The Militant Christian

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of Wikimedia.org

I have been told on three different occasions that I am a “militant” or “angry” Christian. Right after, on two occasions, I was told that I needed more love (I can draw more people with honey rather than vinegar and I can’t wait for God to release me to write about “love”) or I was reminded about Paul, and how I’m neglecting his writings.

So, when I get an accusation like that, I figure, I need to take a step back and do self-examination. Am I off base with my beliefs? What are my beliefs? Do they line up with the word of God and not some pastor or author of some books that you find on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles?  Then, what about Paul and the things that he taught? Most importantly, what about Jesus, and the things that He taught? I’m going to take a little time to explore, and I ask that you take that journey with me. BUT, before we do, we must come to agreement on two things:

1. It is always important to test yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5)
2. The Word of God is true, without error, and used for instruction and correction (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

I guess it’s probably best to start off with my belief, which is really hard to do because my view of theology is complex, yet so simple. How do I explain that? Well, what I mean by complex is being a disciple of Christ is not easy, yet, His call to salvation is. For example, Jesus plainly tells us that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter into the kingdom of heaven (will be saved), yet, only those who do the will of His Father will. So that lets me know, there is more to being a disciple than just “saying” and “thinking” I’m a Christian, or being a Christian in name only. My “works” don’t “save” me, but they certainly do make a statement of Who I am serving and who I am. However, salvation is so simple. God says, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart – or else you will be deceived by sin (Hebrews 3). Then all you have to do is recognize your sin as direct disobedience and an offense to God and His character (Psalm 51:4), repent (turn away from them, *stop it!*)(Revelation 2:16, Ezekiel 14:6, Joel 2:12, Matthew 3:8) and accept His gift of salvation (Romans 10:9) by believing in faith that Jesus is the only way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:16) – that through His shed blood, we are redeemed (1 Peter 1: 18-19) . See? It’s simple, yet complex.

I also believe that if we are TRULY following Christ, our thinking will start to change, and we won’t see the world the same way (Romans 12:2). You will start to see the error in other’s thinking and the thinking in society as contrary to what God says and thinks. You will see the blatant attack on your faith and those who you thought were friend or even fellow Christians will turn against you. You will find true companionship in others who are genuinely following Christ, and see that you all have the same types of persecution and I’m not talking about “haters”.  But, no wonder - you all are following the most hated One ever – and He warns us about this (John 15:18, Matthew 10:22). You also will learn or discern how to check the fruit (Matthew 7:16) to see if what people (yes even pastors) say line up with the Word of God. In other words, you will find out who are the sheep and who are the fakers/goats/false teachers. You will learn to hear the voice of Christ (John 10:27-30), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), through studying and knowing His word (2 Timothy 2:15). This is important because He warns that there will be many that will come in His name, but will teach false things (Matthew 24:3-5,10-11). I believe that once you know His voice, you will start to feel comfortable warning others or standing up for God’s word. Not that it has to be proven, but in a world that needs to hear, if you know the truth, you better live it and speak up, otherwise, you do have blood on your hands (Ezekiel 33:1-9). I believe that once you KNOW God, you will not only start to fear Him but reverence Him as well (Psalm 34:9). Last, I believe that once you know God, you will not live in sin (1 John 5:18).

When I was “in the church”  I fell victim of false teachings. I even once became a pastor pleaser, putting him on a pedestal. I devoured and gluttoned myself on his every word instead of God – trusting him for my salvation and knowledge because, why would my pastor tell me wrong? I witnessed men emasculated and I witnessed myself becoming fearful and subservient to a man that is not my husband or my God. There were several more times after that, where I now realized God allowed me to “sit under” or be “sat on” by those pastors and false doctrines so that I will know what to look out for and how to warn others. These experiences did make me “militant”. And I thank God for that.

So, how have I become militant you may ask? Let's first look at the definition of "militant"....

Militant: adjective 1. vigorously active and aggressive, especially in support of a cause: militant reformers.
2.engaged in warfare; fighting.
noun 3. a militant person. 4. a person engaged in warfare or combat.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/militant

These definitions would fit 1 Timothy 6:12 and 2 Timothy 4:7, as well as Ephesians 6:10-18. And, here are a few other ways that I identify with being “militant”…..

