Steven Garofalo
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FOUR PREREQUISITES FOR US AS GOD’S ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
By Steven Garofalo, November 8, 2023 (Copyright Steven Garofalo 2023)
November 08, 2023

God says through Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9,

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Peter 2:9). What does this mean?

To help us better understand what Peter is saying, let’s look at verse 10 which goes on to say, “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people, once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10).

What does it mean that Christians are “the royal priesthood?” To be clear, the church possess blessings similar to those Israel had, though it has not become the “new Israel”. It does not  per se mean “identity” equal with Israel, but as God’s priesthood along side the Jewish people but as different. We need to zoom out at what is going on in chapter to do better understand what Peter is saying, so let’s take a short stroll through the basics of what exactly is going on in 1 Peter chapter 2. I will do this for us in four simple points:

  1. FIRST: In order to be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must stop inward fighting and turn our unified attention to the battle in front of us. Peter opens chapter one by addressing the sinfulness within the church because as a royal priesthood, that has to be corrected before one can rightfully execute the office of royal priesthood. Peter tells believers to put away all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisy, envy and slander. Simply put, they were to grow up and stop worrying about themselves and focus on their character and the mission God called them too. As a result, the inward focus would and will melt away. We cannot be God’s royal priesthood if we don’t act like it.
  2. SECOND: In order for us to live out and be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must understand who the enemy is who he is not (other Christians). Furthermore. Peter makes clear that God is laying a cornerstone (Jesus Christ) in Zion and that cornerstone is “a stone of stumbling” and “A ROCK OF OFFENSE” for those who do not believe. (VSS 6-8). In other words, after we as the body of Christ stop our slandering, envying one another etc. we will notice, like we see today, that when we are doing our job as part of the God’s royal priesthood, that we are actually “a rock of offense” to the world more so than to one another. Think about that. Christianity is in crisis for no other reason other than we have focussed on ourselves, our comfort, recreation and bickering against one another. Once we fix this, we can unite against one enemy with the power and Word of God. That’s number two.
  3. THIRD: In order for us to live out and be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must understand what we are supposed to be doing in terms of how we are to live out our life for Christ in mission. The royal priesthood is not only to evangelize and defend the orthodox Word of God-but also to raise godly families and be good husbands and wives-and notably, to make disciples of the nations (Great Commission in Matthew 28). It means to execute the mission God has given each one of us. If we do this we will be so busy that we have no time for malice, selfish deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Furthermore, when fighting the real enemy, we cannot take our eye off the ball (the enemy) and onto one another. Let’s remember that as part of the authentic priesthood of God, we are “a stone of stumbling” and “A ROCK OF OFFENSE” for those who do not believe. (VSS 6-8). As such, they (the world) is against us. Because the world is against us, we don’t have  any time to bicker with and go after one another. We only have time to unite, get right and fight the good fight.
  4. FORTH AND Lastly:  In order for us to live out and be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must respond to the world rightly in God’s way and not our own. Verse 12 says that as part of the royal priesthood, that we are to, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glory God on the day of visitation” (vs.12). “Having your conduct honorable” means the actual behavior of Christians (vs.11), responding with right actions is crucial as we live in the current world as outsiders and our “witness” for Christ depends on our words and actions. None of us are perfect, but we are to work hard on making our words and actions rightly in line with God’s Word. Peter says that we are to do all of this in light of “The day of visitation”. What is this day? This most likely refers the final day of judgment when all people, believers and unbelievers alike, will fall on their knees and acknowledge who Jesus Chris is, what He did for all mankind who would trust in on the Cross. And then. what He has done through His people-including you and I.

IN SUMMARY: FIRST: In order to be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must stop inward fighting and turn our unified attention to the battle in front of us. SECOND: In order for us to live out and be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must understand who the enemy is who he is not (other Christians). THIRD: In order for us to live out and be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must understand what we are supposed to be doing in terms of how we are to live out our life for Christ in mission. And FORTH AND lastly:  In order for us to live out and be God’s authentic and effective royal priesthood, we must respond to the world rightly in God’s way and not our own.

