I just got off an instant message chat with "Brian" from Comodo's GeekBuddy service that auto-installed on my computer with the free version of the firewall. Below is our chat. I let my angst show a bit toward the end. I bet "Brian" isn't even the operator's real name.... My comments in {}'s

Brian (04/01/12 11:16:37): Hello, my name is Brian. How may I assist you today?

Client (04/01/12 11:17:28): I just logged into my computer and Comodo popped up with a warning: .MalCrypt.Indus!@1 C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon_lh.exe

Brian (04/01/12 11:17:42): I will be happy to clean your computer from malware. Your current product does not include malware removal but I would like to offer you Comodo Internet Security COMPLETE 2012 with 24/7 GeekBuddy FULL support for 1 year. It is just $39.89 and it can be purchased here: https://secure.comodo.com/home/purchase.php?pid=8&promocode=2IQLy030fKCExQj7qstisdW0&subaffiliateid=1323

{It was here that I got really suspicious. He didn't even try to win me over first. :| }

Client (04/01/12 11:18:22): So, you can't help me unless I fork out 40 bucks?

{Notice how straight he answers this pointed question...He doesn't even try to smooth it over.}

Brian (04/01/12 11:18:50): Exactly. After you subscribe we can help you tight away
Brian (04/01/12 11:18:57): Once you subscribe I will be able to help you with everything: virus removal, software installation, indentity security or PC troubleshooting.

Client (04/01/12 11:20:12): Can you tell me some common signs that this can be a false alarm?

{Brace yourself for a question dodge...}

Brian (04/01/12 11:21:15): It is not a false alarm, it is a virus!
Brian (04/01/12 11:21:23): We can remove it right after you subscribe
Brian (04/01/12 11:22:12): You just need to subscribe and after that we will do all the rest for you

{Notice how his description of what I would be paying for did not include advice, which I was hoping he would give for free. My attempt was futile as you will see...}

Client (04/01/12 11:23:03): I understand that malware is a virus & that it is urgent, however, my computer was reformated about 2 months ago and has barely been on the internet. The message came up while I was not on the internet and before chatting I did some research on the Comodo forums and ran across several articles explaining that this particular malware has shown to be a false alarm in some cases.
Client (04/01/12 11:23:36): is it not possible that it can be a false alarm?

Brian (04/01/12 11:24:02): No it is not a false alarm
Brian (04/01/12 11:24:14): We can clean your computer and make it 100% clean and secure
Brian (04/01/12 11:24:25): You just need to subscribe here: https://secure.comodo.com/home/purchase.php?pid=8&promocode=2IQLy030fKCExQj7qstisdW0&subaffiliateid=1323

Client (04/01/12 11:24:57): Without looking, can you tell me how you know it cannot be a false alarm?

Brian (04/01/12 11:25:37): This information is all we need to know: .MalCrypt.Indus!@1 C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon_lh.exe

{How convenient of an answer.}

Client (04/01/12 11:26:17): And what does that mean in layman's terms?

Brian (04/01/12 11:26:45): I really can't assist you further with your virus issue unless you subscribe first

{Another dodge. Now my chance to see how desperate he is at selling me something. ;) }

Client (04/01/12 11:27:57): Ok. I think I'll choose the free route...I can reformat my hard drive.

{HDD reformatting is what was suggested on the forum.}

Brian (04/01/12 11:28:21): I can offer you Comodo Internet Security PRO 2012 at the special price of only $4.99 for 1 year: https://secure.comodo.com/home/purchase.php?pid=9&promocode=U01Ng1dlzqVeHjuROylCeMXT&subaffiliateid=1323

{Hmm, seems like a special offer, but sounds more like a built in, pre-determined lower priced offer that "GeekBuddies" like "Brian" would use as a last resort.}

Client (04/01/12 11:29:00): What happended to $40?

Brian (04/01/12 11:29:39): Here it is: https://secure.comodo.com/home/purchase.php?pid=8&promocode=2IQLy030fKCExQj7qstisdW0&subaffiliateid=1323

{Yeah, the jig is up. Time to be courteous & skedaddle.}

Client (04/01/12 11:32:46): Thanks.

Brian (04/01/12 11:33:13): You're welcome!

{End of Line}

I'm so glad I don't have "Brian"'s job; I'd feel like Mr. Incredible did in his Insurance Company position. Needless to say, I think this malware is a false alarm & I will not be reformatting my HDD.