1. I stand firm and don’t compromise the Word of God (1 Corinthians 16:13, Ephesians 6:11, Colossians 1:23). One thing that you will notice is that since seeking and finding the truth of GOD for myself, I will stand firm in my belief. I am very open to discussion, but the case is closed on my faith in the triune God and God alone. Through my experiences and my study of scripture, I have learned to discern when something is being said and is a lie about God. I’m not afraid to call it out.
2. I stay watchful (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 5:14, 1 Thessalonians 5, Luke 21:34-36). Have you noticed the temperament of “Christians” lately? Many have been lulled to sleep by this world. A lot has to do with the love of their life more than God, the prosperity gospel and other false gospels, some has to do with not thinking that Jesus can come back at any moment and they have “time”. But Jesus told an important parable in Matt 25 of the 10 virgins. Many were unprepared for His return, and many Christians will be that way too. Why? Because they love the cares of this world, the music, material things, the shallowness of it all. Many also have “itching ears” and refuse sound doctrine. Therefore will fall prey to false teachings and beliefs about God.
3. I am ready to suffer and stand alone and even die for my faith in Christ (Matthew 5:10-12, 10:39, John 15:20, Psalm 129:2, 2 Timothy 2:3). There have been on more than one occasion where I had to stand alone for the gospel of Christ. There have been times where I’ve been “attacked” by fellow “Christians” for speaking simply what the bible (not the pastor) actually says. I suspect that there will be tougher times as well. And I welcome it. Why? Because I have learned that if the world loves what you are saying, you ain’t saying it right.
4. I am willing and able to follow my General’s commands (Matthew 7:21, Ephesians 6:6, 1 Peter 4:2). There are times in my life where I want to do something, say something, and go somewhere. But I hear the voice of God and the unction of the Holy Spirit telling me “No”. There are times where I Don’t want to do, say, or go and the Father tells me “GO”! There are times where I want to forge ahead in getting a point across and the Holy Spirit says “Shhhh. No more.” And as hard as it is to obey, I have learned that it’s in my best interest. I, as a mere “soldier”, cannot supersede my General’s commands. It’s hard, because you have to learn to lay down your own desires and will in order to be in line with His. But it is really worth it in the end.

So, am I militant in my walk? I am inclined to say yes. I am also inclined to say everyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ should be. We are in a spiritual battle – we war not against flesh and blood but against spiritual darkness in high places. We are kidding ourselves if we think that we can follow Christ and be placating Christians holding hands and kumbaya-ing with every Tom, Dick, and Harry, or every false doctrine or non-believer out there. The adversary, the devil, satan is NOT playing with us. He is playing for keeps, coming to steal, kill and destroy us all. And it would behoove every believer to put on their spiritual armor, get on the wall, and cry aloud “REPENT! FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND!”.

Militantly yours for Christ,

+Deidra Hall
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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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

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The Bride of Christ and the Historical Jewish Marriage Significance

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Often we hear “we are the bride of Christ”. Or “He will come back for a church/bride without spot or blemish.”. But what does that mean?

I would like to look deeper into this with you. But first, we must agree on some basic biblical truths:

• Jesus Christ is the bridegroom of His Ecclesia (church) (2 Corinthians 11:2) 
• The bible is true, without error, and used for correction and instruction (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Jesus told many parables regarding marriage during His time on earth. There are also that are foreshadowed and foretold in the old and new testament, respectively. But just reading them does the importance of the matter no justice. You have to know the historical background of the Jewish customs of marriage to fully understand. And, that is where I’d like to start, and “marry” the two (ha! Pun intended).

This historical Jewish marriage tradition was much more elaborate than how we in our “world” get married today. There were so many things to do, plans to make, payments and arrangements to confirm. But it all served a purpose. Now, let’s look at the steps that it took to get married, and how it correlates to the teachings of the Bridegroom/bride of Christ. For the Jewish tradition, we can look at Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah in the Old Testament in Genesis 24. Point to remember, Abraham’s servant is working on his behalf, as at this time, Abraham was too old to accomplish his responsibilities.

First the Shiddukhin or the match-up (Gen 24:50-51, context v1-51): The marriage was not the idea of the man and woman to be married like how it is now. It was arranged between families, often the fathers. However, sometimes the bridegroom did get to choose if He saw a bride that he liked and sometimes even loved. And marrying outside of your particular “kind” was taboo.

This should ring a couple of bells –  God draws and chooses the bride. Jesus being the bridegroom will only “marry” His “kind”.

Eph 1:4 (NLT) Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

John 6:37 (NLT) However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

1 Peter 1:13-16 - ¹³So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ¹⁴So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”^[c]

Second came the Eyrusin or “Betrothal”. A part of the betrothal was called the Kiddushin, which meant “set apart”. The Kiddushin or Betrothal is kind of like our “engagement” now days but the commitment is MUCH stronger, and much more meaningful. To be betrothed, was a covenant between the bridegroom and the bride to be to be set apart for each other and no one else. This is something that the bridegroom would initiate by leaving his father’s house to go to the bride. He would then ask the bride to be his, and the bride had to choose to accept. In this covenant, the bride (once approached) would agree to belong to the bridegroom, she wouldn’t give her heart to another. That covenant sealed the deal. In a sense, without all the pomp, they were already married. The only way the bridegroom  could get out of the covenant would be to “divorce” out of the covenant (Deut 24:1-4).

One of the major things that went on during the betrothal and before the bridegroom asked for the brides hand of marriage was the “Mohar” negotiation. The young woman was very valuable to her family. She often helped cook, clean etc around the home. To lose her, was a huge blow to the family. In order to make a fair “exchange” she had to be “paid for”. The payment that the young man’s father would make was called the “mohar”. Although the mohar went to the father of the bride, it really belonged to her.

How does this part relate to the bride of Christ? Let’s look at some scripture:

John 6:38-40 ³⁸For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. ³⁹And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

Here we see all three parts of the betrothal. Jesus leaves His home (coming down from Heaven) to come to the brides home (earth). His Father makes the arrangement (His will that none be lost). And the bride chooses to accept (all who believe).  Let’s look at another passage. Also to note, just like it was only the privilege of the bridegroom to break the covenant, so it is with the Father. He is the only one that will be able to break that covenant, but He is not a God of divorce. Thus, the promise of the Bride to His Son forever (eternal life).

