Archive for belief

What Must I Do To Be Saved? Faith… A Phil Kulis Series

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Phil Kulis with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 19, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to Part 6 of Phil’s series.

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓, 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄, 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇, 𝐁𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐌

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝?

It’s really quite simple.

Romans 10:9-10 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Let God into your life. It’s not only about you answering an invitation but you offering one in exchange. When you sense God knocking on the door of your heart, open the door and let Him in. It goes both ways, you let God into your house, God lets you into His.

What else must you do?

Listen to Him. God’s Holy Spirit will begin to produce the fruits of Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. When you see these things manifesting in your life you will know that these things are done in God through you.

Read the Bible. Get to know God.

The New Covenant is this: God’s Law will not be written just in stone, but God will write His Law on your heart.

Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

You’ll know God’s Law is written on your heart when “Thou Shall Not” becomes “I Don’t Want To”. That is the evidence of repentance. That’s how you’ll know you’ve repented.

“Repent and believe the Gospel.”

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 of things hoped for, the 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 of things not seen.

The name of the 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 is “And it came to pass…”

The 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 is a person’s behavior until it comes to pass.

Hebrews 11 is sometimes called “the hall of faith”. It mentions Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham & Sarah, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and the prophets. Even though they all had a close encounter with God they were still required to have faith! They were justified by acting in faith, doing what God told them to do. We can know God interacted with them because we see the 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 of what happened when they acted in faith.

The same is true of our own actions. When we behave in a Godly way, not only we ourselves but others too have evidence of our faith.

𝐹𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠.

Faith is the currency of the Kingdom. Faith is like a coin where Belief and Action are flip sides of that coin.

“Your Faith has made you well” and “Faith without works (action) is dead.”

Adam disbelieved God and acted on his disbelief. We are to believe God and act on that belief.

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𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡?

In conversations with atheists, they continually demand, “prove to me God exists”. They reject the notion of faith.

If “the just shall live by faith” then without faith one cannot be justified. The very thing atheists demand – absolute undeniable proof, would disqualify them for justification.

Recently I was watching videos of NDE’s (Near Death Experiences). In all the tellings of these experiences there is one common element; after death all doubt is removed. Whether it’s a Heavenly or Hellish experience after death, they have absolute undeniable certainty of the truth of God. They know the Truth. However when they “come back” to this life they still have to demonstrate faith when explaining their experience to others.

In the presence of absolute undeniable certainty, Faith is simply impossible. They are exact opposites. In the afterlife Faith does not exist any longer. When there is no faith possible neither is there any possibility of justification by faith. Justification comes only by faith.

When a person dies and experiences absolute undeniable certainty their fate is permanently sealed. If they did not have justification by faith in this life, they cannot achieve it after death. This is why Hell is permanent. There is no faith in Hell, only absolute certainty.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Jesus explained that faith is required in this life before we die. “…that whosoever shall believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The just, shall live, by faith.

Believe

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Why Christianity? Grace… A Phil Kulis Series

Posted in Phil Kulis with tags , , , , , , on March 11, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to Part 5 of Phil’s series.

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓, 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄, 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇, 𝐁𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐌

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲?

God created Adam.

God plus Adam begat Eve.

Adam plus Eve begat Mary.

God plus Mary begat Jesus, the second Adam.

God plus Jesus begat the Church, the second Eve.

We the church are now and forever like Eve in that narrow moment of time after she ate (sinned) yet before Adam disobeyed God by eating.

Even though we have sinned, we are protected by Christ’s perfect obedience to the Covenant of Sin and Death which is finished, permanently and eternally sealed by His blood. It’s over.

Jesus, the Seed of the Woman, is the Kinsman Redeemer. The Keeper of the Covenant. The Accepted Substitute. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!

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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 “𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞”?

The term “grace” is often used but rarely defined therefore not fully understood. It’s a state of being, a status. Some say it’s “getting what we don’t deserve”. But that’s not a state of being.

To demonstrate, it helps to consider the opposite of grace which is; disgrace. If someone is a disgrace it means they have committed some sort of serious error, totally inappropriate for the circumstances. Disgrace becomes their status because of what they did. It cannot be undone because you can’t change the past.

With that in mind, “grace” can be defined as “the delightful beauty of saying, doing, being, everything right in every circumstance.”

The adjective “graceful” can be seen in an athlete who performs an extraordinary feat, such as a football player who catches an almost impossible pass and makes it look easy. Or a ballerina who moves with such fluidity that it seems purely effortless and natural. Poetry in motion. It’s not our actions, but theirs. We are “fans”, beneficiaries of their performance.

Sometimes a person of royalty is honored with the respectful title of “Your Grace”.

When you plug that understanding into the Bible wherever the word “grace” is used it blossoms with meaning.

Jesus is the personification of the grace of God. He said, did, and was, everything right in every circumstance. His words and His actions were in perfect harmony with His Father’s will; Love, which culminated in a singularly unique accomplishment.

