Foxe’s Book of Martyrs – Message 20 - Sold Out For Jesus Or Selling Him Out – September 15th, 2024

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs says the following about the Apostle Matthias. “This apostle and martyr was called to the apostleship after the ascension of Christ, to supply the vacant place of Judas, who had betrayed his Master. St. Matthias was martyred at Jerusalem, being first stoned and then beheaded.”

We get the privilege to commemorate the Apostle Matthias, who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and sold Him out to the religious Jews for 30 pieces of silver and committed suicide after being found guilty of his betrayal of Christ.  

In most of Hollywood's films that feature the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, he is portrayed as someone who comes under deep conviction of his sin and his repentance is found by his action to return the money and kill himself. This is simply not true, and Judas did not truly repent, otherwise he would have not killed himself, but rather would have found forgiveness for his sins, but it’s clear that Judas was simply caught in his sin of betrayal for money and sought no forgiveness, but instead killed himself, which there is no forgiveness found in the act of suicide.   

Acts 1:15-20 recounts how Matthias was chosen; “15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the [a]disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”

18 (Now this man purchased a field with the [b]wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his [c]entrails gushed out. 19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be [d]desolate,
And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his [e]office.’”

One of the prerequisites required of Matthias to replace Judas, was that he had to have been a disciple of Christ from the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, and this was understandable in that Matthias was not a novice nominal believer, but rather was a seasoned believer who was not just a fan of Jesus from a distance but was a follower from day one.  

Acts 1:21-26 says the following; “21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

Judas was numbered among the twelve Apostles, chosen by Jesus, but somewhere along the way in ministry was known by himself and others to be a thief, who would take money from the ministry money box that he was put in charge of as treasurer.

This is revealed in John 12:3-6, where Judas witnesses Jesus being anointed with expensive perfumed oil by Mary and writer reveals Judas’s true colours.

John 12:3-6; “3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for [a]three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.”

When a Christian gives lavishly outside of ministry to a minister of the Gospel, whether they need it or not, it reveals what’s in the heart of Christians that hear about it, and often is viewed as a waste of money that should have been given directly to the ministry instead of the minister, just like what we read about with Mary and her perfume. It would be like God putting it upon your heart to give a car to a minister that already has a car, but the Lord told you to give him another car because he’s going to need it. In the natural it doesn’t look like he needs a car because he has one. But we don’t look at things in the natural, we just obey the Lord when He says, ‘give him a car.’ It’s a very sore spot when the pocketbook is talked about, isn’t it? Because in the natural you’re right away judging the fact that the minister has two cars now.

This is a very sensitive subject, only because of the love of money that is in the heart of many Christians that hinders them from giving without expecting anything in return, and this is why Christians won’t give to non-profits that can’t provide a tax right off, because they view it as poor stewardship to not sow where they can benefit from the tax return. So if this is really the case, then whatever tax benefits are received in return for their giving, should all be given back to the non-profit they gave to because if they tithe the required 10 percent and received a percentage back, they technically never gave the full ten percent. But who really gives their tax benefits back to the non-profit that entitles them to it?  

This is only one aspect because the majority of Christians, according to polls (90-95%), don’t even tithe 10% to the church, so they’re robbing from God according to Malachi 3:8-12. Honestly then, whoever boasts that they’re tithing the full 10% of their income yet wait expectantly for a percentage back from the government at tax time to maybe save it for a rainy day, take a trip or whatever, have they really tithed 10%? So is it really good stewardship and obedience to the word of God, justifying the ends from the means? What’s your excuse today, Christian?

It all comes back down to the love of money which Jesus said was the root of all evil, but money in and of itself is not evil, and as it was with Judas’s untruthful care for the poor, it will be revealed what’s in the heart of a person when it comes to how they not only react to a minister given something that will only benefit the minister, but also how they strictly believe that to not tithe is stealing from God, yet they keep for themselves the tax benefits with the boast of being faithful tithers and a good stewards of God’s money, but have they been? I’m sure Judas often said to himself that the end justifies the means while stealing from the money box. So hypothetically, if a Christian gives their 10% tithe to their own church and haven’t supported any other non-profit organization, and at the end of the year at tax time, they know they’re going to receive a percentage back from the government solely because of their tithes, have they really given the 10%? I think the best thing a Christian can do is give the money back to the church or organization they benefited from.  

Another fact, if you’re just giving because you know you’ll get money back on your tax returns, is it really giving or is it just a write-off with benefits? Jesus even says to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing when you give, now you have the government involved in what you’re doing because you’re expecting back from them. When you give to a non-profit that can’t give you a tax deductible receipt, you’re giving not expecting anything in return but trusting that God will give you an abundant return. Be a generous steward with what God has given to you, giving not expecting anything in return. I think King Solomon would even agree with this wisdom. I didn’t read about this in a book, the Holy Spirit gave it to me to help you get blessed! If you do give and get something in return, do what’s right with it.

This message does not apply to our church, Salvation Studio House, because we don’t give out tax deductible receipts as we’re not registered with the CRA, so I’m not doing this for personal benefit. If anything, those who will benefit will be the churches around this town, in Alberta, in Canada and around the world because all of a sudden, the ones who are tithing are cutting them extra cheques when they get their tax benefits back at the end of the year! As a result, they’re more blessed because they’re doing what is right according to the word of God. It’s ok when you do what’s right, it’s good when you repent after coming to the knowledge of the truth. Do what’s righteous and right before the word of God.

God is raising up a generation of ministers that are going to do what is right and righteous at all times. They’re not going to go the way of Judas, they’re not going to make merchandise of Jesus, they’re not going to so much as sell their teaching, sell their music CD’s, they’re not going to sell their movies, you won’t have to pay see them...we’ll call them the Matthias Generation, Christians who won’t sell Jesus out but will freely preach the gospel and with their own money, they’ll raise up product for free to distribute to everyone for free. Freely they’ve received the teaching, they’ll make it available to you for free. You’ll  have the option to give them a love offering but the ministers will be giving it away for free, no charge, no more hand in the pot, no more counting the money. The money they’re counting is the money coming in as a result of offerings, they’re being good stewards of it to print books, burn CD’s/DVD’s and make digital copies...all for free. I personally believe that those who don’t merchandise the gospel but give their product away by not selling it, will as a result reap a better monetary return than if they would have sold it. Give it away and trust the Lord to give the return.

Even Ananias and Sapphira boasted that they ‘were just being prudent,’ when they withheld a portion of the sale of their property. Their ‘prudence’ cost them their lives. Lying to the Holy Spirit cost them their lives...so is it worth it?

Matthias had no idea when he followed Jesus from the beginning of his ministry, that he would become the Apostle that one day would replace Judas, and even today, there are many Christians who have followed Jesus faithfully from the day of their conversion, who have no knowledge that they will be replacing minsters of the Gospel who have sold out Jesus and their call to ministry in exchange for the love of money, the root of all kinds of evils.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 says the following in the Amplified Bible; “6 But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery]. 10 For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.”

So once again, it wasn’t the money itself that was evil, because if that was the case, then the ministry of Jesus would have never had a treasurer overseeing a ministry money box, and we wouldn’t be even talking about the betrayal of Judas and his replacement Matthias.

Acts 1:21-22 says; “21Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

So if according to this scripture, Matthias was present at the day of Pentecost and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:1-4.

Matthias would have been with Jesus and remained with Him when many of His disciples deserted Him in John 6:60-70, so even though there is not much to be said about Matthias in the Bible, we can can pretty much derive that he faithfully obeyed and followed Jesus from the beginning of his ministry, and he was not a lover of money.

It’s important to face the reality that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and many professing Christians in the lifetime of Matthias were lovers of money, and I can only imagine that Matthias having taken over Judas’s position, was tempted in many ways to also become a lover of money.

Let’s look at some scriptures that talk about all the evils that stem from the love of money.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 says in the Amplified Bible; “9 But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth]fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery]. 10 For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.”

Selling Jesus out. Merchandising Jesus. Taking the money and running. Start up a ministry in one town for years and years and years, then go to another to start another one, taking all the money with them from the offerings and tithes from that town. Taking the money and run to another town without leaving a remnant to continue the work. It’s called selling out. Selling out your gift and talent, charging for admission, charging to hear you speak and deliver the word of the Lord.

James 5:1-6 says in the Amplified Bible; “5 Come [quickly] now, you rich [who lack true faith and hoard and misuse your resources], weep and howl over the miseries [the woes, the judgments] that are coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted and is ruined and your [fine] clothes have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in the last days [when it will do you no good]. 4 Look! The wages that you have [fraudulently] withheld from the laborers who have mowed your fields are crying out [against you for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of [a]the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 On the earth you have lived luxuriously and abandoned yourselves to soft living and led a life of wanton pleasure [self-indulgence, self-gratification]; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and have put to death the righteous man; he offers you no resistance.”

How about the ministries that have missionaries working for them and don’t pay them or give them a love offering? Oh, it’s all in the name of being a volunteer you say, yet you and your ministry benefit monetarily but they don’t benefit. It’s a form a Christian slavery, although you may say you can’t call it that because they’re volunteering. Well that’s because you refuse to pay and you’re raising up volunteers so you can get rich in your ministry, so you can fly around the world in your jets, to live in multi-million dollar mansions all over the world and have TV stations all over the world.  You say, well I do that because of my teachings that I sell, my personal publishing company that publishes my teachings. Well, you just told on yourself. Having withheld the wages of the workers that are due them. You say, well I never promised them anything, that’s even worse. You should be giving them a love offering at least and if you haven't even done that, then shame on you, to have Christians work in your ministry that you’re not paying. Go get right with God, stop enslaving missionaries, do what’s righteous. I could go on and on but I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s called being fraudulent, but I think God sees it as even worse. Maybe you need to go and do some back-pay, like Zacchaeus, and pay those you robbed from and never paid, go get right with God and get right with those you robbed from.

When the righteous man speaks up, you kick him out of your church or ministry when the righteous prophet exposes what you’re doing you have them put to death, maybe not physically, but you have their voice put to death and you get rid of them. This is so real, but the Lord sees everything.

Let’s close with the Apostle Paul summing up in the following scripture the hardships that Apostle Matthias faced with the rest of the Apostles. When you read this, do a comparison with your own life, to those that have sold Jesus out; these twelve never sold Jesus out.  

1 Corinthians 4:9-13 Amplified Bible says; “9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles at the end of the line, like men sentenced to death [and paraded as prisoners in a procession], because we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater], both to angels and to men. 10 We are [regarded as] fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are highly esteemed, but we are dishonored. 11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are continually poorly dressed, and we are roughly treated, and wander homeless. 12 We work [for our living], working hard with our own hands. When we are reviled and verbally abused, we bless. When we are persecuted, we take it patiently and endure. 13 When we are slandered, we try to be conciliatory and answer softly. We have become like the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

That was Matthias’s end as well as the other 11 Apostles. Paul is speaking for all of the Apostles here. This is absolutely not an anti-prosperity message because we know that God will bless the work of the Christians, ministers, prophets, and pastors hands as they do what is ethically right with their money. Judas was unethical, but as we’ve studied today, many Christians are being unethical. Do what’s right, Christian, stop selling Jesus out, no matter how rationally and logistically it’s presented to you, that you have to package your gift and sell it in such and such a way to make money. Trust God to bring in the money so that you can package the gift He’s given you so that you can freely distribute it. Trust Him for the benefits, trust Him to overcome you with His blessings, trust Him to overcome you with the blessings of Abraham when you refuse to sell Jesus out.  

Anyone can sell Jesus out...but can anyone honestly be sold out for Jesus Christ? Can you honestly be sold out for what He requires of you to really do? It’s not easy to be sold out for Jesus because you’ll have to die to self, you may have to run your ministry in a way that might seem ‘up-stream, swimming against the flow,’ it might go against all rational of how to do Christian business, it might make you look a little foolish in the beginning because in the beginning you might not see the immediate return. But what it comes right down to is that you give freely and expect nothing in return. It’s not about the return, Jesus makes it very clear that He’ll supply all of your needs according to His glory and riches. You need to trust Jesus for His return, don’t put a limit on Him, He wants to overwhelm you with His blessings as you do what’s right. Keep your hand out of the money box.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs – Message 19 – August 18th, 2024, The Apostle Thaddeus 

We have the privilege today to commemorate the Apostle Thaddeus, who was one of the original 12 apostles who Jesus hand-picked and ministered to and with for a period of three years – that’s a long time, 36 months, 4 seasons multiplied by 3. It was during the training period of ministry, that Thaddeus became also known to the Apostles as Judas and Lebbaeus.

Got Questions says this about him;

“Jerome, a fourth-century Bible scholar, dubbed Thaddeus “Trinomious,” which means “the man with three names.” In both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the apostle is listed as Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18). In the King James Version of Matthew 10:3, he is called “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus.” Luke, however, replaces the name Thaddeus with “Judas son of James” in both Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13. And when the apostle John mentions Thaddeus, he calls him “Judas (not Iscariot)” (John 14:22).”

The following two scriptures mentions Thaddaeus by name.  

Matthew 10:3 says;“3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and [a] Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;”

Luke 6:13-16; “13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”

Let’s look at the words that Jesus spoke to His apostles prior to His death when He was in the upper room, where the only mention of Thaddeus speaking to Jesus is found.  

John 14:19-24 Amplified Bible it says; “19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, what has happened that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered, “If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. 24 One who does not [really] love Me does not keep My words. And the word (teaching) which you hear is not Mine, but is the Father’s who sent Me.19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you.”

