July 27, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

Part #2 Arrogant Individualism & Truth Decay by Timothy Brinkley

Part 2:This version of the OpenAI is programmed to answer very diplomatically. A customized version of ChatGPT could be programmed to answer very differently. Please note, that it is people that are making the changes to ChatGPT. It is people who are making decisions that affect everyone else.

ChatGPT is a man-made tool that can be used for good or for evil, for self-gratification or for serving others. Could a product like ChatGPT be used to deceive billions? For sure. Already projects like WormAI are freely accessible with most of the A.I. standard restraints and protections removed, and it is likely helping criminals and warlords design new weapons as well as helping humans seek their own degraded pleasures. As Marc Nuttle writes “AI can orchestrate truth to any destination of perceived morality” (Nuttle, 2023).

As we mature as believers, God gives us the wisdom to separate the wheat from the chaff, the truth from the lies, action from inaction, the valuables from the mass-produced common goods. The question is, will we continue to choose God’s light in the face of growing darkness? God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

The temptation faced in the Garden of Eden was to believe the lies of the Enemy in the face of what God has already spoken. We have to choose whose side we are on. As humans we like to be told what to do. This is why change is so hard for many people. This is why many convicts released from prison end up committing another crime, because prison is like a warm blanket where things are predictable, and everything is provided for you. Making choices that honor and obey God upsets this predictability and the daily routines of life. It is part of what Jesus warned us would happen if we followed Him, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). There are many verses on this:

· have humility and treat others as more important than yourself (Phil. 2:3),

· giving away your stuff and your time (Matt. 19:21),

· carry others’ burdens (Gal. 6:2),

· seek good for others and build others up (Rom. 15:1; 1 Cor. 10:24),

· be interested in others’ interests (Phil. 2:4),

· live for Christ (2 Cor. 5:15),

· live by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16),

· love (1 Cor. 13:5, John 13:34),

· consider it all joy when it gets difficult because it is a special assignment from God to help you become more like Jesus (James 1:2-4)

God knows about our tendency to only do what we are told to do and how we crave consistency. He often allows young believers to grow through very stable times until they are more mature in their knowledge of God and relationship with the Holy Spirit before giving them challenges that test their mettle, capabilities, and relationship with God. However, as a first-world Church, we are preaching that God is easy-going all the time, which is NOT the full story.

The believers of Elijah’s day had to make a choice (1 Kings 18:21) between Creator God and Ba’al on Mount Carmel. True followers of Jesus during the Crusades had to choose between a religious behemoth mobilized to war against Muslims and a different path of peace and pacifism. Christians of the American Revolutionary War had to choose between an oppressive, powerful, wealthy, unjust king-pacifying response and a war that could potentially cause the loss of everything they held dear. Christians of World War 2 had to choose between pacifistic laissez-faire mindsets and the dictatorship of Hitler with his extermination of millions of people. Pre-believers in creative-access countries today must choose Jesus knowing the consequence could be eviction from the community, forced separation from family, loss of job, beating, jail, or even death.

Today we have gross issues that affect the whole earth that we also must choose a position:

· On human trafficking and sex-trafficking

· On abortion, fostering, and adoption,

· On prayer, Bible, and God in public education,

· On illegal immigrants,

· On freedom to choose who your business serves,

· On homelessness,

· On pollution of the world’s skies, oceans, and lands, and

· On overuse of the world’s sky, land, and ocean resources.

God is not like ChatGPT—an answering machine giving advice from its breadth of human knowledge. God is a person who wants a relationship with you and me. He is the Creator-God of everything you are, everything you see, and touch, and experience including time. He is a loving Father that wants us to grow up into productive, contributing-to-society individuals with His heartbeat and dreams within us. Are you just asking God for things, or do you genuinely want to know what He wants too? Are you taking time to get to know Him?

Deception has many flavors, which one are you enjoying right now? Ask God to expose them. If you have rejected all deception, you can be guaranteed that new ones will arise soon and you will have to make another choice. Now world change is akin to nuclear energy and the atomic bomb has arrived in the form of artificial intelligence. What will be our response? The atomic bomb came to be dropped on the Japanese city of Kokura, but they put up such a counteroffensive that the plan was changed to Nagasaki. The observers of Nagasaki thought that it was just a spy plane like any other day and did not have as many resources to mount an air defense. Will you get equipped with the wisdom, experience, and knowledge that you need to counteract the onslaught of deception that could be released through the Internet and AI?

