Articles by PGF

Summer is fast approaching and with it four-legged critters become more of a threat to humans but they aren’t the only thing in the woods that can harm you.

In our last article, we discussed general aspects of those tiny but problematic arachnids: ticks. Perhaps the most well-known disease transmitted by ticks is Lyme Disease.

Spring and Fall are seasons that ticks are commonly known to bite humans. The most well-known disease passed by ticks to humans is known as “Lyme disease.” Lyme disease was unknown until about 1975, where it was first diagnosed in the town of Old Lyme, Connecticut. Since then, Lyme has become the most common tick-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere, so common that May is officially Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

Lyme Disease is caused by the corkscrew-shaped bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi. Another species, Borrelia mayonii, has also been shown to also cause the disease. Both are carried by Ixodes scapularis, also known as the blacklegged or deer tick, in the East, upper Midwest, and all the way down south to Texas. The western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) can be found all along the Pacific coast. Ticks are responsible for more than Lyme disease; they’re also responsible for transmitting babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and other infections.

In settings where winters are milder and acorns abundant, the population of animals that ticks like to feed upon increases. These include mice, a favorite of baby ticks, and deer, popular targets for adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are estimating many tens of thousands of Lyme cases in humans per year (three times the number reported 20 years ago).

One time while hiking, I picked up nine ticks. As I approached a shoulder-high grassy field, I thought better of entering it for several reasons, but the whole hike, something about the place was deeply bothering me. There are places in Tennessee where you should only go if you live there. Even the people who grow up here know that if it seems like a place you shouldn’t be, well, you shouldn’t. I only hiked a bit and stayed on a known trail, but somehow, I was covered in the American Dog Tick (Wood Tick). Nasty creatures, and a very disappointing hike as I wanted to establish knowledge of the area. I entered the area previously from the other end of the trail, went so far, and wanted to see the rest of the route on a single-day venture by entering from the other end. The lesson was, that area would not fit within the purposes I needed; maybe it was a success after all.

The article covers prevention, symptoms, treatments, and other tick-borne diseases.

If you own one of these things with a brace you have a decision to make. Doing nothing is still a decision. The article is about more than just the brace and covers AR pistols in .300 AAC Blackout among other things.

Like most people I can shoot more accurately with a rifle. An AR pistol with a brace is not a rifle but it does give at least three points of contact when used as intended. I bought a stripped lower receiver from my local gun shop and ordered a lower build kit from Palmetto State Armory. Online an upper receiver with a ten-inch barrel was ordered. Besides a red dot optic and flashlight, a detachable sling was desired. An SBA3 pistol brace was chosen because of the good reviews and the ambidextrous QD sling socket. After everything was assembled it became one of my favorite firearms. Accurate, low profile, in a caliber that had dozens of projectiles in weight and configuration with many suitable propellants that could be experimented with. But then came January of 2023.

The ATF rule 2021R-08F, almost 300 pages of nebulous wording of what classifies as a short-barreled rifle (SBR) includes overall length, weight, and eye relief of an optic. What it boils down to is if you have a barrel less than sixteen inches and a pistol brace the ATF now considers it an SBR.

The recent case in New York about the defense of others on the subway will undoubtedly be politicized, and the laws will be abused for those purposes with no respect of persons but to discriminate wrongfully, trashing God’s ordained laws of justice. It would be quite remarkable if any just application of the law were found in this case.

The Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution comes from the ancient biblical legal foundation of not treating persons differently in matters of law as a magistrate or juror. It’s respect of persons, which is not respect for persons. Respect for persons requires discernment and, yes, discrimination in the classical sense of the word.

Though not about firearms, the case concerns the defense of others, something every CCW should consider carefully and pray about. You must know the laws in your state about using deadly force to defend others. It’s biblical to protect those less able from unlawful harm of all forms by the use of arms or other means. If we are commanded to rescue our neighbor’s Ox from the ditch, how much more important, made in the image of God, is the defense of our less capable neighbor?

Here are two articles concerning the matter.

Defending Law And Order Is Social Justice

Rewriting the Parable of the Good Samaritan

The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is considered.

But first, as background, respect of persons in the Holy Bible applies only to law. It stems from Leviticus 19:15 and has nothing to do with outcomes of equality or equity among men and surely not forced results. See also Proverbs 24:23.

