Matthew Hebert

Because the kingdom is spiritual, our approach to sharing it must be adaptable. Just as Paul met the Gentiles where they were to win them over, we must look closely at how we approach faith today. While we don't have to 100% agree on religious practices, some rigid customs can feel too foreign for someone who has no prior framework for what religion even is. Heavy rituals can obscure the simple truth of the Gospel. ​Furthermore, guilt and shame are secondary traps of sin that keep people bound. True transformation doesn't come from legalism; it comes from grace. If you accept the Holy Spirit and are baptized by the fire of Christ, that fire burns away your impurities over time. It is a relationship of continuous, loving refinement. Jesus used earthly elements to explain these profound, spiritual realities. He said that his words were the bread of life, the body is the temple, and the Holy Spirit is his blood. When facing temptation in the wilderness, both Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 record his reply: ​"It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’" ​We are called to shift our focus from the temporary to the eternal. As John 6:27 warns: "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you." When the people asked what they must do to please God, Jesus gave a beautifully simple answer: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29). ​Jesus contrasted himself with the physical provisions of the past, reminding the people: ​"Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33) ​Even when the Jews grumbled because he claimed to be the bread from heaven (John 6:41), Jesus stood firm in his divine purpose: ​"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40) Earthly food can only sustain earthly life for a moment. As Jesus summarized in John 6:47-51: ​"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ​Because he is the bread of life, "whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35). ​When we realize that faith is about this living bread and the inward fire of the Holy Spirit, the human divisions we create on earth begin to dissolve. Just as Peter realized in Acts 10 when God spoke to him through the vision of the clean and unclean animals, we learn not to let human traditions separate us from others. As Peter concluded in Acts 10:28: ​"God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean." ​Salvation is not about the structures we build, the rigid customs we follow, or the shame we carry. It is about accepting the living bread, receiving the fire of Christ, and letting the Kingdom of God reign right inside our hearts.

If religions came from a single divine source, why do they compete with each other like rival companies?

At the heart of it all, they simply want to share the love and peace found in Christ. It’s a complete transformation: the Holy Spirit cleanses our hearts, refines us, and leads us into God’s individual plan for our lives. We were made for connection with our Creator, and being separated from Him fractures who we are. Without the Spirit of Christ lighting our way, it’s easy to chase selfish comfort and end up trapped by our own desires.

@EmeIreke All they want you to do is believe 😂😂

Just because the Bible says so??🤷

THE BREAD Because the kingdom is spiritual, our approach to sharing it must be adaptable. Just as Paul met the Gentiles where they were to win them over, we must look closely at how we approach faith today. While we don't have to 100% agree on religious practices, some rigid customs can feel too foreign for someone who has no prior framework for what religion even is. Heavy rituals can obscure the simple truth of the Gospel. ​Furthermore, guilt and shame are secondary traps of sin that keep people bound. True transformation doesn't come from legalism; it comes from grace. If you accept the Holy Spirit and are baptized by the fire of Christ, that fire burns away your impurities over time. It is a relationship of continuous, loving refinement. Jesus used earthly elements to explain these profound, spiritual realities. He said that his words were the bread of life, the body is the temple, and the Holy Spirit is his blood. When facing temptation in the wilderness, both Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 record his reply: ​"It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’" ​We are called to shift our focus from the temporary to the eternal. As John 6:27 warns: "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you." When the people asked what they must do to please God, Jesus gave a beautifully simple answer: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29). ​Jesus contrasted himself with the physical provisions of the past, reminding the people: ​"Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33) ​Even when the Jews grumbled because he claimed to be the bread from heaven (John 6:41), Jesus stood firm in his divine purpose: ​"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40) Earthly food can only sustain earthly life for a moment. As Jesus summarized in John 6:47-51: ​"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ​Because he is the bread of life, "whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35). ​When we realize that faith is about this living bread and the inward fire of the Holy Spirit, the human divisions we create on earth begin to dissolve. Just as Peter realized in Acts 10 when God spoke to him through the vision of the clean and unclean animals, we learn not to let human traditions separate us from others. As Peter concluded in Acts 10:28: ​"God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean." ​Salvation is not about the structures we build, the rigid customs we follow, or the shame we carry. It is about accepting the living bread, receiving the fire of Christ, and letting the Kingdom of God reign right inside our hearts.

