The 7 Lost Spiritual Truths Churches Need To Recover

In reviewing the first draft of Recovering Truth, Freedom, and democracy: Challenging Woke Totalitarianism I realized I had identified the supernatural truths that together form the foundation of divine truth on which all truth, freedom and democracy depend. This is the respect for divine truth that motivates people in all thriving democracies to fear divine judgement, love their neighbour self-sacrificially and hope for forgiveness in Jesus and eternal spiritual life. Serious Christians know they can trust each other to solve disputes by vigorous, informed civil debate where the majority view prevails. All know they are under divine judgement. Nietzsche’s “God is dead’ was a warning that when this consensus was lost society would descend into social chaos. This social chaos would become unbearable, and they would turn to a strong more totalitarian leader who would restore order. We have seen this happen historically. Napoleon, Hitler and Trump were all popularly elected despite their flaws. The way forward is to recover these lost spiritual truths in our churches, schools and universities by replacing the leaders who failed us.

 

 

1.  The Holiness of God 

The holiness of God is the sum and essence of the foundation of the supernatural truths that bind us together under divine authority and judgement. The Ten 

Commandments are rules for life that define how we are to obey God and love our neighbour to be in a holy relationship with God and our neighbour. “Holy Matrimony” for example is the spiritual opposite of same-sex marriage. God is not like us. God is the holy -- pure, whole, complete, undivided, all-knowing, all-powerful creator of everything. We are unholy, impure, incomplete, divided, and unknowing. The central teaching of the Bible is that individuals who rebel against God’s order, like Adam and Eve, are guilty of sin (rebellion), made unholy, and cannot be in God’s holy presence in heaven when they die.  

 

 

2.  The Process and Order of Creation 

The creation story teaches us the importance of Darwin’s overlooked process of creation. Evolution and survival of the fittest is God’s order or way of ensuring creation evolves to show more and more of God’s glory. This is how things get better. The order of creation is from less complex and competent to more complex and competent. Humans are at the top and working together in obedience to God as stewards of creation. This is the opposite of our satanic woke diversity, inclusion and equity policies which discriminate against better, excellence and competence in rebellion against God’s plan. Woke is the rule of the less fit, the different and the deluded.  

 

 

3.  Male and Female Identity and Relationship 

The Creation Story teaches us that man and woman are created to be signs of God’s glory in the world. They are jointly responsible for the continuing stewardship of creation. The Bible, physiology and psychology teach us that they are spiritually, psychologically, and physiologically designed to be opposite, interdependent, and incomplete without the other. Pope John Paul II described the greatest sign of the glory of God as the union in self-sacrificial love of these two opposites. They are spiritually joined together in Holy Matrimony to continue God’s creation of humanity. 

 

 

4.  How Satan and Spiritual Evil Works 

The competition model in the Creation Story includes Satan who deceives Eve into disobeying God’s clear instructions not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She says God told her she would die if she ate the apple. Satan said she would not die. Both statements are true. Eve, like us, would die spiritually and be put out of an eternal relationship with God. She would not die physically until old age. We have an enemy of our souls, with an army of evil spirits who try to tempt us, deceive us, destroy us spiritually and separate us from God.  

 

 

5.  The Divinity, Resurrection and Forgiveness of Jesus 

“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:23) 

  

Many Christians have not been taught the foundational biblical and spiritual truth that the Holy Spirit or Spirit of God came over Mary and caused her to conceive Jesus. (Matthew 1.18) If they cannot understand and believe in this supernatural truth, then they cannot believe in the divinity of Jesus. If Jesus was merely a man; then He logically cannot give His life for the sins of the world, and we are all dead in our sins. This all depends on the divinity and resurrection of Jesus. The Resurrection of Jesus celebrated at Easter is God’s divine yes to the New Covenant of Jesus. God would accept the sacrificial death of Jesus as full payment for all the sins confessed and taken to Jesus for forgiveness. Our part is to believe in Jesus and show this by repenting, confessing, and asking Him for forgiveness. The Resurrection is objective truth. It has been witnessed by many people in different places and times up to our own. The evidence is that millions of people’s lives dramatically changed. 