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are dwelling in you today if you’re born again. Jesus’ response to Thaddeus seems vague as an answer, almost like he wasn’t answering him, but what it seems like He is saying to Thaddeus is that the world will be reached with gospel thru His Apostles and disciples, who the Father God will reveal Himself to as they obey His commandments.  If you want the Father to reveal Himself to you, obey His commandments. Jesus, since He ascended to heaven and is personally at the right hand of the Father, His Spirit - the Holy Spirit, is in those who are born again and are obedient to Him in preaching the gospel and the love of Jesus around the world. Millions have and are having the gospel preached to them through Jesus’ church. Jesus is being revealed through the church.

In other words, the revealing of the gospel to the world, is conditional upon whether or not those preaching the gospel obey the commandments of Christ. This is why it’s so important for Christians to obey what the Bible requires of them and not allow themselves to become independent and offer their lives to Christ on their own terms and conditions, for God the Father will not reveal Himself thru them to the world if it’s not on His terms of agreement that can only be found by obeying what Jesus requires of us as Christians.

Again, verses 23-24 says; “23 Jesus answered, “If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. 24 One who does not [really] love Me does not keep My words. And the word (teaching) which you hear is not Mine, but is the Father’s who sent Me.”

What this really reveals is that a person can believe in Jesus and call themselves a Christian and yet not really love Him, and this is revealed by not obeying what is required of them by Him as Christians. Jesus knew that the only way that His apostles and disciples could possibly endure the persecutions that would follow their preaching of the gospel, is that their love for Him needed to surpass their ministry of Him.  

We are living in times like never before that Christians are following Christ on their terms of agreement instead of His, and unfortunately those unbelievers that are in the world remain blinded by the god of this world simply because of Christians not obeying Jesus on His terms. If you want to reach the world, it requires you to be obedient. The blinders on the unsaved are not going to come off by a disobedient preacher or any Christian.

Got Questions says:

“The answer Jesus gave Thaddeus was simple: “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (John 14:23–24). Our love for God is expressed through obedience to His teaching. Love and obedience are inseparable for Christians.”

All of the apostles, except for Judas Iscariot, loved Jesus, and this is why the Father was able to reveal Himself to the unbelieving world of their day by the power of the Holy Spirit, with not only the performing of signs, wonders and miracles in Jesus’ name, but also the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in operation.  

There’s not much to be said about Thaddeus in the Bible, but one thing we know for sure is that he was in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost, and was baptized in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues.

Acts 1:12-13 reveals this; “12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.”

The reason that they were in the upper room was because they loved Jesus and obeyed His commandment found in Acts 1:4-5; “4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The apostles and disciples gathered in the upper room not on their own terms, but rather on the terms of agreement with Jesus and what He had commanded them to do.

Acts 2:1-4 says; “2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all [a]with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

We have to keep in mind that Thaddeus, as well as the rest of the Apostles, had witnessed a large number of Jesus’ disciples stop following Him after they were confronted with what it would cost to be His disciple found in John 6:60-71. We won’t read the whole section, but verses 66-68 says the following;

John 6:66-68; “66 From that time many of His disciples went [a]back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Just a side note, John 6:66 (666) can reveal how many of the disciples were following Jesus, but turned away because they were offended with Jesus’ teaching, in other words they backslid, they fell into apostasy, and we know that in the last days, apostasy will be one of the signs of Jesus’ return.

Thaddeus knew that he had to follow Jesus on Jesus’ terms of agreement, and like the rest of the Apostles except Judas, knew that Jesus alone had the words of eternal life, and there was no where else to go.  

Let’s look at what Jesus said that caused many to leave Him and not follow Him any more. John 6:53-58 Amplified Bible; “53 And Jesus said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you believe in Me as Savior and believe in the saving power of My blood which will be shed for you], you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] has eternal life [that is, now possesses it], and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true [spiritual] food, and My blood is true [spiritual] drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] remains in Me, and I [in the same way remain] in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, even so the one who feeds on Me [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] will also live because of Me. 58 This is the Bread which came down out of heaven. It is not like [the manna that] our fathers ate and they [eventually] died; the one who eats this Bread [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] will live forever.”

Jesus requested them to follow Him on His terms and conditions only, which would require them to give up their own preconceived terms and conditions. This was a hard saying in that it would mean obeying Him in every area of their lives. This also has reference to communion, the bread and wine.

There are Christians who are willing to celebrate God’s gift of life, and merchandise Christian product for profit, but disobey the fundamental tenants and doctrines of the Apostles with regards to church attendance and being baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  Willing to merchandise Him, but not willing to obey all His commandments, willing to be a fan of Jesus but not a follower. Jesus had a lot of fans that left Him when they realized what was required of them – the same is seen today.

We’ve mentioned this scripture in John 14:23-24 a few times where Jesus responds to Thaddeus’ one and only question mentioned in the Bible, but it’s worth repeating; “23 Jesus answered, “If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. 24 One who does not [really] love Me does not keep My words. And the word (teaching) which you hear is not Mine, but is the Father’s who sent Me.”

So it all comes back down to this, that if a person says they love Jesus, it will be revealed by their obedience to all His commandments.

In 1 John 2:3-6, the Apostle John talks about the test of knowing Him; “3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God [a]is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

When people see you, they should see Jesus, when they hear you and the words you’re speaking, they should hear Jesus, when they see how obedient you are to His word, they’re going to see Jesus, it’s going to be revealed to them, the scales will come off their eyes as you preach Jesus to them. The power of the Holy Ghost is going to come on you as you preach Jesus and the power is only going to be there because of your willingness to live an obedient life to Jesus. To obey His commandments.

It’s ok to test people who claim they are Christians, it’s important to ask what they believe or where they go to church, it’s good to know if they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, because their obedience to His commands will reveal their love for Him.

One thing we know for sure about Thaddeus, is that he was baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and he personally heard Jesus say the following found in John 14:23-24 as we’ve referenced a number of times today; “23 If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. 24 One who does not [really] love Me does not keep My words. And the word (teaching) which you hear is not Mine, but is the Father’s who sent Me.”

Got Questions says the following of Thaddeus;

“Extrabiblical literature says that, after Pentecost, Thaddeus took the gospel message north, where he performed miracles, preached, and founded a church in Edessa, an area in modern Turkey. One tradition says that he was either clubbed or axed to death for his faith, and another that he was crucified.”

Thaddeus obeyed Jesus, he preached the gospel, he had converts but together with that came persecution. I’m sure the god of this world who had blinded those he preached to, had their eyes opened and the scales came off because of his obedient walk with Jesus. He had the power of the Holy Spirit on him, he prayed for them and probably many signs, wonders and miracles happened because of his preaching the word.  

I believe the main thing that Jesus looked for in Thaddeus was, ‘do you love Me, Thaddeus do you love Me? Obey Me and I’ll open up the eyes of the world, if you love Me, obey Me and I’ll take the scales off their eyes, I’ll remove the blindness from their minds, so they can see clearly what you’re preaching. I’ll watch over My word but it’s going to require of you to love Me, obey Me as you go forward at all times, in every situation, love Me, obey Me. You’re sacrifice on the mission field is nothing if you don’t obey Me and besides that, there’s no power in your sacrifice to open up their eyes. Their eyes are only going to be open when you’re obedient to Me and when you love Me. That’s where the power of God the Father comes and works through Me, that’s where God the Father is revealing Himself to the person who needs the scales to come off their eyes, set them free and deliver them. God the Father wants to reveal Himself but it’s all conditional upon your obedience to Me, Thaddeus.’

So when you go out as a Christian, and you’re tempted to disobey God, it’s going to cost you dearly. The eyes of the world are not going to open up around you to the things of God, God the Father is not going to be revealed to them because you choose to disobey Him. Keep your love walk with Jesus #1, obey Him at all times and every situation, and you’ll see that the scales that the god of this world who has blinded their eyes, will fall off. You’ll have much opportunity to preach. Obey, obey, obey, it’s better than sacrifice. Thaddeus knew what it meant to obey Jesus, to love Jesus with all his heart, soul and mind and he knew the benefits of it.

Click here to read the prophecy from church.

Click on this link to read “Travesty", a film script by Salvation Studio House, which exposes merchandising in the church.

Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s – Message 16 - Christian Zeal Without Knowledge of the Word of God – June 23rd, 2024

We’re not at a funeral today. Again, we’re not at a funeral today but we’re bringing to memory someone who was martyred but it doesn’t make it a funeral. We’re celebrating the life of a martyr, we’re bringing him to memory. Today we have the privilege to commemorate the Apostle Simon the Zealot who according to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was crucified in Britain in 74 AD, which was under Roman rule at the time. Simon spent three years with Jesus and spent roughly the following 41 years preaching the gospel.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs says this about Simon;

“St. Simon.

The zeal of this apostle and martyr caused him to be distinguished by the name of Zelotes. He preached with great success in Mauritania and other parts of Africa, and even in Britain, where, though he made many converts, he was crucified by the pagans in the year 74.”

Prior to Simon being called by Jesus to be His disciple, he was a Zealot which is defined as follows in Christianity.com, which is one opinion on him;  

“The term "Zealot" refers to a political movement among Judeans that existed during the 1st century, which advocated for the violent overthrow of Roman rule in Judea. However, it is not definitively established whether Simon was actually a member of this movement. The label "Zealot" could indicate his zealous nature or fervent devotion to the Jewish faith and cause rather than membership in a specific political group.”

I lean more towards the latter description of Simon, only because the association of being a Zealot for wanting to overthrow Rome was not a good name to keep as a Christian, and I’m sure that Jesus would have never called him by that name if its derision came from acts of evil (violence and murder which that political movement was),and in fact, he is only mentioned twice by this name in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13 where he is called Zelotes. It would like a Christian being called, ‘Henry the Insurrectionist’, even though he’s born again but is referred to only as an insurrectionist and adding to the fact that any insurrectionist would be killed according to the Law. Rome did not favour zealots, so they wouldn’t have been calling him Simon the Zealot as being part of the political Jewish movement.

Luke 6:15 in the King James Version says; “15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,”  

The Bible definition of Zelotes is zealous, which means exactly what it says, and describes Simon’s zeal as a disciple of Christ. It’s like a newborn Christian who is zealous to preach the Gospel and has had a conversion that doesn’t allow the old worldly life to live anymore. How many times have you heard those ‘older or mature’ in the faith say things about newborn Christians like, ‘he’ll settle down after a little while, he’ll get mature, right now he’s just over zealous, it will fade and he’ll become mature like us, more seasoned.’ Sadly it happens.

BibleStudyTools.com gives this definition of Zelotes;  

“Zelotes Definition

1. one burning with zeal, a zealot
2. used of God as jealous of any rival and sternly vindicating his control
3. most eagerly desirous of, zealous for, a thing

    a. to acquire a thing, (zealous of)

            b. to defend and uphold a thing, vehemently contending for a thing”

It shows here that you can be zealous without using a sword, you can use the Word of the Lord as a sword without physically harming anyone, you can be zealous with God’s word in a good way not an evil or murderous way that a brings harm.

Luke 6:15 in the New King James Version says; “15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;”

In Matthew and Mark’s account he is known as Simon the Cananite

Matthew 10:4 in the New King James Version says; “4 Simon the [a] Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.”  

Mark 3:18 New King James Version says; “18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;”  

Simon obviously was zealous to live as a devout Jew and was even more zealous to live as a devout disciple and Apostle of Christ, and this was his reputation which gave him the name Zelotes, which had no association with the political movement among the Judeans who violently tried overthrow the rule of Rome in Judea.

As a Christian, our zeal for good works is good so long as it doesn’t violate what Jesus teaches us about walking in love towards not only members of the body of Christ, but also unbelievers. 

Simon not only witnessed what Jesus said about loving your enemy's found in Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-28, but he also witnessed Jesus’ zeal for His Father’s house by cleansing it of those who made it a house of merchandise found in Matthew 21:12-13. That must have been quite something to see because Jesus is talking about loving your enemies and love those that persecute you – those who are non-believers, yet those who are ‘believing Jews’, he takes a whip to and rebukes them from head to toe, reprimanding them for having made His Father’s house a house of merchandise, not of prayer.  

Jesus never cleansed the Roman Empire  with a whip, but He did cleanse His Father’s temple, and He does require Christians who are now the temple of the Holy Spirit to walk in love towards non-believers, and this includes governing authority's both then in Rome and now wherever Christians are living today. I don’t know about you, but when I wasn’t a Christian, I responded to the love of Jesus being shared with me, not the Bible-thumping negative, hell, fire and brimstone preaching. Not that that is bad but if it’s not done in love with sincerity and a salvation plan being offered, you leave a person without the solution, like John 3:16 or Romans 2:4 which says, “or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”  Preach the full gospel. You might say, ‘you sound like you’re getting lukewarm in your old age Pastor Richard’. No. But I do know that Christ commands us to walk in love.  

