And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.                     -Matthew 18:2,3
 
    Jesus answered his disciples in response to their question concerning the kingdom of heaven. In practical terms, Jesus was teaching His disciples how faith is conceived and works. While meditating on this passage, the word ‘converted’ leapt from the Bible’s pages and burned in my heart. After a little research, I found that ‘convert’ means to turn, turn around; to turn one’s self. It means especially to twist, then to turn, bend, steer; and finally, it means to turn one thing into another.
    Jesus tells his disciples that if they want to be great in the kingdom of heaven or possess great faith, they must be converted. Remember, He’s talking to his disciples; he is not talking to those who don’t know him. He is talking to those who walked and talked with him daily. In my opinion, this charge is quite amazing because these men had to give up their former lives to follow Him--surely that kind of a sacrifice should constitute enough of a conversion! However, Jesus seems to tell them their initial sacrifice or turn around was not enough. This passage asserts there is yet more change required—a change so drastic that it is comparable with the first conversion!
    The last definition above says the Greek word for ‘convert’ means to turn one thing into something entirely different. In Revelation 11:6 this definition rings loud and clear; the text says the two faithful witnesses would have the power to turn water into blood! 
    Jesus says His disciples, those who had walked, talked, and followed him, would have to be turned into something they presently were not to enter the kingdom of heaven or have great faith. Remember, this is after they gave up their lives to follow him. Even more astonishing is that he instructs them that they would have to be converted into a child. One would think Jesus would instruct them to convert to some accepted spiritual giant like a priest, a king, a prophet, or something with great status attached to it. However, Jesus has a way of using what the world refers to as foolishness to confound the wise--he simply said become like a child.
    What is the meaning of this intense metaphor? Because of how life presently exists on this earth, the idea of faith is discouraged and even mocked. The assumption is that over time, through the course of normal daily living, the average adult's faith is greatly hindered or destroyed. Therefore, Jesus says we adults must convert back to a child to have faith. Jesus says the average adult has grown to discard faith, and to regain it must be preceded by a conversion. Christ says an adult must convert from someone he is presently and again become like a child…to believe.
    Why a child? I believe Jesus used a child because children possess an inherent ability to believe. For example, in general, children accept anything that mom and dad say. A child believes implicitly; all children possess the propensity to believe easily. Contrary to the standing belief of our culture, Jesus used a child to show how one must believe without needing sense knowledge, or without needing proof! Wow! This is a direct contradiction to all we are taught in our upbringing! From the time we enter school until college graduation, children are instructed not to believe easily! We are taught to learn to discern; don’t be a follower; don’t talk to strangers; don’t go into your friend’s house; and never, never, never get into an automobile with an unfamiliar person! At every level of life, we are trained not to trust, but to believe only after first questioning!
    Now we can better understand why Jesus said we must be converted! Children dream, they imagine, they believe whatever you say, no matter who you are. The more far-fetched, the more children love it. Interestingly, the God kind of faith that moves mountains and changes the world requires us to dream big, see the invisible, and do the impossible!
   If you are going to do something great, you must first believe it. You cannot believe unless you go through a conversion process to become like a child. Go to a child and ask him what he thinks about life--let him/her teach you faith!!
    I admonish you today to just make a conscious decision to believe something you know you cannot do! The impossible is everywhere around you…you certainly don’t have to look very far. Will someone step forward to convert to childlike faith? Will it be you?
 
To Your abundance,
Pastor Derrick Jackson
 
 
Quotebit
"If you cannot save money, then the seeds of greatness are not in you."
-W. Clement Stone

    Abortion, gay rights, gay marriage, transgenderism, Supreme court judges, stem cells, war, environment, racism, illegal immigration, terrorism, Islam, Israel, unemployment, poverty etc, etc, etc. In our culture, these and many other topics generate not only debate…but sadly—division and hatred! People viciously slander one another using creative invective, often leading to permanent division--even within their own families! It is not extreme to say that America has become a permanently divided nation. But why is this?  
    Since the Garden of Eden, mankind has struggled to discern “truth”! Pontius Pilate earnestly asked Jesus—What is truth?(Jn18:38)---a question that is still vitally relevant today. As the time allotted for earth races toward its end---and as God’s Word is ignored---confusion and chaos reign, and more and more people are rejecting ‘THE TRUTH’ (Jn14:6); instead, deferring to “My Truth”---to inspire their current living experience. This deception has grave consequences!
    Paul’s admonition sums it up:
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the ‘love of the truth’, that they might be saved.”
                                          -2Thessalonians 2:10
 
