Romans 12:2  "The Secured Mind"
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

        The Secure mind is the believer’s mindset that believes that God is all and in all. It believes that there is total security in Jesus Christ. It believes that Christ is always at hand and just one prayer away and could come back to judge the world at any moment. The believer has got security in God in these 4 areas:

A.    God’s presence is at hand. A "secure mind" will be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. The secure minded believer will strive earnestly to do the work of the ministry everywhere and anytime the opportunity presents itself. Paul exhorted the church to remain steadfast in the Lord. (Philippians 4:1- 2) Paul exhorted the leaders (Euodias and Syntyche) to be of the same mind in Christ. There was some doctrinal differences between these 2 women (or this man and woman as some scholars believe) and at times they taught the Word of God contrary to one another’s doctrinal beliefs creating an “ire” of discord among the fellowship. God wills that everything we do in his service, in our worship experiences, and in handling the business affairs of the “institution” church be done decent and in order. Every teacher, minister, layperson that has authority to teach within the church structure must be of one mind and for the same purpose. 

        This means that each one must teach the same biblical doctrine and nothing contrary to sound Christian doctrine, even though their methods of teaching may not be similar. We are to preach and teach pure doctrines that are biblically based, Christ centered and led by the Holy Ghost. We are to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. We are to help the women and laymen who earnestly labor for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When the believer possess the secure mind, that believer will find a way to always rejoice in the Lord, even while laboring for the Lord, life’s circumstances around them and with them sometimes seems too burdensome and hard to bear. Paul in verse 4 exhorts the believer to rejoice always, in the Lord and to let our “moderation”  (Christian conduct) be shown toward all me, realizing that the time of the Lord (the Day of Judgment) is at hand. (It could come at any moment!) This means, we are challenged to be continually happy in the Lord. God wills that we find happiness in Him and we rejoice beyond our life’s circumstances. Second, it means we are to exhibit longsuffering, meekness, temperance, goodness faith, love, joy, and every attribute of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our Christian walk with Christ and our work for Christ despite the erratic behavior of some those we have to minister to.

B.    God’s peace. The secure mind aids in allowing the believer to experience the peace of God and that peace in God to its fullest. The peace of God will cause the believer to put into practice those principles of Christianity that promote steady spiritual growth. They will experience consistent growth in their prayer life. This will promote proper praying, that is, praying for the right things, praying without ceasing and a genuine willingness to pray. They will pray, seeking God’s divine counsel about everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) 

            God’s peace will promote proper living and a Christian life style. His peace will compel the believer to bring their mind, body, and spirit under total subjection to the guidance of the Holy Ghost, seeking to live morally and with Christian integrity and becoming fully guided into all truth concerning Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost. It will cause them to walk in the Spirit of God and not after the “flesh” mentality of their own minds. (Romans 8) God’s peace will secure their mind and their way of thinking. The believer will allow the mind of Jesus Christ become their mindset. (Philippians 2:5) This will show that as the believer is maturing, becoming single minded, submitting to the mind of Jesus Christ by submitting to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. It will show that they have become spiritual minded not living their live carnally, but walking daily in the spirit and power of the Holy Ghost with a spiritual mindset viewing life and their lives the way God views all life. With God’s peace, the secure mind will empower the believer not to suffer anxiety over anything, but through prayer and making their supplications to God, they will make their request to Him with thanksgiving. God, in return will secure their minds and their hearts through Jesus Christ with the kind of peace that surpasses our understanding. (Philippians 4:6) 

        Finally, the secure mind will empower the believer to meditate on things pertaining to God. Those things are purity, things that are lovely, things that are praiseworthy, truth, nobility, justice, things that are of good report, and virtue. (Philippians 4:8) Not only that, but the believer will be compel to emulate good living examples set forth by other believers. Paul said as you see me do in Christ, teach concerning Christ, learned along the way and received, you do as well and the peace of God will be with you.

C.        God’s power. The secure mind rest on the power of God in 3 ways: 

            First, the believer rests upon the illuminating power of the Word of God. The Psalmist said in Psalms 119:105 God’s Word is a "lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path". God’s word brings all things in the light by exposing those things that are agents of spiritual darkness to God’s truth. God’s word has the power to bring a man’s soul from spiritual darkness and cause that same man to walk in the “newness” of life. God’s word gives us wisdom, spiritual, historical and social insight, moral direction, and a way to get to know Him, Jesus Christ, the ministry and work of the Holy Ghost, and the plan of God for the present and future age. Second, the believer that has a secure mind rest upon God’s power to physically move in their behalf. Moses experienced this power at the Rea Sea (Exodus 14:13-16) and when he brought forth water out of a rock. (Numbers 20:11) Joshua experienced this power at the battle of Jericho. Gideon experienced this power when he went into battle with only 300 men. (Judges 7:5) God has promised to move in our behalf, to make the crooked places straight, to make our enemies our footstool. God is always there and ready to move in the behalf of every believer who seeks his help. Sometimes, God move providentially to affect his will in our lives. At other times, God moves to meet our personal desires that are in line with his will and his way of blessing every on of his beloved children. 

            Paul in Philippians 4:10- 11 experienced the power of God moving in his behalf through the generosity of those whom he served as Pastor to. Paul showed gratitude for what they did in making sure that he had money enough to live a “moderate” life and to take care of any personal expenses he might have had. Paul, at the same time told them that his “real” dependency was for God to supply all of his needs and through them, God was using them to meet his temporal needs. (food, clothing, shelter, travel expenses, etc..) (Philippians 4:19) Every minister called by God and every lay person in the faith must rest upon the power of God to meet their every need. Whether our needs are temporal or spiritual, God can meet and will supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

        Third, the believer that has a secure mind depends on the power of God to sustain them and keep them no matter the circumstances. Paul said in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me”.Paul learned how to deal with every challenge of life through Christ. He learned how to deal with afflictions and prosperity. He learned how to live with adversity and triumphs, all because he relied on the strength of Jesus Christ to sustain him in every circumstance of life. Every child of God can live the same way Paul lived his life with a secure mind in Jesus Christ. Christ truly gives us all the power to do all things when we rely on the power of God to work in and through us. The Apostle John said in Jude 24 and 25 “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, Amen”. God is all powerful and can do all things to keep his servant secured in all circumstances. Paul himself even said in Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. When we allow the power of God to work in us, it shows that we are secure in God and in what God can do in any situations we face in our lives.

D.    God’s provision. The secure mind knows 3 things. God gives us the power to do all things in the strength of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 4:13) As I mentioned previously, God gives us ability to live through all kinds of adversity and situations. The believer must be secure in their Christian beliefs to withstand the onslaught of Satan’s attacks that come from every direction. The psalmist said in Psalms 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of all of them”. God gives us the power to make provisions for our families, to earn a living and to secure food, clothing, shelter, etc. We can make it in the strength of Jesus Christ. This means because Christ lives in us, the strength is really not ours but his. We are made strong in our weakness by his strength working within us. God gives us the ability to excel in anything we have been charged to do the minister and the lay person can truly do all things through Christ for the sake of the Gospel and the sanctity of life.

            Second, in Philippians 4:19, the secure mind knows that God will supply all that a believer needs in this life according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ. Whatever we need, we can rest assure that God will supply it. God is rich in houses and land. Paul, quoting the Psalmist confirms the fact that the earth is the Lord’s, the fullness thereof, the world, and all that dwell in it. (1 Corinthians 10:26) God will meet our every need as we need it when we need it. Paul told the church at Philippi God will give to them in the same manner they gave help to him. Jesus told us as we give, he will give to us in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over men will give to you. (Luke 6:38) Be not dismayed whatever betides, God will take care of you.

        Third, when we give to the needs of others, God responds to our needs by giving back to us many times in and sometimes above the proportion, manner and attitude we gave. Paul acknowledged he had all he needed because of those gifts the church sent to him by Epaphroditus. Paul admonished the spirit (attitude) in which the church gave to meet his needs and said this was to be “added to their account and they would be rewarded in the future on the Day of the Lord. As I said previously in Luke 6:38, Jesus said if we give, it will be given back to us in good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over and in direct proportion and attitude we exercise giving.