 

 

6.  Supernatural Healing and Deliverance Ministry 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4.18-19) 

 

Supernatural physical and spiritual healing and deliverance in Jesus Name is unique to Christianity. No other religion can point to the physical evidence of this healing prayer ministry in many places and times up to the present. The miracles were evidence of the authenticity of Jesus message. The ministry includes supernatural physical healing and deliverance from spiritual oppression, through the confession of sins, forgiveness in Jesus Name and prayer. Specifically gifted and anointed ministers act as a holy pipe through which the Holy Spirit can come and heal. In Chapter 8: Recovering the Foundation of Spiritual Truth this is explained more fully for the many pastors, clergy and laypeople who are unfamiliar with this powerful ministry that authenticates a church. 

            

                                                            

7.  Holy Spirit as the Continuing Presence of Jesus 

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father— the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. (John 15.26) 

 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, revealing and helping us understand the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. As the continuing presence of Jesus, Holy Spirit comes (when invited) to believers with an amazing outpouring of spiritual gifts.  We experience the guidance of the Holy Spirit intuitively as our conscience. The gifts of the Holy Spirit include healing, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits and tongues. Paul explains that these gifts are given as the Spirit desires. They are not a sign of spiritual superiority to be used for personal gain but to build up the community of the Church. This is why different people have different gifts – and why we need to be together in a church community.  

 

 

More Information

Recovering Truth, Freedom, and Democracy: Challenging Woke Totalitarianism is available from bookstores worldwide ISBN 9781775212737. $19.99 USD; Gishler Group $19.99 CDN in Canada - jgishler@gmail.com. and Kindle eBook ISBN 97817712744. $5.99 USD. For more information and sample content: “go to Spirituallifeteaching.info

Servants of the servant king (Palm Sunday)

 I like Palm Sunday because it is a happy time when Jesus reveals His identity as the Servant King. The symbolism is important. Jesus is honoured as a king riding into his capital city – the gold of Epiphany. Not on a horse as a worrier – on a donkey no one else has ridden on – a humble holy man, a priest – the frankincense of Epiphany. He is teaching us how to live as a servant of the servant king.

 

1.   Servants listen to their Lord

Overcoming Temptation Grows Our Spiritual Life (Lent 1C)

The Readings for the First Sunday in Lent are chosen to help us prepare ourselves spiritually for the celebration of Easter through a time of deep self examination, repentance and confession. The goal is not to make us feel guilty but to help us draw nearer to God by overcoming the things – particularly the temptations to sin; that distract us and pollute our personal spirits and separate us from God. 

·       The Deuteronomy Reading (26.1-11) reminds us of our Old Testament Covenant and Baptism obligation to give thanks and acknowledge God as the one who gives us life. 

• Psalm 91 reminds us that God also gives us protection and refuge in a dangerous world.
• Romans reminds us we are justified by the Faith in our heart that God raised Jesus from Death 
• Our Faith is tested and grows by overcoming temptations and proclaiming Jesus as Lord

 

1.     First Test is bread or materialism – our bodily needs and wants (Luke 4.1-13) 

The Gospel story of Jesus being tempted by the Devil teaches us how to see through the deceptions of the Evil One and resist the temptations of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs:

·       First there is an irresistible taunt that questions Jesus’ identity and mission – “if you are the son of God…”

·       Second there is a need that is hard to resist – Jesus is starving to death / Jesus wants to change the world / Jesus wants to show the power and glory of God to the world

·       Third is the price – by giving in to these very attractive temptations Jesus would be diverted from His identity as Son of God and Saviour – Satan would win, we would have no hope of Salvation from the consequences of our sins and spiritual life

·       Jesus quotes Scripture to rebut – we need to know our Bibles so reading the whole Bible yourself is critical to survival

 

 

2.     Second Test is worldly power – all the kingdoms of the world are mine through deception – true but not true

• Materialism, Avarice and Gluttony pollute our Spirit by distracting us from love of God, others and Self – the “Me Generation”
• Loose our purpose, meaning and identity as a Spirit that is in a love relationship with God – and has temporary physical body

 

·       What emotional needs tempt us: Envy, Jealousy, Lust and Coveting?

