Marketplace Evangelism Today

The Key to Success

Recently, I saw someone post on Facebook the following message, “The Key to success is to Put God First. Matthew 6:33.” Now, I do agree that I have found success in my faith walk, when I put God first, when I embrace Christ Jesus and all that He did for me on the cross, that is the KEY to my Salvation, which is belief on the Lord Jesus Christ, and I will be saved. But is what I just mentioned the real intent of the original post? I do not think it is.

I have seen writings from the prosperity gospel preachers that will say, the key to your success is to “Put God First.” But how does one measure success? What did Jesus mean when he said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Exactly what will be added to you?

First, let us understand that Matthew 6:33 is not talking about success of becoming wealthy. One Scripture taken out of many means that this Scripture may have been taken out of context. This was the last Scripture verse of many. I will provide you with the context of what is being discussed by Jesus. Let us look at the entire passage taken from Matthew 6:25-34. In the Bible, the subject matter is titled “Do Not Be Anxious.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Now tell me, did you see anything in the above Scripture passage that discussed success or wealth? Neither did I. The passage discusses that we, as Followers of Christ Jesus, should not be anxious about anything in life. God will provide for us what is needed. According to the notes in the Reformation Trust Bible, “Anxiety over the uncertainty or scarcity of resources to sustain physical life reveals a faltering faith in the Father’s care for His children. Confident prayer, with thanks is the antidote.”[1]

The passage says that we should not be anxious or worry, that the Father will provide food and clothing for us. He is the source of what is provided to sustain us in life.

The conclusion is this, we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things such as food and clothing and shelter, will be provided to us. According to the concordance notes, “seeking the kingdom of God means that we must repent of our sins, and we make God’s Redemptive Rule, repentance, and desire a right relationship with Him. These are the highest priorities of our lives. Worry is inconsistent with this priority; its doubts distract from these supreme goals. God will meet all the needs of those who risk all for Him.”[2]

The phrase “The key to my success is to put God first” is correct, but in the context of only when we consider that success is not monetary gain. We have success in Christ Jesus when we repent from sin and follow Him and risk it all for Him, by doing so, our Heavenly Father will supply all our needs to feed us and clothe us. We should not worry about tomorrow because God has this for us! He will provide what we need to survive today.

Reference:

[1] The Reformation Study Bible, Sproul, R.C. General Editor (Sanford, FL: The Reformation Trust Publishing, 2015) 1682.

[2] Reformation Trust Bible, 1682.

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Sexual Immorality is the Number One Sin that Can Destroy a Marriage!

Written by Joseph T. Lee for Marketplace Evangelism Ministries Inc.

Did you know that sexual immorality is the number one sin that can destroy a marriage? That is our opinion because of what the Bible says what will occur in the last days before the return of Christ Jesus. Now there are many great sins one can commit, but sexually immorality can lead to a diverse set of problems in a marriage that causes one to lie, be deceitful, have a secret sin, be unfaithful, have extra marital affairs, and sleeping with a prostitute. Lusting after another woman or man means that one is committing adultery in their heart according to Jesus (cf. Matthew 5:28-29).

Men and women, when you view pornography, you are looking upon another human being with lust in your heart. You are engaging in adultery of the heart. If you take it one step further and masturbate to these images, you have committed adultery if you are married or fornication if you are single, by proxy, meaning using masturbation, another substitute process to achieve the desired outcome of orgasm. By doing so while married, you have in fact cheated on your wife. You have in your mind and heart, lusted after another woman or man. You have in fact committed adultery in your heart and in your mind.

Here are some starling facts. According to Barna Research, there are over 40 million Americans who are regular visitors of pornographic websites. There are over 42 million porn sites on the internet. As of 2022, around 50% of families in the United States reported that pornography was a problem in their home. Pornography increases marital infidelity by over 300%. 56% of American divorces involve one party having an obsessive interest in pornographic websites. 70% of Christian Youth Pastors report that they have had at least one teen come to them for help dealing with porn in the last 12 months. 68% of church going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years of age, 76% actively search for porn daily. 59% of pastors state that married men seek help for porn use. 33% of women aged 25 and under search for porn at least one time per month. 13% of self-identified Christian women say they have never watched porn. 87% of Christian women admit to watching porn. 57% of pastors state that porn addiction is the most damaging issue in their congregation. 69% of pastors state that porn has adversely impacted the church.

