The Purpose of Christ: The Holy Spirit

(1) When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord[a] in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  - Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV)

Image courtesy of WikiMedia.org

It has nearly been two weeks since Christians around the United States celebrated the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  As such, this was a great opportunity to address each part of the celebration of Yeshua.  First we talked about the cross. For that blog post visit,

http://toinebo.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-purpose-of-christ-cross.html

Then we talked about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ which can be found here:

http://toinebo.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-purpose-of-christ-death-burial.html

Today, we will look at the last and largely overlooked piece of the plan for the Son of God - the Holy Spirit.

In the grand scheme of things, there has been a plan since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against Yahweh, there was a plan in place to redeem man back to Himself.  It would be a long while before the full plan would be fulfilled, but the Father paved a way for us to get to where we are now.

Sin and the Law

First, man was given the Law of Moses.  "The Mosaic Law was a bilateral covenant made specifically for Israel alone to govern her life in the promised land. From the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen.12) we see Israel was a chosen nation, an instrument of God to become a channel of blessing to all nations. Yahweh was her Theocratic King who was to rule and guide the nation in her destiny that she might not become polluted or contaminated by other nations and could thus fulfill her purpose. For this the Mosaic Law was instituted to direct Israel as a nation in all spheres of her life—morally, socially, politically, economically and religiously" (The Mosaic Law: Its Function and Purpose in the New Testament, Bible.org).  In addition, the the law revealed the people's sin to them and as such, they had to atone for those sins.

About five years ago, I did a study on the different types of offerings in Leviticus and one of those was the sin offering.  Rather than duplicating efforts, I will copy a snippet from that blog entry:

The reason for the sin offering was for the atonement of the people. TheFreeDictionary.com defines atonement as "[a]mends or reparation made for an injury or wrong".  In looking at all of Leviticus 4 and 5:1-13, you will notice that blood is the key ingredient in which God requires to be burnt. The Burnt, Meat, and Peace Offerings were all ones that were voluntary and provided a sweet-savory aroma for the Lord.  The Sin and Tresspass (which we'll discuss the next time) Offerings did no such thing.

"He is merciful and will forgive based on Christ's sacrifice, which these offerings represent, but even though He accepts the offerings, He takes no satisfaction in sin".1

Therefore, there would have been no communion with God on that occasion.  At least in this case, "[n]o restitution was necessary because of the nature of the sin."2  (Leviticus Lessons: Offerings V; also see Leviticus 4; 5:1-13)

The key is the part which talks about Yahweh's acceptance of the offering, but there was no satisfaction of it.  No matter how many times this was done, the Israelites still could not restore themselves back to Yahweh.  The only sacrifice that would satisfy the Father was that of the Passover Lamb, which was without sin.

Fulfillment of the Law

We have heard that Yeshua died for our sins and this was definitely preached on Easter or Resurrection Sunday.  But, it should be explained WHY we no longer live in sin and how we are free from the penalty of sin. Something important to remember is that the Christ was sent to fulfill the Law.  He tells us this Himself.

Matthew 5:17-18  (17) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (18) For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (NKJV)

What does this mean?  It means that He came to complete the law; put a period on it; end a chapter in the lives of those who were under the Law. Yeshua fulfilled the law because He was the only one who could walk perfectly in the law and uphold all of the law.  The moment He died, the law died with Him.  In addition, the veil of the temple was torn which meant, everyone had access to Yahweh again.

"The veil of the temple was torn in two: The veil was what separated the holy place from the most holy place in the temple. It was a vivid demonstration of the separation between God and man. Notably, the veil was torn from top to bottom, and it was God who did the tearing" (JESUS' TRIAL, DEATH, AND BURIAL, David Guzik :: Study Guide for Matthew 27).  

After Christ's death, we know that He walked among the people for a short while.  He was seen by various people, including the disciples to confirm that He had risen from death (see, Luke 24:36-37).  Even at this point, there was a piece of the plan that had not been executed.  The Law had been fulfilled, but now what?

