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In the previous related article, we sought to answer a question we were asked, Did Jesus Abolish The Law? . In case you haven't read yet, please do it for better context. In the article we saw that Jesus did not abolish or canceled the law, instead He fulfilled its purpose, which according to Galatians 3:24, was to be a tutor and bring people to Christ . Once the law finished its course, it was set aside and a New Covenant was ratified, the covenant of Faith. As mentioned in the article also, the Law was not and is not bad, it simply worked to accomplish its purpose. Now, the question is: knowing that the Law is not bad and it was not canceled, are Christians supposed to still obey it? In our experiences, this is the real question many believers want answered when they begin to wonder or not the law was abolished. We have been there and asked ourselves the same question! it is our prayer that through this article God gives you clarity in Jesus. If the Law Is Not Bad, Should New Testament Believers Obey It Then? The straightforward answer to this question is: No! Not at all, not even a single command. Some people believe that the ceremonial laws, those pertaining to the service in the temple and the sacrifices, were the only laws canceled, but that the moral laws are still in effect. However, looking to the purpose of the law this seems contradicting. The law itself was not canceled, and not part of the was canceled or abolished either; again, Jesus Himself said it. The law had a purpose and it was accomplished, therefore, the law was set aside and not canceled, it became antiquated. Not a single commandment of the law is to be obeyed by new testament believers, hence we call it old. We are under the new covenant, thus, under the law of Christ and not under the law of Moses. However, we can learn, and only learn, from the essence of the Law, because it still reveals the Holy nature of God, but this must be done in the light of the New Testament, without ever submitting ourselves to the Law again, and we will explain why in the course of this article. Let's jump to it. The Law Foreshadowed Superior Spiritual Blessings As we have mentioned briefly in the previous article also, one of the purposes of the Law was to foreshadow superior spiritual blessings found in Christ. Thus, if we are in Christ, we have access to the superior-spiritual blessings themselves and not their shadows anymore, the veil is removed and we can see them clearly. If we have the superior blessings themselves, then the shadows are automatically rendered unnecessary. Why would we then, need again the lesser blessings? That would mark a regression and not a progression and render the work of Christ of no effect. The book of Hebrews put this way, "'And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;'" Hebrews 9:22-24. Notice the passage says, "the copies of the things in heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices." The system that came through the Law was a copy of the heavenly realities - superior blessings, therefore, God warned Moses saying, "'And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.'" Exodus 25:40. However, in Christ, we have access to the superior blessings themselves, not the copies like they had; therefore, if we focus on obeying only the righteous requirements of the new covenant, which is superior, automatically we fulfil the righteous requirements of the Law. Paul puts this way, "'There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.'" Romans 8:1-4 Notice the last verses, " For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.' ". In other words, the Law was impotent to redeem or transform us, but Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to redeem and transform us. In him get we access to a new law, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus", and if we walk on it, we fulfill the righteous requirement of the old testament law. Under this new covenant, we have access to the Holy Spirit, who leads us so we don't fulfill the lusts or the sinful desires of the flesh, and in so doing, we will fulfill the demands of justice or righteous requirements that the Law of Moses had, this is because, the bible says, "'For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”' (Galatians 5:14). Thus, if one loves his neighbor as himself, like the New testament commands, although is a commandment also given under the law (Leviticus 19:18), he is fulfilling the requirement of the law but not obeying the law itself and neither putting himself under its yoke. Do you see the difference? Again, obeying the requirements of the new covenant is enough for Christians; by doing so, they satisfy the law without obeying it. Now, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” refers only to the aspects of the law related to our relationship with our neighbors. However, the law had also requirements about our relationship with God Himself. Perhaps the best way to see this is by looking to the Ten Commandments first mentioned in Exodus 20:1-17. The first part comprised of the first 4 commandments, verses 1-11, pertains directly to our relationship with God, and the remaining 6 commandments comprise the second part and deals directly with our relationship with our neighbors, although it ultimately also affects our relationship with God. What is the point? The point is that with the above in mind, these 10 laws can be summed up in two great commandments. Jesus puts this way, "..., “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’'" Matthew 