As you can see, pornography leads to sexual immorality. There are many Scriptures speaking out against sexual immorality in both the Old and the New Testaments. It is mentioned in all the four gospels as well as in Paul’s writings. Jesus said that marriage is a holy union of a man and woman. See Matthew 19:5-6, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So, they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Once a man or woman starts to view pornography and the addiction starts, then the marriage is in trouble with the offender satisfying himself or herself by viewing images of other men and women. The offenders have defiled the marriage by committing adultery in their hearts and again by proxy while masturbating to images of naked people.

Why is there so much sexual immorality in our nation and world? I as well as other pastors believe that the demonic spirit of Jezabel has been released on this earth to roam and is influencing the hearts and minds of men and women. The Bible has spoken of Jezabel multiple times. She was a wicked queen and wife to an evil king named Ahab. She had a reputation of murder and sexual perversion and sexual immorality. A Jezabel spirit is of demonic influence and causes destruction in marriages through deception and seduction.

In the Book of Revelation 2:18-29, the Apostle John has had a vision of what is to come. Jesus is addressing the seven churches and mentions the following of the church of Thyatira.

“18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am He who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ -Revelation 2:18-29

The Church of Thyatira could apply to any Christian Church today. The fact that a Jezabel spirit can destroy marriages with the use of pornography and sexual immorality is awful. Demonic influences are helping men and women to destroy their marriages because these men and women are not truly grounded in the Word of God. With only 8% of Christians who read their Bible daily, no wonder there is so much sexual perversion and immorality in the Church as well as in the United States and all over the world. Reading your Bible daily will feed your mind with holy words from God. Once one becomes a true Christian, the Holy Spirit comes into your life to dwell in you to teach you as well as guide your life. He will help you recognize when you have sinned by conviction and encourage you to pray to God to ask for forgiveness of sins. But when a person starts to view wickedness, then those demonic spirits will start to influence you to lust and to sin. That is why it is so very important for young and as well as older married couples to read the Bible together and to pray together as well as pray alone.

I once knew a man who professed to be a Christian but did not lead in his family. He thought he knew it all and would not take advice from those who truly loved him and wanted the best for him in his spiritual life and marriage. He did not take the opportunity to lead his wife in Bible reading or study. Instead, he was more interested in the ways of the world, and he read books on other religions, got involved in occultic practices, and started viewing pornography. This man would go into another room to watch his porn, masturbate, and then denied his wife of love and affection. The marriage ended up failing and now they are divorced.

Those of you who have ears, let them hear. Repent of your wickedness. Pray and ask forgiveness to Christ Jesus for your sins and ask your wife or husband to forgive you. Turn back to Christ Jesus. Immerse yourself reading the Bible and praying daily. Pornography addition can be overcome through a dedicated commitment led by the Holy Spirit. If you must, seek counseling from a Christian counselor. Do not get yourself involved in such wickedness that you allow demonic influences to enter your life and into your marriage. I pray that you will turn back to God and confess your sins and seek forgiveness.

Credit: Barna Research

Photo Credit: Text Art

Grieving the Holy Spirit

Grieving the Holy Spirit

Written by Joseph T. Lee

As I lay here in bed, I started to think how we grieve the Holy Spirit. I just cannot imagine how Yeshua (Jesus) would feel when He see’s His children rebelling, suffering, and turning from Him.

Then the Lord reminded me of how when we grieve about things that have happened concerning loved one’s, our children, our parents, siblings, and spouses. It is because we love them that we grieve when something bad happens.

Now multiply that by an infinite amount of times and the grief is so overwhelming, that we cannot even comprehend it! When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we are in fact grieving Jesus as well as our Heavenly Father. Many times more than we can imagine!

Let’s look at what it says about how we should live our lives and not grieve the Holy Spirit, which sealed us when we came to Jesus.

Ephesians 4:17-32

The New Life

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Look at verse 30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

We were sealed and our name is written in the Book of Life. If we willfully sin, we are grieving the Holy Spirit. We are not to do that because there will be consequences of the spiritual realm as well as the physical. Grieving the Holy Spirit will affect your walk and relationship with our Heavenly Father. It will affect your spiritual fruits as well.

If you have fallen away (backsliding) and are grieving the Holy Spirit, ask Jesus to forgive you, repent which means stop doing whatever sin you are doing, and turn back to Jesus. He will forgive you.

