Category Archives: Faithfulness

Judge Not Part 10 – Drinking from Christ’s Cup of Suffering

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by Mike Ratliff

34 Then stood there up in the Council a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the Law, honored of all the people, and commanded to put the Apostles forth a little space,
35 And said unto them, Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves, what ye intend to do touching these men.
36 For before these times, rose up Theudas boasting himself, to whom resorted a number of men, about a four hundred, who was slain: and they all which obeyed him were scattered, and brought to naught.
37 After this man, arose up Judas of Galilee, in the days of the tribute, and drew away much people after him: he also perished, and all that obeyed him, were scattered abroad.
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain yourselves from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel, or this work be of men, it will come to naught:
39 But if it be of God, ye cannot destroy it, lest ye be found even fighters against God.
40 And to him they agreed, and called the Apostles: and when they had beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the Name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 So they departed from the Council, rejoicing, that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for his Name.
42 And daily in the Temple, and from house to house they ceased not to teach, and preach Jesus Christ. Acts 5:34-42 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

I am sure you have heard some preacher somewhere at sometime say something like, “Come to Jesus so He can bless you and make your life better.” Every time I hear or read something like that, I want to grab them and ask them if they have ever seriously read their Bibles. Yes, a life in Christ is far superior to life outside of God’s grace; however, people who preach a gospel of health, wealth, and prosperity are guilty of misleading the gullible. The walk of a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is one of self-denial, humility, obedience, and devotion to God’s glory. Continue reading →

Without Hypocrisy

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by Mike Ratliff

19Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσιν καὶ κλέπτουσιν· 20θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν· 21ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρός σου, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία σου. 22Ὁ λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθαλμός. ἐὰν οὖν ᾖ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἁπλοῦς, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινὸν ἔσται· 23ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν ἔσται. εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστίν, τὸ σκότος πόσον. 24Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει. οὐ δύνασθε θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ. (Matthew 6:19-24 NA28)

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures upon the earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in nor steal;  21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 22 “The eye of the body is the eye. If, therefore, your eye is healthy, your whole body will be enlightened.  23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” 24 “No one is able to serve two masters; for either the one he will hate and the other he will love, or one he will hold to and the other he will despise. You are not able to serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:19-24 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Our Lord Jesus was the most powerful and best expositor of God’s Word that believers have ever had. He spoke only the truth and he never taught anything from any motive other than that which is the will of God. We are to follow his example in every part of our lives. In the passage above, in v22, the word “healthy” translates the Greek adjective ἁπλοῦς (haplous). Is healthy a deep enough or strong enough definition for us to grasp what our Lord was teaching here? If we look at the context it is obvious that he is making a contrast between people with a “healthy eye of the body” with those who do not. What does this mean?  Continue reading →

Judge Not Part 14 – Being a Living Sacrifice

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by Mike Ratliff

1 I Beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye give up your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable serving of God.
2 And fashion not yourselves like unto this world, but be ye changed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God is.
3 For I say through the grace that is given unto me, to everyone that is among you, that no man presume to understand above that which is meet to understand, but that he understand according to sobriety, as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:1-3 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

All of the things we have looked at so far in this study about doing all for the glory of God, drinking from the cup of Christ’s suffering, wrestling the correct opponent, loving your enemies, and behaving like a Christian are possible only for the believer who is in the process of taking on Christ’s character. No one can do these things naturally. No one is able to attain this level of spirituality by trying to do those things. Instead, these behaviors flow from a Christlike heart. No believer will ever become Christlike in their character unless they also become Spirit-led. If a believer is controlled by their emotions then they are not Spirit-led. Neither are they who have not learned to walk in the Spirit. If sin runs rampant through a believer’s life then they are not Spirit-led. In addition, if a believer is constantly consumed by anger, bitterness, envy, and self-protection then they are not Spirit-led. Continue reading →

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

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by Mike Ratliff

5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who WILL REPAY TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. Romans 2:5-8 (LSB) 