@Ernest1588761 How could you choose love if you didn't have a choice

So you h@te Satan but love the one who created satan.... Are you even okay??😏

@Vincent_Writes Remain faithful through your torment of the airport. God be with you! 🙏

There seems to be a snag in my return flight from New Zealand in November. They bumped us from the Air NZ flight and put us on another airline. Praying for a satisfactory resolution. 🙏

@icechaserr I hate hate

I hate religion

There is a vital distinction between genuine spiritual movement and unbridled emotion. ​While the Holy Spirit moves us profoundly, true revival produces the fruit of self-control, peace, and integrated wholeness—not chaotic performance. ​Christ warned us against the theater of performative faith. Spiritual gifts were never meant to be weaponized for human admiration, but cultivated for personal sanctification and the glory of the Father. ​Our true calling as followers of Jesus isn't to police the world, but to quietly steward souls. We are called to live so deeply rooted in supernatural peace that others are compellingly drawn to ask: ​“How did you find this light?” ​The Holy Spirit does not shatter our consciousness; He restores it. Our assignment is simply to live so fully alive in Christ that our very presence becomes an invitation to wholeness. 1 Corinthians 14:18–19 — "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue." 1 Corinthians 14:23 — "If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?" 1 Corinthians 14:28 — "But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God." Matthew 6:5–6 — "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others... But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret." Matthew 23:5, 14 — "They do all their deeds to be seen by others... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers." Matthew 5:16 — "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." 1 Peter 3:15 — "But 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; yet do it with gentleness and respect." Galatians 5:22–23 — "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." 1 Corinthians 14:33, 40 — "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace... But all things should be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:32 — "And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets."(Meaning true spiritual gifts never overpower the person's self-control; the speaker remains in charge of their body). Mark 9:20, 26 — "And when the spirit saw him, immediately it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth... And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out..." Luke 4:35 — "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm."

@Ernest1588761 Matthew 4:8-9 ESV [8] Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. [9] And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

Why are non-religious countries associated with success ,wealth, happiness, economic development and longevity ?

@RealShahriqKhan Beautiful.

“Your God CRIED?” I used to say it with a little laugh. “If Jesus was God, why did He weep like a weak man?” I mocked the shortest verse in the Bible. Years later it brought me to my knees. “Jesus wept.” John 11:35. Two words. It should bring you to your knees. Then I actually read WHERE He’s standing. At the tomb of His friend Lazarus. And here’s the part that undoes me: He’s about to raise him. In sixty seconds He’ll shout that dead man back to life. The victory is already loaded. And He weeps ANYWAY. He didn’t have to. The happy ending was already in His hand. But He looked at the grief around Him, the sisters, the mourners, the sheer wreckage that death makes of everything, and He entered it. He let it hit Him. God, with tears running down His face, at the graveside of someone He loved. The God of Islam was too majestic to weep. I was proud of that. Until I met a God who was strong enough to. “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.” Hebrews 4:15. Whatever you’re burying right now. He’s not watching from a safe distance. He’s the God who weeps at gravesides. And then empties them. For all eternity. Praise the King Jesus.

Matthew 16:2-4 ESV [2] He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ [3] And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. [4] An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

