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KNOWING THE LORD

By Brother Elliott Nesch

Do you know God? Do you know God? I suppose the more important question is, "Does God know you?" Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7: 21 - 23). We learn here that not all who call on the name of the Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven. This is a terrifying scripture for those who profess the name of Jesus Christ in this day but are, in fact, workers of lawlessness, but to those who do the will of the Father in heaven this verse is a comforting truth. Again, 1 John 2: 3 - 5 says, "By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him." To millions of people, even among professing Christians, God is unknown because they do not know the Scriptures. But this shouldn't surprise us that know the Scriptures and our Lord who said, "Narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7: 14). There is no difference between the heathen outside of church who creates his own god out of wood and stone and the professing Christian who creates their own god who doesn't judge sins. The only difference, I'd argue, is that the professing Christian has a greater condemnation. As the Lord said in Jeremiah 3: 11, "The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah."

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Are you professing Jesus Christ and having sex outside of marriage? Are you professing His holy name while professing homosexuality? Are you an adulterer or drunkard? I say to you: you will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6: 9 - 11). Such was I, a wretched sinner deserving nothing more than the deepest darkest pit of hell, but I was washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Corinthians 6: 11). "Washed" in the precious blood of the Son Jesus Christ. "Sanctified" by the power of the Holy Spirit. "Justified" or declared legally righteous through the mercy and grace of God the Father.

I can say I know exactly who God is and I know I can believe His word because He has spoken to me. It is my hope that this message will lead you closer to God, to seek God, and to find God, that God will speak to you as well if He hasn't already. It is my hope that we can come to know God and, more importantly, for Him to know us, that we could have a place in the body of Jesus Christ. It is my hope that all grow in a true supernatural relationship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In this message, I'd like to explore the character of God, who God really is, not who false Christians make Him out to be. It is important to know what the God of heaven and earth likes and dislikes, what God represents, who He is and what He is. If we are to grow in a relationship with God and God's people, these characteristics of God will be very important just as in any relationship so we know what He desires and what pleases Him. This is important to explore so that we may be equipped when we encounter people who have their own ideas about who God is, they create their own god(s), they are their own god or they claim there is no God; all of which is lawlessness. Even professing Christians create their own god contrary to God of the Bible in order to continue in sin. They do not love the Word of truth. God has spoken to His true church, the living body of believers in Christ, and we place all our faith and trust in Him because of His character, because we have come to know Him, because we have come to know He is exactly who He says He is. God is truth and in Him is no lie.

Just as in any relationship, a friend's likes and dislikes are important to know. Character is also important. You discern what somebody is telling you is true or false based on their character. And how we might react to them is a statement about their character. We can trust God because He has revealed His character. Every time we disobey God, every time we do things our own way in thought or action, we make a statement about God's character and our faith. Every time you proceed down your own path and not God's path, you are saying one of two things: that God has told you the truth but He's evil or that God is good but He doesn't know what's best for you. Either one of those is offensive and insulting to God and impacting on your eternal destination. By doing so, you're saying He's not perfect love and truth and that He's not good because the Bible says God is love and that all things work together for good for those who love God (1 John 4: 16, Romans 8: 28). It'd be like me introducing myself to someone, "Hi, I'm Elliott."
"No, you're not."
"Well, what do you mean, 'no I'm not.' That's my name."
"Yea right."
"Yea, it is. I'm Elliott, that's what everybody calls me. That's who I am."
"I doubt it."
"You doubt it? That's the honest truth."
"You lie."

That would be very frustrating as it is to God who has given us the most simple truths about His character and what pleases Him yet we disobey. We make a statement about God and our faith in Him. . . or lack of faith in Him in every thought and action. Obedience and disobedience are both declarations about our faith in God because faith is manifested in our works. But without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11: 6). Faith and obedience go hand in hand. We don't obey out of obligation but because we know God is true and He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We obey because of our faith in God. So I'd venture to say disobedience goes hand in hand with a lack of faith in God, both of which are displeasing to Him. The Bible says "all things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8: 28). Is that reality for you or do you do your own thing and follow the world when it's convenient? If so, you're denying God's promise in your actions and need to repent. Begin by asking for forgiveness for your sins and praying to God to increase your faith.