I was online not long ago on a friends Facebook page reading about an issue he is dealing with in which a school is disciplining someone who called a “transgender” a girl. He was discussing how he would get involved because he writes and how he needed to get involved because the local press in that city is ignoring the whole thing. I was simply reading the article and trying to understand what was going on then began reading the comments when a person that I did not know started calling my friend a bigot. He made several very rude and crude comments. I made one comment about how hypocritical it was for those demanding tolerance to be so intolerant. Then the guy making those comments came after me calling me a “redneck” and “backward” and a “bible thumper.” The only reason I could think of that he would call me a “bible thumper” was that he had looked at my Facebook page. I made the comment that I was not a “redneck” and stated why and then in another comment I posted Romans 1:18-32. Something happened after that because all comments on that post disappeared. That’s okay. I wondered why God allowed that encounter to happen like that. It’s been awhile since I have actually had to deal with an openly hostile reprobate and I confess it took me by surprise how ugly it got.
Continue reading →

The Compromised Church and spiritual blindness

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by Mike Ratliff

22 ¶ ,The light of the body is the eye: if then thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be light.
23 But if thine eye be wicked, then all thy body shall be dark. Wherefore if the light that is in thee, be darkness, how great is that darkness? Matthew 6:22-23 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Since God placed me in this ministry back in 2006 I have been immersed in a battle against a most disturbing phenomenon in the Church in America. In this post we will take a closer look at it. What is it? It is the willful ignorance in our spiritual leaders. Continue reading →

Are we bearing the marks of Christ or are we bearing the mark of the beast?

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by Mike Ratliff

14 But God forbid that I should rejoice, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace shall be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
17 From henceforth let no man put me to business: for I bear, in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Galatians 6:14-17 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The Apostle Paul did indeed bear the marks of persecution on his body. He had been found to be worthy to suffer shame for the name as had Peter and John (Acts 5:17-42). Paul had been stoned, beaten, imprisoned, run out of town, and would die as a martyr. Why were they persecuted so? They preached the truth. They preached against sin and works theology. They preached the Cross. They preached the exclusivity of the Gospel and against pluralism. They held that God’s truth was absolute. This is the message the natural, unregenerate person hates. This is the message the pseudo-Christians hate as well because the clear bright light of God’s truth reveals their compromises and false doctrines.

Continue reading →

It is a trustworthy saying

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by Mike Ratliff

1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. Titus 2:1 (LSB) 

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 CASTING ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished among your brethren who are in the world. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, strengthen, confirm, and ground you. 11 To Him be might forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11 (LSB) 

Our enemy is quite clever in his deceit. He knows exactly what buttons to push to incite us to step into conflicts or situations designed to do damage to our faith and our relationship with our Lord. He also has his own deceived people whom he has convinced that they are the only Christians who have it right and everyone else, including such Bible scholars as John Owen or John Calvin or preachers such as Charles Spurgeon were heretics and tools of the devil. This group would also include men of today such as the late John MacArthur or the late R.C. Sproul. If we are not very careful, we can be drawn into “discussions” with these people whom our enemy is using for his own heinous purposes. These discussions can grow into conflict very quickly because it will not take long for these servants of our enemy to go for the jugular and attempt to demolish our faith by casting doubt through distracting arguments. Continue reading →

The Counterfeit Church

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by Mike Ratliff

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; 5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Revelation 18:4-5 (LSB) 

The world system, for the most part, is extremely tolerant of religion as long as it is not evangelical Christianity. However, it has no problem with that version of Christianity that is politically correct. Many countries in this world have imposed anti-hatred and anti-conversion laws specifically directed against Christianity. Liberalism, ideology, or cultural religions protecting their turf dominate those governments. Even in the United States, a preacher can get in a great deal of hot water with the FBI if someone in his audience becomes offended by the preaching of the truth from scripture about sin and depravity. It appears the deck is stacked against evangelical Christianity. Continue reading →

Standing firm amidst famine of the Word of God

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by Mike Ratliff

13 ¶ Watch ye: stand fast in the faith: quit you like men, and be strong.
14 Let all your things be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The growing apostasy in the visible Church seems to be accelerating. The spiritual blindness of so many professing believers and their leaders is truly astounding. My brethren, the sad state of the visible Church is both the product of the famine of the Word of God and the cause of it. When the Word of God is seldom heard or read or taught then its purifying power is muted. The world and its ways now coexist with the visible Church. Genuine believers are new creations, God’s workmanship, and they now crave the pure milk of the Word of God. It is necessary for their Spiritual Growth and their new character craves it. This is not an attribute of the natural person though. The unregenerate have no desire to know the Word of God and really don’t like to hear it preached to them. Therefore, the genuine believers in those churches which are apostatizing by neglecting the Word are leaving to find church homes that still preach it, teach it, and hold it as the revealed Word of God. Continue reading →

How Faithful is God?

