052 - AN IDOLATROUS CROSS 

053 - CARRYING YOUR CROSS DAILY

The cross was used also of the followers of Jesus Christ, both literally and figuratively.

Literally, because crucifixion was a frequent occurrence and the spectacle of condemned men carrying their crosses to the place of execution was very common. Christ’s words about taking up the cross daily and following Him must first of all have been interpreted literally.

These words must have been understood as a prediction of the same physical means of death for His disciples. It was fulfilled in the early Church early history [Matthew 23:34, Romans 5:3].

Metaphorically, it was for Christ, the symbol of our sacrifice that His followers must bear the cross [Mark 8:34-35].

To bear the cross means a growing progressive life under the control of the Holy Spirit- that is to reside inside the plan, will and purpose of God.

To deny self means to live and function under the power of the Holy Spirit and to reject the leadership or dictatorship of the old sinful nature.

The cross means the will, the plan, and the purpose of God for every regenerated believer. The cross is not our personal problems, self-made miseries, poverty, injustice, hardship in life.

To take up your cross and deny yourself is to live under the power of the Holy Spirit and to accept the leadership of the Holy Spirit in all aspects of your life while advancing toward the goal of spiritual maturity, which is the will of God.

If in the experience of Jesus the cross was a metonym for His mission (death on the cross), the believer is called upon to do the will, the plan, and purpose of God in positive volition.

The cross symbolizes His life under the will of the Father. The cross has become a symbol of full obedience and positive volition for the Lord Jesus.

The bearing of literal cross has nothing to do with repentance or obedience, humiliation, self-sacrifice of the person doing it for God. God despise it no matter how sincere it maybe.

There is no need to imitate the cross- bearing of Christ, because we cannot duplicate His redemptive work on the cross. God the Father accepted His once and for all sacrifice not because of the cross but because of He is the One and only God-Man.

If Christ would die today to redeem men, He will die by lethal injection or by electric chair. Then, some people will be wearing a miniature lethal injection or of an electric chair.

The cross does not symbolizes Christianity but criminality, not salvation but deception, not the power of God but the power of the Roman Empire.

The cross of Calvary must be printed in the soul of every regenerated saint not in any where in the house or building.  The house is not a believer Jesus did not die for the house.

It nice to see crosses of many variations in the cemetery since it symbolizes death not life.

The cross of the believer is to do the will and purpose of God. The cross of every believer is invisible but glorious. The result is far greater than anything in this world the glorification of God in time and in eternity.

054 - CHURCH HOPPING

A NEW TREND IN SELECTING A LOCAL CHURCH has arise not base on doctrinal position but for many humanistic reasons. People hop from one church to another looking for their most perfect church.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH STYLE OF WORSHIP – worship that satisfies their carnal senses, emotion and ego. They ignored the theology of worship as long as it exalts the worshipers rather than exalting God.

The name, denomination, doctrines and leadership are not important to many ignorant churchgoers. They go for church that has sensational worship.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH THAT PROMOTES UNITY OF ALL CHURCHES. In the late 70s the compromise of many churches was in the issue of soul winning. In the 80s was in the issue of mission work. Churches then joined and cooperate with the task of soul winning and mission regardless of their doctrinal stands.

Today the compromise is the area of unification of all churches that is ecumenism. Churches today are all unified in church style of worship that leaves out Bible doctrine and God.

Churches today are music centered and man-centered. Music and the so-called music ministers have dethroned God and have taken away the role of the preacher. Pastors are now taking the role of praise and worship leaders.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH THAT THE ONLY ACCEPTANCE IS ATTENDANCE. The gauge of success in the churches today is big attendance. Big crowd is the bait that keeps people coming back.

Big attendance is the center of their success. The gimmick is how to make the attendance keep growing climbing and increasing regardless of teaching and leadership. They care less about Biblical rejection and doctrinal heresy or massive corruption.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH WITH HUMAN LEVEL OF PERCEPTION. People go for easy to understand Bible, easy to understand messages that are always out of context. Such people are hypnotized not think and search the validity of the teaching.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH THAT ENTERTAINS rather than edify the body of Christ. They sacrifice the Truth for performances centered worship.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH WITH MULTI LEVEL PROGRAMS FOR EVERYONE. They have something for everybody. There are endless activities for the whole year.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH WHERE THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE DOING. They are sincere and faithful but they are sincerely and faithfully wrong. If only they will come to the point of realization that what they are doing are wrong.

PEOPLE GO FOR CHURCH THAT GIVE WAY TO THE CLAMORING OF THE PEOPLE.  The leaders are listening to the demands and requests of the people.

PEOPLE GO FOR THE CHURCH WHERE THE PREACHING IS ALWAYS MAN-CENTERED AND GOOD FOR THE EARS.

PEOPLE GO FOR THE CHURCH WITH DYNAMIC MAN-PLEASING PASTORS.

If the Lord Jesus and the apostles are here today, they will not make the mistake of going to any of these local churches.

055- IDENTIFYING THE CULTS

A CULT is a group of people, which claiming to be Christians embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual or group of leaders, which denies one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith.

A CULT is a deviant group from orthodox Christianity that deviates from one or more of the fundamental teachings of the Christian faith.

A CULT is professing Christianity but denies and rejects the major doctrines of the Bible. The cults are professing Christians. Islam and Buddhism for example are not cults because they never claimed or called themselves as Christians.

The major cults in our country are the Jehovah’s witnesses, the Mormons, the New Age movement, the Moonies, the Freemasons, the Christian Science, the SDA, the INC, the RC and most of the Full Gospels and Charismatic groups.

The cults deny intensely or cleverly some or all of the doctrines of the Christian faith while at the same time profess themselves as Christians.

The cults normally have a dogmatic and legalistic leadership structure with a closed ecclesiastical system.

The cults have some secrecy about their leadership personalities and people behind, organizational system, dogmatic teachings, and meetings.

The cults openly or clandestinely deny salvation by grace through faith alone.

They undermine the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ by requiring additional works or co-operation effort.

The cults are reducing the absolute authority and sufficiency of Scripture. They expressly accuse the Bible of containing errors.

The cults are using the Christian vocabulary-but they mean different things. The cults redefined biblical terms with different meaning for their own gains and benefits.

The cults have their own exclusive belief system and practices.

The cults by large, rejects and denies the doctrine of eternal punishment.  Some says that hell and its fire is not literal fire or punishment. Some are teaching universalism –that all will be saved at the end. Some are teaching annihilation- that God will destroy into nothing. They teach that there is no conscious eternal suffering.

The cults emphasis on direct revelation or vision from God and that God spoke to their leaders.

The cults claimed signs and wonders in various forms. Some claims that they have raise a large numbers of genuine Christians from the death.

The cults put strong appeal to the false knowledge of the future. Because of widespread ignorance of the Bible, many are attracted to the one who seems to know what is ahead and are able to convincingly promote it. The cults thrive on their inaccurate prophecies of the future events.

According to the record of the major cults groups, majority of their converts are from mainline denomination churches who are ignorant of the Christian doctrines.

Let us take the warning of Hosea 4:6 seriously and take the radical steps to prepare for spiritual battle ahead of us [Ephesians 6:10-18]. We must be vigilance and discerning [1 Peter 4:7-8] proving all things related to our faith [1 Thessalonians 5:21].

056 - MONEY

Money was designed as medium of exchange. Coined money was unknown until the middle of 7^th century B.C. Before the invention of coins, gold and silver metal was measured in terms of ingots or rings.

Croesus  king of Lydia was the first to preserve his money in form of coins. When Cyrus the Great captured Lydia, he adopted the concept of coinage. Cyrus spread the concept throughout the Persian Empire and beyond.

Monetary transactions are a legitimate function of life. Barter trading was not only burdensome but also inaccurate in transacting the values of goods. Money makes life easier and better in many aspects [Genesis 23:9, Jeremiah 32:44]. Money at this point is a useful servant and effective tool.

The giving of money is an expression of the believer’s royal priesthood [Hebrews 13:15-16, 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Corinthians 8-9]. It replaces the animal sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament believers.

Money has no credit with God meaning to say, the amount we give is not the issue, but the mental attitude of the believer in giving [Proverbs 11:4, 13:7, 11].

The love of money is the head of the materialism lust and slavery to details of life [Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:9, 11]. The desire for money is very perilous for any believer.

No amount of money can purchase the salvation of our souls –the Lord Jesus paid for it in full by His blood (that is his spiritual death), so that we can live for God [Mark 8:36-37, 1 Peter 1:8-19].

The love of money can cause the rich man to put his trust in the wrong things [Mark 10:23-25]. It can hinder the unbeliever from seeking salvation [Luke 16:19-31].

The love of money can become part of slavery to the details of life [Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:2]. The love of money will become the root of kinds of evil in the soul of a person [1 Timothy 6:6-12,17-19].

Money can destroy the grace orientation of a believer and contribute to his carnality and reversion of his mental attitude [Acts 5:1-10, James 4:14-5:6].

Money can be a source of deceit [Jude 11, Numbers 22-23]. Money at this point has become a cruel master and a dangerous enemy.

Money is the means for happiness.  For the believer there is no happiness from the details of life, including money. The believer’s happiness is built on his progressive advancement and growth toward spiritual maturity.

Money is never the means for security. Grace provides a security for which there is no substitute [Matthew 6:24-33]. Money has wings and it can fly away. Money cannot guarantee anything. God is the best security in life –He guarantees everything.

Few can pass the test of prosperity for money can easily change the mental attitude of a person for the worst. Money cannot buy salvation, happiness love, spirituality, stability, tranquility and the grace of God.

Some, instead of using their money and loving people are actually, loving their money and using people.

057 - NATIONAL DEGENERATION

DEGENERATION is the process of spiritual deterioration of a nation, which leads to the loss of national identity. God use armed conflicts to execute the highest degree of divine discipline to a nation, which continually reject His plan, purpose and will.

THE 5 CYCLES OF DIVINE DISCIPLINE:

ONE. National spread of diseases and big percentage of the population are in decaying health status. There is a brisk decline in agricultural prosperity. There is terror and fear everywhere –the government is disabled to control the raising criminality. There is steady death in combat, and loss of personal freedom.

TWO. There is a repeated economic recession and depression. The market is falsely stabilizes by the government. There is an increasing personal and national discipline because of continuous negative volition.

THREE. There is a widespread violence and breakdown of law and order. There is disorder everywhere starting from the high-ranking government officials to the poorest of the poor. There is also a chain of national disasters. The nation as a whole is very insecure 

The insecure husbands will result to insecure wives. Insecure parents results to insecure children. Insecure children produce an insecure generation. Insecure generation will demands security from insecure government. Insecure officials will offer entitlements to insecure people.

Insecure generation becomes arrogant people who are divorced from divine establishment and divine institutions.

Insecure generation becomes slaves to false theories and human viewpoints. They resolve to breaking the family system and trying to replace it with something else of which they are not sure what.

They resolve to break the government system and trying to replace it with their unrealistic ideologies. Insecure people dwells in unreality, false hope, and false solutions to human problems. They are often disillusioned and without spiritual integrity.

FOUR. The fourth cycle of discipline comprises of military conquest or aggression of foreign or local or both working for the overthrow of the government. There is widespread famine, separation of families, poverty and political dissolution.

FIVE. The fifth cycle of discipline comprises of the destruction of a nation due to maximum rejection of Biblical and established principles [study: Deuteronomy 28:15-48, Hosea 1:2-3:5, and Leviticus 26:14-39].

Some factors that contribute for the degeneration of a nation:

1. Globalization. God is the author of nationalism [Genesis 10:5, 11:4] not of inter-nationalism.
2. Revolution within. All forms of military and political faction that causes unrest.
3. National corruption in every level. It is a sign of spiritual collapse and immorality.
4. Disabled function of the Royal Ambassadors. The carnality of the Church Age believers and their lack of impact.
5. The merging of the church and state –the destruction of freedom.
6. The lack of military preparation for war.

058 - EARTHQUAKE

EARTHQUAKE is the shaking of the ground resulting from the release of stored elastic strain energy due to sudden deformation of a region of the earth surface.

The destruction with which earthquake are commonly associated is caused by seismic waves that travel outward in all direction.

The focus of most earthquakes is less than 100 meters below the earth’s surface. The Bible contains numerous facts about earthquake (RA’ASH), the Hebrew word for earthquake, which literally means CRASH [Amos 8:8, 9:5].

The increase of the number of earthquakes is notable:

In 1970s – 40,000 earthquakes /year

In 1980s – 55,000 earthquakes /year

In 1990s – 76,000 earthquakes /year

During the Old Testament times, very destructive earthquakes had occurred in the ancient Palestinian area and most part of the Middle East [Joel 3:16, Amos 1:1 and Zechariah 14:5].

The shaking of the earth is always attributed to God [Psalm 68:8] and to His presence [1 kings 19:11] and to His anger [Isaiah 13:13].

There are several scientific reasons for earthquakes like volcanic and tectonic in origin. An earthquake is the sudden release of elastic strain energy in the earth’s crust, caused by movements deep beneath the surface.

Earthquakes occur where sizeable stresses build up in the rocks along fault lines, which are associated with movements of the tectonic  plates. From time to time, this build up is discharged in zones where the rocks are weakest causing a series of shock waves known as seismic waves.

These waves can have high destructive effects on the earth’s surface as they caused the ground to roll or undulate and shake from side to side.

Earthquakes are divine instrument of judgment for the unbelievers who are ignoring or has rejected God’s plan of grace [Amos 1:1, 6:9,11].

Earthquakes are instrument of divine discipline for the carnal and backsliding believers who continue to reject the Bible doctrine.

Earthquakes will increase in numbers and in magnitude as Rapture and the Great Tribulation are nearing it realization.

The worst earthquakes are yet to come during the Great Tribulation. It will break all the record of the strongest earthquakes.

Believers must overcome the fear of future crisis and national disasters such as strong earthquakes.

Spiritually mature believers are not exempted from the effects of destructive earthquakes. For them it is undeserved suffering or disaster testing for blessing not for destruction.

No place on earth is safe from earthquakes. No man-made structure is earthquake proof for the coming series of earthquakes to come.

The only secure and safest place in the world against anything is in the center of God’s will, inside the plan and purpose of His grace. God is our refuge in times of “earthquakes”.

059 - THE HOPE OF THE BELIEVERS 

Thus says the Lord, (being) Curse is the man who put his confidence (trust) in man and makes flesh (old sinful nature) his strength, so that his heart (KARDIA kardia) turns away from the Lord, for he shall be like TUMBLEWEED in the desert [Jeremiah 17:5-6].

Blessed (being made happy) is the man whose confidence (trust) is in the Lord and whose confidence (trust) is the Lord [Jeremiah 17:7]

Fearful people are like tumbleweeds in the desert, they live in the parched places (stony wastes). Tumbleweeds have no roots, they are vulnerable to any wind that blows, and they are being carried in many different directions. Dried or parched places refers to spiritual condition of the souls that turned away from God.

