Category: local church assembly

No Corrupt Communication #18

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

Read Daniel 7:25: “And he shall speak great words against the most High,….” Go back to Daniel 11:36: “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods,….” Re-read Revelation 13:5,6: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”

As indicated above, the Antichrist (counterfeit Christ or false Messiah) in the ages to come will use his tongue to utter lies. Basically, he will claim to be God in human flesh—and he will command people to worship him as God or face the death penalty (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4; Revelation 13:7-18). The creature is now being worshipped and served as the Creator, the climax of Satan’s policy of evil (Romans 1:25).

People respond to the Antichrist (“the beast”) in Revelation 13:3,4: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” So thoroughly deceived, they praise the Antichrist, loving and adoring this satanic man who embodies all the Devil purposed (“I will be like the most High;” Isaiah 14:14). Doubtless, as James chapter 3 elucidated, here is man utilizing his tongue most wickedly. An imitation is assumed to be the genuine, and the phony is esteemed in place of the legitimate.

If there will be a counterfeit living Word of God (Antichrist mimicking Jesus Christ), with that sham (Antichrist) receiving Jesus’ rightful glory, it is not inconceivable the written Word of God (Holy Bible) has been imitated and forgeries have been exalted in its place….

No Corrupt Communication #17

Monday, March 18, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

In James chapter 3, we read the following: “[1] My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. [2] For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. [3] Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. [4] Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

“[5] Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! [6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. [7] For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: [8] But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

The tongue is indeed small—certainly not the size of a limb or torso—yet it exercises a disproportionate amount of power. Tongues throughout history have been used to inflict great damage (gossip, sassing, slander, blasphemy, insults, and so on). In the ages to come, James will be especially appropriate concerning the Antichrist, the man who will “speak marvellous [disrespectful, extraordinary, outrageous] things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). Revelation 13:5,6 amplifies: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”

Let us see what people say about this Antichrist….

No Corrupt Communication #16

Saturday, March 16, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

Carefully reflect upon Romans 12:1,2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The Bible is designed to “renew” our minds, completely change them for the better. However, if the Bible text we use is corrupted, our thoughts will be likewise ruined instead of renovated.

Once the Bible is changed, the Christian’s thinking is altered, his or her vocabulary is modified, his or her definitions are adjusted. How can we not expect problems both near-term and long-term? “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). If we do not have the very words of God—free from error and kept separate from the words of men—we are without light and without understanding. We cannot walk in the truth because we do not have the truth and we do not know the truth. Now, we are basing our Christian minds and lives on a faulty foundation of sand, thus producing darkness, confusion, and failure.

Ask any so-called “scholar” if he or she has a Bible that can be trusted 100 percent. Thanks to the poor quality of their education, the usual answer is “No.” Beware of textual criticism: through subsequent manuscript studies, historical studies, archeological studies, and additional training in the “latest” translation techniques, the “scholar” revises whatever “Bible” he or she has and then uses it for justification to produce another version. Nothing in that new Bible will ever be settled either. It too will be subjected to the same doubts and corrections. The vicious cycle of unbelief is transferred to the gullible “Christian” public, and millions of readers join the “scholars” in mutilating the Bible by depending on “helpful textual footnotes” and “critical commentaries.” While the verses and versions change through time, what remains the same is a cesspool of “corrupt communication….”

NOTE: In order to bring you a special study, we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

No Corrupt Communication #15

Friday, March 15, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

God knew the potential man had for altering Bible verses, so He thrice forbade it. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5,6). “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18,19).

How can people urge us to be quiet when money-hungry publishing houses are releasing and selling multiple Bible versions simultaneously, when private translations are undertaken by the same “scholars” sitting on numerous committees throughout the decades, when the endless textual speculations of fallible men form the foundations of seminary curricula, sermons, counseling sessions, and “Christian” books?

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16). To “wrest” is “twist or distort a text to suit one’s opinions; turn from the proper meaning.” Not only could preachers and teachers be guilty of this, but even Bible translators. If people were “wresting” (perverting) the Scriptures 20 centuries, such individuals are still “in ministry” now with their “corrupt communication….”

No Corrupt Communication #14

Thursday, March 14, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

The Bible should be our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. If it is, we cannot be comfortable with an assortment of counsellors—one Bible version reflecting this translation philosophy, another Bible version produced using that translation method, this Bible version popular with this denomination, that Bible version courtesy of that sect. People wish to distort (“tone down” or “re-translate”) the Holy Scriptures so as to accommodate or support any belief system—Christian or otherwise. After all, we are told to be “inclusive,” respectful of various ideas and diverse opinions (and our pure Bible is a hindrance to that end!).