So when you’re about your daily business dealing with the secular, walk in love. Can you fail when you do that? Can you fail when you’re nice, kind and loving? It even makes you feel better when you do that, even if you’re walking out the door and you’ve got that, ‘kick the dog’ morning, as soon as you do something nice for someone, your whole mood and day changes. But if you don’t love as Christ loves, you’ll continue with the, ‘kick the dog’ day, that attitude will be with you all day and permeate everything you do. That’s why when you get into those moods, you have to stop, don’t allow yourself to curse them, but bless them instead and pray for them.  The unbelievers need the love of Christ, not the whip. Doesn’t it make you feel good when someone tells you your doing a great job? Do unto others as you would have them do to you. We all need affirmation. The last thing the unbeliever needs to see is your long face, Christian. Regardless of the real life issues you’re dealing with, God’s grace is sufficient for you and it’s made perfect in your weakness. That’s why you’re able to square your shoulders when everyone else is giving up because of the good countenance you have on you and the good words that you speak. Even if you’re not preaching the gospel your life should be an example of Christ’s love.

Simon’s zeal for obeying what Jesus required of him as a disciple, would have far out weighed his zeal as a devout Jew, for he would have clearly understood that unselfish love towards his neighbour is the fulfillment of the Law. Loving your neighbour is an action on your part, it’s not fulfilled until you act. You’d be surprised how the love engine will prime when you act on the love of Christ towards someone, regardless of how you feel emotionally or physically. Matthew 22:36-40 says; “36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Apostle Paul in Romans 13:8-10 Amplified Bible says; “8 [a]Owe nothing to anyone except to [b]love and seek the best for one another; for he who [unselfishly] loves his neighbor has fulfilled the [essence of the] law [relating to one’s fellowman]. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor [it never hurts anyone]. Therefore [unselfish] love is the fulfillment of the Law.”

There are Christians today who zealously gather to uphold rights freedoms being infringed upon by governmental overreach, and expect governing officials to respond in their favour, but they themselves are not able to zealously obey and uphold the governing order for church gathering laid out by the Apostles found in Ephesians 4:11-13 and altogether disregard the office of Pastor.

Ephesians 4:11-13 New King James Version “11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [a] edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the  unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of  Christ;”

You need these gifts in the church to equip you, Christian, to be edified. These are gifts from Jesus and they’re not to be despised or overlooked. We know we’re not going to be perfect until we’re with Jesus in heaven, but until then, He’s given ministry gifts to equip you to be able to live and walk. Here are some references to the office of the Pastor (Overseer/Bishop/Shepherds); 2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:28, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 5:1-4 and Titus 1:5-9.

If anyone experienced persecution from the government, it was the early Church, yet they did not let it effect gathering and submitting unto the Apostles doctrines and I believe this is why they had success and ultimately found favour and were given religious freedom rights to gather without persecution.  It’s more important for Christians to zealously obey what Jesus and His Apostles taught in the Bible and find favour with God, and it’s guaranteed that even their enemies will be at peace with them.  

There is nothing good about not allowing these five-fold ministry gifts to operate in the church. You can gather as Christians on a weekly basis for however long, but there is no blessing on it. Why? Because Jesus has given specific offices that He wants to see operating in church, in His body. There is no blessing in disregarding the offices of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. Do you think you’ll have favour with God by disregarding these offices? No. And when you don’t have favour with God, you don’t have favour with man as Proverbs 16:7 Amplified Bible says; “7  When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  

Could it be that Christians are loosing favour at freedom rally's because their love walk towards non-believing governing authorities is on the rocks, and their disregard for pastoral leadership and governing order in their Church is also on the rocks? These are real questions that Christians need to ask themselves, and it’s all the more reason to obey God’s word regarding Church gathering and their love walk towards non-believers that govern where they live. In doing so they find favour with God and man.  

Are you not getting favour today at your freedom rallies, is the government turning a deaf ear to you? Maybe look at your love walk, what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. Are you blessing them or are you cursing them? Loving them and blessing them will impact them, your prayers are going to change them more than your cursing them. Your love walk is going to have a greater affect on them than your lack of love towards them. Are the rights and freedoms they’re trying to take away from you real? Yes. But your response as a Christian is to walk in love at all times and every situation, that’s your responsibility and obligation. You’re governmental leader may not live next door to you, but the decisions they’re making over your country affect us as neighbours, they are your neighbours and you’re to bless them, love them, pray for them, trust God to change their hearts about the freedoms they’re trying to take away.  

The battle is not in the flesh, it’s in the spirit, your battle is with the devil that reigns in the heart of your unbelieving neighbour which is impacting your life. Believe it or not, they respond to love also, they respond to Jesus love and your prayers. Christians cannot respond like the secular regarding rights and freedoms. You have a different spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Don’t let the devil get the glory for what comes out of your mouth, let Jesus get the glory at all times and every situation. It won’t be easy and you’ll be tempted to respond as the world does, but don’t, you’re in this world but not of it.

You’ve heard the term, ‘first impressions’. You meet someone and the first impression is the last impression you have of them. So when you meet people you don’t know, let that impression be that of Jesus, not of the world. Don’t let them walk away with a bad impression of Christianity. Walk in what Jesus said, walk it out with your unbelieving neighbour, walk it out with the stubborn, obstinate, so-called Christian, walk in the love of Jesus when your persecuted. Ask Jesus to forgive you if you’re feeling angry towards those who are persecuting you. Don’t point your finger at someone else today as to how they’re responding, examine yourself and see if you’re responding according to the commandments of Jesus. Examine yourself when you hear terrible things of government overreach, what is your response? Are you praying for them or cursing them? Put them on the top of your prayer list.

What will you do in heaven when you see the wicked so-and-so, the one who you never thought would make it there, and they’re there because of the prayers you prayed for them. Never give up walking in perfect love. Prayer and love will dispel fear of anything or anyone that comes against you and the power of the Holy Spirit will take over. You don’t want to be known as the Christian walking in the flesh, talking in the flesh, full of anger, mad, full of hatred about what they’re doing. You want to be the one that is seeing it as a challenge to walk in peace, love and joy. It’s not easy, but it’s the right thing to do, it’s the fulfillment of the Law, to love your neighbour as yourself. You’re not going to commit adultery when you love your neighbour as yourself are you? You’re not going to murder, steal or covet are you? Why, because you’re loving them as yourself. You don’t want to have them murder, steal or covet you, right?

Again, Romans 13:8-10 Amplified Bible says; “8 [a]Owe nothing to anyone except to [b]love and seek the best for one another; for he who [unselfishly] loves his neighbor has fulfilled the [essence of the] law [relating to one’s fellowman]. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor [it never hurts anyone]. Therefore [unselfish] love is the fulfillment of the Law.”

So, where is your love walk towards governing authorities, pastoral leadership and all the offices that Jesus has placed in the church? Are you obeying the commandment of Jesus to love your neighbour as yourself? Is your zeal more for freedom fighting than it is for winning the lost and preaching the gospel? Be zealous like Simon Zelotes for the things of Christ Jesus. 2 John 6 Amplified Bible says; “And what this love consists in is this: that we live and walk in accordance with and guided by His commandments (His orders, ordinances, precepts, teaching). This is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you continue to walk in love [guided by it and following it].”

Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Love/Hate Relationship – Christian Response to Persecution – Message 15, June 9th, 2024

Have you ever heard that someone has a love/hate relationship with someone?  It seems impossible doesn’t it. So today as we hear the word, we’ll examine our hearts to see if it’s that way with our persecutors. You love God but you hate your persecutors, that’s an oxymoron, it goes contrary and doesn’t make sense does it. We say we love Jesus but we hate our persecutors, we say we love Jesus but when we murder with our mouths when we are angry towards those that persecute the gospel, we’re guilty of murder. It’s good to put a guard over your mouth that you don’t sin against God, it’s good to put a guard over your heart because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. It’s good to guard that area of your life. You want to stand before God with clean hands and a pure heart having not murdered anyone with your mouth through hatred and anger. Proverbs 4:23 says; “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Today's message is primarily focusing on a persecutor of Christians named Emperor Domitian, who ruled over Rome from 81-96 AD, about a 15 year reign.  

Bible Study Tools from Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s says the following about Domitian;  

“The Second Persecution, Under Domitian, A.D. 81
The emperor Domitian, who was naturally inclined to cruelty, first slew his brother, and then raised the second persecution against the Christians. In his rage he put to death some of the Roman senators, some through malice; and others to confiscate their estates. He then commanded all the lineage of David be put to death.

Among the numerous martyrs that suffered during this persecution was Simeon, bishop of Jerusalem, who was crucified; and St. John, who was boiled in oil, and afterwards banished to Patmos. Flavia, the daughter of a Roman senator, was likewise banished to Pontus; and a law was made, "That no Christian, once brought before the tribunal, should be exempted from punishment without renouncing his religion."  

Domitian’s heavy hand of anger and rage came down on the Christians. The manifestation of anger and rage is murder. Domitian deified himself as a god, which required all his subjects to worship him as such, and no one was exempt, including Christians whom he persecuted in fits of anger for not bowing their knees to worship him as a god. Anger, fits of rage, murder.

In BibleArcheology.org, it says the following in The Shiloh Excavations;

“The Self-Deified Emperor

Emperor Domitian had a definite ego problem! In Imperial Rome the senate would deify an emperor upon death (Kreitzer 1990: 210–17). However, like Gaius Caligula, and well attested by ancient writers, Domitian could not wait until death and deified himself.

Seutonius (AD 75-ca. 140), in his Lives of the Caesars, wrote: "With no less arrogance he began as follows in issuing a circular letter in the name of his procurators, ‘Our Master and our God bids that this be done’" [Dominus et deus noster hoe fieri iubet] (Rolfe; 1992: 367).

He also delighted in the adulation of the people in the amphitheater when they shouted, “Good Fortune attends our Lord and Mistress” [Domino et dominae feliciter] (Rolfe 1992:367).”

The persecution of Christians by Domitian was as a result of uncontrollable anger, and hatred towards the resurrected person of Jesus Christ, and he was only fulfilling what Jesus said in John 15:18-25 Amplified Bible; “18 “If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember [and continue to remember] that I told you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But they will do all these [hurtful] things to you for My name’s sake [because you bear My name and are identified with Me], for they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me also hates My Father. 24 If I had not done among them the works (attesting miracles) which no one else [ever] did, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now [the fact is that] they have both seen [these works] and have hated Me [and continue to hate Me] and My Father as well. 25 But [this is so] that the word which has been written in their Law would be fulfilled, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”

Bible Study Tools from Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s says;  

“A variety of fabricated tales were, during this reign, composed in order to injure the Christians. Such was the infatuation of the pagans, that, if famine, pestilence, or earthquakes afflicted any of the Roman provinces, it was laid upon the Christians. These persecutions among the Christians increased the number of informers and many, for the sake of gain, swore away the lives of the innocent.
Another hardship was, that, when any Christians were brought before the magistrates, a test oath was proposed, when, if they refused to take it, death was pronounced against them; and if they confessed themselves Christians, the sentence was the same.”

Hatred, anger, murder. Domitian was just behaving like his spiritual father the devil, and in that case, everything was just normal for him, and we as Christians have to keep this in perspective when we are persecuted by non-Christian politicians where we live, employers where we work, teachers where we are schooled, coaches in sports where we play, etc..., because if Jesus is not their father, they are just behaving like their daddy the devil, and everything is just normal as far as they are concerned.    

To them, you’re the abnormal one. That’s often why in places of employment, Christians are excluded or not given the wages they deserve or are due and their job placement is below them; in sports, they’re benched when they don’t deserve to be benched or not given priority when they are more than capable of fulfilling the task at hand; schools are full of teachers and principals who persecute Christian children, no matter how hard the kids study, they’re at the back of the bus, they are persecuted. It might not be blatant persecution, but they persecute you in a round-a-bout way that’s not directly related to your Christian faith but is indirect, to attack you, persecute you, hate you, be angry with you in other ways as just mentioned. All for being a Christian.  

But should you be so surprised at their behaviour and say, ‘how are they getting away with that?’ You may say, ‘this needs to be dealt with, how are they getting away with it? Don’t they know that I know that they’re persecuting me?’ If your employer, principal, coach, etc., are not Christian, they’re just acting like their father the devil and it’s just normal. It’s normal to persecute Christians in the devil’s ideology, directly or indirectly. The devil convinces those who are his that Christians have mental illness, that they’re the abnormal one, that they’re the one that needs a change of mind and that they’re sincerely deceived.

What should be the Christian’s response today to the persecutions of our modern-day Domitian's? Let’s look at what Jesus says in His Bible.  

Matthew 5:43-48 Amplified Bible “43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, [a]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. 46 For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? 48 You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:10-12 Amplified Bible says; “10 “Blessed [comforted by inner peace and God’s love] are those who are persecuted for [a]doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].11 “Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me. 12 Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

If you as Christian are not willing to be worldly in secular settings and worship what ever image is being portrayed, you will be persecuted for not just standing up for righteousness, but rather for simply being a follower of Christ.

Again, Matthew 5:43-45 says; “43You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, [a]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him].”

Religious rights and freedoms should never take precedence over what the Christians response is to persecution, and when it comes right down to it, what’s more important, the salvation of your persecutors or your Christian religious rights and freedoms?  Modern day Domitian's don’t give a rip about a Christians religious rights and freedoms, and will find ways to persecute and undermine them in ways that are not an obvious reflection of their Christian religious beliefs. Your response to persecution to whatever degree it is, is to walk in love and pray for them. Is it easy? Not at all, but that’s what Jesus specifically says we’re to do.

Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s says; "Many were the accusations brought against the followers of Christ. They were charged with holding disorderly, nightly meetings; with being of a rebellious, turbulent spirit; of murdering their children, and even of being cannibals. If famine, or pestilence, or earthquakes afflicted any of the Roman provinces, these calamities were said to have been sent by the gods to punish the Christians.”