It refers to souls that have chosen to trust in man rather than in God and souls that constantly ignores and rejects the Word of God. It refers to the souls that failed to wait upon the Lord and resolved to seek help from man.

Believers who remain negative towards Bible doctrine will not see prosperity (Christian values) when they come [Jeremiah 17:6]. Prosperity in this context refers to spiritual maturity not material wealth.

Tumbleweed is a Christian of the world living without God in his life and without Bible doctrine in the soul.

Tumbleweed is a person living in fear and insecurity who is always seeking help from just anybody, even from the Devil.

Tumbleweed is a person without confidence in God but most of the time confident and dependent on human resources.

Most of the unhappiness of believers is the results of direct involvement of his soul in the affairs of the world. His soul is saturated with the things of the world [Ephesians 5:11, Colossians 3:2a].

Genuine happiness is the result of the fortification of the soul with Bible doctrine.

Believer with confidence on God is like a tree planted by the water (Bible doctrine), that extends it roots by a stream (metabolized Bible doctrine). Such person will not fear when the heat (sufferings) comes, but its leaves will be green, (progressive spirituality) and it will not be anxious in a year of drought (suffering for blessing), nor cease to bear fruit (reach maturity), [Jeremiah 17:8].

Genuine happiness is sharing the joy and happiness of God, and any other source of happiness from the world will bring nothing but pure unhappiness.

Satan is like a partridge that hatches eggs, which he has not laid. He promises happiness that he cannot give [Jeremiah 17:11].

Satan is without integrity, without moral values and without satisfaction and therefore forever unhappy.

If Satan is very unhappy, how do you expect him or his world systems to make you happy? To deceive people Satan initiates continuous changes that produce nothing but false hope. Cosmic people (like politicians) can give nothing except change that produce worse results.

060 - INNER HAPPINESS

Genuine happiness is a by-product of grace orientation in the life advancing believers. The grace of God fills the emptiness in the soul through the resident EPIGNOSIS.

SHARING the happiness of God has nothing to do with our surroundings or circumstances like the details of life. It is the result of knowing God and being saturated with HIS THINKING.

The more we know God, the more we know His thinking. The more we know His thinking, the happier we become.

Inner happiness is the result of continuous spirituality and spiritual advancement toward maturity of the believer. It is not based on our present conditions, surroundings or situations in life.

Inner happiness is based on Bible doctrine resident in the soul called EPIGNOSIS and not on our emotional conditions.

Inner happiness is dependent on our relationship with God and our spiritual standing not on our success in life. Our material, physical, sexual, and emotional conditions have nothing to do with true happiness.

Inner happiness is not the enthusiastic joy that is trigger by emotions like the so-called HOLY LAUGHTER.

Inner happiness is from the grace of God and not from our emotion. Inner happiness is not laughter. Laughter can be empty of happiness.

Inner happiness is something you cannot command or dictate to happen. It is the fruit of continuous spirituality and growth of the believer.

Inner happiness is something you cannot beg or ask God. The justice of God initiates the inner happiness when the believer has reach the maturity mark.

Inner happiness surpasses all human understanding because the believer can possess it even in the midst of severe sufferings and crisis.

Inner happiness is a sign of spiritual maturity and spirituality not a sign of outward joy. It is peace within the soul and mind of the believer.

Inner happiness is not boasting of self or man but of Christ. Not of the great things you wanted to do for God but of things Christ has done.

The unspiritual and immature believer cannot fake the inner happiness that comes from God. No amount of prayer or fasting can produce it.

LAUGHTER is not inner happiness for several reasons:

Laughter is an expression of ecstatic delight but inner happiness is not an ecstatic experience [Psalm 126:2].

Laughter is often the expression of disdain or derision against somebody rather than expression of inner happiness. Our God is not a God of laughter [Psalm 2:4].

Laughter can be a manifestation of deep sorrow [Proverbs 14:13] or an expression of rebelliousness or defiance of the soul [Job 5:22].

Laughter can be expression of joyful wonder [Genesis 17:17] or disbelief [Genesis 18:12]. Laughter is easy to fake, easy to emote or imitate, it is from man, not from God.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

061 - GENUINE REVIVAL

REVIVAL (anathallo), meaning to flourish anew, used metaphorically for mental change of attitude [Philippians 4:10].

REVIVAL (anazao),  meaning to live again, to regain life, used of moral revival from sin [Luke 15:24 and Romans 7:9].

The term revival appear only 4 times in the Old Testament and 5 times in the New Testament is never applied to physical or spiritual death.

There is no revival for the unbelievers because you cannot revive the spiritually death person.

Man cannot bring about authentic revival because revival can come only from the hand of God. Revival is not something you ask or demand from God. It is something you do as an act of obedience to the word of God. It is the decision of the soul to return back to God.

Revival is the work of God. No human being can bring revival in the life of another person, either in particular or by group. Only the person involved is capable of making decision for himself as express in rebound. It is a personal decision.

Genuine revival is free from human manipulation, gimmick, trickery, power or utilization of human resources. True revival is free from people’s power, human program and political machinery.

Genuine revival is never divorce from the proclamation of the genuine Bible doctrine. There is no genuine revival without Bible doctrine in the souls of the believers. Only Bible doctrine can change the thinking or mental attitude of a person.

The sovereignty of God chooses the proper time for the revival of every believer. No human timing or program and arrangement can decide for the time of revival.

Collective revival is the result of divine intervention in the life of believers under the state of reversionists who individually decided to rebound after hearing the proclamation of Bible doctrine.

Genuine revival comes from the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting and restoring the carnal believers.

Revival is for believers under the state of operational and temporal death, not for those under the spiritual death.

Revival is the result of rebound and the act repentance and not of prayer and fasting, penance and sacrifice of the rebellious in hearts.

The dynamic praise and worship leader has nothing to do with genuine revival because they are not vital for such revival to take effect.

The cults of praise and worship has deceived the ignorant of Bible doctrine into believing that music is the key factor in modern day revival.

The religious ecstatic experiences of the charismatic are mistaken for true revival.

Genuine revival is the work of the Holy Spirit deep in the souls of spiritually sleeping and inactive believers. The Word of God change their mental attitude not the pleading, urging and influence of the preacher or musicians.

The Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to change the mental attitude of the believer. Nobody can take that capacity to revive anybody except God.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

062 - PRESERVATION OF THE WORLD

THE moment a person step out of the kingdom of Satan [Colossians 1:13] and transferred into the kingdom of Christ, he declared war against the devil- his former father [John 8:44]. The believer is never safe in the devil’s world from that time.

God provides trained and always available special invisible forces to back up every believer in the world [Hebrews 1:14].

It is improper to always pray for your protection while in trouble waters when God has already settled everything –for the protection of His beloved.

Satan chose the planet earth for his place of exile and GHQ during the angelic conflict [Genesis 1:1-2]. The fall of Satan and the resultant angelic conflict led to the desolation of earth.

The earth and the whole universe with its laws of operation will not always exist as it does at the present time [2 Peter 3:10-12]. The preservation of the world, including the human race depends exclusively on the omnipotence and immutability of the Lord Jesus [Colossians 1:17].

The reason for the preservation of the world and the human race is to resolve the angelic conflict in human history and to bring many sons into glory [Hebrews 2:10].

Jesus Christ holds the universe together by the power of his Word [Hebrews 1:3]. And especially, He holds the life and welfare of His sons in the hallow of His hand.

Divine protection guarantees that any place is a safe place because God is in control of everything – if the believer is in His will, plan and purpose. He postpones eternity, meaning to say that God delays the destruction of the planet earth, to give the human race ample opportunity to appropriate the grace of God [2 Peter 3:3]

The earth will be preserved until the end of the millennial  kingdom of Christ. No weapon of destruction made by man will demolish the world.

During the Great Tribulation, Satanic forces will cause terrible damage to the planet but it will survive.

At the Second Coming of Christ, great physical changes on earth’s surface will occur. All the man-made structure will disappear. Christ will dispose all the garbage of the planet. No trace of the old things will be visible.

The preservation of the planet is not the priority of the believers. The so-called ecological gospel is nothing but garbage.

There are 5 INDESTRUCTIBLE THINGS with permanent values:

The soul of every person is permanent and indestructible.

The salvation of every person is permanent. Nothing can destroy the everlasting life we receive from God [Romans 8:38-39].

The Word of God-the Bible doctrine in the soul is indestructible [Isaiah 40:8].

The resurrected glorified body of all believers is everlasting [1 Corinthians 15:40, 49-54].

The historical records of spiritually mature believers (including his blessing in time) are indestructible [Philippians 4:3, Psalm 69:28].

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

063 - BIBLICAL SEPARATION

Several words are important for this doctrine. First, the Greek  aphorizo, that means “to mark off by bounds or to put asunder. Second, the word  chorizo, that means to separate oneself or to depart. Third, the word apodiorizo,  that means to make separation.

Biblical separation refers to several things:

THE DIVINE ACTION IN CALLING MEN apart for Himself, that separation for God’s own possession [1 Peter 2:9-10]

God’s imputation of divine perfect righteousness and eternal life carries with it the privileges of election and positional sanctification.

THE DIVINE ACTION IN SETTING MEN apart for the work of the Gospel. They are separated for the ministry [Acts 13:2]. They are called, prepared and send by God not by men [1 Corinthians 1:1, Colossians 1:1], but trained among men [1 Timothy 5:22].

THE DIVINE JUDGMENT UPON THOSE who would reject Christ for eternal separation from God [Matthew 13:49-50, 23:32-33].

THE DIVINE COMMAND TO SEPARATE FROM UNBELIEVERS:

1. Separation from unbelievers in any form of spiritual endeavor.
2. Separation from those who opposes Christ or Bible doctrine [2 Timothy 2:14,16, Jude 18-].
3. Separation from marrying unbeliever, which is both physical and spiritual union [2 Corinthians 6:14-14].
4. Separation from idols worship that is to depart from false teaching [2 Corinthians 6:16-19].
5. Separation from the deeds of darkness [Ephesians 5:11-12].

THE VOLITIONAL SEPARATION the believer must do in order to reach spiritual maturity. That is to separate from any form of distractions or to fully concentrate in learning the Word of God. This is not necessarily physical separation but the concentration of the soul in learning Bible doctrine [2 Timothy 2:21, 15].

THE SEPARATION THE BELIEVER MUST AVOID:

1.       Separation in marriage of both believers because of immorality [1 Corinthians 6:13, 18, Hebrews 13:4].

2.       Separation that causes division or faction in the church [1 Corinthians 3:3].

THE SEPARATION OF BELIEVERS BY UNBELIEVERS:

1. Separation from unbelieving spouse [1 Corinthians 7:15].
2. Separation from false brethren [1 John 2:19, 1 Timothy 5:15].

THE SEPARATION THE BELIEVERS MUST prepared to suffer –maybe not a physical separation but emotional. That is being alone in a crowd because

Of his faith, calling and beliefs [2 Timothy 1:8, 12, 3:11-12].

THE DIVINE COMMAND TO SEPARATE FROM COSMIC BELIEVERS who are living in the world without God [Romans 16:17-18 and 1 Corinthians 5:11-12].

Every believer must be prepared to encounter most of the 14 categories of separation and to apply the divine problem solutions to each case. Such separations are often painful and disheartening.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

064 - PEACE

THERE are 14 Greek terms for peace in the Bible that can translate in English as soundness, safety, security, welfare, harmony, concord, assurance, prosperity, good health, completeness, and peace.

The Old Testament widely used the term SHALOM, which describes prosperity of material sort, regarding welfare [Genesis 43:27].

The word SHALOM also means prosperity of all wealth and health [Exodus 18:7, Isaiah 38:19, Psalm 38:1] or the safety of a person [Job 5:23]. When someone says, SHALOM  it is like saying “Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good day, happy New year, happy birthday!” All in one word.

The PEACE OF GOD [Philippians 4:7, Colossians 3:15] refers to Christ’s finished work of redemption. That is the reconciliation with God, the justification in His sight.

The PEACE WITH GOD is the result of His finished work on the cross for man [Romans 5:1].

All the recipients of the free gift of salvation through their simply and non-meritorious faith have PEACE WITH GOD –that is the effect of Christ’s spiritual death for the human race [Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philippians 1:2].

The GOD OF PEACE refers to the only source of peace for the believers trapped in Satan’s cosmic system. The PEACE in this context is not something men derive from within the man, from others or from something.

GOD IS GOD of peace whether there is peace or wars in the world [Romans 15:33, 16:20, Philippians 4:9, Hebrews 13:20]. The PEACE OF GOD is not dependent on the situation of the world but on perfect character of God.

GOD IS OUR PEACE regardless of our situations, and we cannot expect peace from anyone else but from the KING OF PEACE alone [Ephesians 2:14, Hebrew 7:2].

The peace of 2 Thessalonians 5:3 is pseudo peace, that is human good works motivated by old sinful nature and inspired by Satan. God will frustrate this man-made peace during the Great Tribulation. 

All the man-made peace in this world can produce only more troubles rather than provide genuine peace.

God cannot provide the kind of peace familiar in the world –the peace that comes from material success and prosperity.

Genuine inner peace that comes from God is available to every believer at the point of spiritual maturity. It is the peace that comes from knowing God and His happiness [John 14:27, 16:33]

Ecumenicalism cannot provide peace but division and faction. No political body can provide peace to antagonistic people around the globe.

Genuine maturing believers are the targets of more satanic assaults than the unbelievers but at same time, they experience the peace that comes from God.

 The peace of God is not restricted to any place, even in the middle of chaos and conflict; the believer can experience the peace that passes all understanding.

The Muslims will traditionally enter a room (empty or with people) by greeting with "peace upon you" referring to bad spirits or jinn. 

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

065 - THE DAY OF THE LORD

God always accomplishes in time what has to be done in time as part of His plan for man. Therefore everything will come as decreed by God- and that is without doubt. Since time is a line of procedure as far as man’s perspective is concerned, everything is in order of events according to divine decree.

Apostasy, a sign to watch is now a reality. The term apostasy in this context refers to collective and world -wide apostasy and not to individualize or small group of falling away, which is on going since the beginning of the Church Age.

The day of the Lord refers to the massive and collective falling away or apostasy before the rapture of the Church. All false Christian churches and all false Christians around the world will join the ecumenical church or the UNITED RELIGIONS.

The United Religions is a charter of the United Nations – a community of faith united for the sake of peace and healing among religious sects. People from all nations united for the sake of peace and prosperity toward all men, regardless beliefs and doctrines. The UN and the Roman Catholic Church is responsible for the birth and growth f the United Religions.

The United Religions or One World Religion will revealed the Antichrist, the MAN OF SIN (lawlessness), the son of destruction and demand that all the people of the earth to worship him as the “Christ” [2 Thessalonians 2:3].

