1 Corinthians 5:11

Does this include our leaders? 

1 Corinthians 5:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

Matthew 18:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

John 10:7-10

Don’t allow Satan to steal the joy you have in your salvation because that very joy is your strength in Christ. JESUS came to give you eternal, abundant life and with Him your burdens here on earth are lightened because you are never left alone and without hope.

Jesus, the shepherd, gives spiritual life and access to spiritual food.

The thieves and robbers were the Pharisees. The thieves take life; the shepherd gives it. Abundant life includes salvation, nourishment, healing, and much more. Life here refers to eternal life, God’s life. It speaks not only of endlessness, but of quality of life. With Christ, life on earth can reach much higher quality, and then in heaven it will be complete and perfect.

 The NKJV Study Bible.

John 10:7–10 (NKJV)

⁷ Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 14:6 (NKJV)

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Ephesians 2:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Malachi 2:6

If our country has any hope of right standing with God it needs to become a nation with liberty and justice for ALL of its people.

The priests of the OT period had a twofold responsibility—they were to represent the people in holy worship before the living God, and they were to teach and apply God’s law to the people. As the judge of His people, God sentences the wicked and offers protection and defense for the innocent and oppressed. NKJV Study Bible 

Malachi 2:6 (NKJV)

⁶ The law of truth was in his mouth,

And injustice was not found on his lips.

He walked with Me in peace and equity,

And turned many away from iniquity.

Isaiah 11:4 (NKJV)

⁴ But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,

And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,

And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

Daniel 1:9

When we give our lives to GOD, His hand, directs our steps. This is not to say that trials and tribulations are absent in the lives of believers. GOD shows us favor and takes what was meant to harm us and turns it to our good and the good of His Church!

The Old Testament tells us that Isaiah prophesied to king Hezekiah about a day when the Babylonians would attack and capture Jerusalem, taking some of the sons of Israel to be made saris in the royal courts (2 Kgs 20:16–18). That prophecy was fulfilled in Daniel’s day.

Daniel was likely betrothed to a woman, but before he became eligible for marriage, he was castrated. In Dan 1:3, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (known by the Babylonian names Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were put under the care of Ashpenaz, the chief of the saris. Despite this devastating turn of events, Daniel possessed an unwavering faith in God. In Ezek 14:14–16, he stands with Noah and Job as the three men God commended for their righteousness. Daniel obeyed God in matters from dietary cleanliness to daily worship, and he proclaimed to everyone—at great peril—that God is above all. Booher, C. (2012, 2016). Eunuchs in the Bible. In Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Daniel 1:9 (NKJV)

⁹ Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.

Genesis 39:21 (NKJV)

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Luke 11:42

Traditions are not inherently bad. Christ came and lived out the width and breadth of them. He did not condemn them but He elevated the greater good to the same importance. The Cross fulfilled God’s justice and made His agape love for His creation evident to all whose eyes He opens.

Grace replaced the Law. Now we do good out of our love and gratitude for all Jesus did for us. We are His feet. We are His hands. We are saved to let His light in us to shine in the darkness. 

His love conquers all.

Luke 11:42 (NKJV)

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Some Pharisees took the strictest interpretation and counted almost anything, including spices. However, they neglected two basic things that the prophets also had warned about: love and justice (see Micah 6:8). The NKJV Study Bible

Our Lord purposely names the most trifling products of the earth, as examples of what they punctiliously exacted the tenth of. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Daniel 2:19-23

In the latter days all the gifts of the Holy Spirit will be intensified. We need to listen closely.

What is in the darkness is hidden from sight but the light of Christ illuminates the dark so that all things hidden are revealed.

God is sovereign over all nations and their rulers. The last word is always His.

The wisdom that Daniel receives comes from God. Daniel’s highlighting of this characteristic suggests that he identifies himself in the tradition of Jewish sages.

Daniel 2:19–23 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

²⁰ Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

For wisdom and might are His.

²¹ And He changes the times and the seasons;

He removes kings and raises up kings;

He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to those who have understanding.

²² He reveals deep and secret things;

He knows what is in the darkness,

And light dwells with Him.

²³ “I thank You and praise You,

O God of my fathers;

You have given me wisdom and might,

And have now made known to me what we asked of You,

For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”

² Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.” 

Genesis 46:2

¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, 

Job 33:15

¹⁷ “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance 

Acts 22:17

¹⁸ and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ 

Acts 22:18

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

The FATHER calls who He wills…not man! What to us may seem like the least likely candidate for the work of the Gospel is his choice in the BODY OF CHRIST. He is faithful to all who believe in the salvation He provided in JESUS CHRIST. Together we form the Bride of Christ..the Church.

When we have been stripped of ourself He can use us the most. 

All believers have one and the same Lord a virtual reproof of the divisions of the Corinthians, as if Christ were divided.