It is my prayer that we all may be built up in faith and in knowledge of God. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). What is fear of the Lord? The Bible says, "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate" (Proverbs 8: 12 - 13). Once we know the Holy Lord in fear and reverence, His goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2: 4). Our faith in God is increased only in our relationship with Him and His people and through the study of His Holy Word. To know God is to know His Word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10: 17).

GOD IS LOVE, GOD HATES?

As I witness to supposed Christians on the street, they tell me God doesn't hate because God is love. Obviously they don't study their Bible. I say God is love, so God must hate. I couldn't agree more with a preacher I once heard who said, "I love children, therefore I hate abortion." I might add that I love truth, therefore I hate lies. I love peace, therefore I hate war. I love justice, therefore I hate lawlessness and oppression. So, you see I can not love two opposites at once and neither can God. How could He who delights in that which is pure, lovely, and good, not loathe that which is impure, vile, and evil. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12: 9).

Do you know God? Who is God? Jesus Christ. An equally important question may be what is God? God is spirit (John 4: 24). God is light (1 John 1: 5). God is love (1 John 4: 8). God is spirit, light, and love. God is all loving but to understand what God loves we must understand who and what God is; we must understand good and evil. If you say there is no good and evil but these terms are relative, woe unto you! You wouldn't say that if your family was raped, tortured and murdered for nothing. Woe unto you that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto you! There is good and evil and that is reality. You can deny reality all you want but that doesn't change a thing. You can stand in front of a semi traveling one hundred miles an hour and deny it all you want. You're still going to get crushed by a hard dose of reality . . . and I'm still going to preach the gospel as loud as I can in the chance that you might hear it and repent looking to Jesus before that truck hits you.

The Bible says, and I testify to this truth, that God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in Him (1 John 4: 16). The love of Christ passes all knowledge in width, length, depth and height (Ephesians 3: 18, 19). We would need a fourth dimension to measure this love of God which defies measurement. This love cannot be measured. What is love? Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not speak its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity; but rejoices in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13). There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4: 18). God is love; so then, by logical reasoning, I think the believer and non-believer could come to an agreement that God is good. David writes, "Teach me to do your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good" (Psalm 143: 10). We learn from the account in Genesis 1 that when God created the Earth and everything in it, the light, the dry land and sea, and every living creature, He saw it and it was good.

When I ask people on the streets if they are going to go to heaven, they say, "Yes."
"Why?" I ask.
"Well, because I'm a good person," they respond. Even non-believers believe that they are going to go to heaven because they are good people. This couldn't be further from the truth. There are different types of goodness. Of course you're good in nature because God created you and everything God created is good (Genesis 1). But you are not morally good so you can have no part in the kingdom of God because your corruption has condemned you from God's holiness. Even Satan is good in nature (God created Him), but morally he is evil. Even when the devil was cast down from heaven, God did not cease him from being into nothingness. No, the devil is still a part of God's good creation today, so he is a good in terms of the creature and the creation, but morally the devil is wicked and evil. So, yes, everything God created is good, but that doesn't mean you're going to heaven. The only One morally good is God, Jesus Christ. He is the only way. Salvation is not something you do, it is a Person, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19: 17). Here, Jesus tells us that none is good but God and to keep His commandments. If every creature God created went to heaven, then there would be no need of Jesus telling us to keep His commandments. Obviously the commandments are very important because we are to be perfect as God is perfect and morally good as God is good (Matthew 5: 48).