Because of our sinful nature, we once belonged to a father. A vicious, brutal, murderous father. And we were VERY important to our father as we opened doors for him to hold on to more and more of his children.

John 8:43-45 ⁴³Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! ⁴⁴For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!

Romans 1:32 (context v18-32) - They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

The Father would need to pay a ransom to buy us from our father. It would cost a lot to let us go, and that is the price, the “mohar” that the bridegroom had to pay.

1 Peter 1:18-20 ¹⁸For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. ¹⁹It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. ²⁰God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ¹⁹Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Philippians 2:7-8 (KJV) ⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  ***the “even” is very significant. Jesus just didn’t die. He didn’t get shot or stabbed for us. He died on a cross. That is important because dying on a cross was one of the most dishonorable way to die. Criminals died that way. Yet, the one who had committed no sin paid that price, to buy us back from our father so that we can be one with Him and His Father.****

So, after the betrothal and Mohar was paid, in my research, there were two things that happened.

The bridegroom and bride would both drink wine from the betrothal cup (much like our communion as found in Luke 22:18-20). And they would also exchange things (rings, gifts etc.)

They both would participate in the Mikveh - or Ritual Immersion signifying the spiritual cleansing of them both (much like our baptism into the faith Matt 28:19).

After these were complete, the customary next step would be for the son to leave. But, before he did, he would give his bride-to-be a small gift. This gift would be what she would keep to remind her of the commitment as well as remind her of him and his love for her until he returned. This gift was called the “Mantan”.

Christ’s Bride’s Mantan is this:

John 16:5-8 ⁵“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. ⁶Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. ⁷But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. ⁸And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” **The Advocate is another translation in the NLT for The Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13-14 ¹³And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own^[a] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. ¹⁴The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

During the time that the bridegroom is gone (the separation period), the bride would prepare herself for his return, and he would go to his father’s home and prepare a space for he and his bride to live. In biblical times, the bridegroom didn’t build a brand new home. Instead, he would build new rooms on to the already existing home of his father. After the father was satisfied that the living quarters were complete, the bridegroom was then able to go get his bride.

This also reflects what Christ said:

John 14:1-3 ¹“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ²There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.^[a] If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?^{[b] 3} When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

Or, the more popular version (KJV): ¹Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

As far as the bride becoming ready:

Revelations 19:7-8 ⁷Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him.For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. ⁸She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

Eph 5:25-27 - ²⁵For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.^{[a] 27} He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

Once the separation was over, and the father deemed the preparations to be in order for the bride to come. This would begin the “Nissuin” – or the wedding ceremony. The special thing about this in biblical times is that it came after much anticipation. Most separations lasted about a year. The bride knew that her bridegroom would be coming, but not the exact time or day. For this reason, she stayed ready, expecting his return at any moment. Usually, as the bridegroom approached the home of the bride, there would be a loud shout or announcement of his coming. This was done by one of his groomsmen. As he shouted through the streets a great crowd would follow, all shouting. Once he arrived for his bride, they once again drank from the cup, said their vows, and a huge celebratory banquet would ensue.

Matt 24:36-37 ³⁶“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. ^[a] Only the Father knows. ³⁷“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.

Matt 25:13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. (in context Matt 25:1-13).

Christ’s Return and wedding:

1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died^[a] will rise from their graves.

Rev 19:7-9 ⁷Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. ⁸She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. ⁹And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

Amen.

+Deidra Hall
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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Getting Out of Emotion and Using Discernment – The Marvin Sapp Response, and Prayer

"Praying Hands", Courtesy of WikiMedia

I've seen a few posts on FB this morning about the response of Marvin Sapp about a song called "Stay Prayed Up". I will admit that I'm not familiar with the song, or the writer/singer of the song. But I can say, that his response is a false statement.

Below, you will find the question of a lady, and Mr. Sapp’s response.  Later, I will break down his response – a lie, wrapped in a tiny bit of truth – as the word of God says “…a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” (Galations 5:9, 1 Corin 5:6).

Please read my only response to the song "Stay Prayed Up"

Mr Sapp, I was a big fan of yours however as a Christian I'm a bit confused about your motivation to record the record prayed up. I intentionally watched you on the HOA and was taken back by your conversation with Kandi at the studio. You continued to tell her not to try to explain herself, and that she didn't have to apologize etc. I'm just wondering is this the watered down version of the word you are teaching in your church? The bible says "my people perish because of a lack of knowledge." It also says "GOD would rather that we be hot or cold." Not trying to come off as judgmental but this is the type of thing that makes the church look no different than the world. So fed up with this new concept of stooping to the worlds standards to reach souls Jesus hung out in places with sinners to reach them but HE never comprised GIS standards nor GOD's word. Kandi is motivated by money just wondering what's your motivation?

