Our culture is corrupt, and so is the church overall. Light is still seeping out from underneath the closed doors, with a few Christians who have gone into the world to share the good news that where evil abounds, grace much more abounds. Unlike Elon Musk's take and others on recent attacks on the Christian faith trying to comprehend the light, the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. Many churches are built on the sand of today's society and will fall as a result, but the church that is eternally built on the person and words of Jesus will be the only structure standing when others have fallen because of the shaken.

Good news is subjective. So, let's put a few things in perspective to the eternal word of God that cause people to see that the good news is truly good news and not charismatic hype or a political system fueled by the false hope of a better tomorrow through man's efforts without divine empowerment.

The good news has been watered down over the decades that anyone can slap a Christian sticker on their product, and no one blinks an eye to its authenticity. Many identify as secular or cultural Christians; it's part of our heritage and culture, so we are Christian.

Do you remember when gospel music had the gospel in it and not another genre of secular music without Christ? Even today's Christian music can often be thrown to the wayside as unbiblical, unenlightened, feeling good to the soul, but nothing of eternal value. Plenty of Sunday worship songs can be sung to your girlfriend or boyfriend while drunk at the bar on Saturday night. No one would know; it was written about the Father and the Son because songs have become gender-neutral and romantic.

I'm not hopeless; I offer Jesus' solution to a dark world and a darkened church, so keep reading, and we will get to the good part. First, allow me to deliver the bad news, and then the good news will outshine everything else.

Jesus always talked about the first will be last and the last will be first. But listening to most Christian sermons and podcasts today, they direct us on how to be first, not last. Paul, an apostle of Jesus, even mentioned his place at the end of the procession while all the other ministers got to be first! But Paul chose the way of Jesus and not the way of the world.

Paul and those aligned with Jesus did everything they could not to become celebrity Christians. It is inevitable with God's gifting and people's need to worship someone or something. But we are to follow the way of Jesus, who was found to have no fixed reputation. Is Jesus from God or Nazareth? Did Jesus get his power from God or the devil? The disciples tore their clothes in protest when they were being unjustly promoted to godlike status. Give honor where honor is due. But the greatest honor always belongs to the Father and his Son.

This newsletter is a continuation of casting down thoughts and not people. I don't want us to become an object of rebuke from our Lord Jesus because we lack the courage to confront evil practices. Or think we have a level of grace that can tolerate sin rather than call for repentance. God gives grace to the humble and resists those who are prideful.

As we stand for truth in the love of God, we shouldn't be quick to call out names. I don't want to be the one to throw the first stone. And I don't want to be found with a plank in my eye when the other has a toothpick or nothing at all that is blocking the saving grace of Christ crucified.

Neither am I opposed to calling out names like Paul did on occasion. But we are called to rightly divide the word of God to be shown as a good student of the whole counsel of God and not elevate scripture that we are naturally drawn to while ignoring scripture that doesn't fit our narrative.

Paul called people out by name at times. But John, the disciple that Jesus loved, is also a signpost on the narrow path to eternal life with God and his Son. John said that no one needs to hear from another man to know the truth because the spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, leads us into all truth. John was not endorsing the contemporary thought that in our current day, the gifts to the church apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher would no longer be needed. John gave a simple message: if we seek God with all our hearts, we will find him even within a dysfunctional church and society. God has our back even when the people of God do not. We have no excuse for walking away from the church Jesus established because we got hurt. We are to pray to our Father who is in heaven, not my Father and me, while home alone.

John also stated that it is evident to those who belong to Christ to see and know the children of God and the children of the devil. John didn't call out names even when Jesus told John that Judas was the man who would betray him.

However, we will not rob Paul of his witness and revelation because we prefer John's witness and revelation. There are no contradictions in scripture, only our erroneous understanding. The Spirit of Truth knows the whens and hows. We need ears to hear and a mouth that is sanctified only to speak what we should talk about and how we should say it.

Paul did call out names, and I will when I'm sure it is God's will, and my eyes have been cleared of all debris of my own sinfulness and limited understanding. As God clears my head and vision, and as he washes my feet, I am to turn and do the same. As he is, so are we in this world.

God has enemies—the enemies of the cross. We have enemies. Those who have aligned with our adversary, the devil who comes to kill, steal, and destroy all that God created for good.

Some Christians have bought into Christian pacifism, where we bring no correction to a wrong idea out of a false love that has no degree of judgment or truth. God sets before us life and death and tells us to choose life. The devil sets before us death and death and doesn't care what we choose. Most don't realize the option of life in Christ and choose from the lesser of the two options the devil gives: death.

Once we become born-again, we are drafted into a new war of the ages. The war is all around us and even in us. Our new spirit is at war with our soul, that is to be renewed and transformed to the kingdom of God and his ways. The war and the enemies I am discussing today are the enemies in and of the world.

We are told to cast down every lofty idea that exalts itself against God. We are called to judge ideas, principles, thoughts, concepts, opinions, and anything that exalts itself over the truth of God. We are not told to cast down people. But we must remember we are in a war of words that significantly impact our world of flesh and blood. So, people sometimes need to be removed from among us or vice versa.

We do have enemies of the gospel. We are to respond to these enemies with patience and kindness, remembering that we were once enemies of God. We are told to feed and give drink to our enemies. Our light must shine before our enemies. We also need to know our enemy and his allies in the flesh. Too often, friendly fire kills the person and leaves the lofty ideas of the world in power. The letter kills, but the spirit brings life.

We are commanded not to judge until the time comes when everyone's works will be revealed, whether good or evil. However, if we rightly divide the word of God as good stewards, we must also contrast the command to know them by their fruit.

We do well when we judge words and actions and do not make conclusions to final judgment and destination. Cast down the wrong idea of God and his kingdom, not the person. The government is given the authority to cast out the person who does evil. But the church's duty is casting down ungodly thoughts.

Jesus said we are to know them by their fruit. What type of fruit? We need to keep several areas of fruit in mind to cast down ideas, not people.