Gary, you know I’m still surprised Melvin has a new post with a similar name and we didn’t coordinate efforts ourselves.
(I asked Gary if he set this up with Melvin and he said no, so the Lord’s will be done.)

This is true spiritual warfare, taking apart the lies of Satan mouthed through his ministers, so that the captives can recover themselves from the snare of the devil, if God grants them such repentance.

These deceived people are so interested in protecting their predators because their relationship is symbiotic, i.e., they need each other. The predator needs the money and power for their lusts and the deceived need the empty promises they are told so they can chase their lusts under the cloak of righteousness. The horror of it all. May God help them acknowledge the truth.

Major kudos to IC for his invaluable help.

As far as I know, Jesus himself made clear NOT TO SIMPLY SUBMIT TO HIM on MANY OCCASIONS unless what He said lined up with SCRIPTURE/GOD’S HEART!!!!

Quote:
John 5:19-23

19Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him
.

Quote:
John 5:30-32

30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. Testimonies About Jesus

31″If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.

Quote:
<H3>John 7:16-19
Quote:
NOTE FROM G2: As Jesus made clear, whenever it comes to religious leaders and wondering whether or not they’re telling the truth & therefore should be FOLLOWED, we should do this: Test them to see if they’re words should agree with, not CONTRADICT, the BIBLE……& whether or not their words should point to God & His Will, not to THEMSELVES

</H3>

Quote:
13The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”
14Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

John 8:13-18

Quote:
John 8:27-29
The list could go on, from John 8:46-47 where He even encouraged people to question His authority/claims & character as long as they were willing to follow through on what they discovered to John 8:54-56 where He said that His word alone meant nothing if it DIDN’T GLORIFY THE LORD & was VALIDATED BY SCRIPTURE/HIM…….and most of all, what to make of John 10:34-38, where He said POINT-BLANK that unless He was doing as the FATHER DID, HIS AUTHORITY MEANT NOTHING & HE SHOULD BE AVOIDED. As He said,

Quote:
“DO NOT BELIEVE ME UNLESS I DO WHAT MY FATHER DOES….” (John 10:34-38)
That all said, if we’re to be consistent/Biblical, heirharcy isn’t about UNLIMITED AUTHORITY, for NOT EVEN CHRIST DID THAT……BUT RATHER ABOUT OBEYING THE ONE IN LEADERSHIP OVER US AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT GO AGAINST THE STANDARDS GOD SETS UP.

This is a BASIC PRINCIPLE, as seen in Christ’s actions with the Pharisees & paying TAXES yet still OBEYING GOD (Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26), Romans 13, I Peter 2:13-25, & even in the OT various TIMES (Genesis 39:1-23, Exodus 1:15-22, Nehemiah 1-2, Daniel 1-4, etc)…..

Proverbs 26:4-5 (New American Standard Bible)

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.
5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be wise in his own eyes.

I used to really wrestle with trying to properly understand those 2 verses, until the Lord helped me see HE was the example of how to carry that out. As He told them in one of their many exchanges, the scriptures testify of HIM, John 5:39.

He didn’t forbid questions and He was not against scripture, but all must realize it speaks of Him and do as He commands.

i’ll continually fruit inspect!

Amen to that!

NOW THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TOUCH, AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY. But i believe God will touch them in the end if they don’t straighten up and guide right!

Yea, please don’t touch them Vaughn .

He always gave an answer to all that had questions.