22:37-39. If you obey these two great commandments to the core, you then fulfill all the ten commandments because they resume the essence of the Law, and the prophets according to Jesus. He said, "'On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”' Matthew 22:40. In other words, "'The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”' Matthew 22:40 NLT. So, when new testament believers wonder whether or not they should obey the law, they show they never understood the new covenant, the character of God, the law itself and its purpose, or that they have been deceived by someone somewhere during their walk. If you have the latest iPhone why would you go back to the old? In theory the latest has all the feature of the old and much more, unless some old features were deemed unnecessary. Of course this is an imperfect analogy, considering the distraction that newer technologies can bring alongside better productivity. However, such is not the case of the new covenant. The truth is that the latest covenant of God has embedded on it the essence of the old, and obeying the demands of the new covenant in Christ leads us to obey the demands of the law, fulfilling its righteous requirements, which quite frankly are nothing compared to new. The requirements of the New covenant are stricter compared to the old. Consider the words of Jesus, "'“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.'" Matthew 5:21-22. What is easier the old, " you must no murder" or the new, "if you are even angry with someone [without a cause], you are subject to judgment" ? Certainly the new is. If you continue, you will see that Jesus makes other contrasts and in so doing He was removing the old and establishing the new covenant, founded on better promises (Hebrews 8:6) and with stricter requirements for righteousness. However, there is a couple caveats: The new covenant is transformation driven and not performance driven, under the new covenant, we have access to a new nature (John 1:12-13) not dominated by sin and access to the Holy Spirit who helps us subdue our old carnal nature. Thus, although the demands of the new are stricter, the amount of help we have to obey them are greater also. On the contrary, if we go back to the law, we are left helpless and incapable of even obey God and fulfil the Law. Under the law it is, "either you obey all or you obey none", James frames it as follows, "'For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.'" (James 2:10). The law is not a pick-and-chose system. If one says that we should obey "some" laws relevant for us today, then we should go back sacrificing animals and etc. Paul warns us against the idea of going back to the law in his letter addressed to the church of the Galatians. A Warning Against The Old Heresy He said, "'Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.'" Galatians 3:1-5 NLT. Paul expressly said that for someone, meaning new testament believers, who understood the meaning of Christ's death and received the Holy Spirit by believing the message of the cross, to go back to the law, it is an evil spell; it does not happen only by means of someone simply deciding to do it but by means of being deceived by a corrupted preacher, like the Judaizers that came to the church of Galatia after they had been saved by the preaching of the cross. This is the only way that new testament believers go back the law, it's by deception. Do not go back to the law! You cannot obey it and you won't be able to do so, the new covenant is enough, "'Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33. You see, the attempt to get believers back to the law is not a new thing. Paul dealt a lot with this issue in several churches throughout his ministry, and it usually began with circumcision and soon the Judaizers demanded more and more. For instance in Acts 15:1-2 reads, "'And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.'" Notice that Paul and Barnabas didn't stay quiet, they disputed with those Judaizers, and so shall we do. Moreover, notice also, that the Church of Antioch determined that Paul and Barnabas should to go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, to ask about this question and settle this issue once and forever. Again, this is not a new issue, the claim, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." is the first major heresy the church had to deal with. In fact, this is the issue that led the church to have its first major council with Paul and Barnabas going to Jerusalem; who better than the apostles and elders of the early church to resolve this issue? No one but them. Thank God, they were still alive then and made a decree concerning this issue, as written: "'They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “ You must be circumcised and keep the law” —to whom we gave no such commandment— it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.'" Acts 15:23-29. Praise God! In short, the only thing coming from the law that believers are to observe, not as means to uphold the law or go back to it, but because they became requirements of the new covenant and are tied to the nature of God, are: "'[...] abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. [...]'" Acts 15:29. In another words, "'Do not eat any food that people have given to their idols . Do not eat anything that still has blood in it. If people have strangled [squeeze or constrict the neck, especially so as to cause death, of] an animal to kill it, do not eat its meat. Do not have sex with anyone that you are not married to. If you obey these rules, you will do well. Goodbye.’" Acts 