~Josh

~Lyrics :: Opinion shrouded in a catchy tune -

Yesterday I was surfing channels on the radio and stumbled upon an alternative rock song whose lyrics went as follows: "there ain't no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good." Having later looked up the song, I certainly cannot recommend it to anyone, but that phrase stuck out to me. What kind of rest are the members of Cage the Elephant talking about? I can see how the wicked in this life may always be restless and without peace, having neither God nor salvation, but certainly those feelings will not leave them when they die and suffer in torment. Exactly what agenda are the band members pushing. I caution all who listen to music to be wary of the lyrics the singers sing. Question it, examine it - compare it with Truth.

~World Proverbs :: What the world so casually proclaims as truth, but in error -

While listening to the radio, a commercial announcer said, "Summer is the time for less clothes and more skin...." I turned the radio off and thought about that phrase. Is this really what has become the norm for society? Sure, I knew people wear almost nothing when it's hot outside, but to put it like that is so... so... perverse! I really didn't want believe that I actually heard such blasphemy being broadcast over the radio to thousands of people.

While listening to a news channel on the radio, an interviewee said, "We all want to live in a world where we can worship what ever we want." While that sounds good at first, it really is one of the most horrible things a person could say! That statement assumes I am included. I certainly am NOT included. I DON'T want to live in a world like that. I wish I was living in a world where we all worshiped the Creator, the one True God. Unfortunately that is just a dream that won't come true either (so long as we are on Earth), but I am faced with the thought, "The fact that anyone, yes even one person, wants to worship anyone else but Him is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of time."

"Everyone has a price" - to be bought into doing something. This ought not be true of any man or woman or child when it comes to contradicting God's law. There is nothing on this Earth or in this realm that is more valuable than salvation (Mark 8:36-38).

~Proverbial Statements :: For lack of a better term, these are realizations that my pondering has come to -

YOU are nothing without GOD.
SATAN is nothing without YOU.

Ignorance is not Liberty. Nor is it authority.

Two wrongs NEVER make a right, REGARDLESS of the cause.

Inferences are made on implications. - E.G.: I receive an email stating that John will obtain pizza for our business meeting. This implies that he will do all that is necessary to obtain it (ordering it, picking it up, bringing it to the meeting...). I can infer that I don't have to do anything to help him get the pizza.

~Statements :: Various thoughts

There is a time and place to feel good about ourselves, but until sin is eradicated from our lives, we should feel a degree of sorrow and discomfort deep within us that eats at us every second.

The choices I have made are what has brought me to where I am now. If I don't like where I am, I am the only one to blame and there is no previous choice I can change. But, I CAN make new and reforming choices now. Yes, now, not "yet in the future," for the future is uncertain, as it may never come.

To one who claims to be a Christian, but does not worship God, What in your life would you give up to make room for a time to worship Him? (That thing may very well be the idol which occupies you, consuming the time which ought to be duly devoted to God.)

Poison when used in non-medical or sanitary ways is always damaging to the body and should be looked down upon, yet billions of people willingly poison themselves on a daily bases - the deadly and addictive poison called alcohol.

Luke 17:10 - However much we are doing now, we can still do more. It is our DUTY.

James 1:21 - I bend to fit God's absolute laws. His absolute laws will not bend to fit me or my desires / beliefs.

In the pagan, polytheistic world, the people severely under-estimated the power of God or even that deity could possess. They had false gods for different aspects of battle, for weather, for crops, for love, et cetera. God is so all-powerful that he is over EVERY aspect of creation and nothing can have dominion over Him.

God's authority and will does not necessitate repetition in the Biblical record for a command to be authoritative. One instance of record is enough for the instruction to bear His authority. An example of repetition: Luke 22:19 & 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 ; An example of non-repetition: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16.

Are we prepared to give scriptural authority for __, else give it up? We should be.

The only way to save souls is by their choice, one at a time.

~Fiction :: Statements taken as non-fiction, but which are actually fiction -

"Making up for lost time" - is fiction

"Homosexuality is not always a choice" - this is fiction. There is no such thing as the "homosexual gene." If there was, why is it that it can only be passed along by engaging in Hetero-sexuality?? Homosexuality is not natural. One's own desires are not equal with mandatory action (James 1:13-14). If a child comes out of a homosexual "family" and is normal, it is *in spite* of the sinful "familial arrangement," NOT *because* of it.

"If if doesn't say we can't, we can" - In regard to a great many things, especially spiritual things, this is fiction. It is good to note that this is a very American approach and that other cultures take the opposite view. Siberian businesses have, for many years prior to American influence, taken the stand that "if the law does not say we can, we cannot." To those who hold the fictional statement as truth, I would press you to ask what Nadab and Abihu know about it (Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4; 26:61).

"I know my rights! I look out for number one! No one can tell me what to do! I'm worth it! I deserve it!" - Really? This selfish attitude that so embodies American culture is fiction. Philippians 3:8-9; 2:1-4; 1 Samuel 3:9-10; Luke 17:10.