Remaining true to God implies exhibiting a life that constantly and consistently does what is a rightful in God’s eyes in our living our life submissive to God in light of others for the sake of God. Remaining true to God will involve some suffering for Him. It also entails our demonstrating the same attitude that Jesus maintained when He suffered in His earthly ministry (Romans 8:17; Phil. 1:29). If the body of Christ will avoid the slander, infighting and back-biting within the church, we can unify against the true enemy and be more effective in helping others come to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Lastly, it’s also our witness to the lost world of gentiles and lost Jews (non-believers). And this is our job as part of God’s royal priesthood.

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FEAR NOT-Charlie Kirk's Death-Is A Spiritual Battle - 9/11/25, 7.24 AM

It's with great sadness that we mourn for the loss of a spiritual giant, Charlie Kirk-a man who lived his faith boldly. This is not a battle of the flesh but a spiritual battle. Let's be in prayer for Charlie Kirk's family and for the United States. And remember, FEAR NOT-this is a not a battle of flesh and blood...but a spiritual battle. I attached a brief video with my thoughts. But keep two things in mind: First, this is a spiritual battle. Second: This will galvanize the conservative and Christian movement by God in the United States and around the world.

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GOD’S LIGHT IS FOR YOU!

God’s Light IS A WONDERFUL GIFT for you and I as we start the new week!

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PREPARING TO SPEAK IN PORTUGAL

Zach and I had a great long day one meeting with the pastor and a fellow believer…I got up this morning to go over my talk for the men’s conference which starts tonight into tomorrow and will go over my sermon for Sunday…I preach both services. The men’s conference far exceeded expectations so the even is looking to be packed with me. Seeking God’s will and calling for their life! Please keep us in your prayers. Much love and appreciation.-Steven

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The Problem Is Not God's Hiddenness-It's Ours!

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The Problem Is Not God's Hiddenness-It's Ours!
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WHEN GOD REWARDS OUR GIVING

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WHEN GOD REWARDS OUR GIVING
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RADIO INTERVIEW-LOOKING BACK-Religious Freedom in 04-09-15

With the United States and world at a moral cross roads, today, we are looking back to an interview from 2015 whereby Steven was interviewed regarding "Religious Freedom". This is not a critique of any specific issues-but is a look back almost ten years (a full decade) to see where we came from. WHY? Becuase heading into 2026 we can look back to see where we are going. Again, the issue is not a critique on sexual orientation, but about religious freedom. People are people-and all people are sinners. Let's make sure to be compassionate with non-Christians in an effort to reach them for Christ while standing without compromise on the orthodox Word of God. Is that difficult. Yes it is.

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FEAR NOT-Re: Charlie Kirk

The battle to the surprise of some if not many or even most, the battle is not fought in politics. That’s just the playground for man’s sinful scrapping for illegitimate wealth, power, influence and for some as well as godly leadership and statesman ship for a few.

With the passing of Charlie Kirk, remeber one important things above all else:

THIS IS THE BATTLE AND YOU AND I ARE AND HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED TO WIN IT.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

Please pray for Charlie Kirk’s wife and young children as their daddy was taken from them prematurely. Pray the murderer will be caught soon. Pray that dear will not slow down or paralyze the body of a Christ as this is war…first and foremost a spiritual battle…and being played out by demonic forces here on earth…ground zero being the United States.

Isaiah 41:10 says: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will ...

GOD HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD SO WE DON’T HAVE TO:)

John 16:33
"In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

GOD CAN BUT OFTEN DOESN’T

GOD could have fright the flood and then dried out the earth in seconds…but He didn’t. God often allows the natural progression of things to play out so that the delay and time sanctifies us. Just a thought …

Genesis 8:13
English Standard Version
“13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.”