The ecumenical church has started condemning the fundamentalists and separatists claimed for exclusivity and uniqueness of the independent local churches.

The ecumenists are condemning the genuine Bible doctrine as hostile toward the unification of all religions into one-world religion.

The One World Religion is the “NEW CHRISTIANITY” comprising of cults, humanists, occults, atheists, and all kinds of antichrist bounded together for “creating an inclusive process” that will work for world peace [1 Thessalonians 5:3].

The day of the Lord refers to the Great Tribulation when everyone will greet anyone with “PEACE BE WITH YOU” while killing each other.

The day of the Lord refers to the ANTICHRIST reigns on earth. The antichrist is the worst kind of dictator in the entire human history. The son of destruction will be a Jew by blood with dynamic personality and super IQ and born politician.

He will deceive the world with his very charismatic personality and articulate linguistic ability [2 Thessalonians 2:10, Revelation 13:8].

He will assume the role of Jesus Christ as the Messiah by deception and intrigue. He will be the greatest impersonator of Jesus Christ because he will imitate His life and works. He will claimed Himself as the Christ.

He will not deny the existence of Jesus Christ but rather claim that he is the Christ. He will work upon the expectation of his appearing by through mystical manifestations like visions, dreams, apparitions, and some extra-biblical heresies.

Satan is preparing his followers in some fellowships by singing “This is the day” of the Lord affirming that they are part of the Tribulation.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

066 - REBOUND 

REBOUND is the recovery from carnality. It is the only problem-solving device from God that function outside spirituality. Rebound is not operation by human power or human resources.

Rebound is the non-meritorious and non-emotional acknowledgment of sins. Rebound is not sorrow for sins but the decision of the soul to follow divine instruction. Rebound is the trend reversing decision and the only solution provided by God for carnal believers to recover from sins.

Rebound is a decision because the believers use his volition to sin and enter the state of carnality. Likewise, the believer must use his volition to recover from sin.

Volition is the decision of the soul not of the brain. Rebound is not emotional because emotion is never a criterion for the spiritual life, and it has no value for God’s forgiveness.

SYNONYMS FOR REBOUND:

BE HEALED: [Hebrews 12:12-14] means that rebound transform you from weakness of carnality to spiritual strength of restored spiritual life. The dreadful curse has turned into blessing and its weakness become the strength of the suffering for blessing. Those who come short of God’s grace are those who respond to discipline with bitterness.

CONFESS: [1 John 1:9], the naming of your personal sins in the privacy of your Royal Priesthood. Naming your sins does not require a lot of guts and faith. Confession with a man is a big traditional error, since all men have sins and fall short of the glory of God [Psalm 38:18] 

JUDGE YOURSELF [1 Corinthians 11:31] is the act of acknowledging that your personal sins were crucified on the cross and that Christ paid the full demand for penalty. Christ paid every sin in the world.

YIELDING is the act of surrendering your ego and self-righteousness by admitting that you have sin [Romans 6:13, 12:2]. Rebound is the admission of guilt.

LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT is to cut-off by your volitional the state of your carnality and reversionism. To cut off is to enforce a radical mental change of attitude toward his personal spiritual status [Hebrews 12:1].

BE SUBJECT TO THE FATHER is the decision of the soul to return to the Father under the authority of the Lord [Hebrews 12:9].

LIFT UP THE HANDS THAT HANG DOWN is to remove the shackle that bondage you from doing the will and purpose of God [Hebrews 12:13].

MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS is the decision of the soul to choose the divine viewpoint and reject the human viewpoint and solutions [Matthew 3:3, Hebrews 12:13].

ARISE FROM THE DEATH is to stand up again out from temporal or operational death [Ephesians 5:14].

PUT OFF THE OLD MAN is to put the old sinful nature out of control of your soul and make the Holy Spirit the president instead [Ephesians 4:22].

There are many synonyms for rebound in the Old Testament like Jeremiah 3:13, Psalm 32:5, 38:18, 51:3-4 and Proverbs 28:13.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

067 - DIVINE COMMISSIONS

God gave the Church Age believers dual commissions

1. The Royal Priesthood-function privately before God.
2. The Royal Ambassadorship - function publicly before men.

IN THE CHURCH AGE, every believer is a priest [1 Peter 2:5] who represents himself before God [Hebrews 13:15-16]. Our Royal priesthood is the basis for spiritual privacy and the ground for effective prayer [Romans 14:4, 10:2].

Every believer is a priest from the time he is born again, but this priestly function becomes effective only at spiritual maturity.

Spiritual maturity is a result of the believer-priest function before God. The only setting for priest function is inside spirituality. The universal priesthood does not imply total independence of believers from one another because priesthood and the spiritual gifts create a balance.

Success in the ministry does not belong to the priests but to God alone. We do not count heavenly success in our earthly ministry. The most visible and outward proof that we are rightly related to God is our service to God in season or out of season.

The priests are servants of God, and the servants simply obey regardless of his own feelings, moods, health or physical condition. Inspired or not. We do not need any   “spiritual inspiration” before we move to obey.

The true priests of the Old Testament functioned from reaching the age of 25 until their compulsory retirement at 50 forsaking their personal conditions and situation in life.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

068 - THE ROYAL AMBASSADORS

God appoints the royal ambassador to be His representatives on earth. No ambassador appoints himself for such position and no ambassador is appointed by just anybody.

God supplies all the logistical grace needed and necessary to perpetuate the believer’s physical and spiritual life in the devil’s world. No ambassador has to support himself while working for his country.

The royal ambassador operates according to the written mystery doctrines of the New Testament. This is the written instruction related to our function.

The royal ambassador of Christ has his citizenship in heaven. They are not the citizens of the country they serve. We are in the world but we are not of the world [Philippians 3:20].

The royal ambassador lives to glorify Christ and personally benefits not by following his own agenda but through fulfilling his royal merit by following the divine protocol. He does not stay behind on this planet to advance his personal interests.

The royal ambassador does not take the negative volition of the people as a personal insult but continues to faithfully represent Christ regardless of mockery and offenses he receive. The insults they throw against Christ and His Word is not personally for the ambassador.

The recall of the royal ambassadors on earth by rapture will commence the Great Tribulation. That is divine declaration of war against nations.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

069 - BARRIERS FOR SPIRITUAL LIFE

THE CALL of God to serve him is understood or implicit. It is call for comradeship with Himself for His own purposes.

The concern of every believer is spiritual reality not to serve God as soon as possible. Genuinely growing believers set their hearts on God but the religious people sets their hearts on their works and great ambition for God. The only goal of every Christian when it comes to spirituality IS TO DO THE WILL OF GOD and nothing else.

COMMON BARRIERS:

PRIDE. Christians are not immune to develop the deadly virus of arrogance that desire to do great things for God

FAKE OBEDIENCE. Some believers are willing to do great sacrifices rather than do the will of God. They invest on big shows of half-hearted sacrifices for God than to obey God daily.

WAITING FOR THE GREAT MOMENT. Some believers are praying and fasting asking God for the big thing to do instead of obeying him in every little details of life.

WORLD SYSTEM. Some believers have adopted the world business system into their ministry. They are utilizing all the resources of the world. They baptized it with Christian names and spiritualized the carnal things.

ENDLESS ACTIVITIES. Some modern day Christians are thinking that God is demanding for greater production like more tithes and offering, more people, more programs and more activities. Their endless activities are uprooting their faith from the truth of the Word.

They are immerse in works for God but not rooted in the Word of God.

WRONG DEVOTION. They are devoted to their work and ministries but very unfaithful to God and to His Bible doctrine.

NEW MINISTRIES. They always have new ministries born out of impulses and pride. They planned their ministry out of their passion and emotion, which they mistaken for the voice of God.

PIOUS GREED. They serve with great anticipation and expectation that God will bless them above the others. They have the burning desire to be promoted and exalted by God.

COMFORTABLE MINISTRIES. They are willing to serve God but only in the comfort and luxury of the world. They are unwilling to leave their beautiful and cozy community. They decide where and how to serve God.

SPIRITUAL SLUGGARD. They are always praying and praying without doing anything. They defy the plan and purpose of God with their prayer ministry.

I MUST DO IT SYNDROME. They are always on the go –doing something for somebody. Their priority is to serve not to know God, not to learn the will and purpose of God.

ANOTHER DOCTRINE. They are always hungry for new practices and teaching for the church. Since they are blinded by the ignorance of the Scripture they are always seeking for revelation from the visiting REVERSIONISTS preachers and musicians.

The only antidote for the above cases is the act of rebound and the intake of Bible doctrine.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

070 - FEAR

FEAR has many faces and sources. The Greek word PHOBIA (phobia) or fear in English, is a learned response and can be unlearned through the inexpensive fortification of your soul with Bible doctrine.

No amount of behavioral therapy or systematic desensitization (that is psychological therapy combined with hypnosis) can successfully eliminate fear in the mind and heart of a person.

Satan bombarded the entire human race with humanistic viewpoint since the beginning of human history, making man believe his lies and fearful of his schemes.

The primary source of fear is the old sinful nature bombarded with satanic lies (that is the combination of satanic and human viewpoints). Satan is working overtime creating and building up tensions, worries, panic, lies, confusions, and fear in the hearts of men. RELIGIOUS TEACHING, PHILOSOPHY, AND SUPERSTITIONS PASS FEAR TO HUMAN SOULS.

Religion has succeeded in creating fear in the hearts of men in a very subtle and unsuspecting manner. Religion is the best instrument of Satan in pulling men into the pit of demonic influence. There is a very long list of fear, most of which are illogical, pure superstition and unreal.

YOU MUST DEFEAT FEAR BEFORE IT DEFEATS YOU AND ONLY THEN YOU CAN DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY.

When it strikes, it must not be allowed to ignite a devastating chain reaction of mental attitude sins that always incapacitate thinking, decision-making and actions.

CATEGORIES OF FEAR:

1. Fear of future crisis or sudden crisis
2. Fear of formidable enemy
3. Fear that torture the mind for negative reactions
4. Fear that engages in guilt of past failure
5. Fear in the midst of severe adversity
6. Fear that results from ignorance of God’s Word
7. Fear that comes from religious supernatural beliefs
8. Fear that results from anxiety or panic
9. Fear that results from outburst of emotion
10. Fear that results from self-pity and bitterness
11. Fear that results from loss of self-confidence, mental control and courage toward man
12. Fear that results from illusion and mystical [schizophrenic]

Fear develops slowly, gradually and progressively  until it engulf the whole of your being. Give fear an inch today, and tomorrow, it will destroy everything you have.

FEAR FOCUS ON THE PROBLEM but the Word of God focuses on the divine solution to human problems. The only way to solve human problem is by divine solution.

Human solutions to human problems are NO SOLUTION but breeds more problems leading to fear.

Fear exemplifies human viewpoint and obstructs problem solving.

071 - VICTORY OVER FEAR

GOD EXPECTS every Church Age believers to overcome his fear through the divine provision and divine problem-solving devices provided at the point of salvation.

NO BELIEVER is left without defense and protection in satanic cosmic systems. It is irrational, illogical and useless to pray for some kind of power to overcome your fear when in reality God has already provided everything we need pertaining to life and godliness. God has provided every thing in advance and nothing is lacking or missing.

God has provided a ten (10) line of defense in the soul of the believer against the four (4) intense conflicts:

1.      Temptation of the old sin nature (OSN)

2.      The pressure stress in the soul of the believer

3.      The enticement or allurements of false doctrines

4.      The tendency to trust in human solutions and human viewpoint

The ten problem-solving devices are:

1. Rebound
2. Filling of the Holy Spirit
3. Faith-rest
4. Grace orientation
5. Doctrinal orientation
6. Personal sense of destiny
7. Virtue Personal love for God
8. Virtue Impersonal love for man
9. Sharing the happiness of God
10. Occupation with the Person of Christ

 Fear breeds arrogance while the Word of God in the soul nurtures genuine humility. Fear prevents living the spiritual life while Bible doctrine rejuvenates the spiritual life. Fear obstructs problem solving while the Word of God initiates problem solving.

How to handle the stress of the battle and pressure of life is something you cannot learn apart from the actual situations.  Psychology, psychiatry and hypnosis with positive thinking will not solve the fear that dominates the human souls.

No believer will survive the cosmic system without Bible doctrine in the soul. God will not remove the problem or the suffering but God will convert the evil that assails us to our benefits. He will build a wall of fire around the believer and protect him by the power of God [Zechariah 2:5, 1 Peter 1:5a].

There is nothing as accident in the life of the believer-everything is part of His decree, nothing is unknown to God. Nothing we do will ever surprise Him. God deliver and rescue us in His perfect timing. Nothing is too late and nothing is too early- everything is just in perfect timing [Psalm 91:14-16, Romans 8:28].

No believer will die of famine (that is economic recession or depression) or from war (that is disaster, calamity and death) [Job 5:19-20]. No weapon of war will take your life as long as God’s plan for your life is to stay on earth.

The believer with Bible doctrine in the soul will survive the scourge of the tongues (that is slander, mockery, insults, unfair dealings).

The life of the believer is insured by the Character of God-you are under His security blanket. When you loss everything but not your integrity, your future is secure by the integrity of God –not by anything else. Bible doctrine in your soul is the guarantee. God honors his Word wherever it may be found.

The life of the believer is secured and protected by the power of God, which is the best and perfect protection in the entire universe.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

072 - SECURITY IN THE MIDST OF FEAR

YOUR TENT IS SECURE (PERIKRATES- perikrates) signifies having full command and control. The English term secure is from the Latin SECURA meaning free from anxiety. It has the Greek equivalent AMERIMNOS (amerimnos), meaning stability, security [Job 5:24, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7].

THE ANTONYM of secure is insecurity meaning, loaded with cares.

YOU WILL LAUGH [Job 5:22a] means to have humor. It is an indication of inner contentment and peace of mind amidst severe tragedy. His sense of humor is the result of sharing the happiness of God that knows the mind of Christ.

The WILD BEASTS is metaphor for the sudden violent disasters. The believer is under instruction not to be frightened by the possibility of violent devastation or changes. God will not drive away the wild beasts but He will make the VENUM or poison totally ineffective against the growing and advancing believers.

FOR YOU WILL BE IN LEAGUE with the stones of the field [Job 5:23] refers to the stones that were designed to use as weapon against you. The same stones will be your friends –they will not hit you. There are bullets without your name on it.

THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD will be at peace with you [Job 5:23b], refers to the effects of disaster and calamity turned into blessing for your welfare.

YOUR DESCENDANT will be many [Job 5:25]; means that life must go on for the believer regardless of his situation or condition, regardless of his pains and sufferings.

Life must go on. No one and nothing could destroy the believer until his final appointment to depart from this planet. Likewise, the planet earth will be preserved for the purpose of God until at the end of the millennial reign of Christ.

