“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” PHILLIPIANS 2:12

Ever think about modern day watchmen?

Like a world riddled with spiritual landmines at every turn, gentle warnings of watch out for the candy-coats, watch out for the demonic masquerading as harmless fun, watch out for the money preachers, watch out for the unholy, watch out for the bad jokes taking aim at God and his kingdom.

Watch out for the temptations and there are now more than ever, watch out for the heresies and false religions, watch out for the those who twist his word.

Far too many pitfalls to name that we must be aware of.

Because if we are not watchful and aware, along for the walk, following whoever, whatever, not really seeing our path, just trusting them to guide, we will find ourselves fallen, trapped in a pit.

As they just walk on, happily on their own way, not stopping to help anyone up out of the pit, because hey after all, we were the ones who fell in it, not their problem.

Of all the pitfalls in the entire natural and spiritual world, the one that I detest the most it has to be the pitfall of doctrine.

More people leave the church and Christianity due to being hurt rather than anything the devil does.

Why would he need to do more, when he is dangling lambs over spiritual cliffs, wounded, scared and feeling hopeless, someone happens by and for a brief moment the lamb hopes for rescue, but quickly finds ridicule instead.

They are not met with an extended hand offering a way back up, they are not met with kindness, mercy, and compassion, they find themselves met with harsh criticism and the spiritual equivalent of blaming the lamb for its predicament.

Chiding the lamb for being too close to the edge and telling it that it got itself on that cliff, it can get itself down.

Now I am specifically referring to lambs that have been attacked by the enemy and suffering from the pains and sorrows of this world, they are hurt, scared, disoriented, desperately trying to hold on to God, his promises and waiting for a little help back up.

But I feel so strongly on this subject, because I know who God is and I know that he is merciful, kind, and loving and I do understand his wrath, fifty percent of my site deals with that subject but God’s wrath is not toward his children!

To subdue that wrath is why Jesus died and rose victorious.

It is why God sent prophet after prophet, minister after minister offering the gift of salvation to any who will accept it so they will escape that wrath.

To continue to add burdens to lambs is not what the Gospel is about.

Before I get to far along, I want to go to this verse to prove through the word of God, how serious he is on this subject.

GALANTIANS 6:1: ” Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

Are you digging that?

Faults, think of sin, pornography, lying, stealing, cheating, temptations, drinking, inappropriate relationships outside of marriage, any human condition that can draw one away from the faith.

And he is saying those of the church are to restore that person, by going to them in meekness, which is love, gentleness, and mercy.

Considering ourselves that we could also fall into such temptation due to our reaction to them.

We are not told to criticize, humiliate, and chastise that person, consider how we would want to be treated if it were us and also that in criticizing others, we will find ourselves wearing the same shoes that we have callously mocked them for wearing.

So we see, there is no appropriate place, reason, or time for any of us to lambaste lambs, by emotionally abusing them and verbally wound them even deeper through outright remarks or veiled comments specifically aimed at that person.

This is a direct result of doctrine after doctrine being allowed in churches, each church should have one doctrine. Whatever that church chooses to follow, Baptist, Methodist, whatever particular belief that church was founded on, because once we get away from that, there is no longer the Bible concept of one mind, one accord.

How can we possibly worship in spirit and truth, praying in one mind and one accord, if we have completely different convictions concerning that truth.

To clarify, there are many offshoots of Baptist, not picking on them they are just a well-known denomination and good example, you have old school Primitive who are as strict as they come and you have more modern branches that are more yielding.

Apostolic churches are another good example, hardcore who believe women cannot wear pants, or makeup, speak or have medication during childbirth, and those who believe that without accepting Christ as not only Saviour but as God himself will result in eternal damnation.

And other Apostolic branches whose love for Christ and others, overshadows these old time-held traditions.

Denominations that advocate spanking, and other forms of physical discipline, which is also a hard argument to wage against.

Many often quote “spare the rod spoil the child”, thanks to my Miss Robin, as she shared a minister had pointed out that that is not actually a quote from the Bible.

That is a phrase adapted from a verse in Proverbs, people run with it, and no one will ever convince me that Jesus would hit a child.

Never.

Why would he tell us to turn the other cheek when someone hits us, but allow it to be permissible to hit your child in anger?

Anyone ever hear the story of the great Welsh revival in which the donkeys had to be retrained for work, because they had been so abused and horrifically treated before their owner’s repentance that they did not understand kindness. 

Which is heart sickening, but since the dawn of time people have tried to use God as their excuse to excuse their behavior, but God holds a higher standard, anyone can hit when angry, restraint is the greater quality.

This is one of those teaching that allows mercy to make a way, people have the choice to show mercy.

It also qualifies under reaping and sowing:

PSALMS 18:2526: ” With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward (shrewd) thou wilt shew thyself froward.“

JAMES 2:13: ” For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed (shown) no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

Those who show no mercy will be shown no mercy and mercy pleads against judgment.

God constantly displays his mercy toward us.

He has shown us this just in the fact that this world currently stands.

Discipline can be many things and such as when Jesus was questioned about divorce and remarriage in the kingdom, he told them that the Mosiac divorce law was given because of the hardness of their hearts.

Which means because they wanted a way out, they were given that option.

Just because you have the option does not mean that it is the right thing to do.

Once upon a time, an eye for an eye was observed, but Jesus came to this earth to show us the behavior that he preferred.

HOSEA 6:6: “For I (the Lord speaking,) desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than burnt offering.”

The definition of mercy: ” Compassion or forgiveness shown to someone whom it’s in one’s power to punish or harm.”