Usually I don't respond to people about things like this however I must this time. The problem with many in the church is 1.) that we major in minors and 2.) ignorant (not well studied) of scripture. Lets deal with the first, This woman who was an ex R&B singer that sells sex toys and live with her man decided on a show that reaches 10 million viewers per showing (believers and unbelievers) to sing about,,,, Not sex toys, drugs or living with a man but PRAYER!!!!!! and the saints are upset. The lyric says, "I stay prayed up, that gets me by, that how I made it through my darkest time, see I'm a sinner and thats no lie, but thank God my prayers are heard because he knows I try" Wow!!!!! nothing elicit or comprising about the lyric.... So lets look at how Jesus dealt with the sinner..... From my study of scripture the only people he checked was the church (religious people of that day) however the sinner he consistently showed COMPASSION!!!!!!! Examples...... Woman caught in the ACT of adultery Also the Woman at the well....... Never exposed them publicly, dealt with them privately. We as believer major in minors...... So caught up in the messenger that we are missing the message "Staying Prayed UP". Now I close with this...Everyone that God used in scripture was flawed and or had struggles.... Let me call the roll..... Moses was a murderer, Rahab was a harlet (whore), David was a murder/adulter and still considered a man after Gods own heart, Peter was a cutting cusser however was in the inner circle of Jesus, Paul was a murderer and made many blaspheme against God however wrote 2/3 of the NT, He spoke through a Donkey and if we decide to be quite rocks will cry out... We say we are christians which means being Christ-like but question peoples motives that model his behavior....The bible speaks about witnessing and that you need to be wise to win souls and Paul says I became all things to all men that I might win some.... Compromise was never done here nor do I condone her life style or life choices and keeping 100 you don't know the off camera conversation we had. Again big picture 10 million people at 1 time were challenged to PRAY in difficult times WOW!!!! Thats Awesome and Ministy..... PS Didn't spell check because I'm late to a meeting.... Be Blessed

Now, before we begin, we must agree on a few biblical truths before we move forward:

1. We need discernment to understand God’s Word and laws (Psalm 119:125)
2. Only believers will understand God’s Word ( 1 Corinthians 2:14)
3. The Word of God is true, without error, and used for instruction and correction (2Tim 3:16-17)

If we can agree to this, then, let’s continue….

There are two things that need addressing here. The first is how much a Christian will idolize one person, so much so, that they ignore the discernment that God is giving them to see something that is dangerous to their souls.

Now, I will admit, this first part will be commentary, I will add supporting scripture where I can, but ultimately, I am just sharing my observations.

After Mr Sapp raised this statement, there were many that came to his side in his defense. I believe that is what caught my attention. My newsfeed was flooded with “Amens”, and the like, agreeing with what he said. Many of the “amens” were emotionally charged – as to say “he told them!” or “that’s right, y’all church folk, that’s why don’t nobody wanna be bothered with you!”. Some were “amens” because what he said sounded good on the surface. Those were the “amen” attitudes. But what does “amen” really mean?

Yes, we know the conventional meaning of “amen” – “so be it”. But why do we say it? Let’s look at scripture:

Rev 3:14 (KJV) 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saiththe Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;…..

When we agree with our “amens” we are saying that whatever we are agreeing to is as pure, faithful and as truthful as THE AMEN Himself! The Amen is Christ! So, we can’t just go around “amening” to anything. That is not a word to throw around lightly. The attitudes above did not reflect agreement in The Amen. What they reflected were bitterness and anger at someone who was bold enough to ask a question. Someone who was bold enough to hold someone accountable for the office they proclaim and the message that they are sending. Those “amens” were blatant disdain and goes completely contrary to the Word of God when it says:

1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”

Matt 7:15-22 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

People of God, we must be careful in these times. She was not out of order, and Christians who hold other fellow laborers, whether they be famous or not, or pastors or not, accountable for their words and deeds, and want to do as the bible says, are not either. In fact, making sure we are not among wolves IS being obedient to Christ, and it is very wise in doing so. Many are led astray because they follow another voice blindly instead of listening and following Christ’s voice….always remember that.

John 10:4-5(KJV) 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. ***discernment and knowing the actual Word of God will keep you from following strange voices/doctrines.***

The second is the issue of prayer.

The more and more I read his statement, the more and more clear the subtle lie became. That one little subtleness is the leaven in the lump. And isn’t that exactly how the enemy works? Now, don’t get all emotional on me…I did NOT call Mr Sapp the devil – don’t let that spirit rise up and confuse you. See carefully what I said – the enemy works in subtleties. He is cunning – just ask Eve! He will twist something ever so slightly that you won’t even notice that the lie is in there – but it’s there. So let’s examine this and pull back the covers on this serpent. I would like to do this in 3 ways. I would like to examine the song, the message, and Mr. Sapp’s message.

I did go and research the young lady who sang the song, as well as the lyrics. And yes, they are “uplifting” – but what are they uplifting?

The first stanza – speaks of the loss of her husband, her grief and her trying to keep it together for her daughter.

In my research of her, I found that before she was married, she lived and had a daughter with her boyfriend.That was something that was new for me. I don’t watch the show, and don’t know anything about her – except for the things I found that she wrote, and other things I’ve found in my search. So, I was under the assumption that her daughter was with her deceased husband. Anyway, in this song, she admits to fornication. (Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Revelation 21:8-9)

The chorus – A lyric that stands out and should catch a believer’s attention is this verse: Yeah I’m a sinner and that’s no lie. Thank God my prayers are heard cause He knows I try.

This lyric, the crux of the song, is contradictory to the Word of God. These are not His words, or His truth as He cannot lie or contradict Himself. (John 9:31, Psalm 66:18, James 5:16)

The second stanza – speaks of her trying to hold her home together, keep her kids happy. But it’s hard because she always feels judged, but she’s just trying to do the best she can.