Antidotes to Selfishness

Phi 2:3 (NET) Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.

Galatians 6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Romans 15:1 But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

1 Corinthians 10:24 Do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person.

Phillippians 2:4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests but about the interests of others as well.

2 Corinthians 5:15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.

Galatians 5:16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

1 Corinthians 12:5 [Love] is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.

John 13:34 (NASB) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another."

Galatians 5:6 (NLT) For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

Jas 1:2-4 (NASB) – Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

References

3 Surprising Ways to Use Nuclear Energy. (2022). Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-surprising-ways-use-nuclear-energy

Allen, Bobby. (2020, June 24). ““The Computer Got It Wrong”: How Facial Recognition Led to False Arrest of Black Man.” NPR, 24 June 2020, www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882683463/the-computer-got-it-wrong-how-facial-recognition-led-to-a-false-arrest-in-michig. Accessed 22 July 2023.

ChatGPT, Jesus: Son of God, and Scripture. (2023). Openai.com. https://chat.openai.com/share/610dade5-f68b-4b6a-8782-6696f71fb784

‌Frangipane, F. (2023, July 21). A Heart Without Idols, Email to subscribers of https://www.frangipane.org/subscribe.html.

Heinz, F. (2023, May 18). TAMU-Commerce Instructor Accuses Class of Using ChatGPT on Final Assignments. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth; NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/tamu-commerce-instructor-accuses-class-of-using-chatgpt-on-final-assignments/3260731/

‌Nuttle, Marc‌. (2023, July 19). Nuttle Report – July 19th, 2023, Email to subscribers of http://www.marcnuttle.com/subscribe-to-the-nuttle-report.html.

Reddit – Dive into anything. (2023). Reddit.com. https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/13isibz/texas_am_commerce_professor_fails_entire_class_of/

‌The End of the Beginning of the End of Civilization as We Know It (Part 1)? (2023, June 13). EEJournal. https://www.eejournal.com/article/the-end-of-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-civilization-as-we-know-it-part-1/ ‌

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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Arrogant Individualism & Truth Decay by Timothy Brinkley

Part 1: The advent of generative artificial intelligence has been compared to the advent of the nuclear bomb (Nuttle, 2023). It was a new technology that changed the course of history. When used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, it killed “between 129,000 and 226,000 people” (Wikipedia contributors, 2023).

Truman then warned Japan: "If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth. Behind this air attack will follow sea and land forces in such numbers and power as they have not yet seen and with the fighting skill of which they are already well aware." (Truman Statement on Hiroshima – Nuclear Museum, 2022)

After Hiroshima, the next primary target was Kokura, but Kokura put up such a counteroffensive air fight, that air commander Sweeney decided to go on to the secondary target of Nagasaki. Nagasaki observers thought it was just another spy plane flying over

After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hirohita, emperor of Japan at the time, wrote a capitulation letter and surrendered despite a coup-d’etat to stop him from doing so. In it he writes:

Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization. (Yosha Research, 2013)

As the memory of the bombing faded from society’s conscience, the new generations have forgotten the very real effect of nuclear bombs. The victims who survived those bombings re-inspired today’s pop culture view of the zombie apocalypse: burn victims struggling to walk, eye’s falling out, looking for someone to help.

Nuclear power is still accessible, but it is not used militarily. Nuclear powers are used “beyond providing electricity for homes and businesses. They can also be used to power desalination plants, provide heat for metal refining, and even generate hydrogen as a clean burning alternative fuel for vehicles” (3 Surprising Ways to Use Nuclear Energy, 2022).

When we compare the new nuclear technology of yesteryear, with today’s generative artificial intelligences, we see some commonalities. People said they both are the end of civilization as we know it (The End of the Beginning of the End of Civilization as We Know It – Part 1, 2023). They both are changing the way we behave: all the school drills for a nuclear bombing back in the 1940s, many are turning to AI to answer their questions today. Both are changing our societies.

OpenAI is being used for image generation, image restoration, movie making, the text for auto-generated voices, writing poems, search engine optimization, scripts, essays, project planning, grant writing, designing apps, websites, and even robots. It is a powerful open-source resource that anyone can use or modify for their own purposes.

Using AI is not bad in of itself, just like harnessing nuclear power is not bad in and of itself. It is how you use it. For example, the Internet has been compared to a knife (NetSmartz, 2014), it can be used to make amazing meals, or it can be used to kill people.

