The Definition of Love – Not Jealous

Love is longsuffering, love is kind, love is not jealous … 1 Corinthians 13:4

Jealousy is wanting what another person has. It is not just being resentful or angry of another’s good fortune or achievements, but a strong desire to possess them. Unlike zeal, which is an enthusiastic devotion to a cause or goal making someone eager and determined to do something, jealousy takes this type of attitude and uses it in a way that damages others to get what they have. So one who is jealous will be zealous to obtain what another person has.

Jealousy will produce actions that are harmful to others.

“And the patriarchs, becoming jealous, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him – Acts 7:9

We also see an example of jealousy in Galatia where men came down from Jerusalem who sought to make Paul look bad to the saints there as though he was their enemy so they could exclude the saints to themselves. This is a very common tactic of false teachers and those seeking to usurp a position of authority even today.

They jealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. – Galatians 4:17

Because of jealousy for their father’s love, the brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery. Because of jealousy for the saints, false teachers came into Galatia teaching that they had to keep the law to be saved, not for the sake of those they sought to persuade but so these false teachers could look good before others and get them to only follow them. Jealousy always leads to hurting others. The Jews were very jealous of Paul when he would teach […]

The Definition of Love – Not JealousLuther Walker2023-12-14T08:35:00-08:00

Experiencing the Holy Spirit – The Ones Trying to Mimic

For indeed if one comes proclaiming a different Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel that you have not accepted – 2 Corinthians 11:4

Experiencing the Holy Spirit is a logical response from us as we identify and seek to fulfill the desires He gives us to live out who we are in Christ. This type of relationship is new, that is, it did not exist between God and humans prior to the creation of the Church. It requires us to pay attention to our desires and understand where they come from and their outcomes so we can discern what is God’s way, and stop being manipulated by our flesh and Satan.

The Spirit of the Truth Who the world does not have the ability to receive because it cannot watch Him, nor experientially know Him, but you experientially know Him because He abides alongside you and will be in you – John 14:17

Unfortunately, there are many today that teach contrary to this, trying to make our relationship with the Holy Spirit an emotional experience that is not based upon the truth. Remember, truth is not relative. There is only one truth, and it is not based upon how we feel or is changed because we don’t like it. As we read through Scripture, we see God interacting with people in ways that sometimes we would like to experience. He spoke with them, showed them signs, performed incredible miracles, raised the dead, healed the sick, and so many other direct, visible manifestations of who He is. However, this is not the type of relationship we have with God today, ours is […]

Experiencing the Holy Spirit – The Ones Trying to MimicLuther Walker2023-12-14T08:38:41-08:00

The Basics of the Christian Life – Salvation

Salvation

Salvation comes by faith through grace. Today a person is saved by believing that Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4¹. God is offering salvation by grace, not works2. Grace is God’s attitude whereby He gives a benefit without the consideration of merit. In other words, you cannot earn salvation because God is not offering salvation based upon works, who you are, or even who you will become – no merit is considered3. What God requires for salvation is that you take Him at His Word. Faith is the undergirding4 of that which is hoped for, the evidence of accomplished deeds5 not seen and is always based upon a promise6. Direct faith at Christ through the facts of the good news by which we are saved (believing that He died for your […]

The Basics of the Christian Life – SalvationLuther Walker2016-10-12T06:02:30-07:00

The Only Acceptable Message for Salvation

Why is the Gospel for Salvation the only acceptable Message for Salvation?

What makes the Gospel Message so important? Is it not sufficient to simply say that if you accept Jesus you are saved? or Jesus died for you? Does it really matter what you believe or just that you believe? To understand why it is so important to accurately present the gospel for salvation today, which is Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, we are going to look at what God has said throughout the Scripture and the affects on men who either modify God’s word, completely ignore it, or followed exactly what He said.

After renovating the earth [1] due to the fall and judgment of Lucifer who once reigned over the entire created universe as God’s anointed Cherub[2], God planted a garden in Eden[3] and created Adam to tend to the garden[4]. Prior to God building the woman from Adam, He gave instruction to him on how he was expected to govern his life and the consequences of failing to obey His word. Adam was free to eat from all the trees of the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of what is beneficial and what brings calamity in the midst of the garden[5]. God stated, “But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil do not eat from it because in the day you eat from it dying you will die.”[6] Once Eve was made from Adam’s side, as the steward of his dispensation he passed on the words from God to her; […]

The Only Acceptable Message for SalvationLuther Walker2023-12-10T08:26:59-08:00

The Proper Use of the Old Testament

Two types of doctrine are found in Scripture that are revealed through two Greek words used for different types of teaching; doctrine that is to be learned and practiced and doctrine that is to be learned, but NOT practiced.

“All Scripture is God breathed and profitable towards teaching, towards conviction, towards correction, towards child training in the righteousness” , 2 Timothy 3:16.

“Teaching” refers to information to be learned but not practiced. Conviction, correction and child training in the righteousness relates to doctrine that is to be learned and practiced.

“And having various gracious gifts according to the grace, the one given to you, whether prophecy, according as the portion of the faith, whether the one serving, in serving or the one teaching, in teaching…” Romans 12:6, 7.

“… and He gave the Apostles, and the prophets, and the evangelists, and the pastors even teachers…” Ephesians 4:11.

The “Pastor” and the “Teacher” in the Ephesians passage are the same person. It is the primary responsibility of the Pastor as the shepherd to teach doctrine that is to be learned and practiced; however, he is also to properly handle Old Testament information by teaching it as information that is to be learned, but not practiced. In addition to the Pastor properly handling the Old Testament information, God has proved others with the Spiritual gift of teaching who properly teach the value of the Old Testament information without abusing it by seeking to make it doctrine to live by in this day and age (Romans 12:6,7). This is not restricting doctrine to be learned and practiced to only a Pastor being able to teach it, but the Pastor is the primary method by which this type […]

The Proper Use of the Old TestamentLuther Walker2023-12-10T07:25:07-08:00

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