Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
(1 Thes. 5:11-15 )
Greetings again from the Breakers,
Well, the above verse says it all. This is how we as Christians are supposed to treat one another. We should show forth the Spirit of Christ and manifest the fruits of the Spirit on a continual basis. We should be active in edification and exhortation. We should admonish others to esteem others better than themselves. We should also comfort and support each other in Christ, while being patient towards one another. At least that’s what the Bible instructs us to do. But my how different the real world really is!
We live in a day and age of “road rage.” I’m so surprised at how quickly people become angry and how constantly they vent their frustrations out on others, especially when you do nothing but simply present to them the Gospel and/or tell them the truth. Some say it’s just the sign of the times, others say it’s the government poisoning our water system and making us paranoid and antagonistic, while others say it’s just the manifestation of the attitude of the world in these last days (i.e. the love of many shall wax cold). I don’t know. But everywhere I look, I see tempers flaring and people mercilessly attacking each other.
It’s not just in the world and secular politics, but also in the Church, and it’s sad to see those who claim to be Christians treating each other in such an un-Christian manner. I report this, as we’ve recently been slandered online by a Christian brother who desires to belittle us and destroy our ministry. (And it was awful. I mean outright slander!)
I didn’t want to even bring this up. But I feel it’s important as it’s helped me to change for the better. I love him and pray for him, but he sure doesn’t want anything to do with me. That’s why I desire to go to the opposite extreme and try even harder to be more cheerful, happy, grateful, and joyful. (Something I’ve been missing for some time). We’ve been hurt so much and so often, I’ve found I’ve become numb. I’m tired of not feeling anymore. So I’m trying to make an about face and just try to feel true Christian joy, no matter what comes my way. One of my favorite verses to quote now is: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts...and be ye thankful!” (Col. 3:15).
Sadly, this anti-Christian attitude of malice towards others has become more rampant in these last days, and I’m seeing it grow more and more. What it is? I believe I’ve figured it out. It’s the spirit of Phariseeism.
I’ve been studying the Pharisees a lot in the Bible, and it’s scary what they were really like. They were their own little group of manipulative men with a secret society mentality who promoted and protected each other and even covered up one another’s sins. Further, they ran in groups and patted each other on the back and preached for one another, while crying aloud against others who weren’t part of their movement. They delighted in attacking others who didn’t agree with them, and even going so far as to ridicule, mock, and even crucify and kill those (like Jesus) who had the audacity to point out their evil and pernicious ways. Even though they appeared clean and righteous outwardly, their sins abounded inwardly. These were unseen by man, but clearly viewed by God. Thus, they were self-righteous and this made them think they were better than others. Anyone who wouldn’t give them the glory they felt they so rightly deserved they held in great disdain. Their pride led them to thinking they were authorities and this led to them becoming divisive. Thus, you either joined them and agreed with them, or you faced intimidation, wrath, ridicule, and almost certain death!
Now, does this sound like anyone you know of? I think it accurately portrays quite a few religious leaders I’ve known over the years. I still see a lot of spiritual Pharisees today, and they aren’t hard to spot. They always brag upon themselves and their group. They always stick together and praise one another. And they all seem to ridicule others who don’t do things exactly like they do. Quite frankly, I’m tried of these guys, and I certainly don’t want to be a part of them.
Over the last several years I’ve been serving the Lord away from the groupies, and it’s been wonderful to serve God of a pure heart with liberty, without being under bondage to the Pharisees. But there’s one thing I’ve found that I lacked: CHRISTIAN JOY! So now I’m finding that the key to happiness is learning to enjoy persecution. This is a hard truth to get a hold of, and something a Pharisee will never understand. Why? They don’t get persecuted! It’s because their collective won’t allow it. They will always march in mass against someone who speaks against anyone of their number. They aren’t persecuted, because they themselves are the Persecutors.
But when you are truly free of such people, then you understand why they are the way they are. (You almost feel sorry for them and their critical and bitter attitudes). You also understand the power of intimidation, for the Pharisees use it quite frequently to keep their members in chains. To be a Pharisee, one must compromise and submit to go along with the pack, no matter what. But what happens if the Pharisees as a whole become corrupt? What if they begin to head in the wrong direction and believe a lie? And what happens if you even dare to speak up about it and question their practices? The answer is: instant excommunication! But it doesn’t end there. Because they want so badly for others to know they don’t identify with you, they must continually ridicule you for the rest of your life.