Romans 12:2        "The Spiritual Mind"
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

       " The" spiritual mind" is the mind that seeks to be a true worshipper of God. Jesus said in John 4:24: "God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship  him (God) in  spirit and in truth. Jesus lets us know right off the bat that  this is the "only way" we can truly worship him. Any believer who possesses a spiritual mind knows that communion with God is not possible with a carnal mind. The spiritual mind will come to a believer when he or she first have a single mind that is focused on the will of God, and second, when they become submissive in mind toward God, earnestly seeking to please him and him alone, and following the advice of King Solomon in Proverbs 3:5-6  "acknowledging the Lord in all of their ways". The bible said in Romans 8:7 “The carnal mind is enmity with God”. This means, when we are carnal minded in our thinking and actions, we are in direct opposition with the will and the way of God. The spiritual mind will equip us to fight the good fight of faith that is found in Christ Jesus, laying hold onto eternal life, and to recognize that we are fighting a spiritual war and not a carnal one.   (1 Timothy 6:12) 

        Ephesians 6:12 lets us know we fight against powers, principalities, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. The spiritual mind teaches us that the weapons that we use to fight the spiritual battle are spiritual themselves and not carnal. They are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down every imaginations and every high thing that exalt itself against the knowledge of God. (2 Corinthians 10:4- 6) The spiritual mind will bring every single thought into captivity and into the obedience of Jesus Christ. The spiritual mind influences the child of God in 3 areas:

A.    Salvation. (The Christian’s past)  In Philippians 3:1- 11, Paul gave his personal testimony that there is no salvation under the law. Salvation can only come through profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said when he found Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road, everything he thought mattered by keeping the Law of Moses and having “law” righteousness became meaningless. He said in verse 7 “For what things he counted as gain before he met Jesus now count as losses”. He found more excellence in obtaining knowledge of and in Jesus Christ than all of the former knowledge he obtained as a Pharisee and sitting under Gamilel his mentor and instructor. He speaks further about losing everything for the knowledge of Jesus Christ as his Lord and compared all of these things as trash., dung, or manure.  Paul realized "true righteousness" is by faith in Jesus Christ and all righteousness is in God, thus all he wanted from that moment on is to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings and to conform to his death, in any way to obtain the resurrection. (verses 8- 11)

        When the spiritual mind is at work in a believer, it will do the same thing to us it did to Paul. It awakens us to the fact that the righteousness we had before our confession of faith in Jesus was of the Law. We then will find out that this kind of righteousness (righteousness of the Law) is like “filthy” rags in the sight of God because we are unclean and in our uncleanness, our iniquities are carried away like the wind. (Isaiah 64:6) The "spiritual minded" person not only wants to be saved, but also wants to know the inner workings of salvation. They will want to live a Christ centered life because they want to know Jesus on a personal basis. This person will not be satisfied with Jesus Christ being just their Savior. They will want him to become their Lord.

B.   Sanctification. (The Christian’s present) Philippians 3:12- 16, Paul continued to grow because he recognized that he had not become full grown (mature in the faith) at this point. He had what is called by C.T. Schofield “positional” perfection, that is, he was saved and was made perfect by God when he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior on the road to Damascus, but he realized though he had not attained everything else needed yet. (3:12) Paul knew that he had not fully matured nor had he reached perfection. He had not attained what Schofield called the “ultimate” perfection, that is, "total maturity" in his mind, body and soul. He had not yet finished the race that God had set before him and he knew it. Paul was in the state of what is called “relative” perfection. In “relative” perfection, there were weights that Paul still had to lay aside and putting down and other strongholds (sins) that easily beset him. (Hebrews 12:1- 2) Paul knew in order to run the race, he had to focus (look onto) Jesus to orchestrate his running path and to finish the maturing process in him so he could and would finish this race. He had to consider the pain and agony Jesus suffered for our salvation and the endurance he had to have to hang on the cross at Calvary innocent and having done no wrong. Paul knew that whatever work (spiritual, psychological, and physical) God started in him, he was assured that God would finish that work. (Philippians 1:6) 

            Every believer has this assurance for God as well. God never starts anything without finishing it. Whenever the believer embraces this truth in their own lives, they will grow to become single minded, become submissive minded, and walk in the ways of God with a spiritual mindset. They will finally realize that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ, because that person lives their life with a spiritual attitude and not a carnal one. (Romans 8:1- 2)  Sanctification in the purest sense is the process of constant spiritual growth, daily growing and maturing into the person God intended you to be. The sanctification process is ongoing. Just like Paul, we are too at present in the state of “relative” perfection. That is, we are striving to obtain the ultimate perfection in Jesus Christ in mind, body and in our souls. 

        We must become single minded about the work Jesus has set before you and totally focused upon him for the help needed to do it. You must have a submissive mind and submit to the Holy Spirit and let him take total control in every area of your personal life. In having the spiritual mind, you must trust the Lord with all of your heart, not leaning to your own understanding of spiritual matters, but acknowledging God in all of your ways, allowing him to direct your path in all things. (Proverbs 3:5- 6)  This is the purpose of sanctification and it is an ongoing process as we live each day. Every day the believer should be a little more mature and closer in their relationship with God than the day before, especially in the area of submitting and doing the will of God. Whereas salvation frees us from the penalty of sin, (death and separation from God) sanctification, on the other hand empowers us to be free from the power of sin and the principalities, rulers of the darkness of this world, and the spiritual wickedness that is in high places. We are being made perfect. The spiritual mind helps us to become perfected in holiness, (2 Corinthians 7:1) perfected in love, (Colossians 4:12) perfected in patience, ((James 1:4) and perfected in and toward every good work. (Hebrews 13:21)

            Paul said, that I may lay hold to that Christ Jesus has laid hold for me. (3:13) Paul sought to obtain perfect knowledge of Jesus, pure and unadulterated. He sought to understand the power of Jesus’ death on the cross. He wanted to understand and fully grasp that rugged cross, the gospel, and its power to save and to change the life of an unbeliever. He implored the church at Philippi to walk together in the Spirit of Christ with the same spiritual mindset as they strive to press toward the “mark” for the prize of the “high” (upward) call of God. We must realize that for the Christian, we must become “perfected” saints and we must strive daily to obtain “moral” perfection. Our ultimate goal is to live according to God’s moral standard for life and personal conduct. 

        As believers in the faith, as we mature as Christians and strive to become fit examples in the body of Christ. To do so, we must not focus so much on those things (good or bad that happened to us in the past directly or indirectly, we must rather press forward to the goal God has set in our lives and strive daily to reach that goal. If we look back too much upon the things of the past, we will be swayed to go back to those “former” things. We must strive toward seeking the “perfect” knowledge of Christ and to grasp the full meaning of what Jesus’ death on the cross at Calvary really meant. Isaiah 53:3- 12 gives us the “layout” of how God’s plan of salvation worked through in the life of Jesus Christ and how we, through his plan, benefited from every ounce of suffering he endured before and on the cross. We must grasp the power of his suffering in our behalf and the “pleasure” God took in allowing Jesus to be wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, healed by his stripes, chastised for our peace, bearing our grief and carrying our sorrows, in the midst of our not giving him the esteem he rightfully deserved. The church as a whole must seek to become the church that believe in the same Lord, live and conduct the business of God with and in the same faith and under the same baptism. If there be anyone among us who doesn’t hold to the same perspectives in Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost will reveal it to those who this applies to. With the spiritual mind, we can press on the upward way.

C.   Glorification. (The Christian’s future) One day in the near or distant future, (only God knows which) God will judge the world and all who have lived in it in times past for all of their deeds, whether they were good or bad. Paul exhorted the church to mark every example set before them of the behaviors of the saints and follow only those examples that glorified Jesus Christ. In Philippians 3:17- 21, Paul was not speaking against those scoffers, (unbelievers) who have no knowledge of Christ at all, rather, he spoke against the Pharisees, scribes, and other religious factions who claimed to live for God. These temple leaders had religious practice in their life, but their lives were not doctrinally sound examples of true Christianity. They had a form or godliness, but they denied the real power. (2 Timothy 3:5) Jesus told them they were like vipers, preaching the law without practicing love. Paul once called himself the “chief” among Pharisees, trained and educated, having a “fanatic” zeal for the Law. Jesus said that it will be a sad day for them on the day of their judgment. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone that cries to me Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven but he that does the will of my Father”. Jesus said on that day many will cry out Lord didn’t we prophesy in your name and in your name cast out devil and in your name did many wonderful works. On that day Jesus will tell them I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of iniquity.

            We are to mark those leaders that follow the example of true discipleship and practice true Christianity as set forth by God and the example Jesus Christ lived while he was physically here on this earth. We are to also mark those false teachers and false practitioners of Christianity and avoid living their examples. Paul says to the church follow me as I follow Christ. We are to strive to be the type of Christ-like followers that will please the Lord.  It is in our following leaders that exhibit the “fruit” of the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22- 26) that we are enabled to become the same type of leaders ourselves.  While we all have to agree that no one is perfect yet, we can still glean from their lives those qualities that are Christ like and learn from those examples. Jesus is primary example. Jesus said take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your soul. (Matthew 11:29- 30) My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

        We are admonished to have pure, honorable intentions and live our lives with Christian integrity as we strive to do the will of our Father in heaven. The true “motives” of those Jesus talked about will be their undoing at judgment. We must make sure as we live that we live for the “sole purpose” of doing the will of God and to live in a way that will lift Jesus higher to this world that is steeped in the darkness if sin. It would be a tragedy to go to hell from the church, to be denied by Jesus before the Father because in our real motives, we were in fact denying him, though it appeared to the public as though we were being sincere. Unfortunately, many of our leaders have a ”form” of godliness in physical and public appearance, yet deeply entrenched within their evil hearts, God sees their real unholy motives. (Their hearts are far from God.) Paul said their god is in their bellies, (verse 19) because they were more concerned about their sensual and financial appetites, rather then the ministry to God’s people.

