Spirits (and men) befriend Christians many-to-one, them-to-us. We are monogamous (1 Co 10:21), worship (Jn 4:23-24), and serve Jesus (Mt 4:10). Therefore we are one-to-one, befriending only Jesus (Jn 15:14) and (Jn 14:23). Acquaintance all else. Many to one is always one way, befriending to befriended for the purpose of hospitality (Rm 12:13) and (1 Pe 4:9), entertaining strangers (He 13:2), and being friendly (Pr 18:24).

We’d rather acquaintance spirits of this world, heaven, and men. God’s divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, 2 Pe 1:3. Therefore, let’s have respect and worship God’s things in us through acquaintanceship to prevent intrusive influences upon us that interfere with our godly habits. There’s so much more to say regarding this but sufficient is 2 Co 6:17. Because of Pr 18:24, let’s make friendships one a one-to-one basis, implying few, and refuse, reject, resist, and outright deny any from those in reputation for evil. From this we first and foremost desire friendship with Jesus. To initiate this, we do as He said in Jn 15:14-15 through our obedience.

Our friendship with Jesus begins one way, we to Him, and eventually emerges two-way as we desiredest Him. What we’re most interested in are the thoughts communicated to us be words regarding things above (1 Jn 4:4-6), spiritual things, where we seek and set our affections upon things above, Co 3:1-2.

Many spirits befriending us in a many to one relationship. But the Christian is monogamous, 1 Co 10:21. We worship God in spirit and in truth and Jesus said of God ‘Him only shalt thou serve’. Therefore, Christians are one to one in devotion unto God. Many to one is a relationship of this world to the Christian, but we befriend only one Spirit, Jn 14:23

We are as elect, by predestination, as we are sanctified, through obedience. What am I saying? Our election, by predestination, is measured unto obedience through sanctification. Our election by predestination is as comparable as our sanctification through obedience. 1 Pe 1:2

We are as elect, by predestination, as we are sanctified, through obedience. What am I writing? Our election, by predestination, is measured unto obedience through sanctification. Our election by predestination is as comparable as our sanctification through obedience. 1 Pe 1:2

Equal With God

John 5:18 KJVS
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

We who are born again, Jn 3:5, are born from above, saved by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Tt 3:5. We have received power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, Jn 1:12.

God is our Father, we are sons not servants, Jn 8:34-35, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, Rm 8:16-17. By virtue of this truth, we are also equal with God and our behavior ought be as God’s.

John 1:12
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Matthew 23:8 for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Worthy of Jesus

Luke 7:6 KJVS
Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

Let’s focus upon ‘I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof’. As Christians, are we watching, examining, and judging ourselves for behaviors that make us unworthy of God?

Are we yielding our members servants to obey unrighteousness? Let’s focus upon ourselves as we live UNTO God respecting His sovereignty.

Revelation 1:6 KJVS
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Who is God? The Lord Jesus Christ. Who is the Father of God? The Father God. One God, One Lord, One faith, One baptism, One God and Father of us all who is above all, in all, and through all.

All Fun & Games Until Abased

Exodus 33:8
8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.

A real sobering moment when God decides He won’t go up with us anymore because we are stiffnecked and rebellious receiving grace in vain which is for obedience to the faith. Godly sorrow works repentance and the mourning Israel did in 33:v4 is appropriate when the sober mind we ought possess is allowed to be breached because we’re not girding up its loins.

Now we’re ready to get it right as Israel who stood ready at their tent doors with their attention where it ought to be and not on eating, drinking, and rising up to play. Now is the time for worship but with unclean hands being uncovered by our iniquity and unrepentant due to our sin.

Let’s all be as Joshua son of Nun who departs not out of the tabernacle or ad Mary who chose the better part by sitting at the feet of Jesus.

It Must Be The Religious Mind

Exodus 32:1-4, 24
1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

Naivety is the hallmark of an unprepared mind that doesn’t patiently examine its choices but rather believes one can toss gold into a fire and out comes an idol of beaten work. As Disciples, we can’t afford this lack of discipline as it pays in dividends of sinful behavior we may be willing to chalk up to a hand full of watch parts tossed into the air and assembled upon the ground into a watch on our behalf.