Proverbs 28:21 perfectly makes the application as to why any person representing the law of the land must show non-bias. “To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.” What would a judge do for a bit of bread? Some areas of the world operate on “greasing the wheels.” Christendom was supposed to be different (Acts 24:26), but look no further than Congress receiving bread to bias the law, and here we are. There’s a reason money is sometimes referred to as bread and now you know why. Anyone in a position of authority is bound to this Bible truth and will be judged by the Almighty, including parents with their children, teachers, pastors, supervisors, civil leadership, business owners, etc. It’s the Law of God. And James 2:9 says failing to adhere is a sin.

Next, respect of persons in the law of salvation is considered. God is no respecter of persons; all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God by breaking His law and all will be judged rightly on that terrible day. But neither does salvation in Christ grant license to sin. Salvation in Christ is a judicial matter before the courts of heaven as to how you will make restitution to God for your transgressions against Him.

Romans 2:11 mentions respect of persons, and verses 12-16 explain why in God’s law, all men need Christ Jesus, both the Jew and Gentile: if you sin in the law (of Moses / 10 Commandments), you’re judged by that law and die in hell without Christ. If you sin outside the law of Moses (a Gentile), your conscience bears witness, through God’s law written on your heart, about your sin against Him; without Christ, you also burn in hell. That’s God’s law concerning soul salvation without respect of persons; you must have Christ Jesus, as your mediator before the Judge, by faith to enter into eternal life.

That’s how Jesus completed the law by making the final necessary offering, and that of Himself, to God so you might be found not guilty if you place your faith in His payment to God by believing His sacrificial death on the cross is sufficient to cover your sin debt. Christ rose again the third, proving He has the power to go to God for you as your intermediary, or great High Preist proclaiming you to be His by right of payment; by faith in Him, you make this covenant to become His purchased possession, a bondservant of the King, no more bound to death and hell, but an everlasting heir with Christ in the household of God. I say to you, my friends, it’s a far better gig than being trapped by sin under the law of either Moses or conscience; He says: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Much lighter than a life mired in the horrors of sin and its ever-worsening consequences and so much more, for liberty in Christ eradicates the law where men were bound to a set of rules they could never attain. Praise be to God.

Now, the precursive conversation that leads to Jesus’ parable and some application. Context is king. Understanding the parable correctly requires understanding its purpose. Here’s the beginning of the exchange between a lawyer and Jesus that sets the parable’s intent and meaning.

“25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” – Luke 10:25-28

So far, so good, but then comes the tempting in verse 29.

“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?”

If your church skips discussing justification and goes straight to an explanation about who your neighbor is, I’ll caution that you may be in a liberal church. No man will justify Himself before God.

Remember, the question before us is one of law: be it the law of Moses or that which God wrote on your heart. The lawyer is confronted with a matter of Bible law from which comes our now-ending system of jurisprudence that began to mold and then guided Western Civilization since the Gospel went into Europe.

Next, this bit of commentary from the second link above (Rewriting the Parable of the Good Samaritan), though essentially right in its assertions, has glaring results of the dumbed downed churches in America.

“This was the story of a man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both saw the beaten man and walked past him, crossing to the other side of the street. But the Samaritan stopped to help the injured man, attending to his wounds, bringing him to an inn, paying the innkeeper to care for the injured man until he was well.”

I realize that article is about current events, but some necessary background would be helpful. Why did the Preist and Levite walk by, even crossing to the other side of the street? They were trying to follow the letter of the law and not become unclean by touching a sinner, getting blood on themselves, or helping a man that might die in their arms. Remember the context, Jesus is talking to a lawyer about Bible law. The Preist and Levite should have violated the immediate letter of the law concerning purification to save the man, then gone through the ceremonial tasks of making themselves “clean” again under the law. It would have burdened them more to take the time to separate themselves from family, fellowship, and work to be purified again than it would to have helped the man. They used the law as an excuse for not doing the right thing; beware the leaven of the Pharisees.

And finally, here’s the parable:

“30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”

And Christ’s necessary final exchange with the lawyer whose question was, who is my neighbor?

“36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

It’s a merciful duty to defend yourself and others.