While it is true that God is not a respecter of persons, meaning that he does offer the free gift of salvation to all, every one, every nation, every language, it is offered to all.

Mercy falls along the line of do unto others, in that we will receive exactly what we give.

This can be found in Exodus also, but I want to use this, it’s a little shorter.

ROMANS 9:15: ” For he (God) saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Harshness may work for the old school crew, but God knows his children, he knows what they suffered, and he extends mercy and forgives as he sees fit not according to what man’s doctrine dictates.

It’s the spiritual equivalent to being an emergency medical technician and called to the scene of an accident, once there finding a person lying withering in pain with a clearly broken leg and rather than treat the injury, the worker scoffs, telling the victim that they evidently didn’t know how to drive and the accident was all their fault, and begins to jump up and down on the injured leg, so much so, that it is no longer just broken it is now completely shattered.

PROVERBS 12:18: “There is that  speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.”

Words have power, as we all know, and words given by those who are in the place of perceived spiritual authority cause the deepest of wounds.

Words are meant to encourage, uplift, and offer hope.

Doctrines, this is the place of the other sheep, this is the place of working out your own salvation, in seriousness and adherence to God’s word, this is where you find your church family, this is where your walk can be strengthened, or this is where you will be left completely shattered, broken much worse than before. 

PHILLIPPAINS 1:14-18: “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing (growing) confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even of anger and strife; and some also of good will:

The one preach Christ of contention (dispute), not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.

What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.“

Paul highlights us to different preaching styles in this account and even though many were not right, he still rejoiced in knowing that the name of Christ was spreading and he had confidence in knowing that God works everything for the greater good.

These are the modern-day Pharisees, and these doctrines have led to the downfall of many churches.

MATTHEW 23:4: “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne,and lay them upon men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”

Meaning putting law after law, in our case condemnation and spiritual blame, one after another on people’s shoulders, causing them great pain under the weight of it and do nothing to help ease that burden.

MATTHEW 24: 13: ” But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer (permit) ye that are entering to go in.”

This is reference to them making it so hard, so harsh that no one could measure up to their demands, people who wanted to go to heaven would be discouraged by their teaching because no one could fulfill the demands.

MATTHEW 24:15: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass the sea and the land to make one proselyte (convert), and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”

Do everything in their power to convert one and then through their teachings produce one that is far harsher and farther away from God than even they.

MATTHW 24:23: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted (left out) the weightier (more important) matters of the law, judgment (justice), mercy, and faith: these ought ye have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

They keep the law as in their tithing, but they completely ignored showing compassion, mercy, and justice, though they kept part, they were still not right with God because of their lack of these spiritual attributes.

Of course, those are but a few scriptures dealing with this subject, it is a long chapter, so I could not include it all, but I do suggest reading entire chapter, really enlightening. 

I want to encourage you today, if you are one of the lambasted lambs, please never believe that it is God that is hurting you, God does not hurt his children.

If we get crazy and get out of line, we can certainly receive a warning, but even in that, God is gentle, private and protective of us. 

I share this as my own story, when I was saved, I was saved at home after quite the process, I was given the incredible gift of Holy Ghost, and my dad took me to his church that Sunday and I was baptized.

I loved the Lord and had been given such mercy and grace and forgiveness and truly held no ill will toward anyone, it was a brand-new life.

But I found as I went, there were different ministers and sometimes I would feel so good, so excited to go to his house, but once there the sermons would be so critical, so harsh, so hopeless that I would come home and cry for the entire week.

And these services were not “stepping on toes” as harder messages are often described.

These were no matter what you do it will never be good enough; you are not even saved until you are dead. endure to the end or you’re not saved.

And concerning callings, you better do your job, or he will take it and give it someone else, it is disobedience!

Finally, one night, I was absolutely hysterical after listening to this doctrine for an hour, no one wants to go to hell and how do you do your calling if you don’t know what you are even called to do?

I asked the Pastor, the first one I later ended up training under, were we really held responsible for what we don’t even know?

And it was explained to me completely logically; God will never hold you accounted for something you are not aware of and why would he tell someone else what your job is and not tell you.

Which is exactly what I thought.

There is the problem, these things are taught, and no one bothers to correct these teachings.

Once you are saved, accept Jesus, you are saved period.

There is no test, you know you are saved, you know when you repented, and doctrines steal your hope, your joy, and your peace.

To this day, I still hear, you are not saved until you have “endured to the end” we are not allowed to even say that we are saved in certain circles, without a good tongue-lashing.

But I know this means that we are to endure, in the faith of Christ, until the end, it does not that we are not saved.

But I don’t argue the point because it’s pointless, it’s an argument I won’t win and if people are fine living every day in mortal fear of hell, that’s them, that’s not my definition of salvation.

EPHESIANS 4:30:” And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

That right there, that means we are sealed in God until the day we are taken out of this world, we are his.

I tell you all of that to tell you this, nurture your relationship with Jesus, go online to the King James Online website and have your own feast!

Search things like God’s love, God’s compassion, grace, mercy, and let his word and the truth of his word tear down all the doctrine of man, the more you seek him the closer he will be and soon his word will rise up in you when you are subjected to these doctrines.

And remember he brings comfort.

John 14: 26,27: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Jesus promised us peace; he told us not be afraid, don’t let doctrines, and men take away that blessed truth, if you asked to be saved, you are saved. 

You will be eternally with him, please don’t let anyone steal the hope and peace you can have in him while we wait for that glorious day.

Love & Peace till next time!

 Φλογιζω NBJ 2025/ Rev. N. Brown Johnson