Swordworx

06/17/2026

“FREEDOM OF SPEECH”
A Political Concept, But Is It a Biblical One?

About half of Americans believe people are less free to speak their minds today on important topics, like politics and race, than at any time over the past decade. Often, when traditional liberties are threatened by a political agenda, people of faith will look to Scripture to see what God has to say. As “Freedom of speech” returns to the news cycle, it is now even being coopted as a rallying cry for “the oppressed” worldwide. I’ll explain this topic and answer the question about its origins.

*Un peu d’histoire*
For background, “Freedom of speech” is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “the right to express facts and opinions subject only to reasonable limitations (as the power of the government to protect itself from a clear and present danger) guaranteed by the 1st and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution and similar provisions of some state constitutions.” Freedom of speech, according to this definition, is a right given to the citizens of the United States by law. In that sense, freedom of speech is not a biblical concept but a political one specific to a certain time and place in history.

The founders of the United States believed that mankind has certain “inalienable rights” including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Under that umbrella of liberty falls freedom of speech. Thomas Jefferson spoke of these rights as having been endowed to man by his Creator; he called the right to liberty “inherent” and postulated that governments are instituted in order to allow man (the governed) to secure those rights and to pursue his rights freely. The liberty and consent of the governed were, in Jefferson’s mind, imperative for governments to be efficient and beneficial.

The idea that the Creator has endowed us with the right to liberty is debatable, but it is true that God created man with a free will. Adam and Eve had the liberty to partake of any fruit in the garden (except one), and they even had the liberty to disobey. God created man to serve Him, to know Him, and to enjoy Him forever in eternity, so liberty within the bounds of righteousness is certainly a biblical ideal. Christians believe that serving God and enjoying a relationship with Him is the ultimate liberty. The ultimate freedom is found in belonging to Christ (Galatians 5:1; 2 Corinthians 3:17). Sin brings bo***ge (Romans 7:14), but the one who belongs to Christ is spiritually free (Romans 8:2).

But does that spiritual freedom from sin entail political freedom of speech? Perhaps not directly, but speaking the truth in love is a biblical mandate (Ephesians 4:15). Therefore, any government law that guarantees citizens the right to speak the truth aligns with godly principles. By the same token, any law that suppresses a person’s right to speak truth is working against God’s command. Freedom of speech does not guarantee that truth is told, of course, but it does permit it to be told. In the final analysis, there is no conflict between biblical principles and the civic principle of freedom of speech.

Despite the First Amendment, in the United States today, Christians do not have total freedom of speech. There are things we believe, ideas clearly taught in the Scriptures, that are now considered “hate speech” in our world of political correctness. A society that proudly proclaims freedom of speech and then creates laws against hate speech is talking out of both sides of its mouth. Laws and governments aside, there are still what we might call “social laws” in place, and when Christians are faced with ostracization due to their beliefs, it certainly does not demonstrate freedom of speech. Many believers throughout history have been persecuted by their societies because the expression of their beliefs did not line up with the status quo. A notable example is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whose refusal to bow down to the king’s idol landed them in the midst of a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:1–26).

God wants us to obey Him and to speak according to His Word. If obedience to that principle makes people hate us or gets us thrown in jail or even killed, we are not to back down. God wants us to speak the truth boldly (Ephesians 6:20), but He never promises that we will always be free to speak without consequences.

06/16/2026

UNLEAVENED BREAD
The True Significance of It In The Bible

The Bible tells us that the Israelites were to eat only unleavened bread every year during Passover as a commemoration of the Exodus from Egyptian bo***ge. Since the children of Israel left Egypt hastily, they did not have time for the bread to rise, so it was made on that very first Passover without leaven, also known as yeast. In describing this bread and why it was eaten, the Bible informs us of the following: "Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt" (Deuteronomy 16:3). Further commands regarding the eating of unleavened bread are found in Exodus 12:8; 29:2; and Numbers 9:11. To this day, in Jewish homes, the Passover celebration includes unleavened bread.

According to the Hebrew lexicon, the term unleavened bread is derived from the word matzoh, which means "bread or cake without leaven." The lexicon also states that matzoh is in turn derived from a word which means "to drain out or suck." In referring to this second Hebrew word, the lexicon states, "In the sense of greedily devouring for sweetness." So it is quite possible that unleavened bread, while it may have been heavy and flat, may also have been sweet to the taste.

