Church of Christ - Buffalo, NY

10/17/2024

☆ REVELATION 16:8-11
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Repentance:
Stop the sin, do an about face, and follow God,
however many times per day this may require.

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.

⁹ They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they |refused to repent| and glorify Him.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People |gnawed their tongues in agony|

¹¹ and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they |refused to repent| of what they had done.
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The Lord is extremely merciful! He is infinitely more merciful than anyone has ever been, or anyone will ever be! He desires NO ONE to be lost!

If we are declared lost on Judgment Day, it will be because we have CHOSEN to be abandoned! The people in the passages above "refused to repent" even though they were suffering intensely!

Although it is figurative language used there with regard to the vision that the apostle John saw when he was under the control of the Holy Spirit, the reality will be so much worse!

The sun was "allowed" to scorch those people with fire; they were SEARED by the intense heat, and they cursed the name of God [who could have put a stop to the torment], yet they "refused to repent" of what they were guilty of.

Then, while all this was happening, their environment was plunged into darkness! They could feel and hear the torment of the others, but they could not see anything! They "gnawed [chewed incessantly] on their own tongues" due to the unrelenting pain and agony and sores they suffered with, but they were defiant; they STILL "refused to repent" of the sins they had committed.

I guess by this time, their hearts had become way too hardened to be remorseful, and all they had to look forward to was an eternity of non-stop annihilation where they'd always be dying, but never, ever reaching death.

The language used in these passages represent something, like how the aspects of your dream may not be literal, but may mean something else. I don't want to ever know what the literal of that "something else" is with regard to this particular subject matter.

So, after initially having obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ [becoming born again, as He requires], I repent often! I am ashamed of the sins I have committed, yet, there is NO shame in my game with respect to repentance! I don't hesitate!

If you feel this matter concerns you not, don't take it as such. If this matter does not address you particularly, just move along. This is not for you.

Lord God, I beg You to be ever merciful to me!

In Jesus' name. Amen.

08/09/2024

WATER BAPTISM & SALVATION

03/29/2024

BIBLICAL PROOF THAT OUR SAVIOR WAS ACTUALLY N**E WHEN HE WAS CRUCIFIED. HENCE, THE SHAME HE EXPERIENCED! :'( † ...

▪︎ Matthew 27:35
"When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes by casting lots." †
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▪︎ Mark 15:24
"And they crucified Him. Dividing up His clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get." †

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NOTE:
They divided up His clothes when they crucified Him. So He didn't have them on anymore.
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▪︎ John 19:23-24
(23) "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

(24) 'Let’s not tear it,' they said to one another. 'Let’s decide by lot who will get it.'

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

'They divided My clothes among them and cast lots for My garment.' [Psalm 22:18] †

So this is what the soldiers did."

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NOTE:
◇ The four soldiers each took Jesus' clothes, one share for each of them.

◇ But His undergarment, which was seamless and in one piece, remained on His body.

◇ They decided not to tear and divide that garment between them.

◇ Instead, they cast lots to see who would be the one to take ownership of Jesus' undergarment.

Y E T ...

▪︎ Hebrews 12:1b--2
(1b) "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

(2) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, SCORNING ITS SHAME, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

▪︎ Hebrews 13:13
"Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the DISGRACE He bore."

HNG

03/29/2024

WHY ARE SOME CHRISTIANS SUPPORTING AND BELIEVING IN THE LEAST CHRIST-LIKE POLITICAL LEADERS?

The Bible predicted things like this would happen. I'll give just 2 examples:

▪︎ 1 Timothy 4:1
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."

▪︎ 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12
[9] "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,

[10] and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

[11] For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will continue to believe the lie,

[12] and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth, but have delighted in wickedness."

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In the Bible, it is prophesied that some Christians will abandon the faith. In order to 'abandon' the faith, you had to have at one time been a member of the faith, a Christian. So, the Bible is not speaking of "fake" Christians, but true members of the faith.

Additionally, the Holy Spirit addresses the fact that some who, at one time, did love the truth, were lured away from it when the "coming of the lawless one" occurred. His actions were "in accordance with how Satan works." He presented those once true believers with lies: counterfeit signs and wonders to deceive those who delighted in them.

For instance, they believe his lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him; that it was illegitimate, a sham, unfair, fixed.

So, since they chose to believe in such lies that they were presented with, God sent them a "powerful delusion" so that they would become trapped in their belief of those lies. They have become lost, unreachable, unconvinceable, irretrievable ... corrupt.

They may continue to ...

