11/01/25 COME OUT FROM THE DECEPTION
Just to show you how deception has run rampant in the Church, consider how many people who call themselves Bible believing Christians deny that God wants to and can and will cleanse and has cleansed believers from all sin, and they deny that Christians can obey God, keep His commandments, and do that which is pleasing in His sight.
The Bible clearly teaches that God desires all Christians to be cleansed from all sin, and the Bible clearly teaches that God can and He will cleanse His people from all sin, and God has purified believers from all sin in the past.
The Bible clearly teaches that God enables, empowers believers to obey Him and keep His commandments and do that which is pleasing in His sight.
This is not to say that we become absolutely perfect or that we will be forced to move into heart purity or that we are not able to go back into sin or that we might not sin after we have been saved.
It is to say that God's will, grace, salvation through the Blood of Christ, the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the Truth of the Word of God is able to save to the uttermost, cleanse us from all sin, always lead us in triumph in Christ, deliver us from all temptation, purify us even as Christ is pure, make us more than conquerors, as long as we walk in the light, continue in the faith, continue in grace, continue in Christ and continue in His love.
Sinning religion is the norm for the average professed "Christian" because people have been deceived into easy believism rather than actually trusting Christ for salvation from sin (that is, salvation from the penalty, the power, the pollution of sin). Sinning religion is Satan's religion, and it is man's form of godliness, which denies the power of God.
According to the Bible:
God desires His people to be holy, pure, and righteous.
God commands His people be holy, pure, and righteous.
God provides for His people to be holy, pure, and righteous.
God enables His people to be holy, pure, and righteous.
Christ is coming back for a bride that is holy, pure and righteous.
God requires His people to be holy, pure, righteous.
Being saved, being Christian, being acceptable to God, being pleasing to God is not a human achievement, but rather it is a Divine work (accomplishment) manifested in those who trust the Lord for deliverance from sin.
The saints of God (holy ones because of God's active redemptive work) enjoy the life of walking in the Spirit and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh because salvation is a Divine and miraculous work of God, received by faith in the ongoing and active grace of God.
Holiness is not a set of rules or a list of external observations; it is loving the Lord with your whole being, it is being conformed to the image of Christ, it is dying to the world, the flesh and the devil, it is Christ in me, the hope of glory, it is love from a pure heart, it is walking in the light as He is in the light. It is a definite work of saving grace, just as justification and regeneration are instantaneous, Divine works of God, received by faith in the atoning work of Christ.
If your doctrines (beliefs) do not lead you out of sin and into holiness of heart AND life, then your doctrine is not from God or found in His Bible. If your holiness fills you with pride and arrogance, you do not have the holiness of God. If your holiness ends your growth in grace and knowledge, then your holiness is a deception.
Saturday, November 1, 2025
11/01/25 WIDE OPEN DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY
11/01/25 WIDE OPEN DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY
Martha and I went to "The Island" to get propane for The Net House. While there I asked a man where he was from originally, and he told me, "here" (Harkers Island). When he told me he is a Guthrie, I told him we are probably related, since I had a grandmother with the same name. I pointed out that her family moved from Diamond City to "The Path" (Salter Path) and "Promiseland" (in Morehead). Diamond City was a village on The Banks (Shackleford Banks), located near "The Lighthouse" on The Cape (Cape Lookout). The devastating hurricanes in the 1890s eventually wiped out that fishing village of "Bankers" (many of whom were of Scottish decent), and some were whalers. When I asked this man where his "crowd" (family) came from, he told me Diamond City also.
We talked some more and then I asked him where he goes to church. He pointed and said he goes to the church on Ferry Dock (Road), indicating Free Grace Wesleyan. I love that church and Pastor Clint. (I know Pastor Clint preaches a solid message and they have really good music). I told him that I have had the privilege to preach there a few times. I asked him if he was following Jesus and encouraged him to follow as closely as he could.
Yesterday I also talked with another man (younger) from The Island. He actually lives there, but he comes from "off" (outside of the area). However, when he told me his last name I reacted with surprise, since his last name was a prominent name in the community. He laughed and told me that someone had done a genealogy search and found out that he had Scottish ancestors who moved to Portsmouth Island (not far from Okracoke), while some of that family moved to Diamond City and The Island, his ancestors moved further inland, so it was like coming home.
I told him about my family ties to The Banks and also told him that I had been a pastor on Cape Hatteras. While at Kinnakeet (Avon) I took a youth group camping on Portsmouth Island, which had been longtime abandoned by early villagers. I asked my new acquaintance where he attends church services. He told me he goes to H. I. Methodist Ch. (This is a Global Methodist Church, no longer affiliated with the U.M.C., which is a good thing). I asked him about his relationship with the Lord, encouraged him in his walk and gave him a card, inviting him to contact me if he ever wanted to talk or had Bible questions. He was very responsive.