Worldwide destruction is impossible because only God has the right to destroy this planet. God created it and He alone has the right to destroy it [2 Peter 3:10-13, Revelation 21:1].

LIKE THE STACKING OF GRAINS in its season [Job 5:26] is metaphor for the security provided by divine logistical grace –a guarantee from God.

ROOT CAUSE OF INSECURITY:

1. Lack of Bible doctrine in the soul the believers
2. Ignorance of divine plan, purpose and will for man
3. Ignorance of the divine assets made available to believers
4. Untrained and unskilled in using the problem solving devices

The believer has no entitlement to be insecure in the world because God has provided already the remedy. The believer becomes insecure when he focuses on the crisis not on God. There are seven emotional sins that stems from fear:

1. WORRY & ANXIETY because of inability to solve the problem or handling the situation
2. HATRED toward others blaming them fro his own miseries
3. NEGATIVE REACTIONS to the given situation lacking capacity in handling the situation
4. GUILT FEELINGS from the past failures or sins
5. SELF-PITY because of ignorance of his position in Christ
6. PANIC due to lack of solutions and capacity in handling the problem
7. LOSS OF CONTROL of the soul in distress.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

073 - VIRTUES AGAINST FEAR

THE Christian life is a life of victory for we have the VICTOR Himself. We are not aiming, aspiring or fighting for victory but FROM VICTORY.

THE victory of the Christian life is not goal, not the objective, not the project but the CAUSE, the REASON why we endure, the very purpose why we have to continue advancing.

The growing believer who is residing in the will and purpose of God is secured even in the midst of trouble waters-in the worst conflict and disaster. Whenever fear strikes, the believer must resolve to apply the divine solution –that is to totally rely and put your confidence on God [Psalm 56:3].

The Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer is the antidote for fear. God will not remove the cause of our fear but He will reverse the effects of fear by His presence [Psalm 118:6].

DO NOT ANXIOUSLY LOOK ABOUT YOU refers to believers who are seeking human solutions to resolve their problems [Isaiah 41:10]. God in His perfect omniscience knows exactly our problems and the exact solutions. We must look for God who has the solution. Remember, human solution is no solution.

VIRTUE AGAINST FEAR:

BE STRONG…DO NOT BE AFRAID. The souls of the believers are not immune to fear that affects the human will and effectiveness to keep advancing toward the goal [Deuteronomy 20:1-].

STRONG refers to the power of the spiritual life. Courage is the expression of this strength. Combine strong and courage and you have moral courage.

DO NOT BE AFRAID, means that we do not dwell on the possibility of personal injury or death but the objective set before us. As Christians, we do not dwell on losing the battle but we focus on the VICTORY we already possessed.

DO NOT PANIC. Some irrational and emotional terror may paralyze the mind and the heart. Bible doctrine alone has the power to clear this panic and fear. 

Only the ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE WORD OF GOD CAN ERADICATE this kind of panic. But the encouragement from human viewpoint creates pseudo peace and more fear.

Tranquility under severe pressure is the overt expression of a courageous soul with Bible doctrine.

DO NOT TREMBLE. The fear in the soul cause incapacitating physical reactions or emotional outbursts, that continues to shake the believer for long. Battle courage that comes from the Word of God may not eliminate fear, but allows you to put your training in action in spite of it [Psalm 27:3, 46:6-9, 55:22-23, 140:1-2].

Trembling obscure your focus of divine reality and removes the possibility of good decision. It handicaps the believer from doing the will of God.

GOD IS IN CONTROL of human history and of all events in the entire universe. Nothing comes as accident to believers. Everything is part of the divine decree.

God in His perfect knowledge of all things related to man keep an eye on every event. Nothing escape His wisdom. Some events happen because God allows it and some happen because He causes it.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

074 - OVERCOMING FEAR

PRINCIPLES OF VICTORY:

1.  OVER FEAR OF DEATH

The death of the believer is exactly God’s decision. The divine decision for us to die is victory since God is the absolute authority in life and death [1 Corinthians 15:55-57].

The divine decision regarding the believer’s death includes the manner, the time and place of death [Psalm 116:15]. The believer is always under God’s protection until the Lord takes him home.

Since God is perfect, His timing is perfect in all manners of life and death [Job 1:21b]. Death is the wise and gracious choice of God and always the best for the believer.

In death, we are face to face with the Lord. We are in a place of perfect happiness, leaving all the troubles and suffering behind.

2. OVER SUDDEN CRISIS

GOD is in control of human history. All events in human history are for the benefits of the believers including the worst disaster and calamity. National discipline does not exempt the spiritual believer from sorrows and pains.

Sufferings for the mature believers   are not designed to destroy them but to accelerate their growth. The saints are expected to use divine solutions and not to seek more miseries for themselves.

Disaster or crisis cause sorrows to the believer that leads to repentance [2 Corinthians 7:9-11]. More crisis and disasters are expected before the Second Advent. The believers are expected to endure such sufferings and never give up.

3.  OVER SORROW

AS believers, we have hope, a real confidence based on the Essence of God [1 Thessalonians 4:13]. Physical death is not the end of their story (the deceased). Enduring grief and sorrow becomes an imperative of the Christian life.

You cannot stop normal living because people your love ones have died and gone to heaven (hell). You cannot resent others who are enjoying life when you are in a state of sorrow. You cannot demand your relatives and friends to join your extended grief and mourning. You must not tarnish their memory of the deceased by becoming morbid, bitter, resentful or vindictive.

Your grief and loneliness is a private matter between you and the Lord. Your loneliness belongs to you alone, in the same manner; your confidence belongs to you alone.

The death of the deceased is a perfect decision of God (no matter how brutal and ruthless the manner maybe). We know very little about them but God is perfectly knowledgeable. To complain and to ask God about His perfect decision is to question His sovereignty and righteousness.

Our sorrow (no matter how grievous) is just temporal and personal matter. It is not the affair of the whole community or the affair of the local church. The believer is displaying his immaturity by asking or soliciting sympathy from others.

The Christian life is a life of victory and the believer must appropriate or apply that victory from moment to moment of his sojourning in the world.

We are fighting and advancing from the VICTORY OF CHRIST not to gain our own victory.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

075 - INCEST

GOD is the source of perfect morality, but Satan introduced the new morality (part of human viewpoint), which the fallen man (corrupted by old sinful nature) gladly embraces. The big four (Satan, the old sinful nature, the ADAMIC evil trends, and the human negative volition) are campaigning for the promotion of incest.

The two daughters of Lot, who were infected with the sin of Sodom, were the first to commit incest [Genesis 19:31-36]. They raped their aged father doubting the ability of God in providing husbands for them. They reasoned from the new morality (that is old immorality) that approved anything that feels doing good.

Reuben had sex with his father’s concubine [Genesis 35:22) as proof of his macho-syndrome (machismo instinct) and thereby lost his father’s blessing [Genesis 49:3-4].

AMNON, the son of David by AHINOAM raped TAMAR (the daughter of David by MACAH, the mother of ABSALOM [1 Samuel 25:43, 1 Chronicles 3:2]. AMNON raped his half-sister TAMAR because of mistaken lust and passion mistaken for love. He displayed later on his sexual problems, strong moral corruption, brutality and masculine confusion [2 Samuel 13:10-14].

ABSALOM raped his father concubine publicly [2 Samuel 16:22] showing to all Israel his rebellious leadership, his domineering behavior and ignorance of the Divine establishment.

The Corinthian Church tolerated a member who had sexual affairs with his father’s wife (not his own mother) [1 Corinthians 5:11].

INCEST is not new- it is as old as the devil.

FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTES TO INCEST:

The old sinful nature (OSN) has a new defense counsel (the new morality), which justify incest as long as it feels good and enjoyable.

The evil trends are gathering too much support from the media (all sorts of pornographic materials, sex gadgets and products, sexual stimulants like VIAGRA) and indorsed by the New Age Movement, bringing the moral collapse of our society.

The public is receiving too much encouragement from prominent people who are preaching the “gospel of sex” through literature and media. The electronic media had added a new leap into what they called the cyber-sex.

The public is being bombarded with numerous materials denying any moral values left in the soul of men. The hearts of many are occupied with sex 24 hours a day.

The world accepts and encourages the new trends of broken marriages, broken homes, broken relationship. It is becoming normal. Because of this people are lonely and dishearten are searching for some kind of happiness.

The search for frantic happiness resolves to commit incest as an expression of antagonism and anger against men and God. Some failed to carry on with their normal living are inflicted with psychosis.

The rapid rise in idolatrous worship decreases the interest with Bible doctrine and has given way to more immoral acts. Immorality is the big sister of idolatry.

Those who have committed incest are insane, demon-possessed or deceived by demonic doctrines. They are not in the right frame of mind.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

076 - NEW MORALITY

WE CAN summarize the teaching of the new moralists related to sexual sins by the following:

The new morality justified that no church or institution has the right to dictate how to satisfy sexual needs as long as no person is harm. Sex as long as it is good is justified, whether it between the same sex, or opposite sex or between man and beast or just with anybody.

Homosexuality and lesbianism is very much welcome and justified as long as it does not hurt any person.

To use another person for personal sexual gratification is justified. The failure to apply love is the real injustice. Love of course is define as sex and when it comes to love, there is no limitation.

The new morality is more concerned with the “whys” of sexual behavior than sexual sins. They put more stress on motivation and attitude or better attitude for sex than the act of sexual lust or perversion.

The new morality defined love as sex. It promotes the sex-saturated society and it honors sexual revolution.

It accepts pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, post-marital sex, virtual sex, and cyber-sex. Sex with anybody is not condemned.

It uses sex-exploitation mediums such as pornographic movies, magazines, books, TV shows, and etc.

It accepts any form of sex: heterosexual, homosexual and auto-sexual.

It advertises safe sex, the use of contraceptives and the use of sexual gadgets and sex energizing drugs.

The decay of a nation begins with the collapse of its sex standards (morality related to sex). The new morality is destroying nations silently and sweetly.

People are learning to fornicate, create sexual situations, follow modern sexual trends and commit sexual perversion without guilt.

Nothing can etch the indelible scars of sexual sins. The ugly memories will come and wrestle with your mind from time to time. Illegitimate baby cannot be unborn. Child rearing and financial responsibility will not just go away and self-made miseries will linger for a long time.

The movie and TV personalities are the sex trendsetters and young people are following their reel life without proper evaluation.

Following the cosmic standards and life style is very dangerous for the soul of the believers.

There are ways that seem rights in the eyes of the believers but are entire disgracing and dishonorable to God. There are things that seems right in the eyes of men but improper in the eyes of God.

There are things we called sins but they are not in the eyes of God. There are things we simply ignore or accept but are sins in the sight of God. This is because our standards are relative and bias.  We must know what is sin and what is not before God.

The new morality is just the revival of the old times morality. There is nothing new under the sun. 

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

077 - TRUE LOVE OR INFATUATION

TRUE ROMANTIC LOVE develops slowly and gradually. Infatuation develops at almost no time.

True love always starts slowly. You have to know a person before you can truly love that person. Those who rush into marriage learn it by sad experience of self-made miseries. Infatuation is rushing into a bad decision.

 True is attracted in the total personality of the one love. Infatuation is mainly interested in the physical features. Infatuation depends on few non-sense things. True love is attracted with most of the qualities of the one love.

True love affects your whole personality. Willing to learn, adjust and change to bring out the better qualities. Infatuation is blind and daydreaming –trying to believe that the only thing that matters is their love for each other.

True love is not only interested in the whole person but that interest is growing warmer as the day goes by. In infatuation, the interest for each other grows between hot and cold –if not freezing.

True love believes that the most important person in the whole world next to Christ is the one you love. Infatuation revolves only around the merry-go-round of fantasy but always searching for someone new.

Separation and distance makes true love fonder. Infatuation will not survive the test of separation and distance but will seek happiness in another person. True love always cultivates and never dominates.

True love causes two different personalities grow intimately together that when separated even for short time-a part of you seems to be missing.

True love will live through quarrels and lots of disagreements-learning how to handle conflicts with poise. Infatuation may do a lot of kissing and making up but later may declare war that may never be solved.

True love can easily resolve quarrels and disagreements for healthier relationship. Infatuation can ignite little disagreement into a massive forest fire leading into permanent break-up.

True love is concern about giving way to improve and build stronger relationship. Infatuation is concern only about getting and receiving from the relationship for personal gains and interest.

True love is always unselfish always giving.  Infatuation is always waiting to receive and getting.

True love dwells in genuine humility and sacrifice for the one love. Infatuation dwells in human ego and castle of arrogance.

True love is always responsible-willing to pay the cost –willing to endure hardship and suffering. Infatuation is always ready to escape into the open sea of unreliability.

True love is not love at first sight but the result of knowing and accepting the person just as he/she is.

 Some people are infatuated (not in love) with God, which they did not know about, as they are infatuated with a man or with a woman that they did not know.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

078 - HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE IN LOVE

TRUE ROMANTIC LOVE distinguishes between a body and a person. Choosing a girl because of her beauty and shape is unstable criterion. She might become Coca-cola all right- but 2000 ml. in the next few years. Selecting a guy for his physique and good-looking face is like selecting a treacherous great white shark over the friendly ugly humpback whale.

 TRUE love generates respect. Erotic lover who whispers sweet nothing in private but tear you down in public is like a clown. He is using another person to produce laughter by giving his lover bad remarks. Such person will do well in circus but not in the family.

TRUE is self-giving –it is not what you can get from another person but what you can give with out expecting anything in return. The passionate desire for her/his body is not love but lust. Any prostitute can fully satisfied that burning desires.

TRUE LOVE can thrive without physical expression until full commitment for marriage. If your only reason for having a sweetheart is to have someone to hug and caress- better buy yourself a life size doll.

True love will not pay with sex and escape. It will not hurt the other person after getting what he/she likes. True love is willing to pay the full cost of responsibility.

True love seeks to build a life and permanent relationship of marriage. The objective and goal of any relationship is marriage. Marriage is a triangular relationship between God, a man and a woman, not a triangle between three persons. Lust will not settle for octagon.

TRUE LOVE is not for experimental and trial purposes. The basic principle is not to be involved with anybody you are not willing to marry. Get involved only after you physically, emotionally and spiritually prepared.

TRUE LOVE embraces difficult serious and difficult responsibility. Marital responsibility is far more than money. It is commitment to love the other person come what may. Lollipops and roses have nothing to do with true love.

True love can postpone gratification of sexual passion. True love can wait till marriage. Only a righteous person with Bible doctrine in the soul can function in this manner.

True love is basically a commitment. Feeling, emotion, selfish and childish expressions would change and fall-out of love. Fallen expectations and broken promises are basic elements that you can avoid. You have to endure them.

