TO THE REGULAR FOLLOWERS OF TRTC: I apologize, but I feel lead to post this. It is addressed to the listeners of the Steve Nichols Talk Radio Show. If you do not know what has been going on in regards to me and the listeners of Steve’s show, please, feel free to ignore this post. Otherwise, I beg you to indulge me as this issue must be addressed.
TO THE LISTENERS OF STEVE’S SHOW (ESPECIALLY BELIEVERS): I must apologize to you, as well. I struggled with what follows. A big part of me fears that it is nothing more than an indulgence of the flesh. On the other hand, we have all heard people complaining because ‘moderate’ Muslims never speak out against the people we call ‘radical’ Muslims. Well, if I remain silent on this issue, I am guilty of not speaking out when a person openly claims the Name of Christ while, at the same time, behaving as a follower of the adversary. As with my first post, the nature of the subject at hand means this will be a long piece. I can only beg you to stay with me until the end. So that you will know my tone in the post that follows, I have — once again — made a video for you to use in your consideration of what follows:
OK, this time, I am not going to bother posting any of ‘Richard’s’ words. I have addressed this blog post to the listeners of Steve’s show, so I can safely assume they are already well aware of ‘Richard’s’ claims to be a devout follower of the teachings of Jesus, Christ. Therefore, I am going to put that part behind me and continue as though this is an accepted fact.
Next, I am going to share a quick testimony with the reader. The Lord has made it painfully clear to me that He has called me to teach the believers. This is my Spiritual gift. I have no other. I wish I did, but the only thing I know for certain that he has equipped me to do is to explain His Word to the believers! I have studied the Lord’s Word every bit as carefully and in depth as I have studied the founders. In fact, I have probably studied the Lord’s Word in more depth than anything I have ever studied, and as a result, I have many understandings that are different from what is usually taught to the Body of Christ. In what follows, I may mention some of my understandings. If you happen to disagree with any of them, please, do not let that get you side-tracked. I can assure you, none of my understandings are in the least bit contradictory to your understandings of the Gospel message and how we are saved. So, make note of them if you will, but do not let such things distract from the central point of this post, which is:
‘Richard’s’ words — his fruit — are in in direct contradiction to the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Next, I have to ‘set the table:’
I am well aware that we are told not to judge, but I am also aware the the average believer — if they ever read those passages for themselves — tends to stop understanding with that one line. They do not continue reading or they would find that Jesus does not mean we are not to judge at all, but rather, we are to learn how to judge so that when we do judge, we judge rightly. In other words, we are to learn how to judge with mercy. If it helps to put it in ‘Church language,’ Jesus commands us to be discerning. Another passage of Scripture teaches us to judge or discern by a person’s words and actions: what the Scriptures call their ‘fruit.’ Taken in complete context, this means Scripture actually commands us to be discerning of a person’s words and deeds, and to do so with mercy and charity, but not to make judgments of the status of their salvation. That is an area where all authority has been given to Christ and Christ alone. Therefore, we are on solid ground in what follows — so long as we judge on what we have heard and seen ‘Richard’ do, that we are charitable in our evaluation of this fruit, and that we do not even come close to questioning whether or not ‘Richard’ is saved (which I have not and am not doing).