The big difference here is that the nuclear bomb was accessible to a few rich nations with smart scientists. With OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Bard, and knockoffs like WormAI, they are accessible to anyone in the world with Internet access and a computer device. More fundamentally, how is this technology affecting our relationship with God?

I personally am excited but also have many concerns with generative artificial intelligence. Do I think it is going to take over the world, no. But I do believe that it will distort truth and the image of God. Here are some examples of how it is already misleading many people:

· A New York court lawyer ended up accidentally citing non-existent cases because he used ChatGPT in a trial he was defending. He had to apologize to the judge and send in an official report, cited here (Mata v. Avianca, Inc., No. 22-cv-1461 (PKC) (S.D.N.Y. June 22, 2023). ChatGPT even said that the cases it was citing were real cases, but after being asked directly to cite its source, apologized and said it was fake.

· An agriculture professor at A&M University did not understand how ChatGPT works and used it incorrectly. He copy/pasted the full text of each student’s paper into it and asked ChatGPT if it had written them. When ChatGPT responded that it had written them, the professor gave all the students an F and they were not able to graduate (Heinz, 2023).

· In one case, “ChatGPT invented a sexual harassment scandal and named a real law prof as the accused” (Verma & Oremus, 2023). Although the events in the made up story did not match up to reality and it was dismissed, it is a good example of how incorrect these AI’s can be.

· In another case, AI facial recognition software falsely identified a black man named Robert Williams in Detroit, Michigan, who appeared to be in a retail fraud video and was arrested (Allen, 2020). Only after 30 hours of incarceration was he released, his case was thrown out of court over lack of evidence, and he is eligible to get it expunged from his record (2020).

Let me share some positive personal experiences with A.I. Recently I have been using the paid version of ChatGPT (both versions 3.5 & 4.0) to help me write some grants for my high school students to go on field trips. The responses have been helpful by giving me suggestions of educational places to take students near the beach, identify lessons that I could use to connect the field trip to the subjects I teach, identify costs, find vehicles available to rent, hotels to reserve, and quickly create budgets based on various variables. In this sense, it has been a great administrative assistant.

I am also using it to help me redesign and update a mobile app that I previously created for school. I asked it to write the app in a language I am still learning called Dart which will allow me to more easily manage future updates and low-level changes I need to make as well as release it on Apple iOS, Google’s Android devices, Windows, and Apple desktops. Again super helpful and helping me learn a new programming language.

I also copy/pasted in the weekly meal plan one of my sons had developed and asked it to make me a shopping list of things I would need at the store and gave me a list of grocery items broken down by categories such as Vegetables and Fruits, Meat and Alternatives, Dairy and Alternatives, Pantry items, Baking Needs, and Spices with a list of items under each one. Again this is super helpful.

However, in other areas it is raising red flags. I asked it to help me write a persuasive essay on why GitHub should be allowed to be used at high school. It originally gave me a great outline and even recommended some real scholarly sources that I could use. But as I developed it further, asking it to write more of the essay, it started to give me bogus sources. When asked about the sources of a specific paragraph, it said that they were example sources which I would need to replace with actual ones, but if I had not asked I would not have known. I would have been deceived if I had not actually searched for the original sources it was referencing.

Even more fundamentally problematic is how I started to notice how my prayers to God had very similar verbiage to my ChatGPT questions. “Could you please give me a …,” and “Could you please suggest …” are both questions I ask both God and ChatGPT. This led me to question many things. Will this affect the way I pray? Will it affect my relationship with God? Could A.I. become an idol? Exodus 34:12–14 says:

Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim—for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

This reminds me of a recent newsletter from Francis Frangipane where he wrote “What mankind has done is move the pagan temples from the high places of the countryside to the hidden places of the human heart” (Frangipane, 2023). He continues:

The world has taken its bloodlust out of the ancient Roman arenas and put it into violent movies. They have taken the goddesses of fertility from the Greek hillsides only to idolize sex in our theaters and televisions. What mankind has done is move the pagan temples from the high places of the countryside to the hidden places of the human heart. (2023)

The Internet has made a kind of idolatry possible that is much more widespread than in ancient times, and now ChatGPT is perfectly lined up to become another one that pulls the masses farther away from Jesus.