Only those who are pure of heart can perceive the truths of the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit will not dwell in a heart that rejects it. ​To truly find truth, we must seek it through the Spirit of Wisdom, driven by a desire to cultivate God’s truth and understand how to access His Kingdom. This begins by believing that Jesus, the Son of God, is fully one with the Father. Because of this divine unity, Jesus spoke absolute truth and continues to reveal it to those who desire to expand His Kingdom. ​God does not withhold access to His Kingdom out of anger or hate; everything He does flows from love. True love is unselfish and delights in giving. Yet many choose to rely on their own intelligence and human perception rather than reconnecting with their Creator and walking in His will. Choosing self-will over God's will leaves us chasing fleeting comforts and selfish desires, ultimately enslaving us to sin that decays the soul. The soul’s true power comes only from the Father, yet human nature often misuses that power for control and self-glorification. ​Tragically, some discover the Kingdom and build religious institutions with good intentions, only to be corrupted by wealth and human praise. They begin to feel superior, forgetting that everything they have is a gift from God and that His grace—not their own effort—brought them to their position. Without the Spirit and power of God, we are nothing. ​When God provides abundantly, it is not for us to hoard or use for status. That abundance is meant to be shared out of love, creating opportunities to draw others to Christ—never through force, but through genuine, selfless love. Matthew 5:8 – Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." 1 Corinthians 3:16 – Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? John 10:30 – "I and the Father are one." John 14:6 – "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 16:13 – "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth..." James 1:5 – "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." Proverbs 3:5–6 – "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 8:34 – "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.'" Romans 8:6 – "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace John 15:5 – "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." 1 Corinthians 4:7 – "What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?" 1 Timothy 6:9–10 – "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare... For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils." Galatians 6:3 – "For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." 2 Corinthians 9:7–8 – "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver..." 1 John 3:17 – "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" 1 Peter 5:2–3 – "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you... not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."

Verbal profession and impressive spiritual feats mean nothing without personal relation to God and obedience to His will. This is one of the most sobering passages in the Gospels. Jesus warns that people can perform miraculous actions, cast out demons, or use religious language ("Lord, Lord"), yet still be disconnected from God. Why? Because salvation and true faith are rooted in relational intimacy ("I never knew you") and doing the Father's will, not merely religious output or public performance. Matthew 7:21-23 ESV [21] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ [23] And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Hearing Jesus' words isn't enough—only doing them builds a resilient life. Both the wise and foolish man hear the exact same teachings. Both build houses that look fine in fair weather. The difference is revealed when storms hit (representing trials, judgment, or life's hardships): Obedience to Christ’s words creates a foundation that withstands life's storms. Passive listening without active obedience leads to total structural failure when pressure is applied. Matthew 7:24-27 ESV [24] “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Matthew 7:7-27 God is a generous, trustworthy Father. Jesus encourages believers to continuously "ask, seek, knock" (the Greek verbs: aiteō, zēteō, krouō imply ongoing action, not a one-time request). He uses a warm human analogy: even imperfect human parents wouldn't trick a hungry child by handing them a rock instead of bread or a venomous snake instead of fish. If human parents desire good things for their kids, God is infinitely more eager to bestow good spiritual gifts and wisdom upon those who seek Him. Matthew 7:7-11 ESV [7] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [9] Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Active, proactive love summarizes the entire Old Testament Scriptures. Many ancient philosophies taught a negative version ("Do not do to others what you wouldn't want done to you"). Jesus turns it into an active mandate: proactively treat others with the grace, patience, and kindness you hope to receive. He states this summarizes "the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12 ESV [12] “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Following Jesus requires intentionality; default culture leads away from life. The "wide gate" and "easy way" represent following the path of least resistance or popular culture. The "narrow gate" and "hard way" represent the self-denial, commitment, and single-minded focus required to follow Christ. It's a reminder that true spiritual integrity is rarely the popular choice. Matthew 7:13-14 ESV [13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Evaluate spiritual leaders by their long-term Character and outcomes, not just their appearance or rhetoric. False prophets dress like harmless sheep but act like ravenous wolves. Jesus uses nature to explain spiritual truth: healthy trees naturally produce edible, good fruit (love, integrity, humility), while unhealthy or toxic plants produce bad fruit. Character eventually reveals itself. Matthew 7:15-20 ESV [15] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. [18] A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

@anchoredsoul0 Matthew

Which of the apostles do you identify with the most?

@Nickisbackbaby Jesus makes everything abundant

I have a sneaky suspicion my account is being throttled... Surely not, this platform wouldn't do that?