Again, salvation is a person, Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14: 6). People like to believe that all religions or roads lead to God. No. But God is calling all people. They say the only way there will be peace on Earth is if all religions are excepted. No. Again, the only way to achieve peace is through the one and only true God who is calling all people, but people don't listen! It is not the will of the Father that anybody should perish (Matthew 18: 14). He has done everything He can to bring you to Him. If He didn't, He wouldn't be a loving God, but He is.

God is love; God is good which has no part with wickedness. The world may change but God's eternal ways will stay the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13: 8). From Old Covenant to New Covenant, God says, "I am the Lord, I do not change" (Malachi 3: 6). God is not bound by time and space. He is what and who He is and that's the way it is. He just is. Therefore God is compared to a rock (Deuteronomy 32: 4). God will always be God of gods, King of kings and Lord of lords. God is a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He (Deuteronomy 32: 4). God is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed (1 Samuel 2: 3); a God of our salvation (Psalm 65: 5); a God of judgment (Isaiah 30: 18); the God of all flesh (Jeremiah 32: 27); the God of recompenses (Jeremiah 51: 56); the God of forces (Daniel 11: 38); the God of the living (Matthew 22: 32); the God of patience and consolation (Romans 15: 5); the God of hope (Romans 15: 13); the God of peace (Romans 16: 20); the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1: 3); the God of love (2 Corinthians 13: 11); the God of all grace (1 Peter 5: 10); the God of the holy prophets (Revelation 22: 6); and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1: 17). These are all good things of which our God is God.

The entire word of God comes from the principles of loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself; the entire law can be summed up in these commands (Matthew 22: 40). That is the very essence of the ten commandments. Under the Old Covenant, God was preserving the seed of Abraham through His people, the Israelites. As God is separate and holy, His desire was that Israel would be a separate and holy people. God said to them "And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine" (Leviticus 20: 26). God hates sin, therefore, He was calling the Israelites to live righteously and separate from the idol worshiping, child sacrificing demonic pagans that possessed the promised land before them with whom He was disgusted. He said, "You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all my judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them" (Leviticus 20: 22 - 23). Elsewhere God commands the nation of Israel, "You shall not set up a sacred pillar, which the Lord your God hates" (Deuteronomy 16: 22).

The Scriptures are an historical account of God's hatred of sin. For just one sin, God expelled Adam and Eve from Eden (Genesis 3). For one sin Canaan, a son of Ham, fell under a curse which remains over his descendants to this day (Genesis 9: 21, 22). For one sin Moses was forbidden to enter the promised land (Exodus 20: 12). God's hatred toward sin was not cut off after Christ came. God does not change with the times but is always the same God. For one sin Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead (Acts 5).

Proverbs 6: 16, "These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." All of these the Lord hates! "Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 16: 5). Psalm 7: 11 says, "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." Zechariah 8: 16 - 17, "'Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; and do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,' says the Lord." But on the contrary, "'These are the things you shall do: speak each man the truth to his neighbor; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;'" (Zechariah 8: 16 - 17).

It was said in Acts 13: 22 that King David, the writer of many of the Psalms, was a man after God's own heart. Also in 1 Samuel 13, after King Saul broke the commandment of the Lord, the prophet Samuel said, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded Him to be the commander of His own people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." King Saul didn't delight in the commands and law of the Lord like His servant David. Psalm 119: 163 says, "I hate and abhor lying, but I love your law." Psalm 119: 113, "I hate the double-minded, but I love your law." Psalm 26: 5, "I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked." Psalm 31: 6, "I have hated those who regard useless idols, but I trust in the Lord." Psalm 45: 7, "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God has anointed You." Psalm 97: 10, "You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked."

