End times church count down: Repent for unbelief

When Jesus came down from the mountain (after He allowed the three disciples to have a glimpse of His true divine status as the Son of God in the heavenly realm), He was confronted by a huge wave of unbelief, even among His disciples.
Unbelief is the only hindrance to human living the abundant life given by God, through Jesus, the Son of God. The human father of the epileptic boy cried out and said with tears to Jesus in desperation, ” Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24
How did Jesus describe the unbelieving world? “O faithless generation” Mark 9:19; “O faithless and perverse generation” Matthew 17:17.
Who were addressed in this ‘harsh’ comment? The disciples who could not cast out the evil spirit which tormented the boy.
The same description was used in Philippians 2:15 “a crooked and perverse generation”. 
Today many ‘disciples’ of Jesus do not believe in divine healing, divine health, and God’s will to heal all. Yet Jesus did heal all who came to Him. He saved all and healed all who believed.
Those who choose not to believe in the power of God working in them have opted out of the kingdom of God living. Why? If Jesus is your King, you live by His rule. He has given authority to the disciples and they did perform according to His command and authority then. They failed in the above incident when they did not believe.
After Jesus was resurrected He spent forty days teaching them about the kingdom of God living before He ascended into heaven. The disciples obeyed His command and waited for ten more days. On Pentecost Day the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as Jesus had promised. They were filled with power and went out and preach the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus Christ, healed the sick, cast out demons and made disciples just as Jesus had commanded.
It is easy to accept half the Salvation message, to take the ‘forgiveness of sins’ (and go to heaven one day in future) and ignore the part that clearly declared, “By His stripes/wounds you are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24). Why? Because salvation of the soul/spirit is unseen. No one needs to take responsibility for such a teaching.
On the other hand, if you are not spiritually discerning, when you pray for someone and the person is not healed, you may incur losses: shame, loss of respect, guilt, self doubt, loss of self-esteem, credibility, blame, litigation, and perhaps an exodus of your church membership. Jesus knew this would happen to many.
Even His disciples failed. For example, Peter. He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 9:33
Only those who are spiritually discerning know the things of God (Who is Spirit). No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Those who believe have received the Spirit who is from God and have the mind of Christ. (Read 1 Corinthians 2)
As Jesus Himself had commented, which is easier to do? forgiving sins or healing the sick? In the physical realm, it is obviously easier to say, “your sins are forgiven.” In the spiritual realm, both are parts of the same power, the power of God.
Being saved and born again is a spiritual matter. it takes the power of God to give birth to you and transfer you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. The Holy Spirit is involved.
In the healing of the sick (physical and mental) the same power of the Holy Spirit works.
Jesus never gave a command that could not be carried out. In fact He gave the salvation (the power for forgiveness of sins and supernatural healing) command to all who believe. Mark 16:15-20
What you choose to believe is your own responsibility. Jesus said, you cannot choose God and choose the world (represented by the word ‘Mammon’).
How can one believe as supernatural healing deals with the unseen realm?
Today’s message mainly from Philippians chapter 2 deals with this unbelief:

1. the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 1:19
2. let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by the adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 1:27-28
3. fellowship in the Spirit. 2:1
4. being like-minded, of one accord, one mind. 2:2
5. in lowliness of mind. 2:3
6. look out for the interests of others. 2:4
7. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” 2:5
8. seek the things that are of Christ Jesus. 2:21
9. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 2:12
10. “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” 2:13
11. “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” 2:15
12. holding fast the word of life. 2:16

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve all things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” 1:9-11

End Times Watchman Bible Study: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

The watchman and his class found a dilemma in this verse. "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark9:24)

How can one have faith and still has doubt and unbelief at the same time? 

This requires immediate investigation. Many cannot receive the healing and deliverance from their diseases and weaknesses because of this contradiction in them. The watchman's study notes are in brackets.

Mark 9:14-32 

A Boy Is Healed

¹⁴ And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. ¹⁵ Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. ¹⁶ And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
¹⁷ Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. ¹⁸ And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

(A great multitude was there and they observed the physical condition of the sick boy and the failure of Jesus' disciples to cast out the mute demon from him. They were even arguing with the 'specialists' -scribes over the treatment of this medical or mental case. The disciples had been given authority and power by Jesus previously and had been successful in their healing ministry. So why did they fail this time? The patient's father of course complained to the master healer Himself. It was natural to react the way he did to failure and disappointment.) 

¹⁹ He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 

(Jesus was not addressing the faithless crowd of bystanders or the patient and his father. They did not know Him or His power. Many had not even heard the full Gospel of the Kingdom of God and of Christ. Jesus was addressing His own disciples who had followed Him and lived with Him and witnessed His supernatural power and deeds. They had heard the full Gospel. They had been given authority and power by Him. Note how Jesus described them.)

²⁰ Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
²¹ So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. ²² And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
²³ Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

(Note the conversation between the patient's father and Jesus. How can anyone be believing and not believing at the same time?  Was he telling lies? But the poor man was in tears. He was in front of a big crowd. Yet he continued pleading to Jesus to heal his son. So he must have heard of Jesus' power and believed that Jesus could do it. Yet, he admitted that he had unbelief. Amazing. This is the theme of today's message. Can we have faith and unbelief at the same time?)

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” ²⁶ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

(Note how simple the matter was. Jesus merely commanded and the evil spirit obeyed and came out of the boy. The boy might have looked terrible when he was possessed. But Jesus saw the evil spirit and not the patient. In the spiritual realm Jesus' authority is recognized and obeyed.) 