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

If you recall, the Mosaic Law was put into place to guide the Israelites and to reveal their sins. However, since Christ fulfilled the law, what were those who lived by Yahweh to do?  By this point, I am sure you know where we are headed.  It was the promise of the Holy Spirit that completes the plan of Yahweh.

John 16:5-8  (5) “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ (6) But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. (7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (8) And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  (NKJV)

Yeshua told the disciples this before He died, but they did not understand what was happening.  We see in Luke 24 that they were afraid when He reappeared before them.  It was at this point that He would help them to understand why He had to die and what was to come:

Luke 24:44-49  (44) Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (45) And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  (46) Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise[h] from the dead the third day, (47) and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) And you are witnesses of these things. (49) Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem[i] until you are endued with power from on high.” (NKJV)

Here, the promise is the Holy Spirit.  It is this Spirit that would fall down on the disciples like a mighty rushing wind that made them speak in the tongues of their own language (see, Acts 2:1-4).   However, this could not happen until Yeshua ascended into heaven to be with the Father.

The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

Today, many will ask the Holy Spirit to help them, but I do not believe many understand the purpose behind Him.  See, the Holy Spirit is now what guides man since there is no need for the Mosaic Law. The Law was completed when Yeshua died for our sins. By Him ascending into heaven and sending the Holy Spirit we were given the will of the Father!  Thus, we have a new covenant with Yahweh and are all reconciled back to Him!  There are numerous scriptures that show us this.

Hebrews 10:8-10  (8) Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), (9) then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.”[b] He takes away the first that He may establish the second. (10) By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  (NKJV)

The first that is taken away is the Law.  The second is established by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in man.

Romans 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (NKJV)

The law is no longer our prosecutor, but we now live under Yahweh's grace.

Galatians 3:19-25  (19) What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. (20) Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. (21) Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. (22) But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (23) But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. (24) Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  (NKJV)

I thought it good to share a good portion of Galatians here to add context, but verses 24 & 25 sums things up really well.

One might ask about the moral law. Doesn't that mean anything?  Well, we are still not allowed to steal, covet, or lust, but this is not because of the Law.  It is because we NOW know the will of the Father through the Holy Spirit that resides in us.  If we know Yahweh's will and intentions, then there is no need for the law.  Besides, scripture tells us that we are no longer under the law. We are not to cherry pick the laws which we want to apply because they seem good to us.  We are either under the law (death) or have the Holy Spirit (life) and if we are saved we are called to live by grace. The law doesn't apply to us.  For more in depth information on the Law, I would highly encourage you to read, Laying Down the Law, by Joseph Herrin. You can download a copy here:

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Laying%20Down%20the%20Law.pdf


Wrapping Things Up

It is interesting that most people do not realize that Yeshua actually lived under the Law of Moses until he began his ministry. He grew up in the same times and place where the Law was in enforced. It was not until He was baptized, that he began to live by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:13-17  (13) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. (14) And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (15) But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. (16) When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. (17) And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (NKJV)

At this point, Christ is walking among the law-keepers with the Holy Spirit.  This is why He was able to do things like heal on the Sabbath.  He knew the Father's will because He was living by the Holy Spirit!!  The law did not matter to Him because it was ultimately Yahweh's will that prevailed and He continued living by the Spirit even unto death.  For example, just before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed the following:  "...Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will" (Mark 14:36, NKJV).

Yeshua is our perfect example of living by the Holy Spirit.  If we have been truly baptized by the Spirit and not by water alone, then we too will know the Father's will (see, Acts 19:1-6).  This is very important to remember as many may have been led to believe in Christ on the celebration of His resurrection two weeks ago.  It is my prayer they understand the symbolism of water baptism, but more importantly that they are baptized in the Spirit as Paul discussed in Acts 19:1-6.  If this is so, then one will be able to see and understand that going to the cross was not enough.  We needed Yeshua to die, be resurrected, ascend to heaven AND have the Holy Spirit come, so that the will of the Father could be known to us throughout our walk in Christ to the end.

Be blessed!