    This passage informs us that unrighteousness creates deception in those who perish. The word “perish” refers to those who reject Jesus(Jn3:16)! However, on the opposite side of 2Thessalonians 2:10, it teaches that righteousness creates a love of the truth— which is required for both salvation and maturity. Therefore, the point of this passage instructs us that righteousness facilitates truth, and then truth facilitates righteousness!  
   But…what is truth? Because Jesus calls Himself “THE truth” (Jn14:6), if you consider Him credible, as I do---I begin my definition of truth with Jesus. In other words, truth is a person; or truth is a being--- the Being of Jesus Christ(Jn14:6)!!
  In addition, Scripture also declares: “the Word of God is truth”(Jn17:17);  “the Spirit is truth” (1Jn5:6); “Your law is truth”(Ps119:142); “Your commandments are truth”(Ps119:151), etc. Therefore, truth is NOT reality, nor a concept, nor a proposition, nor a feeling!!
  Theologically and philosophically, like the nature of God, truth is: 1.objective; 2.universal; 3.eternal, and therefore immutable!!! For emphasis---this describes God!
 To the contrary, however, our contemporary culture trains people to use ‘feelings’ as their way to determine right and wrong, or good and evil! This results in the tragedy of substituting “My Truth” for THE Truth”! In everyday lingo, the “My truth” ideology boils down to a rejection of God and His word in favor of “personal feelings”, which philosophically is known as relativism!
  But why is a “My Truth” ‘feelings-based value system’, i.e. feelings; i.e.relativism…wrong, or even evil? Is it not true that feelings are natural/normal, and because everyone has them, feelings must be good, because God created all things good(Gen1:31)? The answer is “yes!” BUT…when man fell, “sin entered the world and death by sin, and sin passed upon all men”(Rom5:12). This means sin entered man’s flesh…becoming sinful flesh(Rom8:3). Therefore, even though the flesh is good, it possesses sin! This is called man’s sin nature—which every human possesses (Rom5:12).
   The problem is that feelings are part of the flesh which is controlled by man’s sin nature! Therefore, feelings were never intended to determine right and wrong, nor good and evil!!! Why? Because man’s sin nature (Rom7:17-21; Ps51:5)---cannot choose good(Rom8:5-8)! In practice, the “My truth” ideology---which is relativism—and which is controlled by the sin nature, can only reject God (Rom8:5-8); which means it must reject absolutes—which come from God and His word. Man’s sin nature chooses sin naturally, normally, and easily(Rom8:6,7)! For example, when a light is turned off at midnight in a room without windows—no resistance, no strain, nor struggle ensues---darkness automatically fills that room! So, it is also true of man’s sin nature!
  A few contemporary living examples of the utter chaos of relativism are: “Do what you want to do!” or “If it feels good, do it!” or “Follow your heart!” “There are no absolutes*!” or “You can’t impose your morality on me!” Although the previous statements appear innocuous at their most fundamental level, however, under their masks lurks the authentic face of an inability to discern good and evil--which by default leaves only the choice of evil, but the perception of good! Why? Because feelings are natural/normal for each person, and each person justifies (Rom3:19,20) their own feelings as good!  Hence, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…” -Pro21:2.
This is relativism!
  Due to the shock value of my previous point, allow me to repeat myself. In the absence of God’s word, mankind can only choose/do evil---because man’s sin nature can only choose evil! Yet, because man justifies himself(Rom3:19,20)---he calls his evil good! Scripture verifies this fact: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”    -Isaiah 5:20.
  However, because the entrance of God’s word is light (Ps119:130), where “light” is defined as ‘understanding’, means only God, and the absolutes of His word determine truth! On the contrary, to depart from God and His absolutes--both creates and establishes deception. How?  Deception occurs when mankind exalts ‘feelings’ to ‘absolutes’*; or lowers ‘absolutes’* to ‘feelings’.
   In review,  Why Is Our Culture So Confused? Very simply: No God of the Bible---no absolutes**; no absolutes leaves a vacuum which is filled by ‘feelings’, i.e., man’s sin nature—which is used by each individual to determine his own ‘right and wrong’ or ‘good and evil’. Another verifying passage is: “You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.” -Deut12:8
 So….a ‘feelings-based value system’ can only justify every “feeling” as right or good—which is relativism. BUT… to apply the ‘feelings-based value system’ to everyone, relativism must contradict itself by making relativism an absolute!!
  In other words, because “My Truth” means ‘My personal truth’, it has to be right, good, moral, because it is “My Truth”. But…this philosophy must also be true of every other human being! So…as everyone adopts this principle, it becomes an absolute*! NOW…the philosophical contradiction of “My Truth” becomes crystal clear---relativism must use an absolute to prove its relativism!!
  However, moving forward from the philosophical contradiction to a practical application, the practical contradiction is even worse!!! If everyone possesses a “My Truth”, and by default that “My Truth” is right or good—because it is personal and individual---then evil cannot exist! Why? Because an evil in one person’s eyes is another person’s “My Truth”!!! Once again, the word of God is found true: “…every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
 