We are castigated, “Do not be so ‘narrow-minded’ or ‘divisive’ about Bible versions!” Yet, read Ephesians 4:3-6: “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Are there 200 Bodies of Christ? Are there 200 Holy Spirits? Are there 200 hopes of our calling? Are there 200 Lords? Are there 200 faiths? Are there 200 baptisms? Are there 200 Gods and Fathers? Then why are there 200 English Bibles available, and why are we being pressured to accept them equally?

Are we so inconsistent as to teach there is more than one Bible for English-speaking Christians? This is not a biblical position, but a humanistic position (human reasoning superior to Divine reasoning). Is it divisive to emphasize one standard; or it is divisive to favor many standards? Moreover, is it not strange that all modern English versions are copyrighted, so they legally must read substantially different, but they all “teach the same?” Have our critics taken leave of their senses? Are they thinking about the Bible as the Bible would have us think about it, or are they letting human opinions govern what they think about the Bible?

Beware of their “corrupt communication….”

No Corrupt Communication #13

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

In the 250 years that followed the translation of the 1611 King James Bible, the Church of England (Anglican Church) slipped into more and more apostasy via the efforts of the Jesuits (whose primary goal to this very day is to expand the Pope’s influence, reversing the Reformation by luring Protestants back to “Holy Mother Church!”). By the mid-19th century, unbelieving scholars had at last found a way to permanently undermine faith in the Authorized Version. Having access to two Roman Catholic Greek Bible manuscripts—Vaticanus and Sinaiticus—they began reviving and popularizing readings that Protestants had evaluated and rejected since the Reformation.

The result of Jesuit influence in England was the 1881 Revised Version, this work precipitating so much unbelief that the English-speaking world has been deluged with almost 200 modern English Bible versions these last 150 years. Now, the goal of these translation publi$her$ (bu$ine$$e$) is to make as much money as possible at the expense of the truth. Multiplied versions have greatly weakened the common voice of Christian believers. The authority is not in the Bible, we are told, but in the scholars’ opinions (which will change and thus result in another translation project and version with every passing year).

Dearly beloved, either we have an authoritative Bible, or we do not. Textual criticism says we do not; faith says we do. Scholars are always seeking to recover a lost Bible text (which originals they even profess not to have, so the process is never ending!); we should be believing the Bible text (King James in English) we already have. Either we believe all the Bible, or we believe none of it. Scholars want us to submit to them; God wants us to submit to Him. We could not care less what “Doctor So-and-So” or “Professor So-and-So” thinks God said; we know what God said, and we are ultimately accountable to Him, not people. Yea, they can call us “narrow-minded” and “old-fashioned,” but they cannot call us supporters or speakers of “corrupt communication….”

No Corrupt Communication #12

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

If someone tells us “it makes no difference what Bible version we use,” it is because of one of two possibilities. Firstly (the lesser charge), they have probably not personally studied the matter in great detail—and are only innocently repeating “authorities,” “experts,” or “scholars.” Secondly (the more serious reason), perhaps they know more than they are telling us and/or know more than we do about it, and they offer dishonest or incomplete information for fear their school or church will be exposed as being responsible for tampering with the Bible!

Throughout Israel’s history, despite the apostasy and unbelief, faithful Levitical (priestly) scribes collated (collected) and copied the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis through Malachi) once God’s prophets wrote the original manuscripts. See the Levites’ ministry in Deuteronomy 17:18, Deuteronomy 24:8, Deuteronomy 31:24-26, Ezra 7:11, Nehemiah 8:6-9, and Malachi 2:7. By New Testament times, believers in Jesus Christ were collating and copying the Books of Matthew through Revelation after the Apostles wrote the original manuscripts. See Romans 16:26, 1 Corinthians 14:37, and Colossians 4:16.

Of course, the Devil always seeks to imitate God as much as possible so as to receive praise that only the Creator deserves (Isaiah 14:14). Only two Bible manuscript families exist—God’s preserved words and Satan’s counterfeit. If there were forged Bible manuscripts some 2,000 years ago (remember 2 Thessalonians 2:2), no one can ever truthfully tell us deliberate falsification of the Scriptures is not occurring today in some fashion.

Sinful man, agreeing with Satan’s policy of evil (“I will think and do what I want, no matter what God says!”), seeks to undercut or undermine faith in the preserved line of Bible manuscripts. No longer is it “God has guarded against error a text family worthy of our faith,” but rather (courtesy of “natural-man scholarship”) “God needs our help in recovering or reconstructing what text He lost because He was unable to protect it!” Indeed, the latter statement appeals to the flesh, and glorifies secular education under the guise of “Christianity.”