15:29 EASY Bible 2024. The leaders of the early church said, " If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well." Acts 15:29b. These were the only requirements the apostles had for gentiles, they did not agree for a minute with the idea of being circumcised or obeying the law of Moses. They said, it would be "[...] a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?'" Acts 15:10b. For believers to obey the law is a yoke of bondage that neither the old testament figures nor the apostles were able to obey, so we won't either. Paul said in Colossians 2:16-17 NKJV, "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." . Do not go back to the law. It had a purposed and it was accomplished in Christ. What is prescribed in the new testament or covenant is enough for us. In summary The law is not bad, therefore, it did not have to be abolished and Jesus did not abolish it, rather He fulfilled it and ushered a new covenant in His blood. Thus, the Law is outdated part of an old testament or covenant to which new testament or covenant believers are not liable or bound - you are only legally bound to contracts or covenants you signed or that affects you, I speak as a man! Although some people claim that the moral laws are still in effect, again, not a single command of the law is to be obeyed by new testament believer, including the moral laws - to obey them because the law says so or because they are found in the bible is to obey the law and placed upon ourselves a yoke that was already removed in Christ, and explained by no other than the leaders of the early church. Moreover, Paul warned us saying, "'Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— '" Galatians 3:3-5. Don't perfect yourself in the flesh by going back to the law. James says, "'For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.'" (James 2:10). Thus, we can't simply choose to obey the moral laws, it's either all or none. Hence, the law is not for new testament saints. However, we can learn, and only learn, from the essence of the Law, because it still reveals the Holy nature of God, but this must be done in the light of the New Testament, without ever submitting ourselves to the Law again because, Paul also said, "'For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.'" Romans 8:3-4. As we walk in the Spirit and obey the new covenant, we satisfy the righteous requirement of law and enjoy fellowship with God, having no need to obey anything else. To be a perfect, complete or mature Christian is not to add upon ourselves the law, but rather to be a good new testament believer, obeying all that is prescribed in the new covenant only. May God bless you, may you be free from any yoke God did not place upon you, and run the race of faith unhindered for His glory. See you and stay tuned for the next article in this category: Law & Grace . Like - Comment - Share - Subscribe Knowing-God.com Love . Grace . Intimacy

Recently, as I washed the dishes, I began to consider some of the horror movies I had watched growing up, and then started to think about horror movies in general. As I wondered, a central question came to mind, "why do people watch horror movies?" and what are the consequences of watching them. As I pondered these things, that's when I realized God was speaking. He went beyond and spoke specifically about the loss of innocence and distortions, which are the basis of strongholds. The bible says, " For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," II Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV. The passages above are often used to remind us that in the spiritual warfare that we as believers are involved, the enemies are not only demons, satan, or people sent by them, but also strongholds, arguments, high things that exalt themselves above the knowledge of Christ, thoughts, and other things of mental nature, all of them can and are often empowered by demonic forces, but at the very minimum, they are empowered by the world around us. While these passage gives us this reminder and call us to fight not with carnal weapons but spiritual so we can pull down these strongholds, arguments, and thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Christ, what is seldom mention is the origin of these strongholds, arguments, and thoughts. These 3 enemies as I will call them, don't come in the vacuum, they have origins in what we hear, see, read, or listen, and this leads us back to the initially remarks, and for the sake of this article, I will focus only on movies initially, particularly horror movies. Movies, Horror Movies While I can't give you the totality of the answer on why people watch horror movies, I can assure you ahead of time that sin and conformity to the world is core of why people watch them. I do not find a single benefit to such movies, neither a biblical basis for them; on the contrary, I can see a lot of consequences even in adults, let alone on kids. Hence, these movies, and tv shows with which we are bombarded every day, are the gate ways for the formation of strongholds, distortions, and the cause for the loss of innocence in many people. It's true that God made us with the capacity to imagine, idealize, and conceive things; human beings are creative, and it's a reflection of Our Creator, we have been made in His image. However, with the fall this capacity got distorted, hence we conceive some unrealistic things. But when Hollywood plays with our minds, it gets even worst; Our already damaged imagination, gets almost destroyed, our view of reality gets skewed and distorted, aligned with what