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Causing Another to Sin: There Are Consequences

Causing Another to Sin: There Are Consequences

Written by Joseph T Lee

There are very serious consequences in causing another person to fall away from the Lord Jesus as well as causing them to sin. Matthew details this in Chapter 18, verses 1 to 6.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

In this section of Scripture, the Disciples were concerned about who was the greatest among them. They were so concerned about who among themselves will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus asked for a little child to be brought into his presence and he began to use the child as an analogy. He said that men and women should turn from their wickedness and have faith like a child so that they can enter into the kingdom of heaven. Then He went on to say that those that humble themselves like a child is the greatest in heaven. Whoever receives a Follower of Christ in Jesus name actually receives the Lord.

There was one more very serious point that He wanted to drive home and it was this. Whoever has come to believe in Jesus, and you cause that Follower of Jesus to sin and fall away from the faith, “it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” This was the strongest language Jesus used to indicate that there are grave consequences to causing Followers of Christ to sin, to fall away from the faith, to practice immoral practices.

We live in a society that is godless and unholy. There are so many abominations going on in the United States alone, I am surprised that our Heavenly Father does not punish our nation severely! I know that God is slow to anger, but there is so much immoral behavior, our nation no longer looks like a Christian nation, but looks more like Genesis 19.

The United States has made pornography legal among other abominations. “Every year, the pornographic industry in the United States produces $97 Billion Dollars of filth. Every second, $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography. (The Porn Pandemic written by Lyndon Azcuna) Pornographers and the actors who willfully act in these films and print are causing others to sin.

Satan loves to focus on the sexual immoral. He delights in causing the Children of Christ to fall away from the faith and causing them to sin against God.

Then there are people who do not know Christ but may tempt a weak Christian into sin. Although the baby Christian may have been following Jesus for years, they are not strong in the faith because they have not sought to move closer to Christ Jesus and are still on the milk as opposed to the meat of the Gospel. So a non-Christian comes along who has no morals, and they tempt the young believer in Christ with sex or an affair. They in fact have caused a “little one” in the faith to sin and fall away from the faith to participate in an abomination of God. Woe to the person who does this. They will be severely dealt with by God.

There is a passage in God’s Word that says that we should not be unequally yoked. Look at 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” Entering into a relationship with an unbeliever can be detrimental to one’s faith.

If you have believed and received Christ Jesus as your Savior, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit as a Child of God. Then you enter into a relationship with an unbeliever, you most likely are entertaining the presence of demonic activity since the unbeliever is not a Child of God, and is still living in darkness and sin. There is no holy fellowship with light and darkness. Why would someone who has experienced the Light of Christ Jesus get involved with a person who is of the Darkness?

Having a relationship with those who do not love God with all their hearts, soul, and mind, means that you have willfully entered into a relationship with someone of darkness. This is willful disobedience to Christ Jesus and this itself can come with serious ramifications.

As true Christians, we are not to willfully participate in sin or allow others to influence us to sin. But if one who is not a Follower of Christ, but is in darkness causes a Follower of Christ to sin against the Father, then on the Day of Judgement, that person will be held accountable for every horrible deed they did while on earth.

For sexually immoral people to attempt to groom other people into their world of darkness and sin, and cause others to sin with them, there will be consequences that can be eternal. For the sexual immoral people, Satan is in control of their lives. Satan is the prince of this world but there will be consequences even for Satan at the end of this age.

Friends, if you know of someone who has been led astray, pray for them. There is power in the Name of Jesus. We are not fighting flesh and blood but we are in a spiritual warfare with darkness, with evil demonic spirits, with rulers of the air and principalities. These evil demonic spirits can be overcome through serious prayer and fasting. Before you go into this spiritual battle, put on the Full Armor of God as described in Ephesians 6. Then leave it up to the Holy Spirit to do His work.

Reference:

Being Fed

Being Fed

Written by Joseph T Lee

Marketplace Evangelism Ministries Inc.

One of the most enjoyable things I do now is to work in my backyard patio garden. I love planting the veggies and loving them by giving them the nourishment to blossom and grow into productive plants. Three of the veggies, we planted were from seeds. They will ultimately produce vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, snap beans, green peas, spud potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, and lemons from a lemon tree we have been caring for.

In order to get them to produce, we need to plant them in organic raised bed soil, feed them with the right amount of fertilizer and plant food, and give them just the right amount of water. I have a garden gauge that I can measure the soil to determine there are enough nutrients in the soil to feed them as well as measuring the soil for just the right amount of moisture.