Concluding statements. Some states have had statutes on the books where a citizen must help somebody whose life is under threat, making it criminal to do what the Preist and the Levite did. That’s taking Jesus at His word and applying it seriously as a people, as it should be again. In post-Christian America, the law of Christ is fading fast. In much of Europe, it’s now illegal to defend yourself from murder, let alone somebody else under threat. That’s not at all Christian.

Atheists, Agnostics, and mushy Christians declare there is no need for God or His law in government or society; keep your religion private they demand. Look around at the darkening landscape: behold, injustice and violence in all quarters in the absence of the Law of God.

That’s some background to help you understand what’s at stake as a result of the recent event in New York on the subway and the case in Austin, Texas with Daniel Perry. The overall trend in Western law as America comes under judgment is an outright abuse of hundreds of years of Western jurisprudence by removing the biblical foundation of the law including that of having no respect of persons and considering rightly the duty of defense as a good neighbor in light of understanding proper application of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

We talked previously about quiet game hunting in less permissive environments. This recent article at Survival Blog touches on several useful applications for Air Guns.

Quiet, hard-hitting, accurate, affordable, and reliable. A good quality air rifle in .177 or .22 caliber meets all these criteria. No, you don’t have to spend thousands. Just one hundred to three hundred FRNs will provide you and your family with a nice rifle and several thousand pellets.

Springer and now gas ram rifles take care of problem pests around the garden and homestead, rabbits, gophers, ground squirrels, starlings, and crows are dealt with humanely and did I say quietly?
My German-made Dianas, both a Model 34 Classic, and a Model 34 EMS, and both in .177 caliber are equipped with inexpensive scopes and will easily maintain quarter-size groups at 30 yards, Both will push a heavier 9.5 -10.5 grain pellet out to rabbit and squirrel killing distances of 40-50 yards, if you do your part with pellet placement. As many old hunters said it’s not so much what you hit them with as where you hit them.

More at the link.

And Outdoor Life reports on The Best Air Rifles of 2023.

Choosing an Air Rifle for Small Game

The rifles I gravitate toward for small game and varmint hunting are primarily .22 and .25 caliber rifles that generate power in the 20 to 40 ft-lb range. This energy output, in conjunction with sub-1-inch accuracy at 50 yards, makes for an ideal flat-shooting, small-game rig. Features that separate the top picks from the rest of the pack are an ergonomic design, fast cycling action, reliable high capacity magazines, large volume air storage with a correspondingly large shot count, shot-to-shot consistency, and a low sound signature.

Choosing an Air Rifle for Predators

For most hunters, it makes sense to choose an air rifle that can take either small-game or predators. The rifles I use for combined small-game and predator hunting are .30 to .35 caliber, and are designed to shoot Diabolo pellets at 50 to 100 ft-lb. These rifles are fine for shooting a coyote or bobcat at closer range (within 50 yards), but not over-the-top to use on smaller-bodied game, such as rabbits or squirrels.

In my opinion, a primary predator gun should be optimized for solid lead slugs, generate 100 to 150 ft-lb, provide at least 10 consistent shots per fill, and print groups under 1 inch at 100 yards. I don’t mind a single shot rifle, but I want a fast-cycling action, easy access to the loading port, and a light, crisp trigger to enhance accuracy.

Other models and applications are discussed at the link to Outdoor Life.

Friendly reminder post. Some folks have a specific date or event that signal seasonal gear swap and home changes. Depending upon your area, it’s time to inspect and swap items in your car kit/go-bag/get-home bag. Dump the bag(s), and inspect all items. For those items you had a mind to upgrade, do just that, relegating lesser items to backup roles. Swap out cold for warm gear as needed for your specific area/elevation. This may include items other than clothing. Sometimes it can be tricky as some zones still have a snowpack, but it reaches almost 60F during the day.

Do what you want with your firearms gear but doing a semiannual inspection and review is always a good idea. Might as well do it in conjunction with the other stuff.

Know your heart, your family or team, your area, and your gear. If you got fat or lazy this winter, fix that right now!

Here are a couple of videos with quick-hit tips for survival. I like this guy. No muss, no politics, no cussing, straight delivery, seemingly without the desire for a cult of personality around his channel. If he ever did a presentation or event in my area, I’d probably go.

Part One

The Grace that God has given you is to be measured out again by you unto the brethren for the increase of the body in the love of Christ.