When OpenAI’s ChatGPT was asked if Christ is from God or not, its last paragraph of response is:

It’s essential to recognize that religious beliefs vary widely, and people’s views on the nature and significance of Jesus will differ depending on their faith traditions. Respect for different beliefs and open dialogue are crucial when discussing matters of religious significance. (ChatGPT, Jesus: Son of God, and Scripture, 2023)

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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July 24, 2022 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

Saying for the Week

Hate changes nothing, but Love changes everything.

(The attitude of hate is only valid when one chooses to hate sin but never the sinner.)

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July 23, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Series on the Last Days, What Must I Do?

#2 The Wrath of the King

God’s love includes judgment. This truth is evident in the Scriptures and through the working of the Holy Spirit in these last days. It is both scary and obvious to believers and non-believers alike that God not only offers love but also judgment. God’s judgment can either be in your favor or it works against you. One cannot have it both ways.

As the Bible states in Hebrews 10:13, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God,” when we find God, we find not only His love but also His judgment. The justice of offering love and judgment is that you have a choice. God does not pressure you into a decision nor does He force Himself on anyone. You get to choose, and it is your choice (an act of faith) that opens a door to His love or to His judgment.

We always have a choice that’s what makes God a fair and righteous judge. Your choice, your consequences, your outcomes. But make no mistake, God’s judgment is always right and just no matter what you might feel or desire. This is the essence of the Fear of the Lord. This is how the concept of the Last Days or Armageddon will play out in this world. It is embedded in the Wrath of the King and a fair and righteous judge.

Repeatedly through examples in the Scriptures, it is the Fear of The Lord that guides individuals into the will of God and eventually receive God’s great mercy and redemption (Isaiah chapters 61 through 63. The best two examples of the fear of God manifesting itself are the life of Job (Book of Job) and the death of Christ (the Four Gospels). When everything is falling apart God’s judgment is at work and your redemption is only found in the fear of God. It is this truth—from the judgment of God, keeping the fear of God, to eventually the redemption of God.

John, the disciple of Jesus, saw it all—all the events of the last days and the coming of Christ. It scared him. He saw the Christ of Judgement and when he did, he fell at the feet of Christ as if he was dead, but it is this Christ that we find redemption if only we will accept the will of God, the wrath of the King, and the redemption Jesus offers through His blood in these last days.

God showed John all that was to come and what is to lead up to the Second Coming of Christ (read the Book of Revelation). John was fearful, he had never witnessed the Wrath of the King (the wrath of Jesus Christ), but at the end of the Book of Revelation, John says, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come.” John accepts this Jesus—His wrath, His dominion over all creation, and His redemption.

We must do the same. All nations will be destroyed even America. It will not be easy to accept yet those that do not give up their faith, trust, and love of Jesus Christ will be saved. Satan, the Devil, the Antichrist, and the Beast will offer you hope, but not before you worship him, accept his ‘mark of the beast’ in your body, and do what the Devil tells you to do.

That is why I pray almost every day too, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!” Scared yes, without hope no. I want and accept God’s will to be done—this is the Fear of the Lord, and this fear will save me and all those who also fear the Lord.

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What would Jesus want me to do?

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July 11, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

Question for the Week

Do not ask yourself, “Am I beautiful or handsome?” Don’t ask others if you are beautiful or handsome. Rather, ask God, “Am I beautiful to you, God?”

This is real wisdom without pride, arrogance, or selfishness.

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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July 10, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Series on the Last Days, What Must I Do?

#1 The Line Is Being Drawn In The Sand

In every direction, one turns to see God’s activity in this world you see how the line is being drawn between the forces of good and evil. There is no middle ground and the church which has tried to be ‘acceptable’ to the world at times by finding a middle ground will no longer be able to do so. We were born to choose, and your choice is an activity of faith. “Who will you choose today?” the Bible asks, (Joshua 24:15a).

Do you or do you not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? That will be your decision and hopefully the ‘fruit of your faith’ in action. If you do believe in the Jesus of the Bible, your faith—your choice will set you free. The Church will be hated; the world will be jealous of the blessings of God upon your life.

I want to believe that the final battle between good and evil is quickly coming upon us. Those who will not believe in Jesus will eventually take upon themselves the Mark of the Beast, as stated in the Book of Revelation (what a fun book to read). Did you know that this book is all about Jesus Christ as stated in the very first verse, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” Revelation 1:1a. If you do not understand this book, you do not understand Jesus Christ. This is Jesus Christ in His fulness—the Jesus of yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever (KJV).

