by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News
https://healthimpactnews.com/2023/are-you-seeking-the-approval-of-men-or-the-approval-of-god/
When Jesus Christ walked on this earth in the First Century, he claimed to be “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
In his teaching to his disciples during those days, he also made it very clear that the cost to follow Jesus, and to stand for the Truth, was a costly one, and that in order to follow him as the source of all truth would require one to be willing to give up everything this life has to offer, including relationships with friends and loved ones.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)
Jesus also made it very clear that those who did follow him and stand for the Truth, would be very few, and always the minority.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
Some of the most miserable people of society are those who understand the Truth intellectually, but are not willing to follow the Truth, because the cost is too high.
It’s very difficult to always be in the minority, with everyone opposing you, because you do not follow the crowd.
We saw much of this play out during the COVID Scamdemic, where many people understood the truth about how dangerous and evil the COVID “vaccines” were, but decided to comply with COVID vaccine mandates anyway, because they feared losing something if they did not, such as their employment and source of income.
I clearly remember reporting on one mother who reportedly complied with a COVID vaccine mandate, even though she knew it was dangerous. She wanted to keep working at the school where one of her children was enrolled, and took the chance, but ended up dying shortly after she took the shot.
The Right Wing media treated her as a hero and martyr, claiming that the “COVID vaccine mandate” killed her.
But the COVID vaccine mandate did NOT kill her. Her choice to not follow the truth and do something she knew was wrong, is what killed her. The cost to follow the truth was too high, but she ended up paying the ultimate price anyway, and quite possibly forfeited her soul in the process.
Today, if you live in the United States, Zionism dominates our culture, especially Evangelical Christian teaching. To dare to question one’s belief that the modern day Israeli government is the leader of “God’s chosen people,” is to go against the crowd and become the object of ridicule and hatred.
One of our readers named Kevin emailed me this week and wrote:
My own wife and entire family left me due to the fact that she believes the tribulation is for Zionist Political state of Israel.
My only purpose in life now is to bring others to Jesus. I know the false teachers and the deceptions being preached on Fox News, pulpits everywhere, etc.
Kevin has counted the cost to follow Jesus and the Truth, and he continues to do so even after losing his wife and family.
It’s a very lonely life. Trust me, I know.
But we can take courage in the fact that the disciples who followed Jesus when he still walked this earth, and shortly after he left, all faced the same opposition and isolation.
Paul, who most clearly defined the “Good News” or “gospel” message that shows how everyone can be born of God’s Spirit regardless of ethnicity, religious membership, or any other way of classifying people, faced constant attacks from the majority Jewish religion, which he was part of as a Pharisee himself.
Here’s how he described his life, as he chose the narrow way, and counted the cost of following the Truth as he was constantly attacked by his fellow Jews who actually admitted intellectually that Jesus was the Messiah:
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more.
I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.
I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Corinthians 11:22-27)
This is the description of a person who has counted the cost of following Jesus and the Truth, and endured the attacks from the majority of “believers” who tried to silence him.
If you are still part of a religious organization, such as a Christian Church, in America today, look around at the people in your religious group and see if any of them have suffered like Paul did as he described here.
The fact is that Christians in America today are the majority, especially the Zionists, and going along with the crowd, not against it.
They do not stand in the truth, because they love the approval of men more than the approval of God.
The same was true of the earliest “believers” in Jesus Christ, those who intellectually acknowledged that Jesus was in fact the Messiah (as all Evangelical Christians do today), but were too afraid to acknowledge this “belief” and follow Jesus.
“Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.”
When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”
Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.
But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue (church); for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (John 12:36-43)
Paul’s teaching of the “Good News” was opposed by the Jewish believers who did not want to accept the fact that God’s grace and redemption had been extended to non-Jews, referred to as “Gentiles,” and these Jewish believers insisted that all Gentile believers had to convert to Judaism and keep the Law of Moses, including circumcising all male children.
Paul called these so-called Jewish believers “cursed”!
I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”; and there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.
But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.
As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)
In the very next sentence of this letter, he wrote:
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)
Paul knew that the Truth, the Good News, went against the crowd and the dominant Jews, but his motivation was to please God, and not the Jewish leaders who ruled the society of that day.
It was a declaration of Truth that he made often to the true disciples of Jesus.
You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his Good News in spite of strong opposition.
For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News.
We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.
You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-6)
Is not the very same thing happening today? Those who claim to be believers in Christ, most of the American Christians, are all going along with the crowd to support modern day Israel as the “chosen people,” the Zionists, denying the Good News that God’s grace and redemption is for anyone, regardless of nationality or religion, and that those who believe in this Good News and follow it, are born of God as Abraham’s spiritual seed, and are the “chosen people” today.
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:11-12)
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4-10)
We may be coming to the end of all ages and World War III in the days ahead, as the Zionists gain in power and popularity, and move beyond mere censorship as they are doing today, and begin to attack and imprison the true followers of Jesus Christ, perhaps even executing some of us.
Will you take a stand for the Truth and count the cost as the minority people of God as you seek to please him? Or will you cower in fear, and seek the approval of men and go along with the crowd and the Zionists?
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