It must be the religious mind, fickle enough and given to change, that empowered Aaron to yield before the congregation and help them to fashion a new god. Particularly interesting is he’s God’s choice for high priest confirmed by the budding staff. He turned the heart of the people toward idolatry and behaved as if God was only an acquaintance barely met.

Verse five is a key indication that Israel is so soon moving on from the LORD and unto other gods; the feast Aaron announced a veritable mockery of God which may be why God said they have turned quickly out of the way and wanted Moses to step aside that His wrath may wax hot, consume them, and make of Moses a great nation.

I ponder this considering how great a knowledge God has and if He was speaking of His great wrath, a product of His anger, so that Moses may examine himself who would exhibit anger waxed hot in verse nineteen.

Are we turning so quickly out of the way when we choose behaviors unbecoming a saint? Are we remaining with God when we lightly esteem something we’ve done and have not examined ourselves in light of biblical scripture? How quickly have we arrived at compromise when God has called us not to uncleanness but unto holiness.

Let’s use grace for obedience to the faith and dure with longevity in the service of God. Are we set on mischief or struggling with some aspect of ourselves? Let’s be certain we keep up our daily biblical devotion and the practice of spiritual disciplines.

We Want Our Way

Ja 1:5
5 But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

Mk 4:38
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Both men, Jonah and Jesus, in entirely separate periods of time; one convinced they are right in their way and the other right, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.

Ja 1:9 ‘and I fear the LORD’

Trust. A ‘trust’ sandwich full of faith to believe that God! Will we trust God when our judgment, mercy, and faith disagree? Jonah and God had this conversation:

Ja 4:2-4
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

For the glory of God, I’ll also add from Exodus:

Ex 34:6-7
6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Ja 4:4 ‘take, I beseech thee, my life from me’

Godly reverence, fear, trust, sovereignty, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ There’s a myriad of biblical scriptures and understandings to convey what we ought consider, but the question is do we truly fear God? Are there things we’d rather cleave to? Dogmas, doctrines, beliefs, of our own will and way?

When we say we ‘fear God’, do we acquiesce toward His ways and thoughts? Fear is a statement: God is before, ahead, and we have forgotten what’s behind to reach for Him in faith. His will and way are better that we be not as Boanerges; not desiring our way that seems right but, rather, the right way that leads unto paths of righteousness.

Let’s not fear who God is but truly fear God knowing His sovereignty can be trusted.

Sealed

Ep 1:13
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

The example of Christ is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from from sinners; that separation intended to prevent evil communications corrupting good habits - commanded by God that we come out from among them and be separate, touching not the unclean thing. He’ll receive us, be a Father, and we His sons and daughters.

With these exceeding, precious promises, we ought to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The Holy Spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy: why envy does the Spirit except that Jesus be fully manifested in our mortal flesh.

For what then are we sealed by the Spirit of promise but for redemption who is the earnest of our inheritance. Why then would our seal be unto our own way and not the example of Christ as read in the bible? We need to examine ourselves in the light of God’s mirror, the King James Bible, and begin to judge ourselves for misaligned behaviors while watching to ensure our work product, behaviors, are worthy of repentance, of the world to come, and resurrection from the dead.

2 Corinthians 6:17 - 7:1
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

What’s wrong with believing upon the name of God? Must we anthropomorphize God? What’s wrong with faith? Must God be deduced to a personality, particularly one that we must become acquainted with? If faith pleases God, why pursue we anything else? Must God become a Person we pursue rather than remain a Spirit we worship in spirit and in truth?

Can we be content with who God is without a persistent redefinitions that suits our liking? Is not the revelation of who God is as known through the bible adequate for our knowledge? Let’s be content that He abides with us and indwells us as we are a habitation of God fitly joined together and growing into a holy temple.

Let’s instead focus upon being in the example of Jesus: blameless, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners possessing our souls in patience and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. We ought to focus upon bearing the fruit of the Spirit and providing things honest in the sight of the Lord and in the sight of men. This is how we worship God and this is how we commune with God.