²⁸ And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
²⁹ So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." **

(Note the conversation between the disciples and Jesus. The disciples were still obsessed with their job failure. They were looking at the physical  (body and soul -mind and emotion) realm, the humiliation and inadequacy they felt in not delivering the required result.) But Jesus did not answer them about this 'job' or 'performance assessment'. He revealed the true condition of their spirits. They were still living within the paradigm of their physical and natural world. they were unable to believe that Jesus' Father (God)'s world is real, even though they could not see it. Jesus had taught them and demonstrated to them the reality of God and that He is from God. But their hearts were hardened by their preoccupation with the physical and natural and unbelief of the spiritual reality.)

Those who are not spiritually discerned cannot understand the things of God. God is Spirit. The Pharisees and Scribes cannot understand. Christians are expected to know and understand. But Many cannot. Why? Spiritual discernment comes from diligently seeking God, belief in the spiritual reality of God (and His word), being led by faith and not by sight. These are all essential in order to know and understand the matters of God, that is, the matters as revealed by the Holy Spirit (often through the word of God).


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**Notes on FASTING: This does not mean certain evil spirits are so powerful that the disciples cannot cast it out even by Jesus Name. The fasting is for the disciples to cast their own flesh and unbelief of God’s spiritual reality. Unbelief nullifies their use of the Name of Jesus and the authority therein over spiritual beings (e.g. evil spirits). They did not believe because they were walking by sight and not by faith. Their hearts were hardened by the world and worldly knowledge. They could not discern spiritual matters because they were not led by the Spirit.

Fasting deals with our flesh and carnal man.  
Being a disciple means we need to deny ourselves (body, mind and emotion and everything that makes up us in the physical natural realm), take up our cross and follow Christ daily. Only sons of God are led by the Holy Spirit. Only when we walk and live by the Spirit, can we discern spiritual matters and war in the spiritual realm, taking the authority of the name of the Son of God, Jesus effectively.

 

End Times Watchman Bible Study: Beware of the wrong tree

Here is the Bible study for watchmen today.

Luke 12 (NKJV)

(The watchman's study is in bracket)

Beware of Hypocrisy

12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another,  

He (Jesus) began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 

(The Pharisees are religious Jews. They are famous for their physical observations of their religious traditions, rules and regulations, including ritualistic practices. How to know who are the Pharisees today? Know them by their fruit. 

The Lord Jesus has warned against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and stated that a tree is recognized by its fruit. (Matt.12:31-33) when the Pharisees questioned and slandered the work of the Holy Spirit.).

² For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

(Jesus further warned the disciples that although the religious leaders appeared godly and purported to be defender of their religion externally, making a lot of observations, analysis and criticism on Jesus' teaching and lifestyle, insinuating that He was in error, even to the point of accusing His supernatural power having come from Satan himself. But they themselves were in fact the real descendants of the devil. They lived in darkness and spoke from the dark realm. However, the light of God will expose them).

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God

⁴ “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
(Jesus teaches that His followers should fear God and not fear men or the devil behind men. Only God can have the power to cast men into hell, which He has reserved for the devil.)
⁶ “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?^[a] And not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
(Jesus has assured His followers that they are valuable to God and God will take care of them, body, soul and spirit). 

Confess Christ Before Men

⁸ “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
¹⁰ “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
 (The Pharisees have challenged the divine authority of Jesus. They did not believe that He is the Son of God. They even condemned the works of the Holy Spirit! Only by willingness to listen to the Gospel, receiving the Holy Spirit's conviction of sins, repenting, believing in Jesus' blood bought redemption on the cross, being thus born again  by the Holy Spirit through incorruptible seed (the word of God 1 Peter1:23), will one be saved from eternal damnation. Believing in the full Gospel message means believing in the reality of God, Who is Spirit).
¹¹ “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. ¹² For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
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Summary for watchman: 

Beware of purported religious teaching from men. Read the word of God, the Bible yourself. Abide in Christ and let the word of God abide in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Obey. Practice. Watch the fruit. Are they fruit that the Lord wants? Fruit that remains? (John 15:7, 16)

End Times Witnessing: “Do not scoff at spiritual matters!”

Today’s verse is on Jude 1. The passage is the entire Book of Jude. The watchman urges you to read and take heed today the importance to know and understand the spiritual realm is real.

Ponder and meditate on this truth: God is real, angels are real (good ones who minister to God and to believers; and bad ones-devil), heaven and hell are real, rewards and judgments are real. Prayers are real. Spiritual wars are real. The attacks by spiritual beings (devils) causing sickness on your bodies, minds and emotions are real. Eternal life and eternal death (by being forever separated from God) are real!


_______________________The watchman’s comment is at the end of the passage.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Jude 1
Greetings from Jude
1This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.
I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.
2May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

The Danger of False Teachers
3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. 6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. 7And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

8 In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 10 But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. 11What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

12 When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. 13They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

14 Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 15to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

16These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

A Call to Remain Faithful
17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

24 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. 25 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.
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Watchman’s comments: “They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.”

The reason why a group of ‘church members’ who even take part in Holy Communion with the believers of Jesus Christ, and yet live the life of the un-believers, is because they do not have the Holy Spirit in them.

They are not born again by the Spirit of God. It is natrural for them to be guided by their natural instincts and desires. It is natural for them to scoff at spiritual and supernatural things.

But these people will perish if they do not repent and turn back to worship the true God in Spirit and in Truth.

O, church goers, laugh no more of the spiritual matters. The Lord hears and sees you… (Even the devil and his demons see and hear you too, scoffers).