        Paul said we are to live now on earth with the attitude that our citizenship of heaven has already come to pass. Paul said in  Philippians 3:20 our citizenship is in heaven, and from heaven we await the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to come (the second time) and transform our mortal bodies (lowly bodies) into immortal bodies (glorious bodies) like his, changing our corruption into incorruption.

Romans 12:2:            "The Single Minded Christian"

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of Go

            The “single mind" is the kind of mind whose sole focus is on Jesus Christ and furthering the Gospel. It is extremely important that every believer in Jesus Christ possess this kind of mind. The reason this is a “must” for every believer  is, if the believer possessed this kind of mind, he or she would rapidly mature in their spiritual growth, and will become a powerful and effective witness for the Lord Jesus, striving diligently and daily to live the “Christ centered” life God envisions for his servants. With the “single” mind, a “Christ centered” life will come despite any and all suffering the believer in Jesus Christ would encounter as a “satanic” response to their deeper commitment to Christ. The bible says in James 1:8 a “double minded” man is unstable in all of his ways. The “single” mind focused on Jesus Christ totally obliterates a “double mind" state and is concrete proof the believer is truly focused and stable in his walk with Christ and is not double minded in any way. This mind, the single mind, is essential to the believer becoming steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. It’s the kind of mind that will draw you nearer to God and becoming aware that God is drawn nearer towards you. (James 4:8) The single mind will cause the believing servant to think about and show more concern about the welfare of others believers and becoming more active in the furtherance of evangelizing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, even during your times of personal adversity, rather than focus upon any fiery trial you may be experiencing at the given moment. 

             Paul gave us a great “living” example of this while he was writing to the Philippian church. Paul wrote this epistle after he had been incarcerated in a Roman prison. He was beaten and bound for preaching the Gospel promoting Jesus Christ as the Savior. Even though the Judaizers who had him locked up in prison were constantly trashing his name and undermining his ministry for preaching about the Messiah Jesus Christ, Paul, bruised and battered behind prison bars still preached that same gospel to other prisoners and to the Roman prison guards and continued writing sermonic letters of encouragement and instruction to the surrounding churches. Though imprisoned once again, Paul still rejoiced for the gospel’s sake, showing more concern that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was still being preached, rather than whether it was being done in pretense or in truth. (Philippians 1:18) Paul did this, rather than focus on whatever else was happening to him personally. 

            Just like the Apostle Paul, we must too strive to exemplify this same single mindset by letting the mind that dwelled in Jesus Christ also dwell in us as well. (Philippians 2:5) When we truly allow the mind of Jesus Christ to rule and live actively in our hearts, we can show that we are single minded toward Jesus Christ and the Gospel in the following 3 ways:

I.       In our Christian fellowship with others. The church’s creed declares that we are to watch over one another in brotherly love, remember each other in prayer and aid each other in sickness and distress. In chapter 1: 1- 11, Paul shows us how the single minded person entreats those fellow laborers in the faith.

            First, we thank God for them and for the diligence they have displayed for the gospel and ministry of Jesus Christ, praying intercessory for each of them, letting them know just how special and endearing they are to us. We are letting them know that we have not forgotten them, despite any other ministry obligations or situations we may have. We are showing verbal and physical appreciation for what each one of them contributes to our growth in the faith and for their cooperation and diligence toward the total ministry, as well as their labor in love for Jesus Christ. 

            Second, we continue to encourage them to remain steadfast in the faith, reminding them that the work (sanctification process) that God started in their lives is not finished and God will finish developing and maturing them in the faith. (Philippians 1:7) 

            Third, we pray that they will continue to grow in the love of God and gain even more spiritual insight into the things pertaining to the work of the ministry, as well as strive to become morally sound in their personal lives. If they will do this, they will display a greater depth of love and a keener discernment to recognize the greater expectations of God, seeking to live purer lives; lives that are holy, lives that are unerring, lives that are filled with God’s righteousness and living blameless before God at all times. This means that they will strive to keep their bodies (mind and physical body) and spirit under the subjection of the Holy Ghost, preventing themselves from being used by satanic forces (demons and Satan himself) as instruments of unrighteousness, but rather as temples for the indwelling of God they were designed to be. (Romans 6:13) Not only this, but they would live in such a way that does not cause anyone else to stumble in the faith or be hindered by any improper behavior on their or our part. (Chapter 1: 9- 11)

2.      In the furtherance of the Gospel. Acts 8: 4 tells us how the actual persecution of those “members of the way” empowered and compelled them in such a way that they continued to preach the gospel wherever they were. Paul, in verse 12 pleaded with the Philippian church not to lament over none of the persecution he suffered, but rather, see that his persecution for Jesus Christ was actually serving as a means to advance the preaching of the gospel message and strengthened his personal resolve to continue to preach about Jesus whether he remained in prison or was set free. Jesus told us all that we would suffer because of our belief and witness in him. Jesus tells us in John 16: 33b” in this world, we will have tribulation”, but we are to still be of good cheer despite persecutions because Christ had already overcome the world in our behalf. 

    `        The truth is, we can still be public servants of the Lord no matter our age, stage or status in life. We can be bold, fearless witnesses in good times as well as bad, whether in bondage as or being set free from our bonds. With the “single” mind, we can be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. We can and must learn to look at all of our situations as “ideal” situations to minister and witness for God. We must look at all of our persecutions because we live and testify of Jesus as evidence that what we believe about Jesus Christ as being the true and living Messiah is right and is even worth dying for.

            There are times when the very person or people being used by Satan to persecute you, revile you or say all manner of evil against you for the sake of Jesus Christ can still be won to Christ by your living testimony and Christ-like behavior around them. People are constantly watching you to see if you are truly living your life as a Christian ought to. They’ve heard what you publicly said about your belief about Jesus. Now they want to see if your life lines up with the testimony that came from your lips

            In verses 13 and 14, Paul shares with us that even the imperial guard of Rome became influenced by his preaching, not just to the point of knowing the wrong that Paul was suffering by being imprisoned for his service to Christ or for his personal conversion experience, but also because they observed his fervent compassion and steadfast conviction for Jesus in every epistle (letter) he wrote to the churches. Because of his consistent Christian behavior, many of them were soon converted and became sympathizers. They realized his imprisonment was not really for any crime in the truest sense, (examples: murder, sedition, rape, etc.) but simply because he preached Jesus Christ as the way to the truth and the way to eternal life. 

            Many of our afflictions will come the same way. They will come simply because we are Christians and active in the proclamation of Jesus Christ as the “only” real solution to all the social, political and spiritual “ills” of this sin-filled and dying world. Paul said as the people continued to pray for him, he gathered more inner strength and in some ways, their prayers also encouraged him to continue the mission no matter what odds he faced. He said their prayers were a help in the furtherance of advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and were in keeping along with his personal desire to boldly speak to the world about Jesus and glorify Jesus Christ in his life also, whether living or dying.

3.      In the faith of the Gospel. In verses 26 through 30, Paul told the church they should exhibit so much faith in living for Christ, that simply “living out” our Christian convictions and beliefs of the gospel will have such a tremendous and profound effect on the world as well as on us. 

    `        First, our convictions should be lived fully in our personal lives. When we live in faith by the Gospel, the Gospel will have a tremendous effect on our manner of conversing one to another. According to the bible, we are to let all of our conversations (the type of conversations we engage in and the actual words we verbally speak) reflect the fact that we are indeed Christians. We must shun profane babblings and vile speech, because this will lead to more ungodliness if we don’t. (2 Timothy 2:16) We must speak words of encouragement and truths, and allow God to use all of our verbal conversations as blessing to other believers and perspective new converts to Jesus Christ. We ought not to engage in fallacies and unfounded rumors, which ultimately will bring down upon us rebuke or a curse. We should be slow to speak, yet swift to hear. (James 1:19)

    `        Second, we are to conduct our lives in a manner that truly reflect our real stance on living for Jesus. We should let our lives become “visual” testimonies to the world around us. This current world and its people seem to have no problem living their lives in a manner that reflect their “worldly” beliefs and views. Because of this, their behaviors amplifies the need for the Christian to live an equally amplified, Christ centered life reflecting every attribute of God’s character given to us through the “fruit” of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22- 26) 

            In Philippians 1:27a and c, Paul exhorts the church to make sure as citizens in this world to conduct our personal lives publicly in a way that will make us worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The reason this is necessary is, the effects of our Christian citizenship will be echoed among the public in such a way that will say that we (the church) stand firm, united in God’s spirit and purpose, striving together, side by side and contending together in one single mind for the faith of the Gospel.