Personality differences, unpleasant and bad communication, misunderstanding and numerous marital problems are subjects for rebuilding the relationship not a criteria for separation. Immature couple cannot handle such problems.

Marriage is a garage where both the husband and wife work to repair the errors and damages of their blissful relationship. It is not a recreation center for children to pass away their boredom.

Marriage is not the solution to many problems of the adolescent and teen-age life but a puzzle of problems for adults to solve and enjoy.

TRUE LOVE is founded on the Word of God-ignite by the virtue love for God and for man. It is for the right man and right woman not for kids.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

079 - WHY SEX SHOULD WAIT UNTIL MARRIAGE

GOD DESIGNED SEX exclusively for married couples only, not for those who are in love. Our liberated society under the influence of the new morality is destroying the divine will regarding this issue. Today, love is defined as sex. Many young lovers are interested only with their passions and desire and not with the relationship.

SEX IS FOR PLEASURE of married couples and not for those seeking pleasures or sexual experiences. God designed sex for pleasure, procreation and physical intimacy of husband and wife not for those seeking sexual adventure outside legitimate marriage.

SEX before marriage or outside the legitimate marriage may end-up to broken relationships, broken family, broken hearts, separation and painful memories.

SEX outside or before marriage may result to unwanted child, which means additional responsibility and headache. Teen-age marriage always results to self-made miseries for both of the couple.

Giving in to sex before marriage is not proof of your love but a sign of passion or lust. There is proper time for everything under the sun.

Sex with the wrong person at the wrong time is unhelpful and sadistic disregarding the impact on the other party. The unbelievers are of the world but for Christian to adopt the trend of the world is to reject the will of God (and to manufacture self-made miseries).

Sex is for mature people with genuine commitment to love each other –come what may.

Believers who follow the trend of the world regarding free sex or the new morality code (of sexual perversion) are living under the satanic will.

The ability to have sex is not a sign of masculinity for a man and is not a sign of felinity for a woman. Sex proves nothing. Dogs just do it for no reason at all, except for their biological instinct.

Sexual pleasure is temporal. Those who are seeking frantic happiness from sex will always be disappointed because sex cannot fill up the vacuum in your soul.

Sex cannot fill-up the loneliness, the boredom and emptiness of your soul. Only God can answer that emptiness.

Sex is not everything but God is. The beasts have their own pleasure of sex but they cannot possess happiness from sex. Man in the same manner cannot find any happiness from sex. God alone is the source of true happiness.

Sex is not love. Real love can wait but lust is very hungry for sex.

Sexual purity is not replaceable. The real issue here is the soul for the person. SEXUAL PERVERSION is the deviation from the normal function and therefore, it is not only social, political emotional sin but as well as spiritual in nature.

Christian must aim to become spiritual and advancing believer- the best for his/her lover.

A person whose mind is always filled with sex will eventually become rapist sex maniac or adulterer. A person who is not satisfied with one wife or husband will always look for another.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

080 - UNDERSTANDING THE SEX DRIVE

THE HUMAN SEX DRIVE is the normal, God given part of the mentality of every normal man and woman. To be ashamed of it is to doubt God’s perfect righteousness and faithfulness to us.

To misuse it (the human sex drive) is to thwart God’s plan and purpose. The sex drive energizes or destroys relationship, depending on its uses, application or control.

THE MALE SEX DRIVE develops in adolescent, producing sperm and stores them in the seminal vesicles. When they are filled, the sex drives climb-up or increases and demands a release of the seminal fluids.

God designed the male’s body to handle this in a natural way –by means of night emissions or nocturnal releases, other by masturbation.

The male sex drive is biological, emotional, psychological becoming greater when aroused by sight or mentally ad responds readily to any visual or touches stimuli. Male sperm releases by masturbation develop almost automatically because of the combine sex drive and the external nature of the male sex organs. Therefore, if it is to be avoided, it must be a choice, a decision of the soul. From biological standpoint, masturbation is not necessary.

THE FEMALE BIOLOGICAL system does not automatically build up sex drive, which demands a release. A man naturally turns to masturbation for release, but female must be taught or learn it first.

A woman is stimulated sexually more by touch than by sight. It is more difficult for them to develop a strong habit of masturbation but more difficult to break it.

SEXUAL SINS. Two categories of sexual sins are prominent all over the Scripture. Fornication (PORNEA) refers to an illicit sexual relationship, and adultery while  MOICHOS refers to a sexual relationship outside marriage.

 SEXUAL SINS never begins by accident but through a series of pre-sexual experiences, which involves the mind and the soul. These are the things that excite, train, develop, and move the sexual drives.

Most of the pre-sexual experiences that are not related to preparation for marriage contribute only to illicit sexual activities, like masturbation.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

081 - MASTURBATION

Masturbation is the gratification of the senses and the indulgence of the sexual appetite [Galatians 5:19]. The act of masturbation becomes an expression of sexual desires.

Masturbation involves visualization and imagination of the physical body of man or woman as partner in the sexual act. The mind is involved in the act and therefore has committed the act of adultery [Matthew 5:28].

Masturbation is the selfish attempt to experience the sensations of sexual pleasure without having a physical sexual partner [Ephesians 2:3]. The act of masturbation always involved the mind.

Masturbation can put a person in bondage of sexual passion and lust if not properly dealt [1 Corinthians 6:12].

Masturbation is a mental sin expressed overtly by physical gesticulation of muscles of the genital.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

PRAYER

PRAYER comes in many sounds, styles, forms, concepts and variations linked with every religion. Most members of the human race practice it –but very far from Biblical perspective and principles.

The prayer of the unbeliever are no less than a composition of pious words added with emotional flattery, most of which are borrowed from Christian dictionary reversed with invented meaning.

God will hear only one prayer from the lips of the unbeliever and that is “Lord, save my soul through Jesus’ death on the Cross”.

PRAYER apart from salvation is nothing but waste of time. God will not listen to their prayer because they are not His children.

The prayer of the REVERSIONIST and carnal believers are all rejected except the prayer of rebound, that is “Lord, I have sinned against you”.

PRAYER is God’s provision of grace for all believers in the world as a means of communicating with Him. Prayer indeed involves faith, but there is no recognition for the faith of the unsaved souls (unbelievers) and of the carnal believers. Prayer operates in the same way as grace.

Faith is non-meritorious but God hears the prayer of the unbeliever for salvation through the merits of Christ who paid the sins of all men in full on the cross.

Faith is non-meritorious but God hears the prayer of the carnal believer for rebound through the merits of Christ on the cross in behalf of all men.

God do not honor our faith base on our perception of God. He is never move by our sincerity, sacrificial affection and devotion, sacrifices, penances or self-righteousness. God does not answer because we deserve it or that we have earned it.

OUR PRAYER IS ANSWER BECAUSE OF WHO AND WHAT GOD IS, and not because of who and what we are.

God’s answer is totally dependent on His character, on His divine will and purpose for the Church Age believers.

God will never answer our prayer because of our faith; otherwise God will put the purpose of Christ’s redemption out of divine purpose.

God will not accept man apart from the spiritual death of Christ. We ask God “in Jesus’ name” and not in our name, because it is Christ Who ahs the power, not our faith.

Those who are trying to portrait themselves as men and women of fasting and prayer are also bragging that God will answer their prayer, are indeed ignorant of Bible doctrine.

Their confidence is not based on the character (essence) of God; their hope is not based on the Word of God but on man’s (their own) misconception and misunderstanding of prayer. Their prayer is based on satanic and human viewpoint.

Those who believe that God will bless them in answer to their prayer are missing the greatest blessing while we are in this world, and that is intimacy with God. THE MAJOR PURPOSE OF OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE IS TO KNOW GOD. And the purpose of prayer is to know God, and not get something for us One of the greatest areas of modern heresy is in the field of prayer.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

082 - THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER

THE PURPOSE is not to get from God what we wanted, but to make us accept what He wanted for us.

All prayer is directed to God the Father [Matthew 6:9], in the name of the Son [John 14:13-14], in the power of the Holy Spirit [Ephesians 6:8]. Since prayer is an extension of the faith-rest exhales toward God [Matthew 21:22, Mark 11:24], it demands familiarity with the plan, purpose and will of God. It must be offered in the status of the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer is effective only when the believer is operating under the grace provision for perception of the Word of God. The believer is effective only inside the will, plan and purpose of God.

THE god of this world [2 Corinthians 4:4] answers the prayer of those outside the will, plan and purpose of God. Satan answers the prayer that falls into the satanic viewpoint and satanic will [2 Timothy 6:9-10]. The devil will give worldly glory to his children, to whoever ask for it [John 8:44, Luke 4:5-7].

The irrevocable permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the sealing of the Holy Spirit guarantees the eternal security of the believer [Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30] but it does not guarantee the answer to our prayer.

There are times when God will not hear their prayer like when:

They pray with sins in their souls [Ephesians 4:19]

They are not filled with the Holy Spirit [Ephesians 6:18]

They are controlled by the OSN [Ephesians 4:27]

They are sinning [Psalm 51:4]

God in His perfect power, knowledge and justice sustains the whole creation without help from imperfect humanity. His perfect plans of grace fro the imperfect man absolute.

 There is nothing to add, minus or alter in His perfect plan. Man has nothing to contribute to it. Inside the plan of God there is nothing as fate or accident. Nothing will happen without the perfect knowledge of God. Every thing is under His divine decree.

God knows all the events in the life of all human being in the entire human history. Every event is dependent on the decision of the soul (volition). God respect the decisions of every person, whether good or bad.

Some events God causes to happen, others He allows to happen. All events that happened and all that will happen are all in the divine decree.

Prayer is powerless to change the divine decision. Prayer is powerless to change the will, the purpose and plan of God.

PRAYER is the fellowship of the soul (with imputed righteousness and Bible doctrine, living in experiential spirituality) with God. Prayer is designed to know God through the diligent studies of His Word.

Some worship their prayer life and prayer habit. PRAYERFULNESS IS NOT THE MEASURE OR A SIGN OF TRUE SPIRITUALITY.

Never trust anything including your prayerfulness except the grace of God. It is easy to slander God by sincere prayer life and habit without knowing God. God answer our prayer because of His imputed righteousness in us, not because of our effective prayer and fasting.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

083 - MYTHS ABOUT PRAYER

THE following are common myths about prayer that has successfully infiltrated the Christian churches:

PRAYER is conversation with God. Whoever propagated the idea of this myth is unaware of several major doctrines related to Divine essence and attributes. God is perfect and man is imperfect. Man cannot simply approach God the way we use telephone to call our fellow man. God is not interested with our nonsense talking.

PRAYER is to get God’s blessing. Prayer is to know God not to get material things from God. The children of the world ask for the things of the world, but the children of God ask for the things of heaven.

The Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles did not ask for things of the world. It is easy to deceive the ignorant with their so-called great faith by asking God when in reality it is the devil that is answering their petition and requests.

ANSWER to your material requests from god is not guarantee that you are a man of faith. The man of faith is a man of God’s Word.

PRAYER is the ultimate power source. Prayer by itself has no power and there is no way that it can provide some kind of power or strengthening capability to the believers. Our faith has no power. God is the only and ultimate power source in the entire universe.

Genuine prayer of the genuine believer is not mystical. Prayer is designed to make us one with Him and not to claim power for ourselves. Spiritual power is the result of Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer not by prayer and fasting.

Some false teachers and prophets are always excited to pray anywhere and anytime. They are exhibitors of their so-called super faith, making false impression to the ignorant. Their faith and their prayer is nothing but a show.

Being prayerful does not prove that we are rightly related to God. The cults and pagans are more prayerful but they are no rightly related to God.

There is no place for boasting with regards to our prayer life.

PRAYER prepares us for the greater work.  Prayer does not prepare us for the greater work because it is the greater work.  We do not pray to ask God for some power.

Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God. Praying at all times- is like banking progressively. We cannot separate the habitual praying and the habitual studying of the Bible doctrine.

The most difficult task inside the secret place of prayer is to concentrate on God. Prayer is the effort of the soul and mind to concentrate on the very presence of God. A SOUL WITHOUT BIBLE DOCTRINE WILL TALK TO GOD WITH HIS BRAIN AND TONGUE and sometimes with his tongue only.

PRAYER IS THE COMMUNION OF THE SOUL WITH GOD, not a conversation with God using the tongues.

Those who are known to men as very prayerful are seldom holy, and those unknown as prayerful men are always holy. The godly will never advertise his prayer life.

The carnal and pseudo-Christians are building their faith in their experiences rather than in the word of God. Their prayer life is nothing but a show. Their faith is as good as there prayer life. 

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

084 - MYTHS ABOUT PRAYER  

PRAYER IS TO HAVE GREAT SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. Prayer is not for the sake of spiritual experience but for the purpose of spiritual discernment. Spiritual discernment is the result of stored and resident Bible doctrine in the soul.

Some Christians pray because they get high, thrill, excited and felling spiritual without laboring on the line of God’s direction. They are surprise when the answer is different from what they asked.

We are here not to prove that God answer prayer but to be living evidence and monuments of God’s grace. God did not save us in order to get answer from God, but to live for Him, to know His will and His purpose for our lives.

It is dangerous to think that God wanted us to be His showroom or display center of His power. God’s purpose is to make us one with Him and not to show off the heavenly power in this satanic territory.

PRAYER IS THERAPEUTIC AGENT FOR ALL AILMENTS.  Majority of the cults and pseudo-Christians are prescribing prayer as all-purpose remedy for all kinds of sickness and ailments. Some combine prayer with fasting to be more effective.

It is not the will of God for everyone to be perfectly healthy. This is a chaotic world of imperfect human beings. Only a perfect person will be free from all kinds of sickness and disease. If it is God’s will for us to be perfectly fit and healthy then, we are not going to die physically. Such teaching of false teachers is not supported by Bible doctrine.

THE REAL FASTING is not from food, but from SELF (old sinful nature), from our ego and pride, self-glory, self-dependency, self-righteousness and anything that hinders us from true spirituality. Food has nothing to do with spirituality. We can eat with God in control of our lives and we can fast without God in our lives.

PRAYER CAN CHANGE OUR DESTINY. The famous slogan or motto of the REVERSIONISTS that “prayer changes things” is a big moronic idea. Some believers are praying asking God to change their circumstances, situation, and the course of their life. They pray to change the historical events, people and event the course of nature.

One of the many dangers of intercession is to pray and intercede in sympathy with those under divine discipline or judgment. Prayer could become the exaltation of our own compromise feelings and sympathy. In our act of kindness or respect to men, we disregard and dishonor Him.

Only Bible doctrine can change man. No amount of intercession can remove and stop bad habits, bad temper, and habitual sins. Such things do not go away by praying and fasting but by act of kicking- through daily study of Bible doctrine.

Radical actions without Bible doctrine can produce only bad results. If God is listening to human clamors and selfish requests, then God is out of control.