In the Bible, leaven is almost always symbolic of sin. Like leaven that permeates the whole lump of dough, sin will spread in a person, a church, or a nation, eventually overwhelming and bringing its participants into its bo***ge and eventually to death (Galatians 5:9). Romans 6:23 tell us that “the wages of sin is death,” which is God’s judgment for sin, and this is the reason that Christ died—to provide a way out of this judgment for sin if man will repent of his sins, accept Christ as his Passover sacrifice, and have his heart changed so that he can conform his life to what God commands.

06/16/2026

SATAN’S ARSENAL OF WEAPONS IS IMPRESSIVE
But Can He Read Your Mind?

Advance intelligence is a decisive multiplier in any battle. Military commanders attribute good intel to 75% to 90% of mission successes. In a supernatural context, humans must also know as much as possible about their adversary, Satan. This includes his intentions, capabilities, vulnerabilities and methods. The Bible provides us with all of the information we need to know about the devil, but he is the originator of “fake news” even before our mainstream media was corrupted. Confusing facts like an ambulance-chasing pettifogger, Satan can deceive us into believing things about himself that are not true (echoing Sun Tsu’s philosophy that “all warfare is based on deception”). If he can pull that off, then we will always react incorrectly to mere perception rather than actual fact, and he’ll win the match every time.

Remember that Satan is not omnipresent, meaning that he cannot be in more than one place at a time. Only God is everywhere, and only God knows everything. Satan is finite and doesn’t know all things. He must rely on his army of demons and human myrmidons to do his bidding.

But, to the question, can Satan and/or his demons read our minds? He’d like us to think so, but no, he/they can’t read our minds. He can wage spiritual warfare against us, hear our words, sense certain emotions and even implant impulses, but that’s a different thing than reading our minds. I Kings 8:39 says that God alone knows every human heart. There is no one else who has that ability. God knows what we will say before we can say it, while the thought is still formulating (Psalm 139:4). Jesus, being God incarnate, exhibited the divine quality of knowing men’s thoughts: “He knew what was in each person” (John 2:25; cf. Matthew 9:4; John 6:64).

The Bible, however, does teach that Satan is a superpower and is not to be trifled with, especially by newly-minted believers or tongue-talkin' devil-stompers just eager to “teach El Diablo a lesson”. Likely, he is the highest of all the fallen angels, and he was persuasive enough to convince one third of heaven’s angelic population to join him in his rebellion (see Revelation 12:4). After Satan’s fall, not even Michael the archangel dared to confront him without the Lord’s help (Jude 1:9). Satan is now the “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2b). However, Satan’s power has its limits, and reading our minds is beyond his ability.

Not being omniscient, therefore, Satan and his demons cannot read our minds. God is the only One who can know our thoughts. However, Satan and his demons have been observing and tempting human beings for thousands of years, and they know human nature better than any human. Even without the ability to know our thoughts, Satan can recognize micro-expressions and make analytic guesses as to what we are thinking and then tempt us accordingly. The order of commands in James 4:7 is important: the first is, “Submit yourselves, then, to God” (James 4:7a), and the second is, “Resist the devil” (James 4:7b). Above all else, we must guard our hearts (Proverb 4:23).

06/16/2026

06/15/2026

WHAT WAS JESUS REALLY LIKE IN PERSON?�
How We Can Know For Sure

Some folks, like maybe anthropological academicians (former school lunchroom monitors), would relish the chance to take on that question. They might say, “Could you not think of anything more stupid than to ask the King of the Universe than if He’d like to hang out?” (A Tip: Eggheads are good for consulting and research, but generally useless for the boundless imagineering of possible design and application).

The good news is that we can absolutely know what the real personality of Jesus was like then, and now.
(A little heady, so hang with me).

Here’s how: Remember that Jesus Christ is not a unidimensional created being. He is the omnidimensional Creator of the Universe, existing as one Almighty God in three interactive Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.). Whatever God shares about Himself in Scripture holds for all three Persons.

Ergo, when we read about the character profile of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 (known as “the fruit of the Spirit”), we are seeing the character profile of Jesus, as well.

*Developing His Personality
The “Fruit of the Spirit” — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — is the character of Christ revealed in the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19–20; John 15:1–5). Jesus Himself bore these qualities perfectly, and the Spirit who indwells believers is the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11), giving believers the power to reflect His likeness.