• attend church service regularly
• teach and participate in Bible study
• preach sermons
• shepherd the congregation
• actively serve as elders and deacons
• lead the congregation in song
• go on door knocking campaigns
• be mentors to fellow brethren
• direct the chorus
or what have you.
But the Christian faith begins and is sustained in the heart and in the mind.

If they believe in lies, the kind of lies that cause them to misapply their devotion away from God and to the devil, it does not matter what their outward actions may display. God says they are perishing.

Even if they seem to be good on the outside.

Their minds are set! Nothing can be said to them that would change their minds to cause them to come to their senses at this point.

I expect that if they are able to somehow see their monumental error, and repent, Jesus would be merciful and restore them. Otherwise, the coming Judgment Day may be a most dreadful experience.

This is one of many proof-texts within Scripture that the notion of "once saved, always saved" is not necessarily true. God's judgment BEGINS within the faith, it is written, and He will w**d out the chaff from the wheat at that final judgment!

01/07/2024

WAS IT AN APPLE? 🍎

What was the fruit that first, Eve, and then, Adam, ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, that one tree that God prohibited the world's first human inhabitants from eating from?

It's very simple.

The fruit that Adam and Eve ingested from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the knowledge of good and evil. The Bible tells us this. Apple trees yield apples. Coconut trees yield coconuts. Pear trees yield pears. The knowledge of good and evil tree yielded 'the knowledge of good and evil.' That was the fruit they swallowed. Now, they each had that knowledge of good and evil inside them. We don't know what that fruit looked like, but we certainly know what it was.

Apple tree -----> apples
Palm tree -----> coconuts
Pear tree -----> pears

Knowledge of good & evil tree -----> the knowledge of good & evil

As the Scriptures say, "A tree is known by the fruit it bears."

HNG

01/02/2024

BOASTING ABOUT TOMORROW

[13] "Now, listen to you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.'

[14] Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

[15] Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'

[16] As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

[17] If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."

▪︎ James 4:13-17

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All over Facebook it can be seen where people are "declaring" that the year 2024 will be "the best year ever" for them. They say this year will be better than the last, that they will be prosperous "in Jesus' name." They declare, proclaim and definitively state MANY such things!

◇ According to God's word, ALL such pronouncements, statements and talk IS EVIL! ◇

We can proclaim nothing because we know nothing! We have control of nothing! Heck, we had no authority to even prevent coming to Earth at all! We woke up one day and we found ourselves here.

Here. We. Be.

If we boast at all, we are only allowed to boast about what God has said and done! Anything other than that, we are as clueless as the day we were born! We cannot resist or prevent where we will go from here except by the will of the Lord. So, as the Bible says, we ought to place that responsibility on Him who owns it; we ought to say, "If it is God's will," we will do this or that. We can hope; pray to Him as to direction because if it is not according to His will, it won't happen! Simple as that!

If you see any portion of this next year at all, it could be a time when you are blessed in a way you approve, or you can struggle severely, become ill, and die. It's all up to the One who brought you here in the first place!

Give Him His Due!

hng

The scriptural churches of Christ are Undenominational congregations of the Lord.

09/09/2023

I am now a member of the Amherst church of Christ in East Amherst, NY; it has become my home congregation.

09/09/2023

Being Christian and vulgar, Christian and hateful, Christian and immoral, Christian and faithless, Christian and sometimey, Christian and unChristian-like ... just makes you [me] whatever it is you are [I am] WITHOUT the Christian part! We're not fooling anyone.

"[15] I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! [16] So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." ~ Revelation 3:15-16

God's judgment begins WITHIN the kingdom of God!

He will keep the wheat, and w**d out what He considers has become the waste [schaff].

[Let us] Straighten up y[our] act!!!

Judgment Day Awaits!

HNG \o/

06/29/2023

RE-BAPTISM IS A HERETICAL TEACHING!
▪︎ Haile Nkrumah Gault

Re-baptism [being "re"-baptized] is NOT a Scriptural matter! There is ONE Lord, ONE faith and ONE baptism!

🔻 If "re-baptism" is necessary, then it infers that Jesus did not die ONCE and for all, as the Bible teaches. It infers that Jesus' death, burial and resurrection was not enough to secure our salvation.

🔻 If "re-baptism" were Scriptural, it would mean that Jesus Christ could hypothetically be re-crucified, and then re-die, be re-buried, and be re-raised.

"Born once, die twice" = eternal damnation!
"Born twice, die once" = eternal salvation in Jesus!
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🔻 If a person requires to be water "baptized" a second time, that first baptism was NOT a baptism at all. It was merely a "getting wet" session.