            Third, we are not to be intimidated or even frightened by our adversaries, spiritual or otherwise because if we don’t, this will serve as a sure sign that their destructive end is near and will also become evidence and sure token to the world of our deliverance and salvation, and the fact that they both came from God. (1: 28)

            Finally, our “living” faith is a reminder that we have been granted a glorious privilege for the sake of Christ to believe in the gospel, to live our lives according to that same gospel, to rely on and trust solely in God, and to suffer for the cause of Christ.

Romans 12:2:    "The Submissive Mind"
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

        A "submissive mind" is a mind that causes the believer to submit totally to the will of God and totally relinquishes his or her will for the cause of Christ. The greatest hindrance to a submissive mind in the live and testimony of the Christian believer is a “negative reactive" behavior in the midst of trails and tribulations. This causes the believer to have a "reactive" respond to these trials or tribulations in a “fleshy” way. Jesus told us in Matthew 16:33 that in this life we will have tribulations. There will be many things Satan and the host of demons in the underworld will do or attempt to do to afflict and derail the children of God from the mission God has set before them. There will be many situations and circumstances that will come against us because of our stance against the world’s system, Satan, sin and our belief in Jesus Christ as the true Messiah. Things will be said. Lies will be told. False accusations and horrendous persecutions will come. People will do things or at least try to us that are evil and cruel. The only way to stand and take a stand against the wiles of the devil besides putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6) is to have the submissive mind. 

        A submissive mind will seek to honor Jesus Christ despite any and all suffering that comes against us or who comes against our life and ministry. The submissive mind causes the believer to totally submit themselves to the will of God and let the perfect will of God be done in and through their lives and ministry, exemplifying the same mind and attitude Jesus had in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:38- 41. Once the child of God operates in their life with a single mind toward God, that single mindset will lead them to have a submissive mind. A submissive mind to Jesus Christ allows us to fully experience the fellowship of the Spirit, bring unity among our fellow believers, strive to do the work of the ministry with a single mind and put the mission of Jesus Christ and the needs of others ahead of our own personal desires and ambitions. Paul pointed out several factors concerning Jesus Christ in Philippians chapter 2:6-9:

I.       Jesus, though he was equal with God and in the form of God in every aspect, (possessing all of the attributes and fullness that makes God, God) did for the purpose of his part in God’s mission for the plan of salvation, humbled himself, (that is voluntarily stripped himself of his dignity and God privilege) and made himself a servant, becoming like men and allowed himself to be born as a man. Jesus came not to make a reputation for himself, he came to serve. (Mark 10:45) We should follow the example of Jesus. We are not saved by God and call into the ministry to make a reputation for ourselves. We are not called to Philanthropy though there is nothing wrong with becoming a Philanthropist. .We are  called beyond the good works of Philanthrophy to serve the Lord though life dedication and doing good "mission" work for him in this present age. The only reputation we should seek and have in the public’s eye is the fact that we serve God and we are carrying out the work of the ministry to the people of God.  We are living out our Christian beliefs in all sincerity as a witness and testimony to the world that we believe that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God and the Messiah for this world. Jesus said in Luke 6:44 a tree is known by the fruit it bears. As fruit bearers, (evangelist, pastors, ministers and teachers)it's imperative that we submit ourselves to the Lord, because any fruit we bear must come through him, otherwise we can’t bear any fruit on our own volition. Any good reputation we obtain comes through the work we do for Jesus Christ and the results of our diligent service for him in the world.

II.    Jesus is the greatest example to this world in human flesh. Through Jesus Christ, we are shown God’s love and how he loved us so much, giving fallen man the only way of redemption through his son. In our quest to fulfill our God given mission to evangelize the world according to Matthew 28:19- 20, we must settle the "Gethsemane question": Will it be our will, or will we submit to God’s divine will? The answer is crystal clear: We must let God’s will be done. The only way we can do this is to be single-minded in life and in the purpose and ministry call we have because of the 'Lordship" of Jesus Christ and be willing to totally submit to the will and way of God. We must be willing to face the same kind of public scrutiny, public ridicule and persecution Jesus faced while he was here on earth. We must love God so much, that all that matters is his will be done on earth as it is already done in heaven. Persecutions, trials tribulations will be on every hand and many times, we will find it hard to understand why all the trouble? Why are we tested on every hand? Just remember if we start out with Jesus and humbly submit to the will of God, we will be victorious while that mission is being fulfilled and truly when the mission is over. We should only work to please God in every way and every thing we think, say and do.

III.     Because he abased and humbled himself to this degree, (dying an humiliating, self sacrificing death on the cross at Calvary) God the Father exalted him and gave him a name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. If we live to please God and to present Jesus Christ to this dying world where many people are still unsaved, in due season, Christ will exalt us above and beyond where we are currently (spiritually and socially) are status wise in this world to where we rightfully should be in his eyes whether now, later, or in the new world to come. (1 Peter 5:6) Therefore, let this mind be in you that was also in Jesus Christ. We are constantly privy to witness (observe) on a regular basis many of those nonbelievers(atheist, Jesus haters, other religious factions) who exalt themselves before the public, only to see them all humbled in due season. The mind of Jesus Christ allows us to have joy and peace, even in the midst of every trying situation and will keep us from becoming too “full” of ourselves.

        Isaiah Chapter 53 gives us a concise look at the ministry of Jesus Christ and why his dedication to the plan of salvation in our behalf required him to be submissive to the mind of God, to the extent that his submission to God’s ultimate plan meant that he was to give his very life for the fulfillment of it. We know that his death was part of the plan for the remission of sin, but looking at it from a human prospective, his dedication in the service of saving mankind was filled with sacrifice and suffering. The same was true for Paul and the same will be true for anyone who embraces a true Christian life. This is why Paul gives us 3 “keys” to having a submissive mind.

A.         The "first key" is allow the Word of God to dwell within us and live by that "indwelling"Word. In 1  Thessalonians 2:13,  (Douay-Rheims translation) Paul exhorted the Church at Thessalonica for receiving the Word of God after it was given to them and embracing the “life” message it contained. Paul said when they heard “The Word”, they embraced it like it was words that didn’t come from men, but from God himself, (light and life) though the Word came through men. They embraced the Word and allowed it to become alive in them, changing their perspective on life and the way they would live their individual lives. They embraced it so much that they suffered willingly for its truths and the truth that Jesus Christ is the real Messiah in the hands of their fellow countrymen and non-believing Jews, who refused to believe in and embrace Jesus Christ as the Messiah. 

            The bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) The believer must first hear the Word of God. Then the believer must accept it as the truth about God,  about Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, the way and truth of life, the plan of God for this world, the world to come, and the “only” means to have a proper personal relationship with our creator, Jehovah God. The believer must expect to have periods of suffering and persecution because of their Christian beliefs. Psalms 119:105 says the Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Understanding and embracing the Word of God helps the believer to become single minded toward God and to become submissive in mind toward Christ.

B.         The "second key" is submit to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 14:16- 17 he would send the believer (disciple) another helper, the Holy Spirit to guide and live with and inside the believer. Jesus said in verse 27 the Holy Spirit will teach and bring everything Jesus said back to the remembrance of the believer. Paul told us in Ephesians 4:30 not to grieve the Holy Spirit because it is he that “sealed” us unto the day of redemption. The believer must not grieve the Holy Spirit but rather, embrace him and allow him to have complete control over all affairs of our lives. We must allow him to do the work Jesus Christ sent him to do through each one of us and guide us to every truth pertaining to God. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to have a submissive mind and become obedient, seeking only to honor God in all that we do and not seeking honor for ourselves in any way. We are to live as a “torch bearer” would, that is, carrying the Word of God, living by its precepts and principles and passing all of them on to others. We are to be submissive servants of God, serving this present age and fulfilling the calling God has placed upon our lives.

C.         The "third key" is prayer. Prayer as defined by the Nelson Bible Dictionary is “communication” with God. With a submissive mind, the believer realizes there must be constant communication with God for direction, instruction, assurance, reassurance, and guidance in our everyday affairs as well as the ministry work each believer is charged by God to do. Working in ministry requires constant communication with God. The bible charges us to pray without ceasing and to be instant (always ready) to prayer. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Our prayer life reminds us that we are totally dependent upon God for everything. Though we can pray and ask God for our needs, we are reminded that God knows what we need and what he want out of our lives better than we will ever know. Praying in submission says we will yield to what God requires and demands of us and will continue to do his will and his work, praying for others while we are waiting for the answer to our prayers.