we consume, and this is the major consequence of highly-wordily form of entertainment. We begin to have mutated thoughts - very far away from the helm of the normal. The dictionary defines Distortion as the alteration of a thing's original, natural, or true form, appearance, sound, or meaning. This is what happen when are subject to certain types of entertainment. Yes, some movies are pure fiction, and some even allow us to have a good time in family, but for the most parts, movies and entertainment in general are specifically crafted or engineered with scenes meant to get the "best" out of our emotions or reactions. Several researches show that although our brains use context clues to differentiate between reality and fiction, it has a very hard time sorting that out specially when we get lost in it, you can't tell the difference. I am sure you have gotten emotional after watching an emotional scene in a movie or had your heart pounding after watching an action movie, style Mission: Impossible. Movies, entertainment, arts have the capacity to touch us, the problem is when they are not edifying, which is the case of the types many people grew up consuming. Guard your innocence, and the innocence of your kids. Going back to horror movies, many people, particularly children or teens have a hard time staying in the dark or sleeping after watching such movies; worst, many get dominated by the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) and experience non-stop nightmares. Be careful what you expose yourself and your children to. Be careful with the seeds you are sowing in your mind, your life, and your children's lives, these are the seeds that grow into strongholds, arguments, and thoughts that later on need to be fought. There is not a single advantage in playing scary games with kids, let alone submitting them to horror movies, even more so these days. Movies have gone very far, all types of movies, with rare exception of faith based and family movies - but even with those watch out as well. With regards to horror movies, there is even reported episodes of people manifesting demons or getting demonically possessed in movie theaters while watching these type of movies. Beware! Why would you watch it them, or let your kids watch it?! Beyond movies Now, what was said above about loosing our innocence and developing distorted view of reality by consuming horror movies, can be said of almost any type of material we consume. Again, we cannot let Hollywood play with our minds. But Hollywood is just one venue. Any form of material or interactions if not good can be used to form strongholds, arguments, and high thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. What books do you read, is it consistent with the truth? What conversations you entertain, are they consistent with the truth? What songs you listen to, are they consistent with the truth of God's word? Remember, the kid's song, "be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear and so on,..." Do you have the correct view on life, relationships, career, family, money, sex, and etc.,? Or you have lost your innocence and adopted distorted views? Are you holding strongly - strongholds - to false ideologies, concepts, and views. What has been running in your mind, are your thoughts consistent with God's words, or do you have arguments that seem to be stronger than God - exalting themselves above the knowledge of Him? All of Us are Broken All of us have in one way or another have strongholds, arguments, and thoughts that exalt or tend to exalt themselves above the knowledge of God, It takes careful examination to identify them, and God is able to help us! We ought to truly learn to discern our thoughts, enter a state of meditation in the midst of the day, and learn to fellowship with God, taking every single thought, not consistent with Him captive through prayer - you don't have to utter words, you can simply say in your mind: Lord I bring this thought to you, or thought I rebuke you, away from me. At the same time, if there is recurring patterns seek God to reveal their origins so you can deal with them from the root. Like, I mentioned in the beginning, some of the horror movies I watched led me to have mutated thoughts about reality. As a kid I remember, having a hard time staying in the dark, but I was not born that way, so something happened along the way - movies, conversations, and etc. Similarly, many kids get fearful to be in the dark supposing that a monster will show up, but there is no such thing as monsters. Of course, demons exist, but it's not what kids typically fear because very few kids know about demons. Usually, what they call monsters are mutated versions of something they saw or heard. But of course, satan takes advantages of such fears, and can be behind them; also, demons can masquerade themselves like monsters, crippling kids lives and empowering strongholds. Hence, we need to be careful how we walk, be vigilant, specially parents, and avoid opening doors to demonic spirits, by walking in obedience to God's Word. But again, something that was watch, heard, read or else, led to mutated thoughts, arguments, and eventually strongholds in the kid's minds. This is the process by which many people begin to create strongholds, arguments, and thoughts that they will often carry their whole life. The most common way they come in, it's not even through watching but hearing. Hearing people say negative things to us, specially, when these individuals are in position of authority over us. Words like, "you are dumb, you will not be anyone in