You’re GOING the WRONG WAY! – Follow Him – Purity 788

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of a view of the Catskill Mountains from the vantage point of the Olana State Historic Site in Greenport, Greenport, New York, comes from our good friend, brother in Christ, and fellow Bible study enthusiast Arthur Cinkaty. I rarely name names when I share the photo of the day, but I know Arthur covets the honor of having his views being highlighted on the blog, so I wanted to give him credit for making it. I usually give a general idea of when the photos I share were taken, but although I might assume it was taken recently, the fact that I received this photo via a text photo drop that included, among others, a photo of Arthur dressed as Cyrano de Bergerac from what must have been at least 25 years ago I won't make that assumption and will only assure everyone that a visit to Olana is a must for anyone visiting Columbia County, as the view of the Catskills hasn't changed through the years. I share it today because I love my friend and because it highlights a mountain range that can visually represent the fact that we will reach the summit of the midpoint of our work week, as we have made it to another hump day. Speaking of peaks, I was pleasantly surprised this morning to see a sudden spike in the downloads for the MT for Christ 24/7 podcast that sent us skyrocketing past the 7,000 downloads mark. So to all who regularly listen, and to what— and to the one person or persons that probably sent us over the, uh, 7,000— 7K mark inadvertently, or perhaps intentionally, by downloading close to 100 episodes in a single day, I say thank Thank you. My intentions in the blog and the podcast are somewhat Cyrano-like in that I don't intend to direct any attention to myself, but only wish to speak words that could encourage others to fall head over heels in love with Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and to commit their lives to following them and sharing the love of God and the truth of his word. I know that in in and of themselves, my words can't save anyone. But I also know that the Lord could use my efforts to bring people to him. So I talk about the Bible and Christian living to persuade people to seek God for themselves, because I am confident that if they do, if they do with all their heart, as Jeremiah 29:13 indicates, they will find him and they will put their faith in the only one that can give them peace with God. Jesus, as indicated in John 14:6, which says, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So I don't point to Buddha, to Confucius, Muhammad, Rumi, or anyone else. I point to Jesus. And quite frankly, I feel anyone who is considering other religions or other philosophies of life that don't specifically name Jesus as Lord, Savior, King of Kings, the Son of God and God the Son, or would claim that Jesus is only one good teacher among others, are either foolish, ignorant, or being deceived. To be clear, I am a former Buddhist who was saved by a revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. John 14:6 and the whole of Scripture in the Bible speaks of the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only means to have peace with God. I reject Buddhism and all other world religions that don't hold the Bible as the inerrant word of God and Jesus as the sole means of salvation. There is only one way to God, through faith in Jesus Christ. In the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles, although I'm not really a fan of the film, there is a scene where the main characters are driving down a highway at night when suddenly a car pulls up alongside them and the occupants are desperately trying to get their attention. The main characters finally heed their signals and roll down their window to hear what they are saying. "You're going the wrong way!" they shout. The main characters are confused and figure that these concerned people must be mistaken. How do they know where we're going? How do they know where we're going to? They ask dismissively. But suddenly, the main characters understand what the other drivers are saying when a set of headlights appear in the distance that are heading directly for them. The main characters mistakenly got on the wrong side of a divided highway and were driving in the opposite direction of traffic. Luckily, they were able to avoid disaster. And that's all I'm trying to do with my blog, my podcast, and my life. As someone who was going the wrong way for most of my life, I understand how offensive the idea that there is only one way to God can be. But it— but, but even though it may be offensive, that's the way it is. The source of this truth is the living Word of God, Jesus Christ, who was proven to be God through his life, teachings, death, and resurrection. So as much as I personally might have gone in all types of directions on, on the faith spectrum, I know that I was going the wrong way until God revealed to me the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus Christ is the sole means of forgiveness of sin and life everlasting. To claim to be saved by Christ and to consider other faith streams is to spit in the face of Jesus. In essence, they are saying that Christ is not enough. Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. But the Bible is clear that there will be many that will claim Jesus and be revealed as not being His. The example of Judas, the parable of the sowing of the seed, the warnings of false teachers and the doctrines of demons, and the separation of the sheep from the goats and the tares from the wheat show us that we are to discern the spirits and to seek out our salvation with fear and trembling. Our faith is a matter of life and death, and an exclusive relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that will give us eternal life and help us to experience the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Christianity is not a popularity contest, so forgive me, but by the grace of God, I have come to know the truth, the way, and the life And I can't help but be a voice to point others in His direction and to try to encourage people to change directions when they are going the wrong way. So keep seeking the Lord and fostering your faith in Christ. Christ told His disciples to "Follow Me, nobody else." So keep walking and talking with God, but let's stay on the path that Christ has left before us and not stray from it. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the New Living Translation Bible Promise Book for Men. This morning's meditation verse is Philippians 4:19, and it says, "And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." In today's verse, we are encouraged that God shall supply for all our needs according to his riches in glory by who? By Christ Jesus. As living beings, our needs are for the things that will sustain life through the earth and through our physical and mental abilities. And because God provides us with all the above, our needs can be met. We can hunt, farm, and fish for food. We can manipulate the natural resources of the earth to provide shelter. We can come together with other people to accomplish amazing things we couldn't do alone. Through our imaginations, we can also produce music, art, sports, plays, books, and programs to entertain us. All of these things are provided by God through His creation. So man has learned how to live on earth and has developed ways to meet his needs. But the only thing we can't fashion with our hands or pull from the earth or our imaginations is our biggest need, life beyond this world. Whereas there are a variety of ways to meet our physical and emotional needs on the earth, there is only one way to meet our ultimate need of life everlasting: Jesus Christ. The Bible points to Jesus because he meets this need, but it also points to Christ and how he lived to show us how we should live while on the earth. In Christ, we have been given the example to follow on earth and the way to life in heaven. So follow him and rejoice that through Jesus Christ, God shall supply for all your needs. As always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.org, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from Clint Arnold's Powers of Darkness, and today, um, the, this, uh The section that's highlighted is the Spirit and the Gifts. And so if you're interested in the Holy Spirit and the gifts, uh, you can go to mtforchrist.org and see what Clinton Arnold has to say about that in his book, um, Powers of Darkness. So we provide that for your edification. We always encourage people to go out and read something, you know, but, but primarily we We encourage people to read the Bible. That's why we share our Bible study that we have with Arthur Sincotti and his wife Susanna. And my wife will chime in with a few comments occasionally. We do that once a week, basically, where we come together and Arthur, you know, presents a topic and we discuss, you know, what the Word has to say about it and what our experience is like. But it's the Word that we we gather around to know what is true. And so we honor what the Word of God says and try to follow it the best we can. So we encourage people to do that. We've read the Word this morning. In fact, I almost, you know, did a whole Bible study thing instead of presenting the message I wanted to because it basically came along lines with what came out this morning. I was reading in Deuteronomy, um, basically about Moses going into the Promised Land and how it was predicted before they even went in. The Lord basically said that, that the nation of Israel would eventually turn away from him and go to other gods. And so that's why I'm so vehement about, um, you know, declaring that we not be so diverse that we, you know, diverge from the path that Christ laid before us. You know, it's one thing to know of other religions or whatever and try to encourage people from those faith streams to come to faith in Jesus Christ. It's another thing to give them honor by sharing their posts or sharing their teachings. Like I said, in essence, you're spitting in the face of Jesus Christ, the one who saved you and gave you eternal life, when you consider other doctrines of demons, as the Word would say. So we encourage that. We encourage faith in Jesus Christ because we know that's the only way to faith everlasting, to life everlasting, through faith in him. So, you know, this isn't easy. I get it. I've been there, I've done that, I've stumbled, I've fallen, I've made mistakes, you know. I almost did another post about a question I received. You know, somebody asked me out of the blue, you know, have I been vaccinated? And I didn't respond. That information is actually public knowledge. If you go on the blog and look, you can check it out. You'll find out if I'm vaccinated or not. Um, but the, you know, the question just, you know, seemed confrontational to me, and plus none of your business, quite frankly. You know, it could come— and believe me, I love my position in Christ because it can come from every which way but loose. It could come from someone who is rallying for a pro-choice side of things. If I'm taking a vaccine, you know, some of the vaccines were, you know, used from embryos or whatever, so I'm supporting abortion if I had a vaccine. Or it can be that I've taken the mark of the beast from a particular sect of Christianity, you know, that I've infected myself with what will be considered the mark of the beast in the end times, according to some. You know, all I can do in life, and all we can do in life, is try to follow the Lord the best we can. We're not about rule keeping. You know, one sin isn't going to kill us because we've been forgiven forgiven of all our sins. What's going to save us is our faith in Christ, and to try and— or, and what's going to give us peace in this world is trying to follow him. Um, you know, I, I