Light their candle at its flame: flame upon flame; God adding the quickening to our flame that we shine brighter and burn hotter. The flesh profits nothing and a devotion of daily bible intake coupled with the practice of spiritual disciplines cause us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God which works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Then the brightness of the flame is in our purview, our responsibility and God adds to the fire. What if His addition is but incense but the resultant flame representative of our labor? Then strange fire is our fault and if it be already extinguished, we’d better get to work.

True spiritual worship: the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth, Jn 4:23-24

There must necessarily be an absence of the carnal mind, which is enmity with God, that we remain within our walk in the spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. They that are in the flesh can’t please God; hence the imperative to bear fruit worthy of repentance, the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

God isn’t a feeling, an emotion, a sensory input, or anything of His creation: hidden as much as possible and secluded away that we seek Him by faith and that alone.

The adversary the devil is an interested party in every detail not of faith and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. We can only please God by faith. Knock off everything else, maintain a daily devotion of bible intake, and be faithful stewards over the manifold wisdom of God that we might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Fake it ‘till you make it? Consider the author of Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis.

“…the Lord's Prayer. Its very first words are Our Father. Do you now see what those words mean? They mean quite frankly, that you are putting yourself in the place of a son of God. To put it bluntiy, you are dressing up as Christ. If you like, you are pretending.”

The Christian is Jesus equal to Him and conforming from the carnal nature toward the divine. Jesus said the following.

Matthew 10:24-25 KJV
The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

[25] It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Jesus is divine and remained so through the temptations of man. We are shapen iniquity and in sin did our Mother’s conceive us. We’re to mortify the deeds of the flesh as they of the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit; those born again, new creatures, born from above in whom His seed remains.

We’re can’t sin as our inner man is incorruptible. It’s then our carnal nature that must be put under us as we partake in the divine nature. Perfection is achievable in Christ when we recognize and understand this from our hearts.

It’s Christianity… Jesus said that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father and all that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, Jn 6:37, 65. In Mt 11:28, Jesus said come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

The love of God is only understood through the Lord Jesus Christ and He is the door of access to the Father. We must reconcile with God through Jesus and apart from Jesus Christ the wrath of God abides upon the sons of disobedience and we are condemned unto damnation.

We who come to God through Christ look for a city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God. We are given exceeding great and precious promises, being partakers of the divine nature, having tasted the heavenly gift, made partakers of the Holy Ghost, tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come. We receive an abundant life in Christ and are not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our mind that we may prove that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

We follow the example of Christ and LGBTQ isn’t part of that.

Is LGTBQ+ A Sin?

It’s not in the faith of Jesus Christ and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. It’s also not in the example of Jesus Christ Christians are commanded to follow His steps.

The example of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 2:21-24
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Philippians 2:5-8
5 -Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

God receives us as we are yet we are to mortify the deeds of our flesh through the Spirit and conform ourselves to the example of Christ. This isn’t Burger King and we can’t have it our way. Those who come to God desire Him and His way denying themselves of ungodliness and worldly lusts. We cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.

We desire to change and be like Him. If we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we do so changed into His image and likeness.

Developing A Relationship Of Fellowship With God

God is not a man. Let’s be certain of this understanding before pursuing fellowship or communion with Him.

Numbers 23:19
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Isaiah 55:7-11
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God responds to our movement toward Him through right behavior. We must believe, when coming to Him, that He is (able) and a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. The best way to seek God is through the bible (KJV) and behavior that is worthy of repentance.

We are the creation of His shapen in iniquity and in sin did our mothers conceive us. There is none righteous, no not one as all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are at enmity with Him who is a holy God; we must reconcile ourselves to Him through Jesus Christ who is God.

We reconcile through repentance of our evil and wickedness by turning away from it and doing righteousness. We need knowledge to aid us and that
knowledge is acquired through the bible (KJV). Reading, studying, meditating, and memorizing are biblical activities we ought do and include spiritual disciplines to practice.

We who believe in the name of His Son repent of our sins, and cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. Again, we aren’t befriending a man. Our expectations of God aren’t based upon our relation to men.

