As in all conspiracies, when individuals don't see ways that they will be promoted themselves, they usually quit!
The number one problem that they had to deal with was of course: Familiarity
- The con-artist gains everything through deceit but loses everything worthwhile in life. - another words – his whole life is one big “con”.
Those who gain by deception are always the losers -- for the wages of crime and conspiracy creates the greatest losers in history, --and for the unbeliever the loss extends into eternity.
- The con-artist constantly watches people and gathers intelligence about their private lives for personal use and advancement.
People who seek to advance by putting their nose into the private lives of someone else are totally evil people, 1PE 4:15.
1PE 4:15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; -
- Con-artists always use those who are unstable as a part of their con. (Jude1:16)
JUDE 1:16, These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
- The “professional” con-artist knows that his best chance for gain is to work on someone who is actually stable.
PSA 64:2, Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, From the chaos of those who do iniquity,
PSA 64:3, Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech {as} their arrow,
JAM 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
The word "hell" here is derived from the Greek name of the Valley of Hinnom.
Hinnom Valley had been used in the past for human sacrifice and it was associated with garbage, rejection, evil, destruction, and fire. This Valley of Hinnom was often held up as a picture of God's eternal judgment on sin: hell.
The fundamental spiritual problems all people have: pride and lack of self-control.
MAT 15:18 "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person."
PSA 64:4 To shoot from concealment at the mature believer. Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
They conceal their hatred and their con while behind the scenes plotting and scheming how to destroy the victim of their con.
PSA 64:5 They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who can see them?"
PSA 64:6 They devise injustices, saying,
“We are ready with a well-conceived plot”;
For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.
Their thoughts in their heart are deep or as the Hebrew says “amoq” - exceedingly mysterious.
PSA 64:7 But God will shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they will be wounded.
PSA 64:7 But God will shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they will be wounded.
PSA 64:8 So they will make him stumble; their own tongue is against them; all who see them will shake their head.
PSA 64:9 Then all men will fear, and will declare the work of God; and will consider what He has done.
God’s vindication will only be realized by those who have enough humility and doctrine to recognize what God has done.
- The con-artist who is really a pro only tries to con an unstable person when it is to add numbers to his opinions.
- The con-artist is the type of individual who gets others to do his dirty work while trying to appear righteous to those who really do not know him.
NUM 16:8-12, Then Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi,
NUM 16:9 is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;
NUM 16:10 and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking for the priesthood also?
NUM 16:11 “Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord; but as for Aaron, who is he that you grumble against him?”
NUM 16:12 Then Moses sent a summons to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come up.”
They have the usual "con-artist slick propaganda system" which is that they wouldn't dare get into a confrontation with Moses.
Be very careful of those individuals in your life who are slick, smooth, sly, and deceitful.
- The arrogant con-artist likes to manipulate those who are predictable, stable and reliable.
If they operate under the principle of 1CO13:7 that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,… then the con-artist takes advantage of the fact that the believer thinks like this.
If the victim operates under the principle of 1Pe 4:8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Honorable people are always much more vulnerable to duplicity than dishonorable people.
Honorable people, people with integrity, are much more vulnerable to duplicity than the dishonorable.
In 1CO13:7 that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,
- The con-artist will say the right things, even have the vocabulary down and he uses truth to gain his evil ends, Phi 1:15-18.
PHI 1:15 Certain ones, on the one hand, are proclaiming the Christ even from jealousy and strife or discord, but, certain ones, on the other hand, because of good motivation,
First, Paul acknowledged that it's possible to preach Christ with wrong motivations.
It's also possible that those who hated Paul's message were deliberately spreading it, in order to inflame his enemies (Philippians 1:17).
By this time in the early AD 60s, many were apparently sharing Jesus in Rome.
And before long, the city would be considered the capital of Western Christianity.
PHI 1:16 the latter category out of the motivation of love, fully convinced that I am appointed for the defense of the good news;
Paul will refer to Timothy serving with him in the gospel (Philippians 2:22), women and men who served with him in the gospel (Philippians 4:3), and mentions the "beginning of the gospel" (Philippians 4:15).
1PE 3:15 "In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you."
Believers are called both to “present” and “defend” Christianity “effectively, and respectfully”, to help bring people to faith in Christ and help equip believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of God.
PHI 1:17 the former category from the motivation of divisive self-promotion proclaim Christ, not from pure motives, since they presume to arouse mental distress with regard to my imprisonment.
- A con-artist is more concerned with their own benefit than the spread of the gospel.
First, their selfish ambition led to more people hearing about Jesus.
Second, the growing popularity of Christianity may have had something to do with Paul's later release.
The church was small when Romans was written in 55–56 AD.
By 64 AD, less than 10 years later, Christians had become a large enough minority to receive the blame from Nero for the fires in Rome.
Believers endured intense persecution during this time, traditionally including the deaths of both Paul and Peter in or near Rome during Nero's reign (AD 64–68).
Truth is a powerful thing; the harder one tries to suppress it, the more eagerly it seems to spread!
PHI 1:15 Certain ones, on the one hand, are proclaiming the Christ even from jealousy and strife or discord, but, certain ones, on the other hand, because of good motivation,
PHI 1:16 the latter category out of
the motivation of love, fully convinced that I am appointed for the defense of the good news;
PHI 1:17 the former category from the motivation of divisive self-promotion proclaim Christ, not from pure motives, since they presume to arouse mental distress with regard to my imprisonment.
PHI 1:18 What is my conclusion? Only that in every way, whether in false motivation or in true, Christ is being proclaimed; and in this I am happy, not only at this time, but I will continue being happy.