Not Serpents of Skin, but From The Falsehood Of Sin: Uncoiling The Ending of Mark’s Gospel
By Del Potter, M.A.A. (Copyright 2025)

Not Serpents of Skin, but From The Falsehood Of Sin: Uncoiling The Ending of Mark’s Gospel

By Del Potter, M.A.A. August 27, 2025

Opening Remarks

From the outset, this article is NOT contending whether or not the ending of Mark 16 should be included. Although, it is in my humble opinion that some of the strange language in the ending of Mark actually affirms the truthfulness of the events inserted into the ending of Mark. There are several striking words in Mark's longer ending (Mark 16:17–18):

“These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them...”

As a first impression, the imagery suggests a miraculous ability to resist snakes and poison. It is nevertheless important to note that serpents and poison consistently function within Jewish, Biblical, and early Christian thought as symbols of false teaching and spiritual corruption, not simply physical danger.


Serpents in Scripture: Symbols of Deception

From the beginning of Genesis through Revelation, the serpent is never merely zoological—it is the archetype of deceit. In Genesis 3, the serpent slithers into the Garden not to bite with fangs, but to inject Eve with poisonous doubt about God’s word. Later Jewish wisdom literature follows this thread:

  • Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 21:2: “Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent: for if thou comest too near it, it will bite thee.”
  • Psalm 140:3: “They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers.”

This same imagery flows into the New Testament:

  • Matthew 23:33: Jesus calls the Pharisees a “brood of vipers,” not because of biology, but because of false teaching.
  • 2 Corinthians 11:3: Paul warns that, just as the serpent deceived Eve, so false teachers corrupt the simplicity of Christ.
  • Revelation 12:9: John describes Satan as a serpent “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Therefore, when Mark refers to "serpents" and "deadly poison," his Jewish-Christian readers would have recognized the metaphor: heresy slithering into the church among the people with its false doctrine poisoning the entire church (2 Peter 2:1).


The Poison Of Heresy: A Dangerous Drink

The early Church frequently described heretical teaching as venom or poison. Ignatius of Antioch warned the Trallians:

“I therefore, yet not I, but the love of Jesus Christ, entreat you that ye use Christian nourishment only, and abstain from herbage of a different kind; I mean heresy. For those [that are given to this] mix up Jesus Christ with their own poison, speaking things which are unworthy of credit, like those who administer a deadly drug in sweet wine, which he who is ignorant of does greedily take, with a fatal pleasure leading to his own death.” (Letter to the Trallians 107 A.D.).

This language reflects the very pattern of Mark 16—poisonous teaching disguised as nourishment. The faithful, however, are promised preservation: “it will not harm them.” The believer, rooted in Christ, can discern and resist corruption.

No early Christian expressed this more vividly than Tertullian of Carthage (c. 200 AD). In his treatise Scorpiace, he likens heresy to venomous creatures:

  • Heresy “creeps into the church like a scorpion,” injecting spiritual poison.
  • The faithful must resist with the antidote of Scripture, wielded like the staff of Moses against the serpents of Egypt.

Tertullian believed that the danger was not from reptiles in the marketplace, but rather from false teachers within the church. Similarly, heresy pierces the souls of believers in a quiet and lethal manner, just as the scorpion stings unseen. As a result, he viewed Christ's promise in Mark not as a test of reckless physical stunts, but as a promise that the faithful will not suffer from the venom of falsehood if armed with the truth. As Paul rightly reminds his audience:

 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (i.e. snakes & poisons)." - Ephesians 6:11


Mark’s Ending and the beginning of the Early Church

NT writers wrote within a culture steeped in metaphor. The early church never staged snake-handling rituals to “prove” faith. Instead, they testified by enduring persecution, refuting heresy, and preserving sound doctrine.

The apologetic force of Mark 16 is not spectacle—it is survival. The church would face vipers in pulpits, scorpions in councils, and poison in doctrine. Yet Christ promises: “These things will not harm you.”