🔻 If a person is water "baptized," but did not understand the biblical reason for the water baptism, that person's baptism is null and void. That person did NOT receive a Scriptural water baptism. Therefore, that person was NOT water baptized!

🔻 Many perform "re-baptisms," and they do so in error! This is a heretical teaching! There is ONE baptism that counts, therefore nullifying all other baptisms, and all other TYPES of baptisms!!

🔻 Just by using the term, "re-baptized," you are saying that the person who you say needs to be "re-baptized" has ALREADY been baptized. So, why should that person be "re-baptized" when the Bible clearly states that there is ONE baptism? You are tripping over your own feet, and tripping over God's word.

🔻 Some will say, "What about the water baptism that took place in Cornelius' Gentile household in Acts 10?"

Those people had received John the baptizer's baptism while it was in effect. This was before Jesus' ministry even began. John's water baptism was one for repentance, and the forgiveness of sins, period!

◾️ Mark 1:4
"And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

After John's baptism, God sent the Holy Spirit to the world on the Day of Pentecost. The water baptism that came into effect that day was the baptism in Jesus' name, for the forgiveness of sins, AND to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not made Himself available to everyone in the world before the Day of Pentecost. So He had not been part of John's baptism.

Between the time of John's water baptism, and Cornelius' household's water baptism, Cornelius' household received a pouring out of the Holy Spirit that had been poured out at Pentecost on the Jews.

◾️ Acts 10:44-46
[44] "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. [45] The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. [46] For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God."

After that, Peter said to those who had come with him to Cornelius' house,

◾️ Acts 10:47-48
[47] “ 'Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.' [48] So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days."

So, to be baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ" is the water baptism that became in effect after John's baptism, and after the Holy Spirit had arrived at Pentecost ... effectively after Jesus had fulfilled the Gospel: His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His reappearance.
◾️ 1 Corinthians 15:1-5.

Consequently, Cornelius' household had NOT been re-baptized! The water baptism they had received by John had become null and void. It was no longer a valid baptism by virtue of Jesus' fulfillment of the Good News. Notice that the Scriptures do not say that Cornelius' household had been re-baptized, or baptized again, or baptized once more, or that their baptism had been repeated. No! The Bible in ◾️Acts 10:48 says that they were "baptized in the name of Jesus Christ."

Stop preaching and believing untruths.

Humble yourselves and just obey what the Bible says!

This is directed toward ministers and other kingdom members alike. It does not matter how much "schooling" you have had or what degrees you have earned! The Bible is our reliable source for direction and understanding.

◾️2 Timothy 3:16-17
[16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
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Note:
🔻 If you were submerged under water, but you didn't really understand the reason for doing so, you were not buried into Jesus' death. You must repent, state your confession that Jesus is Lord, and be baptized in Jesus' name, for the forgiveness of your sins, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as the Word commands.

🔻 If you were submerged under water "as an outward sign of an inward grace," you were not buried into Jesus' death. You must repent, state your confession that Jesus is Lord, and be baptized in Jesus' name, for the forgiveness of your sins, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as the Word commands.

🔻 If you were submerged under water to validate your having already been saved, you were not buried into Jesus' death. You must repent, state your confession that Jesus is Lord, and be baptized in Jesus' name, for the forgiveness of your sins, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as the Word commands.

🔻 If you were "already saved" before you were submerged under water, you were not buried into Jesus' death. You must repent, state your confession that Jesus is Lord, and be baptized in Jesus' name, for the forgiveness of your sins, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as the Word commands.

◾️ 1 Peter 3:21 states:
"and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,"

◾️ Revelation 1:5b
"To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood,"

Jesus saves us by His blood. We meet the blood of Jesus in the water of baptism, which represents His blood. One is NOT saved until he/she has been washed in His blood to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' death was not retroactive. You cannot claim that a previously performed unscriptural baptism suffices as a burial in Jesus' death any more than could Cornelius' household claim that John's now invalid baptism covered them unto salvation.

🔻 The water baptism is FOR salvation, not BECAUSE OF salvation.

◾️ Acts 2:38
"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.' "

🔻 If, after being taught that the Bible requires you to believe, repent, confess, and be baptized in Jesus' name, for the forgiveness of your sins to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and you do just that, according to the Bible (according to Jesus' authority) you are SAVED! NO ONE has the authority to nullify your salvation!! You have been added to His ONE FAITH!

However, if you return to worship in a church other than the ONE faith God has added you to, you have departed the ONE faith (according to the Scriptures, the faith is the doctrine, and that doctrine is God's word as taught in the New Testament).