life, you are ugly, you are this, that, and else...." Thins inconsistent with God's word, but many people grew up hearing and believed. These are the sayings that binds people when they begin to give in for not knowing better often or even how to fight back. These individuals then, somewhere along their lives, get saved, but are already bound, carrying lies, strongholds, arguments and thoughts for so long that the knowledge of God they receive becomes very little and impotent in comparison to the strongholds. But God is able, He is in the business of redeeming and restoring people, not throwing them away. It doesn't matter what you have been told or what you have been caring for life, it can be undone. Fight Back, God is Able God is able to restore you, restore your mind, cause you to have the proper view of things and be grounded in truth and alter your reality. The passages we began with says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," II Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV. Fight back, if you are in Christ, know that now you have access to superior weapons to fight back. These strongholds can be pulled down, you can cast down whatever arguments and high thing exalt themselves against the knowledge of God; you can take every thought into captivity. Picture yourself grabbing a serpent, the devil, by the head, and putting it into prison. That's exactly what you can do with your thoughts, until all come to the obedience of Christ. Every single fiery dart of the wicked one can be quenched by faith. The bible says, "above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.'" Ephesians 6:16. But we ought to be sober and vigilant to be able to discern what is going on in our minds. The bible says, "'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.'" I Peter 5:8-9 Moreover, we ought to grow in the knowledge of God; get the knowledge of God bigger than these enemies. The bible says, "'For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.'" Hebrews 5:13-14. Maturity is the key to discern between good and evil, so we deal with the strongholds. Feed on His word, go deep, eat solid food, grow to the point of understanding the deep aspects of the faith; shift your outlook of life by seeing everything through the lenses of God’s word. The bible says, "'And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.'" Romans 12:2. Don't fashion your life after the mold of this age, don't take the shape of the world, don't be conformed to it, rather allow your mind to be renewed, changed by God's word and you will be transformed. Don't entertain anything inconsistent with God's word. Remember Adam and Eve, by entertaining the serpent, they have lost their innocence, developed a distorted view of reality and reaped death. Thus, watch out your entertainment, what are you entertain in your life? Learn to think about what you thinking, pay attention to it, don't just go through the motions. As you begin to swift your thoughts, God will even reveal how certain strongholds were formed in your mind, who sow such seeds, and etc. You can always ask God, and again He will reveal to you. Now, as you go about your day, fight the lies that try to cross your mind, like Jesus did to satan by saying, "it is written", (Luke 4:1-13). Hence, the importance of memorizing scriptures, and developing Christ affirming habits found in the spiritual disciplines (prayers, meditation, worship, fellowship, service, and etc.). In short, as believers we are in a spiritual warfare, and some of the enemies are strongholds, arguments, and thoughts which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Often these are backed up by demonic forces, visible by the fruit they bear in people's lives, but they originate from things we watch, hear, read, experience and etc., often at very early age and carried throughout our lives until we meet Christ. Hence, if you are a parent, you can protect your kids from future battles. Watch out what your kids watch, read, or hear, and be careful with the words you utter to them, and/or the things people say to them. Don't tolerate negative things. Guard their innocence. God is in the business of saving and redeeming people, and through sanctification, He is able to restore and delivery us from every stronghold, argument, and thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Him. It will require a fight from us, but if we are in Christ, we have access to weapons that are strong in God, and through them, we can pull these enemies down, cast them down, and take them captive, following the example of Christ in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). Watch out, don't give room to the formation of strongholds in your life anymore; rule out everything that is inconsistent with God's truth, specially the so-called entertainment these days. Fight back, and may God set you apart. 