At this point, I would remind believers that Jesus said there will be many people who claim to be His disciples, and these people will prophecy in His name, they will cast out demons in His name, they will Heal in His name, yet — on the Day of the Lord — they will be locked out of the Wedding Supper. In fact, Jesus says He will send them away, saying He never knew them:
Matthew 7:21-23 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Most believers understand that ‘to know’ Jesus means we have a personal relationship with Him. If we have a personal relationship with Christ, we are grafted in to the Lord’s family. We become His brothers and sisters, which is why believers refer to each other as brother and sister. But many people who call themselves by Christ’s name seem to forget that Christ said there are conditions to this family relationship. To be considered His brother or sister, one must meet them:
Matthew 12:46-50 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Changed Relationships
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”[a] 48 But [b]Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Now, please don’t misunderstand: Christ was not talking about legalism here. He was telling us we have to become righteous — according to the Father’s righteousness, not the world’s. Or, to use ‘Church language,’ we have to be born again. So, hold on to all of this as we move forward. And now, with an agape love:
I wish to start with ‘Richard’s’ constant harping on the issue of homosexuality, transgendered, etc.: the LGBTQ community. To listen to ‘Richard’ talk about this, one would get the impression that Jesus has no problem with this lifestyle. The problem with this is that it simply is not true! Jesus actually addressed this issue, but he did not use modern words. In fact, when Jesus addressed it, He addressed it in a grand way: He addressed all sexual immorality combined. He even addressed the issue of ‘gay marriage.’ When He did, Jesus condemned all of it — every bit. But I am not going to post these passages. I am going to tell you to do the work yourself: be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and search the Scriptures so you can prove or disprove my claims to yourself. Here, I’ll even make this task easier for you:
What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
The word “homosexual” didn’t appear in English Bibles until 1946
Homosexuality is normal so it should not be considered wrong
Next, ‘Richard’ has suggested that Jesus would have approved of the modern welfare state. Instead of posting more Scripture and links to answer this claim, I will use a simple meme. Any believer who has gotten past milk will instantly understand the error in ‘Richard’s’ claim that Jesus taught that welfare is the same thing as charity:
You see, taking from one by force (and taxation is force, you just don’t see the point of the gun behind it) and giving to another is theft. According to the Lord’s law, the welfare State violates the commandments against coveting what others have, as well as stealing from them. What Christ commanded the individual to do is care for the needy themselves, personally. It is only in this way that charity is possible. Otherwise, it is just theft — period. In addition, we are taught to depend on the father for our provision, but ‘Richard’ seeks to make government the source of our provision. This is the same as making government the object of our worship. Liberal/Progressives have openly said this is exactly what their agenda seeks to do: to make man into his own god. Therefore, the modern welfare State and all the collectivist ideologies are all pushing a false god, not Christ or His Gospel.
‘Richard’ has also questioned the death penalty. Well, the Lord’s Word is clear on this, as well. There are times when God says it is justified to kill (not murder) another person. And, if we read closely enough, we will find the the Lord even tells us why:
“So that the evil will be removed from among you.”
“Richard’ has questioned the 2nd Amendment and the right of self-defense, yet even Jesus advocated arming one’s self for this very purpose. In fact, He did so at the Last Supper:’
Luke 22:36 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
36 And He said to them, “But now, [a]whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and [b]whoever has no sword is to sell his [c]coat and buy one.
Now, as with much of Scripture, this is a complicated subject. However, the point we need to understand here is how much stress Jesus was placing on the need to be armed. He said to go so far as to sell your cloak if necessary. In His day, this was a person’s shelter from the weather. For many people, it was their home, like that of the cardboard box for a homeless person today. So you can see, this command is not made in passing. There is a great deal of seriousness here. Where most believers go wrong is when they fail to understand that it is the Lord who is to wield that sword, not us.
‘Richard’ as asked me about eating shellfish and pork and working on the Sabbath. Well, if he understood the New Covenant, then ‘Richard’ would know that these were religious laws connected to the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses. They are not applicable to those of us under the New Covenant. To question these things in a way that implies those who do eat pork, or shellfish or who work on the Sabbath are going against Christ is of the same deceptive, twisting Spirit as that of the serpent (nachash) in Eden.
As a ‘Liberal/Progressive,’ ‘Richard’ advocates for the collective and government. Now, it is true, there is a corporate aspect to Scripture, but it would take several hours to discuss exactly how it applies to those of us under the New Covenant. All I can do is assure the reader of this: this corporate quality of Scripture does not apply to an advancement of ‘Socialism.’ We know this because ‘Socialism’ is a system where the government is the provider of our needs. In short, government is the Socialist’s god. I hope I do not have to explain to any believer why this would be a violation of Christ’s Gospel message.
But to add to this condemnation of government as our provider, I would point the reader to Daniel. In the Book of Daniel, the Angel tells Daniel that the beasts he has seen in is vision represent kingdoms — governments! I could go over this in detail elsewhere, but the seven-headed beast in the Book of Revelation represents the total of the seven kingdoms that will rule over the Holy Land during the course of history. Therefore, anyone who is advocating that government should ever be our provider is advancing the beast, not Christ! I think all of those who follow the Lamb know and understand the difference between the Beast and Christ. At least, I hope and pray they do.