God is love and has nothing to do with evil. He hates it. Good and evil cannot go together like oil and water cannot mix into one solution. I once heard a hypocritical person say, "I can love somebody and kill them." I'm sorry but that just doesn't work. Psalm 11: 5 says, "The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates." Violence and wickedness has no place in love. On the contrary, the Lord is righteous and He loves righteousness (Psalm 11: 7). Psalm 5: 4 - 6, "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man." Proverbs 22: 14, "The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; he who is abhorred of the Lord will fall there." Paul adds that, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband" (1 Corinthians 7). This doctrine may seem radical in these last days when lawlessness abounds. Even professing Christians are engaging in pre-marital relations and divorce, an abomination to the Lord. If I speak of you and you call yourself a Christian, know that you are abhorred of the Lord and are not what you claim to be. Repent, cry out to Him and ask for His mercy and forgiveness upon your soul. Remember it was our radical Lord who said "whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5: 28). The conversion begins within ourselves and anything else is hypocrisy and dead religion. It is our very thoughts that are to give glory to God because adultery begins with lust, murder begins with hate. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1: 15). Death begins with a sinful thought. Psalm 23: 3, "He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14: 15).

GOD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 14: 1). According to your Creator, if you say He doesn't exist, you're a fool. I pray that you are not a fool but a Christian who delights in sharing with others the truth of our Lord and this may be of some importance to you; Jesus said, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you" (Matthew 7: 6). Proverbs 14: 7 - 9, "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way. But the folly of fools is deceit. Fools mock at sin. But among the upright there is favor." Many fools aren't even interested in God because they are proud, they want to be their own god and they will be destroyed because they didn't seek the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2: 12). Psalm 36 contains an oracle concerning the sinfulness of the wicked, "There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to hate or detect his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong."

Sin is the absence of righteousness. Darkness is the absence of light. Death is the non-existence of life. Evil is the absence of goodness. God just is. He is. He is the something when taken away you have nothing; the positive prior to the negative. Goodness exists before evil can exist. Not the other way around. Life exists before one can die. If it weren't for God's goodness and righteousness, sin and evil couldn't have entered the world. The first must exist before the latter. You can't get something from nothing. Nothing comes from something taken away. This is why evolution doesn't logically work out because life cannot come from no life. Understanding this simple principle is understanding God. He just is. Before time and space, God is. God is. He is. He is existence. God is existence, which is good. Anything else, death, darkness, evil and hell are far away from God's existence. He has no part with them. These cannot exist without the Creator. This is also why goodness, righteousness, truth, God overcomes evil. Because God is, was, and always will be. Before evil, there was goodness; God is. Before darkness, there was the light; God is. Before death there is life; God just is. Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8: 58). He just is. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things are made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1: 1 - 5). Genesis 1: 1 says, "In the beginning God." Before time, or , rather, perhaps out of time and space and completely independent is God who is not influenced by things outside Himself as we are. Good overcomes and God changes not (Malachi 3: 6). He is, was and always will be perfect. His creation did not make Him perfect, the universe and all living creatures in it didn't make Him perfect. It wasn't like He needed us to achieve His perfection. No, He was independently perfect in need of nothing but creation was an act of God's grace in order to make manifest His glory. His glory can be neither augmented or diminished. When the Sadducees questioned Jesus about the resurrection, He said, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living" (Mark 12: 24 - 27). God is the God of the living, that means you. Even if you deny God, God is still your Creator.

God is eternal. He is all there is before and after this realm of time and space. Even though God is not seen, He is real and His existence can be proven to the scientific and rational thinker but the thinker must think, no doubt. The force of evil came into God's creation of time and space with the creation of mankind, the free thinker, the sinner. That is not to say that this was not God's plan or that there ever was any evil in God, but God allowed it and His goodness will overcome. There is a purpose in all of this. Good overcomes evil and the only way to overcome evil is with good (Romans 12: 21). We cannot deny that there is a purity in goodness and love that is absent in acts of violence and hatred. All the wisdom of men and great philosophers in the pursuit of meaning of life, truth, and the meaning of justice can be summed up in this, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; love your neighbor as yourself." For this reason, Christ's act on Calvary is perhaps the most rational event in human history. It is history. It defines rationality, truth, love and justice because it was God Himself, the source of all wisdom and logical reason. It was the testimony of a life lived in perfect love for God, neighbors and enemies. It was God's testimony to the world of His true character. It was a testimony to the truth.