When Jesus was on earth, He came to fulfill the verses in Isaiah chapter sixty-one, verses 1 & 2a but not part b of verse 2 (and the day of vengeance of our God). How do I know this, because of Christ’s testimony of Himself in Luke 4:17-20. Jesus left out “and the day of vengeance of our God” 61”2b. This part was to be fulfilled during the next 2000 years, after His death, and before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ—the time in which we are now living.

The closer to the Second Coming of Christ the more divided and morally corrupt the world will become. There is certainly climate change but not because of pollution or natural warming of the planet (the scientific community and media are lying to you), it is because of our sin and our rejection of Jesus Christ. People do not want to believe in God or His Son Jesus. It is far easier to believe that we are in control of our destiny and climate change is something we can fix, than to believe in the words of Jesus. What fools we become when we do not believe in God!

Climate change is the result of our sins and the vengeance of God. God is making Himself known and visible to the whole world. What we now are witnessing is God’s promise to His Son Jesus, “Come sit at my right hand until I place all your enemies under your feet” or another translation, “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet’.” (Psalms 110:1, Gateway Bible).

The first step in these last days is to realize that God is in control, and it will be through patience and humility that you will survive what is to come. There will only be more and more lies ‘that there is no God’ and you will be told repeatedly ‘to trust in your government and the medical profession’ for the necessities of life and health. When things get very bad, many Christians will fall away rejecting God because of all the destruction in the earth and about half of the population dying.

This series of articles will help you survive and overcome all that is to come. My prayer for you is one, that you listen to the Holy Spirit; two, repent often; three, allow the angel of God, that is over your church, to guide you; and lastly, to resist the Devil, the Beast, not believing in his lies. Your faith, your decision to follow Christ will guide you in these last days of great temptation and destruction.

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Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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July 6, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

Guest Writer/Phillip Lee

Open Letter to the Church

The welfare of both individuals and society, as a whole, depends upon our facing reality honestly, compassionately, and courageously.

Admittedly, I offer the following at the risk of being accused of “church bashing.” Therefore, let me state at the beginning, church bashing is never appropriate at any time or on any level. That said, there are some things that need to be voiced given the on-going crisis the Church faces today regarding LGBTQ and related issues.

To date, the pro-gay agenda has more than accomplished everything they have set out to accomplish. In many respects, it is as though the gay community has come fully and completely out of the closet with the Church running into the closet and taking up comfortable residency.

The spiritual apathy within the Church regarding homosexuality and gay rights has all but taken on the appearance and posture of attempting to please everyone by traveling down the “middle of the road.” Today, many Christians have labeled themselves moderates and are unwilling to take a stand on much of anything.

We must examine our hearts regarding the crisis of homosexuality in the Church. If we truly pride ourselves on not being fearful, not being antigay, and not being gay rights promoters, but rather middle-of-the-roaders, then I submit we must ask ourselves whether or not we have a passion for ministry based on a burning love for Jesus.

I remain convinced if the Church remains all but apathetic and complacent regarding what seems to be a growing acceptance of homosexuality in the Church, we need to ask for a considerable fresh dose of God’s Spirit of conviction until our passion is reignited.

The Church is in great peril largely due to far too much of God’s wisdom has been pushed out and now man’s wisdom is doing its utmost to prevail. How is it the Church is no longer setting societal standards but is conforming more and more to the standards of popular culture?

As representatives, Ambassadors for Christ, do we not have a responsibility to preserve our freedoms and stand for Christ, witnessing to His grace and power?

Those of us who have experienced Christ’s healing and transformation power in our lives have a responsibility to bring His power to a society, a world, a Church that has too often jumped to a conclusion that there is no cure for the ills that exist regarding same-gender attraction.

The churches to which Peter wrote were all but monuments of dedication to righteousness in a sea of paganism. Peter encouraged the churches with these words, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the Name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:12-14).

All of us at His Way Out Ministries fully admit that combating what seems to be a growing acceptance of homosexuality is a considerable challenge. However, at His Way Out Ministries, we are unwavering in our belief the reason God birthed His Church, the reason God has anointed His Church, and the reason God continues to build His Church, is that He intended His Church from the beginning to be the answer to life’s challenges which includes the issue of same-gender attraction.

Do we, the Church, still believe that God can do the impossible?