Ephesians 4:1-16

In Ephesians 4, verses 1 and 16, there is a command and God’s splendid purpose for this section. We are to walk worthy of our vocation, which is to be like Jesus doing the works to which we are appointed. And in Verse 16, there is that purpose; the body of Christ must fit and function to accomplish His goal for the Church on earth until He returns to call His bride unto Himself, judge the quick and the dead, and consummate history.

From verse 17 to the end of the chapter in verse 32, we find a set of commandments that all believers must follow, perhaps broken into sections beginning at verse 25. But if a collection of commands was sufficient, was not God’s holy law handed down through Moses enough? Or further, and more importantly, if a list of commandments was adequate to reach God in His holy hill of heaven, why did Christ suffer and die? So, there must be some attributes, some way to attain not perfection nor salvation but certain things that mark those, sealed of God unto the day of redemption, to actively pursue the mission of Christ using the tools with which God has blessed His people, each one in his way according to the Holy Bible. The law of commandments convicts of sin, but holding to the law of grace makes a believer more faithful to bear fruit for the glory of God.

Verses 1-6 tell us how to walk worthy, which is a personal presence of peace by the Holy Spirit in us, Christ being the Prince of peace. God deserves our unity (verse 3), so we have a single purpose in Christ (verse 4), for God is a unified God (Verses 5-6); therefore, being a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9), we must be suitable men under His command.

Verses 7-16 tell us why we must walk worthy in sharing the measure of God’s grace shown to us (verse 7) because He saved us (verses 8-10) and gave us the gifts to share His grace through us (verse 11) to complete us as a unified people (12-13), showing both positive and negative attributes that require our due diligence (14-16) to walk rightly in service of Him that we might be like Him, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (verse 13).

Nothing, not one single thing in chapter 4 of Ephesians, can be accomplished except by faith. God has laid a sure foundation in Christ, given an Old and New Testament to show God’s purposes in judgment, love in grace, and for instruction in righteousness. And He’s given the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost of God that we might be reminded of the truth, comforted in it, while training us and showing us the way of Christ. You came to this knowledge by faith; therefore, we continue in this same faith in Christ to attain all that is pleasing in His sight.

Maturing in Christ does not happen by accident; you must follow the plan of God. God wants you to walk worthy of His plan for you. So in Ephesians verses 1 through 15, we find markers of a man walking in the Spirit, serving with purpose, and growing in the faith and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Since the text shows us indications of what maturing in Christ looks like within the body, we must accept this instruction and follow Christ in prayer and deed to be like Him, who chose us for His eternal purposes.

Some consider that Ephesians 4 is only about unity in the body or just the gifts, but the vocation and calling (verses 1 and 4) is to love as Christ loved the Church. Chapter 4 starts with “I therefore…beseech you…” We should ask what Chapter 3 is about since it’s the precursive point that Chapter 4 instructs us to apply.

The mystery of chapter 3 is the Gospel to the Gentiles; therefore, we, too, like Philip (Acts 8:26-40), Peter (Acts 10:30-48), and as James (half brother of Jesus) commands (Acts 15:13-19), must seek the lost unto the uttermost part of the earth according as Christ has made us witnesses (Acts 1:8). We are witnesses for Jesus Christ our Lord; the purpose of which in Chapter 4 is the building of the Church in the bond of faith. But, indeed, if there is strife, envy, or false prophets sowing discord, the body becomes lame, and any service would do little satisfactory and pleasing to God, showing no good fruit and none that remains to stand against persecution.

“2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling”

The new religion would have you believe that this is how we ought to behave in the face of unrepentant sinners and heathens. But context matters; this book and chapter and our verses are written to believers showing them the functions of the members of the body of Christ and a picture of how that looks if done in the faith of God and love for Him who saved us and washed us in His blood. Verses 2 through 4 give a sense of how the fruit of the Spirit should appear in us among the saints of God. Lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing with patience the weaker members, endeavoring for the unity of Spirit being knit one to another in the bond of peace.

Submit yourselves one to another in love (verse 2), being servants, for there is no chief but he who is a servant of all (Mark 10:44).