God is also the source of true justice. He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 17: 15). Proverbs 29: 27 states, "An unjust man is an abomination to the just; and he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked." The perverse person is an abomination to the Lord but His secret counsel is with the upright (Proverbs 3: 32). The ways, the sacrifices and even the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is His delight (Proverbs 15: 8, 9, 26, 21: 27). As the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah, He said, "For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering" (Isaiah 61: 8). He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous," him the people will curse (Proverbs 24: 24). 1 Timothy 5: 21 says, "I charge [thee] before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality." True justice shows no favoritism but is true to friends and enemies. "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you," Proverbs 25: 21 - 22. Jesus said to love your enemy (Matthew 5: 43). James 2: 1 begins, "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say to him, "You stand there," or, 'Sit here at my footstool,' have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?" Galatians 2: 6 reminds us that God shows personal favoritism to no man. Praise the Lord we will be standing before a Judge of truth and justice when we die and not one who represents crooks and criminals, who is bought with a bribe or shows partiality to the rich man.

The most logical action or thought at any given moment is that in love. Combating violence and hatred with further violence will only fuel more violence and hatred. We are seeing in the conflict in Iraq as the American occupation kills more and more innocent life the sectarianism spreads causing more and more people to become jihadists which in turn fuels the fires of war and wars for fuel. Hatred and violence always end in murder when it is full grown. If you decide to pick up a weapon in an act of revenge and kill the person which caused the injustice for which you are avenging, you yourself have become more unjust than them We saw in the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and in the life of Ghandi that nonviolence is the most powerful method of social change. If all nations and kingdoms followed a "just war" principle of only going to war in self-defense, there would be no wars. Good triumphs over evil. This is why Christ's (God's) act on Calvary is the center of human history. The most sensible thing to do in the face of violence is to absorb the violence, to turn the other cheek, to love your enemies and give up your life for them. In this one act, God showed the epitome of His character, peace, love, justice, truth and righteousness.

Most of us human beings have a respect for human life. We know that murder is inherently wrong. We know many things are wrong but murder ought to fly in the face immediately of even the average fools. God put those values of right and wrong in us and this brings us back to the knowledge of good and evil. As the Lord is righteous, He loves the righteous (Psalm 11: 7). Righteousness is the opposite of wickedness; it is doing right, not wrong, doing good, not evil. Righteousness is that which is morally right and justifiable, it is adhering to all moral principles. Just as an object cannot be fully wet and fully dry at the same time, fully hot or fully cold, righteousness and wickedness cannot go together. Granted, you can be damp and lukewarm but Christ warns the lukewarm believer that He will spew thee out of His mouth (Revelation 3: 16).

Unfortunately, many Christian churches today can be characterized by the church of the Laodiceans in Revelation. Many Christians are forgetting that we, as Christians do not attend church but we are the church! The church is not something you attend but is the living, breathing Body of Christ, His unblemished Bride. Jesus says to these lukewarm churches today, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked" (Revelation 13: 15 - 17). If you find yourself in an assembly of professing Christians who dress sensually, who get drunk, who look, act, talk, walk and smell like the world bearing rotten fruit then flee. Because such as these will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6: 9 - 10). A brother once told me it is more profitable to suggest a solution than the so many problems with this lukewarm congregation. If you find yourself in a lukewarm church, I'd say exhort one another daily while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3: 13). Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6: 2) Sell your possessions and goods and live in common accord (Acts 2: 44 - 45).

We as Christians are to follow God, the source of reason, and be like Jesus. Christian means Christ-like. Therefore, as God hates evil and has no part in evil, Romans 12: 9 tells us "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good." God is love and is calling us to be conformed to His perfect image manifested in the life of Jesus Christ. Without God and love we are nothing. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing (1 Corinthians 13: 1 - 3).