Would that I had never written those letters!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is worthy of all honor and praise.

Brethren, let me tell you of the great joy that awaits you, the celebration that has no end, where the saints gather as one, where pain and suffering are but distant memories. As it is written, the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4), and indeed they have. The thorn in my flesh, which I besought the Lord three times to remove, has now been healed in His presence, and I am made whole. We have been rejoicing as one family, without ceasing. If such celebration were attempted in the flesh, I would have wearied long ago, yet here I am, refreshed as if I had just begun. To be in the presence of our one true King, without selfish desire or worldly hindrance, is the fulfillment of our deepest longings. There is no longer any striving, no more division, for we are made one with Him, just as I once wrote: to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). I knew that to depart and be with Christ was far better, and now I have seen the truth of it.

Yet in the midst of such joy, my thoughts turned toward the world I left behind. A fleeting desire arose in me to see what had become of it, though I hesitated to look away from the glorious face of my Lord. Yet something stirred within me, compelling me to glance upon the earth. What I saw grieved my spirit: a fog, a darkness, a world unrecognizable. The very words that the Spirit of God had given me in times past were now coming to pass.

There are many who bear the name of Christ, yet their hearts are far from Him. These profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him (Titus 1:16). How painful it is to witness, for the Holy Spirit had warned me of this—of those who would hold to a form of godliness, but deny its power. The very words I penned to strengthen the brethren are now twisted into laws and regulations, burdens that weigh down the people of God. They argue over the Sabbath, food, and garments, as though righteousness could be earned by such things! Did I not make it clear that we are justified by faith in Christ alone, and not by works of the law? Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4), and yet they have erected walls where Christ tore down the veil.

And worse, they add rules to the work of Christ on the cross, as though His sacrifice were not sufficient. But let me be clear—if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (Galatians 2:21). To add anything to His finished work is to declare that His death was not enough. It is Christ alone, not Christ and something else. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). To trust in anything else is to reject the power of the cross, and to say that the blood of Christ was insufficient.

I grieve over the divisions among the body. I once wrote, Is Christ divided? (1 Corinthians 1:13), and yet now I see denomination after denomination, rule after rule, as though the church were a house built on shifting sand. Did I not warn them? I see now that they have exalted my words above Christ’s—placing me on a pedestal, as though I were more than a servant. And yet, they twist my words, arguing over things of no account. I never intended my words to become chains, yet they have bound themselves to ordinances I did not give.

And how strange it is to see that the letters I wrote for encouragement have now been exalted to the level of Holy Scripture. When I wrote that all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), I spoke of the Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. Never did I imagine that my own personal letters of encouragement would be treated as prophecy or as equal to the very words of God! They were meant to guide and encourage, to teach and exhort, but not to be used as rigid laws or elevated to the same level as Scripture. It grieves me to see them misunderstood and twisted in this way.

I even see that some have taken my words about coverings and turned them into modern church standards! Have you forgotten that I said we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God (1 Corinthians 11:16)? Yet now they are using things as trivial as some modern day coffee filters to cover themselves in “church”, layering custom upon custom, twisting my teaching into regulations I never gave. How can you turn my words into burdens, when they were meant for freedom?

And what’s more—remember when I told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach’s sake because he wasn’t feeling well? (1 Timothy 5:23). Somehow, people have taken that small advice and used it as permission to get drunk! But did I not also write that you should not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), and didn’t even Peter worn that you must be sober-minded (1 Peter 1:13)? Can y’all not read anything in its whole context? Must you take parts and pieces of the Scriptures and my letters to make your own religion? You have become worse than the Pharisees! I was a Pharisee, and one of the best, yet you have surpassed anything I could ever have come up with by following the laws and traditions of our ancestors. This is beyond ridiculous my dear brethren.

Sin abounds in their midst, much like when I wrote about when a man had his father’s wife. Did I not write that “You must get rid of the evil amount you”? (1 Corinthians 5:13) But now it is as though such deeds are commonplace, and they count themselves righteous no matter what by merely for attending the assembly. How grievous this is!

Do you not remember, dear brethren, that I wrote to you, saying, “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together”? (Hebrews 10:25) I did not mean for you merely to gather on Sunday in white garments while inside, your hearts are like graves, full of dead men’s bones, stinking like filthy rags (Matthew 23:27; Isaiah 64:6). For our Lord said, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). Forsaking the assembly is not about neglecting a building or missing a sermon—it is about neglecting one another, failing to meet with fellow believers, one-on-one, to strengthen each other, to bear each other’s burdens, helping one another in there time of need, and to build each other up in Christ (Galatians 6:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Do you not see, beloved? This gathering is meant to encourage one another in the struggles you face, to speak words that lead each other back to Jesus (Hebrews 3:13). It is not a matter of sitting under a preacher who does not understand the truth, but a matter of living as the body of Christ, where no one is exalted above another. For did not our Lord say, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27)? The greatest must become the least, and the least, the greatest in the kingdom of God. (Feet Washing Article Here)

I wrote to you saying that no one among you should think of himself as greater, for we are all members of one body, all one in Christ. In Him, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Did not our Lord Himself tell us, “Do not call anyone on earth your teacher or rabbi, for you have one Teacher, who is the Christ” (Matthew 23:8-10)?