But, trying and doing are two totally different things in the kingdom of God.  Jesus says, if you love me youwill keep my commandments (John 14:15,21) He also says only those who do the will of His Father will see heaven and be considered His brother or sister (Matt 7:21, 12:50). And willfully going from living with one man not her husband and having a child, to living now with another who is not her husband is not trying, as well as her other choices and lifestyles contradictory to God’s word is not trying.

So what message is this song sending? It’s sending the message, God, I know I’m messed up, I’m doing wrong. But, I’m just gonna pray and keep doing it because I think you hear me and you know I’m “trying”. Is that the life that God would want His elect, His royal priesthood, His Bride to have when He tells us to Repent and accept Christ as our Savior – the one who can restore us to where God wants us to be?

Now, for Mr Sapp’s message. As a man who has over 5,231 “friends” to this time at 10:33pm on 2/26/13 on one page and 4,955 on another at this same time, he must be careful with giving the truth of God’s word.

Let us lay down the enchantment of his voice, fame and status for a moment, and use God’s discernment – especially after what we have just gone through…

The accusation of “church folk” majoring in minors is both divisive and inflammatory. Admit it, when you read that, didn’t you have an “us vs them” mentality? But, aren’t we ALL brothers and sisters, one body in Christ? (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 2:14,16 ,Colossians 3:15)

Second, as “church folk” majoring in minors is what we are supposed to do. Now, I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that statement. But, from the times that I have heard it used, it was to say that people are too nitpicky. But didn’t we just learn that we are suppose to be nitpicky? Aren’t we suppose (according to the Word) inspect the fruit and test the spirit? If we are not nitpicky, we will start to let (which as already happened even after several warnings in the bible) false teaching AND prophets enter into the body of Christ. I for one, dare not meet Christ and He ask why I didn’t test spirits and check fruit and I say “Well, Lord, I didn’t want to be majoring in minors”. Please believers, don’t let someone trick you into not checking actions and motives – either of those in “church” or out of church. Every spirit should be tested, and every fruit should be checked – even the pastor.

Third, he admits that he knows this woman is in sin. Yet, he mixes the “holy” (supposed “gospel” song) with the profane. Why? Why as a man of God who is blatantly telling us that those who question are ignorant of the Word of God, is himself ignorant of this very warning from God?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 - 14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father,  and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Last, he goes down the “roll call” of those who were sinners. But what he fails to say is – yes, each and every one of those people sinned. BUT, when they encountered God, when they encountered Christ – they were changed. God chose Moses, and Moses obeyed His call. God chose David, and David obeyed his call. The adultress encountered Christ and He commanded her “GO! And sin no more”. And she obeyed. He encountered the woman at the well, and she went back changed and witnessing about what the “Man at the well did” when He told her everything about herself. Those people were believers. And you must know, that God’s promises are for those who are believers. I highly suggest you read my last writing “Why I Am Not A SinnER” if you haven’t already – it will help greatly with this truth and understanding.

With Mr Sapp’s stamp of approval, he has now led those “over 10 million viewers” both unbelievers and believers a like (which I don’t believe or understand why believers/disciples of Christ would be watching things that HE tells us to guard ourselves against – but that’s just me) to believe that it’s ok to be in your sin – “Do what thou wilt” the mantra for the satanic believer – and say a prayer in tough times, God will hear you and you’ll be ok. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Going through all of the scriptures you should be able to see that. Satan is crafty. He is very good at what he does. He’s been doing it well over 2,000 years, and he has no need to change up his game, because it works.

WE HAVE TO KNOW THE WORD OF GOD!! It’s the only way that we will not be deceived. Eve didn’t know the Word of God – and she was “beguiled”. Jesus DID know (and IS) the Word of God – and put satan to shame on the mount.

Do you know what would have honored God? If Mr Sapp would have taken that time on camera to lead Kandi to God for salvation, that would have honored God. She by her own admission has no relationship with him. If Mr Sapp would have shared the gospel for 10 Million hurting souls to hear and seek the true living God, that would have honored God. That is what would have been awesome and ministry. Instead we are left with a song that will get people emotional, but not seek true salvation, and fade over time. Those few minutes on air was squandered for the benefit of selling a record (face it, that’s really what it was about. No one would have bought it otherwise). It has been said in their defense that maybe one person could have been saved. Well, I will tell you, unless the pure gospel was preached during that time – not one soul was led to Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one who draws – not a tv show, or a song. And if someone was “saved” I will bet you my $10 I made today that it is a false conversion. This scenario sends mixed messages to see someone who lives a contradictory lifestyle singing about a God she doesn’t know along with someone who is supposed to not be ignorant of the scripture (remember those who are not adopted into His family, don’t know Him because they can’t understand His word). And he, WE as believers should know this.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Please use discernment,

+Deidra Hall 
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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Getting Into a Rod Bending Match With God

Courtesy of WikiHow.com

I know what you're thinking.  That is a really weird title.  Besides, how could I possible get into a rod bending match with God.  He is all powerful and we all would lose every time.  Well, that is exactly the point.  We cannot and will never win a contest with the Triune God!

The phrase "rod bending match" is something I came up with a few years back (it may not be original, but hey it was new to me)  It is when we, wrestle with and against the will of God when directed by the Holy Spirit.  We are like the rod, where we try to resist bending at all cost, but being omnipotent, not only do we lose, but we can be broken.  Our will is not stronger than God's will no matter how much we resist. When I think about this analogy two individuals in the Bible come to mind.  They are Jeremiah and Jonah (Moses resisted the Lord at first, but you can read on that in Exodus 3 & 4).

