil and to think upon what is good. We also have freedom. So as Christians, we may choose to watch a horror movie, but if we do we should do so in the context of our identity in Christ and be discerning of what we watch and not quench the Holy Spirit in us if He convicts us to pull the plug and not persist in our unwholesome habits in the name of tradition or nostalgia.  

As exposure to violent media has the effect of desensitizing us and may lead to negative actions,   our exposure to the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit will oppositely sensitize us to what is evil and increasingly draw us to do good,

Even though I am still a horror fan, I guess , I am a lot more discerning about what I will watch as the Holy Spirit increasingly draws me away from things that do not edify my spirit and quite frankly, as I have continued to walk in the Spirit, I have a lot less desire to watch or listen to most secular forms of entertainment, whether spooky or not, because my intense love of the Lord causes me to want to use what time I have left in this life wisely, to pursue things that will build me up rather than just occupy a few hours and leave me with a thrill or a chill but nothing more. 

So as we go further into October and the nostalgia and pageantry that surrounds Halloween, keep walking and talking with God and follow where He leads. When you walk with Him. you may begin to discover that the desire to dabble in darkness is replaced with conviction to live in the light.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Discipleship”, also known as “The Cost of Discipleship”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

Chapter Six

The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5

On the “Extraordinary” of Christian Life

The Beatitudes – Continues

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The disciples are needy in every way. They are simply “poor” (Luke 6:20). They have no security, no property to call their own, no piece of earth they could call their home, no earthly community to which they might fully belong. But they also have neither spiritual power of their own, nor experience or knowledge they can refer to and which could comfort them. For his sake they have lost all that. When they followed him, they lost themselves and everything else which could have made them rich. Now they are so poor, so inexperienced, so foolish that they cannot hope for anything except him who called them. Jesus also knows those others, the representatives and preachers of the national religion, those powerful, respected people, who stand firmly on the earth inseparably rooted in the national way of life, the spirit of the times, the popular piety [Volksfrömmigkeit]. But Jesus does not speak to them; he speaks only to his disciples when he says, blessed—for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven will come to those who live thoroughly in renunciation and want for Jesus’ sake. In the depths of their poverty, they inherit the kingdom of heaven. They have their treasure well hidden, they have it at the cross. The kingdom of heaven is promised them in visible majesty, and it is already given them in the complete poverty of the cross.

Here Jesus’ blessing is totally different from its caricature in the form of a political-social program. The Antichrist also declares the poor to be blessed, but he does it not for the sake of the cross, in which all poverty is embraced and blessed. Rather, he does it with political-social ideology precisely in order to fend off the cross. He may call this ideology Christian, but in doing so he becomes Christ’s enemy.^[12][1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, ed. Martin Kuske et al., trans. Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 102–103.