1 Corinthians 1:1–3 (NKJV)

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

² To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:22 (NKJV)

²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Paul’s appointment to the office of apostle was God’s decision, not a person’s or group’s. Paul doesn’t need the affirmation of the Corinthians because God chose him.

Corinth was a metropolitan city on the Mediterranean Sea with a population consisting of between 150,000 and 300,000 Roman citizens and approximately 460,000 slaves. Jewish people may have been some of the first settlers. The city contained many freed people who often became criminals because they were unable to work legitimate jobs; these may have represented the poor that Paul mentions (1 Cor 11:17–34). In the first century ad, when Paul wrote his letter, Corinth was known for its banking industry and incredible wealth. Shrines to deities of Greek, Roman, and even Egyptian gods have been discovered, and cult prostitution was common. The biannual Isthmian athletic games were held at Corinth, which made it a travel destination; these games also involved a celebration of the god Poseidon.

The Greek word used here, ekklēsia, refers to a gathering of people, not a building; here, it references the gathering of Christ followers in Corinth. Faithlife Study Bible

The Corinthian church greatly valued human wisdom. This misplaced emphasis had caused some in the church to challenge Paul’s authority. They forgot that Jesus Christ Himself had called him to his ministry as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

A local church of God is a group of people who identify themselves with God and gather together to worship and serve Him.

The work of Jesus Christ makes a believer holy forever in God’s eyes. But in everyday living, sanctification involves small, daily changes. This is why Paul could call the Corinthian believers to become saints, even though the problems in their church testified that they were far from the goal of holiness. The NKJV Study Bible.

Paul’s call as “an apostle by the will of God,” while constituting the ground of the authority he claims in the Corinthian Church, is a reason for humility on his own part. In assuming the ministerial office a man should see he does so not of his own impulse, but by the will of God Paul if left to his own will would never have been an apostle.

The Epistle is intended for all believers, as well as for the Corinthians. The true Catholic Church (a term first used by Ignatius [Epistle to the Smyraeans, 8]): not consisting of those who call themselves from Paul, Cephas, or any other eminent leader, but of all, wherever they be, who call on Jesus as their Saviour in sincerity. Still a general unity of discipline and doctrine in the several churches is implied. The worship due to God is here attributed to Jesus. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 

Luke 11:42-44

We strive to do what is right out of our love... not out of our need to impress others. 

LOVE and MERCY please GOD. We must keep in mind that the letter of the Law kills the hope of an imperfect people but the salvation of the Cross gives hope to all of humanity.

What does God require of us?

He requires us to be fair

to forgive quickly

and to remain humble knowing that it is all about Him and not about us. 

Micah 6:8

Justice and love for God Echoes the two greatest commandments (Luke 10:27–28), as well as the teaching of the prophets. The reference is to Mic 6:6–8, whose third element of all acceptable religion, “walking humbly with God,” comprehends both “love” and “faith.” Faithlife Study Bible

The Law spoke of tithing all produce, but what constituted food was debated. Some Pharisees took the strictest interpretation and counted almost anything, including spices. However, they neglected two basic things that the prophets also had warned about: love and justice. The NKJV Study Bible.

The Pharisees, the paragons of purity, were in fact the height of uncleanness.

Luke 11:42–44 (NKJV)

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

The Gospel of Luke

In the salvation of the CROSS everything that we need to complete our journey back to GOD has been provided. The birth, death and the resurrection of JESUS THE CHRIST assures us of the power of the HOLY SPIRIT to raise us from the dead and get us safely home.

Christ within us is the hope of glory!

The Gospel of Luke

For Luke, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Servant through whom God works, and the Lord who is called to sit at God’s right hand exerting His authority and giving the Spirit to those who believe. Though aspects of God’s plan are fulfilled in Jesus’ First Coming, other parts of the plan remain to be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

Luke wrote his Gospel to reassure Theophilus, a Gentile and a new believer, that God was still at work in the Christian community founded by Jesus. Luke presents God’s grace as revealed in Jesus’ ministry on earth.

The last section portrays the final controversies, the trial, the death of Jesus, and the Resurrection and Ascension. The book ends with Jesus telling the disciples to wait for the coming of the Spirit. By now, they should have realized that everything that had taken place in Jesus’ life was promised in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Jesus is the promised Messiah. Forgiveness of sin can be obtained only through Him. The disciples were witnesses to this fact; their mission was to share this Good News with all nations, not merely the Jews. Jesus gave them this task, but He also provided them with the power to carry it out. Thus it is clear that Luke’s Gospel centers on God’s plan to provide salvation to the world.

Peter called this coming of the Spirit “the beginning” because the real fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation would start in those people united by the Spirit to establish the church. The disciples were to remain in Jerusalem until the Spirit empowered them on the day of Pentecost.