Antoine E. Hall

Read More

Pruning in the Lives of Christians

Pruning.  I have been sitting on this topic for a year and a half now, but I believe the timing is just as fitting now than it would have been then.  Honestly, my hesitation was primarily due to the fact that what must be said affects me just as much as it does you.  No matter the difficulty or whether I am as ready as I wish, I must be obedient to the Holy Spirit.  I will not delay this any longer, so, let's talk about it.

(Courtesy of Wikimedia)

What does it mean to prune something? To prune something means,

To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth...[t]o remove or cut out as superfluous ([b]eing beyond what is required or sufficient) - (see pruning) 

Have you ever planted a vegetable garden?  If so, directions on the package of seeds instructed you plant a few together with a certain amount spacing between them.  Later, you would have to prune (or cut back or down) the other plants, so that your row of plants will have enough room to grow. The purpose of the pruning is to ensure better or desired growth for that plant or tree.  I have grown a couple of gardens before and I have learned a few things from it as well. For example, I have thrown a bunch of tomato seeds in the ground and didn't prune at all.  I ended up with a nice produce, but things grew out of control and vines were all over the place.  Some of the other plants in the garden box were not as strong as the tomatoes.  I probably could have ended up with a better yield of everything had I followed the instructions to place the seeds the right amount of space apart and pruned where needed. You'd be surprised at what you can learn through gardening!

The beautiful thing about this is that pruning not only relates to physical gardening, but it also relates directly to our spiritual walk with Yeshua as well. In John 15:1-6, it says:

(1) Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2) He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. (3) You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. (4) Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me. (5) "I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. (6) If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned." (ERV)

So, let's break those verses down into three sections.

Roles

In verses 1-3, Yeshua, immediately gives us His identity and then identifies Yahweh the Father.  The Father is the gardener and the Son is the true vine.  We as followers of Christ are the branches.  A gardener takes full care of his plants and takes the necessary steps to ensure that they get the maximum production out of them. While pruning is one out of many things that must be done, it is still necessary to trim back the branches in preparation of producing the fruit.  This means that if you are not producing fruit (doing what has been commanded of you) as a branch, you will be cut off from Christ.


Connected to the Vine

In verses 4-5, Yeshua stresses the importance of staying connected to Him.  He tells us that we are nothing by ourselves.  I am pretty sure, that many of you can attest to trying to do it alone without Him and the mess from which you are probably still trying to recover.  There is no way we can be fruitful, if we are disconnected from the True Vine.  Yeshua wants a healthy relationship with each of us, but that means we have to remain healthy branches in order to stay in relationship with Him. He has already given us the promise of being fruitful, we just have to do our part.


What Happens to The Separated

Verse 6 pretty much sums everything up.  You have seen branches that are trimmed from trees.  You have seen what happens to dead portion of trees and plants that go by the wayside.  They are separated from the healthy part of the plant, so that the rest of the plant continues to thrive. If you have ever seen a fire started, you know that it is started with dry material.  You don't start it with healthy living material.  Dry wood is something which has been separated from the living plant for quite some time.  This is why campers and people with wood-burning stoves or fireplaces seek out dry wood to start fires.  Simply put - dead wood burns better.  This is what Yeshua tells us.  If you become separated from Him, you become like kindling for a fire.


What does this means for you and I?  Well, it means quite a bit.  You see, a branch on a vine, typically has its own little branches as well. We should be connected to the True Vine all the while being fruitful, however, we as branches need to continuously prune things in our lives.  If you leave dying branches on a plant, it will eventually cause harm to the rest of the tree. One article states that you should "[r]emove dead, damaged and diseased branches to help prevent insect & decay organisms from entering the tree." ("Why, When, & How to Prune Your Trees").