ROM 15:20 "I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation,
ROM 15:21 but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.'"
- A good con-artist knows that it's always better to use truth - to deceive -- than a lie -- because once they are caught in their lies, --their con becomes weak.
Satan is an angel of light. (2CO 11:13-15)
2CO 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
2CO 11:14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2CO 11:15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
They may have been part of a group labelled "Judaizers." This was the label given to Jewish religious leaders who attempted to persuade Gentiles that they must also follow the Law in order to be truly saved.
This group did not deny Christ's message outright but destroyed the gospel of God's grace through faith in Christ by adding a component of works.
They were “con-artist” distorting all the true things Paul had taught to the Corinthians in order to gain some advantage for themselves.
The most effective deception is to convince people that what is evil is actually good, that what is dark is actually light.
Paul had already compared the work of these false apostles to Satan's deception of Eve in the garden (2 Corinthians 11:3; Genesis 3:1–8).
These false teachers, also, have presented themselves to the Corinthians as workers for good with impressive speaking and presentation skills.
These false teachers are “intentional” in their deception of the Christians in Corinth.
God's judgment is coming for those who practice unrighteousness (Romans 2:6; Galatians 6:7–9; Philippians 3:18–19).
Positive volition toward Doctrine is the driving desire which motivates believers to overcome all obstacles and center their life in Doctrine.
JER 20:9 “But if I say, I will not mention Him or speak anymore in His name, His word is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”
PSA 42:1 says, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God.”
The question is: Why does this desire reside in some but not in others?
PSA 63:1 “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
- God has provided the mechanics of inspiration for the formation and preservation of the canon of Scripture.
- God provides the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit inside the Pre- designed Plan of God (PPOG) enabling us to understand the mechanics for the execution of His plan.
- God provides the Divine plan for the Church and the PPOG for the Royal Family of God.
- God provides a right Pastor-teacher for every member of the royal family who is positive to Doctrine.
There is no such thing as a self-made Christian.
- God provides the privacy of the royal priesthood for the perception of mystery doctrine. Every believer is given a royal priesthood for the purpose of freedom and privacy.
- Logistical Grace Support. Every member of the royal family is kept alive for the equal privilege and the equal opportunity to execute God's plan.
- God provides the local church as the classroom for the royal family to learn His Word.
- God provides human volition as the means of integrating Doctrine into the life of the believer.
Doctrine loves those who diligently seek wisdom, Pro 8:17 “I [doctrine] love those who love
me; and those who diligently seek me, will find me.”
The Church-age is not a period of miracles; it is a
period of utilization of Divine dynamics or power acquired through the use of positive volition toward Bible doctrine.
All Christians have a destiny, and they learn about this destiny through the knowledge gained from the study of the Word of God.
The believer should appreciate
the invisible work of God and recognize that even the maturing of his own positive volition is from God.
Positive volition becomes a blessing in itself, a blessing which allows the believer to fulfill the conditions of the PPOG, making the motivation of positive volition a driving force and a source of even
greater blessing in the believer’s life.
The concept of positive volition is expressed in ROM 14:19 “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
The word “pursue” expresses positive volition toward that which gives us all the details regarding God's plan for our lives after salvation.
Positive volition is never automatic; any believer - at any time, in any stage of spiritual growth can become dull of hearing as described in HEB 5:11-12.
HEB 5:11 “Concerning Him [Christ Jesus] we have much to say and it is hard to explain we have many doctrines to communicate and hard to explain because you have become dull of hearing.
The word translated dull comes from the Greek term nōthroi, which carries a sense of being lazy or sluggish.
This echoes the warning given in Hebrews 2:1–4, where the writer commanded his audience to pay "closer attention" to these things.
HEB 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, but you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”
A Christian's spiritual growth has to begin with the simpler things (1 Peter 2:2).
Over time, spiritual growth should lead a believer to understand ideas with greater substance (1 Corinthians 3:1).
Because they have been slow-moving and lazy in their approach to the faith: "dull of hearing."
A believer can lose the doctrine that has been attained through a series of negative decisions.
They became deceived and confused, not realizing that they simply needed to recover the filling of the Holy Spirit and move forward.
They seek that which is shallow and superficial and reject what is deep.
They partake only of the milk of the Word and are not mature enough to eat the meat of the Word.
The positive believers who keep on growing through the solid food of the Word.
I will describe them for you with a few scriptures to back it up:
In JAM 3:2 they are the ones who control their tongue.
In EPH 4:13 they are the ones who grow and mature in the knowledge.
In HEB 6:1 they are the ones who go on to advance doctrinally.
In 2CO 12:9 they are the ones whose strength is matured in weakness.
In PHI 3:15 they are the ones who do not quit.
In JAM 1:4 they are the ones who are patient during times of trouble.
In COL 3:14 they are the ones who operate in love.
In 1JO 2:5 they are the ones who keep Doctrine in their soul.
In 1CO 13:11 the mature are the ones who are of one mind and who live in prosperity, and put away childish things.
In 1CO 14:20 they cultivate their understanding.
In HEB 5:14 they partake of advanced doctrine and deeper truth.
In 1JO 2:14 they overcome the temptations of life.
Advanced doctrine produces the ability to discern between being involved in grace and truth, or
being involved in legalism, self-righteousness, and religion.
Only the believer with positive volition toward doctrine can distinguish between grace and legalism or the honorable good and the evil good.
Through the exercise of retaining doctrine that is learned, and then recalling that doctrine to deal with the details of life, the believer is building spiritual muscle that will carry him through any storm.