PRAYER MOVES THE HANDS OF GOD. No human being can dictate or tell God what to do or what not to do. Prayer is not for man to give direction or guidance to God. God controls human history apart from the will and request of man. We cannot dominate His total and perfect sovereignty. All the above-mentioned myths about prayer are blasphemous.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

085 - THINGS WE NEED NOT ASK

WE DO NOT ASK GOD FOR THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The status of being filed with the Holy Spirit is the automatic result of being restored, cleansed, forgiven, and resumed his position for blessings [1 John 1:9]. The filling of the Holy Spirit is the result of obedience to rebound and not by asking or requesting God [Ephesians 5:18] for it is a command.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD TO BLESS THE UNBELIEVERS. The unbelievers are spiritually death, separated from God. They are under the plan of salvation but not entitled to receive blessings. The only appropriate prayer is for their salvation.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD TO FORGIVE OUR SINS.  Prior to the death of Christ for the sins of the human race, “forgive” [Matthew 6:12] was still looking forward to that act of redemption where forgiveness was totally provided [Ephesians 1:7]. Our prayer of rebound is to acknowledge that Work of Christ. (See: Rebound)

WE DO NOT ASK FORGIVENESS FOR SINS WE ALREADY CONFESSED.  God is not absent-minded or forgetful. The effect of forgiveness and cleansing is eternal and permanent. The divine forgiveness is guarantee by divine essence or character not by our feelings [1 John 1:9, Psalm 38:18]. It is blasphemy to keep asking God for forgiveness for sins He has forgiven.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD TO HEAL EVERY SICKNESS.  There are 4 major cause of sickness: violation of the natural laws, divine discipline, undeserved sufferings and spiritual bondage (OSN). Each of this cause has the corresponding remedy. The cults are praying for sickness brought about by breaking the law of nature or divine discipline. That is a great ignorance!

If a person walk under the rain without any protection and caught colds and flu – he needs medicine. If a believer is afflicted with sickness as divine discipline for his carnality he needs to rebound not prayer.

WE NOT PRAY FOR THINGS GOD HAS ALREADY DECLARED NOT OF HIS WILL AND PLAN.  Such prayer is presumptuous and arrogant.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD TO BLESS OUR SELFISH AMBITION OR PERSONAL PLAN.  A common error in our prayer is asking or commanding God to approve our plans and ambition. Some cults are backing up their personal ambition with prayer and fasting in order to make an impression that it is the will of God.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD TO CHANGE A PERSON OR INSTITUTION. The right prayer for those in the seat of power is not for their effective and Christian like characteristics but for their salvation [Romans 13:1-4, 1 Timothy 2:1-4].

The right prayer for wicked unbelievers is for the salvation not for them to have Christian like behavior and lifestyles. We do not force the unsaved to adopt and practice Christian values without salvation.

The right prayer for the carnal and those in prolonged REVERSIONISM is not for their prosperity or good conduct, or effectiveness but for their act of rebound and positive volition.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD FOR THINGS HE HAS ALREADY PROVIDED. We must know God and His will for us. WHO AND WHAT HE IS –and what He has done. Otherwise, our ignorance will lead to serious errors like, asking God for the gifts of the Spirit, which God distributed to every Church Age believers at the point of salvation. Some are asking for re-baptism of the Holy Spirit or for the filling of the Holy Spirit.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

086 - THINGS WE NEED NOT ASK

WE DO NOT ASK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS NOT PROMISED in the Scripture for the Church Age believers. The exclusive and conditional promises for the Old Testament believers do not belong to us. The unconditional promises for the Tribulation and Millennial believers do not belong to us.

The promises in the Scripture given to any particular person, group of people or nation do not belong to us.

God is not going to do any promise made by certain preacher to his followers, which He did not promise in the Scripture.

God will not give in to the capricious and illogical demands of man no matter how sincere and devoted their prayer might be.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD FOR BLESSINGS GIVEN TO PARTICULAR PERSON OR NATION. The blessings of some Bible character do not belong to us. The blessing of a nation recorded in the Scripture does not belong to us. The experience of the Old and New Testament believers does not necessarily belong to us.

We cannot ask God to repeat their blessing or experience for us. It is very wicked and selfish to ask God to give you the experience of people living in the different time and background.

Numerous illogical and irrational practices of cults come from this satanic viewpoint. Miracle is an act of God based on His sovereignty, which operate apart from demands or request of man. All the act of God is free from human intervention and without human participation. Miracle is not miracle if human will, desire and action is involved.

WE DO NOT ASK GOD FOR BLESSING OF A CONDITIONAL PROMISE without first fulfilling the condition required. Some believers are already demanding God to give them the ALL OF THESE THINGS of Matthew 6:33 without seeking the kingdom of God. They are asking God for THE DESIRES OF THEIR HEARTS without the effort of taking delight in studying the Word of God in consistent basis [Psalm 37:4].

WE DO NOT ASK GOD FOR THINGS HE ALREADY TERMINATED. Petition and prayer for things or experience that God has already terminated is a sign of arrogance. Asking God for historical gifts like the gift of healing and tongues is a terrible mistake.

Majority of ignorant believers are committing blasphemy daily every time they come to God in prayer. For example, whenever a believer pray in tongues. Speaking in tongue today is counterfeit because the Holy Spirit is no longer anointing such person. Since tongue is already a historical gift, as a sign to the unbelieving Jews.

Whenever the believer misapply literally the context of 1 Timothy 2:8 by raising his hand on the air and ask God to bless and prosper those in the position of authority. The phrase “lift up your holy hands” is not literal action but figuratively. It refers to the act of intercession not raising hands. The prayer for all unbelievers is for their salvation and not for anything else.

Another common mistake of believers is when they spiritualize the non-spiritual things by their cultic practices such as laying of hands, anointing and prayer with fasting.

There are more heresies and blasphemies in the area of prayer than in any other part of our Christian life.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

087 - THINGS  UNNECESSARY TO PRAYER

There are 10 things with religious connotation that are not essential and has not relationship to genuine prayer.

FASTING. There is no command for the Church Age believers to fast when praying. There is no command for us to fast.

There is no verse in the Scripture that states the effectiveness of fasting if combine with prayer.

POSTURE. No prescribed posture for prayer is stated in the Scripture. There is no prescribed posture for effective prayer. The raising of hands, the clasped hands, the clapping of hands, the beating of the chest and other irrelevant postures are all invention of man. Such postures are not related with spirituality and have nothing to do with the affectivity of prayer.

PLACE. There is no required place for effective prayer. No prayer house, no prayer mountain, prayer garden are necessary for God to answer our prayer. The only right place for prayer is inside the will and plan of God [John 4:21-24].

God is unpractical to command us to pray at all times and pray at a very solemn and quiet place. The believer can be alone with God in the midst of a noisy crowd. If you do not know how to be alone with God, then even in the top of the prayer mountain, your mind is fill with the things of the world.

PREPARATION. The only preparation needed for prayer and worship is the prayer of rebound. No religious music or singing, fasting and praise and worship are necessary for effective prayer. Music excites only the emotion and the mind but left out the soul with sins.

Religious music is the greatest heresy of our time. The so-called music ministers are the greatest deceiver of the Church Age believers.

PERSONALITIES. No super-faith and super-prayerful leaders are necessary to lead the congregation for effective prayer. God answer our prayer not because of who is praying –God has no favorite. The so-called prayer warriors are purely human viewpoint. Our weapon is the Word of God not prayer [Ephesians 6:17].

FAITH. The justice of God answers our prayer not on the basis of our faith but on the essence of God. It is not how much we can believe but WHO AND WHAT GOD IS. Faith is never the key for effective prayer but the grace of God.

VISIONS. The mysterious illusion of the divine revelation or manifestation of the so-called God to some super-believer is hoax and not related to prayer.

ANOINTING. Some cults claimed that they have received the double anointing or double portion of the spirit (of the devil of course) and that God will answer their prayer (as if they are God’s favorite). Such anointing is devious.

COMMITMENT. Devotion to prayer does not guarantee effective prayer. It is easy to become devoted to prayer but never to God. Human sincerity is often sincerely wrong.

PRAYER PARTNER. The prayer of others has nothing to do with our own effectiveness. Celebrated and dynamic prayer partner are not requirement for genuine prayer. God answers our prayer based on divine essence not because of our super-prayer partner.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

088 - PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

PRAYING in the Spirit is not a spiritual gift [1 Corinthians 14:14-15, Jude 20], it is not praying in tongues, but refers to biblical principle that we are to pray only in the state of spirituality, even as we worship God through the Word of God under the filling of the Holy Spirit [John 4:23-25].

Praying in the Spirit is not mystical but refers to the act of obedience to be filled with the Holy Spirit during the entire course of prayer.

The believer can only obey the command to pray at all times [1 Thessalonians 5:17] through the rebound provision of grace [1 John 1:9]. The believer can remain in the state of spirituality only through the grace provision.

TO BE continually spiritual is to be in the spiritual praying ground at all times. Praying in the Spirit means praying while in the state of spirituality.

God did not command the Old and New Testament believers or the Church Age believers to pray with fasting. The Jewish exiles in Babylon borrowed the practice of fasting and slowly integrated it into their religion.

The believers of the infant Church Age practiced fasting for 4 reasons:

1. It was a hang-over of the Old testament practice
2. For their concentration to spiritual matters
3. There was nothing to eat,  [2 Corinthians 6:5]
4.  When they have vital decision to make

Fasting does not make prayer less or more effective since the vital thing is spirituality not fasting.

FASTING IS POSSIBLE IN ANY SPIRITUAL STANDING:

• Spiritual death (unbelievers)
• Temporal & operational death
•  Carnal believers
•  REVERSIONIST believers

Anybody can fast and pray. Few Christians can out beat the cults and pagan when it comes to fasting. Fasting is not a spiritual exercise.

Fasting is not a sign of spirituality or superiority or spiritual maturity. Prayer with fasting cannot advance your spiritual life –it cannot accelerate your spiritual growth.

PRAYER WITH GROANING: Groaning (STENAGMOS-stenagmos) is not crying in audible voice but something you cannot hear. It refers to silent and covert intercession of the Holy Spirit not to prayer of the one praying.

The indwelling Holy Spirit intercedes for the believer according to the will, plan and purpose of God. The groaning of the Spirit is not express with the believer’s senses and therefore, does not produce some mysterious audible and non-sense sounds.

The intercessory prayer of the indwelling Holy Spirit does not pray through speaking of tongues, because being Member of the Godhead, He will not communicate with God the Father in such foolish unknown tongues.

There is no need to speak in tongues since the gift has already ceased. All the speaking of tongues today is not from God and they are all fabrication. There is no need to emote our emotion, since God does not answer because of our feelings, sincerity and devotion.

The Prayer in the Spirit is something man cannot imitate or forged. It is the communication of the Holy Spirit from the life of spiritual believer to God.

PRAYER AND LOGISTICAL GRACE

BELIEVERS who are blowing their trumpets to announce their success in the area of prayer are also blowing the reality of their spirituality. Arrogant believers worship their prayer habits more than they worship God. They worship God in their prayer without removing the high places of idolatry in their souls. They are making false external obedience without spiritual reality [2 Chronicles 15:17].

Their prayer habit becomes their canon or measurement of holiness. They are building prayer as their altar of sacrifice – they worship their prayer not God.

The ALL THINGS of Matthew 21:22 and WHATSOEVER THINGS of Mark 11:24 does not refers to desires of the old sin nature, but the desires of the indwelling Holy Spirit to glorify God in the life of the believers.

God has already provided all the basic and necessary resources for the believer to reach spiritual maturity and thereby glorify God. However, God has to wait until the believer reach the state of maturity before He can pour out blessings (to believer) that will glorify Him to the maximum.

Why would God excite us to ask material blessings when in fact He rebukes our carnal desires from Genesis to Revelation? The apostles and the disciples did not ask anything related to their physical needs from God.

God has already promised to provide all the needs of His children [Philippians 4:19] called the logistical grace, made available to every believer regardless of spiritual status.

Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the Spirit of God.

The purpose of prayer is not to get from God what we wanted, to make us accept what He wanted for us. For this reason, we can only pray on the basis of God’s truth.

The logistical grace covers our need in four aspects:

1. Life support-the extend of time for the believer to stay in the world.
2. Security provision-the divine protection from the hazard of the world designed by Satan for disaster and calamity of the believers
3. Temporal provision –the divine supplies like food, shelter, clothing, transportation, etc.
4. Spiritual provision- the divine supplies for spiritual growth and advancement like Bible doctrine, Bible teacher, etc.

God supplies logistical blessing to all believers faithfully, constantly and unconditionally.

There are no criteria for receiving the logistical blessing. No prayer is required and no need to ask God in prayer.

If we say that we have faith but constantly asking God for material blessings, then we are lying. The believer continues act of asking God for his material needs is the denial of his faith [Matthew 6:25-34]. The faith that is always asking is not faith but pleading without knowledge.

Logistical grace is for all believers but escrow blessing in time is for mature believers only.

One of the most common forms of evil in the local churches today is the so-called prayer request. Their prayer is all about themselves, and for themselves.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

089 - PRAYER & INNER HAPPINESS

INNER HAPPINESS is the state of completed happiness found only in the hearts of the advancing and mature believers. It is the place of spirituality and spiritual maturity where the believer based his happiness on the will, purpose and plan of God. It is the place of total blessedness. The state of happiness is the ultimate goal of the Christian life.

THE COMPLETED HAPPINESS is the stabilized happiness of Christ while He was in the world. The peace of God in the believer is stabilized by Bible doctrine. The INNER HAPPINESS is found only inside the will, purpose and pan of God or DIVINE DYNASPHERE. There is no genuine inner happiness outside this realm of God.

The inner happiness is the derivative of Bible doctrine in the soul of the believers. To reach the completed stated of happiness one must begin from positive volition to pursue the Truth of Bible doctrine. There is no short cut to inner happiness. The short cut is often leads to miseries.

The COMPLETED INNER HAPPINESS comes to those who are diligent and discipline in studying, learning and applying Bible doctrine [Romans 14:19, Proverbs 3:13].

The phrase MAY BE FULL (PLEROO-pleroo) of 1 John 1:4 indicates that the action the Bible doctrine brings us to complete our inner happiness [2 John 12]. 

Satan’s substitute for inner happiness is PSEUDO –HAPPINESS from religion, in which emotion is integrated with some illegitimate and mystical forms of ecstatic expressions, like tongues, holy laughter and slaying of the Holy Spirit.

PSEUDO INNER-HAPPINESS

SATAN can counterfeit only the outward manifestation of the work of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. The inner happiness that comes from God is counterfeit-proof. Nobody can fake it, in the same way; nobody can fake genuine salvation, spirituality, spiritual maturity, and spiritual self-esteem 

Satan can satisfy the delusion of the ignorant and the carnal believers. The remedy for deception is the full-knowledge of the Truth (EPIGNOSIS), knowing the genuine manifestation, knowing the real thing from the bogus one.