The disciples’ sorrow over Jesus’ death had been totally reversed. Now the disciples awaited the promise of God with joy. Luke’s account continues in the Book of Acts. There he records the disciple’s initial response to Jesus’ commission to preach to all the nations. The NKJV Study Bible. 

Luke 24:49–53 (NKJV)

The Ascension

⁴⁹ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. Amen.

With God all things are possible...

Even those who walked with JESUS and experienced His miracles first hand would deny Him. Only with the power of the HOLY SPIRIT can we stand as followers of JESUS. What is impossible for mere man is made possible with CHRIST WITHIN… our only hope of giving GOD the glory He deserves. satan will use our guilt and shame to keep us away from GOD’S  will for our life.

All the disciples, not just Peter, would fall away.

The rooster crow is usually thought to refer to the third Roman watch, from midnight to 3 a.m. The NKJ Study Bible

Jesus states that the disciples—even Peter—will abandon Him. He takes them to a secluded place to pray, but the disciples, failing to grasp the urgency of His distress, fall asleep. A short time later, an armed mob led by Judas arrives to arrest Jesus. As predicted, the disciples flee. Faithlife Study Bible

Matthew 26:31–35 (NKJV)

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

³² But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

³³ Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

³⁵ Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And so said all the disciples.

John 13:36–38 (NKJV)

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

³⁸ Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

³¹ And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

³³ But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

John 13:36–38 (NKJV)

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

Mark 2:17

I am a sinner saved by grace…I do not take it lightly. 

That the CREATOR of all knows my name and cares about me is way above my comprehension level but I know it to be so. The HOLY SPIRIT has been near to me since childhood, knows all of my sins, and loves me anyway and I humbled beyond measure.

Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

The NKJV Study Bible.

Jesus is neither affirming nor denying that the Pharisees are righteous. He is simply pointing out that the call to repentance and offering of forgiveness are for those who need it—sinners. 

Faithlife Study Bible

Mark 2:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Matthew 18:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

Matthew 9:13 (NKJV)

¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Hosea 6:6 (NKJV)

⁶ For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

1 Samuel 22:20-23

Our actions have consequences. Thank you FATHER that through the blood of JESUS we are able to live.  until we totally get it we just keep repeating our mistakes. All of us are subject to the evil of this present age but we are not left helpless and alone to fight off the forces of darkness.With the power and continual teachings of the HOLY SPIRIT within we can overcome our weaknesses.

We will learn the lessons the easy way or the hard way... but we will learn them.

Abiathar had not been among the 85 priests killed by Doeg at Gibeah. He escaped from Nob before the massacre. David recognized that his deception led to the massacre of the priests and their families. In the sovereignty of God, the destruction of the priests of Nob was a partial fulfillment of the prophesied judgment on Eli’s house. But the sovereignty of God never nullifies personal responsibility for one’s actions. David and Abiathar were both regarded as enemies by Saul. David offered Abiathar protection. The priest remained with David and provided a valuable service. He brought the ephod with him and inquired of the Lord for David. NKJ Study Bible

David admits culpability for this tragedy, which testifies to his maturity and difference from Saul. Faithlife Study Bible

This was Abiathar, who repaired to David in the forest of Hareth, rescuing, with his own life, the high priest’s vestments. On hearing his sad tale, David declared that he had dreaded such a fatal result from the malice and intriguing ambition of Doeg; and, accusing himself as having been the occasion of all the disaster to Abiathar’s family, David invited him to remain, because, firmly trusting himself in the accomplishment of the divine promise, David could guarantee protection to him. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 

1 Samuel 22:20–23 (NKJV)

²⁰ Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests. ²² So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. ²³ Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”

John 14:25-28

In our loneliest days, in our darkest hours ….He is there! To guide us, comfort us, and direct us… the HOLY SPIRIT never leaves us. What a blessing this has been in my life and I am sure in yours also. 

God is good all of the time.

The customary good-bye among the Jews was to say shalom, meaning “peace.” The Lord was about to depart, so He added to this farewell by saying, My peace. The word My is emphatic. This is no conventional wish; this is Jesus’ personal, special grant of peace. The peace that Christ gives banishes fear and dread from the heart, for Jesus is in control of all circumstances. As the humble, submissive Son, Jesus submitted Himself to the authority of His Father. NKJ Study Bible 

The Greek term used here, paraklētos, refers to a legal assistant in a court who pleads someone’s case before the judge. The judge is God, and people are judged based on whether they follow Jesus’ command to believe that eternal life comes through His death and resurrection. The Spirit, as God’s means of communication on earth, instructs believers and leads them to follow God’s will. The Spirit gives them access to God, His plans, and His wisdom. He can do so because of Jesus’ sacrifice for sins. 

Jesus wants His disciples to know that His coming suffering and death is not the end of His ministry; it is the beginning of His ministry’s final purpose and the completion of God’s will for Jesus’ life. Faithlife Study Bible

John 14:25–28 (NKJV)

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ²⁸ You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.