Folks, the Gardner (Yahweh) WILL NOT let the Vine (Yeshua) and the true church be damaged or diseased by branches that are not producing fruit.  In addition, those who chose to go against His will are subject to being trimmed as well.  As such, we as followers, should not allow anything to cause us to be cut away from the True Vine.  This means that we have to make some decisions in our lives - some easy, some medium-sized and some difficult. If you know that there are stumbling blocks in your life, then it is simple - prune them from your life.  However, it gets difficult when the Holy Spirit instructs us to cut things out of our lives that we have become use to having, like:

• TV Entertainment
• Habits (coffee, cigarettes, etc.) 
• Hobbies
• Things (houses, cars, games, etc.)
• Friends
• Family
• And many more things...

The two on the list that may cause the most heartburn for folks are friends and family. I understand it, because we are use to those who are close to us, especially family.  I have had the same struggles as well just as many others on this Christian walk.  How do you just cut them off?  How do you cut off the ones that have brought you through thick and thin? How do you cut off grandmothers, aunts, or uncles who may have raised you?  What about the ones who birthed you?  I do not have that answer for your situation or the words for you to say (should it come to that), but I can only point you back to scripture. In Matthew 12:46-50, Yeshua tells us His true family:

(46) While Jesus was talking to the people, his mother and brothers stood outside. They wanted to talk to him. (47) Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside. They want to talk to you." (48) Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" (49) Then he pointed to his followers and said, "See! These people are my mother and my brothers. (50) Yes, anyone who does what my Father in heaven wants is my true brother and sister and mother." (ERV)

Our commandments are to stay connected to (and love) Yeshua and Love people as He loves them.  Then, we are commanded to share the gospel.  Those are our jobs, but listen - everyone cannot and will not accept the Word in its entirety. Doing the parts that benefit us comes easy.  The part that causes us heartache and sacrifice is a different story for many others. We cannot think that those before us who were righteous can also gift us an easy Christian walk and connection to the Vine. Sunday morning service does not guarantee you a constant connection to the Vine. Your parents' relationship with Yeshua, does not guarantee you constant connection with the Vine.  It is your own walk which determines your connection to the Vine.  As such there will come a time where we must make a choice as it pertains to our direct relationship. We will have to chose to either stand up for the Messiah or not.  Unfortunately, this may mean some emotional decisions for many of us (I included). The question is where will you stand?  Will you stand with the Son or will you stand against Him?

We have to realize that pruning in our spiritual walk is also a constant health check on our relationship with Christ.  You do not want anything in this life to jeopardize your eternal life after this flesh is gone.  So, I end with this last question:  What do you need to start pruning from your life today?

Decisions. Decisions.

Be blessed folks.


Antoine E. Hall

Updated: January 21, 2020

Read More

In the Beginning, There Was Living Water

Image courtesy of WikiMedia.org

1 Peter 1:20 - He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (NKJV)

Over the past couple of days, I have had the chance to re-read Genesis 1.  As a matter of fact about a couple of months ago, I re-read Genesis 1 and I kept getting stuck on the first few verses.  I did not realize it at the time, but the Holy Spirit was trying to show me something and while I was in the right area, I was not discerning the right message.  However in talking with my wife last night, she made a comment and a light bulb went off immediately!  So, today I would like to share this with you.

As such, I would like to share the first few verses of Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:1-2  (1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (NKJV)

In reading, it is easy to miss things, but I am a believer in the fact that the Word of God can show you something different even when you read the same verses.  So, right now I have highlighted the water.  In the beginning and before God even formed the earth, water existed.  Before anything was ever formed, there was water.  Wait, how is that possible right?  How can water exist without a surface for it to flow through?  Well, I will get to that in a minute.

We see that on the first day, God separated the light from the dark (see Genesis 1:3-5). However, on the second day something interesting happens.  Let's have a closer look:

Genesis 1:6-8 - (6) Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” (7) Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. (8) And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. (NKJV)

Yes, God created Heaven, but where did it come from?  It came from the water!  Out of all my readings of scripture, I have never picked up on this before!  It was pretty cool to see, but then the Word of God goes on with the creation of Earth. 

Genesis 1:9-10 - (9) Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. (10) And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. (NKJV)

The waters under heaven was then "gathered together in one place" (or organized) and THEN, the dry land appeared in the midst of the water.  Then of course God creates the sea life, plant life, wild life, and then humans.