Secured by the Spirit in unity (verse 3), there is no way a Christian may be bound, one man to another, except in Christ. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14). God the Spirit knows His own because those born of the Spirit are His. The mark of unity is the cement of peace, for Christ is the Prince of Peace. There is no war among the members. If Christ has saved a man, the lust of the flesh is enmity with God and causes, therefore, strife one another; all others are tares cast into eternal fire.

There is a calling on your life, and the work of God starts in the house of God through diligence to make your calling and election sure. Like mind and spirit in these things are next shown.

To be one (verses 4, 5, 6), you must submit yourself to God because that is how to be submitted to one another, as verse 2 indicates. The sin of pride seeks to make us our own god and the controller of others.

“5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

There is one God, common faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and one baptism of the believer as evidence of the fear of God in you, Christ, the head of His Church, and Holy Father God is the head of all. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God (1 John 5:7). Therefore be ye one people in Christ to serve in faith with love, blessing, and edifying the saints and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to all men. Why? Because of the grace of God poured out from heaven when the King of saints made His covenant with you.

“7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

The Grace that God has given you is to be measured out again by you unto the brethren for the increase of the body in the love of Christ. If you’ve received the grace of God (verse 7) and have no measure of it for your fellows, you do err. What is the gift of grace? Forgiveness of the debt we could never pay to have eternal life in Christ. How is there a war in one body except by sin; does Christ have sin? Then go and sin no more, shedding grace abroad among the saints.

Please make sure to take benefit of the point here. We are not to thus sit down and attempt to define or measure this gift in us. Many confuse themselves looking for gifts before walking in the confidence of Christ. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” – James 2:17. Everything starts with faith; the blessings you have from God to share are only evident by trust, not by your own might.

The measure of the miracle in us is found not in receiving but also in executing the mission or calling of God on us. The effort will be reckoned at Christ’s throne one day; walk therefore to fill up to overflowing, service upon service, even in sacrifice to our Lord. If you mark the sacrifice of Christ worthy, then so too be worthy of acceptance in service of Him. Pass the time of sojourn here in fear; “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16.

Want to know your vocation and calling; read all 5 of these short posts and do, by faith, the four things God commands and you will discover the works He’s ordained for you.

Jesus died for your sins and rose again from the grave, this is a marvelous gift indeed; what of you now, what offering shall you give to Him but yourself because that’s what He wants (Romans 12:1-2), that ye may prove the will of God for you. What is a holy man that hides his light under a bushel basket? None of Christ’s.

———–

Part Two

“8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”

Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is His death for our sins, burial, and resurrection unto eternal life (verses 8-10), by God’s grace, come the gifts.

“11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”

Pray about these, but with all confidence, I can tell you that your gift is found in the doing. Often, two years and halfway through a service, you may see God’s hand of perfecting your works unto Him; why stand ye gazing up into heaven? Pray with all seriousness at length and not only for yourself and your family. Study your Bible like your life depends upon knowing and doing those things. Assemble with other believers regularly provoking each other unto love and to good works. And tell lost sinners about how Christ paid the ultimate price for them that they might go free, condemned to eternal death no more. In these, you will find your calling.

Believe God will use you. You don’t need a new book, a guru, or today’s most popular up-and-coming Christian star; you must do what Christ says in His book. Your contributions will become evident and kept alive if you stay in faith. These four services of God will not bind you as the law would but will free you in the ordinance of grace that is in Christ Jesus, walking worthy of your calling. Faith is the currency of God that runs the economy of the believer.

Treasure. Talent. Time. Testimony.

From the beginning, Christianity was commissioned under the New Covenant as a campaign of witnessing (Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20). Christianity has been turned into a lifestyle add-on to appease our sinful thoughts, but the Christian worker is primarily a witness, a teller of the truth of soul salvation through the story that never gets old. It’s outrageous, scandalous even, that the religion, ceremony, rites, and rituals are of no lasting effect, but that’s of God’s design; it’s the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by word of mouth that builds His Church by converting those called through faith and always has been.

The dying of the light is not for lack of talent or treasure but for lack of time and testimony; modern Christianity is failing, in large part, because men won’t give what’s plainly needed. Heaven forbid the idea that you can buy off God with your meager trinkets of fiat! And, you can’t outsource the work of Christ to a few paid men, woe unto us for such a thought found nowhere in Scripture. What has a professional class of “expert” Christianity done for the world?