We did not come to you as professional preachers, nor did we boast of degrees or letters giving us permission to speak. I was a tentmaker; Peter was a fisherman (Acts 18:3; Matthew 4:18-19). We labored with our hands while we preached to you, relying not on titles or the wisdom of men but on the Holy Spirit who lived within us, urging us to share the good news (1 Corinthians 2:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 2:9). This Spirit—the very Spirit of Christ—that should be within you as well! (Romans 8:9) Do you not yet understand these things?

I fear that many of you are still like infants, needing milk when by now you should be feeding others (Hebrews 5:12-14). You should be teaching others these truths! But instead, you cling to forms and titles, to buildings and rituals. The Spirit calls you to so much more, beloved. Christ is your foundation; He alone is your Teacher, and His Spirit will lead you into all truth if you are willing (1 Corinthians 3:11; John 16:13).

Oh, dear brethren, it is time to grow up in Him! It is time to live as the body of Christ, to assemble not in pretense in a building but in spirit and in truth, (John 4:24) to encourage one another daily, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness or worldly ways and man made rules and religion (Hebrews 3:13). Let your gathering be filled with life, with His presence, not just with empty rituals. Remember what our Lord taught you, and let the Spirit of God lead you into all that is true.

Do you not remember that I wrote to you before that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)? Once you are born again and are following Jesus, He makes His home in you. Together, as one body, you are the temple of the living God, for we are the temple of the living God, as God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Corinthians 6:16). This is the great mystery—that Christ is in you, and that we, the body of Christ, are one with Him and one with each other through His Spirit.

I also warned that in the last days, many would not endure sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3), and now I see it clearly. They heap up teachers who speak to their itching ears, promising what will never come to pass. Yet they do not seek the truth, but rather pursue the fleeting pleasures of deceit. They trust in the words of men instead of the Word of God.

Even in prayer, they have forgotten what our Lord taught: to go into the secret place and pray to the Father, who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6). Instead, they have appointed men to stand in the gap, placing their trust in preachers to pray on their behalf, rather than seeking the Lord themselves in humble, personal devotion. Did I not teach that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5)? Yet they turn to others, elevating earthly leaders to positions only Christ can hold. They have forgotten the power of praying to the Father directly, in secret, without the need for public display or the approval of men. For the prayers of the righteous man avails much (James 5:16), but how can they truly pray if they seek the favor of man over the presence of God?

When I wrote of the kingdom to come, I spoke of that which is yet to be revealed, and yet many now think they are reigning in the fullness of the kingdom. Have they forgotten that Christ Himself must return to gather His bride? Did I not speak of the resurrection, of the return of the Lord with power? Yet they live as though they have already attained what is still promised.

I look upon the so called church, and I weep. They have replaced the simplicity of the gospel with traditions of men, Remember when I wrote. Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths (Colossians 2:16), and yet, how they bind one another with such judgments, how dare you brethren!

Even more troubling, I see that they have exalted earthly rulers above the King of kings. How many are devoted to the rulers of this age, rather than to Christ? Did I not suffer chains for refusing to bow to such rulers? For our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and yet they have made themselves citizens of the kingdoms of this world, forsaking the true and eternal King, Jesus Christ.

Dear brethren, I tell you the truth: I would rather be beheaded three more times than to witness any more of the darkness and rebellion now filling the world. It is beyond what I could have ever imagined.

They argue over many things, even the holy covenant of marriage, treating it as a mere contract bound by the traditions and laws of man, rather than as the sacred union ordained by God. Did I not write to you that marriage is a great mystery? (Ephesians 5:32). This mystery speaks of the profound unity between Christ and His bride, the church, where we become one with Him, even as a husband and wife become one. The union between man and woman in marriage is meant to reflect the very relationship between Jesus and His people, and just as Christ is one with the Father, we too, in marriage, are called to be one with each other and with the Lord. Yet, I see people leaning on government certificates and regulations, as though the state has the authority to define what God has already established. Brethren, I tell you, marriage is not about a piece of paper or the approval of human authorities. It is about the joining together of two born-again, equally yoked followers of Christ, remember when I wrote. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14), for how can light have fellowship with darkness? Only in the unity of Christ can the true beauty of marriage be fully realized, for it mirrors the oneness we share with our Lord.