"Let your conscience be your guide" - This is not biblical doctrine. Only a properly trained conscience can really be trusted to guide. God gave man a conscience to HELP in controlling his moral & spiritual life, not to be leaned on entirely! The conscience is *taught* through the use of the five senses. Hebrews 5:14 - "But solid food is for full-grown men, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil." Though it may be taught rightly, it is possible to undo such teaching unto an ineffective conscience by violating it enough times (Ephesians 4:17-19). Also see 1 Timothy 4:1-2.

-Josh

After a long time away and having thought off and on about posting again, I have finally returned.

Throughout my day, especially when I am at school, I think about a lot of things, usually in the context of the bible. Many of my thoughts I regularly mull over in my mental faculties, so I cannot say that I am done thinking about any of them. It is my intent to use my page here as a sort of proving ground (and a place to put the thoughts in case I forget them). :)

I originally intended to post this stuff on Facebook notes, but I figured it might be a little more lucrative (for me and others) since pleonast is public and I can get direct input here.

Any comments are welcome! If you see me err on anything, please.......please speak up - I thank you in advance.

-Josh

P.S. Thanks so much for the encouraging comments on my earlier posts, it really helps a lot.

Tonight in class, we were talking about obedience to the gospel and the invitation had some really good thoughts in it as well:

* Acts 2 gives account to the day of Pentecost when Peter gave a discourse to the people who crucified Jesus Christ. In verses 22-24, Peter said,

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by Him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know; Him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it."

and in verses 37-38 note, "Now when they heard, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter unto them, Repent ye and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins: and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

The people who heard what they had done and who Jesus was believed.

Some who profess to be Christians would say that the people achieved salvation in that moment, the doctrine of "all you have to do is believe." I say NO! They asked what they had to do and Peter responded that they needed to be saved and that in order to achieve this, they needed to repent and be baptized "for the remissions of [their] sins." Also, if they had already been saved, why would Peter have said in verse 40, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." ?

Simple belief is not enough. If belief alone saved you, then apply it in another situation:

You are sitting at home on the sofa. Your phone rings and you answer it. Your best friend called you and said, "Your house is on fire!"

By this principle, you say, "Okay. I believe you," and hang up. You return to sitting on your sofa. Does simple belief really save you? Of course not! Belief is the first step, but action must still be taken to insure your safety. So it is with your soul.

* Some people are willfully ignorant of the obvious. What I mean by this is with reference to some who isolate passages on salvation such as Acts 2:38 and say all you have to do is repent and be baptized while overlooking the progress the people had already made. Allow me to illustrate with the illustration given in class:

I ask Bob how far I have to drive to Milwaukee. He says 40 miles. I drive 10 miles and call up Jimmy and ask him how far to Milwaukee. He says 30 miles. I drive further along and call Brad and ask him the same question. He says 10 miles.

I throw my hands up and exlaim, "What is this? How far is it?! Bob says 40, Jimmy says 30 and Brad says 10!"

You, I am sure, recognize that I was at different points in my journey, so I got different answers to the same question.

As for salvation, if a person already believes, he needs to be told to repent and be baptized for the remission of his sins. He doesn't need to be told to believe because he already does. The people at Pentecost in Acts 2 obviously believed because if they had not, they would not have asked what they needed to do.

In Mark 16:16, it says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned."

Jesus said to believe, but he did not say repent. I believe repentance is implied. If one actually believed, one would follow God's commands lest he have blame/blemishes (Eph. 1.4), which imples turning away from that which is lawlessness, that is, sin.

In Acts 16:31-34, many people want to read as far as v. 31 and stop: "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house."

32-34 explain further what this salvation required: "And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God."

In the conversation the disciples had with the jailor and his house, baptism must have been taught and highlighted as necessary for salvation. They spake the word of God unto them so that they might believe. Then they were baptized. (Repentance is implied.) Verse 34 shows that all of this is included in "having believed in God."

Gal. 3:25-26, "But now that faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor. For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus." Some would say that this passage shows that only faith is required to be counted as a son of God. We must not over look the words of the next verse, 27. "For" connects the thoughts ov 25-26 to 27: it answers the question of 'why'. "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ." To put on Christ is to become a child of God. If baptism is required, then to omit this verse and preach only 25-26 as the whole command, we do damage to the scriptures and lie.

* Religion to most people is a feel good. And to others, it is a means to get rich. This is the secular point of view on Christianity at large and religion in mainstream culture.

While this is altogether a terrible point of view, in a sense (not the sense the view suggests), the statement that 'religion is a means to get rict' is true.