Just as in the first century, serpents and scorpions creep into the church today—not in the form of reptiles, but in the form of false witnesses, compromised truth, and distorted gospels. The call of Mark 16 is not to chase miracles, but to guard against lies.

In a world full of theological poison, the believer’s protection is not daredevil faith, but faithful discernment: Scripture, the Spirit, and the witness of the saints.

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers [i.e. snakes] among you, who will secretly introduce destructive [i.e. poison] heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.” - 2 Peter 2:1


Closing Remarks

The ending of Mark’s Gospel, far from a literal dare, is a prophetic warning and promise:

  • Serpents = false teachers.
  • Poison = heretical doctrines.
  • The promise = Christ’s people, if grounded in truth, will not be overcome.

Tertullian’s scorpions, Ignatius’ poison, Paul’s vipers, and Jesus’ own words unite: the greatest danger to the church is not fangs and venom in the field, but lies and venom in the pulpit.

In Christ, the Church endures—immune not to biology, but to blasphemy.

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MAN'S PROBLEM-"HIDDENESS"
By Del Potter, M.A.A., August 16, 2025

The Problem Is With Man's Hiddenness Toward God, Not Vice-Versa

Why Doesn’t God Make His Existence Unmistakably Clear to Everyone?

One of the most common objections to faith is: “If God is real, why doesn’t He just show Himself beyond all doubt?” Skeptics ask why God doesn’t write His name in the sky or make His presence undeniable. But Scripture, reason, and the earliest witnesses of the Church tell us a different story: God has already made Himself known, yet it is humanity that hides.

God’s Self-Revelation in Creation

Scripture consistently teaches that God’s fingerprints are everywhere. The Apostle Paul writes:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

Psalm 19:1 echoes this truth: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”

Job reminds us that creation itself—beasts, birds, earth, and sea—all testify to the Creator:

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7–10)

God’s existence, then, is not hidden. It is written into the very structure of reality. As St. Athanasius later argued, creation itself acts as a universal witness, speaking of God’s power to every culture and language without need for words.

Why Does God Seem Hidden?

The real issue is not divine silence but human resistance. Moses records God saying:

“I will surely hide My face in that day, because of all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” (Deuteronomy 31:18)

This is not a statement about God being unknowable but about mankind turning its back to Him. God’s “hiddenness” is a moral and relational reality, not an intellectual one. As Isaiah wrote:

“Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” (Isa. 59:2)

Early Christians echoed this. Justin Martyr argued that those who live according to reason (logos) recognize the true God through creation and conscience. Clement of Alexandria explained that ignorance of God is not due to His absence, but due to the blindness of the soul enslaved to passions.

The Attributes of God are Revealed According To His Nature.

If God were to force belief by overwhelming proof, He would violate the very nature of faith and love. Love cannot be compelled; it requires freedom. Blaise Pascal later captured this well: “There is enough light for those who desire to see, and enough darkness for those who do not.”

The early Church understood that God provides evidence sufficient for faith, but not coercion. Origen taught that God “gives signs to those who are willing to see, but hides from those who shut their eyes.” This allows space for genuine seeking, humility, and love—rather than forced acknowledgment.

God Is Not Hidden—We Are

When people ask, “Why doesn’t God make Himself clear?” the biblical answer is: He already has. The problem is not with God’s silence but with our ears. The witness of creation, conscience, Scripture, and Christ Himself leaves us without excuse.

It is not God who hides, but man who hides from God—just as Adam and Eve once hid in the Garden. And yet, even then, God sought them, calling out: “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9).

The same God still calls today through the beauty of creation, the testimony of Scripture, and the living Christ. The question is not whether God is clear enough but whether we are willing to see Him more clearly!

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12

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INFALLIBILITY IS GREATER THAN INERRANCY
By Del Potter M.A.A.
 