*Jesus Is The Model”
Jesus’ life and teaching were the ultimate example of these fruits:

Love (agape) — selfless, sacrificial love for God and neighbor (1 Corinthians 13:4–7)

Joy — deep gladness rooted in God’s presence (Psalm 16:11)

Peace — inner calm and reconciliation (Philippians 4:6–7)

Patience — enduring trials without anger or despair (James 5:7–8)

Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — all reflecting God’s moral and relational character

*The Spirit’s role
The Holy Spirit produces these fruits in believers as they abide in Christ (John 15:5). The Spirit’s work is resurrection-powered, transforming the believer’s nature to mirror Christ’s character. In this sense, Jesus’ personality is the perfect, eternal fruit of the Spirit, and the believer’s fruit is a reflection of that same Spirit at work in their life.

In summary: Jesus’ personality is indeed the fruit of the Spirit — the perfect, organic expression of God’s character in the world. Believers are called to bear the same fruit, not as isolated virtues, but as a unified, Spirit-produced likeness to Christ

06/15/2026

"WOMEN PASTORS and PREACHERS"
Are They Biblical?

Part 2: Complementarianism and Egalitarianism

*Complementarianism
Summarized by The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMB), 'complementarianism' is the viewpoint that God restricts women from serving in certain church leadership roles and instead calls women to serve in equally important, but complementary roles.

*Egalitarianism
Summarized by Christians for Biblical Equality, 'egalitarianism' is the viewpoint that there are no biblical gender-based restrictions on ministry in the church.

It is super important to know what Scripture says about this issue. Both positions claim to be biblically-based, so let's see how they stack up.

In one corner, Egalitarians believe there are no gender distinctions. Since we are all one in Christ, women and men are interchangeable when it comes to functional roles in leadership and in the household.

In the opposing corner are the Complementarians. They believe in the essential equality of men and women as persons (i.e., as human beings created in God’s image), but complementarians hold to gender distinctions when it comes to functional roles in society, the church, and the home.

An argument in favor of complementarianism can be made from 1 Timothy 2:9-15. The verse in particular that seems to argue against the egalitarian view is 1 Timothy 2:12, which reads, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” Paul makes a similar argument in 1 Corinthians 14 where he writes, “The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says” (1 Corinthians 14:34). Paul makes the argument that women are not allowed to teach and/or exercise authority over men within the church setting. Passages such as 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9 seem to limit church leadership "offices" to men, as well.

Egalitarianism essentially makes its case based on Galatians 3:28. In that verse Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The egalitarian view argues that in Christ the gender distinctions that characterized fallen relationships have been removed. However, is this how Galatians 3:28 should be understood? Does the context warrant such an interpretation? It is abundantly clear that this interpretation does damage to the context of the verse. In Galatians, Paul is demonstrating the great truth of justification by faith alone and not by works (Galatians 2:16). In Galatians 3:15-29, Paul argues for justification on the differences between the law and the promise. Galatians 3:28 fits into Paul’s argument that all who are in Christ are Abraham’s offspring by faith and heirs to the promise (Galatians 3:29). The context of this passage makes it clear Paul is referring to salvation, not roles in the church. In other words, salvation is given freely to all without respect to external factors such as ethnicity, economic status, or gender. To stretch this context to also apply to gender roles in the church goes far beyond and outside of the argument Paul was making.

What is truly the crux of this argument, and what many egalitarians fail to understand, is that a difference in role does not equate to a difference in quality, importance, or value. Men and women are equally valued in God’s sight and plan. Women are not inferior to men. Rather, God assigns different roles to men and women in the church and the home because that is how He designed us to function. The truth of differentiation and equality can be seen in the functional hierarchy within the Trinity (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:3). The Son submits to the Father, and the Holy Spirit submits to the Father and the Son. This functional submission does not imply an equivalent inferiority of essence; all three Persons are equally God, but they differ in their function. Likewise, men and women are equally human beings and equally share the image of God, but they have God-ordained roles and functions that mirror the functional hierarchy within the Trinity.

06/15/2026

“WOMEN PASTORS and PREACHERS” PART 1
Are THey Biblical?