The counterfeit inner happiness of the cults is mostly outward shows. They spiritualized almost everything. The speaking of tongues and holy laughter is not manifestation of the genuine inner happiness.

They have programmed and animated smiles –the reel type of happiness, one that comes out from their defiled souls as commanded by the old sinful nature. Their smiles and laughter are all counterfeit.

The pseudo-inner happiness does not have degrees or categories. All of them can instantly reach the peak of ecstatic joy as they follow the mood of the praise and worship leader.

We do not ask God to give us the inner happiness because it is not imputed or distributed. It is the result of life that nurtures on the Word of God for a long period of time.

The cults have short cuts for everything: such as instant spiritual maturity, instant pastors, instant servants of God, and instant messages from God all comes from their super powerful prayer.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

090 - PRAYER IS…

PRAYER IS NOT:

1.  Conversation with God
2.  Communication with God
3.  To get God’s blessing
4.  The ultimate power source
5.  Preparation for great task
6.  To gain spiritual experience
7.  Remedy for many ailments
8.  Something that change history
9.  Something that change man
10.  A tool to move the hand of the Lord

11.  A weapon against the devil
12.  A defense against self-made  Miseries    

13.  A compass to find the will of  God

14.  A guide in seeking divine plan

PRAYER IS:

1.  Designed to know God
2.  Designed to know the will, plan   and the purpose of God

3.  To make us one with Him
4.  The exercise of drawing on the  grace of God

5.  For the purpose of spiritual discernment

6.  For the purpose of praise
7.  To receive the best from God
8.  For the purpose of submission
9.  The spiritual activity of the Soul

10.   The spiritual expression of Worship

IF GOD is perfectly immutable, infinite in knowledge and unchangeable, why do have to pray? Does the divine essence and divine decree eliminates the need for prayer?

ANSWERS:

Effective prayer makes requests which God answers. Things we ask in time are all incorporated into divine decree in the eternity past [Isaiah 65:24].

Effective prayer is our powerful weapon in the angelic conflict. It is our distress call. We are not capable and able enemies of Satan –but Satan is no match to our resources in Christ [Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2]. Prayer is not actually a weapon but like a bucket we use for drawing our resources in Christ.

Effective prayer is the powerful and the strategic action of the spiritually mature believer for tactical victory. We are not praying for victory but from the victory of the Lord Jesus [Romans 8:37, Ephesians 3:10].

Effective prayer is enjoying the great presence of the Lord not just talking or asking Him for things. It is designed for knowing Him, knowing His plan, will and purpose through His Word [Philippians 3:10, 1 John 1:3].

THE ELEMENTS OF GENUINE WORSHIP: are salvation, spirituality or the Spirit filled life of the believer and Scripture in the soul. Prayer is an expression of true worship. Fasting is not an element of worship and is not an expression of worship.

THE BASIS OF GOD FOR HEARING OUR PRAYER is not because of anything in the part of man, but because of the ministry of God the Son, Jesus Christ:

1. The imputed righteousness of God in the believer
2. The imputed eternal life of God in the believer
3. Provision for the continuous fellowship with God (through the filling of the Holy Spirit by the exercise of rebound).

Our non-meritorious faith is not the basis of God for answering our prayer.

Be careful of the cults of prayer that deceives the ignorant.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

091 - FAITH

FAITH is one of the most misused and abused biblical term, distorted by some theologians and reversed by the cults and REVERSIONIST Christians to make its meaning favorable to their false doctrines.

The Greek noun PISTIS (pistis) when  translated as faith has dual meaning. First in the objective sense, PISTIS means WHAT IS BELIEVED that is the whole Bible doctrine. Secondly: PISTIS refers to the believer’s application of Bible doctrine to experience that is faith –rest. 

FAITH by itself cannot function as a virtue. Faith and hope are subordinate system that function within the sphere of the love complex. Love is superior to either faith or hope because love is the characteristic virtue of the entire divine sphere.

FAITH represents an entire system of applying the word of God, while hope is a system derived from knowledge of Bible doctrine stored and residing in the soul. HOPE is absolute confidence in future divine provisions and blessings [Romans 8:24-25]. The believer can apply doctrine and advance from the hope of blessing in time to hope of blessing in eternity but only inside the sphere of God.  

In English Bible, Hebrews 11:1 is commonly mistaken for a definition of faith, but where PISTIS was used in its passive sense, what is believed –the object of faith, that is Bible doctrine. Hebrews 11:1 is actually a definition of hope.

Bible doctrine reveals the plan of God. Under His plan, He glorifies Himself by blessing us. He can bless us only because of a series of imputations, which create a potential for blessing.

Both hope and faith are part of confidence toward God, as a virtue, we must remember that the standard of virtue is His divine essence, and not the relative systems of human morality and ethics.

Here is a corrected translation of Hebrews 11:1-2:

“Now, Bible doctrine is the reality from which we keep receiving the hope, the proof of matters not being seen. For by it, (Bible doctrine in the soul) men of old gained approval (when they reached spiritual maturity)”.

“By faith (means of doctrine) we under stand…by faith (means of doctrine) Abel offered a better sacrifice [Hebrews 12:3-4].

IN each CASE OF Hebrews 11- Bible doctrine made the difference. It converted each one’s potential into hope, and that hope gave him confidence which led him to spiritual maturity and beyond. Each person expressed his maturity in the various courses of action recorded in this honor roll.

AND WITHOUT FAITH (BIBLE DOCTRINE IN THE SOUL) IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD [Hebrews 12:6].

Seeking God is the determined, steady and regular academically disciplined, and diligent (self-motivated with spiritual concentration) intake of the Word of God.

We cannot separate faith, and hope from Bible doctrine. Faith apart and depart from the Word of God is not the biblical concept of faith.

We cannot separate faith and hope from love because it is the primary virtue of the divine sphere. Faith apart from Bible doctrine is not faith.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

092 - FAITH & THE GRACE OF GOD

GOD did not thwart our volition in salvation; otherwise, He would destroy His plan of grace. He would cancel the purpose of salvation that each person might choose to have a personal relationship with Him.

God does everything for man to have salvation, except make the decision for us. Positive volition is the only missing link, the only factor needed to complete our reconciliation with God. Though we are born totally detestable to God, a single decision of non-meritorious faith in Christ closes the gap and establishes us as God’s children [John 1:11-12].

God’s plan of grace is based on God’s integrity, not on any merit in the human race. God loves us because of WHO AND WHAT HE IS, because of the provisions he has made, because of the cross that fulfilled the perfect demands of His righteousness. That is grace.

After salvation the justice of God remains the source of our blessings- we are the beneficiaries of God’s plan of grace.

We are always under grace, as we were saved by grace (not by our own faith) of God, and we are always under the grace of God as objects of God’s personal love [Ephesians 2:8-9]. We are saved by grace through faith, not by faith.

At the moment of faith alone in Christ alone, God permanently imputes His absolute righteousness to every believer, eliminating any need to earn God’s approbation with human good or human self-righteousness. We live the Christian way of life by following God’s mandates, not by striving to fulfill our own legalistic ideas of what ought to please God. No human merit can earn God’s love or blessing after salvation.

 THE phrase THE UPWARD CALL OF GOD refers to the ministry of the Holy Spirit at the instant a person first believes in Christ [Philippians 3:13-14]. Every human being is born spiritually dead; we have a spiritually dead understanding of God, and spiritually dead faith to believe in Christ. We are unable to comprehend spiritual things and totally incapable of a relationship with God.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is vital, first, to make the Gospel clear, and second, to make our faith in Christ effective for salvation. In itself, our faith has no power to save us.

The Holy Spirit must take our faith and make it effectual in establishing an eternal relationship with God [John 16:8-11].

We receive no credit or merit for believing in Christ. All glory belongs to God and to Him alone. We are saved exclusively by the power of God. The upward call is designated COMMON GRACE, extended to all individual, while the ministry of the Holy Spirit is converting the believer’s faith into salvation is called the EFFICACIOUS GRACE.

In every case where common grace is not followed by faith in Christ, efficacious grace does not occur.

The faith of the unbelievers is spiritually dead faith, and the faith of the carnal believers is operationally dead or temporally dead. Both faiths are useless [James 2:17-20].

Faith in salvation is non-meritorious in the same way, faith after salvation is also non-meritorious. Man has nothing to boast concerning his faith.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

093 - FAITH OR GOD’S GRACE

The justice of God imputes the logistical grace to the righteousness of God to every believer [Psalm 23:1, Matthew 6:26], on the basis of equal privilege and equal opportunity to enable them to grow and mature spiritually. Every believer received the love complex but only few utilize its power. Many Christians today fail to progress beyond salvation. They are unable to utilize the grace and power of God [2 Peter 3:18].

The logistical grace includes the provision for the believer to advance and reach spiritual maturity. It is compose of four interrelated blessings: life support, temporal support, security provisions and spiritual provisions.

The so-called prayer of faith of pseudo men of faith is always petition made under the grace provision. Praying for things God has already included in His provision. Asking great material things from God proves only that they are not men of faith. The Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles and disciples did not ask God for such things.

Logistical blessing is provision for all believers. No prayer, petition or faith is required to receive such blessing. Prayer in relation to logistical grace is for the purpose of thanksgiving and gratitude not to demand or request. The Lord Jesus did not use His faith to ask the Father any of such provision.

The Humanity of Christ did not use His faith to heal or to make miracles. His purpose on earth was not to be known as miracle worker, man of faith. His ministry was fourfold:

1.  Proclamation of the Gospel
2. Preaching of Bible doctrine
3.  Prophesy concerning the Church Age
4.  Presentation of His Messianic credentials

There were only 20 cases of healing recorded in 4 gospels, 5 of which are repetition. There were only 7 persons whom Jesus delivered from demon possession and there were only 9 miracles associated with Christ.

FAITH IS NOT OUR DEFENSE AGAINST DEMONS:

The Church is mandated to remain on the defense line against the Devil and his demons [Ephesians 6:11]. We are taking offense against old sinful nature (OSN) and against the cosmic systems by growing in grace and in knowledge of Christ [2 peter 3:18].

Defensive action is the only way to prevent defeat by Satan [James 4:6-7] Submission to God is our offensive action. Resisting the devil is our defensive action [1 Peter 5:8-9], and is by our daily and progressive study of Bible doctrine [Ephesians 6:10-17].

The battleground for the spiritual life is the soul. When the armor of God is in place, the soul is protected from the assaults of Satan.

Where the defensive wall crumbles, the soul is left exposed to satanic darts and missiles. The battle is between divine viewpoint and satanic viewpoint, thought against thought, mental attitude against mental attitude. We do not win such battle by driving away or casting out evil spirits.

We can win the spiritual warfare only through the power of God in our lives, as we are control and energize by the Holy Spirit and empower by the Word of God (the EPIGNOSIS in the soul). We have the victory; we are winners if only we are not going to surrender before the battle starts. Faith (Bible doctrine in the souls) is the victory [1 John 5:4]. 

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

094 - FAITH AS MEANS OF PERCEPTION

Never do we earn or deserve any credit in the entire plan and system of God. His entire plan is alive with grace not with human achievement. The imperfect man cannot and will have no meritorious role in God’s perfect plan.

Man has 3 basic means of perception:

RATIONALISM relies on human reason and logical consistency as the criterion for reality, totally apart from authority and revelation of the Scripture.  In rationalism man engages his intellect, deducing a logical system to explain reality.

EMPIRICISM establishes reality based on the experience of the senses because reality is what you see, hear, smell, taste and feel. In empiricism man hones his powers of observation for discovering answers in the world and the universe around him.

FAITH is reality based on confidence in the authority and veracity of God. Faith, the non-meritorious system of thinking comprehends infinite spiritual truths that are beyond the finite mind reasoning powers and sensory system.

IN FAITH the credit does not belong to the subject but to the object. Not to the one who believes but to what is believed. After salvation, we must live by grace. Grace includes all human merits. Faith remains the only means of perceiving and applying Bible doctrine.

God has provided everything we need for learning God’s Word. They are called grace provisions for the saints to understand doctrine through spiritual IQ not human IQ. Human IQ is an index number indicating degree of human intelligence and is the result of meritorious perception.

SPIRITUAL IQ is created by the filling of the Holy Spirit, related to the amount of Bible doctrine stored as EPIGNOSIS in the right lobe of the soul [Colossians 1:9], is the result of non-meritorious faith perception. Believers has the ability to learn Bible doctrine apart from human IQ-since it is not a factor for learning doctrine.

The mentality of the soul has two lobes. The left lobe is the home of GNOSIS (gnosis) that is academic knowledge of the Scripture. The right lobe is the repository of EPIGNOSIS (epignosis) that is full knowledge.

GNOSIS is receptive comprehension, the academic knowledge that is not usable for application in life. It is non-edifying. The application of gnosis doctrine is reversion of the Bible doctrine where true doctrine may generate pride, legalism, inflexibility, inconsiderateness, narrow-mindedness and compounding superiority.

EPIGNOSIS is designed for application as wisdom and spiritual common sense in the spiritual life –it is available for application unlike gnosis, which is not applicable for any application. This is the reason why the REVERSIONISTS are very good in human viewpoint reasoning.

Filling of the Holy Spirit and positive volition are equally essential in faith perception, otherwise, the Holy Spirit cannot convert and transfer gnosis from the left lobe to the right lobe to become EPIGNOSIS.

The positive volition believer filled with the Holy Spirit concentrates on the pastor’s teaching, resulting in gnosis. The believer clearly perceives the doctrine and believes what he has learned. The Holy Spirit takes the gnosis and converts it into EPIGNOSIS and seals it eternally –to be reinforces by more doctrines while on earth.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

095 - THE OBJECTIVE OF FAITH

THE objective of faith (for the unbelievers) is not to make you pleasing, approvable, or acceptable before God but to receive the free gift of salvation by believing Christ alone could save us. The faith we utilized to receive salvation in non-meritorious and has no power to save the soul.

The purpose of faith for the believers is not to perform miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, or to do great things for God but to appropriate the power of God in our spiritual momentum toward spiritual maturity. The faith we utilize to grow and advance in the spiritual life is non-meritorious and has no power to energize, accelerate or promote us from immaturity to maturity, or to remove us from carnality and transfer us to spirituality.

Faith apart from Bible doctrine is pure presumptuous faith. Faith as a subordinate virtue cannot function by itself. Faith is not founded on what we can believe or our sincere conviction that are inspired by old sin nature. True faith is founded by what is believed  that is, Bible doctrine.

An average person with good ability to concentrate can receive not more 50% doctrine communicated by his pastor (the first discussion of a certain doctrine). If he has a high positive volition, he can retain not more than 20% of what is converted as EPIGNOSIS. When required to apply the doctrine in his KARDIA, he will do well with not more than 1%.