The various kinds of punishments and cruelties inflicted were imprisonment, racking, burning, scourging, stoning, hanging, and worrying by wild beasts. Many were forced to fall headlong from high places, and others were thrown upon the horns of wild bulls. After having perished under these cruelties, the poor privilege of burying the dead bodies was refused their friends.”

Romans 12:17-21 Amplified Bible says; “17 Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heap [a]burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Paul explicitly says that this is the Christians response, whether you’re being persecuted by the world or the religious who don’t have Jesus as their Lord. Is it easy? Not at all. But always, always, always remember that vengeance is from the Lord, and He knows how to deal with the Domitian’s in your life. At the same time, it’s not God’s will that the Domitian's perish and spend eternity separated from Him. It’s His will that they repent and come to know Him as Lord as a result of your Christian walk and witness in their lives. I know it looks like God could never save that employer, coach, principal, in the natural. That’s why you have to pray, bind the devil over their lives that’s causing them to be evil towards the Christians. You’re responsible to pray, not to take up hatred, anger, speak evil, gossip etc., your job is to pray.

It’s more important for Christians to pray and exercise their authority over the devil that is operating thru their persecutors, than it is to become angry and hateful towards them who are just behaving like their daddy. It’s their father the devil that Christians have to deal with, and that’s where the battle is to be fought, in the Spirit, not in the flesh.   

Ephesians 4:26-27 Amplified Bible says; “26 Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. 27 And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].”

So, are you going to be angry with sin, the injustices that are going on around you, in your own personal life or in the lives of other Christians, yes, but you can’t harbour it, meditate on it, nurture it or go to bed with it on your mind, you have to repent, give it to God and pray for those who are doing this.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Amplified Bible says;“3 For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man. 4 The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,”

I’m convinced that the reason why some Christians rely more on Freedom Rally’s than they do on prayer, is that they have believed the lie that if they don’t stand up for their rights and freedoms that they will eventually loose them, but the truth is, is that they have already lost them in battle if prayer is not the priority over rally’s. It was the prayers of the early Church that eventually granted them freedom of religion under the Emperor Constantine, and it will be the prayers of Christians and their love walk that will turn our Godless Antichrist leaders to become Christians and Glorify God.

Matthew 5:21-22 Amplified Bible says; “21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be [a]guilty before the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, [b]‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the [c]fiery hell.”

In Revelation 2, Jesus gives a message to the Church of Smyrna, who suffered the worst of all the seven churches mentioned by Him in Revelation. They were known by Jesus as The Persecuted Church and it says; Revelation 2:8-11; “8 “And to the [a]angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty(but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a [b]synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’”

The Christians in Smyrna, say many early church scholars, suffered horrific persecution, the people of the city were hostile to Christians, dragged them into the city marketplace as pagan spectators watched them being torchered. The city was run by trade guilds, like many of the cities which Rome ruled, which required incense burning, offerings and sacrificing to the pagan god’s and when Christians refused to participate in these practices in their trades, they lost their jobs or couldn’t get jobs, they suffered financially, many dying for their faith. But Jesus told them they were rich in Him. They were persecuted directly and indirectly, the same today.

That’s why it’s important to repent of all anger towards your persecutors or those persecuting others in the faith. Domitian was murdered by one of his own staff, and his name and image was removed from everywhere it appeared in Rome by the senate who hated him.

So Christian, if you’re angry and hate those Domitian's (persecutors) in your life today, by being angry by meditating on hatred and refuse to forgive them, you are guilty of murder, and it’s very important for you to repent of the anger and hate, and replace it with love and pray for them, that they too may become Christians and not die a Godless death and spend and eternity in Hell, as Domitian has done. It wasn’t God’s will for Domitian to spend eternity in hell. You have Domitian’s in your life that you must pray for. Put a guard over your heart. Pray, pray, pray for those that are persecuting you.

Click here to read the prophecy from the church service.

 Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Apostle Thomas–Seeing is Believing? - Message 13 - May 5th, 2024 

Today, we have the privilege to commemorate the Apostle Thomas Didymus, who was one of the original 12 Apostles chosen by Jesus, who after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and his ascension back to heaven, left the Roman Empire and preached the Gospel as a missionary in Parthia,  (a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran), and India in Muziris (Cranganore) on the Kerala coast in AD 52 and was martyred in Mylapore, near Madras, Tamil Nadu in AD 72. We can see that his life and ministry was extensive and as I’ve said in the previous messages, he didn’t die before his time but completed the ministry Jesus called him to. It looks like he ministered over 40 years before his death.

This Apostle was known as ‘doubting Thomas’, probably given to him by the early church based on his doubts of the resurrected Jesus, which we will look at today, but didn’t reflect necessarily the essence of who he was as a person.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs says;

“St. Thomas.

He was called by this name in Syriac, but Didymus in Greek; he was an apostle and martyr, and preached in Parthia and India. After converting many to Christ he aroused the anger of the pagan priests, and was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.”

He is listed as one of the 12 Apostles in Matthew 10:1-4; “10 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of  Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and [a]Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the [b]Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.”

Thomas operated in power over unclean spirits, cast them out, healed all kinds of sicknesses and disease through the authority Jesus gave him. This was prior to Pentecost where the Holy Spirit was poured out on all of them. Jesus commissioned them to do this in His name and this was before Jesus’ death and resurrection.

One of the greatest struggles that the Apostle Thomas had was to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared unto all the Apostles except himself. Yet we know that he witnessed the resurrection of Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus, found in John 11:38-44. Also he was very willing to take the risk of being killed with Jesus if he was to return with Him to the region where Lazarus died, for the Chief priests and Pharisees were plotting to put Jesus to death.  

John 11:16; “16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”  

So how is it that Thomas who was willing to die with Jesus while on a ‘resurrection of the dead mission’ for Lazarus, is not able to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the Apostles?  

John 20:19-23; “19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were [a]assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

It appears that the Apostle Thomas wasn’t commissioned by Jesus with rest of the Apostles at that time. So could it be that he was not ready, and possibly so far off the grid after Jesus’ death that not one of the Apostles and disciples knew of his whereabouts, and that only Jesus knew his lack of faith to believe that He would rise from the dead after three days in the grave? That is speculative, but there was a reason that Thomas wasn’t there with the rest of the Apostles.

Even prior to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, Thomas was aware of Jesus’ resurrection of the widow of Nain’s son, in Luke 7:11-17, and also heard about Jesus’ resurrection of Jairus’ daughter, who Peter, James and John were witness to in Luke 8:40-56.  

Also, at the same time of Jesus’ death, various saints in Jerusalem that were dead and buried were resurrected from the dead and appeared to many. Matthew 27:50-53.

We see that Thomas was aware of three instances of people being resurrected from the dead, if not more, yet wouldn’t believe that Jesus Himself rose from the dead, being the Son of God.  

John 20:24-29 says; “24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, [a]“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

There was an eight day period between Jesus appearing the first time to when He appeared the second time. Eight days Thomas heard the testimonies of those who had seen Jesus resurrected, yet was resolute that he wouldn’t believe unless he saw Him.

So regardless of having not personally witnessed all, but one resurrection of the dead, Lazarus, he was probably very aware of all the resurrections that took place, and yet he could not believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and went so far as to say, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”  

In John 14:1-6, Jesus is talking to His disciples before His death and resurrection and says this; “14 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many [a]mansions; if it were not so, [b]I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

This scripture clearly shows that regardless of all the supernatural signs, wonders and miracles that Jesus performed, Apostle Thomas never really knew Him to be only way, truth and life, and that he never understood where Jesus was going to prepare a place for him, and it wasn’t till Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to him, that he really truly believed Him to be who He said He was and where He was going.  

Again, as we read early in John 20:28-29 it says; “28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, [a]“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  

It just shows you that a person can attend Church and witness thru themselves and others the demonstration of signs, wonders and miracles in Jesus’ name, but don’t know who Jesus is as Lord and God until He reveals Himself to do what He said He would do.

As Christians we don’t have Jesus here with us in person, but He never left us as orphans, He is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit, and blessed are we who have not seen Jesus and believe in Him to be who He says He is, and that He’s going to do what He says in His word He would do.  We’re blessed!

You can personalize that to say that Jesus is your Lord and God. Thomas’ experience isn’t everyone’s experience but there are Christians today in church, who don’t know Jesus as Lord and God, regardless that they’ve seen signs, wonders and miracles even follow their preaching of the gospel, yet they’re not convinced because they haven’t seen Jesus do in them personally, what He said He would do, whatever that may be. They’re still walking in fear, doubt and unbelief. Thomas was obviously overtaken by something to keep him off the grid and to have not stayed with the rest of the disciples so he could have seen Jesus together with the rest who Jesus appeared to the first time. Jesus specifically told him that he didn’t believe, that means he was operating in unbelief.  

You and I have all these promises of what Jesus said He would do, and regardless of all the signs, wonders and miracles we may have seen Him do, yet because we haven’t seen what He’s promised He’d do in our lives that are unfilled, we succumb to unbelief.  

There are things that are dead in Christians lives that have not been resurrected by Jesus yet, even though His word says He’ll do what He’s promised He said He’d do. So they are not calling Him Lord and God as a result regardless of all they’ve seen Him do. In other words, there are certain things in some Christians lives that haven’t been done by Jesus yet, and like Thomas, until they see them done, or until they see the nail scars and spear wound in His side, they won’t believe.  

You can say it another way, ‘unless I see blah, blah, blah...I won’t believe, whatever the blah, blah is in your life. The church is full of Christians that have not come to the place where they’re calling Jesus their Lord and God because of unfulfilled words that have not come to pass. And it’s not that the words won’t come to pass, it’s just that they won’t believe in Jesus’ promises until they physically see it with their eyes. You see, that’s not the life of faith. Faith sees and believes without seeing. It’s obvious that when a Christian does this, that they’re walking in fear, doubt and unbelief, on the run like Thomas, doubting what Jesus said He would do.  

In Jesus’ compassion, He keeps coming back to His disciples as we see in John 21 where when He sees them having fished all night catching nothing, tells them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and they caught a multitude of fish.  Thomas was in that boat and the Lord’s mercy was reaching out to him as to the others who went back to their comfort zone of fishing, to reveal that He was resurrected and alive.  

It’s good to examine our hearts today and see where we’re at with the Lord. Is He totally Lord and God in your life? If He is, you’ll be down the road taking care of ministry business. As soon as Thomas came to the realization that Jesus was Lord and God to him, went into ministry and never looked back, walking by faith and not by sight, the fear, doubt and unbelief had been crushed. He took the gospel to places where no one else had taken it. What are you trusting Jesus to do in your life today what He has said in His word that He would do for you?

In What Christians Want to Know, it says this;  

“Thomas’ Later Life

Church tradition and history tells us that Thomas travelled outside of the Roman Empire as a missionary, possibly as far away as India to preach the gospel, which is yet another indication of Thomas’ boldness. He may have reached Muziris, India where he baptized several believers and was possibly the first to bring the gospel to the Far East. This might explain why he is considered the Patron Saint of India. His name in the Indian language, “Thoma,” remains quite popular to this day in India.

Not very much is known about the method of Thomas’ execution but that maybe due to the fact that he was a missionary in faraway India. Church tradition says that while he was establishing a church there, he was stabbed with a spear, dying from the wound. The irony here is that Jesus told Thomas to touch his side and his hands where the wounds from the cross were still visible (John 10:27).”  

John 14:1-6 from the Amplified Bible “14 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

It’s quick and easy to assess Thomas’ life, for many Christians to dub him as ‘doubting Thomas’, but examine your own life today. Where you have you not made Jesus Lord and God, where have you allowed the devil to lie to you and say that what Jesus said in His word He’s not going to do, causing doubt? Where has the devil lied to you to the point that he’s robbed you of Jesus’ Lordship and where he’s robbing you of your God? Don’t believe the lies of the devil anymore. 

Trust Jesus, obey Him, He’s going to come into your life at some point, to walk through the wall just like He did for the disciples to comfort you just when you need it the most. Even when the doors are all closed up, He will walk through. Even when you’re in fear and locking out everything around you because the world wants to persecute you, and even when the doors are locked, Jesus will walk into your life. Locks on doors don’t stop Jesus from getting through to you, no matter the state you’re in.

Make Him Lord and God when He comes through for you on those things that you’re believing Him to do. When He comes into your life to resurrect things that are dead, let Him do it. When you’ve been praying the prayer of faith and you haven’t seen the answer, trust Him to come through, to walk right in to your life and to prove Himself true to His word.  

Jesus wants to comfort you today. Jesus wants to comfort His church today just like He wanted to comfort Thomas from walking in fear, doubt and unbelief. With the revelation that Jesus was both Lord and God to him, it stirred up the apostolic and missionary gift in him to go out to preach the gospel to India and other nations. Believe what Jesus said He’d do! Blessed are those who believe without seeing, for faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, Hebrews 11:1.  

You’re more blessed believing when you don’t see. Expect Jesus to talk into your life with answers...at His time. I don’t think Jesus is so caught up in the fact that you’re calling Him Lord and God after seeing Him, but that you’re living a life of walking by faith and not by sight. You’re believing and trusting Him that He’s going to do what He’s said in His word He’d do. He watches over His word to perform it. Jesus wants Christians to fulfill their ministry, call and election and not focus on unfulfilled prayers. Seek first the kingdom of heaven and everything else will be added to you.

Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Message 10 -  Matthew, Despised and Hated by the Religious – Loved and Accepted by Jesus  - March 24th, 2024

Today I would like to commemorate the Apostle Matthew (Levi), who prior to becoming one of Jesus’s disciples, was working for Rome as a tax collector of his own peoples earnings.

Bible Study Tools says the following about Matthew;

“There were two types of tax collectors. The first type was the general tax collectors—they collected things like property tax, income tax, and poll tax. These were a fixed rate and usually collected by Romans. The second type of tax collector was the one who would tax everything. (This was somewhat similar to our sales tax today, but it wasn’t a fixed rate.) The way these tax collectors made their money was in whatever they could squeeze out of the people. They’d give what was due to Rome and then pocket the rest. The more corrupt they were, the more money they could make. Rome didn’t care what kind of tax these locals charged so long as they got their cut.  

Matthew was the second type of tax collector. Now some of these types of tax collectors would be a chief tax collector; they’d hire others to do their dirty biding. (If you’ve heard of Zacchaeus, he was one of these tax collectors.)But not Matthew. Matthew was one of the little guys who did his own thing—who set up his own lemonade stand and milked his own people out of their hard-earned dollars.”

It was quite the career that Matthew had. So for him, it was the norm to be hated and despised by his own people, but when he encounters Jesus, he is met with love and acceptance that eventually leads him to repent and leave his prosperous life of law-breaking and follow Jesus. It was following Jesus that led him to repentance and not the opposite, because for years he had been told by religious leaders who despised and hated him, that he needed to repent and leave his career. But this did not take place until he met up with the love of Jesus. Do you see the difference? One hated and despised him, the other loved and accepted him. He knew that he couldn’t live the life that the religious leaders required of him. Matthew knew the religious Pharisees needed Jesus just as much as he did.

Luke 5:27-31 says; “27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 [a]And their scribes and the Pharisees [b]complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

It looks like it was quite the party that Matthew invited Jesus to. Probably the best wine from Rome as gifts for their hard working tax collectors, probably prostitutes to satisfy the sexual needs and who knows, maybe the latest drug of the day on the table...all this displayed a party, not a casual get-together. Jesus identified this group of people as in need of a healer because they were sick with sin. That’s why Jesus came. That’s why He was sitting with the sinner, sitting and eating with the tax collector. These people needed spiritual healing, they needed to be born again, they needed Jesus.

So when our corrupt politicians are robbing us of our hard earned money thru various tax hikes,  would you be able to take the risk on your reputation and have dinner with the tax collectors that are doing their dirty work if it provided you with the opportunity to share the Gospel and possibly pray a prayer of salvation?  As Christians it’s important to not become like religious scribes and Pharisees who walk in a condescending way towards sinners, but rather like Jesus, sit down and associate with them in their sin. Jesus wasn’t partaking in their sin, just as we ought not to, but He wasn’t afraid to associate with the sinner as He knew they needed Him to overcome their sin.

Luke 18:9-14 says; “9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be [a]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I’m sure Matthew could have identified with this tax collectors prayer, and like many in churches all over the world today, are in similar places in life that need the love and acceptance of Jesus to help them come out from under the religious condemnation, and like Matthew leave the corrupt lifestyle and follow Jesus. As we read earlier, it was Matthew following Jesus that resulted in his change of life.

Matthew 17:24-27 says; “24 When they had come to [a]Capernaum, those who received the [b]temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” 26 Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a [c]piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

How wonderful to see that Jesus anticipated what was happening to Peter. Remember, Matthew wrote the book of Matthew, so he’s recounting all that transpired those three years with Jesus and how often Jesus used the example of tax collectors and taxes to drive home a point. He saw the supernatural miracle to provide money to pay even taxes, just or unjust as they were. Is God’s hand too short to do the same today? No, not at all.  

Matthew 22:16-22; “16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not [a]regard the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus [b]perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this? 21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render[c] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.”

The wisdom Jesus spoke convicted the Pharisee's so much that they had to leave Him, it was probably embarrassing for them to be upstaged.

So Christian, render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. Paying taxes is just like paying your other bills, and if so, then paying tithes should be based on the total sum of income before paying taxes, so render unto God first the tithe off your gross income not your net. Why is that so important? Because there is a percentage of money that you’re robbing from God if you do it after your taxes.  

Malachi 3:8-12 makes this clear; “8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Where in have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.”

I get the impression that when Matthew made a decision to follow Jesus, he was very wealthy with lots of dirty money in his hands, and although there is no record, he probably gave it back to those he took it from by fraud. We saw Zacchaeus do that, it’s possible Matthew did the same thing. There are Christians today that may not own money taken by fraud such as Matthew, but they have withheld rendering unto God their tithes, 10 % of their income. What made Matthew a successful minister is that he never touched the gold or the glory that he left behind to follow Jesus. If Christians rob God of tithes, how can they truly live the life of a Christian with dirty money in their accounts that they kept back by fraud, and how will they escape the curses that come on them as result of robbing God. Something to think about.

I believe in hard work, paying tithes, God’s prosperity and His blessing on our lives. This is not an anti-money sermon nor taking a vow of poverty, but this is simply stating the truth that there is a certain about of our money, our salary that we get from our labour and work, that we’re not entitled to keep.

Matthew 6:19-21 says in the Amplified Bible; “19 “Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.”

That’s why Matthew was so successful as a preacher. When he left the gold and glory behind, he left it, he focused on the call and election on his life.

Matthew 6:24 says in the Amplified Bible; 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].”

When Matthew followed Jesus, there was no turning back, no more gaining money by fraud, no more partying, no more fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, but rather in exchange, just pure Christian service that eventually positioned him as writer of one of the four main Gospels, the others being Mark, Luke and John. The Gospel of Matthew was written around A.D. 40-45,  about 12 years after the resurection of Christ,  and this was a good bit of time for Matthew to grow strong in the Lord’s words that were taught while he was with them, and dedicate his life to the call and election as an Apostle. Matthew’s first writing of the Gospel was written for the Jews in the Hebrew language while he was in Israel, and the second was written for the Gentiles in the Greek language, and his ministry extended to Parthia and Ethiopia, where in the city of Nadabah he was martyred.

In the book, Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s, it says this about Matthew;

“This apostle, evangelist, and martyr, was born at Nazareth, in Galilee, but lived chiefly at Capernaum, on account of his occupation, which was that of a tax-gatherer, or collector of tribute. On being called as a disciple, he at once left everything to follow Christ. After the ascension of his Master, he continued preaching the gospel in Judea for nine years. When about to leave Judea, in order to go and preach among the Gentiles, he wrote his gospel in Hebrew for the use of the Jewish people to whom he had preached. It was afterwards translated into Greek by St. James (the Less). He then went into Ethiopia, ordained preachers, settled churches, and made many converts. He afterwards travelled to Parthia, where he met his death, being slain with the sword, about the year 60.”

That was the end of Matthew’s life, ministry and labour. It was really a short span as it was about 27 years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. 27 years of preaching, teaching, evangelizing with the gospel of Christ.  Matthew had no cares from the life he left behind, all he wanted to do was fulfill the call. His death was very violent, killed with the sword. Maybe not a barbaric as crucifixion, but violent just the same. Matthew gave up his life as a prosperous sinner only to be martyred as a righteous Christian. Seems unfair. Seems backwards. Seems like if anyone should have been killed by the sword was the person who continued to live in sin, walking with the devil and his crowd. That is if you look at it in the natural mindset, but we know the Bible says there is no sting of death for the Christian as nothing can separate the Christian from the love of Christ. Matthew when he died went to heaven. Had he died as a sinner he would have went to hell.  

So what really did he give up? Nothing. He took the gospel to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. Thank God that Jesus took time to sit with Matthew and all his sinner friends in his home and shared whatever he shared with him. It was obviously enough to turn him around, to leave the old lifestyle, to set him on a straight and narrow road, and then to journal everything to leave behind as a legacy for us to read. Matthew had a rewarding life with everyone he impacted on the way. He was an evangelist and led many to Jesus. We don’t know the exact reason of why he was martyred, but more than likely it was because of preaching the gospel of Jesus, the good news that was in conflict to the idolatry in the country in which he was killed.  

We can conclude that it was the love and acceptance of Jesus that drew Matthew to repentance. Jesus never required Matthew to clean up his life first to follow Him. No, He said, come follow Me, and Matthew’s life was cleaned up, was sanctified, as he walked with Jesus. Should we think anything different today? Should we put unrealistic expectations on the sinner who doesn’t know Jesus? Should we maybe take time to sit with them and share the gospel, drop our concern about reputation, not to participate in their sin but to point them to Jesus. How many Matthew’s are out there who have heard the religious speeches what they need to do, do, do, do ... to change. But there’s no power to change. That only comes through Jesus, having Him as Lord and Saviour by coming born again. Despised and hated by the religious – love and accepted by Jesus...Matthew (Levi).

Click here to read the prophecy from the church service.

Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Message 9 - Apostle Andrew – The First Called of Jesus - March 10th, 2024 

Today I want to commemorate the Apostle Andrew -The First Called Of Jesus. This reminds me of the scripture that says, the first will be last and the last will be first. It seems like that with Andrew this could apply in a round-about way. First called, but didn’t make the ‘top three, the inner circle’, just outside of it, maybe not last, but he may have felt last. Just like you can feel last at times. I’m sure Andrew felt at times at the back of the bus, when he didn’t make the ‘top three’, he didn’t make the ‘inner circle’. Yet Jesus chose him first, Jesus revealed himself to Andrew first.

You’d think he would have qualified for the ‘top three’. It makes me think that the ‘top three’ were maybe a little over-rated in everyone’s understanding because they were the ‘top three’ in Jesus’s inner circle. I wonder what Andrew truly thought of it deep down inside. Maybe he thought, ‘but Jesus you called me first, but I feel like I’m left out here, I’m last, I’m at the back of the bus, but you called me first, I was the first one you revealed yourself to. Yet you preferred my brother, you preferred other apostles as your close knit circle.’ Who knows. Maybe it was going on inside his heart at the time.....or not.

In the Foxe’s Book Of Martyrs book it says how Andrew died;

“This apostle and martyr was the brother of St. Peter. He preached the gospel to man}- Asiatic nations. At Patrae, in Greece, the governor of the country threatened him with death for preaching against the idols which he worshipped; but St. Andrew fearlessly continued to tell the people of Christ. He was therefore sentenced to be crucified on a cross made of two pieces of wood of equal length, the ends of which were fixed in the ground. He was fastened to it, not with nails, but with cords, so that his death might be more slow.”

Interesting to note the way of crucifixion was slower than that of being nailed to the cross. Andrew, the first called but ‘maybe’ feeling like the last, suffers such a slow horrific death to make him suffer more. One wonders how much of an impact this apostle had and how many heavenly rewards he received. The Apostle Andrew was fixed in his pursuit of the Messiah, and after finding him, he was very evangelistic to introduce others to Him. His heart to win souls seemed what many Christians call today as being over zealous, or to preachy, and not seasoned in their new born again experience, or lack of maturity. However, Andrew’s early evangelistic beginnings never were seasoned by seeker-friendly methods of friendship evangelism, and the first person he introduces to Jesus was his loud-mouthed brother Peter, who at the time appeared more zealous to make money in their fishing business than the pursuit of Holy Men and their religious jargon.

Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and it was thru John’s preaching that he heard about Jesus the Messiah. Maybe Peter chided with Andrew saying, ‘you go follow the Holy Men, but I’m going to follow the fishing business’, just a thought as it seemed, as just mentioned, like Peter was about the money and business until he had a heart change to leave everything and follow Jesus. I get the impression that Peter was a nominal, religious Jew in his beliefs at that time in his life, where he was more about the fishing business, money, family and the cares of the world, and not too interested in men like John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. Remember, Andrew was following John the Baptist with great zeal as he was one of his disciples.

John 1:35-42 says the following; “35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the [a]Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of [b]Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, [c]A Stone).”

Maybe these two, one being Andrew, following a ways behind Jesus, kind of like stalking Him. That’s when Jesus spun around and asked them poignantly, ‘what do you seek?”, although Jesus would have known what they were seeking. Jesus wasn’t uncomfortable though, He knew what was in the heart of these men, He was in the Spirit at all times and all situations. He actually knew them before their mothers gave birth to them. You can imagine the conversations that happened that day as they remained with Jesus, Jesus revealing to them what He knew they needed to hear and see. Whatever they saw and heard, it was enough for Andrew to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. We see the evangelist gift in Andrew who immediately went and got his brother Peter to introduce him to Jesus.

In John 1:35-42 we read about Andrew introducing his brother Peter to Jesus, but in Matthew 4:18-20 we read about another encounter with Andrew where he and his brother take the next step to leave and obey Jesus, to leave everything to follow Him.  

Matthew 4:18-20 says; “18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

The salvation of Andrew was very child-like and was not convoluted with religious burdensome traditions of men, but rather he simply heard about Jesus thru John the Baptist and after meeting Him once, followed Him and became His disciple. Andrew knew the simplicity of the gospel found in the person of Jesus by following Him and making Him Lord of his life. Introducing others to Him that he met along the way, was to him like eating and drinking, it’s just what he did and if you met Andrew, you also met Jesus the Messiah. It’s interesting to see that the first disciple that Jesus called, who later became one of the 12 apostles, is somewhat of a nobody on the grand scale of things, he never went on to write any books of the Bible, and never made the top three list of apostles who were part of Christ’s close inner circle.  