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"'But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ '" Philippians 3:7-8 Who is Jesus? ... Jesus is: "The great I AM..." Whoever abides in Him will know Him fully [Ref: John 8, 58, 1 Corinthians 13, 12] "Life-given Spirit..." Whoever believes in Him will have life, abundant life [Ref: 1 Corinthians 15, 45; John 10, 10] "The Son of God... " Whoever believes and receives Him becomes children of God [Ref: Rev 2, 18; John 1, 12] "The bread of life..." Whoever comes and believes in Him shall never hunger and thirst [Ref: John 6:35] "Our righteousness..." Whoever practices righteousness is born of Him [Ref: 1 Corinthians 1, 30; 1 John 2, 29] Jesus is: “The light of the world..." Whoever follows Him shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life [Ref: John 8:12] “The door of the sheep..." Whoever enters by Him will be saved and go in and out and find pasture [Ref: John 10:7-9] "He who is holy and is True..." Whoever is in Him must be holy as He is Holy [Ref: Rev 3, 7; 1 Peter 1, 16] "The firstborn from the dead..." Whoever believes in Him will be raised from the dead [Ref: Rev 1, 5; 1 Cor 15, 12-58] “The resurrection and the life..." Whoever believes in Him, though he may die, he shall live [Ref: John 11:25] Jesus is "He who has the key of David..." In Him, the descendants of Israel shall be justified and glorified [Ref: Rev 3, 7; Is 45, 25] "He who has the seven Spirits..." Whoever is in Him received of His fullness [Ref: Revelation 3, 1; John 1, 16] “The way, The truth, and The life..." Whoever wants to go to The Father must go through Him alone [Ref: John 14, 6] "The Ruler over the Kings of the earth..." Whoever overcomes and keep His words, will rule the nations [Rev 1, 5; 2, 25-26] "The Beginning of the creation of God..." Whoever is in Him is a new creation [Ref: Rev 3, 14; 2 Corinthians 5, 17] Jesus is: "He who has the sharp two-edged sword..." Whoever abides in Him has been freed by the truth" [Ref: Rev 2:12; John 8, 32] "The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness..." Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame [Rev 3, 14; Romans 10, 11] "One like the Son of Man, who lived among us..." Whoever believes in Him has Him as great high priest who sympathizes with his weaknesses [Ref: Rev 1:13, John 1:12-14, Heb 4:14-16] "He who holds the seven stars in His right hand..." Whoever abides in Him is secured [Ref: Rev 2, 1; Psalm 18, 1-3] “The true vine and His Father is the vinedresser…" Whoever abides in Him bears much fruit [Ref: John 15:1-5] Jesus is “He who is and was and is to come, the Almighty...” Whoever believes in Him has the Blessed Hope alive [Ref: Rev 1, 8; 1 John 3, 2] "He who washed us from our sins in His own blood,..." Whoever believes in Him will be white as snow [Ref: Rev 1, 5; Is 1, 18] “The good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep..." Whoever is His sheep is known by Him [Ref: John 10, 11-14] "The propitiation for our sins… and for the whole world" Whoever believes in Him will be forgiven [Ref: 1 John 2, 2] "The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,...” Whoever is faithful will have a crown of life [Ref: Rev 1, 8; 2, 10] Jesus is: "The First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life..." Whoever abides in Him resurrects first [Ref: Rev 2:1,8; 20, 6] "He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands..." In Him the church is secured [Ref: Rev 2:1; Colossians 1, 18] "He who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens...” Whoever abides in Him is protected [Ref: Rev 3,7] "He ... clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God...." He who is in Him has overcome the judgment of the nations [Ref: Rev 19:13-16, Matthew 25:31-46] He who "... has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.'..." Whoever believes in Him lives forever in His eternal Kingdom [Ref: Rev 19:13, Rev 21:7] Jesus is the Child born unto us, the Son given unto us, who has the government upon His shoulder, whose name is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . Jesus is The Christ, our peace , who have broken down the middle wall of separation , thus reconciling us to God. Whoever believes in Him has peace with God and abides forever [Ref: Isaiah 9:6, Eph 2:14-16, Rom 5:1] Jesus is He who said, '“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”' and "“Surely I am coming quickly." and to whom we say as John said, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” [Ref: Rev 22:12-13, 20] Contemplate Him, Behold His Majesty, Give unto Him the glory due to His name, Worship Him in the beauty of holiness! And May you count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus The Lord. Now, ... Who do you say Jesus is? And ... Who is Jesus for you? [Ref: Psalm 29:2, Philippians 3:8, Matthew 16:13-16]. All Hail King Jesus! Like - Comment - Share - Subscribe Knowing-God.com Love . Grace . Intimacy

Welcome to Knowing-GOD, a practical teaching ministry aiming to serve the body of Christ in the advancement of the Kingdom of God by diffusing the knowledge of God to all people​​. Welcome again, may you know God, and grow in love, grace and intimacy with Him. God bless you! Jesus said, "'[...], “Surely I am coming quickly.” [...]'" Revelation 22:20 Welcome Welcome to Knowing-GOD, a practical teaching ministry and a hub for discipleship, aiming to serve the body of Christ in the advancement of the Kingdom of God by diffusing the fragrance of the knowledge of God to people in every nation, tribe, and tongues through the preaching of the Gospel and the making of disciples, in obedience to Christ, Our Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit. For Jesus said, " 'And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.'" John 17:3 Welcome again. God bless you! Read More Anchor 1 December 1st, 2025 It's Written, '"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.'" Philippians 2:14-16 God Bless You Devotional Anchor 2 Recent Articles Should Christians, New Testament Believers, Obey The Law? Law & Grace - 2 days ago 13 min read Strongholds, Distortions and The Loss of Innocence Christian Walk - Nov 23 10 min read Who is Jesus: A Contemplation The Knowledge of God - Nov 20 4 min read Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life... "'Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” '" Acts 2:38-39 Read More Helder & Rebeca "We are Christ's disciples called to make disciples from all the nations. Glad you are here!" Read More Stay Updated Preferred Language Join Thanks for subscribing! Address United States Email info@knowing-god.com Connect