So this is what I’m going through. I used to be ashamed, but now I embrace it. I’ve always been “that guy.” You know that guy, don’t you? He’s the one who sees something that’s wrong and he can’t be quiet about it. He has to say something. That’s me! And it’s gotten me in trouble time and again. But I find I don’t want to compromise and become a Pharisee. So I’ve come to terms with the fact that my lot in life is to just stand for the truth and let them crucify me like they did Jesus.
Pharisees reward their own graciously. But if you leave their fold, you’ll find they seek to utterly destroy all those who have left their numbers. In other words, they aren’t so interested in STANDING FOR something, rather they enjoy STANDING AGAINST things. It’s like they are just looking for someone or something to pick on and start a fight. Sometimes I think they actually delight in the pain and misery of others. I don’t desire to be a part of anything like that. No matter how adamantly they try to tell you they are “Christian,” to me such people are not Christian at all.
With that said, I’ve determined to continue serving the Lord of a pure heart, but with something I haven’t had much of lately: HAPPINESS. Paul said it best with, “If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.” (2 Cor. 11:30).
The Pharisees glory in themselves while Paul gloried in the Lord and in his suffering for his name’s sake. I’m tired of living in the dumps and always worrying about what others say about me. My pitty-party is officially over. I’m learning to glory in their attacks, and wear it as a badge of honor for the truth’s sake. But one thing I’ve noticed, is that the Pharisees don’t stick with the FACTS. They can’t, because deep down they know they’re wrong. So that’s why they are so quick to engage in personal ATTACKS, and NAME-CALLING. Like little second graders they must resort to mud-slinging, because dealing with the issue only exposes them for what they really are. And their constant use of dirty words, truly shows they have a dirty heart. (Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh).
That’s why I’m focusing more now on the fruits of the Spirit and speaking the truth in such a manner that won’t turn people away, but will make them want to learn more. I like Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
Notice what this verse says. We are to speak the truth in love. Why? That we “may GROW UP into him in all things!” Does that mean if a man doesn’t do this, he’s not grown up?
Maybe that’s why modern day Pharisees seem to be acting like a bunch of children with their name-calling rather than simply dealing with the issues and seeking an answer from the scriptures. Could it be they are just children, and/or babes in Christ? Maybe Paul said the following in 1 Cor. 14:20, speaking of this very thing: “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” As for me, I’m tired of the malice, hate, anger, spite, name-calling, jealousy, and intimidation from the Pharisees. And I’m making it a point to do all I can to simply preach the TRUTH no matter what the cost. I’ve determined to deal with the ISSUES and the FACTS, and not focus on the MAN behind the issue. (Which the Pharisees are so good at doing). For I’ve lately come across so many people who’ve been hurt by other Christians and turned away from the truth by the negative spirits of the uncompassionate Pharisees. These wounded souls need Christ as well. And if they are saved, they need comfort and exhortation. It’s for this reason I want to make it known publicly, that I’m not a modern-day Pharisee! Nor do I want to be. I’m not interested in fame, money, glory, the praise of men, etc. I’m just a guy plodding along and planting seeds. And I want to make sure I’m doing so of a joyful heart, a spirit of meekness, and being lead by God’s Spirit. For Pharisees frequently do the opposite, being oftentimes in the flesh with their carnal attacks.
I’ve found over the years that the ministry isn’t always fun. I’m tired of it being like this. I want to actually ENJOY serving Jesus, and live for him because I enjoy doing so, not just because I know I have to because it’s the right thing to do. I don’t want to be a modern-day Jonah. I pray others will take heed and strive to do the same.
Time is short, Christ is coming soon! We don’t need the Pharisees, for quite often they do more harm to the cause of Christ than good! All we need is Jesus. Let’s try to get more people won to him, and get more people pointed to the scriptures. That’s my desire and what I’m trying to do.