However, according to Church History, he became quite the travelling Missionary Evangelist.

OverviewBible says the following about Andrew;

“While the New Testament doesn’t record much of Andrew’s personal ministry activity, other accounts claim he brought the gospel to various countries. In Church History, Eusebius of Caesarea claims Origin said Andrew was sent to Scythia (an ancient region in central Eurasia). A much later work added that he preached in regions surrounding the Black Sea. And an ancient apocryphal text claimed he preached in Achaea. For centuries, church tradition has supported Andrew’s ministry in many of these regions.”

Although he never made the top three list, according to the scripture below, Andrew was close enough to Jesus to ask Him in private about the signs of the times of the end of age, and Jesus answered Andrew by revealing it to all four of them.

We read in Mark 13:3-13; “3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines [a]and troubles. These are the beginnings of [b]sorrows. 9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will [c]be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, [d]or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who [e]endures to the end shall be saved.”

Although the Apostle Andrew does not appear to be a close part of Jesus’s inner circle, it does appear that his suffering for following Jesus is no different regardless of title or position, and this is important for all Christians to to take note of; that they will be hated by all for His name’s sake and that their salvation is conditional based on whether or not they endure to the end. So you can call yourself a Christian all you want, but unless you endure to the end of your life, your salvation is at stake. Jesus says clearly that he who endures to the end shall be saved.

In the Foxe’s Book of Martyrs book it says;  

“An ancient writer tells of the apostle's sublime courage and fearlessness, in the following words: "When Andrew saw the cross prepared, he neither changed countenance nor color, as the weakness of mortal man is wont to do; neither did his blood shrink; neither did he fail in his speech his body fainted not; neither was his mind molested; his understanding did not fail him; but out of the abundance of his heart his mouth did speak, and fervent charity did appear in his words. He said, " O cross, most welcome and oft-looked for; with a willing mind, joyfully and desirously, I come to thee, being the scholar of Him who did hang on thee; because I have been always thy lover, and have longed to embrace thee!"

That could have been the reason that they let him suffer for three days on the cross, they hated him so much they wanted to see the cruelest torcher be his portion because he desirously sought the cross. That is the pure essence of taking up the cross daily to follow Jesus isn’t it.

Matthew 28:16-20 talks about the Great Commission of which Andrew was part of; “16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [b]Amen.”

The Apostle Andrew obeyed the Great Commission given by Jesus and may receive more rewards at the Bema Seat from Jesus than the top three Apostles combined, who knows?  This is all the more reason for Christians to not strive after positions and titles in the Church, but simply fulfill their call, to  introduce everyone they meet to Jesus and give them an opportunity to be born again and follow Jesus.  

In the book, Foxe’s Book of Martys says;

“St. Andrew hung upon the cross three whole days, suffering dreadful pain, but continuing constantly to tell the people around him of the love of Jesus Christ. The people as they listened to him began to believe his words, and asked the governor to let him be taken down from the cross. Not liking to refuse them he at last ordered the ropes to be cut, but when the last cord was severed, the body of the apostle fell to the ground quite dead.”

We know that it was only the body that fell dead, but his spirit went to heaven to be with Jesus. There was no sting in death for him as he was reunited with Jesus, the one who chose him first, he fulfilled his call on his life to fulfill the great commission. He stood before God with clean hands and a pure heart. Some questions to ask yourself today are, have you or are you fulfilling the call of God on your life? Are you obeying Jesus and His great commission? Are you striving after positions and titles more than fulfilling the great commission? Are you content, at peace and joyful where He has placed you? Are you seeking out positions, calls, places and accolades that haven’t been given to you by God? Are you telling everyone you see about Jesus? Are you leading people to eternal life? Didn’t you come to the knowledge of Jesus by someone, somewhere? When you’re going about your Father’s business, are you introducing people to Jesus?

It would be like having a friend with you, and you’re having a conversation with someone else but you don’t introduce that person to your friend who is with you. You’ve probably had that happen to you it’s awkward at the best of times isn’t it. If Jesus is your best friend and who’s with you, are you introducing those who you’re with to Him even though they can’t physically see Him? It’s a work of Holy Spirit in you to fulfill the call on your life. Are you truly obeying Him in everything or are you happier in your job or business, positions, titles, inner circles of friends? Be confident in what Jesus has called you do in fulfilling the great commission.  

When you stand before Jesus at the Bema Seat, are your rewards going to be great or only a few...or any at all? Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today. When people met Andrew they met Jesus, when people meet you, do they meet Jesus? Think about the hundreds of people you’ve met over the years that you could have had the opportunity to introduce Jesus to – did you or did you brush Jesus off? Did you grieve the Holy Spirit? It happens to us all where we’re more caught up in positions, titles, and the cares of the world that the great commission takes back seat. The challenge today is to get back to the great commission of telling people about Jesus and making disciples of all nations. If we truly obeyed the commission, it would be at the forefront of our minds everyday, to introduce people to Jesus, present the salvation message from the Bible to them and watch what the Holy Spirit does in their lives. The more you preach the gospel, the more you’ll desire to preach the gospel, to pray for people and see them set free, delivered and healed.  

Click here to read the prophecy from Sunday's Church Service.

Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Message 6 - The Apostle John, Not “Lawyered” Up February 4th, 2024

Today I want to commemorate the persecuted Apostle John, who was not always known as John the Beloved, but he, along with his brother James were given the name Boenerges, which meant Sons of Thunder, on account of their fiery tempers. It’s obvious that John may have started out that way when he first followed Jesus, but later we can read in his writings found 1st, 2nd and 3rd John, that he underwent a major transformation that gave him the new name and reputation as John the Beloved, who was loved by Jesus. According to writings, John gave himself that name, he knew that he was loved by Jesus. He knew that there were three in the inner circle but he knew he had a special place among the three with Jesus. If there were favorites, he was that one. His actions showed it at the dinner table where he rested on the bosom of Jesus. When’s the last time you saw something like that happen?

Got Questions says this;

“At the same time, John is also called the “apostle of love.” In his own gospel, he refers to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20). He is depicted as the one leaning against Jesus’ breast at the last supper. His brief second epistle is filled with expressions of his deep love for those in his care. He addresses his first epistle to a group of believers “whom I love in the truth” and exhorts them to “love one another” by walking in obedience to Jesus’ commands (2 John 1:1, 5-6).”

2 John 5-6 in the Amplified Bible says; “5 Now I ask you, lady, not as if I were writing to you a new commandment, but [simply reminding you of] the one which we have had from the beginning, that we [a]love and unselfishly seek the best for one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in accordance with His commandments and are guided continually by His precepts. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should [always] walk in love.”

How’s your Christian love walk today? John was the only Apostle that was not martyred, but he did undergo extreme persecution under the rule of Emperor Domitian whose attempt at killing John on a public platform failed because of a supernatural intervention of God. For God had a purpose for John to not only fulfill his call as a minister to the early church, but also to us thru the five books he wrote, one being the book of Revelation that is prophetically being unfolded in our day and in ages to come in the near future. His writings are very relevant.

Let’s take a look at the martyr attempt found in Bible Study Tools; The Second Persecution, Under Domitian, A.D. 81;
“The emperor Domitian, who was naturally inclined to cruelty, first slew his brother, and then raised the second persecution against the Christians. In his rage he put to death some of the Roman senators, some through malice; and others to confiscate their estates. He then commanded all the lineage of David be put to death. Among the numerous martyrs that suffered during this persecution was Simeon, bishop of Jerusalem, who was crucified; and St. John, who was boiled in oil, and afterward banished to Patmos.”

If you’d leave it at that, you’d get the impression that John was dragged out of the boiling pot, scalded and unrecognizable with his flesh falling off, but that’s not what happened.  

According to Christianity Stack Exchange, it says the following;  

“What is the earliest record of the Apostle John being placed in boiling oil and miraculously living? I can't find any scriptural mention of the story. The only reference I have is Tertullian:  

• "Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy, you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own hands the very authority (of apostles themselves). How happy is its church, on which apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood; where Peter endures a passion like his Lord's; where Paul wins his crown in a death like John [the Baptist]'s; where the Apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, and thence remitted to his island-exile."

The intent of Emperor Domitian was to put the fear of Rome into the Christians by publicly putting the Apostle John to death by boiling him in oil. However as we just read, it failed, and just like God supernaturally delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace without any harm to their bodies, (Daniel 3:16-28), I can only imagine the Apostle John as he stood before Domitian in a packed-out Colosseum full of blood-thirsty enemies of Christ, about to be thrown into the boiling oil, he probably had a smirk on his face towards the Roman tyranny, and at the same time was overwhelmed with the loving memories of reclining with Jesus at dinner while resting his head on His bosom listening to Jesus’s heartbeat, resting in His presence hearing the following words where Jesus says in John 15:18-20 Amplified Bible; “18 “If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember [and continue to remember] that I told you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

It’s a creative call to say that Jesus said these words while John was still laying on His bosom, but you know there was great grace on John as he faced the cauldron of boiling oil.

Jesus didn’t say that Christians would be exempt from persecution in certain country's where they had the protection of the charter of rights and freedoms. So Canadian Christians for example, are to face the reality that they will be persecuted regardless of what the law of the land says, and it’s unrealistic to think otherwise. The arm of the flesh would want Christians to depend on constitutional rights and freedoms, on secular non-Christian organizations and lawyers to deliver them from the present day Domitian’s that preside over their lives, rather than stand like the Apostle John and witness the supernatural deliverance of God. 

I believe in upholding the constitutional rights and freedoms of Christians in Canada, but I believe that a Christians response to persecution can be found in the following words of Jesus found in Luke 12:11-12 Amplified Bible; “11 When they bring you before the synagogues and the magistrates and the authorities, do not be worried about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

When you study the persecutions of the early Church Apostles, one thing is clear, they were not martyred before their time, and they experienced God’s deliverance from death time after time, and in the case of Apostle John who died of natural causes being around 100 years old, was able to live a long life and fulfill his call that was not cut short before his time of death.

So Christian, who are the Domitian's in your life today that are attempting to make a public example of you, be it employment arenas, education arenas, sports arenas, political arenas, etc...? Are you depending on the arm of the flesh to deliver you by getting all lawyered up by secular non-Christian organizations to defend your Christian rights, or are you going to stand before your accusers and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you in that very hour what to say?  

Daniel 3:16-18 Amplified Bible; “...16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!...”

Do you have that conviction in times of persecution? Even under the Old Testament, the three Hebrews refused to bow the knee to King Nebuchadnezzar with the attitude that even if God didn't deliver them from the fiery furnace, they would not bow the knee. All the Apostles, except Judas Iscariot, refused to bow the knee to religious Jews and Roman leaders and renounce their new found Messiah, Jesus Christ.   

The same God that delivered the three Hebrews from the fiery furnace without a trace of harm, and delivered John from the boiling oil without a trace of harm, can very well deliver you Christian from whatever Domitian ruling over your life today, but even if He doesn’t, and you are persecuted even unto death, you still win because you refused to bow your knee, renounce Jesus, and worship their image.  

The Apostle John was a seasoned believer in Jesus and understood persecution. It was the norm for them as Apostles and disciples, and they knew no other life but to live a crucified life while they lived, and to live anything else than what Jesus taught them was a lie, and they chose to die to themselves and follow Jesus no matter what it cost them. Could it be that a lot of Christians in Canada are more concerned about winning back their constitutional rights and freedoms, than they are about obeying their right to live a crucified life while they are living?  Just putting it out there. Because the last time I checked Jesus Himself said in Matthew 16:24Amplified Bible; “24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].

The Apostle John knew that there are only two masters, Jesus or the god of this world, satan, and if a person was not a believing Christian, then their father was the god of this world. So if a Christian is consulting with non-Christian organizations and non-Christian lawyers to defend their Christian rights and freedoms that are under attack from a non-Christian political leader, they are obviously trying to serve two masters instead of obeying what Jesus said in Luke 12:11-12 Amplified Bible; “11 When they bring you before the synagogues and the magistrates and the authorities, do not be worried about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”  

I believe that a lot of Christians in Canada are missing out on their call of Christian service, by allowing the god of this world to distract them into focusing on Christian rights and freedoms and various social justice platforms and are relying on the arm of the flesh to defend them instead of the Holy Spirit. They need to come back to their first love of Jesus, and like John recline with their heads on His bosom and hear His heartbeat for Canada and if they really listen they might hear and understand the following words of Jesus in John 15:18-20Amplified Bible; “18 “If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember [and continue to remember] that I told you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

There are those in churches throughout the West, who believe that when a Christian is persecuted – at whatever level that might be – that there is something wrong with them or that they’ve done something wrong. They’re viewed as bad, or don’t have enough faith, or they deserved it because of what they believe. How far Christians have fallen from the words of Jesus which have been outlined today. This isn’t a message on having a martyr syndrome.  

We’ve already mentioned a number of scriptures on what Jesus said about persecution, but here are a few more;  

Matthew 5:10-12; “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Mark 10:29-30; “29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother [a]or wife or children or [b]lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Matthew 10:16-18; “16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless[a] as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”

Here is a short video on John surviving Domitian’s attempt to boil him in oil.