There is no argument that today, that one of the most important elements today is water.  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, "[a]bout 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water" (from "How much water is there on, in, and above the Earth?").   Entire cities were built next to sources of water in order to thrive.  We eat food from the water.  We drink water.  Factories need water as a vital part of their operations.  We need it for so many daily things in our lives that we do not realize its significance.  "The amount of water in the human body ranges from 50-75%" (from "How Much of Your Body Is Water?").  Our body tissue contains lots of water and as such we much constantly replenish our ourselves with it.  Human bodies can only go for about "8 to 10 days without water", where by comparison "[y]ou can make it 3 weeks without food" (from "How Long Can a Person Survive Without Water?")!  Lastly, I cannot go without mentioning that Christians use water for Baptisms as well!

I found this to be really interesting and I have been enjoying this revelation.  However, I told you that I would get back to existence of water before even the earth's existence.  If we go to the book of John we see Jesus in a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well.  Jesus was exhausted from his travels, so He asked the woman to draw him some water to drink.  Being a Samaritan, the woman was a little confused because Jews did not associate with them.  So let's pick up at John 4:7.

John 4:7-14  - (7) A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” (8) For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  (9) Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  (10) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”  (11) The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? (12) Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”  (13) Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, (14) but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”  (NKVJ)

And that folks is how you get there.  Jesus, was there at the foundation of the world.  He is the one who is the provider of living water and I find it amazing that all the life we see sprung out of water in the beginning. Out of Him, we get us.  I opened this blog entry with 1 Peter, but I also find it fitting and proper to close with it as well.  

1 Peter 1:20 - He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (NKJV)

Be Blessed and have a good one folks!

Antoine E. Hall

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." - James 1:22

Read More

1 John 2:23 -25

"Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life."

1 John 2:23 -25

Read More

One Shepherd, Many Sheep

Image Courtesy of Commons.Wikimedia.org

For today, I want to direct your attention to shepherds and sheep. A shepherd is "[o]ne who herds, guards, and tends sheep” or “[o]ne who cares for and guides a group of people, as a minister or teacher”. The word herd is "[a] group of cattle or other domestic animals of a single kind kept together for a specific purpose" or “[a] large number of people; a crowd”.  As you can see from the definitions, a sheep is to follow the directions of his shepherd and the shepherd is to take care of the sheep making sure that they all stay safely together.

In today's time, many pastor's (or ministers) are called shepherds because they have their "flock" (who is the congregation), but the problem with this is that a lot of the times, we start to follow the man instead of gospel that the man preaches. There is but one shepherd of man and that is God. Psalm 23 starts with "(1) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the still waters..." (NKJV).  So who is our shepherd? The Lord! On his best day, a pastor is but a sheep himself following an awesome God. He just happens to be someone trying to get you to recognize that we are suppose to be following His Word.

When you have sheep following other sheep, then there is a problem. Unless that sheep is following the directions of The Shepherd, he could lead you down a path where the enemy can overtake you.  The Shepherd cares for all of the sheep. "(12) What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? (13) And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. (14)In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." (Matthew 18:10-15).   No one man can do this no matter how charismatic he is.

I am not saying that a pastor is useless.  If they are not poisoning the congregation with their own agenda and they are preaching what the Bible says, then they are a great asset for the God's Kingdom.  The question is do you take more queues from another sheep rather than from the Good Shepherd? If your pastor acts in a manner contrary from the Word of God, are you bold enough to call them on it or do you continue to blindly follow the person behind the pulpit?  Who are you really following today?

Be blessed and have a good one!

Antoine E. Hall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

Read More

A Halfhearted Christian

Today I want to share with you on the subject of Halfhearted Christians. Before we go any further, let's get a working definition of what we are investigating.