No true believer in Jesus Christ can afford to live in any way that will hinder their prayer life or the answering of those prayers. One good indication of whether a believer has a submissive mind toward God or not sometimes is found in whether God answered their perspective prayer and in the kind of prayers they prayed. There are many hindrances to unanswered prayer: unbelief, (Hebrews 11:6) iniquity in the heart, (Psalms 66:18) rebellion to God’s Law, (Proverbs 28:9) estrangement of heart, (Isaiah 29:13)  sinful separation form God, (Isaiah 59:2) offerings unworthy sacrifices, (Malachi 1:7- 9) praying to be seen by men, (Matthew 6:5- 6) having pride pertaining to fasting, praying and tithing, (Luke 18:11- 14) waywardness, (Jeremiah 14:10- 12) and double-mindedness. (James 4:3) 

        A submissive mind will keep the believer from yielding to these hindrances and it will root out all these conditions if they are found within their heart. The believer will quickly be compelled to repent, humble themselves under God’s mighty hand and then relinquish their mind and will to God once again.  Praying not only makes a difference in the life of the praying person, but prayer makes a difference in the lives of the ones we prayed for. Paul prayed that the Philippian church would grow more in love and the increase in love they have be strengthen by their increased knowledge of Jesus Christ. He prayed they would strengthen their resolve, enabling them to discern the difference between those things that promote godliness and righteousness and those things that do not. (Philippians 1:9- 11) We too must pray for our growth and for the growth of fellow believers as well,  that as we grow, we all will not only have a single mind toward Christ, but a submissive mind toward doing his will in and through our lives as well. Jesus said that we are light of the world. We are a city that has been set upon a hill that cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14) A single minded, submissive minded Christian must give service and expect to sacrifice a life of comfort to do it. It’s all about Jesus and not about us.

Editoral:     What's happened to Evangelism in the Modern Church?

        My personal belief concerning the church in this present time is the modern church of this age as a whole has become so self-centered, too complacent and too focused on financial prosperity. Her self-centeredness comes from has caused her to lack the enthusiasm or the willingness to carry out on a large public scale the mandate Jesus gave the disciples of Matthew 28: 19- 20 to "go and make other disciples".    
 
        There seems to be a “serious” lack (of a large scale) of evangelistic effort on the part of many of our churches to carry the “true” gospel message, the message that’s truly needed in the world today. Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t churches or individual members within a number of churches thataren't striving to carry out God’s will and evangelize the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in their communities, on their jobs, etc.. There is, and they do, but we need a more  “yeoman’s” effort on the part of more churches and individual members besides the ones who have the committment to do so..

        Spiritually, I believe the real “dilemma” of many of our churches is many of the members  more carnal minded, and have not fully submitted themselves unto the righteousness of Christ, nor have they made a real committment to Christian stewardship and evangelism. They seem to be focusing more on “earthly” things pertaining to man than focusing on those things pertaining to Christ. It just like the Apostle Paul said to the church in Rome in Romans 10:2- 3, to this issue: You could say part of the reason for an “evangelistic” downturn stems from churches trying more
to establish their own righteousness, displaying a “zeal” for God, while working in ignorance,  not according to real knowledge of things that really matter to God, especially in the area of “Evangelism”. There seems to be a “willful” ignorance of God’s righteousness and we seem to be more determined to establish our own righteousness, refusing to become submissive to him rather and choosing to act as if we are our own God. Churches within the same neighborhood used to fellowship and cooperate with each other, sometimes doing joint ventures in the perspective communities. Now many of them are only concerned withp ersonal reconition and tend to be non-cooperative these days. 

        You can readily see that the modern church age has become more “Laodecean” in nature, not seeing the real need for true evangelism or real spiritual growth in the body of Christ, yet we boast of great prosperity, lively worship services, having many community and social action programs, as we concentrate on building great state of the art superstructures and having standing room only attendance at all of our worship services.   If you compare the historic church of Laodecea (Revelation 3:14- 22) to the churches of this modern era, you can clearly see just like that church, we the modern church has the same great disparity of her point of view of how she sees herself in comparison  to the way God sees her.                    

        Let’s look at the modern church from a financial perspective. Many of larger and mega-churches in this modern  era see themselves as being financially sound, focusing more on becoming “lenders” and not the “borrowers”. Many advertise themselves as being “crème de la crème” churches or as one church in “multiple” locations. They’ve developed a “corporate” attitude, focusing on multi-million dollar building projects, and modernization. Many of these churches socially and spiritually change in arrogance as they experience “mega” growth and financially solvent, becoming “spiritually uppidy”  abandoning community evangelism and exchanging it for "economic utopia", following the “money trail” and eventually, they move out of “the projects” or lower econonimac class neighborhoods, rather than stay, evangelize the  misfortunate and maladjusted in the projects and help in revitalizing the masses, men of every birth. The potential of an "economic cash cow" and a "cosmopolitan community status" grabs hold of them and turns them  away from true evangelism and presenting a sincere evangelistic ministering to the public and God’s true ministry to the people no matter their social economic condition.. 
        
        As we represent the church of today, it seem as if we focus more on financial prosperity than we focus on the lack of real spiritual piety. This blinds us to what’s more important. It shows that we are more interest in “recreation” than in “regeneration”. We sponsor more “crossover” musicals, shows, concerts, and plays putting more of the focus in entertaining the masses rather than spiritually educating and enlightening them. The term for this phenomena is called “creative evangelism” by putting a “tincture” of a bible messages in these events. It’s just like my late pastor the Reverend John L. Freeman said once: “We are sitting more on the “premises” of God and standing less on the “promises” of God”.

        Many of our evangelical cyber space medias are inundated twenty-four hours a day with ministry after ministry claming to sponsor this missionary project and that missionary project, having this type of bible conference and that type of conference while begging the public both churched and un-churched to spend tons of money and travel to this town or that town to “limited” seated places and or send financial support for their efforts to modernize the world and make it a better place in the name of God. There are some churches that even make the claim that they are so together that they have arrived spiritually and financially. I beg to differ with that! Yet, their members (some of them)  publicly act as if they have no  need to mature spiritually or otherwise. I believe God sees many of the churches in this age totally different than the way we see them. I believe God sees some of the churches as being wretched, poor, blind and naked spiritually, but God also see some individuals and churches still strive to and carry out the evangelistic mission here on earth. You really could say that there is a element of all the "7 churches" the Apostle John wrote to on the Isle of Patmos in every church.

         I've talked to several pastors over the past few weeks about their churches growth. Many of them admitted that the majority of their growth in church attendance stems from “transient”, that is  members leaving other church congregations moving from church to church, looking for the “perfect” church or a  "better" version of the church similar to the one they were members of.  On the average, they said, they may get one or two people that experience conversion to Christ while attending a worship service at their churches and become members.

        It is sad to say, but it seems nowadays, many of the churches don’t put forth a real conscientious effort, nor take the time to train their members in the area of evangelism and those who do have a hard time getting their members to commit to coming often to the training sessions. Some of the pastors were clearly frustrated and sadly conceded that most of the congregational members  don’t have a desire to evangelize, and will not take the time to get the training. Their members simply will not sacrifice the time to go in the community to witness. Many of them fear walking through the crime- ridden neighborhoods their churches are located in and some members have seen crimes occur first hand and know the locations of troubled areas where crime takes place on
regular basis in those community. Some of them have been victimized by lawless people or have seen tragedies occur on an regular basis and really don’t wish to be placed in harm’s way, so they’ve become complacent and choose not to make the effort.

A Summary of the Book of Philippians
Author: The Apostle Paul
During his second missionary journey, in A.D. 49, Paul sensed the Lord calling him to visit Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). At Philippi he founded the first Christian congregation on European soil (Acts 16:11-40). A lifelong supportive relationship developed between the Philippians and Paul (Phil 1:5; 4:15). He visited the church again during his third missionary journey (Acts 20:1,6).

This book focuses on having both the right kind of joy and the joyful experience of having Jesus Christ dwelling within, living and actively responding in all the daily affairs of every believer. This epistle emphasizes spiritual “mind” control, that is, the believer allowing God to have control over all of our thoughts, emotions, anxieties, etc. The epistle uses the mind of Christ as the example to guide us in living our personal lives as living testimonies to the sovereignty of Almighty God. The reason behind the book’s stress upon the importance of having the “right” kind of mind on this Christian journey is because the condition of a person’s mind is crucial to successful combat against the evil forces of Satan and the vast number of demonic spirits who stand in opposition. Demons come in different classes. They are classified as Powers, Principalities, Rulers of the Darkness, and Wicked spirits in the Heavenly realm. The church was to learn that the mission work of evangelism came with opposition and deadly challenges from all who were against Jesus Christ. The “Naysayers” were against the belief in his crucifixion and resurrection as the means of redemption, as well as the belief that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah.

Even though Paul was confined to a Roman jail, the gospel was not hindered by his incarceration, in fact, the gospel “flourished” from his prison cell to all the churches in Asia Minor. The “key” verse for this book is found in Philippians 1:21 “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain!” The overall theme of this book is “The Christ-like mind that brings Christian joy”. The purpose of this book is to promote consistent Christian living by having the right kind of mind, the right kind of thinking, and the right kind of beliefs. Each chapter breaks down the different minds of the Christian soldier in their necessity and how each mind works in conjunction and cohesively for the work of the ministry and the edification of the saints. Each mindset is critical for living in and for Jesus Christ, and are crucial weapons against the warfare we encounter on this journey. This book teaches that God wishes for every believer to possess “floods” of joy and “rivers” of peace because their minds are focused on the things pertaining to him. To have their minds focused upon anything else can become extremely detrimental to the Christian walk.