In contrast, as I think about my garden, I also think about the men and women I come in contact with for Devine Appointments, and led them to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

This reminds me of Matthew 9:35-38; “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

We, as Followers of Christ, must pour into others lives, to disciple them in the way they should live their lives. We are to teach them to read their Bibles and to pray, not just for themselves, but for others. Living a life of Christ is like being fed plant food by God. You get your nourishment from God by reading the Bible and praying. We are to teach those who have already come to Christ Jesus the same concepts. New Christians must be nourished so that they will have a deeper walk with Christ Jesus.

Photo Credit – Joseph T. Lee

The Triumphal Entry

The Triumphal Entry

Written by Luke

Luke 19:28-44

²⁸And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” ³²So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. ³³And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. ³⁷As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” ³⁹And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

⁴¹And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, ⁴²saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side ⁴⁴and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Words Hurt: Do You Love God, Forgive Others, Treat Others with Respect?

Written by Joseph T. Lee

Most of you know that although I am a marketplace minister, and I also work a regular 9 to 5 job. Many great Biblical leaders worked at a trade to earn an income, such as Moses and Paul. They were both tent makers. Well, I am also a “tent maker” but I do not make tents. I work in the insurance industry selling personal lines insurance products. I have been doing this for over 20 years and have been involved in ministry, from singing in a gospel group to ministering to people in the hospital and preaching funerals. My most favorite thing to do for the cause of Christ is to teach others how to live a life of Christ as well as lead the lost to Christ Jesus. You could call me a co-vocational minister. I wanted to set the stage to what I would like to discuss with you, so that you may see where this subject matter came from and why we are discussing it.

Just last week, we had a prospect come to us through a referral service we use. A woman and her family were referred to us for help with their insurance needs. We provide car insurance and well as homeowners insurance to these referrals. It is our job to analyze their situation and determine the very best products and coverages for them.

My assistant gathered all the information from this woman and then passed it on to me for quoting. I got the woman’s insurance package and was reviewing it and saw that this woman and family were living with other people. She did not want to disclose the other people.

When I called her, I advised her that I needed the names, dates of birth, and driver’s license numbers for all the drivers. I also needed a copy of her insurance company policy declarations pages to verify proof that she had prior insurance. Unfortunately, she did not want to provide this information and abruptly said, “You have wasted my time!” Then she abruptly hung up without allowing me to finish a response.

Over the years, I have had people to curse at me, be rude, and someone once tried to kill me when I was a police officer. For some reason, her response hurt me the most. It wasn’t that I knew her personally, as I did not. This was the first-time meeting. It was her response that surprised and hurt me the most! Our conversation started out well and then once I said I needed something that she did not want to provide, her whole demeanor changed and turned very ugly in nature.

As Christians, we are to strive to act as well as speak like Christ. We are not supposed to be acting like the rest of the world. The Bible says in James 3:8, “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” This one small organ can tear down a person with the most hateful and evil words. It can also shout praises to God as well as build others up by encouraging them in the ways of our Lord. See James 3:9, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.”

As Followers of Christ Jesus, we are to lift others up. Encourage them and try to help them in their walk with Christ. We are to speak with love and not try to insult and tear down others, even if we do not agree with them.

As for those of you who are professing Christians, even if you are dealing with someone who is not a Christian, still treat them with respect. You never know if YOU were the cause for someone not to come to Christ because of your hate and discrimination against those whom you do not care for.

See Mark 12:30-31, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.” John 15:12, Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Romans 12:10, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Showing love to one another means that when we speak to each other, we do not try to tear someone down. We don’t make comments like “You have wasted my time.” Therefore, to the one that said that to me, I do not hold resentment towards you. I do forgive you. God has led me to write about this so that others can learn that we are to show love and compassion to each other, even in business dealings.

We are to love even those who we do not agree with politically. Everyone in existence is your neighbor. Love will always prevail when it comes to Christ Jesus. I pray that if you do not have love for others, that you will repent immediately.

The Lord’s Prayer is awesome but does have a warning afterwards. The Lord’s Prayer is in Matthew 6;9-13. But look at Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

If we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. Let that sink in. We are mandated to forgive. Period! I pray that you will love God, forgive others, show respect for others, and treat others with honor. That is how you can show God’s love to one another.