God is a spirit and they that worship Him do so in spirit and truth. Don’t get hung up on jargon but understand that we are His creation and He expects holiness of us. When we pray, we have the petitions of the things we have asked and we’re not seeking after a voice. God is far beyond the things of man and can relate to us how He chooses knowing who we are intimately.

As we walk in righteousness before Him, the eyes of the Lord are over us and His ears are open to our prayers. We know God doesn’t hear sinners’ prayers but He does those of the righteous.

Let’s focus upon reading the bible, believing what we read, and doing it. Let’s be certain to meditate on what we read for meaning and understanding while adding studying and memorization. This journey of faith is so rewarding and blessed.

Yes! Bear fruit worthy of repentance, worthy of the world to come, and the resurrection from the dead. We, as Christians, can’t be renewed again unto repentance as the Son of God can’t be crucified to ourselves afresh.

What remains is to repent and bear fruit worthy of repentance, i.e., demonstrate,through bearing good fruit, that we are repentant having mortified the deeds of the flesh through the Spirit.

Christians aren’t saved until the end of their faith which is the salvation of their souls. While we maintain faith to believe upon hope, our Christ, who is within the veil as High Priest and apostle of our faith, we continue patiently believing until the manifestation of substance and evidence - our salvation from the wrath of God.

The gift that saves us by grace through faith is the narrow way that leads to life opened by the Lord through the cross. Sin is what keeps us separate from God: He hates iniquity (sin) and the worker of it. This why, if we want His salvation, then we want His way and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is worth reiterating: If we want salvation from the wrath of God, then we want God’s way of salvation which is reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Repentance from dead works becomes our priority and we mortify through the Spirit the deeds of the flesh.

We cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. We should not think of salvation as something attained or lost but, through faithful living UNTO God, we work out our salvation through fear and trembling.

Retaining our faith until our death is the only way and our conduct ought to become a saint who believes they are saved and has grace only for obedience to the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ - there are no excuses nor exceptions.

Both.

There is ONE God. Jesus is ONE with God. We are ONE with Jesus.

John 10:30
30 I and my Father are one.

John 17:22
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

We are one Spirit with Christ, 1 Co 6:17, even as Jesus was one with the Father, Jn 17:22, as a man. We no longer know Him according to the flesh and the bible instructs He is seated at the right hand of power in heaven meaning He is in fellowship with Father equal to Him with all authority in heaven and earth interceding on our behalf within the veil.

This isn’t a “Oneness” doctrine but biblical, sound doctrine to demonstrate that as Jesus was one with Father and equal with Him, Pp 2:6, so are they who are joined unto the Lord; one spirit and, hence, equal with Jesus.

Matthew 10:25
25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Luke 22:26
26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

What this means is that Jesus has done far more for us than what David wrote in Ps 40:2. In essence, we are equal to Jesus who is equal to Father. 1 = 1 = 1 will always be true.

Our responsibility as Christians is to take what is true by faith and work it out with fear and trembling making ourselves worthy of the world to come and worthy of resurrection by bearing fruit that is worthy of repentance.

LGBTQ+….

It’s not in the faith of Jesus Christ and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. It’s also not in the example of Jesus Christ Christians are commanded to follow His steps.

“Good Christians” aren’t what we need but truth. God hates the worker of iniquity and His love is expressed to us only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Reconciliation with God through Jesus is imperative.

Acceptance by Christians won’t keep us eternally separated from God through the wrath of God that abides upon the sons of disobedience. Nor will it keep us from experiencing the second death in the lake of fire.

We need truth not acceptance because those that believe in Jesus Christ are already accepted in the beloved. We need truth because every moment of time we don’t redeem because the days are evil is time lost bringing glory to God and storing treasure in heaven.

We don’t need “feel-good” comfort but fire and brimstone truth that we know we aren’t right with God by default and need to reconcile to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please read…

https://thebiblespace.quora.com/The-Church-s-Hidden-Cancer?ch=17&oid=230522545&share=b90f2e8b&srid=X4VjB&target_type=post