"The Heavenly Culture of Respect" Audio Message

Listen to my latest message on "The Heavenly Culture of Respect"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1atK88A4xMD3NH4H1hlXzbHWz5LB_V0Ln/view?usp=sharing

Ast. Pastor Curtis Alexander teaching at Church On The GO ( www.churchonthego.ca ) in Newmarket, ON. Tues. July 28th 2020.

Special thanks to Jenny Harrison for creating this graphic based on my message

Special thanks to Jenny Harrison for creating this graphic based on my message

Above graphic created by Curtis Alexander

-PC 

Wed July 29th 2020 11:31pm EST

"Song of the Lord - Spontaneous Worship" Audio Message

Listen to my audio message on google drive, at this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kbw-wqPFldK79FzbMNFIzGNmH_Ebh8Xp/view?usp=sharing

"The Song of The Lord - Spontaneous Worship"

Message by Ast. Pastor Curtis Alexander Tues July 21st 2020 at Church On The GO, Newmarket ON. 

( www.churchonthego.ca ) 

Thanks to Jenny Harrison for creating this graphic, based on my message.

-PC 

God's Heart, Love and Promise to the Childless - A Scripture Study

This Bible study post is meant to be a healing balm and a comfort to those whose paths have felt unfulfilled, or perhaps people have excluded them even if it was unintentional. In Jesus we find fulfillment and all the love and validation we need. You may be overlooked by others because of your circumstance. Or you may be misunderstood. You may feel excluded, like an opportunity has been missed. I feel for you and with you. I can't understand why it happens.

 But JESUS will never ignore you... just call on Him and let Him minister life to you by His Spirit. I do not understand why God allows for childlessness, as for some it is very painful. For others, they accept it as their lot in life. Others pick the adoption route.

 God can do miracles, but He does not always choose to. It is a mystery at times. In the end, Jesus really is our ultimate inheritance. And all believers can believe Jesus, be saved, and be on a mission to make disciples (raise spiritual children), regardless of their natural state.  And God LOVES those who cannot have children (or did not have them for various reasons) with the same AGAPE love He freely offers all who come to Him. Agape is His Godly affection and provision and love as displayed and demonstrated and offered through the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. 

God's Love, Heart, and Promise to the Childless and to those who cannot produce in the natural, a PLACE and a NAME "better than that of (natural) sons and daughters":

Isaiah 56:3-5 NKJV
3 Do not let the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 Even to them I will give in My house
And within My walls a place and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.

Jesus affirms Isaiah by recognizing and validating those who will not be able to produce naturally in this life OR who choose to remain single as "spiritual eunuchs":
Matthew 19:12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”
That Greek word for "Eunuch" is G2135 on BlueletterBible and means:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2135&t=KJV

-a bed keeper, bed guard, superintendent of the bedchamber, chamberlain

-in the palace of oriental monarchs who support numerous wives the superintendent of the women's -apartment or harem, an office held by eunuchs

an emasculated man, a eunuch

-eunuchs in oriental courts held by other offices of greater, held by the Ethiopian eunuch mentioned in Ac. 8:27-39.

-one naturally incapacitated

     -for marriage

     -begetting children

-one who voluntarily abstains from marriage

So this word can mean in a Christian sense, those believers who cannot produce children physically in a marriage, or it can mean a believer who chooses not to get married. God still loves and validates these dear people in CHRIST. Christ is all. He is our fulfillment! (Col. 2:10)

Christian community is rightly focused on Biblical marriage (between one man and one woman) and on producing the next generation of children. It is through this institution that countries are stabilized and communities are built. However, God does not let anyone fall through the cracks. Singles. The childless. Childless couples. Those who cannot  beget children or get pregnant.

 Some are simply unable to do what others can do. They have different gifts instead. And God has given them a heart to follow after the Spirit. We must be careful not to exclude or reject those who are unable to follow Adam's mandate naturally. God's agape Love is for them too. They are also just as welcome to enjoy the holy marital union should they desire it. God has given a variety of administrations, abilities and gifts, but it is all by the SAME HOLY SPIRIT.

1 Cor. 12:5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

Together with sensitivity and love, all believers within churches can work together to fulfill both the natural and the spiritual. Some will be exclusively focused on producing spiritual disciples. And that is ok. 