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Bachelor: True Love or Hedonism?

Friends, The Bachelor was on Monday night. I didn’t care to watch it because it makes me sick to think that a man is kissing and making out with all those women. This is not the type of relationship a man or woman should be seeking and yet Hollywood is blasting hedonism into American’s living rooms every Monday night for about two hours.

A godly relationship should start with a man and woman in a dating relationship and both should save themselves for marriage when it comes to having sex. Having multiple partners means that a person has become one flesh with multiple people. A godly relationship includes loving God with all of your heart, soul, and mind. It is worshiping Christ Jesus together and being equally yoked in faith as well as one’s relationship.

Having sex out of marriage is fornication. Having sex with someone you are not married to when you are married is adultery. If one loves God, they will respect their own bodies as well as respect the other person if they abstained from sexual relationships until marriage.

Unfortunately, the hedonistic nation we live in does not recognize the latter and they ignore everything that was once held as sacred under the bonds of marriage. This show is literally the fruits of the evil one and he is enjoying watching millions of people being influenced by this evil and by living a sinful life, televised right into your homes.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, “12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

We are to flee from sexual immorality. The people on this show are willing participants in televised sexual immorality. The ultimate goal is to find a wife and during the process, potentially two to three women will be taken to the “Fantasy Suite” where it is presumed they had sexual intercourse with this bachelor.

As Christian’s, we should not be watching this type of television program. In Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We are not to conform to the sinful nature of this world but strive to live our lives like Christ Jesus, holy and blameless. See Ephesians 1:4.

I pray that you will not be influenced to watch this show. Instead, consider reading God’s Word with your family or friends. Pray together. Become close to each other through the love of Christ Jesus. His ways are the best ways.

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Text Art

Confederate Flag: Heritage or Hate?

This is an opinion post: Yesterday, I saw a story about a teenager that drove his pickup truck to his high school. Flying on the back of the truck was a Confederate flag.

Certainly, the young man has a right to fly whatever flag on the back of his truck. The Confederate Flag means different things to different people. To some, it’s the history of the United States as well as family history. My great grandfather was named Marshall Lee and he fought for the Confederacy as a Calvary soldier.

If you were born in the United States, and your ancestors came over from England in the early 1700’s, most likely you have family that fought in the Civil War, either on the Union or Confederate sides. Many people may be proud of their heritage. Perhaps the young man featured in the story was a great, great, great grandson of some Confederate soldier.

Here is my concern for flying the Conferate flag in public. For many people, this flag is a symbol of racism and slavery. The Civil War is over and yet some people want to display this flag. What they may not consider is what this flag represents to many other people whose ancestors were slaves throughout the South and some even in the North.

Racism is an evil that Satan enjoys stirring in peoples hearts. It causes divisions between the races and destroys friendships. People today may not think about how this symbol hurts others or stirs up emotions that is hard to put aside.

As a Christian and a Follower of Jesus Christ, I can tell you racism is not a gift of the Holy Spirit. Racism is not what Jesus taught. As a matter of fact, Jesus taught us that our first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind; and the 2nd commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. You can look this up in Mark 12:29-31.

What if your neighbor was a Black American family? Would you love them as you love yourself? I would and hope that you would as well. If you want to make a difference for the gospel of Christ Jesus, you must remove your blinders and try to look through the lens of others. Try to envision walking in someone else’s shoes. You may not like what the world looks like through the eyes of others.

Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor regardless of race!

Many people may place Robert E. Lee as their historical hero and continue to celebrate him today. Many people were upset about the monuments being removed. Let me share something with you that may not be well known to you. Lee was against monuments being erected in his honor. He said that it would be a constant reminder to those of the South and would not allow the country to heal after the war. He was right in that thought process but I wonder if he even considered the slaves who were owned by Southern slave masters. As a matter of fact, Lee was a slave owner himself and yet he said that he was against slavery. That in itself is concerning. If you want to fact check this, his papers, diary, and letters are at the University of Virginia if you want to read them.

Now imagine what Lee said about keeping old sores open and not allowing the nation to heal. Today, descendants of slaves are being reminded of their ancestral slavery in the United States with Confederate flags being flown on the back of a pickup truck. This flag is a symbol of racism and it terrifies some people when someone is flying it off the back of a pickup truck.