If and when you return to the ONE faith, your repentance would be required, by God, for Him to add you back to the ONE faith, the church.

◾️ 1 Corinthians 4:17
"For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church."

Paul the apostle sent Timothy to the congregations in Corinth to remind them, members of the ONE faith, of Paul's way of life in Christ Jesus (within that ONE faith), which agreed with what Paul taught everywhere in every church congregation!

Back in the first century there were no denominations. There was ONE church (yet many congregations). As a rule, they worshiped God, according to doctrine, the same way everywhere and in every congregation. When they did not, and they began to deviate, they were soundly admonished.

◾️ Ephesians 4:5
"one Lord, one faith, one baptism;"

08/02/2022

You know what is worse than an unforgiving Christian?

Nothing!

Jesus teaches that we must repent of our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

He forgives Christians once we repent of our wrong(s).

He also teaches that if someone has wronged me, and they return to me "70x7" times in one single say, and they repent each time, I am REQUIRED to forgive them.

A Christian who begs Jesus to forgive them but refuses to forgive those who wrong them, even after the offender has begged them for forgiveness, is already condemned (according to the Scriptures). The Christian who has not been forgiven by the Lord is a hard-hearted individual for not repenting, and/or because they are merciless toward those who seem him/her for forgiveness.

If you're one of these types of Christians, expect NO pardon!

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How can I ask of God to forgive me of a lifetime of sinning, when I am unwilling to forgive my offender for having committed one sin against me once they've promised to do their best to not offend me again?
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~ Matthew 5:7
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

"70x7" is an arbitrary number. We must forgive EVERY time!

The scriptural churches of Christ are Undenominational congregations of the Lord.

07/11/2022

I am very happy to announce that the Main Street church of Christ, of which I am a member, ordained three gentlemen as elders of our congregation. They are Bro. William Etienne, Bro. Jason Joseph, Sr. [our evangelist], and Bro. Michael Owens.

This is the first congregation I have been a member of that has had elders appointed. The Main Street congregation's inaugural worship service was on Sunday, April 03, 2022, getting busy immediately with fulfilling the Lord's will in determining who would be qualified and willing to help shepherd the flock of Christ in this brand new congregation.

The Word teaches that a congregation without elders in place is lacking, unfinished, incomplete. The ONLY 'leadership' in a congregation is that of the elders and the evangelist. Anything else is unscriptural!

~ 1 Timothy 5:17
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

~ Titus 1:5
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left *unfinished* and appoint elders in every town, *as I directed you.*

~ Titus 1:6
An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.

~ 1 Peter 5:5
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

05/09/2022

This message is for Christians. It is NOT my opinion. I'm just reiterating what the Bible says. Hey, there are many things that God's word says that I don't like and that I must adhere to. BELIEVE ME ON THIS!!! But if I want to spend an eternity with Him, He requires me to "deny myself" and to "take up my personal cross and follow Him."

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The 'willful murder of fetuses' issue has always hinged on what many see as the right for a mother-to-be to not be told what she can do with her body.

But according to God, her body is NOT her body! She belongs to Him!

~ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
[19] "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own; [20] you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies."

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Murdering a fetus, who dwells inside God's body, is NOT honoring her body! Her body is His body. Her body belongs to God! The woman is NOT her own. She was purchased by Jesus when He was crucified. She cost Him all of the blood that was in His body!
Of course, if her (His) body has been violated, or if that life inside her (His) body potentially could cause the mother to perish, that's another story.

If a woman wishes to HONOR her body, which is to HONOR His body, she ought not to murder that life inside her body who lives inside God's body.

You can rationalize this all you want, just as I could rationalize anything I don't agree with found in His word. In the end, I will suffer if I choose to live as I see fit (if that way is contrary to what His word commands).

Murdering a "mistake" is not how one overcomes a "mistake."

"There is no appropriate alternative for obedience to God's commands." ~ Jason Joseph Sr.

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Once again, the above is NOT my opinion. It is NOT personal! If my body is my own, if I belonged to me, I would see no reason why I couldn't do with my body as I wished. But I don't belong to me, and there is nothing I can do to change that. Jesus paid it all! One cannot give His gift back to Him. It's been paid, and it has a "No Return" policy.

I am not a "conservative" Christian. I am not a "liberal" Christian.

I am a Christian.

By definition, I am not pro-choice. I am not pro-life. I am pro-God.

I am just a messenger.

By the way:
The "body" in this context also means the church. Jesus purchased the church with His own blood. Jesus is the Head of the body of Christ. And the "body" of Christ is the church that was established on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.

I can provide Scripture references if you like.