Jesus recognizes that not all believers will be able to have natural children in marriage. He also recognizes that some will choose to stay single for the Kingdom of God's sake. Jesus fulfills the promise of Isaiah 56:5. He Himself did not have a natural wife or natural children, but instead produced spiritual children through the Spirit of Adoption. (See Romans 8:15 below). And His Bride is the New Jerusalem in Heaven, a spiritual Bride (Revelation ch.21).

 He identifies with BOTH the childless (as He was without natural children on the earth) and with the Father (as He produced spiritual children through the Spirit of Adoption). 

Jesus promises to His followers:

Revelation 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

A new eternal name for the naturally childless if they are overcomers in Christ:

Revelation 2:17“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’

Having natural and/or spiritual children is a dual fulfillment in Christ:
Christ fulfills Adam's Mandate to be fruitful and multiply as the "LAST ADAM" (1 Cor 15:45; Mat. 5:17). He does so in the Spirit not in the natural.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Jesus's Great Commission to create new disciples (spiritual children) now runs parallel to Adam's mandate and is equal in value. The Last Adam (Jesus) actually fulfills all that Adam failed to do. It begins in the natural but must be completed in the Spirit of God with discipleship and the "Spirit of adoption".

Genesis 1:28 New King James Version (NKJV)

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Matthew 28:19-20 New King James Version (NKJV)

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Natural children as God's plan: Matthew 1:1-2
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

Spiritual children as God's Plan: 1 Corinthians 4:17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

More on Spiritual Children: 

John regarded those he oversaw as spiritual children: 1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Blessings as you consider God's heart and love toward all His followers in Christ, both those who can and have produced naturally and those who cannot or have not produced naturally. 

No matter what your circumstance is in the natural, ALL believers can be fruitful in the Spirit, through Christ the Vine. Instead of abiding in your miseries, abide in Christ your comfort. Let your branch bear spiritual fruit. (John 15)

Some Thoughts On God's Best

God's Best.

Romans 8:28 Geneva Bible (GNV)
28 Also we know that all things work together for THE BEST unto them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose.

Between initial Salvation and Eternity with Christ, is a journey on this earth. We as believers know from Scripture that Salvation in the Blood of Jesus and Eternity with Him is God's best. That is the beginning and the end. All who come by the way of the cross and trust in the finished work of Christ Jesus alone for salvation will experience that "eternal best".

But what about that middle part? The part where we walk with the Lord as His followers on the earth?

What does "God's Best" look like for the individual believer? Are all believers to experience the same "best" on earth or does that "best" depend on God's unique plan for each unique believer? Scripture will shed light:

Romans 8:28 Geneva Bible (GNV)
28 Also we know that all things work together for THE BEST unto them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NKJV)
4 There are DIVERSITIES of gifts, but the SAME Spirit.
5 There are DIFFERENCES of ministries, but the SAME Lord.
6 And there are diversities of ACTIVITIES, but it is the same God who works ALL in ALL.

In that middle part of the road, what's best for one believer may not be what's best for the next. Only God knows. Certainly, as humans, we tend to believe that what worked best for us, must necessarily be what works best for those around us. But this simply is not the case. Paul indicates that paths can differ... but they are all from the same Spirit of God. And they are what's "best" for each believer, should they choose to follow the Lord's leading.

More from Paul the Apostle:
1 Corinthians 7:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.

1 Corinthians 7:7 New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

Isaiah 56:5 NKJV
Even to them I will give in My house
And within My walls a place and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.

Matthew 19:12 NKJV For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

Love God, believe Jesus, and Heed His Call... then watch as God works His Best in your life (note that this does NOT necessarily mean an "easy life" or a life of natural wealth!) God's best is designed not for material gain, but for spiritual gain and edification of the Body of Christ. Indeed God's best means we endure some suffering for His sake, and grow spiritually in the fruit of the Spirit.

1 Peter 4:16 NKJV 

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

Note how God's best looks different for each disciple:

John 21:17-22 NKJV

17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 

18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 

19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”

22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

 Don't be surprised when your middle road journey looks different than the middle road of another Christian in church. Just keep your eyes on Jesus Christ. It's only through His Blood we are SAVED!! And we believers will all experience HIS best in Heaven!