Matt. 9:19-21
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where theives do not break through nor steal: for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also."

Luke 12:19-21
"And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Being a Christian is not about a get-rich-quick scheme. It is not about what you want to have on this earth. Our treasure is not of this world. If you have not obeyed the gospel, you have not begun laying treasure up in heaven. If you are a Chistian, but have not been living as you ought, I urge you to look at Ezekiel 18:23-24 "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Jehovah; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? NONE OF HIS RIGHTEOUS DEEDS THAT HE HATH DONE SHALL BE REMEMBERED: IN HIS TRESPASS THAT HE HATH TRESPASSED, AND IN HIS SIN THAT HE HATH SINNED, IN THEM HE SHALL DIE."

Take courage and repent: Ezekiel 18:21-22: "But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live."

-Josh

What follow are some thoughts and ideas I had during, about and from yesterday's two sermons. Hopefully, they are of some benefit to someone.

* Question what people tell you about the Bible, especially if you don't know where the supporting Bible passage is. Verify everything, but most of all, first give yourself permission to be wrong.

* You can't teach what you don't know

* If you don't know it, admit it...The worst thing you could do is make it up or speak out of uncertainty and risk teaching someone wrong. Don't be afraid to ask someone for help and even if you receive it, always look at the Bible for answers.

* We need to have courage to say what needs to be said to whom needs to hear it. (Not just to whom needs to hear it most, but even to whom needs to hear it least (if you are going to put degrees on need)). Instill this courage in your children - FIRST by example, lest you answer for not training you children to take the stand for the truth EVERY time the stand needs to be taken. (If you don't have children, your work is cut out for you - be the example now so that when you have children, you will be what you need to be every time they see you.)

* I am not for sale for anything, even my own life

* I can do all things [God would have me to do] thru Chirst my Lord

* My comfort does not out-weigh what God wants me to be

* I can't EVER say "I couldn't resist," but I MUST say "I didn't resist, by choice."

* Exhortations to Christians as recorded in the Bible are exhortations to me, whether I think I need it or not

* Souls aren't saved by a nice building or nice furniture, or a crowd of people, but by people who stand (not WILL stand, but DO stand) for what is Truth

* If I can spend 2 hours a day watching Television (or surfing Facebook as the case may be for some), why can i not take that time instead and be entertained by the growth produced in personal study-time in the Bible

* Every action I take is an example to someone. I can't do what I would teach someone else to not do.

* In this country it has been said, "Privacy is not a right, it is a privilege." Actually, it doesn't even really exist. Man may not see, but God ALWAYS does (often to His grief)

* My best hope it that I am caught every time I sin. What better way to change when I have apparently deceived myself that it is ok this one time and I therefore cannot trust myself. I can then lean on God for strength to change and never turn back.

* It is easy to be lazy without an urgent incentive. My perceived best probably is not my best. Especially when I forget that Christ can come literally any time. (He can come while you are reading this right now. My sincere hope is that He doesn't come, if you are in sin and need that time to make it right. I try to remember to strive to be able to be as Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 and be able to say "Here I am!" when Christ comes again.) I think sometimes we need those times when our lives literally are in danger to jog us back to reality that our life is not our own and we have no time guaranteed to us.


* The last thing I want from God to me is Justice. How merciful He is to have provided a way of salvation.

* If your creed is "taken from the Bible," then you don't need the creed. Just use the Bible. There's nothing missing. Nothing needs to be added. It doesn't need to be revised. It is all Truth.

* If you catch yourself saying "We think God would like it" be quick to remember that God has said what he likes. Please learn from the lesson of Nadab and Abihu. I am sure they wouldn't want you to make the same poor choices they made.

* Just because you want it doesn't make it right. Just because someone wants baked beans at the Lord's table because they like baked beans doesn't make it right. Again, God has said what he likes. Worshiping Him is all about making Him happy, not you. It is about being selfless, not selfish.

* God is not a respecter of persons. (So much for Calvinism.) - Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11; Col. 3:25; Rev. 22:17

* God called all that he created good. Some people look at 'natural disasters' and cry out that God is not loving. God know what He is doing and the last thing He needs (as if He needed anything) is His creature telling Him what he thinks is best. Nature is neither good nor evil. It just is. We have to deal with it.

* Our demeanor tells people who we really are. Many of us are good at hiding ourselves to put on a facade of good cheer or moral excellence when we are rotting spiritually on the inside. Those stressful situations that reveal our condemned inside to others is really a blessing, as it tends to be the catalyst for change.

* If you are going thru and adverse time, remember that by adversity comes strength. God will never leave you.

* God will never leave you. But it is your choice to leave Him. Never do it.

-Josh