Keep The Faith

Unity Series: “Remain in Me” — John 15:1‑6. True salvation is found in abiding with the Son, not in a moment of belief alone. This Unity reflection shares why the mindset of “Once Saved Always Saved” can be spiritually dangerous. The goal is not condemnation, but love — pointing hearts back to the truth of entering God’s Kingdom His way, not ours. Why I Believe “Once Saved Always Saved” Is Not True The reason I speak against the mindset of “Once Saved Always Saved” is not to condemn anyone. My heart is not to judge, but to warn in love. Over time, Father God has shown me how deeply He loves us and how much He desires every one of us to enter His new righteous Kingdom — but we must enter His way , not ours. I truly believe many people have been given a false hope that they will enter the Kingdom simply because they once accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Too often, we remember the Savior p...

Introduction I woke up at 2 AM this morning from a dream — and I knew immediately it was from the Lord. I say this because I rarely remember dreams anymore. Most nights, if I do dream, it’s scattered fragments, nothing clear. But this one was vivid. I remembered every part of it. In the dream, I was talking with someone who was explaining to me how the body of Christ is like a human body — like my body. Every part has a purpose. Every member has a function. And when one part becomes sick, the doctor prescribes medicine to heal it. But sometimes, the sickness is so deep, so destructive, that the only way to save the rest of the body is to remove the diseased part entirely, like cutting out a cancer. When I woke up, the Spirit immediately brought John 15 to mind — the Vine, the Branches, and the Father who lovingly tends the whole. Scripture — John 15:1–17 “I am the true vine, and my Father is th...

I was just out in the yard doing some mowing when I got some new revelation from the Lord and had to stop and post this before I forgot. I was wondering why my life has been different every since I asked God to make me a tool in His work. Before that point, I always wanted to do things for the Lord but it never happened. Now I know why. 1 Corinthians 12:27 New International Version (NIV)   27  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Another scripture is: Philippians 3:20 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 20  For  our  [ a ] citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly  wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21  who will  transform  [ a ] the body of our humble state into  conformity with  [ b ] the  body of His glory,  by the exertion of the power that He has even to  subject all things to Himself. ------------------------------------------------------------------...

Here is a story that I told my grandson when trying to get him to go to sleep. It started as a much simpler version when I was telling it to him. It has developed to this and reflects my life and how God has shown Himself to me.   The Hammer Story By Wayne Koch (Pop Pop) Dedicated to my grandson Once upon a time there was a hammer. Now this hammer was a very special hammer. Its Creator gave it a brain. It could choose what project to work on and who would use it to build the project. There was just one problem. It often bent nails. At first, Hammer chose easy projects to work on, things like step stools, tables, bird houses, and tree houses. When it came to tree houses though, he chose only the simplest ones or would only want to do the ladder up to the tree house. As for who would use him to build the projects, he would choose just anyone. Over time, he saw some of his projects turn out pretty good, some were just so-so, and others were really bad. When he bent a nail, the p...

I’ve been reluctant to say this for a long time, but the Lord has made it clear to me: the mindset of “Once Saved Always Saved” is wrong and spiritually dangerous. Not long ago, hearing someone say that would have upset me too. It took a great deal of convincing from the Lord to bring me to this point. This was one of the main reasons I felt led to start this blog. In many ways, I consider it the Lord’s blog. Everything I’ve posted so far has come from what He has shown me in His Word. I don’t always understand it fully at first, but each day He gives me more clarity. As I look back, I can see how He has been preparing me for this message for years. Two weekends before I began the blog, He brought together everything He had shown me. I thought I was supposed to share it at a church reunion of pastors, missionaries, and members from the church where I first accepted Christ. Everyone there believed “Once Saved Always Sa...

We have such an awesome God. He created everything just by saying them into existence. He created us in His likeness Genesis 1:26 New International Version (NIV)      26  Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, [ a ]  and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” He has given us a recipe for life; a way to live in harmony with each other and to have fellowship with Him. But, we don't want to follow His plan so we try and do it our way, which just makes a mess of things and separates us from Him (sin which leads to death). He sends His only begotten Son, Jesus, to earth to be the perfect sacrifice so we can have forgiveness for our sins and Jesus was so willing to do that for us. He wants to help us live a godly life through the power of the Holy S...

Around November of last year I was searching something in my Bible. I don't remember what it was I was studying at the time but my search took me to the last chapter of Revelation. As I was reading in chapter 22, I felt that Jesus was speaking to me personally. The Bible I usually study from is the "New American Standard Bible." Here is what it said in verse 16: "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." And, in verse 20, it reads: He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. I felt and still believe that He wants me to tell the churches that He is coming soon. Now this is not the soon as we think of soon, it is God's soon. Sense that day, He has led me to many scriptures to help me understand why it is so very important to tell the churches. Unless many of us, who call ourselves Christians, wak...

I've been studying the Bible for a while now and have asked God to teach me Himself. I don't want to learn through commentaries, or hand books, or any other books, or even through people. I want to learn His truths from Him; by the way, I ran across a passage that said that there is but one teacher, Christ Jesus. I ask Him many questions. He has taught me much but I've come to realize that His teaching is a life long process. I guess the reason why I mention this is because I've come to understand Paul and the race he talks about and fighting the good fight. Jesus said this; John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." 35 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." and in John 14:15 He says, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Paul came to realize that if he was to have the same kind of love...

As I was thinking about what I might post next, I noticed that my Bible was open to Mathew chapter 25. Let me read it starting with verse 31. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mathew 25 (NIV Bible) The Sheep and the Goats      31  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.   32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.   33  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.     34  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.   35  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me someth...

I was talking to the Lord this morning, wondering how I will ever get this blog started. I opened my Bible, as I sometimes do, just to wherever, and it opened to 1 Timothy chapter 4. What an appropriate beginning; thank you Lord. Here is how it reads from the NIV Bible: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Timothy 4 New International Version (NIV) 1 The Spirit clearly says that in the later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is conse...

My first post, a prayer: Father God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the all-mighty God, the all-knowing God, and the everywhere-present God, if You see good in this blog, I ask that you bless and protect it. Use me as a tool in your work and I give You all the praise and glory. Please bring about a clear understanding of your truths. I pray this in the name of Your precious Son, Christ Jesus. Amen