Blessings
Pastor Curtis
July 8 2020 1:08am EST

10 Biblical Purposes of Spiritual Gifts

Recently it was brought to my attention that some may mistake those who accept the gifts of the Spirit with those who accept the "Word of Faith" movement. Although there are some charismatic Christians that have accepted that "Word of Faith" doctrine, many other charismatic saints, such as myself and my own church, have long since distanced ourselves and denounced the Word of Faith (Name it and Claim it) movement.
Here is an article explaining what the Word of Faith movement is, and why it is erroneous.

https://www.compellingtruth.org/word-faith.html

Being charismatic does not automatically make a Christian an adherent to teachings like the one described in the article above.
Read the following article below to learn how many Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians have criticized the Word of Faith Movement. 

https://www.watchman.org/articles/other-religious-topics/word-faith-theology/ 

The whole idea of the gifts of the Spirit is made clear here in this Bible passage. Please read prayerfully and consider the following. God does give gifts to men. He still does today, because Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, forever. (see Hebrews 13:8) But He does not give gifts to us so that we can use/abuse them for selfish gain or material possession. No, He gives gifts to His saints so that they may be EQUIPPED, MATURED, EDIFIED, and SOUND IN DOCTRINE.

The Inspired Word of God tells us the clear purposes of these divine gifts to Christians:

Ephesians 4:7-16 NKJV

 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 

8 Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Did you catch those points? God equips His churches, the Body of Christ, with gifts for a variety of reasons. True Pentecostals and Charismatics can reject the name-it claim-it ideas while still adhering to the above sound doctrine of Paul the Apostle, as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Notice how there is no mention of material wealth in this entire passage from Ephesians. That's because the gifts are not for the mere purposes of the natural realm. They are for the spiritual kingdom of God and building His church in the Spirit!

According to this passage from Ephesians ch.4, God gives gifts to those in Christ. These present-day gifts from the Holy Spirit are for:
1. Equipping the saints (v12)
2.  the work of the ministry (v12)
3. edifying the Body of Christ (v12)
4. coming to the unity of the faith (v13)
5. reaching the stature and fullness (maturity) of Christ (v13)
6. growing up so that we are no longer like little children that are deceived by false doctrines (like Word of Faith errors) These gifts from God help us to discern the "trickery of men" and reject it. (V14)
7. speaking the truth in love (v15)
8. For growing up, becoming spiritually mature like Christ the head (v15)
9. Knitting the Body together by what every joint supplies
10. Growing the Body so that it edifies itself in LOVE. (v16).

Now this is just one of many passages revealing God's New Testament present truth purpose for the gifts. This is not an exhaustive list but it is a very good Biblical overview of why God gave gifts.

It is clear that the gifts are not to make life more "comfortable" on the planet, but for the spiritual and "effective working" (v16) of Christ's Spiritual Body on the earth. We are to grow up, in the midst of our challenges and trials and to speak truth to each other in love, relying on His Spirit and His power.

 Indeed Christ promised we as believers would endure suffering for His name's sake, before we share in eternal glory with Him. (Mat 5:1-12)

To bring balance to this, we must still remember that Christ, who is still sovereign and on the throne, does look after and provide for the needs of those who seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
 Matthew 6:33 says:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

God bless as you read and consider and pray into these Biblical truths from God's inspired Word.
May God enlighten our understanding as we walk in His Light!

And... Happy Canada Day!
God bless you.
Pastor Curtis
July 1st 2020 7:39pm EST

The Body Of Christ: a Culture of Respect

There is a present truth of the Body of Christ on the earth today.
The whole human body is a present Biblical model of the Body of Christ in the earth, composed of individual churches and individual believers. This natural model was first created by God in Genesis 1 and then given to Paul as a revelation in 1 Corinthians ch. 12. and in other places like Ephesians 4.
Eyes are important!
Ears are imporant!
Hands are imporant!

Feet are imporant!
AND.... The Body needs internal organs! Those are the parts that no one sees (there is a problem if someone can see your liver from the outside!!) yet are working tirelessly in unison with the Head and supply and serve the Body.

Just because you appear to be a small member or church, that does not exclude you from Body MEMBERSHIP! The rest of the Body NEEDS YOU! Some cells come in direct contact with each other, within the organs and so on.
DISCLAIMER:
I am NO DOCTOR. (A funny story happened to me about that phrase "I am not a doctor" ask me about it. :D )
But I happen to know the natural human body is made up of various kinds of cells. Then if Paul is using the human body in his comparison (1 Cor 12), the same would hold true in the Spirit.