I cannot speak whether the young man in the story was a Christian or not. What I can tell you is if we want to help with the healing process in our nation, we must adhere to what Jesus said, to love God first and then to love our neighbor as ourselves. And if we are going to love people, people should not be flying those flags in public.

Now I can just hear someone coming back and saying, “well people fly the Black Lives Matter flags, or the Rainbow flag, or etc..”. It doesn’t matter what other people do as it matters if you are a professing Christian, we should love our neighbor as ourselves. And if one doesn’t love their neighbor, then I wonder if they even love God?

Here is one last thing to consider. Read what the General Robert E Lee was quoted as saying in the attached article about Confederate monuments. Then apply his same thought process to the Confederate flag. Do these flags allow the nation to heal or do they stir up controversy and racism?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/nation/robert-e-lee-opposed-confederate-monuments

Reference:

Public Broadcasting System (PBS)

As Iron Sharpens Iron, Another Man Sharpens Another

Written by Rev. Joseph T. Lee, MCM

Men, this message is written especially for you. This is a topic that must be discussed. It is not meant to belittle anyone, but as the Bible says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, and another man sharpens another.” Christian men must help those men who are struggling as well as teach them or disciple them in the ways of the Lord. Sometimes, Christian men must call out what sins seem to be rampant in our community. As iron sharpens iron, so does another man sharpen another. This means that older Christian men must step up to help new Believers and bring to their attention any problem that is widespread among the community and has infiltrated the Church. The goal is to help others who are struggling in sin and teach them how to overcome sin and lean on Jesus.

Our society today is plagued with the vilest media ever presented. The internet can be accessed by laptops, desktops, tablets, and smart phones. Last night, while in prayer, the Lord brought to my mind that there are many men, professing Christians, who have backslidden back into sin by viewing pornography, acting on it, and having adulterous affairs.

Satan uses pornography to entice those who view it. Pornography is a way for Satan and his demons to infiltrate one’s life to the point that it causes disruptions in relationships as well as marriages. To put it bluntly, some men have taken to moving to another bedroom away from their wife, to view pornography while their wife is in the other bedroom, only to masturbate to the vile images on their devices. This is what I call committing adultery by proxy. They have used the image as a substitute for what God meant as an ordained and holy marriage. He never meant that a man should masturbate to images. If anyone tells you there is nothing wrong with this, they are spewing a lie that Satan has placed in their own hearts.

Look what Jesus said about this, taken from Matthew 5:27-28, “²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (ESV). Let us look at the first problem with lust. Lustful intent is also committing adultery in one’s heart. This is not good for any marriage, and one has defiled his own marriage by doing so. He is cheating on his wife by committing these two acts, viewing pornography, and masturbating to the images, which means if you are doing this, you are committing adultery.

Last night, while in deep prayer, God brought this to my mind. The following words I believe are God inspired and if this applies to you, please repent from your sins, and ask forgiveness.

“My heart is crying out to Christ Jesus tonight. There is someone who is struggling and hurting terribly inside. The Lord wants you to surrender your addictions, your unfaithfulness, your dirty little secrets, He wants all your sins. There is nothing that you can do or have done that Christ Jesus will not forgive you. The only sin unforgiven is rejection of Jesus and dying in your sin. Jesus wants all of you. You once had a relationship with Him, but you fell away. You chased other things that never fulfilled your desires, and you constantly find emptiness in all your endeavors. You may think that your sin is too great, but I will tell you that Jesus came into the world to save it and not condemn it (cf. John 3:17). God wants a personal relationship with you. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6). Jesus wants you back and His arms are open wide. Just pray this prayer right now. ‘Jesus, forgive me of my sins and trespasses. I rededicate my life you, right here and right now. I repent of my sins and ask the Holy Spirit to live in me, teach me, and guide me in the ways of the Lord.’”

If you have prayed that prayer, Jesus will restore you out of your backslidden ways. Pornography is very addictive and can be considered like drug. Satan utilizes these images to seek and destroy like a roaring lion (cf.1 Peter 5:8).

If you are not a Follower of Christ but want to accept Him as your Savior, the Bible says that who so ever will believe in Jesus will be saved. Look at John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that who so ever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Commit your life to Christ Jesus today. He will set you free.

For those addicted to pornography, seek out a Christian counselor that specializes in sex addictions. You do not have to walk alone and battle this addiction by yourself. God has ordained counselors to assist in recovery and healing. Please call and make an appointment today. Your spiritual life depends on it!