To Your Abundance,
Pastor Derrick Jackson
 
*An absolute is defined as: 1.objective; 2.universal; 3.eternal
**It is important to note that all religions have absolutes. Does this mean that the absolutes of every religion are right because they are absolute? NO! Only the absolutes of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…are authentic! Why? Because…there is only one God!
2Samuel 7:22-“Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee….”
Isaiah 44:8: “…Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”
Isaiah 44:6-“…I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. [1]”
Isaiah 43:10,11: “10… before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
           11.I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Jeremiah 10:10: “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king:”
John17:3: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”


Quotebit
​Here's the major problem with going on strike for more money: You cannot get rich by demand.    -Unknown
 
 

​   The issue of money and God has been one of the church’s hot topics in recent years. Much of Christendom is known for its public stance against the word ‘prosperity’, preferring to contrast wealth with a life of self-denial. Despite its great wealth, the Catholic church has historically led the way in this area by promoting asceticism. Famous men like St. Francis of Assisi have been lionized for their vow of poverty and extreme austerity. However, contemporary ultra-evangelicals have now taken the lead in opposing what they call the ‘Prosperity Gospel’
   To support its position, the church has used such scriptures as Peter’s declaration when healing the paralytic: “…Silver and gold have I none…” (Acts3:6); or, the words of Jesus, “…the Son of man hath nowhere to lay his head…” (Matt.8:20); or, what is arguably the most famous passage used to support poverty, “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matt.19:24).
  In addition, many contemporary churches shout: “HERETIC!!” or “FALSE TEACHER”!! at any pastor, Christian, or church who even mentions the word ‘prosperity’ from their pulpits! All who dare cross this line are branded with the derisive epithet: ‘PROSPERITY PREACHER’!
  On the contrary, aspiring to be like the ‘Berean’ Christian (Acts17:11), I think Jesus should always be our highest and greatest example on any subject matter regarding the Word of God. John 1:4 perfectly supports this sentiment: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” The word “light” in this context means understanding. Let’s look at six Biblical reasons why it is literally impossible for Jesus to be poor. To be candid, the following 6 reasons support the idea that not only was Jesus not poor…But he was wealthy!
 
1.Herod was a king, and one earmark of a king is that he was wealthy. Because this is true, it is also safe to assume that those who handled his money, or those who were assigned to steward his wealth, also possessed a more than average amount of substance. In Luke 8:3, the Bible introduces Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward. The text declares she was a follower of Jesus and gave money to His ministry. Although the scripture does not mention how much she gave or how often she gave, we can assume that because she was a person of substance, when she gave to Jesus, it was not a mere pittance.
  Even more important than Joanna, Luke 8:3 further lists others who gave to Jesus. The context declares: Susanna, and ‘many’ others also gave to Him. Therefore, I think it is safe to assume that the intent of using the words “many others”, rather than just “others”, means that Luke intended to convey that a significant amount of money was given to Jesus.
 
2.Jesus had a treasurer, i.e. someone whose sole responsibility was to keep the money that came in from people like Joanna, Susanna, and “many others”. The fact that Jesus had a treasurer for His ministry is a vital piece of evidence supporting the AMOUNT of money people gave to Him, as well as the amount He spent! In other words, Jesus was taking in a large amount of money! How do I know? Since when does a poor man possess a treasurer? On the contrary, in Jesus’ day, poor people begged just to get to the next day!
 There is no recorded instance of Jesus ever begging—because He is the righteous(1Jn2:1)! Psalms 37:25 declares, “…I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
 
3.Incredibly, Judas, who was Jesus’ treasurer, was stealing money (Jn 12:6). And what’s even more astonishing is that despite Judas pilfering…there was still enough to support Jesus and His apostles---all without raising an iota of suspicion! We can only conclude that Judas’ diabolical behavior occurred in the midst of an abundance of money.
 