 Some cells mesh directly together. Brain cells mesh together and carry electrical signals. Blood cells are individual yet flow together in the same narrow stream carrying oxygen.
Brain cells don't minimize muscle cells or blood cells. They NEED THEM. All cells nourish each other or supply each other, based on their design. God designed muscle cells to help the Body move. God designed bone cells to help give the body STRUCTURE! Skin cells are important too! God in His infinite wisdom created the human body skillfully and wonderfully. The more the human body is studied, the more amazing facts we discover about it.

Some cells never come in direct contact with each other, and that's normal. Yet they are STILL IN UNISON with each other, through CHRIST THE HEAD. (Col. 2:10). They are all connected to each other by the nerve system and the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system of Christ.


The BLOOD of CHRIST flows though the spiritual cardiovascular system.


The BREATH of the HOLY SPIRIT flows through the spiritual Respiratory system.


The AUTHORITY and POWER and KNOWLEDGE and WORD of Christ flows through the Nervous System.


The Body is a CULTURE OF HONOUR (also known as RESPECT). We cultivate a culture of honour where there is none. We cultivate love of Christ where there is none. The body parts that seem to have less respect, we respect them! The parts in pain, we pray for them! The parts that are thriving, we rejoice with them!

We feel each other's pains and rally in prayer. That is like the Body's immune system coming to fight off plagues and clot wounds.

We CELEBRATE the successes of our fellow Body Parts!!

BE an ambassador of the Head, Christ Jesus. (2 Cor 5:20-21)

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?

18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,

24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it,

25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

- - - - -

It is important to recognize that God Himself composed this Body. Both the natural human body, and the Spiritual one.  (V18 and V24). He composed Adam in a fully formed, fully functioning way in one Day. The Day Christ (The Head) rose from the Grave was the day God formed a new Spiritual Body.

 In His wisdom, He made some members and churches small, and some are large. These parts are composed of different kinds of cells. Yet this is exactly what makes the Body function.

Look past the non-essential differences and or affiliations and titles. See Christ at work in all the true body members. Agree with them that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to be saved. He is the Only Way to the Father. (John 14:6) He is the ONLY solution to sin and to the world's problems, and it is only by grace through faith that we can be saved! (Eph 2:8) Whoever calls on the Lord will be SAVED.

On this, the True Spiritual Body of Christ agrees:

Romans 10:9-13 (NKJV)

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The GOOD news among all this bad news we keep hearing on the media is that Jesus Christ is RICH TO ALL who call upon Him! (v12) Note that it says "all" not "some". 

Also:

Acts 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Acts 16:5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

As believers in Jesus, let's bless the Body in Jesus' Name! Let us "strengthen the churches" by being PRESENT. This is always true, but it is especially true at a time like this.
Let's remember how unique each body part and cell is, and embrace how God has made you and formed you in the Spiritual Body. Not everyone in the Body does what you do, and God's grace has appointed you to fulfill that honour. God bless you in your local church! I know things are still a bit different right now with many government-ordered lockdowns.  And yet, God will make a way. Jesus IS the Way. (John 14:6) God is still sovereign over the nations (Psalm 47:8; Psalm 82:8), and Christ is still the Leader, the Head of the Body! All true Body members hold to the Head, Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:18-19)! 

And of course we know that Christ the Head is seated in HEAVEN, ruling and reigning victoriously with the saints who went on before us! And we are connected to our HEAVENLY HEAD as the Body on the earth which is the Lord's (Psa 24:1)! 

Like Stephen in the book of Acts, who died in a riot against him, we too can receive powerful revelations of the Lord Jesus in the middle of some terrible times. The revelation of Christ is what keeps us hoping, keeps us in joy and keeps us working in the Body! 

Acts 7:55-56

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

God Bless,

Pastor Curtis

Thu Jun 4th 2020 1:53pm EST

Read MORE about Jesus the spiritual "Body Builder"!
https://view-finder-blog.blogspot.com/2017/04/jesus-is-spiritual-body-builder.html

Respecting Differences Through Christ's Love.

