Sermon Video: Be Kind and Compassionate - Ephesians 4:31-32

 

As the culmination of his examples of the new attitude that is needed now that we are in Christ, the Apostle Paul proclaims that "all" and "every form" of the previous bitterness/rage/anger/malice, etc. needs to be removed and in its place must be put kindness and compassion that includes forgiving others.

A challenge?  Absolutely, things will happen in life that push us toward anger and away from kindness.  We need to let them go and follow the example of Jesus with kindness and compassion.  Added incentive needed?  God forgave you first, go and do likewise.

FFOZ updates their "What We Believe" page, it (mostly) now reflects what they teach.

 

Having dealt with FFOZ club leaders and followers these past three years who are adamant that FFOZ "doesn't teach that" even after I show them the exact thing they are denying, it is refreshing to see that FFOZ now has a "What We Believe" page that (mostly) reflects what they actually teach.  This transparency is a big step in the right direction toward warning pastors and others about the unorthodox/heretical teachings coming from FFOZ.

In the video I break down each of the 15 statements, paying particular attention to the most dangerous (unbiblical) ideas and pointing out one big omission.

Sermon Video: The Problem of Unwholesome Talk, Ephesians 4:29-30

As Paul continues to share examples of the new attitude that followers of Jesus must adopt, he turns his focus to our speech.  The contrast between unwholesome talk that tears down and helpful talk that builds up highlights the stark change between what we were and what we must grow (with the Holy Spirit's help) to be.

In addition, Paul reminds us that our failures with respect to what we say are a grief to the Holy Spirit.  Why?  We are ambassadors of Christ, as any misbehaving child would embarrass his/her parents, filthy talk from Christians grieves the Spirit of God within us.

FFOZ now teaches that gentile followers of Jesus will eternally be 4th class citizens of heaven...The heresy keeps getting more bold.

 

This new teaching, 2025, from FFOZ is a bold new heresy, one utterly rejected by every N.T. author. In a nutshell, FFOZ is now teaching that the "radial" geography of the tabernacle/temple is eternal. Thus, they teach that gentile followers of Jesus are eternally 4th class citizens of the kingdom of heaven (behind the priest/Levites, Jewish men, and Jewish women) in accordance with the physical layout of the Temple. There are also two statements that hint toward the conclusion that because the Jewish people are eternally the "people of God," with permanent status of closer access, they don't need to accept Jesus as Savior.

Sermon Video: Do Not Give the Devil a Foothold - Ephesians 4:25-28

As a follow-up to his command that Jesus' followers adopt a new attitude divorced from our former futile thinking when we were apart from God, the Apostle Paul offers up in these verses three examples of what that will look like: (1) Embracing truth by putting off falsehood, (2) Keeping anger in check so that it does not lead to sin, and (3) Sharing what we have earned rather than taking (stealing) from others.

With respect to anger in particular, Paul frames it as a potential "foothold" that the devil might use to ensnare those who sin in their anger.  The same holds true for the other two issues, and really any situation where we give in to temptation.  The answer is always the same: embrace righteousness.  When we say and do what is right, temptation (evil) has no opportunity to affect us.