Out of the total doctrine taught: 50% he missed and flew away. 50% he perceived as gnosis. 20 % of the gnosis becomes EPIGNOSIS. 1% of the EPIGNOSIS becomes available for immediate recall and application.

This explained why the believer must be faithful in listening; studying and re-studying the Bible doctrine until he fully absorb the whole doctrine. A noble Christian is one who is willing to keep learning until he has mastered the doctrine [Acts 17:11].

OUR objective is saturation of Truth but there is no way to accelerate the process other than its gradual gathering and storing in the right lobe. The positive volition believer develops a frame of reference for receiving and retaining more doctrine necessary to build up the Truth. Because truth builds upon truth, we must persist in learning precept upon precept, line upon line (Isaiah 28:10).

The Jesus Christ is the Author (ARCHEGOS-archegos), meaning; He is the Cause and Source of all things refers to Christ as the ONE who brings something to completion (of our faith –what we believed).

Hebrews 12:2a refers to the work of God in providing, nurturing and bringing into completion His plan for our lives. But God cannot do anything without the cooperation of our free will (volition) to grow.

The believer must have the DESIRE (positive volition) to grow and advance to maturity. He must enforce his desire with DECISION to reach his goal or objective. His decisions must show DETERMINATION in the midst of trials, testing and suffering. To his growing determination, he must attach military DISCIPLINE not to allow anything or anybody to hinder his spiritual growth and momentum.

The most extra-ordinary faith is not one that raises dead people from the grave but one    that is willing to learn Bible doctrine regardless of situation and conditions.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

096 - FAITH & THE WORK OF GOD

ONCE a person believes in Christ, his salvation in Christ is permanent, secured and cannot be canceled by anything he thinks, does or says. Salvation is the non-reversible work of God. No human sin, human decision, human ridiculousness can destroy the believer’s eternal security-not even his renunciation of faith [2 Timothy 2:11-13].

At the point of salvation God imputes His absolute righteousness to every believer and declares him righteous or justified [Romans 3:21-28]. If God will exclude any one from eternal salvation who possessed his imputed righteousness, He would have to deny His own righteousness and justice, because He contradict His own pronouncement of justification. Our salvation is strong as the essence of God.

Between the point of salvation and reaching spiritual maturity, every believer is the beneficiary of logistical blessings unconditionally provided regardless of spiritual standing before God, and without the necessity of faith or anything from man.

At the point of spiritual maturity, the believer continue to receive logistical blessings plus the blessing in time –all because the believer received the imputed righteousness form the justice of God. It is the only basis for all subsequent blessings.

The real issue is our adjustment to the justice of God not our faith. Our vital contact point with God is our spiritual adjustment to His justice- not our non-meritorious faith. In some cases, the faith of the so-called men of faith is not only non-meritorious but also notorious.

GOD BLESSES US ONLY BECAUSE CHRIST WHO INDWELLS US MEETS HIS PERFECT STANDARDS AND BECAUSE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN US. GOD WILL NEVER BLESS US FOR WHAT WE DO OR WHAT WE DO NOT DO, NO FOR WHO AND WHAT WE ARE, BUT FOR WHO AND WHAT GOD IS.

God is blessing you not because of your brilliant personality, not because of your enthusiasm in the work the church, not because of your marvelous abilities, talents and spiritual gifts. God is blessing you because you possess the principle of His integrity- divine righteousness. The justice of God is free to bless only divine righteousness wherever it maybe found [Romans 8:31, 5:16-17].

If the basis for salvation is human faith then, nobody is going to heaven. If the basis for blessing mankind is our faith, then nobody will ever receive anything from God –because our faith is always wavering, unstable, imperfect, and blemish with old sin nature, which God cannot accept by any means.

God cannot throw away his absolute integrity (His perfect righteousness and justice) and lower Himself to the level of imperfect man by accepting our imperfect faith.

FAITHFUL IS THE WORD: FOR IF WE DIED WITH HIM, WE SHALL ALSO LIVE WITH HIM. IF WE PERSEVERE (living in the will, plan and purpose of God) WE WILL RULE WITH HIM (as recipient of eternal blessing) IF WE DENY HIM (reject divine will to mature) HE WILL DENY US (withhold eternal rewards because we are loser). IF WE ARE FAITHLESS (living in carnality) HE REMAINS FAITHFUL (divine essence) FOR HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF (His perfect immutability and veracity [2 Timothy 2:11-13]. So, this is not about GREAT FAITH but about GREAT GOD. 

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

097 - HOW TO INCREASE YOUR FAITH

THE humanity of Christ encountered two persons with “great faith”. The first was a woman [Matthew 15:28], and a centurion [Luke 7:9]. In several occasions scolded His disciples for their little faith or lack of faith [Matthew 14:31, 16:8, 17:20, 21:21 and Luke 12:28].

GREAT FAITH is not an excellent measure of faith but the capacity to believe the Truth they heard. Believer, like Stephen who was described as a man FULL OF FAITH refers to Bible doctrine stored in his soul available for utilization at any situations may require. Great faith is not mystical and exclusive to few (like the TV preachers around us) who claimed to have special anointing from God.

LITTLE FAITH refers to gnosis that failed conversion and transfer into EPIGNOSIS in the right lobe of the soul. It is academic faiths that will soon fade away lacking capacity for recall and application. Christians with weak faith are doctrinally ignorant and unable to resist temptation and open to any compromise [Romans 4:19].

TO GROW STRONG IN FAITH requires the positive volition to leave behind the weak faith of carnality and concentrate in studying Bible doctrine diligently, systematically, and progressively avoiding every intermission and barrier that diverts the focus of the soul from Christ. That decision to grow strong begins with an act of volition [Romans 4:20].

TO INCREASE OUR FAITH is to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ by means of continuous and progressive learning of Bible doctrine. No amount of prayer and fasting can increase our faith [2 Peter 3:18].

Like the lowly mustard seed, our faith must germinate, grow it roots down –ward before it can bear fruits upward [Luke 17:5-6]. No amount of prayer and fasting, miracles, healing, tongues, and exorcism can add a millimeter to our faith. The people surrounding the life of Christ and the apostles had enough miracles and yet remained unconverted.

THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH is a statement that describes the normal lifestyle of the Christians inside the plan, purpose and will of God. The Word of God possesses such believers and whose principles and viewpoint are dominantly biblically accurate [Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11].

 RIGHTEOUS MEN became strong in their faith gradually –being energize by the Holy Spirit as they move slowly toward spiritual maturity by the grace of God. They utilizes the power of the divine sphere not their own power. They refused to leave the divine sphere and not heeding Satan’s enticement to leave even for a while [Ephesians 3:16, 19].

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING THE FULLNESS OF GOD WHICH COMES BY KNOWING GOD NOT BY WORKING FOR GOD.  We come to know God by living within the system in which Jesus Christ lived while on earth. That system is the divine sphere of blessedness [John 1:16].

Only inside the divine sphere we can think His thoughts and develop the same mental attitude that govern His life [1 Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5] His inner dynamics becomes our inner dynamic. His virtues become our virtues. His capacity for life becomes our capacity for life. His happiness becomes our happiness. His integrity becomes our integrity [John 15:11, 16:13-15].

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

099 - FAITH IN CONFLICT

FAITH does not believe without proof of God’s essence. To believe God is to know Him, His purpose, His plan, operation and systems. Faith that is ignorant of God’s essence is presumptuous faith.

Faith is not trusting a creature or putting your confidence on man. True confidence is based on God’s essence. A misdirected faith is not faith but human compromise with evil schemes.

Faith is not claiming biblical promise and urging God to fulfill it, without knowing His plan and purpose. It is easy to say, “I believe that God will do it” without the confidence on God.

Faith is not human capacity coated with our selfishness and arrogance in demanding His intervention for something entirely impossible to settle or resolved. Faith is the divine action of His righteousness and justice. It is not demanding something for our needs and problems. Faith is not what you make to believe or what you like to believe but what is believed [Hebrews 12:2c].

The justice of God provided all Church Age believers with equal privileges and equal opportunity to reach spiritual maturity. The measure of faith is the results of individualized volition to use or not to use divine resources.

Only faith (doctrine) can established the spiritual life of the believer individually and collectively (Acts 16:5). No amount of ‘spiritual messages” or spiritual music, tongues, and others can make you grow and move toward spiritual maturity. Your faith can grow exceedingly or remain stagnant - depending on your study of the Word [2 Thessalonians 1:3, James 2:18-17].

THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH [1 Timothy 6:12] refers to the battle the Church Age believers have to face while advancing toward spiritual maturity. The battle is about volitional responsibility to study or not to study Bible doctrine –not fighting demons. Our faith is powerless against Satan and his demons.

TO DEPART FROM FAITH [1 Timothy 4:1b] is to reject Bible doctrine and to accept the doctrines of demons. To ere from the faith or to wander from the faith is to fill your mind with human viewpoint or satanic viewpoint [1 Timothy 6:10b].

THE SPIRITUAL BATTLEFIELD where each one of us is assigned to fight is the soul, not the planet earth that is why, our soul must be possessed with EPIGNOSIS Bible doctrine.

The spiritual warfare that we have to win is right here in our soul- not in some ghostly houses or temple of demons. There is no command for the believers to expel demons from this planet.

WE cannot bully Satan with gnosis doctrine in our NOUS. Memorized Scriptural text has no effect on Satan-he has memorized it better than the believers.

The truth we learned will establish real convictions and belief. The principles we gained will guide our conduct in the world. The truth will set us free.

EPIGNOSIS are permanently stored in the soul, preserved for eternity. If however, remain unused- the Holy Spirit will ask for refresher course that may include preventive suffering. There is no spiritual maturity without the application of EPIGNOSIS to life.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

100 - FAITH-REST

FAITH REST relies on the infinite power, energy and resources of God. It is God’s gracious, matchless, endless provision for believers in time. It is a moment-by-moment Sabbath.

Without rest, there is no spiritual power, strength and spiritual capacity to serve God. There is absolutely nothing in the spiritual life with this moment-by-moment rest. It will be a spiritual life without the wonderful shower of blessings.

The faith-rest life is characterized by continuous, perpetual faith that believes the promises of God [Hebrews 4:10]. It is signify by diligence in seeking life that is not operating by the energy of the flesh [Hebrews 4:11].

The faith-rest life is characterized by knowing the Word of God, the will of God for man. The believer who is applying faith–rest is allowing the Word of God to inspect his mind, heart and soul. He is willing to take constant examination (testing) by giving the Word of God freedom to judge his thought and life [Hebrews 4:12-13].

The faith-rest life is characterized by being a witness to the world regarding the wonderful grace of God. It is becoming a showcase of divine grace in the world of chasm and chaos [Hebrews 4:12].

It is characterized by series of testing of undeserved suffering, which demands continual trust or confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is life that is learning to depend on God in every area of his life.  It is a life that trusts on nobody except God. A life that is totally independent from men and totally dependent on God alone [Hebrews 4:15-16].

FAITH-REST is something we do not earn, we do not deserve, and we do not have the right but because of God’s grace, it is possible. Faith-rest is not an exercise we do in times of crisis or problem, but moment-by-moment exercise.

Faith-rest is like a water reservoir that you fill during the rainy days and use during the dry seasons. 

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

101 - THREE STAGES OF FAITH REST:

STAGE 1: Claim a Biblical promise. The believer stands on the veracity of God’s Word, giving life to the Bible doctrine stored and resident in the soul [Romans 8:28].

STAGE 2: Apply a doctrinal rationale. The believer recalls doctrinal truths to form logical premises, on the basis of God’s essence and character [Romans 8:29-30].

Foreknowledge: God thought about you in the eternity past.

Predestination: God designed a plan for you in the eternity past.

Election: God chose you for the privileged part of His plan.

Justification: God can bless you because you possess His righteousness

Glorification: God can bless you forever in heaven.

STAGE 3: Reach a doctrinal conclusion and take control of the situation [Romans 8:32-32].

 IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US  IF GOD GAVE US HIS SON, HE WILL ALSO GIVE US ALL THINGS

THE Christian key to faith-rest is the appropriation of God’s grace by faith and the utilization of divine problem-solving devices.

WAITING UPON THE LORD is synonym with faith-rest. To wait is to continue trusting God until He restores your human strength with divine strength.

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries

102 - FAITH VS. WORKS?

THE subject of faith is one of the most misinterpreted term in the Bible and the most abuse among the religious. It has different meaning from religion to religion.

The main elements in FAITH (PISTIS-pistis) in its relation to the invisible God as distinct from human faith are especially brought out in the use of this Greek noun and corresponding and verb PISTEUO (pisteo) are:

• A firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation
• A personal surrender to God
• A conduct inspired by such surrender

All this stands in contrast to belief in its purely natural exercise, which consists of an opinion held without necessary reference to its proof. The object of Abraham’s faith was not on God’s promise (that was the occasion of its reference) but rested on God Who made the promise [Romans 4:17-21].

Faith is non-meritorious and has no power of its own. The power is on God the object of our faith. Faith for example does not rest on the wooden cross-used by Christ, not on the dead person but on the Living Person [Romans 3:25].

LITTLE FAITH, literally “little of faith” (OLIGOPISTOS-oligopistos) is used only by the Lord as a tender rebuke for anxiety of those who refused to accept and believe Him.

GENUINE FAITH has 4 elements:

1. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ
2. A doctrinal knowledge of God
3. Conviction based on knowledge
4. Manifestation of that conviction

A DEAD FAITH is purely academic knowledge of God, religious not biblical in context and without reality. Dead faith is futile and handicap to bring the reality of salvation [James 2:14]. Dead faith is not faith at all.

A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, AND NOT BY FAITH ALONE refers to several doctrinal truths [James 2:24].

Paul in his epistle to Romans had in mind Abraham’s attitude toward God-his acceptance of God’s Word. Paul used the event in Abraham’s life recorded in Genesis 15, James that in Genesis 22. Paul focus on BELIEVED [Genesis 15:6] and James on OBEYED [Genesis 22:18].

Paul was dealing with genuine faith while James was talking about dead faith [James 2:14, 17, 20], that kind of faith that cannot save.

For Paul faith is the acceptance of God’s Word (the whole doctrine), with James it is the acceptance of the truth (certain statements about God), which may fail to affect one’s conduct. With Paul results in acceptance with God, that is justification.

With Paul, works are dead works (human good works). With James they are life works (divine good works). With regards to justification, Paul is occupied with right relationship with God, James with right conduct. Paul testifies that the ungodly can be justified by faith; James testifies that only the doer of God’s Word is justified. 

To dispute that salvation is by faith plus works and use the words of James is very appropriate for some cults because they already warranted their condemnation to hell. The “faith” of James cannot save anyone unless it shows it works. 

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine ministries