This sacred covenant, established by God, does not require the validation of man. It is not about rules, traditions, or government regulations, but about two who are united in Christ, reflecting His love, His sacrifice, and His unbreakable bond with His church. Just as Christ gave Himself for the church, a husband is called to love his wife, and a wife is called to respect her husband, showing the world the picture of divine love and commitment.

As I looked upon this, my heart was heavy, and in a moment of grief, I thought to myself, “Would that I had never written those letters!” For they have taken the words I penned in love, meant for encouragement and exhortation, and turned them into burdens and laws. They have twisted my words, using my counsel as instruments of division and strife. What was given to build up the body of Christ has become a stumbling block for many. Did I not say, the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6)? And yet they cling to the letter and miss the life that is in Christ alone.

I didn't even realize I started to weep over what I was whitesesing, until the hand of our Lord then touched me, and He wiped away every tear, then the Lord in His mercy reminded me of His sovereignty. His truth endures, and though men may twist and distort, His Word remains unshaken. The grace that was given to me was not in vain, for I preached Christ, and Him crucified, and that foundation cannot be moved.

I was reminded once more of the surpassing greatness of His love and the glory of His presence. Why should I look back to the fading world, when I stand in the eternal light of Christ, where there is no need for the sun, for the Lord Himself is our light? For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

But even as I grieve over these things, my hope remains steadfast. For I am still eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of the promise—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52). I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, when we who are asleep in Christ shall rise first, to meet our Lord in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Yes, since I am among the saints who have already died, I shall go first, and then I shall meet you all in the air, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. This is the hope we all share, and it cannot fail.

So then, brethren, I urge you—cease from following the traditions of men and the ordinances of this world. Lean not on your own wisdom, but trust wholly in the grace of God and in what Christ has accomplished for you on the cross. Do not make void His sacrifice by seeking to add to His finished work. For it is by grace alone that you have been set free. Walk, therefore, in that freedom which Christ has purchased with His own blood, and do not submit again to a yoke of bondage.

Concerning marriage, I remind you that it is not a contract made by human hands or according to the laws of men, but a sacred covenant ordained by God Himself. Just as Christ is united with His church, so too are husband and wife united in Him. Marriage is a reflection of the divine mystery, where two born-again believers become one, even as we are one with Christ. Disregard, then, the need for human validation of this holy union, for it is God who joins together those who are equally yoked in Christ.

And speaking of the bride—remember that the church is not a building, nor an institution created by men. The true church is the bride of Christ, His body made up of those who have denied themselves, repented of their sins, and taken up their cross to follow Jesus. Each one, born anew in Him, is called to walk in His ways until the end. It is not about observing rules and regulations or upholding the standards of men, but it is about knowing and following Jesus. For Christ has built His church not upon Peter, but upon the truth that He is the Son of the living God, the Redeemer who came to save the world. He has given us the promise of eternal life and freedom in Him, if we only except Him and believe what He says.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Until we meet in the skies, in our glorified state, may God bless you abundantly, and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, now and forevermore.

Joes final thought in his own handwriting

So before anybody says anything about anything I'm just going to go ahead and say this letter was not actually from Paul this is something I just made up, but I do believe that this is probably some of what he would say if he could write a letter today.

But It’s absolutely unbelievable how we have twisted the Bible to fit what we think it means. Being a follower of Jesus is as simple as following Jesus—no rules, no religion, no denominations, no church standards, no crap. It’s about a personal relationship with Jesus and doing what He says. It’s that simple, folks.

Jesus fussed and fought with the Pharisees about their stupid rules and religion that they couldn’t see past. Jesus hates religion, and we should too. Paul wrote over and over again in his letters that it’s about following Jesus. If we add one rule to what Jesus did for us on that cross, we’re telling Jesus He died in vain. And that, my friend, is a very scary place to be.

So, I beg each and every one of you to search for that deep personal relationship with Jesus. Go into your closet, lock the door behind you, and talk to your Father in heaven. Read His word from start to end, and do what He says!

I never liked Paul growing up because he was deemed a Saint, even equal to Jesus if not greater then Jesus himself, because “churches” everywhere used his letters at church rules and their own religion instead of what they were meant for, It wasn’t until God grabbed me by the throat and made woke me up and I started reading the Bible for myself and letting the Holy Spirit guide me into all truth, instead of reading as a favor to my pastor and “church” leader on Sundays through their interoperation of what the Bible says, and wow, all of the sudden Paul was a very inspirational teacher and was there to encourage us believers and I realized he had great wisdom and inspiration for us all, BUT he’s not Jesus, he helps point us to Jesus, and that’s how we all should be.

I really wish I would not have to write this letter, but I thought maybe doing it this way I might could get through to some folks that would not listen to the truth normally, I really hope someone somewhere got some use out of this and maybe some encouragement that would make all this worth it, if just one person got encouragement from this.

Until next time, and from now on, may the good Lord bless you.