often run into people who argue one point of something. I'm just confronted yesterday with a certain point of doctrine about head coverings. This person is, um, it's got to be spiritually immature, you know. That's not a large topic in the entire counsel of Scripture. And it shows a certain leaning toward religion and legalism. And if you're pointing to certain doctrines, what about this rule? What about that rule? What about your heart? Are you following Jesus? Have you turned from sin? You know, usually we don't point fingers at other people. You know, our relationship is with God ourselves personally, and we'll make the decisions that He leads us to. To, and we use the word of God to guide us, but we're going to make mistakes. You know, there's no man without sin, and I'm far from perfect. And so, you know, our faith is not about perfection. It's about the perfect one, Jesus Christ, and trying to follow him. We will not be perfect, but we can make progress, and we can be healed, and we can say no to sin. So there you go. And so if you, if you don't understand anything I'm trying to say and are focusing on the minutia of our faith, I would direct you to these spiritual teachings that I gleaned from Freedom in Christ Ministries, Dr. Neil Anderson, and the classes I provide on Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ. You know, do you have your freedom in Christ? You know, that's my— I guess that's my rebuttal. Um, if anyone's asking if I've been vaccinated, do you have your freedom in Christ? Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? Please ask— answer those questions if you want me to answer that one. Um, you know, do you even know what your freedom in Christ is? I know I didn't for a long time until, until I, until I received it and walked free. From addiction and to bondage to other sins. And like I said, while I am not perfect, I'm sure not who I used to be, and I will continue to follow the Lord, let him work on me in all the areas of my life, because I know that he directs me to good things. And so I am only trying to point to Jesus Christ and the good life that he can give you regardless of your circumstances. I'm not talking about prosperity. I'm talking about peace. I'm talking about the fruit of the Spirit growing in your life regardless of what you have to face on a daily basis. This is the pathway of Christian discipleship and it doesn't take avenues to Buddha, Muhammad, Rumi, or anybody else. It follows Christ and Christ alone. The Bible is sufficient. I do recommend certain Christian books if you want. Develop a list of what you should read. But, you know, primarily you want to read the Bible. How about read the Bible 10 times and then we'll see what you have to say. I haven't, I haven't, I haven't kept count of how many times I've read through Scripture, but it's more than once. And I would recommend doing it because it's, it doesn't get old. It does not get old because His Word is eternal. His word is true, and his word is valuable, and it helps you renew your mind. And, uh, you know, so we encourage it. We encourage a life of faith because of the joy it brings and because of the eternal life that it leads to. And we encourage you to stay strong in your faith and reject the lies of the enemy and the lies of this world system that would tell you that everybody goes to— everybody goes to heaven. That other— there are other roads that lead to God. It's a lie from the pit of hell. It contradicts— it directly contradicts the words of Jesus Christ. You know, is that serious enough for you? You know, as I stated just yesterday, if it isn't Christ, it's Antichrist. So reject the other world religions and try to— try to encourage people to follow Jesus. That's all I do. And, you know, we're as free as the day is long. You can do whatever you want in this world because God's given us free will, but he's also given us the revelation of his Son. And, uh, you know, we are to follow him, or we will face the consequences here on earth and in, in heaven. Um, I deeply care about other people, um, and because I know how lost I was. And I just pray that, that, uh, people on the wrong— going the wrong way will, will abandon the way they're going and follow Christ. All right, and so what do we do? We pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you for showing us the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus Christ, our Son, our Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, God the Son and Son— the Son of God, uh, to, to save us and to to give us an example of how to live this life. Lord, we pray for everyone listening. We thank whoever downloaded, you know, like, like I said, probably close to 100 episodes yesterday, um, or we thank the iPhone that did it or whatever, uh, but we rejoice over the fact that, uh, 7,000 downloads have happened, uh, on the podcast, Lord. And we just, we're greatly encouraged to share the knowledge that we've learned because of you with other people. We thank the other people that are with us on this, on this path, or whoever even downloaded just a single episode. Um, we thank you, God. And Lord, we pray for the people listening. We pray for whatever they're dealing with. We pray for them to walk in truth, walk in faith, and to follow Jesus to where— and the Holy Spirit and God the Father to where they lead. You know, it's not three gods, it's one God. You know, I'm not going into the Trinity in this prayer, Lord, because you're the mystery that's true. You're the mystery that leads us in the way we should go. So Lord, we just pray for you to go before us today, to open our eyes, to show us the good things that are in our lives, to show us the truth of your word, and to lead us in the way we should go today, to help us represent you here on the earth, and to speak and to show people that, that, that you love us and that you made a way for us through Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.