4.When Jesus called the 12 apostles(Mk3:14), they were not simply living on their parents, some, if not all, owned their businesses. Therefore, even before calling the 12, we can assume these were men of substance, they were at least providing for themselves. So, to answer the call to ministry, the 12 apostles had to leave their work, which means Jesus had to support at least 13 people: 12 apostles plus Himself!
  However, the Bible teaches Peter was married (Mat8:14), and later Paul refers to the ‘marriages’ of other apostles(1Cor9:5). Although 1Corinthians 9:5 may or may not refer to the 12 original apostles. We now know that Jesus had to support at least 14 people: Jesus + 12 apostles + Peter’s wife = 14.
  Fourteen is not the final number! At the time of Jesus, because it was normal in the Jewish culture to marry young and have lots of children, it is therefore not out of the question to assume Jesus supported many more than 14 people. How is that? Who were the others? Besides Peter’s wife, if the other 11 apostles were married, the number requiring provision would instantly leap to 25, including Jesus. However, if the apostles had children, the number He supported could easily have been north of 50 people!!
  If you think the number 50 is absurd, remember Jesus chose 12 apostles(Lu6:13) from 70 original disciples(Lu10:1)!! Like His 12 apostles, Jesus required these 70 men to leave their homes to do kingdom work(Lu10:9,17). So, following is my million-dollar question: who and how were these 70 men financially supported?* The only answer is Jesus! BUT…how could He have accomplished this incredible feat without an abundance of money?!?!
 In conclusion, even if we return to the number of 14 total people whom Jesus originally provided for, how could He ever have supported even this number without possessing an abundance of money?
 
5.We know for certain that Peter was married(Matt8:14), and because of Israel’s long-standing tradition regarding family, means he probably had children. So, one of the greatest supports for Jesus’ wealth is when He called the twelve to ministry, Peter’s wife, along with any wife of an apostle who was married--would have assuredly raised Cane---had they not been well provided for in their husbands’ absence!!!
  What better way for the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees to convince the multitudes that Jesus was a deceiver, had even the slightest bit of strife arise from Peter’s wife, or the homes or the wives or families of the other apostles…’IF’…they were without shelter or food, or provision of any kind!!! We can absolutely rest assured that the Pharisees would have used this chaos to their advantage, having a history of searching for reasons to condemn Jesus!!
  However, not one shred of evidence exists in the Gospels that either Peter’s wife, or the other apostles’ wives, or their children, or the wives of the 70 disciples raised any objections to Jesus ---due to a lack of provision! I repeat, and once again, there can be only one answer for this dilemma: the wives and families were abundantly provided with more than enough to help soothe their aching hearts from the absence of their husbands!!
  Need I remind you that the apostles were probably absent for days, weeks, and possibly months at a time when Jesus sent them to the cities and towns of Israel!! So not having more than enough provision would have certainly pushed the wives, or their families---over the edge!
 
6.It has traditionally been the opinion of scholars that there were three kings who paid tribute to Jesus at His birth, each one giving a commodity of either gold, frankincense, or myrrh(Mat2:11). However, the Biblical text does not indicate the total number of kings, so it could have been two or more. Yet, even if we assume the number of kings to be the traditional three, kings do not give small gifts to kings---but normally flaunt their wealth, giving large gifts (1Kgs10:2,7,10). Therefore, the worth of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh these kings gave to Jesus---would have been unimaginable!
  In addition, the amounts of treasure given by the kings would have been especially greater because they believed Jesus was a king(Mat2:2); the Messiah(Mat2:6); and God(Mat2:11)! As I have already noted---kings don’t give kings small gifts!!!
  In my opinion, the gifts from the kings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh are ‘the’ greatest evidence that Jesus was wealthy---even from His birth!!**
  In conclusion, because Jesus is our highest and greatest example, fear not what others think of you as you prosper in this life! Remember, do not settle for poverty…because God’s will for you is abundance…i.e.more than enough!
 
 
*Are you prepared to say these 70 men had no families or obligations from which they had to break away to obey Jesus? This would be too great a leap for me! On the contrary, it is much easier to accept the fact that Jesus possessed an abundance of money to support 70 men, their wives, and children---because He is more than enough!!!
 
**If you argue that Joseph spent the 3 king’s money in Egypt, there are four reasons to reject this notion:
           1.The money was not given to Joseph, but to Jesus.
           2.Joseph was a man of great integrity.
           3.Joseph was not a thief.
           4.Joseph was a carpenter; therefore he would have used his skill to provide for his family.
 
QuoteBit
Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things you have for which you
would not take money. AUTHOR UNKNOWN