Click here to read the prophecy from Sunday’s service.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs – Message 5 -  James and Jude, Half-Brothers and Bondservants of Jesus January 14th, 2024

Today I want to commemorate the half-brothers of our Lord Jesus, James (the Less) and Jude. Many don’t believe them to be the half-brothers of Jesus, ie: Catholics, who believe that Joseph had been previously married and had sons and daughters which would make them step-brothers and sisters to Jesus. In doing so, they preserve the lie about Mary not having any other children except Jesus. Some readings say that Joseph was 80 years old when he took Mary as his wife...this to justify the six children that came along with him. These are not true though.

St. James (the Less). From Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s it says the following;  

“This apostle and martyr is called "the Less" to distinguish him from the apostle James, the brother of John, who is called "the Great", who we talked about in last weeks message. He was, after the Lord's ascension, elected bishop of Jerusalem. He wrote his general epistle to all Christians and converts, to suppress a dangerous error then being circulated, which was, "That a faith in Christ was alone sufficient for salvation, without good works." The Jews of Jerusalem, being at this time greatly enraged against the Christians, determined to wreak their vengeance on St. James. The mob being incited to attack him, they fell upon him in the street, threw him down, and beat, bruised, and stoned him to death.”

From Foxe’s Book of Marty’s in Bible Study Tools says the following;

“James the Less. Is supposed by some to have been the brother of our Lord, by a former wife of Joseph. This is very doubtful, and accords too much with the Catholic superstition, that Mary never had any other children except our Savior. He was elected to the oversight of the churches of Jerusalem; and was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller's club.”

His death was violent which could have been enraged by the book he wrote entitled, James, which dealt a lot with Jewish Christian ethics. James was martyred around AD 62, about 30 years after Jesus death and resurrection and wrote the book of James somewhere between AD 50 and AD 60. He identifies himself in James 1:1 as a bondservant of God and The Lord Jesus Christ, and doesn’t refer to himself anywhere in his writings to be the brother of Jesus Christ. You’d think he would have gloried in that to his advantage, like many preachers and politicians today who drop names to get ahead in rank and position. In Matthew 13:55 he is identified as Jesus’ brother as well as the brother of Jude who wrote the book of Jude.

Matthew 13:55 says; “55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, [a]Joses, Simon, and Judas?”

Jude identifies himself as the brother of James in Jude 1:1; “1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, [a]sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.”

You notice that he also refers to himself as a bondservant of Jesus and he doesn’t refer anywhere in his writings to be a brother of Jesus, and it’s important to keep in mind that both he and James at one point never believed in Jesus and his ministry, but later find their identity's as bondservants Jesus.  

John 7:1-5 talks about  Jesus’ brothers disbelief in Him; “7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the [a]Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”

It sounds like they were in essence mocking Jesus; if you are the Messiah, if you are the Son of God, if you are who you say you are...show yourself. So right in the middle of Jesus being persecuted and sought out to be killed by the Jews, his own brothers are giving him unwise counsel that would subject him to more persecution. As ministers of the gospel, it’s very important to be lead by the Holy Spirit and not allow siblings that don't believe in your ministry to have any say at all in how or where you should minister the gospel. There was even a point in the ministry of Jesus that James and Jude along with their siblings and mother Mary, thought that Jesus was not in his right mind and they needed to take charge of Him and His ministry. How many families are saying that about ministers that they’re related to today?

Mark 3:21Amplified Bible says; “21 When His own family heard this they went to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He is out of His mind.”

Matthew 12:46-50Amplified Bible says; “46 While He was still talking to the crowds, it happened that His mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him. 47 Someone said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside asking to speak to You.” 48 But Jesus replied to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples [and all His other followers], He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For [a]whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother and sister and mother.”

Both these accounts are the same and it’s interesting that Jesus had been having a long talk with the multitudes, with scribes and Pharisees present, where He delivered a demon-possessed, blind and mute man which He was accused of doing so by the power of Beelzebub, He had spoken about the unpardonable sin, and He called the scribes and Pharisees a brood of vipers. It was right there while still talking to the multitudes that His mom and brothers sought to speak with Him and not only that but to take custody of Him!

When you read the book of James and Jude, it’s hard to believe that at one point, they along with their siblings and mother never believed in the ministry of Jesus and considered him to be out of his mind. It wasn’t until after Jesus rose from the dead that James and Jude believed in Jesus as their Messiah.  Prior to this they were merely outsiders looking in, observing Jesus’ ministry as unbelievers that were not willing to obey Him and this is why Jesus was able to call them out and declare who His real family was to Him saying; “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples [and all His other followers], He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For [a]whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother and sister and mother.”

I’m sure that James, Jude, their siblings and mother were very embarrassed and offended by what Jesus said about them, calling them out as not only unbelievers who were not willing to follow Him, but revealed that they did not want to even be found guilty by association by claiming He was not in His right mind. They didn’t want to be associated even by what He was teaching, maybe rolling their eyes saying He was ‘loco’ and Mary saying, ‘that’s not the son I raised’, His brothers arguing that Jesus wasn’t the brother that they had grown up with. They thought He had flipped His lid!  

The following scripture not only reveals that Jesus had brothers and sisters but also that His ministry was without honour among them due to their unbelief.  

Mark 6:3-6Amplified Bible says; “3 Is this not the carpenter, [a]the son of Mary, and the brother of [b]James and Joses and [c]Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah]. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around in the villages teaching.”

Jesus marveled at the unbelief of His mother and family, even though Mary knew because it had been told to her by the angel Gabriel that she would conceive the Son of God, the prophesies that had been spoken about Him by the angels at His birth, Anna the prophetess and Simeon in the temple, the wisemen, plus all of the prophesies spoken about Him in the Old Testament.

It wasn’t till Jesus rose from the dead and appeared unto His brothers and sisters and mother that they believed, and this was probably even more embarrassing than when He called them out as unbelievers in Matthew 12:46-50. James and Jude grew up with Jesus as their older brother but they never really knew Him like they did when they spent 40 days with Him before He ascended to heaven right in front of them. They had heard that He would die and rise from the dead...but they didn’t believe Him. They lived with Him, grew up with Him, worked with Him, ate with Him, shared everything with Him, gossiped and slandered Him...but now, after the resurrection, they believed. They probably found out more about Jesus in those 40 days after the resurrection than they did their whole lives living with Him!

After James and Jude received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire on the day of Pentecost, they shifted into high gear and later wrote two of the most powerful books in the Bible that makes you shake your head to think that both these brothers at one point declared Jesus to be out of His mind. It might have been said that they were out of their minds, walking in fear, doubt and unbelief while Jesus was walking in faith and victory everywhere He went with signs, wonders and miracles following Him.

The Book of James in Got Questions says the following;
“The Book of James outlines the faith walk through genuine religion (1:1-27), genuine faith (2:1-3:12) and genuine wisdom (3:13-5:20). This book contains a remarkable parallel to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. James begins in the first chapter by describing the overall traits of the faith walk. In chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3 he discusses social justice and a discourse on faith in action. He then compares and contrasts the difference between worldly and godly wisdom and asks us to turn away from evil and draw close to God. James gives a particularly severe rebuke to the rich who hoard and those who are self-reliant. Finally he ends with encouragement to believers to be patient in suffering, praying and caring for one another and bolstering our faith through fellowship.”

You’re not going to get your faith bolstered or strengthened without fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. To read the full summary of the book of James click here.

Book of Jude in Got Questions Brief Summary says; “According to verse 3, Jude was anxious to write about our salvation; however, he changed topics to address contending for the faith. This faith embodies the complete body of Christian doctrine taught by Christ, later passed on to the apostles. After Jude warns of false teachers (verses 4-16), he advises us on how we can succeed in spiritual warfare (verses 20-21). Here is wisdom we would do well to accept and adhere to as we go through these days of the end times.”

Both James and Jude’s letters are still applicable today. To read the full summary of the book of Jude click here.

It’s important to forgive family who don’t believe in you as a minister of the Gospel and think you’ve lost your mind as a result. You may need to call them out and expose their unbelief in what you preach, and don’t be intimidated to do so, because the word of God that you preach will not return void, and God will watch over His word to perform it. James and Jude are great examples of God watching over His word to perform it in their lives, regardless of how little faith they had in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, they repented and became followers of their brother Jesus who they once thought to be out of His mind,  and they then became bondservants of Him. We know that James died a martyr by the hands of religious Jews, and it’s not clear how Jude died, but I can only assume by the prophetic writing he did, that he was persecuted by both Jews and false Christian teachers. I’m sure not only James and Jude were persecuted but the rest of Jesus’ brothers, sisters and mother.

So, Christian, forgive those that don’t believe in you or your ministry. Stay focused as Jesus stayed focused and keep your hands to the plow. Keep teaching what the Holy Spirit is showing you, keep meditating on His Word, keep on prophesying, praying for the sick, casting out devils and keep operating in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit as anoints you with. Don’t concern yourself with relatives who are onlookers and may be instruments in trying to advise you how and where to go that will just cause more problems down the road. Walk in love, pray for your family as I’m sure Jesus prayed much for His family members, but He didn’t allow them to get in the way of the call on His life nor control His ministry.  

Don’t allow unbelieving family members to control your ministry but keep your hands to the plow and don’t look back, and when family is outside trying to distract you, do what Jesus said, ‘who are my brothers, sisters and mother...those who do the Father’s will.’ So intercede, break up the hard ground in prayer for the call and election in your life, for needs to be met, for those who are persecuting you, so that down the road you’ll see with your eyes and hear with your ears that those who were against you have repented because of your prayers. As Jesus clearly laid out in Luke 9:57-62 that the one who wanted to turn back to bury his father, Jesus told him to let the dead bury their own dead, but he was to go and preach the kingdom of God. There is a cost in discipleship and Jesus had a lot of hard-liners when it came to family, that those who follow Him are to stay focused on the call and preaching the kingdom of God. Be unmovable in following Jesus.

Note: We read an excerpt on James from a book entitled The Christians, Their First Two Thousand Years, Volume 1, The Veil is Torn.

To read Bible Study Tools on Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, click here.

Message 2– Nero’s Build Back Better? - December 3rd, 2023 

It’s important for Christians to commemorate the Saints that refused to bow the knee to the Roman Empire who were then martyred, for in doing so, they bring to light what was done to Christians in the open that was not hidden from the public eye. Blatant persecution unto death, not in hidden rooms for the most part but in open colosseums so as to put the fear of Nero into the people and Christians because in doing so they would surely see it as the end of their lives. But for Christians it was the beginning of a brand new life with Jesus, in heaven. How deceived Nero was to think that what he did in public would stop the church.

Matthew 5:10-12; “10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus was talking about the Old Testament prophets who foretold His coming as the Messiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They prophesied a future hope which they put their faith in even though they did not see the fulfillment of it. They saw it in the spirit but not with their natural eyes. Hebrews 11:36-40 gives us an understanding of some persecutions the Old Testament saints faced, who walked by faith and never saw the promised Messiah, Jesus, and whom the Apostles and disciples walked with for three years, and gave up theirs lives for under the persecution of Rome.

Hebrews 11:36-40; “36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, [a]were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”

The “us” is the New Testament Christian saints, you and me. The Old Testament Saints were not made perfect apart from us, the church, that’s what perfected their faith. The gates of hell will not prevail against us, the church. What part of the gates of hell will not prevail against the church does the World Economic Form not understand? Nero didn’t understand that the gates of hell that he was instrumental in unleashing would not prevail against the new church according to what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18; “...and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The early Church Christians not only personally walked with Jesus for three years, but after His death, received the promised Holy Spirit as a Comforter to strengthen them in times of persecution. As Christians today we never walked, talked or broke bread with Jesus, but we by faith received the same Comforter of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave them, and this is why it’s so important to be baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, so that in times of persecution we won’t bow the knee to the present day world leaders who follow and carry out the World Economic Forms agenda to depopulate our world at any cost of its citizens and ‘build it back better.’ Are they any less murderess than Nero? Are they any less covetous of their neighbours property? Not at all. Let’s look at Nero, who had a similar plan that backfired on him personally and cost him everything including his own life by suicide.  

Bible Study Tools says the following;  

The First Persecution, Under Nero, A.D. 67
“The first persecution of the Church took place in the year 67, under Nero, the sixth emperor of Rome. This monarch reigned for the space of five years, with tolerable credit to himself, but then gave way to the greatest extravagancy of temper, and to the most atrocious barbarities. Among other diabolical whims, he ordered that the city of Rome should be set on fire, which order was executed by his officers, guards, and servants. While the imperial city was in flames, he went up to the tower of Macaenas, played upon his harp, sung the song of the burning of Troy, and openly declared that 'he wished the ruin of all things before his death.' Besides the noble pile, called the Circus, many other palaces and houses were consumed; several thousands perished in the flames, were smothered in the smoke, or buried beneath the ruins.”

It’s said that Nero was motivated to destroy the city so he would be able to by-pass the senate and rebuild Rome in his image. Sounds familiar to what is going on today with the World Economic Form to rob, kill and destroy and “Build Back Better” agenda. Just look at what took place in Canada that violated religious constitutional rights and freedoms of Christians and their church's who refused to bow the knee and close their churches during the COVID 19 scamdemic. This clearly shows that Christians will be persecuted regardless of rights and freedoms, and this is all the more reason to set your minds on things above and face the reality that this place you call home is only temporary and you will be persecuted and if need be martyred for being a Christian in Canada. Did you ever think that in your life-time you would have seen what happened to churches during the lockdowns, fining and imprisoning pastors just because they went against the illegal mandates to shut church doors!  