Just before we left the bridge we talked to a CHIP (California Highway Patrolman) who was visiting the area. He moved to California years ago, but plans on moving back to the area in the near future. I asked him where he goes to church. He told me it was an Independent Church, where he lives in California. His answers and behavior seemed to indicate that he might be a believer, and as usual I asked if he is a believer. He said yes, very emphatically. I asked him if he was following Jesus, and again he gave a very definite yes. We talked a little more and I encouraged him to follow
Martha and I went to "The Island" to get propane for The Net House. While there I asked a man where he was from originally, and he told me, "here" (Harkers Island). When he told me he is a Guthrie, I told him we are probably related, since I had a grandmother with the same name. I pointed out that her family moved from Diamond City to "The Path" (Salter Path) and "Promiseland" (in Morehead). Diamond City was a village on The Banks (Shackleford Banks), located near "The Lighthouse" on The Cape (Cape Lookout). The devastating hurricanes in the 1890s eventually wiped out that fishing village of "Bankers" (many of whom were of Scottish decent), and some were whalers. When I asked this man where his "crowd" (family) came from, he told me Diamond City also.
We talked some more and then I asked him where he goes to church. He pointed and said he goes to the church on Ferry Dock (Road), indicating Free Grace Wesleyan. I love that church and Pastor Clint. (I know Pastor Clint preaches a solid message and they have really good music). I told him that I have had the privilege to preach there a few times. I asked him if he was following Jesus and encouraged him to follow as closely as he could.
Yesterday I also talked with another man (younger) from The Island. He actually lives there, but he comes from "off" (outside of the area). However, when he told me his last name I reacted with surprise, since his last name was a prominent name in the community. He laughed and told me that someone had done a genealogy search and found out that he had Scottish ancestors who moved to Portsmouth Island (not far from Okracoke), while some of that family moved to Diamond City and The Island, his ancestors moved further inland, so it was like coming home.
I told him about my family ties to The Banks and also told him that I had been a pastor on Cape Hatteras. While at Kinnakeet (Avon) I took a youth group camping on Portsmouth Island, which had been longtime abandoned by early villagers. I asked my new acquaintance where he attends church services. He told me he goes to H. I. Methodist Ch. (This is a Global Methodist Church, no longer affiliated with the U.M.C., which is a good thing). I asked him about his relationship with the Lord, encouraged him in his walk and gave him a card, inviting him to contact me if he ever wanted to talk or had Bible questions. He was very responsive.
Just before we left the bridge we talked to a CHIP (California Highway Patrolman) who was visiting the area. He moved to California years ago, but plans on moving back to the area in the near future. I asked him where he goes to church. He told me it was an Independent Church, where he lives in California. His answers and behavior seemed to indicate that he might be a believer, and as usual I asked if he is a believer. He said yes, very emphatically. I asked him if he was following Jesus, and again he gave a very definite yes. We talked a little more and I encouraged him to follow
11/01/25 SOW THE SEED
11/01/25 SOW THE SEED
Martha and I went to west Morehead last week. I engaged a young man in a conversation (since I am 78, most people are young to me), which resulted in a witnessing opportunity. It was another one of those situations where the Lord led us to someone who was open and responsive to our outreach. He has a Christian background but was actually moved when I talked about following Jesus closely. He stated (with visible emotion) that he appreciated what I said to him and it was an encouragement.
Most of the people I meet while out-and-about witnessing live at a distance from my home and my in-person ministry location. This is partially true because I see a lot of people who are vacationing in our area, or they live even further west than Newport. This means that I may invite them to contact me for a follow-up meeting (to answer questions) or an invite to our online ministry (in-person, ZOOM, Facebook, or my Blog.
I encourage them to find a local church in their community that preaches the Bible (salvation through Christ) and where the pastor and parishioners live a Christlike life and love one another).
I want folks to come to The Net House Ministry, but if they can't come and see what we have to offer, I want them to seek the Lord with their whole heart and follow Him fully. Maybe our brief meeting will encourage someone in their walk with Christ or prepare the way for them to open their heart to the Lord.
Sometimes we harvest, but a lot of the time we are sowing seed, hoping someone else will follow up with their witness. I hope you are following fully, and I hope you are witnessing. You too may tell someone about Christ (even someone who has never heard the good news before), or you may help someone who is searching.
Martha and I went to west Morehead last week. I engaged a young man in a conversation (since I am 78, most people are young to me), which resulted in a witnessing opportunity. It was another one of those situations where the Lord led us to someone who was open and responsive to our outreach. He has a Christian background but was actually moved when I talked about following Jesus closely. He stated (with visible emotion) that he appreciated what I said to him and it was an encouragement.
Most of the people I meet while out-and-about witnessing live at a distance from my home and my in-person ministry location. This is partially true because I see a lot of people who are vacationing in our area, or they live even further west than Newport. This means that I may invite them to contact me for a follow-up meeting (to answer questions) or an invite to our online ministry (in-person, ZOOM, Facebook, or my Blog.
I encourage them to find a local church in their community that preaches the Bible (salvation through Christ) and where the pastor and parishioners live a Christlike life and love one another).
I want folks to come to The Net House Ministry, but if they can't come and see what we have to offer, I want them to seek the Lord with their whole heart and follow Him fully. Maybe our brief meeting will encourage someone in their walk with Christ or prepare the way for them to open their heart to the Lord.
Sometimes we harvest, but a lot of the time we are sowing seed, hoping someone else will follow up with their witness. I hope you are following fully, and I hope you are witnessing. You too may tell someone about Christ (even someone who has never heard the good news before), or you may help someone who is searching.
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