It’s not a matter of Him giving us grace for ourselves, but that when we believe “in” Him we behave like Him. It’s His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it (grace) is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Jesus is the personification of grace, He is the gift of God from God.

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𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞?

What does it mean to believe “in” Jesus? By simply asking the question of do we believe “in” Jesus or “out” of Jesus we find the answer. It’s not enough to just believe He existed. When we believe “out” of Jesus we’re walking in darkness. We must be willing to come out of the darkness of our disgrace and shame to walk in the Light of His grace, allowing the Father’s will be done on earth 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑢𝑠, just as Jesus did the will of His Father.

John 3:20-21 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

When we are “in” Him we are in His grace of the New and Everlasting Covenant. It’s His grace that is the gift of God. It’s not our efforts “works” that finished the covenant. It was His.

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How do You DO that, Jesus? -Michael Stone

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Michael Stone with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on October 23, 2019 by paulthepoke

You are omnipresent. That means that you are everywhere at once, ever present everywhere. That’s amazing to me. You are God, so I don’t struggle understanding that.

You are omniscient. That means that you know everything. That blows me away, yet, because You are God, I have no problem understanding that.

You are omnipotent. That is almost incomprehensible, yet, because You are God, I get it. You have always existed.

You have no beginning and no ending. I don’t really understand that with the finite mind that You created me with, but by faith I believe it wholeheartedly.

You created everything out of nothing but Your Word. I’m flabbergasted, yet, You are God, so it was really not a big effort for You at all.

You spoke light into utter darkness just by saying “LIGHT”. Okay, then! That’s all it took, because You are God.

You humbled Yourself and became a man to show us that we could be sinless and full of love, then You gave Yourself as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, taking our place so that we may live with You forever. That’s amazing love. I accept that. I receive that.

Here’s the part that baffles me, though, Jesus; when we believe on You and confess You as LORD, You forgive every single sin that we have ever committed. Not only that, but You take it a step further and You forget every single sin that we have ever committed. WOW! That is mind boggling! How do you DO that, Jesus?

I have a hard enough time just struggling to forget a single mistake, yet You easily forget every horrible thing that I’ve ever done! You separate my sins from Yourself as far as the east is from the west. That’s immeasurable! How do you DO that, Jesus? Your Word says that You cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, to never again be remembered. How do you DO that, Jesus?

Why do I continue to compare Your ability to forgive and forget with mine, or anyone else’s? That’s really not wise. You ARE God. Nothing is impossible for you. When the enemy comes to me to remind me of bad things that I have done, and I bring them back up to You, Your reply is always, “What are you talking about? I don’t recall that. You’re forgiven. It’s forgotten. Don’t look back. Keep moving forward. Trust Me.” It’s time that I stop listening to the accusations of Satan, and start listening to the truth of who You are in me. You gave us all of Your power and authority.

It’s time that I started using it. Once we as Believers, as Followers of the Way, as Christians – once we all begin walking in the authority and faith that you gave to each of us, we CAN turn the world right-side-up for You, Jesus. How do we DO that, Jesus? In Your name! THAT’S how!
Thank You, Jesus!



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The Religion of Scientism…Featuring Phil Kulis

Posted in Phil Kulis with tags , , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2017 by paulthepoke

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

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There are lots of things I don’t understand about the cosmos. But in all my years of reading what “scientists” say about the cosmos, it hasn’t instilled confidence in Scientism. On the contrary, the high priests of scientism mathmagically conjure up dark matter and dark energy. They claim it makes up 96% of the universe. Scientism has yet to say what or where it is. Especially now they’re finding out that dark matter doesn’t exist. Their God denying belief system appears more and more absurd.

Scientism attributes randomness to the cause of life. Yet, scientism can’t explain how unconscious, inanimate matter becomes self-aware, aware of other matter, and aware of a supposed goal and purpose beyond matter (that is, self-improvement for its own sake). Neither can scientism explain irreducible complexity. This doesn’t instill confidence in scientism.

When the high priests of scientism have continually changed their estimate of the age of the universe by exponential factors to shoehorn their belief system, it doesn’t instill confidence in their belief system of scientism.

The_Scientific_Universe

Meanwhile atheists rail against those who believe in God and say they “reject science”. No, believers don’t “reject science”. Science is a method of investigation, not a belief system. Those who believe in God reject scientism which poses as scientific. Scientism summarily rejects anything whatsoever to do with the non-material, which is just as real as the material. It is the atheistic scientism types who are the ones rejecting reality.

The atheists accuse those who believe in God as believing in the “God of the gaps”. The areas of knowledge and understanding do not explain away God.  Scientism thinks God only exists beyond the areas “conquered” by scientism in the minds of believers who are presumed to lack scientific understanding. They believe as science advances scientism will eliminate God.

But that is the furthest thing from the truth. The truth is the explanation of all things confirms God. Their profession of the “God of the gaps” beyond the frontier of understanding actually proves God.

The atheistic advocates of scientism don’t have the answers. They’re just angry with a God they say doesn’t exists. They’re desperately trying to prove wrong the inevitability of their choice for eternity.

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

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