Here is another problem for ‘Richard.’ ‘Richard’ claims to be on the side of the truth. In the Gospel of John, John opens by saying:
John 1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
If you look up the original Greek, you will find that John used the word, ‘Logos.’ It read: “First there was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God.” If you look up the meaning of the word, Logos, today, it will say “the Word.’ However, in John’s day, the Greek philosophers used this word to talk about the sum total of all God’s laws, ordinances, decrees, judgments, moral codes — All of it! For the Greeks of Johns time, this was like saying Jesus is the totality of God’s righteous Law and order in human flesh! If we understand John this way, it means that, whenever a person claims to be on advancing the side of the Truth but is actually speak a falsehood, they are blaspheming Jesus! They are also placing themselves in the very seat of the lawless one spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2. Anyone who decides they can determine what is and is not right or moral for themselves; or who claims the authority to pick-and-choose God’s Word; or to change God’s Word by re-interpreting it is claiming to be God! They are saying to themselves, in their hearts, that they can change God’s decrees simply by speaking or willing it to be so.
My brothers and sisters, I have no doubt I have done this, and I may well do it again, but it will be by accident and I constantly beg the Lord’s forgiveness if I do so. But I tremble at the thought of doing this because I was careless or thoughtless, and more so at the possibility I might do it intentionally in a monument of passion. I fear the Lord! And, as one who is called to teach, I know I will be held to a higher standard. But I also know that I am called to warn when I see danger, or the blood of any are who lost because of my silence will be on my hands. Well, I see danger, and I am warning.
On the other hand, for those who — through ignorance or intention — lead believers down a false path, Jesus had this to say:
Matthew 18:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it [a]would be better for him to have a [b]heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Going against these teachings is lawlessness. This is not my opinion: it is what Jesus said. All I am doing is trying to live as I am called to live. But, at the same time, I am trying to defend the Lord and His Gospel with as much agape love as I can muster. I tried to correct in private and was immediately rebuffed. I tried to explain and educate in public, and you heard how that went. Now I warn in general and let the chips fall where they may. And, if I have sinned in the process, I beg the Lord to send someone to offer me correction, but to make sure that messenger is bringing the Truth of His Word — in context — to do so. If I can be shown where I have done wrong in God’s Word, I’ll change and apologize and repent. But not unless the Lord sends a messenger to show me my wrongs.
If you are still with me, I will end here. ‘Richard’ may claim to be a disciple of Christ. As for me, all I can say is I have not seen any indication that he tries to live as Christ calls us to live. All I have are his fruits, and they have been anything but Christ-like. I have seen him bare false witness. He has insulted me and others in our conversations. he has presented falsehood, and claimed they are truth. He has excused and advocated for things Jesus and the Scriptures call sin. He has twisted Christ’s command’s for mercy and charity. He has even presented a false definition for the agape love that believers are called to show to one another and the world. This is all I have to judge him by: his fruit. And if all I was doing was watching and listening from the sidelines, and ‘Richard’ had never claimed to be a Christian, I would have no reason whatsoever to suspect ‘Richard’ is a believer. This in itself goes against the Scriptures. We are to conduct ourselves in a manner that shows the world we are different –which is why I have hated typing every word of this. it is because I know that many will not understand, and I may do harm when I am called to edify and lift up those around me. All I can do, all I have done is write what I am compelled to write and leave the rest to the Lord and His Holy Spirit.
A personal note to Richard:
Richard, I have not misrepresented Jesus or His Gospel in any way here. Nor do I believe I have violated His teachings in how I have dealt with you in this post. In fact, I think Paul may have had advice as to how I could have done better, but he would have at least acknowledged my attempt to follow his teachings on how to defend our faith and correct those believers who have strayed. Now, if you truly hear and follow the Lamb’s voice, I pray you will recognize Him in my words. However, if you do not, then all I can offer is a personal warning to you:
ADDENDUM
THIS TIME, I AM FLAT-OUT ANGRY, so here’s some red meat for the “We Hate Richard” Brigade.