In Chapter 1, this book focused upon Jesus Christ, revealing to the reader that Jesus is our Light. We learned because Jesus is indeed our Light, we also can learn how to rejoice despite suffering. We learned that we must be filled with the “fruits” of righteousness and continue to grow, being sincere and living our lives in a non-offensive way until Jesus Christ comes back. We learned that the work God has started in a person’s life will be completed in that person’s life (1:6). This chapter concluded with Paul giving his life testimony of courage and the belief that one day he will be delivered out of the hands of his accusers and the persecutions. Paul also expresses joy and appreciation to the Philippian church for showing so much love and concern for him while he was in prison and for Epaphroditus while he was recovering from a near fatal sickness. He wrote telling how the church’s response to his imprisonment helped encourage him to continue the mission work God had given, so much so that he would willingly die if necessary that the gospel of Jesus Christ could continue to have free reign in a hostile environment. Paul encouraged the church to follow him in example and believe God to do everything he promised for any believer who totally sold out for the cause of Jesus Christ. Paul encouraged them not to be fearful in the face of the enemies of Christ. He said we are to view persecutions we face as bearing the “marks” of Jesus’ persecutions within our own bodies.

The 2nd chapter outlines an exhortation for every believer to use the example of Jesus’ life as our pattern for life and to rejoice as we exemplify loving and lowly service. This chapter exhorts a believer to display meekness and unity in the faith. We are to unify by esteeming one another above self esteeming. We are challenged to remain humble while working on the evangelism battlefield, doing nothing to promote vanity of self exaltation. The 2nd chapter mandates that we possess the same mind that was in Jesus Christ and to become submissive to the will of God. In this chapter, we learned that God has given Jesus an “exalted” name that is above every name and every one will one day bow to the name of Jesus and confess that Jesus is Lord. Paul further instructs the members of the church to know that God works through them and because of this, they should work without disputing among themselves living as harmless disciples in the midst of a perverse and crooked nation. We are encouraged to hold forth the Word of Life. Paul then took time to give the Philippian church a medical status report on Epaphroditus and informs them he will joining them shortly and how they are to entreat him when he arrives.

In chapter 3, this book first showed Jesus Christ as the object of Christian faith, desire and expectation. He warns the church against legalism, calling the legalist “dogs” and workers of the “concision”. He compared the church in contrast to being of the circumcision, worshipping God in the spirit, and having no confidence in the flesh. Second, the book reveals Paul warning them of “legal righteousness” which is, putting more confidence in their flesh rather than faith in Jesus Christ. He shared how he viewed legal righteousness telling them why he didn’t endorse it and lets them know that he counted legal righteousness as dung in comparison to Christ, because he is the true righteousness that every believer can obtain through faith. Third, Paul endorsed Jesus Christ as being the “object” of every believer’s desire for fellowship in resurrection power. He confessed that he desired to know the power of Jesus’ resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering. It was his wish that the church focused on understanding why Jesus died and the power his resurrection has in the life of anyone who accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Finally in that chapter, Paul appeals for total unity and no compromise for the sake of the unity in the body of Christ, reminding them that their “conversation” is in heaven, and they should look toward the Savior who will one day change the vile body they currently dwell in into a “glorified” body just like Jesus.

In the final chapter, Chapter 4, this book exhorts Jesus Christ as the Christian’s strength, and challenges every believer to be of the same mind. Paul in this final chapter reveals the secret of the peace of God, telling the church to rejoice in the Lord always. He further tells them because the Lord is at hand to let their “moderation” be known to everybody, being careful for nothing but praying about everything, making all of their prayer requests known to God. He assures them that God’s peace will come and they in turn will be kept in perfect peace. He list several things that expresses God’s peace and exhorts them to meditate upon those things: honesty, divine truth, justice, purity, lovely things, things that are of good report, virtue, things that are praiseworthy, and finally those things that he had passed on to them through teachings and living examples. He assured them that if they were to d these things, God’s peace would be with them. The Book of Philippians concludes by calling upon the saints to salute each other in Jesus Christ and pronounces the wish on them that the grace of Jesus Christ would be upon them. 

Sermon : Matthew 8:8-10     "Walking in Godly Authority"!
 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The word authority means the power or a given right to do something of action, such as to give orders, to give instructions, to delegate assignments and see to it that all these orders, or instructions and assignments are followed and carried out fully. Authority many times was shown in the Bible when a king made a proclamation, a patriarch took charge in leading a noble rescue, or a servant like Abraham’s servant Put in following instructions in going to Abraham’s kinsman to find a wife for Isaac. In each case, all of them were simply executing a given right or carryout certain instructions given to them by someone of greater authority because they were assigned or charged to the position, given the assignments, or were appointed the office of authority.

The Pastor of a church, contrary to pew opinion has the charge, the God given mandate to lead the church in the path of God’s righteousness for the Lord’s name’s sake. God has called them, charged him, equipped them giving them the authority and power to preach the Word, in season and out of season. The Pastor is under a divine mandate to reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering because we are preaching in a time where nowadays men and women, boys and girls, teenagers and “keen-agers”, (that’s the elderly) will not endure sound doctrine… but have heaped unto themselves (that is they’ve chosen and sat under) all kinds of false teachers, and preachers, having itching ears and denying the true faith that's in Jesus Christ.

So then, if we are truly walking in the authority of God,  we have an obligation and charge to follow the pastor as he follows Christ.  WE are not our own. WE have been bought with a PRICE by the PRECIOUS BLOOD of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That said, God has charged us and we are under HIS intrinsic  authority to be just in our dealings, faithful in all that we engage in and exemplify godly conduct in all that we set out to do. Remember the  church covenant: "Having been led, as we believed by the Spirit of God, having received the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angles and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully have entered into covenant relations with one another as one body in Christ". I’m talking about walking in Godly Authority!

Now, there are two basic types of authority. The "first authority" is called "intrinsic authority". Intrinsic authority belongs to God and God alone! It's the "quintessence"  of his divine nature  It  was there in the beginning in God. It's  the external expression of the divine essence of HIM ! Nobody gave it to HIM. It’s always been a part of HIM. The one thing we all need to know  concerning authority in general is:   "Intrinsic authority" has never been given to any one of of us!. It doesn't matter what organization you are in charge of!  what position chair you hold in society. Only God possesses this kind of authority. 

The "second authority"  is called “derived” authority. Now, this authority is given to us from God  who is the source of all our supply.. Look in the first passage at the Centurion, you can clearly see that the authority  he has is  derived authority”. Her came to Jesus and beseeched him that is he came begging him and Listen to what he said. Lord, I have a servant that’s sick of the palsy, He's lying at home and grievously tormented. Jesus said I will come and hewal him. And after Jesus said that  listen at the Centurion’s response: Lord, I’m not worthy that you should come under my roof, but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. You see Lord, I’m a man also under authority.  I have 100 soldiers under my authority. Whatever I tell them to do or wherever to go, they go where I send them and do what I tell them. I know how the chain of command goes!

What did he imply here? Glad you asked! This is what he implied:" Lord, I understand protocol, power and great authority.  I know where the Greater authority begins and i know where my authority ends. You see, I’m a man in authority, but I’m a man under authority. I’m in command and I’m  under someone else’s command. I command others, but, I'm subject to the commands of others, and I  give orders and I take orders., but in this situation, I have no authority, because I have a servant that’s sick of the palsy, bed ridden and can't get up!  and command as I might, I can’t heal my servant... If my servant who has the palsy is going to be healed, his healing has to come from an  authority that’s far greater than what I have!   I stand now in the presence of your greater Authority I asked of you come to my house and heal my servant …You have agreed to come to my house.  But when I compare the "limited power" of my "derived authority" to the "unlimited power" of your "intrinsic authority". I realize I’m not worthy to have your" intrinsic authority" come in my "derived house", but, the more I hear about you, I more I realize that there must be "intrinsic power" in your greater  authority…so much so...that I believe…  all you have to do is speak the "intrinsic word" from where you are... and the "power" of your spoken word will come into my "derived  house" and heal my servant!!

People of God, the first thing I need to tell you today is, whatever authority you are privileged to have… whether it’s in the church… in your home…on your job… or out in the street… it is derived authority and that authority has been given to you by God and it places you under God’s intrinsic authority! That means whatever you do and however you do it...…it's got to be done God’s way!