Doubtless, actual Bible text changes are the deadliest form of “corrupt communication….”

No Corrupt Communication #11

Monday, March 11, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

Let us take a more detailed look at Jeremiah chapter 23: “[1] Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. [2] Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD…. [16] Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. [17] They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you…. [30] Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. [31] Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith…. [36] And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.”

Some six centuries before Christ, the Jewish people were overrun with false prophets. These corrupt religious leaders “stole [God’s] words” from their neighbors by substituting Divine revelation with manmade information. Such an exchange made the Jews “vain” (spiritually empty and unproductive), for they were operating according to the faulty reasonings of fallible men as opposed to being filled with the life and will of the Almighty LORD God. Thus, the accusation rang out, “Ye have perverted the words of the living God!” Even this very moment, a large number of so-called “spiritual leaders” are guilty of this “corrupt communication,” preaching from their own heart instead of from the LORD’S mouth….

No Corrupt Communication #10

Sunday, March 10, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

“Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (Jeremiah 14:14). “Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:32). “For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:9).

In the above verses, preachers claim, “The LORD gave me a message for you!” However, the LORD avows He had nothing to do with it. They are pretending to be His spokesmen, trying to pass off their own opinions as “God’s words.” Go now to 2 Thessalonians 2:2: “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” Here is a forged letter—someone feigning to be Paul, someone claiming apostolic power, and using pretense (false information) to unsettle and lead believers astray.

Most of the “scholarly persuasion” reassure us it does not matter what Bible version we use—for, allegedly, one translation is “just as good” as the other. No one, they say, intentionally forges or alters Bible manuscripts for doctrinal purposes. They, being ignorant of the very Bible they profess to know, are nothing more than the blind leading the blind. This is harsh, but it pales in comparison to their disrespectful comments about what is and what is not the Word of God. One can easily search the Scriptures to find all sorts of verses about imposters or counterfeits—false brethren, false apostles, false prophets, false teachers, false Christs, and the like.

“Christian” books and sermons throughout history have been deliberately edited for doctrinal purposes….

No Corrupt Communication #9

Saturday, March 9, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

In the Scriptures, we read about false accusations (Luke 3:14; Luke 19:8; 2 Timothy 3:3; Titus 2:3; 1 Peter 3:16), false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13), false balances (Proverbs 11:1; Proverbs 20:23), false brethren (2 Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 2:4), false Christs (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22), false dealings (Genesis 21:23; Leviticus 19:11; Psalm 44:17; Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10), false divinations (Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 21:23), false dreams (Jeremiah 23:32; Zechariah 10:2), and false gifts (Proverbs 25:14).

Also, the Bible refers to false lips (Proverbs 17:4), false matters (Exodus 23:7), false oaths (Zechariah 8:17), false reports (Exodus 23:1), false sayings (Matthew 7:15), false science (1 Timothy 6:20), false swearing (Leviticus 6:3,5; Leviticus 19:12; Jeremiah 5:2; Jeremiah 7:9; Hosea 10:4; Zechariah 5:4; Malachi 3:5), false teachers (2 Peter 2:1), false tongues (Psalm 120:3), false visions (Jeremiah 14:14), and false ways (Psalm 119:104; Psalm 119:28; Jeremiah 8:10).

However, the most prominent mentions are false prophets (Jeremiah 5:31; Jeremiah 29:9; Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11,24; Mark 13:22; Luke 6:26; Acts 13:6; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 16:13; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10) and false witnesses (Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20; Deuteronomy 19:16,18; Psalm 27:12; Psalm 35:11; Proverbs 6:19; Proverbs 12:17; Proverbs 14:5; Proverbs 19:5,9; Proverbs 21:28; Proverbs 25:18; Matthew 15:19; Matthew 19:18; Matthew 26:59,60; Mark 10:19; Mark 14:56,57; Luke 18:20; Acts 6:13; Romans 13:9; 1 Corinthians 15:15).

All the above references involve something untrue, deceitful, or counterfeit: they relate to dishonest businesspeople, lying religious leaders, and erroneous beliefs or messages. The two dominant themes—and note them well—are false prophets (people claiming to speak for God when they are not) and false witnesses (people arguing something is true when it is not). If the Holy Spirit dedicates so many verses about them, then it only stands to reason these passages about false witnesses and false prophets merit special attention. Yet, in the average “Christian” assembly or institution, little to no consideration is given them.

Let us see how false witnesses and false prophets factor into corrupt communication….