JUST WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR??

Jesus said that all of the commandments could be summed up in two: 1) To love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your mind and with all your soul; 2) to love your neighbor as yourself. Now, we can ask the same question as the ‘Expert on the Law' (did and say, “Just who is my neighbor”? (Luke 10:33) I’m sure all of you remember the parable of the Good Samaritan. After Sunday School today I got to thinking on the following: A known young woman of ill repute, commonly called by society, a whore. She is known to be a prostitute; comes into the neighborhood and while soliciting to some local men she is taken by force and was date raped and left in the street. She got up crying, disheveled and tried walking away. Several of the same neighborhood were walking by and derided her and yelled insults and accusations towards her.

Let’s go a little further with this. Right at this point Jesus walks on the scene and asks what is happening. The people answer saying that this woman is a whore and has been enticing men in the neighborhood living an immoral life style and a bad influence on the young people in the neighborhood. Jesus asks what should be done with her and they reply that she should be thrown out of the neighborhood even turn over to the authorities.
 

Let me interject here that these people consider themselves ‘good upright Christians’. And yes, they attend Church every Sunday, go to their Sunday School classes and Wednesday night services and even home Bible studies. They are familiar with the Scripture.

 

So Jesus says to them that they are right, that is what they should do according to the law. Then he adds that the person or persons that is sinless should be the one to proceed. One by one the people that were gathered there start to leave. Why? Because they are all knowledgeable of the Scripture and now that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory.(Rom. 3:23; Psalm 51)

 After a short time Jesus asks the young woman who accuse her of any wrong doing and she looks up, sees that everyone has left and says that no one now accuses her of anything. And Jesus tells her that neither does He accuse her, to go in peace and just don’t continue anymore in her ways; to repent [change] her ways and sin no more.
 

But you may ask right here, what about the men? The men are not the issue at this point. The issue is: 1) Who is my neighbor? We are to love, [(agape), meaning benevolent, caring, love that embraces the truth, the love of men towards God, the love of God towards men, love expressed Christian to Christian from the soul, we can go on and on], others as we love ourselves. Our neighbor is anyone and everyone whether a true Christian, a none believer, our enemy. Don’t look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention the beam in your own eye. Don’t be like the hypocrites of which Isaiah wrote, “they honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. (Is. 29:13)  Remember also, Jesus said that if you do not forgive, God will not forgive you. (Matt. 6:15) 

But the Good News is that the Lord God creator of the universe, gave up His position while maintaining His deity and taking on flesh, [what we today celebrate as Christmas] was obedient to God even to the death on the cross [we celebrate on Good Friday] so pay the price for us, and rose from the dead, [Easter]. Why must we forgive others? Because God has forgiven us!!

 God loved Israel, but because they had turned away from Him, He punished them for all their wickedness. The terrible events that ocurred to Israel should have shown Judah that God  carries out His warnings, He allowed the 10 tribes (the kingdom of Israel) to be carried away captive. They never have been brought back (about 2,700 years ago). But the kingdom of Judah went right on in their own sinfulness. All their religious acts was just a sham. God hates this pretense.  We too must take seriously the warnings of God.  If you continue to turn your back on God, profane His name, you will answer to Him.  There will be no defense for you have been judged already.

 They were severely burned. They cursed the name of God, who has the authority over these plagues. They would not change the way they think and act and give him glory. (Rev 16:9)  

The ungodly, it seems, never  repent. They will do what unbelievers have always done when things go bad: They curse and blaspheme the name of God. It may be  an accident in a car—no matter what it is, the response of the unbeliever is usually to curse and blaspheme. And in the end time it will be no different. The ungodly and evil will not repent any more than they do today. They will only curse the name of God.

"Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7:51). "But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear" (Zech. 7:11). 

  Allow me to tell you that for now is the time to call on the name of the Lord Jesus and repent.  Listen to the Holy Spirit.  He is confirming the Good news of Jesus Christ.  Remember, today is the day of salvation, for tomorrow you don't know what it will bring.  You never know when your body is going to die or just as important, the Son of Man, who will come when you least expect Him.

Red Sky at morn, sailors take warn; Red sky at night, sailors delight.

Red sky at night, sailors delight. When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow. 

Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.   A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.  This is a  proverb by sailors and there is one similar that farmers use to use for planting and harvesting.  We use signs to guide us along the way.

Yet this day and age there are more signs that point to the immenant return of Jesus Christ for His church.  Signs given in prophecies thousands of years ago.

Jesus Himself said, 

“When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Maybe the economic situation the U.S. is in will not cause a collapse of the U.S. financialy, but the U.S. is close.  What a better time for iniciating a one world economic system than now.  Not only would it be beneficial for the U.S. but for the other countries and Europe.  A one world government - one world economic system.  One world ruler.

Look at the signs around us; what do you see?  They are all written through out Scripture, you have no excuse.    "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

A question.

"The state which endangers the Christian proclamation, [confessing the Good News of Christ Jesus], negates itself". Dietrich Bonhoeffer essay, "The Church and the Jewish Question." April 1933 - Today when the state says that I can not proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ any where I wish for fear of offending... Would this not be endangering the Christian proclamation?

Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through Me." (Jn.14:6). After His bodily ascension, Christ continues His work in the world through those He has redeemed— the Church functions as “the Body of Christ” and demonstrates the love of God clearly, tangibly, and boldly.  The Church is the Body of Christ because of these facts:

1) Born again believers are joined to Christ in salvation (Ephesians 4:15-16);

2) follow Christ as their Head (Ephesians 1:22-23);

3) are the physical representation of Christ in this world;

4) they are the organism through which Christ manifests His life to the world today;

5) are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).

 

So the question is: By whose authority does the state, and inclusive all so-called pastors, ministers, and preachers, countermand Scripture and proclaim that the name of Jesus must not be proclaimed?