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by Mike Ratliff

Lamedh
89 Forever, O Yahweh,
Your word stands firm in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness endures from generation to generation;
You established the earth, and it stands.
91 They stand this day according to Your judgments,
For all things are Your slaves.
92 If Your law had not been my delight,
Then I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have revived me.
94 I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked hope for me—to destroy me;
I shall perceive Your testimonies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection;
Your commandment is exceedingly broad. Psalms 119:88-96 (LSB) 

God is faithful. When we read or say that we are not saying He is faithful as we are. He is perfectly faithful. The concept that He would somehow cause us to suffer because of a lack of love or care for us is not valid. God may allow suffering to come into our lives, but it is always to accomplish His perfect will. We must never stray far from the knowledge that He loves those who love Him. His love is that highest form of love which always seeks to accomplish what is best for the one loved instead of giving what the loved one desires. Continue reading →

The Sword of Truth

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by Mike Ratliff

34 Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν. Matthew 10:34 (NA28)

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

For as long as I can remember, I have heard stressed in our churches that peace and coexistence must be sought above all. We must not do anything to offend anyone. The one and only church discipline event that I have witnessed came as a complete surprise to most of the congregation. An adulterous husband was cast out of the church because he would not repent by returning to his family. This event brought to light in my heart that there is a gray area that contains both the necessity of seeking peace and fellowship within the body of Christ and the fact that we must not allow doctrinal truths to become diluted with the poison of compromise. Continue reading →

Are You Bearing the Marks of Jesus or the Mark of the Beast?

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by Mike Ratliff

14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And those who will walk in step with this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
17 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. Galatians 6:14-17 (LSB) 

The Apostle Paul did indeed bear the marks of persecution on his body. He had been found to be worthy to suffer shame for the name as had Peter and John (Acts 5:17-42). Paul had been stoned, beaten, imprisoned, run out of town, and would die as a martyr. Why were the Apostles persecuted so? They preached the truth. They preached against sin and works theology. They preached the Cross. They preached the exclusivity of the Gospel and against pluralism. They held that God’s truth was absolute. This is the message the natural, unregenerate person hates. This is the message the pseudo-Christians hate as well because the clear bright light of God’s truth reveals their compromises and false doctrines. Continue reading →

Spiritual Truth comes from God not by Intellectual Reasoning

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by Mike Ratliff

15 Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not press me to forsake you in turning back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may Yahweh do to me, and more, if anything but death separates you and me.” 18 So she saw that she was determined to go with her, and she said no more to her. Ruth 1:15-18 (LSB) 

God’s ways are not our ways. His ways are higher than ours. Those who have moved on into God’s stride have learned to view their circumstances in light of who God is. On the other hand, all of us have made the huge mistake of viewing God in light of our circumstances. This is 180 degrees in the wrong direction. When we view God in light of our circumstances we are self-focused and see God as either impotent to help us or aloof and not caring that we suffer. However, when we become focused on God and His glory we step away from the realm of intellectual reasoning into that of faith. It is as we draw near unto God that He draws near unto us. If we surrender to His will in our lives fully believing that His will is always right then we have turned around and are viewing our circumstances in light of who God is. For us to reach this level of spiritual maturity requires for God to work in our hearts. It is not something that we can do ourselves, it is a gift from God. Continue reading →

The Sovereignty of God in the Suffering of His People – Man looks at the External, but God looks at the Heart

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by Mike Ratliff

4 So Samuel did what Yahweh said and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” 5 And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Set yourselves apart as holy and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also set apart Jesse and his sons as holy and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 Now it happened, when they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed of Yahweh is before Him.” 7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:4-7 (LSB) 

In our study of God’s sovereignty in the suffering of His people from the book of Job, let’s look at Job and his family before affliction overtook them. However, before we look at that please look closely at the passage I placed at the top of this post. Samuel, by God’s direction, went to Bethlehem to anoint the next king of Israel from the sons of Jesse. When Samuel saw Jesse’s firstborn son, Eliab, he was sure that he must the one God sent him to anoint. However, what did God say? In our modern vernacular it would be something like this, “Don’t go by appearances.” “A man’s character is within and is not made up of what he looks like or what he has.” “I look on the heart of Man.” Continue reading →