You must give up your time and your testimony in the field; tell somebody your conversion story; tell them today! God doesn’t need another building (obviously, in fact, He’s abandoning your old ones) or a new program; the works of Christ require us (time and testimony) to elucidate the body and tell the Gospel to those who Christ would make His people, planting seeds and watering with purpose.

The Christians in the first century abandoned their former lives with glee and set about to build His Church. John Mark left the field (Acts 15:38), but he later returned to the battle as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 4:11); if you’ve left the war, rejoin the fight, God’s people need you. They weren’t the most talented (have you read the Bible?), and most surely were not rich; they gave their time in faithful service to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the known world. It will cost you something to follow Christ; is eternity worth more than your time and testimony?

Christianity is not a mountaintop monastery religion. The perfecting (completing) work of Christ in you does not come by self-centered seeking; it comes by outward giving in service, just as all the saints, by numerous examples walking in faith, have shown in the word of God. Joy is found in Christ not by inward reflection but by being like Christ to others.

How Christ was to His disciples: He taught them exhaustively what they must do upon receiving the Holy Spirit. How Christ was to the lost: He told them of their broken, sinful condition and need for salvation. It’s not complicated unless you overthink it or outsource it to create a learned class of leaders with marginal effectiveness in the Kingdom of God.

Modern Christianity is fractured because it’s not doing what God said a disciple of Christ must do. Unity of faith comes from times full of Christ, reading His word, telling two or three folks the Gospel, sharing fellowship with the body, and praying for the saints and sinners alike.

“13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”

Unity in the faith is not found among us but only in Christ! Stop looking for agreement in men, for any such thing shall never be seen, but we are all one in Christ by His will, or we are none of His, and no accord will be found! If you do the works of Christ, you will be one with Him and with each other; otherwise, is endless activity to no perfecting purpose nor glory to God before His throne; hopeless is the man seeking to please men with pious sounding agendas that are found nowhere in the Scriptures.

God gave you a battle plan and the tools to win. Please stop wandering up and down with no direction, a soldier of Christ with no battle implements, supposing there is no land to conquer in the name of King Jesus. The measure of Christ is in Him! The more you do what Christ said to do and in the manner that He said to it, the more your stature looks like He who loved you and bought you with a price. The more you serve, the greater the gift of the Holy Spirit becomes in leading you, pillowing your head at night full of the knowledge that you’ve done well as a good and faithful servant.

“14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”

You must read and study God’s word. But that you do as Christ commands, you are lost sheep gone astray, without a master, gnawed on by wolves, having your pastures spoiled by the dung of ungodly men. We are so prone to sin that except you be steadfast in Christ, seeking to be full of the Spirit of truth at all times as a doer of the word, you will be led away by sleight of hand with cunning craftiness under Christian-sounding speech and service to no effect, bringing the judgment of God upon you. You don’t need an outside consultant to explain false doctrine; read chapter four of Ephesians and be a doer of the truth.

“And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” And “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” – Jesus Christ in John 10:5 and 27

The simplicity that is in Christ cannot be duplicated because complications arise from any lying form seeking to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:3).

“15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”

It’s not speaking ‘truth in love’ as we’ve heard some say. It’s telling ‘The Truth’ in love, for what greater love than to share the Gospel and the word of God, even if it offends? There is only one truth! Not a feeling, not going along with sin, not weakening the righteousness of God’s people; the truth is Jesus Christ (John 14:6)! Lest you thought meekness and longsuffering were the allowances of sin in your midst, we find in verse 15 the command to speak the truth, that the actual body, which are those sanctified by the blood of Christ, grow up in Him, all (good) things, to the glory of Holy God.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6); it’s by continuous diligence in seeking to serve the Lord that our reward comes. Don’t look for the gift or blessings in this life; pray for the faith of the Almighty to be made complete in Him, for Him, and by Him (verses 12-15), and all these things (gifts and blessings) will be added.

Shall you never get started, or worse still, quit the labor of your vocation before receiving the reward of heaven, or will you forsake the calling of Christ to follow another master?

Therefore, the Marks of Christian Maturity treat the confidence Christ has placed in you as a vocation and a calling to form unity among the brethren in dispensing in love the gifts Christ gave you for your service of Him, giving all diligence to make your calling and election sure.