As humans, you will find that we are all in agreement with getting things done until the responsibility falls onto your shoulders.  This is no difference with Jeremiah.  In Jeremiah 1, we are introduced to Jeremiah and we are told that this is where the Lord calls him and give him his first visions.  In the first message the Lord tells him, "I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5).  In the very next verse, Jeremiah says, "'O Sovereign Lord', I said, 'I can't speak for you! I’m too young!'" (Jeremiah 1:6).  In his one answer, Jeremiah makes two excuses.  First, he claims that he is too young.  Secondly, he said that he could not speak for the Lord because he was too young.

As you might know, you cannot out wit or excuse your way out from the all-knowing God. You can only allow Him to show you the strengths you already have or what He can give to you.  In a very parent like manner, the Lord tells him not to make the excuse that he is too young.  He then tells Jeremiah that he would say whatever He told him to say!  I could only chuckle at that because as parent I can relate!  The beautiful thing about this correction is that the Lord also assures Jeremiah not to be afraid of the people and that He would protect him (just like a parent).  At that point, the Lord touched his mouth and put words in it (Jeremiah 10).

Problem solved.  Jeremiah only made excuses as to why he could not do the Lord's will.  However, Jonah is a completely different story.   Let's have a look at Jonah.

Jonah 1:1-3 says:

(1) The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: (2) "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."  (3) But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Jonah had a direct order from the Lord to go announce His judgement against the city of Nineveh, but he chose to run.  Where did he think he was going to go, I have no idea, but he tried to run.  Jonah, then buys a ticket aboard a ship, but as the ship traveled over the sea, "(4)...the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.  (5) Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.  But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. (6) So the captain went down after him. 'How can you sleep at a time like this?' he shouted. 'Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.'  (7) Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. (8) 'Why has this awful storm come down on us?' they demanded. 'Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?'  (9) Jonah answered, 'I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.'  (10) The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. 'Oh, why did you do it?' they groaned. (11) And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, 'What should we do to you to stop this storm?'  (12) 'Throw me into the sea," Jonah said, "and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.'" (Jonah 1:4-12).

Even the sailors knew that running from "Jonah's God" was a bad thing.  They wondered how could Jonah do such a thing and now they were caught up in his disobedience.  After trying to continue through the storm, the sailors gave in and threw Jonah overboard.  In Jonah 2, we see that he is then swallowed by a fish (not a whale as some are taught.  The Bible just says a fish.) and there he stayed for three days and three nights. At that point, Jonah had finally quit running, prayed, and agreed to be obedient as to what the Lord had set out for him to do.  "Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach." (Jonah 2:10).

In both scenarios, the Lord's will prevailed.  You cannot make excuses.  You cannot run.  You cannot hide.  Even your own resistance can make you feel like a fugitive on the run from the police.  You're constantly looking over your shoulders.  You are on edge about every thing.  You see everyone as a potential enemy and then wonder why things are happening in your life they way that they are.  Only if you circle back to the original issue, it could be that you are running from God's mandate on your life.  Stop running and surrender.  It will only make things a little easier for you.

So what has He called you to do?

Be Blessed.

Antoine E. Hall

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Why I am NOT a SinnER….

I’ve been having this conversation a lot lately. And it’s not well received. You would be surprised by all the names I’ve been called by “Christians”. To tell you the truth, I am not surprised. It’s hard hearing the truth after you’ve been lied to for so long. After this declaration, I’m sure many would join the ranks and call me “apostate” or “judgmental” or a “liar” or some sort and stop reading. But, I ask that you please hear me out.

There’s been a lie circulating in the “church” for a very long time, and that doesn’t surprise me either. I’m telling you, once I’m done, you will truly understand the difference between sheep and goats. So, before I begin exposing the lie, we will both need to come to agreement on some basic biblical truths.

1. The Word of God was written for believers (2 Tim 3:16-17)
2. Believers are those who have been drawn through the Holy Spirit and God, understood the truth, accepted the Messiah, and are spiritually born again into His family. (John 6:44-45, John 16:8, John 14:6, Romans 10:8-10, John 3:3,5)

If we can agree on that, then let’s move forward.

I want to give you some quick analogies.

• My husband and I well occasionally hold hands, move in real close and sway from side to side, but, I am not a dancer.
• I cook almost nightly for my family, but I am not a chef.
• I volunteer with students at my children’s school – help them with math, but I am not a teacher.
• I commit ACTS of sin, but I am not a sinner.

See, I can do these things, but it is not my essence. These things are not who I am….I’ll further explain.

In a conversation, I was told that I was a sinner (by this time, the conversation became very hostile b/c of some biblical truths I had said). I asked the person to please do not lump me in that category, as I am NOT a sinner. Then this verse was thrown to call me a liar:

Rom. 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

But see, this verse has a semicolon, and many who quote this verse tend to forget the last part of that sentence. So let’s explore….

²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

***Well, look it there, there’s a colon as well, which means, there’s more to follow, although that sentence can stand alone….***

²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Here, I’ll give it to you in an easier version, because sometimes the KJV can be difficult to understand. Let’s take the NLT (New Living Translation) version:

²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Do you see that truth there? Those who believe in Jesus (which is more than just saying “yeah I believe in Him” but actually DOING the will of the Father as stated in Matt 7:21) are declared righteous by God…righteous people are NOT sinners.