The Church has become far too fractured regarding homosexuality with viewpoints differing widely. Far too often the person struggling with homosexuality is often completely confused about the Christian viewpoint on homosexuality. Those who struggle with homosexuality need to be loved, to be embraced in fellowship, to become known for who they really are, not based on sexuality as much as on interests and personality.

What about the unreached homosexual population? I am confident the Church realizes the need to bring the Gospel to every tribe, tongue, language, and nation – to touch and reach every culture. What about gay culture?

There is no doubt we, the Church, have a lot to learn about bringing Jesus to the gays and lesbians who knock at the doors of our churches. We, the Church, must not underestimate ourselves. We, the Church, hold the only answer there is to the present and on-going crisis of homosexuality.

God Himself desires to reach homosexual people. Church is where healing and wholeness occurs. When we, the Church, embrace the truth and totality of Scripture as it relates to homosexuality without compromise and show unconditional love without fail, Jesus Christ becomes apparent in our midst, and He empowers us to walk in His purposes.

We, the Church, must call fear, complacency, and neglect exactly what it is – a barrier to accomplishing God’s will for our lives and for His Church. Paul reminded Timothy that he was not given a spirit of fear- neither are we (2 Timothy 1:7).

Is it possible if we, The Church, humble ourselves, weep and lament for our nation, the world regarding homosexuality, God may just yet intervene and restore decency to this crazy world? If we are unwilling to weep before God regarding the many that have been ensnared by homosexuality, are we then truly fit to fight before men? I’m just asking.

Maybe before God changes the minds of those embracing the “gay is good” notion, He will begin by changing our hearts.

Pastor Phillip Lee, Executive Director, His Way Out Ministries

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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July 4, 2022 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

The Saying for the Week

I am amazed to see so many verses in the Bible being fulfilled today.

Almost every day there is another promise made by God coming to life before me.

Make no mistake, what God has said, promised, or predicted will be fulfilled.

I like what Jesus said 2000 years ago,

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away,”

Matthew 24:35, KJV.

And here we are today!

Jesus’s words are being fulfilled, and the earth is failing and will soon pass away!

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July 2, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

Pride #1 Evil

Pride has become the most pervasive and deadliest evil in America. Pride not only corrupts but destroys relationships and even ends up pushing people to commit murder or suicide. Prideful individuals rejoice in their nature of being prideful and the outcomes it produces. A person can have pride in so many things and it displays itself in multiple ways so that our society gives honor to those who are prideful people who manifest their pride for all to see. Pride is evil and we must counter its influences through humility, unity, and peace.

I consider Pride to be the #1 enemy in America. It is easily recognized in the LGBTQ+ community. They rejoice in their pride and consider their sexual orientation to be their identity, strength, and power in society. Their pride pushes them to seek power and control over others. In fact, the LGBTQ+ community believes that their destiny is to have total control over America as well as all Western societies. They believe their pride makes them mentally superior, but their actions display their weaknesses and disregard for others who choose an ethical standard outside of their philosophical and behavioral standards. (Author’s note: I have personal friends that are gay or have rejected the gay lifestyle that do not nor ever did identify with the LGBTQ+ philosophy or its political influence.)

The Bible has lots to say about PRIDE, and it is Satan who wants every person to be as prideful as possible. It is because of pride that people turn to Satan and away from God. I see so many people today already having the “Mark of the Beast” as predicated by Jesus and the Bible. It begins with pride and continues with a lust for power and control over others.

If you want to overcome pride in your life, it begins with humbling yourself, considering others to be of more worth than self, and striving to help others reach their goals in Christ instead of comparing oneself to others thereby seeing how one is better than others.

The Church will never become what Christ wants us to be through pride. Unity demands humility and the operation of faith only comes through humility. When humility is the primary force in our lives and not pride, we will begin to love as Christ has loved us, and not before. Love is the opposite of pride and love is what God wants us to model and operate in this world—read First Corinthians chapter thirteen for the particulars of being anti-prideful.

It is time Church to confront pride not only in our lives but everywhere we see it in our society and nation. Either we shine forth as a light in this world or we allow darkness to overcome our light and allow it to be extinguished.

The choice is yours—choose light or choose darkness. My prayer is that your faith will confront the darkness and that your shield of faith will protect you from the evil of pride. That is What Jesus Would Want Me To Do!

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 24, 2022 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)

A Saying Full of Wisdom

Pride & Self-esteem

When a person builds their self-esteem on pride there’s no self-esteem at all.

A prideful self-esteem only produces a life of disappointment with little self-worth.

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Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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