 The second thing I need to tell you is with all derived authority comes responsibility. The bible said “to whom much is given, much more is required” God will not empower you to sit on your stool of do nothing and do nothing…God gets no glory out of your nothingness…If we have been empowered… God expects all of us to go … and  make disciples… God expects us to  hold up the blood strained banner and hold it up until we die!…
 
Let me tell you this while I’m at it…no matter how much we walk in the authority of God…. none of us will ever  have more authority than God!,… Apparently some of us have been told by false preachers and false  teachers that we have just as much authority as God does. It ain't so! …Jesus did say that the works that he did while he was on earth we will do and greeater works than these we will do also but that does not make any of us little gods!…

As a matter of fact, God made sure that we didn't get that notion from him by telling the Apostle Paul to tell us in Romans 13:1- 2 that every child of God must subject themselves, that is humble and submit themselves to the higher power (that’s Holy Ghost power), and to higher authority, (that is the soverign power of God) because it doesn’t get any higher than God!".
God is so high...you can't get over him...Gods is so low, you can't get under him...God is so wide, you can't get around him...you must go through him and come unto him and come  in at the door of Jesus!

So then, every kind of authority other than God Himself is derived authority from the angels in heaven  to every man on the face of this earth. …Derived authority is  given. It's not owned and that makes all derived authority completely secondary to God…  God's authority is absolute… unconditional … omnipotent… and omnipresent… omniscient and never changes!

God, what do you have to say about all of this? Isaiah, tell them what I say:I heard Isaiah say: God said, I am the Lord , and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord , and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

God's the authority over nature and over governments... He’s the procurator over all of history... Whether it’s history past… present history…y or future history…. He controls all history…. because all history is HIS story…. God speaks and men will live…. and God speaks and all of us could drop dead and die…., God spoke and stopped the sun and then move the sun’s shadow forward 10 degrees, turned around… and move the same shadow backwards 10 degrees the other way…. God can bring a dead person back to life…. God controls the winds and the waves…. God made a mule talk…. God used a great fish to discipline a wayward preacher... Jesus has absolute power too!… Remember what Jesus said: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth…. Jesus walked in the same intrinsic authority as God the Father…. Jesus said if you have seen me… you have seen the Father! Jesus forgave sins… Jesus turned ordinary water into wine….  He opened blinded eyes…, and healed diseases… Jesus walked on the water… and spoke to the wind and the wind behaved…. YES, Jesus saves from the gutter most …to the uttermost. Even in death,… his life wasn’t taken… Jesus died because he chose to lay down His lif…e and then on the third day took up his life again. That’s divine authority!

The third thing you need to remember as men walking in God’s authority is all of your derived authority on this earth is temporary and is subject to additions or subtractions at any time…It behooves you not to get too full of yourself… just because you are in charge now…the day will come when you won't be in charge of anything!  We may be in authority right now but at some point, we must decrease so Christ can increase in us!! What am I getting at?
God gave you your "judicial position"… but God’s more concerned about your spiritual condition... This world already has too many ungodly figureheads… figureheads, full of demonic powers, principalities… influenced by the rulers of darkness in this world and full of spiritual wickedness in high places… and the sad thing is… so many of them operate within the institution we call the church… Do you hear me? We have many churches… on the institutional level with appointed and voted on ungodly figureheads from the pulpit… to the last pew in the church pit… making ungodly policies for the church in the booth… in the back… in the corner… in the dark …on the down low… and on the low-low …! These figureheads either don’t realize or don’t care that the real church is not an “institution”… it’s not a building… it’s not an organization…no, the real church is an organism that’s built on the profession of faith in Jesus Christ.. Jesus said upon this rock …I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it…He didn’t say that hell won’t get in it … because every now and then hell gets in us…and we bring it to the church…but it won’t prevail…That means God knows how to get hell out of his church…starting with getting hell out of us! We are God’s organisms….not a church virus…We are his sheep and the sheep of his pasture…we are sheep clothed in the Great Shepherd...not wolves in sheep’s clothing…The Psalmist said: "We are to enter into HIS gates (the church) with thanksgiving…and into his court (that’s the sanctuary in the church) with praise….We are to be thankful… and bless HIS name!…WHY?…Because the LORD is GOOD… HIS mercy is EVERLASTING… and HIS TRUTH endures throughout ALL GENERATIONS"… We are his witnesses… bearing witness that Jesus is our Savior and our Lord… that he is the way…the truth and the life…We’re not an earthly organization that’s run by pomp and circumstances. No…No…The Apostle Peter said we are a “peculiar people, a royal priesthood, an holy nation.

All that being said, the most noble usage of God given authority is for anyone who has authority to use it in serving others. Jesus said "Let he who governs, be as he who serves. I am among you as the One who serves"…Jesus said:  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto…, but to minister and to give my life a ransom for many… The Christian who seeks to follow Christ's example will learn to use authority with others more than using authority over others…. The wise Christian remembers that all derived authority will one day be returned to the God who gave it…. Yet, the rewards of faithful service will endure throughout eternity…

So then, we are to walk in the authority of God, we have a charge to keep and a God to glorify, who gave his Son, our souls to save and fitted for the sky. We got to serve in this present age, our calling to fulfill. Oh made it all our power to engage, we’ve got to do your master’s will.  So as I get ready to get to where you want me…

God gave us a 4 step program in our second text on how to walk in his authority

I. The first step in Ephesians chapter 4, is to reconize that walking in God’s authority means service and that you are a servant, and a “prisoner” of God.

Paul said walk worthy of the vocation you’ve been called to. Walk with all lowliness, in meekness with longsuffering (that means you got to strain and bear some things sometimes ) and have forbearance for one another in love….Why?  because none of us are perfect ….in other words… please be patient with each other… God is not through with us yet… When God gets through with us…all of us  will come forth as pure gold. And when the road gets rough and the going gets tough and the hills seems so hard to climb…just keep telling yourself…I’m struggling…I’m straining… but I’m on my way home!.. Paul said "We are to  endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"… There’s a good reason for that… We are supposed to be peace makers…not truce breakers!…So then…when you talk about walking in the authority of God… You are really talking about  is the kind of  personal  conduct you display on this Christian journey…If your heart is fixed…your mind is made up… and your conduct is right…. You will have no problem walking  in unity... That’s the walk of the true church is a “spiritual” and unified walk…It’s based upon the” One Walk Principle": ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE BODY, in ONE SPIRIT…That translate into watching over one another in brotherly love… remembering each other in prayer… aiding each other in sickness and in distress…cultivating Christian sympathy in our feelings…in extending courtesy… and in our speech… being slow to take offense… but always ready for reconciliation…...because we are mindful of all of the rules of our Savior …and  seek thm without delay! We are walking in the authority of the ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD who is above all… through all… and in you all!

II. The second step is we must recognize every gift that comes from our “risen” Christ and  then… embrace their purposes in our life:

All of us have been given grace through Christ… All of us have been given both spiritual gifts to use on this Christian journey… as well as the fruit of the Holy Spirit …because all that we do while we walk in the authority of God… must be done with the right attitude… and done decently and in order…Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 13:1- 3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity (love) I become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal…The late James Brown might have said it this way…with out love, I’m talking loud and saying nothing… You see…we can have the gift of prophecy… we can understand all mysteries and all knowledge…we can  possess mountain moving faith…we can take everything we got and feed the poor…even give your body to be burned…if we don’t have love…not only am we nothing in the eyes of God… but…we won’t even  profit from the work we did  do!   That’s why…we don’t determine what gifts we have…God determines what gifts we will have… God determines what we do …what positions we  will hold…what jobs we work…. When it comes to serving this present age… we don’t choose our place of service… not even the preacher or pastor does that…though they think they do ! If a pastor or preacher is out of place try as they might to make the place where thy are sucessful...the best they will do is 99 and a half and you know that 99 and a half just won't do!  We might vote on them… but God chooses them…God chooses them and God places them…God knows where we are needed better than we do…God places us because God's  perfecting all the saints for the work of the ministry until we all  come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…. God is perfecting us… God's making and molding us into the fullness of Christ… so we will stop being like children tossed to and fro….here and there….up and down.. almost leveled to the ground… carried away by every wind of doctrine… by the sleight of man and cunning craftiness both laying in wait and looking for the opportunity to turn you away from the Lord…If you are going to walk in the authority of God… you got to speak the truth in love….and grow up..

 III.  The third step is to shake off the old man and fully embrace the new man in Christ.
 
You got to remember if any man be in Christ…he is a new creature…Old things have passed away and behold…that means look at me now…all things are become new…Paul said: from this day forward…you can’t walk like other Gentiles…your life is under new management!… You used to be vain in your mind…You used to have darkness in your understanding…You used to have blindness in your heart ….and you were alienated from God because you were ignorant of him… but now…. all of those things have passed away…As a new man walking in the authority of God…put on ….the new man that is made in God’s righteousness and true holiness…That also means you got to change the way you talk and what you talk about….You got to stop lying  and be truthful with one another…Stop ripping people off and work for what you need and share with others what you have…

IV. Finally….Finally… Walk out your soul salvation with Godly authority with fear and trembling! Reverend, how do I do this?