“16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

The doors unlocked and probably had her face in the phone.

Source:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For the first time since Tennessee’s Governor announced he’ll call for a special legislative session, Gov. Bill Lee answered questions from reporters.

“It is a very important conversation that I think Tennesseans want us to have,” said Lee.

But it won’t be an easy conversation.

Lee still wants to pass what he calls an Order of Protection law, which you may have heard called a Red Flag Law.

“We oughta find a way to separate those who are a threat to others and a threat to themselves from having access to weapons,” said Lee.

Under Lee’s previous proposal, someone would have to petition the court to remove someone’s firearms, using evidence and testimony. The individual would then have the right to defend themselves, and the decision would ultimately reside with a judge.

“I’ve put forth what I think is the framework for what will protect the citizens and protect second amendment rights, but there’s a lot of conversation to be had between now and then,” said Gov. Lee.

There is no framework linked at the source article nor is any cited or quoted.

But the first time Gov. Lee attempted this, it didn’t go well. At the end of the 2023 legislative session, not a single member of his own party agreed to sponsor his order of protection bill, as a direct response to The Covenant School shooting in Nashville.

That means for the upcoming special session in August, he’ll likely have to build a bipartisan coalition.

“I can’t predict what that will look like, but I will be working really hard to make sure we have Republicans, Democrats, lawmakers, the public, everyone has an opportunity to weigh in on it,” said Lee.

Never forget that banning firearms in schools is a factor in those shootings; the shooters themselves say so in their manifestos. And remember, it’s illegal to discriminate against sodomites so their guns will never be taken even though they clearly are under the influence if not possessed by the devils.

From handgun law dot us as pertains to school firearms carry in Tennessee:

Any public or private school building or bus, on any public or private school campus, grounds, recreation area, athletic field or any other property owned, used or operated by any board of education, school, college or university board of trustees, regents or directors for the administration of any public or private educational institution. 39-17-1309

it is a criminal offense to possess or carry weapons, including firearms, on those portions of the property of a religious institution being used for school purposes. The prohibition against carrying weapons applies only to those portions of the property of the religious institution being used for school purposes.

With permission from Private K – Universities a full time employee can carry on that property. The School must have a policy before carry is legal for that person. For more information read 39-17-1309 and check with the private school where you are employed.

TN DA opinion on Carrying in/on Property of a Church School.

His ego is incredible. He’s not stupid but so self-centered that he’s unwilling to learn; he’s an ignoramus. That’s not name-calling; it’s the correct term. Same with vaccines and shutting down the economy.

Former President Donald Trump defended his decision to unilaterally ban bump stocks, which he called “very unimportant,” during a CNN town hall on Wednesday night.

The Republican presidential primary frontrunner didn’t turn back on his support for the ban, which has since been found unconstitutional by two federal appeals courts. He said he consulted with the National Rifle Association (NRA) before issuing an order to the ATF to find a way to outlaw the devices. He said the group was supportive of his effort.

“As you know, the bump stocks are actually a very unimportant thing,” Trump said. “NRA I went with them, and they said, ‘it doesn’t mean anything, or actually all they do is teach you how to shoot very inaccurately.’ So, we did that.”

It’s a bill of accuracy.

Still, former President Trump defended his record on guns.

“There’s been nobody that’s protected the Second Amendment,” he said. “There’s, you know, like I have I protected through thick and thin, not easy to do.”

He later nods to Red Flag laws by bringing up “mental health.”

Never Call Police!

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A lawsuit has been filed against the York County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina by a man alleging that the deputies fired at him nearly 50 times during a mental health crisis while he was seated in a parked truck with a shotgun in his lap, despite his claim that he had his hands up.

In May of 2021, Trevor Mullinax survived being hit nine times, including three head wounds, as stated in the lawsuit filed earlier this month.

Police dashcam footage released by Mullinax’s attorneys revealed that the four sheriff’s deputies began firing only a few seconds after arriving on the scene and shouting “Hands!” multiple times.

SHOCK VIDEO: Cops Opened Fire On Suicidal Man ‘Like Cowboys From A John Wayne Movie,’ New Lawsuit Claims https://t.co/WotEtA1up7 pic.twitter.com/SFtilYZemm

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 10, 2023