We as Christian believers may need to brush up on Romans 14 again (myself included). Read with the Holy Spirit. He will help us, using the Word, to learn how to respect differences of conviction between Christians and how to do it in love. Basically, not everything needs to be agreed upon. Humans need to feel both love (agape) and respect (basic human worth). God loves us and respects us so we need to love and respect each other. We should respect our differences and recognize that God accepts the faith of people with different views on natural matters.

Let's open the Word by the Spirit and refresh our minds with the Mind of Christ here. Let's read the whole chapter:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+14&version=NKJV
Take your time with it. I'll be here waiting....

OK you've read through the chapter?

Great! Let's continue. 

Verse 13 is very key when dealing with outward appearances and surface matters (non-salvation issues). V17 is also very crucial. Paul teaches us how to handle the surface stuff that Christians always seem to disagree on: Food, drink, holy days, circumcision, and more recently, masks and cleaning supplies etc etc. Your personal faith on these outward matters is good! But what is NOT good is using it to condemn or trip up fellow saints. I can tell you that it displeases the Heavenly Father to see His children taking hurtful jabs at each other and calling each others' faith into question. That is terrible, and it breaks my heart. It doesn't matter what "side" you take. Both "sides" have merit. In this coronavirus situation, I know people with weak immune systems that need to wear a mask. So wear it. Have your faith before God (v22).

I also know people who have special health conditions that prevent them from wearing the mask or suffer anxiety from it. Or they simply believe God will keep His word (Mark 16:18) and see God as their protection in the midst of working their essential services job. But they take still take other health precautions like others do. So those people don't wear a mask. Have your faith before God. (v22) Just don't use your personal convictions (whatever they may be) as a clubbing weapon against other dear sisters and brothers in Christ. Respect differences using the Love of Christ.

SO what does matter is acting in love and respecting our brothers and sisters in Christ. They don't have to agree with you on every issue. We only need to agree on Christ and on the key doctrines of salvation such as John 14:6. So out of mutual love and respect, we must sometimes graciously agree to disagree and move on.

The common misconception I sometimes observe with us Christians is that we all have to agree on the surface issues. No we just need to agree to love and respect each other as Jesus commanded us. :) Love meaning we care for and have godly affection for each other (agape), and respect meaning we recognize each other's inherent worth in Christ. Christ paid His pure sinless priceless BLOOD for you and for your brother and sister in Christ. That automatically means that YOU, and your siblings are of worth. Respect means we treat each other as someone of worth, and that we don't allow the temporary issues of the day (such as masks) to cause us to loose sight of this.


Just let the Word minister life to you and to your Christian siblings. We can all agree as Christians on this: 

Rom. 14:13 NKJV Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

In other words, do you have a brother that believes Jesus' promise of divine protection (Mark 16:18)? Great! let him believe!! Coercing him to wear a mask against his faith is sin. (v23). But if a Christian's faith DOES include wearing a mask, then for them specifically, taking it off is also sin. Whatever is not of faith is sin. So you can see the issue for God is that we need to respect each other, especially online. And don't let the minor issue take the place of the main eternal focus. Why? Because.... 

Romans 14:16-18
16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Nothing in my own personal convictions is more important than my brother's faith in Christ. Nothing in his personal convictions is more important than my faith in Christ. Christ is the One Door to Heaven (John 10:9). On this we can all agree, and by abiding in His love, we can love one another.

Rom. 14:21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak

John 15:9-12 NKJV
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 

11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Another word for respect is "honour". We need to honour all people, including those we disagree with in the Christian community! This is because God bestows WORTH on every human being. He sent His Son to die for them. Even if they do NOT yet believe Him, they still have worth to God. This is important for us to remember.
  SO what does this honour/respect and love look like? Well, sometimes out of love and respect, we choose not to bring certain topics up if we know it will cause unnecessary contentions. We choose to bypass certain comments and instead, choose to EDIFY them with good encouragement. People matter to God. So here is a key passage on honour... a word that also refers to respect in its definition.

1 Peter 2:17 NKJV Honour all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

I myself am still learning and growing in this as the Holy Spirit has to keep me on track! I hope that you will join me in this lifetime journey of learning and growing in Christ's love and respect/honour.

God bless you!
Pastor Curtis

Mon May 18 2020 1:16am EST