·       We all want more. The question is are we willing to sacrifice our relationship with God to get that more?  

·       The question for self-examination is – “in what ways have I failed to keep the Commandments to love and honour God above everything else?”

 

3.     Third Test is Spiritual Power and Authority

Jesus realizes that by jumping off the Temple and being rescued, everyone would recognize Him as Messiah, and he could avoid the pain of the Cross.

·       By avoiding the Cross Jesus mission would have been defeated

·       We would have no personal Saviour, no new Spiritual Life

·       Common example is church fights over who is “most spiritual” and right about doctrine, liturgy and worship

·       Clergy fear the Holy Spirit because they feel threatened and know many churches have been divided by jealousy of over who has what gifts of the Spirit and healing ministry

·       As Lucy asks in the Lion (Jesus), the Witch and the Wardrobe “Is he dangerous. Her brother answers “of course He is”

·       There is a good reason for the “hard testing” of Lent – Spiritual life is very dangerous.

 

We are challenged to grow spiritually through these hard temptations by staying focused on God and His purpose and mission.

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord (Jeremiah 17.7) (Epiphany 6C)

 “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord” (Jeremiah 17.7)

(Epiphany 6 Year C, 2025, Rev. John Gishler)

 

We had a baptism at St. Luke’s last week where we asked, “Do you Put Your Whole Trust in His Grace and Love?” The Jeremiah Reading mirrors Jesus’ teaching known as the Beatitudes. They are a basic guide or way of testing our faith or love of Jesus and hope of eternal spiritual life.

 

1.    Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

Matthew adds the words “in spirit” which helps us understand that Jesus is talking about the humility of the heart not materialism:

Baptism of Water and the Holy Spirit (Baptism of Jesus Readings)

 “No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit (John 3.5) by Rev. John Gishler, 2025

 

In the Gospel Reading Luke 3.16 John the Baptist tells the crowd I baptize you with water but the one who is to come, will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Water symbolizes the washing away or dying emotionally to the past, self-centred and sin-controlled life. Holy Spirit baptism is like an invisible holy fire that cleanses us, energizes us and gives us the gifts we need for our baptismal ministry. Holy Spirit baptism has been lost in many intellectualized and liberalized churches. I was baptized as an infant and confirmed without any serious teaching or experiences of Holy Spirit. The loss of the fire of Holy Spirit baptism has disempowered many Christians and made the Church irrelevant to secular culture.

 

1. Examination Questions for Infant Baptism

Miracles Open Our Eyes to Supernatural Truth (Epiphany 2, Year C)

The Gospel story of the Wedding at Cana is an Epiphany moment for the Disciples. They suddenly realize the meaning of Jesus miraculous powers. We are all skeptics of what people say. As the person about to be elected Pope in the movie The Conclave says – “The Church is not about tradition, the Church is about what you do next.” Jesus sacrificed His personal peace / safety by saving a bridegroom from disgrace and revealed His divinity. Miracles open our eyes to supernatural truth

 

1. A Dangerous secret is revealed at Cana

The Baptism of Jesus -A New Covenant

The Bible is the story of God reaching out to man to establish a covenant relationship. A covenant relationship was an ancient relationship between a king or ruler, and his subjects. The  ruler would provide protection and land. The man would obey the ruler, serve in his army and pay taxes. We need to understand the history and importance of these covenants: 

1.     Adam and Eve would obey God and not eat from the one tree and live forever in paradise with God