A.    Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on the whole armor of God that you will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil
B.    Lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily beset you and run with patience, the race tha has been set before you ...looking unto Jesus because he is the Author and the Finisher of our faith.
C.    Lastly, dedicate your whole life to him. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and present you faultless beforehis presence with exceeding joy...To the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty dominion and power now and ever....Amen!
May the Spirit of the Lord Bless you all real Good!

Proverbs 6:17c:  God hate Hands that Shed Innocent Blood!
17c: "hands that shed innocent blood"
       
            Matthew Henry's Commentarydescribes "hands that shed innocent blood  as a person so possessed with  the Devil that their heart and mind is saturated with cruelty and blood-thirstiness.  After all, the devil was, from the beginning, a liar and a murderer (John 8:44), and therefore, just as a lying tongue is hated by God, "hands that shed innocent blood are equally hateful to God". 
       
         The reason this is true is because the person who "hands" go about shedding innocent blood and causing mayhem has neither regard or respect for the "saintity" of life nor for  the "inaliable rights" of others.  They  posess a life crafted in the devil's image because they are "greatly influenced" spiritually by the ways of darkness.  Because the person is satanically influenced, they go up and down, to and fro, in the earth, doing the Devil's bidding as they seek whom they may devour and make the next victim of their next crime. 
       
         Now, just has the Christian's hand are used to do service for the Lord, the man steeped in evil's  and possess "blood thirsty" hands does equally in service  for Satan.  With hands that shed innocent blood, there is a subtlety in the contrivance of each sin, a wisdom or divising of plans to do evil.  The person has a heart that designs and a head that devises wicked imaginations, all of which is inline with the same evil attitude line of Satan and the depths of all evil works. This is why any person who has "hands that shed innocent blood" know how to carry on a covetous, jealous, envious, revengeful plotted crime most effectually. The more craft and management contained in the committed sin,  the more it is "an abomination" to God.   

         The question was asked in Psalm 24:3: Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD and who shall stand in his holy place? The Psalmist then wasted no time in answering  his own question in the next verse "He that hath clean hands" The term "clean hands" is associated with walking in the righteousness of God  and living  lives working in His righteousness.  The person with "clean hands" would be recognized as a friend and worshipper of Yahweh (Jehovah) and thereby must be an upright person; A "Job" type person; a "Psalms 1" person, delighting in the Word of God and meditating upon the Word daily and nightly. If you remember, Job posessed 4 "qualities" that pleased the Lord: perfection (spiritual maturity), uprightness (intregrity) a "healthy"  fear of God (holy reverence and respect for God)  and avoided evil.  A "clean handed person"  does not live in or practice  iniquity, but they strive daily to be a person of "Godly integrity", striving always to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord and they have a holy reverence and respect for God.. Our "hands" are the instruments by which we accomplish anything; and hence, to have clean hands is equivalent to being upright. See Job 17:9; Isa 1:15; 59:3; Acts 2:23; Ps 26:10. 

        In contrast to having hands that shed innocent blood,  God is looking for those of us who want "clean hands" as well as want a "pure heart". God is looking for people to use their hand as instruments of "righteousness", sowing good seeds for a great harvest in the kingdom of God; "Good clean hands" that strive for the advancement of the Lord's church in knowledge, holiness and in comfort, promoting prosperity and advocate(holy) spirituality.  But to have truly "clean hands", a person must also possess a "pure heart".  The pure heart  person is not merely the one whose external conduct is upright, but whose heart that's been purified by the Holy Ghost.         

        Any  person whose hands are cleaned and heart is purified by God will also practice "true religion". That's the kind of religion that does not just consist of external morality, outward conformity to law, or  mere performance of rites and ceremonies,  but is "the kind of religion"  that originates from the heart of God created in the  heart of a person producing the kinds of heart that is without deceit and influenced by unholy passions. It's the kind of heart which produces purity in  their life's motives and thoughts. After God regenerates (renews) the heart and mind of a person, the "regenrated" person will also possess a "conscience" that is irreproachable,  and subsequently displays godly righteousness in their external actions. God's actions will not only produce "clean hands", but people with no  idolatrous inclination, whose faith is pure, and who conscientiously fulfills all of their promises and engagements.  There is always a need for "clean hands in this present day society. If your hands are the kind that are now shedding innocent blood figuratively or literally, why not let God clean up your heart so that you can possess "clean hands" and stop the shedding of innocent blood?





 

Proverbs 6:17c: God Hates a Lying Tongue
        In these days and times of mistrust, scandals, disception, it's becoming increasingly hard to find people that you can truly trust.  Nowadays, "Integrity" is a word  and character trait that seems to lack an abundance of suiters. This is not to say that there aren't people of godly integrity still around. This is to say that the enemy has made a conscientious effort to damage the integrity of the Ministry and its Ministers, Government Officials, School Teachers and other people in various  Leadership positions  of authority and influence. In this second message, God reveals to us that he hates a "lying tongue". The tongue has caused more damage to the credibility of many individuals than most other things we classify as "weapons of mass destruction". For centuries, "loose and lying lips" have sunk many a human life ships!  

James 3:5-11 (amplified) had this  to say about the tongue.  
        Even so the tongue is a little member, and it can boast of great things. See how much wood or how great a forest a tiny spark can set ablaze! And the tongue is a fire. [The tongue is a] world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating and depraving the whole body and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle of man's nature), being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna). For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea animal, can be tamed and has been tamed by human genius (nature). But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God's likeness! Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.

        We all were born in sin and shaped in iniquityand equipped with an "untamed" tongue. It takes humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God and beingf fully controlled by the Holy Ghost in order for an "untamed" tongue to become a tongue under control. Every human tongue is "naturally" built with the propensity to cause much mayhem and mass murder among  people. Every child of God must refrain from a lying tongue.  Everybody on this side of God's green earth must quickly realize that a lying tongue-neither loves  the truth nor has any delight in telling the truth. 

        It's important for the Child of God to know that every time a lies falls from their lips, it deeply grieves the Holy Spirit. Anyone who possesses a lying tongue is under the influence of a "demonic lying spirit".  Because  lying has become habitual and out of control, the person caught with a lying tongue will be either in denial leading to more lying , or will show no remorse  because their intention was to lie. With every vicious lie, the lying tongue reveals the hatred the person has of everybody they victimized and talked about. Sometimes, the lying tongue can be very flattering and the message can appear to be truthful and seemingly designed to bring honor to its target, but, just like the father of all lies the Devil and in the same way he speaks lies and deception(while appearing as an angel of light), the flattering  lying tongue is equally deceptive in it's goal to deceive and destroy the character of another person.

King Solomon made this observation concerning a lying tongue in Proverbs 17:4
 "A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue."
            People that possess  lying tongues set out with an evil agenda  to cause others harm and  ill have on many occasions supportted themselves by other people's  falsehoods and lies: According to Matthew Henry's Commentary:  "A wicked person will listen to another liar with a great deal of pleasure, because in some twisted way, they derive justification  for the act of  lying themselves." 
        After all, the ultimate objective of the lying tongue is to cause some kind of public disturbances by the slander someone's character, the fabrication of  false stories, and the defamation of all who are the object of their falsehoods. The lying tongue usually gives heed to another malicious backbiting tongues in order to have something to graft their lies upon, and with which gives the liar some "color" of truth and malicious support . It's a true saying: "Sinners will strengthen one another's hands; and those show that they are bad themselves who court the acquaintance and need the assistance of those that are bad. Some liars believe that by lying, it gives them credibility and validates the falsehood the person attempted to reveal as truth.

        In the Old Testament, God had a severe "court of law" method for dealing with a person that possesses a lying tongue in Deut 19:16-21:
16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, 17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 
 
         Even in the Old Testament, God wanted us to realize that a lying tongue is so dangerous that it can cause so much mayhem, undo hardship and even the shededing of innocent blood of innocent people,. And for that reason, God's verdict back then was the person who was found guilty of the lying tongue was to suffer the same fate they set out to cause others.  Thak God fopr grace and mercy but even this doesn't change God's resolve concerning a lying tongue. Make no mistake abour it: God hates a lying tomgue!
Solomon said in Proverbs 12:19-22
        "The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy. No grave trouble will overtake the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord , but those who deal truthfully are His delight." 

 The Apostle Paul appealed to the Body of Christ and reminded us in Galatians 6 about our Christian conduct in general:
Gal 6:1-10 Amplified

BRETHREN, IF any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.

Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. 

For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another's load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself. 

But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor. For every person will have to bear (be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own [little] load [of oppressive faults]. Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support].

Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.]

For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [morally] to all people [not only being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God's family with you, the believers]. 

Conclusion:
A lying tongue has no place in society, especially among those of us who have been saved and brought out of the "darkness" of this world and placed into the "marvelous" light of  our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. If you live by the truth of the Word of God in the righteousness of Christ then you are able to tell the truth, love others in the truth and stand by God's sacred truth. Speak the truth in love and stop living a lie by telling lies.