Sincerely,
Robert Breaker
HIGHLIGHTS, NEWS, AND UPCOMING PLANS
This month I’ve been very busy. I taped some DVDs in Spanish on the teaching of the Seven Mysteries in the Bible, and we hope to have those available soon. I also spent a lot of time preparing a slide show for when I go to Dallas in March. A Christian brother wants me to make a professional DVD about the History of the Spanish Bible and the various versions of it available today to a church who desires to start a Spanish Ministry. I hope to be able to send this DVD out to you all in my next prayer letter.
Also in March I will meet with my Pastor and several others, as we discuss printing the latest edition of our Valera 1602 Purified Spanish Bible, and, we hope to eventually get a bilingual KJV/Spanish Bible done. I’m enclosing with this prayer letter a page from the book of Philippians. Our desire is an old Castilian Spanish text (Castilian Spanish is by law the type of Spanish in which all official documents in Spanish should be kept), which is as close as possible to those old Reformation, Protestant versions, and which also is as close to the KJV as possible without losing the language and flavor of the old Reina-Valera Bibles. I ask for your prayers as we work on this project. For all that’s available today is either a corrupt 1865, 1909, and/or 1960 American Bible Society versions. There is also the modern Gomez, but it took as it’s basis the corrupt 1909 and 1960 and corrected those with the texts underlying our King James. (A good name for that version would be The 1960 Purified, as it reads so closely with the word choice of that revision). On my website is a comparison chart of over 207 verses which show that the Gomez isn’t what it claims to be. I would encourage you to go to my site for that information and much more. See: www.rrb3.com.
I’ve also been witnessing, and boy is it odd what you come across nowadays! The other day I witnessed to a man who had a tattoo on him that looked like a satanic symbol. When I asked him about it, he tried to convince me that he was a Christian, and that it was a “Christian symbol.” He was also into “Christian Rock Music” and tried to tell me how much he loved Jesus. What is this world coming to? It’s so weird. How can you have the world and God too? The lines are being blurred so often, it’s hard to tell who really is or isn’t a Christian anymore. That’s why I ask people their testimony and then ask them to tell me if that lines up with the Bible or not. Often times it doesn’t. If they don’t claim to be Christians (which is so rare, as many people today claim to be), I find I have to deal with so much before I can even get to the point of presenting the Gospel to them. It’s almost like you have to do a deprogramming session with people and talk them out of their belief in Evolution, Science, Religion, etc., before they will acknowledge the fact that the Bible is the word of God, Jesus is God, and He died in their place for their sins. (Sadly, many of them won’t even say they are a Sinner!) Thus, we press on, preaching to everyone we meet, and desiring to point them to Christ crucified, and faith in his blood atonement alone for salvation.
We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback the last two months from people. God is really getting out a lot of info from our website about the Spanish Bible Issue, while the Pharisees are more active than ever in trying to cover it up. The latest thing is them adamantly defending the Catholic Spanish word “Verbo” for Jesus in John 1:1. They even try to run to the corrupt Latin Vulgate and prove Verbum is the oldest extant reading. This, however, is not true, as 100 years after Jesus the early church used Sermo rather than Verbum, just like the old Protestants used Palabra before the reading of Verbo came along in Spanish. Someone has changed the old Latin word and the old Spanish word. Who would do such a thing? It’s the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH! And I personally feel that we shouldn’t allow that church to dictate to us which words we should use in our Spanish Bibles. That’s why we don’t desire “Verbo.” Even Erasmus in the 1500’s wrote a treatise on why Verbum is wrong! Verbo also has connections with the Jewish Kabbalah, which is nothing short of witchcraft. How sad that modern Christians choose a version in Spanish that has more in common with witchcraft than with the Protestants of old who stood against the Catholic Church and their Bloody Inquisition which prohibited the word of God translated into other languages.
Our Spanish Bible further is the only one available today which follows the KJV in using “LORD” (SEÑOR) in the Old Testament instead of “Jehovah” (in all but six places like the KJV). This is important as many Jehovah Witnesses use this to their advantage and prey upon unsuspecting Hispanics with their false doctrines and teachings that Jesus is not God. Yet, modern day Pharisees are defending the word Jehovah in the Spanish Bible. Why go against the King James Bible? And why choose a reading that helps cults deceive people? I just don’t understand it.
God bless and thanks again for all your prayers and support. We appreciate you all for not going the way of the Pharisees, but for loving the truth and standing for it and for standing with us as we preach it and present it in as many ways as possible to others!