The Symphony of the Spirit: Dissolving the Flesh to Awaken the Spark ​We live as captives to a phantom king: the flesh and its fleeting desires. We mistakenly define who we are by what we consume, by the momentary pleasures that leave us chronically thirsty. Yet, beneath this clamor of want lies a profound truth—the authentic self is entirely separate from these cravings. When we willfully empty the vessel of the flesh—even briefly, through the sacred discipline of fasting—we begin to dissolve the illusion. ​What remains after this dissolution? It is the purest form of human consciousness, entirely stripped of selfish ambition. Only in this stillness can the soul absorb the radiant essence of the True Light, emanating from the Father—the ultimate Source of all consciousness. Desire and the Illusion of Sin ​The Source illuminates a harsh truth: our desires are not harmless; the harm is birthed from the want itself. When we prioritize earthly pleasure over spiritual alignment, we erect an idol, effectively blocking the pure influx of light, truth, and wisdom. ​This is the true anatomy of sin. Sin is not merely a violation of arbitrary rules; it is the willful choice of a momentary, selfish pleasure that inflicts harm upon oneself, another, or the greater human collective. • ​The Cycle of Ruin: Every time we surrender to these destructive patterns of human nature, we further fracture our soul's connection to the Divine. • ​The Trap of Guilt: Even the crushing weight of guilt and shame after failing acts as a secondary trap. Guilt does not originate from the Father; it is a tool of the world that keeps the soul anchored in its fractures. ​To encounter the True Light is to watch these desires organically dissipate. They may still bubble up within our humanity, but they lose their mastery over us. We discern them for what they are: passing shadows, unable to touch the humbling peace that infects and heals the body. ​The Essential Question: "Is my action born from a place of selfish desire, or does it glorify the Spirit that guides me?" ​The Way of the Spirit vs. The Way of the World ​To truly walk in this light, one must understand that the Spirit of Truth operates beyond earthly laws. You cannot serve two masters. If you belong to the Spirit, you are no longer defined by the world. ​Here, "the world" does not mean the beautiful earth beneath our feet, but rather the collective, ego-driven behavior of human society—a matrix designed to manufacture and feed endless fleshly desires. To escape this world, one must possess a holy aversion to its selfishness. ​Christ as the Blueprint of the Divine Spark ​Religion did not save us; it merely built new walls. This is why Jesus came. He did not arrive to establish rigid religious institutions, but to demonstrate how to bypass them entirely, revealing the Divine Spark hidden within each of us since the beginning.While religious institutions can offer scaffolding for the soul, the rigid structures of dogmatic faith too often weaponize guilt and shame—heavy burdens born of human design, not the Father’s heart. A true church is not a sterile system of rules, but a living sanctuary: a gathering of flawed, faithful souls united in worship, anchored in prayer, and striving to embody the radical grace of Christ. To walk this path alone is to starve the soul; true spiritual maturity is forged in community, catching fire from the shared devotion of those pursuing the same divine light. ​Jesus walked the earth as the living blueprint of a perfect, uninterrupted connection to the Father. Through His direct instructions on contemplative prayer, He showed that we possess the exact same capacity for divine intimacy. If Christ maintained a total union with the Source, that same union is accessible to us through the guiding Spirit He left behind.

Is struggling with sin the same as living in sin?

If you told someone not to eat something because it tastes bad and you knew they would still taste if for themselves. You could further make your point by emphasizing how nasty the food is. But if they don't taste it for themselves they will have doubts that they may like it. God tell us he is Love. In order to be able to choose love there has to be an opposite choice: hate. To have free will there must be a choice. To understand peace there has to be suffering. Life purifies our souls to be elevated, or we choose the dark and life separates us from God and we are consumed by darkness. But in order for there to be a relationship there has to be a choice. Choose Love

@God_Questioner Yes, but doesn't make your choices.

If an all-loving God wants a relationship with everyone, why is His existence still one of humanity’s biggest debates?

@Akkue12 Teach everyone all truth everything needs to be made known to everyone. So we can all grow together

Very important let them know their identity