As American Churches Return To Biblical Traditions,
Liberal Liberties of The Past Come Under Scrutiny

I was reminded of an article I wrote for Ministries Today Magazine a few years ago about “Women in the Pulpit”. That’s always a fun discussion. So, since it feels like a good day to light up some more whacky liberal theology, let’s grab some popcorn and get to it!

*Frogs in Kettles*

As an example of a process I’m going to describe, I’ll cite an old wive’s tale about how, with patience, a frog can be left to boil in a kettle of tepid water without jumping out just by gradually raising the temperature. In this same way, long-established Biblical truths can gradually fade from view if they are discarded or forgotten by people. When they are, then it can be difficult to return them to prominence without scrutiny.

Recent trends indicate that the long-term decline in Christian identification has leveled off. This is accompanied by a renewed personal commitment to faith and a growing interest in reading scripture, which is great for avoiding ignorance, embarrassment and ridicule. Reading the Word builds our faith (Romans 10:17) and exposes errors that need correction. One of those tired, enduring old traditions involves women in pastoral/preaching roles.

Just this month, the Southern Baptists (America’s largest Protestant denomination) overwhelmingly passed what will likely become an SBC constitutional ban on any of their churches that have women pastors or allow any preaching by women. How did this key doctrine get so convoluted?

*Liberal Theology and The Women’s Rights/Suffrage Movement*

Briefly, knocking on the door of 19th-century, Gilded-Age America came a couple of pseudo-intellectual attacks on our evolving moral culture: One of those was Liberal Theology (actually birthed in the late 1790's), and the other was The Women’s Rights and Suffrage Movement in 1848.

As bored, low-information believers began to question the fairness and accuracy of the “paternalistic” Bibles and churches in this era, “loosening the rules” became very appealing to some. Just bending them and being saucy to the Lord without getting zapped by lightning felt empowering and bolstered confidence to reach farther. This is known as “associative learning”, meaning when people are allowed to believe that a false proposition is true for long enough, then future attempts to change that truth will be perceived as the lie.

NOTE: I want to emphasize that this is not a salvific issue. In other words, one's salvation in Christ is not dependent on where they come down on this particular topic. In Theology, being factual is infinitely more consequential than being right.

PART 2 COMING UP

06/14/2026

I arrived on earth with a clean hard drive so everything I’ve been able to accomplish in my life, has been due to the Lord and His wisdom , favor and mercy. He personalizes His Wisdom ib Proverbs 8:12, which states: "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions." In this verse, wisdom is personified, revealing that deep understanding yields creative, ingenious, and practical solutions. Thars how it’s done. 

06/13/2026

“THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS EVERYTHING”
But,You Gotta Have Faith In It To Work

As a younger minister, I became interested in the “church growth” movement of the late1980’s. Certain ministers who led larger congregations, including myself, were asked to create academic formulas that struggling pastors could utilize with which to get more people in their parishes. I even studied “Church Growth and Development” as part of my D.Min.program in seminary, and was often called upon to consult with ministry leaders who wanted bigger crowds and greater influence. Sure, people can be drawn into churches with gimmickry, but keeping them there and maturing them spiritually over time is another matter.

It is an evangelical tradition to conclude worship services by offering those present an invitation to publicly receive Christ as their Savior by way of a profession of faith. Known typically as an “altar call”, I was brought up to centralize this technique and used it early on in my preaching to quantify numbers of repentant souls won for Jesus.

The Great Evangelist
Everyone has probably heard of Rev. Billy Graham. Millions of people have trusted Christ as their Savior through his TV ministry for many years. I often wondered what happened to those people. Dr. Graham’s son, Franklin, became a personal friend of mine years ago and surprised me one day with their own tracking data on altar call respondents being connected with local churches. It wasn’t what I thought. They found that only 4% of the 96% of people who walked that aisle over the years were ever assimilated into any church after one year. What happened? Pastors get way too focused on big numbers, one-upmanship, jealousy, the latest bling, monetary success in ministry and other golden cows. Instead, they should patiently begin deepening their relational quality with God.

In the right environment, human emotions can be skillfully (and innocently) moved by a talented storyteller. Respondents to the Gospel, however, must not just repeat a rote prayer to profess faith in Jesus because the script calls for it, but must truly POSSESS faith in Him, then seek to follow Him daily and walk as He walked. God knows the difference.

"If we say we live in God , we must live the way Jesus lived." (I John 2:6