Halfhearted: Exhibiting or feeling little interest, enthusiasm, or heart; uninspired (TheFreeDictionary.com)
Christian: following the teachings or manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus Christ

So, given those definitions, you can put it together and say that "A Halfhearted Christian is one who feels little interest, enthusiasm, or heart for following the teachings or manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus Christ". That's pretty simple and to the point right? Well do you see the problem with this though? A halfhearted Christian lives as though they know about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They know Him on Sunday and when it is convenient for them, but become filled with amnesia when their walk is complicated by following Him. They may claim to love Jesus and can even quote scripture, but live in a manor where even the unbeliever takes notice.

Because you do not whole-hearted give your time and attention to Christ, the halfhearted Christian leaves themselves open to backsliding and confusion. James 1:8 say, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (KJV). Guess what, if you do not serve God with all your heart then who do you serve? If your mind is not totally focused on Him, then the devil sees that as a prime opportunity to give you his card and say “Call me”. This can introduce both recognized and unrecognized confusion into your life.
1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (KJV). So, if God isn't your source of confusion, then you know that it is not of God. If you took the devil's card when you hit that low point (or high point) you opened yourself to choosing between two masters.

Romans 6:16 - "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (KJV)

Romans 6:16 is saying that whatever you allow to become your master, you will become a slave to it. If you are a slave of sin then it is to the death, but if it is to obedience of God then you will have righteousness and everlasting life.

If you are confused, be confused no more! If you serve the Lord with all your heart, then He will show you what is right and wrong. There is no in-between on this matter. Either you are for God or against.....you're either hot or cold....you're either black or white on the matter......you get the point.

I wish to say that if you feel halfhearted about your walk with Christ pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the error of your ways. If you know someone who is living a halfhearted walk, then speak to that person. There are only two ways – with God and not with God. At the end of the day, you must choose. I may have shared this before but one prayer that I always pray is that the Holy Spirit be with me in all things that I do: the good things and the mistakes, so that in my errors I am shown the right way. If you can't choose, call on the Holy Spirit and He will help to direct your path. In closing I want to leave you all with Romans 8:38-39 and it says,

"(38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (KJV)

Be blessed gang and have a great day!

Antoine E. Hall

Read More

No Power, No Light

Courtesy of Commons.WikiMedia.org

I want to talk about a simple concept. What is the concept? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let's look at a simple power circuit.

In a power circuit, there is a source of power and there is some resistance. The resistance can be a light, TV, radio, etc...I think you get the point. Well, in order for a circuit to work properly, you must have a complete circuit; meaning, all the wires must be connected to the light and the source. However, if you have a break in the circuit, then your appliance will not work and you begin to wonder what's wrong.

Let's look at another example: a home. In your house, as long as you pay the light bills, you will always go under the assumption that if you plug something in the socket, it will work! BUT, if you miss a light bill payment, you will quickly learn the concept of cause and effect. All your plugs are no longer hot (or work).  And that is a terrible thing when you are not connected to your source.  So, are you plugged into your Power Source? You do know that your source of power comes from the Lord, right?

1 Chronicles 29:11-12  “(11) Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. (12) Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”

David recognized his source through his prayers as well as you should. See the problem isn't whether or not we paid our light bill because our debt has already been paid by the blood of Jesus. That means you have access to "Always On" or "Hot" power. Whenever you plug into the Him, you will always have the power so that your light can shine brightly.

Now that you know you have an "Always On" power source you have no reason not to have power. When you look around and realize that your light is out, find yourself a plug (prayer or the Word) and plug into it. I guarantee your lights will burn again. If it flickers, don't worry because the power is there. However, if your light goes out, it's not the Source's fault. It's your own.


Antoine E. Hall

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." - James 1:22

Read More

You Only Live Once

"You only live once, but you can die twice."

- KB, from the song Anomaly

Read More

The Triune God Is Real

According to Wikipedia.com, the philosophical definition of reality states:

"In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined.[1] In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. A still more broad definition includes everything that has existed, exists, or will exist."

This very definition alone ascribes to the fact that the Triune God is Real!

Revelations 1:8 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

Have a happy Monday!

Antoine E. Hall

Read More