God's truth (Infallibility) is greater than man's inability to write down or transmit His word (Inerrancy) perfectly. God's truth remains true regardless if man regards or disregards it to be true.
 
Allow me to explain more in-depth. Inerrancy, is defined as the belief that Scripture contains no errors in its original manuscripts, so obviously inerrancy struggles with textual variants like John 8:1–11. The story is missing from the oldest Greek manuscripts (e.g., Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) and its stylistic differences raise red flags for many textual critics. But if our faith rests solely on inerrant transmission, what happens when that transmission wavers? Are such passages now less inspired? We are warned from scripture itself that errant transmission could and can occur. God through Moses warns the Israelites that "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you" (Deuteronomy 4:2).
 
Jesus seems to place an exclamation point on this line of thinking and says “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15) clarifying further that if you love God you will not tamper with His word. God places a capstone on this discussion by warning His readers at the close of Revelation "and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book" (22:19). My point? We are warned through scripture itself there is and would be a problem with those that would add or even take away from God's infallible word thus making it errant and not inerrant. This is where the strength of infallibility steps in.
 
Infallible simply means “incapable of error.” The difference is God is incapable of error and is against His nature to error. "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless" (Psalm 18:30:). Inerrancy is like a flawless earthly mirror. Crack it, and it’s compromised. However, Infallibility is like the sun: Even if seen through a foggy lens, it still gives light and heat because its origin is not of the earth.
 
Psalm 119:89 reminds us that truth originates not in human manuscripts, but in the eternal counsel of God. Combined with John 21:25 - "Jesus did many other things... if all of them had been written down, the world itself would be unable to contain the volumes" We are confronted with a key theological insight: not all truth has been written, but all truth is known. In Scripture, it is clarified that omission from man's history does not imply absence from God's history. So, even when the earthly record is incomplete, the heavenly record has been completed.
 
Again, it is true that manuscripts such as Codex Sinaiticus omit stories like the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53–8:11), leading some to question its authenticity. Yet, early Christians like Didymus the Blind (pre-Nicene era) affirmed the passage’s existence in "certain Gospels." Augustine later wrote that some scribes intentionally excluded the story out of fear it could be misused to justify sin using the story of the Pericope Adulterae.
 
“Certain persons of little faith... removed from their manuscripts the Lord's act of forgiveness toward the adulteress.” (Augustine 'De Adulterinis Coniugiis' - 419 A.D.)
 
This demonstrates that the story may have been removed due to fear, politics, or human discretion, but not by divine silence. In light of Psalm 119:89, we must remember that God's word is "SETTLED" [Greek: Natsab = stationed/established] in heaven before it’s written on earth.
 
This challenges an empirical view of truth. If divine revelation is only accepted when it aligns with surviving manuscripts, the church’s oral tradition, apostolic memory, and lived theology are undermined. The early church did not rely solely on manuscripts, but on witnesses, oral, and Spirit-led preservation. As Tertullian wrote in the 2nd century:
 
“We do not need curiosity after Christ Jesus, nor inquiry after the gospel. When we believe, we desire to believe nothing more. For this we believe, that there is nothing else which we ought to believe.” - Prescription Against Heretics, Ch. 7–8.
 
Scripture acknowledges its own incompleteness—yet affirms the completeness of God's eternal counsel.
 
The failure to accept any truth that has not been recorded in early papyri amounts to ignoring the 'heavenly library' where truth is established. There is a consensus among Scripture, tradition, and theology that the absence of paper does not imply the absence of preservation. Despite the fact that earth has not penned it, that does not mean heaven has not done so. As Christians, we believe that the eternal Word, who is Jesus Christ, the Logos (John 1:1-14), has embodied and preserved all truth, some written, some spoken, and some remembered in the heart of the Church. The Word of God cannot fail - even if manuscripts do. That is the beauty and greatness of infallibility over inerrancy.
 
"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25).
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