Our mission is to fulfill the commandment of our Lord as underlined in Mathew 28:18-20, Mark 16:14-18 by diffusing the knowledge of God through the preaching of the gospel, so that unbelievers can become believers, believers become disciples, and encourage the disciples to make other disciples and live faithfully each day by growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ and in intimacy with God. About Knowing-GOD "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen." Matthew 28:18-20 This ministry was forged from the desire to obey the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ, as underlined in the verses above. Hence, we want to be of help to the body of Christ in the advancement of the kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit while our Lord tarries. Our mission is to make God known (John 17:3, 2 Corinthians 2:14) in every nation, tribe and tongue by preaching the gospel so they can believe and be saved. Likewise, we aim at helping those who believe to progress in Knowing God and to become true disciples of Christ by growing in His grace, in the love of God, and in intimacy with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 2 Peter 3:17-18, John 8:31-32). About Us Hi, we are very glad you are here! We are Helder and Rebeca Alexandre, servants of Jesus Christ and members of First Family Church. By the grace of God, we have married for life (Matthew 19:4-6) and it has been 5 years since we entered this covenant with God and with one another (Malachi 2:14-15). We are blessed with two children, indeed blessings from the Lord (Psalms 127:3), and very thankful to be entrusted by God with the opportunity to instruct and disciple them in His ways (Proverbs 22:6). We have been born in Angola, in the southwest region of Africa. We first saw each other back home while attending the same college, but never spoke or were officially introduced. However, little did we know that God would cross our paths again, on the other side of the Atlantic ocean. We both travelled to the US to continue our education but with a year difference, and once we both came to know God truly, washed and cleansed from our sins by the blood of Jesus, The Lord made a way for us to finally meet each other in an Skype, online bible study group through friends of friends (Psalm 37:23), and finally we began to interact. From brother and sister in Christ, we became husband and wife for the glory of God (Hebrews 13:5-6), and the rest is this story that we are living as the Lord unfolds (Psalm 139:16). We are very excited about knowing God (Jeremiah 9:23-24) and progressing in knowing Him (Hosea 6:3), living wholeheartedly for Him (Matthew 10:24-25, Ephesians 5:1) and as well instructing others about His will (Romans 12:2) in obedience to the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, besides serving in our local church, we have also been sharing the word of God and preaching the gospel online in order to shorten the distance and reach many more people who never heard the the gospel or have been discipled. If such is your case, we are glad to be used of God as blessing in your life according to the grace given to us (1 Peter 4:10-11). We are a young Godly family that seeks to grow in faithfulness to honor the Lord everyday of our lives because of the love with which God loved us (Ephesians 2:1-4). Expect us to talk a lot, a lot about family related topics - relationships, education, career, finance, and etc., in addition to purely sharing the word of God; believe us we will. We are very glad you are here, may God bless you, and we look forward to know you here, God willing; otherwise we will see each other on the new Earth (Revelation 21:1-8). Sis. Rebeca Alexandre Hello! I'm Sis. Rebeca Alexandre, graduated in engineering management, and in image consultancy, but I gave up my professional career to take care of my family in obedience to God. Outside of serving my family and local church, I love speaking with and to women about intimacy with God, biblical femininity, and elegance, helping them to be faithful with their God-given gifts and talents. Embracing creativity, discovery through writing, outdoor walks, culinary experiences, reading, and exploring new places are my favorite hobbies. I'm very happy to have you here! Bro. Helder Alexandre Hi, I am a mechanical engineer by background and have been working full-time for 6 years. I am very passionate about teaching the word of God in a simple and straightforward manner to encourage believers to know the certainty of their beliefs and live faithfully for Christ (Luke 1:1-4). I like learning almost about anything as long it is of good report and beneficial to my development, calling and my profession. I enjoy spending time with my family, have a good moment of fellowship with the brethren, writing, reading a laughing. Very glad to meet you, hope I see you around!

Answering your questions in the light of God's word. "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him." Acts 8:30-31 Ask a Question "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said , “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him." Acts 8:30-31 Answering your questions in the lig ht of God's word. Submit Thanks for asking, we will reach out back to you!