So long as the Church is alive and growing, Jesus is the restrainer of the World Economic Form’s (WEF) agenda to rob, kill, destroy and build back better. This is why Christians are and will be persecuted like never before in history in the near future until they are raptured by Jesus as His bride and taken to a seven year marriage supper in Heaven, while those who are left behind will face the seven year tribulation period that no longer has a restrainer of evil. The church is the restrainer by the power of Holy Spirit.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12talks about the great apostasy; “ Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of [a]Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of [b]sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits [c]as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the [d]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only [e]He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

You are part of the solution as a member of the body of Christ, being the restraining force by binding the devil and loosing God’s will on earth.

Bible Study Tools says;  

“This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay the whole upon the Christians, at once to excuse himself, and have an opportunity of glutting his sight with new cruelties. This was the occasion of the first persecution; and the barbarities exercised on the Christians were such as even excited the commiseration of the Romans themselves. Nero even refined upon cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for the Christians that the most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them. This persecution was general throughout the whole Roman Empire; but it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity. In the course of it, St. Paul and St. Peter were martyred.”

Paul and Peter were two of the greatest saints. Paul probably travelled the most, suffered the most, wrote the most and was persecuted the most.

These acts of violence were just some of the ways that Nero persecuted Christians, and I don't feel like it’s necessary to expound on the depravity of this man, but it’s important for Christians to realize that what was done to Christians then, is in the heart of many world leaders today and if they could remove the restraining force of Jesus Christ and His Church, they would do so, but until then you can be guaranteed to be persecuted in one way or another.  

The Apostle Peter who was martyred by Nero was given the following promise by Jesus in Matthew 16:18-19; “18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not [a]prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth [b]will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

You would think that because of Peter’s martyrdom that what Jesus said was not true, but it was true and the church is still being built on the doctrines of Peter and the Apostles to this day and it has the same authority to bind the devil on earth and loose God’s will on earth and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Both Peter and Paul’s death had huge significance on the building of the church. They didn’t die before their time because there was a praying church that prayed for them continually that’s why they were able to fulfill their call and they didn’t suffer any untimely deaths.

Romans 8:31-39says; “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Apostle Paul who was martyred by Nero was the most persecuted of all the Apostles, and he writes the following summery of them in2 Corinthians 11:22-28; “ 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

So Christians, who are the Nero’s in your lives today? Are you walking in the authority that Christ gave you to bind the devil on earth as it is in heaven and loose on earth God’s will as it is in heaven so that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church? Christ in you is the restraining force that is keeping the Nero’s over your lives from prevailing with their rob, kill, destroy and build back better agendas. Just as Nero destroyed Rome to build it back better in his image, so global leaders and the WEF want to rob, kill, and destroy this world’s present image and build it back better in their image. It’s all rooted in idolatry. It was the prayers of the saints that delivered the Apostles out of premature deaths and the same goes for you today, so that your church leaders and you fulfill your ministries. Don’t bow your knee to the Nero in your life.

The following excerpt is from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs which shows the persecution of the church from it’s beginning until Emperor Constantine;

“The first Christian Martyrs were those who suffered under the persecution of the Romans in the early ages of the Church. For two hundred and forty years, or from about the year 64 after Christ to the time of the emperor Constantine (306), the cruel punishments inflicted upon the Christians by their heathen enemies are described by the ancient historians as being as various and horrible as the mind of man, inspired by the devil, could invent.

" Some," we are told, " were slain with the sword; some burned with fire; some scourged with whips; some stabbed with forks of iron; some fastened to the cross or gibbet; some drowned in the sea; some

had their skins plucked off; some were stoned to death; some killed with cold; some starved with hunger; some, with their hands cut off or otherwise disabled, were left naked, to the open shame of the world. Yet, notwithstanding the sharpness of their torments, such was the constancy of those who suffered—or rather, such was the power of the Lord in his saints—that they generally remained faithful to the end."

Christian, don’t bow the knee to the Nero that’s over your life today, they may be political leaders or just leaders, men and women of influence, rather bind the devil and loose God’s will on earth so that the gates of hell will not prevail against you and the church until Jesus rapture’s you home to heaven. You don’t want to face the great tribulation, keep your lamps full of oil, now is not time to reject the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. You need His power to stand and overcome.

Click to read the prophecy from church.

Message 1 - Heavenly Minded Martyrs - November 26, 2023 

In this series, I’m going to try to illustrate with the use of the Holy Bible the truths that are found in God’s word that enabled these men, women and children to die as martyrs for having put their faith in Jesus Christ as King of kings, Lord of lords. It’s not being illustrated with theatrics, smoke shows, costumes, music nor flashiness...just purely the Word of God. It’s the only way we can illustrate in the best way the persecution of the early church, you can’t remotely try to reenact it, just let the Word speak loudly like a trumpet. So if you haven’t made Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords in your life today, you need to. Don’t fear martyrdom, there is a greater city awaiting you. Heaven awaits the martyr of Jesus, there is no sting of death for the martyr.

Today I’m going to focus on the persecution and martyrdom of 11 out of the 12 apostles who are the founding fathers of the Christian Church, who all but one died as martyrs. Let’s start by looking at what Jesus spoke into their lives while He was training them as His disciples that gave these men the grace and courage to not bow their knee to the world, the flesh and the devil that wanted lordship of their lives. I’m sure each of you can identify something of the world, the flesh and yes even of the devil that wants lordship of your life today but don’t give it lordship. Be steadfast, strong, immovable in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says emphatically in Matthew 16:24-25 in the Amplified Bible that discipleship would be costly.  It says; ““24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity].”

This is both good to die for but also to live for – it’s something to look forward to. The Bible is also clear that not only you’ll be with Him for eternity, but that if you’re alive when the rapture happens, you’ll spend seven years with Him to then come back to earth to rule and reign with him for the millennial 1000 year period. It’s pretty clear that Jesus is not offering or guaranteeing His disciples a seeker friendly, Christian-lite life of kumbaya songs and friendship evangelism that would guarantee them a life without persecution. The disciples as a result of what Jesus taught them, set their minds on things above and not on things below, and this is what made it easy for them to give up their lives as martyrs, for Jesus continually pointed them to eternal life as residents of the kingdom of heaven in exchange for a temporary life on earth. 

If, as a Christian, you keep your mind set on things below, only focusing on things on earth with it’s temporal pleasures, you’ll become very disheartened and be empty for the most part.  

Matthew 6:19-21 Amplified Bible says; "19 Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.”

We know we have an adversary who will immediately come to try to rob this word that is being sown into your heart today, but don’t let him do it. Meditate on the word that you’re hearing from the pulpit, read it, meditate on it, apply it to your life, let it grow. The Word of God is alive, it’s not dead and the Word goes on for eternity because His words are eternal.

If your heart is on the temporal treasures of this world more than heaven, it will be difficult for you to give up your life and die as a martyr for Christ. This is why Jesus makes it very clear that if a Christian is not willing to deny themselves of everything that exalts itself above His Lordship, they are not fit to be His disciples. Are you fit to be His disciple? Where have your affections been today? Have they been caught up in the cares and treasures of this world or the treasures you don’t have and want in this world that you want to fulfill before you die? The happy man and woman is the one who has their minds on things above.  

That’s why the disciples were able to stand in the midst of persecution and if need be give up their lives because they had their mind on things above, they weren’t bound to anything on this earth except what Jesus spoke about. All the disciples were martyred except two; Judas Iscariot committed suicide because He went for the world, riches and treasures because that’s where is heart was, and John died a natural death as an old man even though they did try to kill him.

When you got up today, how much of your day was on things below? How much of your day was trudging through the quagmire of cares with depression and despair for the day and future? And why, because the fulfillment of the treasures of this world are not being fulfilled.  If they are being fulfilled, they probably still won’t satisfy because it doesn’t matter they’ll just take over your mind and won’t bring deep satisfaction in the end.

My God shall supply all your needs according to His glory and riches, and even as those are being supplied if you’re still not satisfied at the end of the day it’s because your mind is supposed to be on things above not on things below. Thank God for all He gives you, but don’t let it be the be-all and end-all in life. Keep your mind on eternity, the rapture, the millennial period, because then with all of the blessings you’ll be fulfilled because you know they’re still in the end temporal. The devil loves to even get you caught up in all the blessings coming in but if you’re to be satisfied with all of that – why at the end of the day are you still not satisfied? Because we’ll not thoroughly be satisfied until we give up our lives. Give everything to Him even as it comes into your life and hands, give it back to Him. To be honest, there is nothing on this earth that He can give you what compares to eternity. Think about that! It’s not wrong to have the best of the best, no. What I am saying is that it won’t fulfill you – at the end of the day what is going to fulfill you is by having your mind on the things above – that will fill the void. The truth is, you’re heart will never be totally fulfilled and the void never filled until you get to heaven. In the mean time, fill it up with things above every day. You won’t be fulfilled until you’re out of your body and with the Lord, that’s what the disciples knew because that’s what Jesus taught them to do – to keep their mind on things above.

Luke 14:26-27 Amplified Bible says; “26 If anyone comes to Me, and does not [a]hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God]—he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow after Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] cannot be My disciple.”

Jesus is saying that He doesn’t want anything to be in the way with His lordship in your life, He wants absolute lordship. Is He asking you to hate your wife and children? No, not with worldly hate. He’s saying anything that is in the way for His will in your life has to go from your heart. Does that mean you get rid of your wife or children, no. He’s saying deal with it in your heart today. Get rid of the idolatry that’s in your heart towards your family, materialism and external things. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with having a Godly wife or children but to not let it get in first place before Him. If you are, repent. Jesus first and everything else second. You’ll be surprised how it will grow and flourish without your hand being involved.

Jesus knew what the early Church would face under the tyranny of Rome, and He needed them to be all in, and not halfway, for them to stand under persecution, and this is why He continually pointed out that heaven was their true home. The same applies for today – heaven is your true home. You may say that we as Christians are not under the tyranny of Rome in Canada, and are protected by our constitutional religious rights and freedoms. I believe that these freedoms are written in the constitution, but this does not mean they are being upheld by our present Government that has bowed the knee to the World Economic Form (WEF). This is all the more reason for Christians to not place their total trust in their constitutional rights only, but need to be ready for the persecution that follows being disciples of Christ. You can’t put your trust in the rights of your country only.

The early church disciples of Christ never had constitutional rights and freedoms, but they had their minds set on things above, rights and freedoms to eternal life that Rome could not take away. As a Canadian, you have rights and freedoms of eternal life that the government of Canada can’t take away. They can try to withhold constitutional rights and freedoms, delay them, corrupt them and if need be change them but they can’t take away the rights and freedoms to eternal life. This is what drives political leaders crazy, it’s because they can’t do that. From Rome to present, political or self-appointed leaders can’t take away your hope but they do go out of their way to make them as miserable as they can on earth through persecution. You talk about hatred for Christ, look to what Prime Ministers, Presidents and political leaders are doing to Christians worldwide. You may not think it won’t happen in Canada, but it is and will continue to. That’s why you must keep your mind on things above not on things below.

Ten out of the original chosen 12 Apostles died as martyrs, excluding Judas who died of suicide, and the only one who lived and died of natural causes was John who was sentenced to prison on the Island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. It’s amazing how God entrusted one man to write that book. He preserved John, even though he was persecuted but not killed to write the final book of the New Testament.

Judas was then replaced by Matthias in Acts 1:15-26, and we see later that the Apostle Paul was incorporated in as an Apostle to the Gentile nations, and both these apostles died as martyrs.

The rights and freedoms these men had was to pick up their cross and follow Christ and if need be die as He did, and build the Church which the gates of hell would not prevail against. You are part of this picture also which takes your call to a higher level. Start studying about things above, the future in heaven, marriage supper of the Lamb, the millennial reign. Jesus didn’t fulfill what the Jews expected Him to do 2000 years ago because He came as the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sin of the world, BUT, He is coming again at the appointed time to rule and reign physically on earth for 1000 years! So if you really meditate on the eternal things, you’ll be more joyful, happier, less stress and anxiety. This, the world cannot rob you of no matter how hard the world tries. That’s why they go to great lengths to torture Christians as we’ll read in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. The tortures are so horrendous yet they had their minds on eternal things that they were able to endure suffering and trouble which, in the natural they wouldn’t have been able to, but they were in the supernatural, they walked in the Holy Ghost power of the supernatural.

The Apostle Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 4:9-13; “9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle [a]to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we [b]entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the off scouring of all things until now.”

It almost sounds like Paul was mocking the Corinthian church for their pride and arrogance. He was giving them a wake-up call. This letter speaks loudly to the many Christians in churches across Canada who have chosen the seeker-friendly, Christian-lite life, that builds their church to comfort and enable the sinner to attend church instead of building them around the doctrines of the apostles who gave up their lives for it.

Without going into details today that are written in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs about the events that surrounded the Apostles deaths, I will summarize the following which came from Bible Study Tools:

Peter

"Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. Hegesippus saith that Nero sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when the people perceived, they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But, coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping, said, "Lord, whither dost Thou go?" To whom He answered and said, "I am come again to be crucified." By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was."

Andrew

"Was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term, St. Andrew's Cross.”

James the Great

"The next martyr we meet with, according to St. Luke, in the History of the Apostles' Acts, was James the son of Zebedee, the elder brother of John, and a relative of our Lord; for his mother Salome was cousin-german to the Virgin Mary. It was not until ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom took place; for no sooner had Herod Agrippa been appointed g