Let’s look at other verses about sinners/Unbeliever vs a Believer/Saint.

2 Corinthians 6:14(NLT) - ¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

**I like the KJV because it says “unequally YOKED”. To yoke means to be tied together, bound together, connected.***

This verse is separating those who are “righteous” from those who are “wicked”. And, we just established above, that God calls us “righteous”.

Here’s another:
Eph 4:18-20 - ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.

Here, in verse 18 and 19 the apostle is speaking of unbelievers. Those, as verse 20 points out, have learned about Christ. Remember, in our agreement above, those who have been drawn, believe and have learned of Him. So again, believers are not sinners.

1 Corinthians 2:14 states:

¹⁴ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But we also clarified that one must be BORN again of the spirit, not the natural man if you are in Christ right? Here are a few more verses to show the difference between a sinner and a believer to draw contrast:

2 Corinthians 5:17 ¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

And

John 10:26-27 - ²⁶ But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

**and added bonus: ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. [a] No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ← only saints/believers, not sinners will have eternal life.

So, you see? IF you are truly seeking the Truth of God; If you have recognized your sin, REPENTED and let go of the world, it’s system, and all of the things that it lures you with in desire (James 4:4); if you have believed and confessed Jesus Christ as your savior and are letting HIM be Lord over you; if you have been born again in the Spirit and not living in your flesh, you are not a sinner, and neither am I.

If we fit those qualifications, we should walk as the new creature God has created us to be. Stop leaning on the half-truth that we all are sinners. It’s a lie, and an escape route for us to be lazy and continue in our sin. GOD DOES NOT CALL HIS PEOPLE TO LIVE IN SIN!

I will leave you with this 1 John 3:4-9
⁴ Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. ⁵ And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. ⁶ Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. ⁷ Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. ⁸ But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life^[a] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

Now, do we mess up? Sure we do. Jesus recognized this in the Lord’s Prayer : Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

So, what do we do? We stay vigilant by knowing the Word of God. It is declared in His word, that when we come upon temptation, He will give us a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13), and that we are to

humble ourselves before God and RESIST the devil (James 4:7). Is it easy? No. But, that’s why if we are in Christ, we are under God’s grace.

Now, we should never abuse that grace and keep putting ourselves in situations to sin. To lean on the stick of “I’m just a sinner” or one of the favorites “I’m just a sinner saved by grace” (which AIN’T even IN the BIBLE!! Don’t believe me? Try to look that up and see what you get) as an excuse not to ask God to help us face our sin (either done TO us, or by us). It is a cop-out that people love to put in our head.

If you are in CHRIST you are NOT a sinner. You do commit ACTS of sin that you MUST repent from and be forgiven of. If YOU are in CHRIST, you KNOW His voice and understand His Word…..and if you can’t, then, may I suggest taking a trip back to the drawing board.

I am not a sinner,

+Deidra Hall 
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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My Wife Will Now Be Posting Too!

Hello Everyone,

Today, I am happy to announce that my blog will now start to contain works posted by my wife, Deidra C. Hall.  She can be a firecracker at times, but she speaks nothing but truth even when it may hurt! So, stay tuned as they will be coming your way.

Be Blessed,


Antoine E. Hall,

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Sinner’s Prayer Leads to False Faith

Studying and I'm about to kick some dust...get a mask if you have allergies. The SINNER'S PRAYER will eventually lead to an apostate faith. Yep, I said it. There are several prayers in the bible - some Jesus even prayed. But nope, no "Sinner's Prayer" for salvation. "Well, what do you mean Deidra? I said the Sinner's Prayer!"

Well, imagine you are in a courtroom, and a murderer was to read a statement to you and your family for killing your mother. You see the lawyer reach into his brief case and says to him - "Here, say this. This is acceptable, and they will forgive you." What would you think? You know he's just reading the words someone else gave him. He isn't truly sorry for the wrong he's done and is turning his back on it (repentance). He isn't really confessing what he did was wrong (confession). He isn't really going to start obeying the law now (obedience). He isn't asking you for forgiveness....he's just reading what someone else wrote.

Now, the bible says "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12 Operative word *OWN* See, when you say a "sinner's prayer" you never really come to put your faith in Christ, but you put your faith in a prayer, the words of someone else who wrote them for you.

God wants to hear YOUR heart, YOUR struggle, and that you need HIM to rescue you. He wants YOU to REPENT (turn from the things that He detests and that you find so pleasurable) and to know that YOU believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, crucified and resurrected for YOUR sins (the REAL Gospel - not this prosperity and "best life now" junk). He doesn't want you mumbling some mumbojumbo that someone else is leading you to say. He wants repentance and obedience by searching HIS word for TRUTH and believe HIS gospel that Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and He lives even now [interceding] on our behalf day and night.

PASTORS! Cut that stuff out....that teaching isn't correct. And if it is, I need scripture to show that it is so....

+Deidra Hall 
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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Overlooked People In the Bible: Sosthenes

Have you ever sat down to read the Bible and you had one purpose in mind, but then another came out of it?  Well that’s what happened to me and how I ended up on this topic.  One evening as I laid in bed, I started to read 1 Corinthians starting at verse one.  As I read it, I ran across a name that I had glossed over before and never paid any attention, but this time the Holy Spirit prompted me to not skip over this name.  This is how I found the man Sosthenes.