Richard has sent me another private message. he it is — in its entirety. As you read it, ask yourself if this sounds like a Christian speaking:
You have a very different interpretation of the bible than I do or the Pope for that matter. You answered my questions exactly as I expected you would. You care about the ease of access to guns more than human life. If you and Jimmy Zinker had your way, millions of Americans would die each year from no access to health care and malnutrition. Ten times more babies would die from this than abortion. Do you think for a second that Jesus would condone this in a country as rich as this one?! You advocate taxing the people and going into debt to spend 780 billion a year on the military when there’s not even any military threat but reject giving taxed money to the poor? You advocate rebuffing strangers and taking children from their mothers? If you think these things you advocate are approved of by Jesus then, it would seem based on my reading of the Bible, that you have been misled by an unholy spirit. I pray with love for the holy spirit to win you over and truly save you from eternal damnation.
OK, Richard, one more time:
You have a very different interpretation of the bible than I do or the Pope for that matter.
You’re bloody darn right I do. I mean, this very week, the Pope condemned the person who outed the child molesters in his church and not the child molesters, themselves. So, if you are siding with the Pope here, you have just thrown all your supposed concern over the sexual exploitation of children out the window!
You answered my questions exactly as I expected you would.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. thank you. O:-) (Richard: since there is a LOT of ‘Sheldon’ in you, I better add ‘BAZINGA!’)
You care about the ease of access to guns more than human life.
Show me where — exactly — I just advocated this. Show me where I said it or accept that you are a liar and son of Satan. Show me — now! Quote my words, Satan.
If you and Jimmy Zinker had your way, millions of Americans would die each year from no access to health care and malnutrition.
Really? How is this, Richard? Explain it — in detail. Then explain why your god (government) has been making it illegal for private citizens and churches to feed the homeless and hungry — because they have been doing this all over the country. Do you know that, before your god took over, Christians used to care for the needy — we even had hospitals for them. In fact, the first hospital ever established was done so by a private individual. His name was Ben Franklin! So the notion that we need your god to care for those in need is a lie — at least, if you claim to be a Christian it is, because Jesus said it is our job to care for these people, not govt. (your god).
Ten times more babies would die from this than abortion.
LIE! In 2014, there were 652,639 reported abortions in the U.S. Ten times that many would be 6,526,390 babies dying from other causes. The U.S. Census data says something just under 4 million babies are born every year in the U.S. This means you just made up a number that kills 2,526,000 more babies than are actually born every year!!!
Do you think for a second that Jesus would condone this in a country as rich as this one?!
Show me the Scripture where Jesus ever condemns wealth!!! Cite the passage where the Scriptures — New or Old Testament — condemn wealth! Do it now! Because Jesus never says this. He condemns people who love money more than God and their fellow man, but He never once condemns wealth in and of itself. Again, you bare false witness against the Word of God!
You advocate taxing the people and going into debt to spend 780 billion a year on the military when there’s not even any military threat but reject giving taxed money to the poor?
Again, you show me where I said this or accept that you are liar and son of Satan. Do it NOW! Then you show this board how there is no threat to this nation? You show us why we should believe that all the many nations that have openly stated they seek to put an end to us are not a threat. DO IT NOW! Then you show me where Jesus said that we should look to your god — government — to provide for the needy. IT SIMPLY IS NOT IN SCRIPTURE!!! Which means you are bearing false witness against the Word of God again!
You advocate rebuffing strangers and taking children from their mothers?
Show us all where I said this. Quote my words, Satan. Do it now or stand guilty as accused.
If you think these things you advocate are approved of by Jesus then, it would seem based on my reading of the Bible, that you have been misled by an unholy spirit.
Really? I doubt you have ever read the Holy Scriptures, but I have no doubt you have read your bible. I just suspect the title on its cover reads ‘Das Kapital.’
I pray with love for the holy spirit to win you over and truly save you from eternal damnation.
Richard, based on what you have just said here, I do not see any evidence that you have any part of God’s Spirit. Nor do I think you have any idea what love is (except maybe for self-love). Now, answer my challenges. Until you do, I will not respond to you again — ever. You have been challenged. Meet my challenge and do so by quoting my words. If you do not or cannot, then you are as I charge: a liar and a son of Satan.
THE ROAD TO CONCORD 