First and foremost let’s go to the scripture at where he jumped out of the pages at me:

1 Corinthians 1:1-3:  
(1) This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. (2) I am writing to God’s church in Corinth,[a] to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,[b] just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. (3) May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

As you can see, you didn’t have to go far to find Sosthenes name, but I probably read a couple more verses past verse three before I had that “hey, wait a minute” moment.  I didn’t recall this name before and I gone through the entire New Testament. So, why is he popping out now?  For that matter, who is he and is he mentioned anywhere else in the Bible?  To answer these questions, I did a search through the Biblegateway.com and low and behold he is mentioned in the book of Acts (which of course is before Corinthians).  So how did I miss him?

In his introduction in the letter to the Corinthians, Paul identified himself and also Sosthenes.  Not only was he called by name, but he was identified as “our brother”.  With this description, we know that he was a follower of Christ.  This is all that is mentioned from this point onward of Sosthenes, but why is it important to mention him? Would the people at Corinth know who he was?  To answer that question, we’d have to travel back to the book of Acts.

In Acts 18, we find that Paul traveled from Athens to Corinth where he met a Jew named Acquila along with his wife Priscilla.  In these verses, Paul would go to the Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath and preach to them about Jesus Christ.  However, at around Acts 18:6, the Jews were not happy with what Paul was doing.  As such, they “...opposed and insulted him...” and “...Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, ‘Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.’”  Paul ends up staying for over a year in Corinth preaching the gospel, but at some point the Jews had had enough.  They wanted Paul dealt with so they brought him before the new governor of Achaia.

Acts 18:12-17 says, “(12) But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. (13) They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”  (14) But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. (15) But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” (16) And he threw them out of the courtroom.  (17) The crowd[c] then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.”

At this point in time, this is where we see the other mentioning of Sosthenes.  From verse 17, we find that Sosthenes was the leader of the synagogue.  In order to be the leader of a synagogue meant that he was a Jew!  But wait a minute, didn’t we just establish that later in 1 Corinthians 1-3 that he was also a follower of Christ?  If he was a Jew why would the Jewish people beat up their own leader?  I think it is highly unlikely that they would beat up their own leader without just because a Christian could not have judgement brought upon him by the new governor, Gallio.  Not only did they beat him up, but they “threw him out the courtroom”.  At this point, we have no more mention of Sosthenes until 1 Corinthians 1:1.  We know that he converted at some point but we do not know when.  Or do we? One of the things that made me curious about Sosthenes was why was he mentioned twice without a mention of when he was converted to Christianity.  If it was important to mention his name as a brother in the letter to the church at Corith, then clearly there was more to this man.  

What I am about to go into is a topic that I have discovered in my research.  This topic surrounds the idea that Sosthenes and Crispus is one in the same person.  As I began to read a little more into this it made a lot of sense and it answers some confusion in Acts 18.  I believe in correction, so if you see something completely wrong with this I am open to discussion and reproof,  so where we go.

You may be wondering where the name Crispus comes from. If you read Acts 18, you will notice that I skipped over a few verses (on purpose).  What I wanted to do was circle back to this name as it is important to who Sosthenes was.  Remember, in Acts 18:6, Paul upset the Jews to the point where he was no longer welcomed in the synagogue. Let’s go to Acts 18:7-8.  It says,

“(7) Then he [Paul] left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. (8) Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.”

Verse 8 tells us that Crispus was baptized along with some other Jews in the synagogue.  We know this because Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:14, “I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius” 1.  Paul baptized Crispus, but what does this have to do with Sosthenes?  Let’s look back at verse 8 of Acts 18.  An important thing to easily overlook is that Crispus was “the leader of the synagogue”.  Keep in mind that in Acts 17, when Sosthenes was mentioned, he was identified as “the leader of the synagogue”.  There is only one leader of the Jewish synagogue, so one would have to wonder why aren’t these the same people.  The Jewish people would not beat up one of their own people without cause.  However, if their leader had converted to Christianity, then they would no longer have a reason to be loyal to him and would have every reason to cause harm to him2.  Keep in mind, it did not say that they beat up Crispus, but rather the name Sosthenes was used.

So, we have drawn all of these conclusions but what of Sosthenes?  It would seem that the use of his name in 1 Corinthians is important to mention because he was once a leader but now a brother in Christ.  He was once a leader of a synagogue who probably many of the converted Jewish Corinthians were quite familiar with as they may have attended the same synagogue.  Maybe his name was used a reminder to them at how the church at Corinth got its start versus what it had become.  At the end of the day, I believe there is merit to Sosthenes and Crispus being the same person based on the idea that some converts to Christianity were given new names3.  After all, Paul, was originally Saul, and he began to go by another name. (see Acts 13:1-12).  

Be Blessed,

Antoine E. Hall

1.  BibleStudyTools.com.  Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible.  Acts 18
2.  Crispus-Sosthenes
3.  PAUL AND CO-WORKERS.  The Renaming of Benefactors.


P.S. Here are some additional links I read on Crispus and Sosthenes being the same person.
StudyLight.org - http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T5972
Sothenes was Crispus - http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/corpus-paul/20110504/003397.html

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