Okay, next one.
This is just in order
and I didn't throw this one out.
This is from Brandon.
"Hey, Pastor Tim. Love you guys.
Thank God for I'll Be Honest's ministry.
My question is
should Christians be concerned
with all the talk of the Illuminati?
It seems wherever there are Christians these days,
there is conversation about a New World Order
that is coming soon
that will persecute Christians.
I know we are to think of noble things and godly things,
but are we supposed to discern the things
going on in our world
to guard each other?
How should we view these topics?"
Do you guys hear about Illuminati in Mexico?
(from the room): Not yet.
Tim: Not yet. Yeah, these circles
where he hears all this talk,
he says, "Wherever there are Christians these days,
there are conversations about new world order."
I don't know.
I mean, I gather together with Christians quite often
and I don't hear about the Illuminati
or the New World Order.
Do you guys?
James: He's talking about YouTube.
Tim: YouTube? There's a lot of talk about it?
Okay, well, let's just talk about it for a second.
Because you know what?
We should be able to examine everything
through the lens of Scripture.
We have the mind of Christ.
We have the Word of God.
And we can size things up
in a spiritual way.
What is the Illuminati?
What does that word sound like?
Illumination.
Basically, the Illuminati -
well, there really was a group.
You can go back into the 1700's,
and there really was a group.
The Illuminati.
What happened is it seemed like
they merged together with the Free Masons.
Sometimes you hear Masons and Illuminati put together.
Basically, today when people talk about it
it's not likely that most of them
even care about the roots
and tracing it back into the 1700's.
Today when people talk about the Illuminati,
it's basically some secret group
that supposedly runs the world.
They control everything.
They're behind why prices are the way they are
and who becomes famous.
It's all this huge conspiracy.
You've got these people plotting
and like this guy says,
they're trying to make this New World Order
and there's this conspiracy.
Should we be concerned about those kind of things?
And you'll hear all sorts of things.
This person is part of the Illuminati.
And these people (are) and it's Satanic
and supposedly on our dollar bill
you can find the Illuminati there.
It's like you've got people
that believe there's conspiracies
and there's all these plots all over the place.
(from the room):
Hey brother, I think I heard John
saying someone made a YouTube video
saying you were in the Illuminati.
Because you made your hand like this,
and they paused it
and circled your hand
and put a red background behind it.
Tim: Well, that's funny.
Brethren, let's think about this
with regards to our Christianity.
Let me ask you something.
What's a conspiracy?
Conspiracy can be a crime.
Do you know what that crime is?
(from the room)
Speaking something that's not true about somebody?
Tim: Conspiracy is when
two or more people plot.
So if you're involved in a crime
and it's found out that you were plotting that crime
ahead of time,
you can be charged with not only that crime -
whether it's murder or bank robbery or whatever -
you can be charged with conspiracy as well.
So it's basically this idea
that you're plotting.
It's like this collusion in some sort of plan.
And I would just ask you guys this:
Is there a conspiracy against us?
Is there anybody out there
who more than two or three
are plotting together against us?
Brethren, the Scripture speaks
about a kingdom of darkness.
You know what this world around us?
Are there secret groups out there?
Are there people out there
who are controlled
by the lusts of the flesh?
Controlled by Satan?
Are there people out there
who are controlled by sin?
People out there who know not the Lord?
People out there who are in conspiracy
to get rich? To get power?
To take advantage of people?
Absolutely.
And beyond that,
the very demons - the devil himself -
are in collusion to damn men.
Is there a conspiracy? Yeah.
Are there people plotting against God?
Against His anointed?
Scripture says so.
Of course there is.
Brethren, you know how Paul says
in 2 Corinthians 5,
he says we don't view people
according to the flesh anymore.
You know what? When we're lost,
we can get all hung up on these secret groups.
Oooh, there's a conspiracy out there.
The Illuminati.
Brethren, we don't view things
through the flesh anymore.
You know how we view them? We view them spiritually.
People are lost or saved.
They're under the control of God,
or they're under the control of the devil.
(incomplete thought)
Brethren, the Scripture says
that this world is in his control.
He's the god of this world.
He's in control.
He's the prince of the power of the air.
People are his pawns. They're deceived.
He deceives the nations.
He deceives the nations and he,
in their deception, moves them against God
and against God's people.
Is there a conspiracy?
Yeah, there's a big conspiracy.
Do I need to sit and wring my hands
and get worried?
Oh, He that is with us is greater than he that's in the world.
And you know what?
Our Father knows about every conspiracy
and every plan - demonic and human
and otherwise -
that is being planned against God's people.
We go on with what we're called to do.
Do we believe that there are going to be
sinister plots against us? Yes.
Are there going to be schemes against us?
Yes, but like Scripture says, like Paul says,
we know the schemes of the devil.
Are there schemes against us?
Certainly.
Are there plots to our downfall? Yes.
Is Satan strategizing right now
on how to destroy us as individuals?
And in our churches corporately?
Of course.
We're not ignorant of his designs.
Isn't that what Scripture says?
We're not ignorant.
We know what his designs are.
Is he in collusion? Are the demons planning?
Are wicked people moving in this world
in opposition against God
and against those who fear God?
Against those who keep His commandments?
Those who have faith in Christ?
Yes, brethren. Yes.
We view things through the biblical lens.
And we see a great kingdom of darkness
and a greater kingdom of light -
the kingdom of His dear Son.
Are they at odds? Are they at war? Yes.
In war time, do the different sides
plot and scheme against the other?
Yes.
And I'll tell you this,
as Christians, we plot and scheme too -
how to rescue men;
how to pluck them from the fire;
how to go take from Satan
what he thinks belongs to him,
to be the active members of Christ's kingdom
that Christ might work through us
and bind that strongman
so that they might be plucked out of that kingdom.
We don't view things according to the flesh anymore.
So do we have to worry?
Is there an Illuminati out there?
Illuminati means like this secret group
that has the illumination.
Brethren, we are the people
with the illumination.
Not them.
Whatever they may think
that they're illuminated about
is darkness.
We're the illuminated ones and it's not secret.
We're no secret group.
We want to make it public.
We're not like the Mormons or the Jehovah's Witnesses
that want to play footloose and fancy
with the Word of God
and come with all our cloaked
meanings and expressions
and not say to people right off what we really believe.
We want to be open.
You're dead in sin, world.
You're in trouble and there's hell coming,
but we've got a remedy
and it's Jesus Christ.
And there's one way. There's one remedy.
There's one way to God.
And if you come to God,
if you come, He'll save you to the uttermost -
if you come to God by way of Jesus Christ.
We're not playing around.
We've got the illumination,
but we don't want it secret.
We want it to be well known.
We want it to be broadcast
and our Lord Himself said you go.
Go and take the message.
You be witnesses to Me.
Don't hide it.
You don't hide it under a bushel, right?
None of that.
You don't light a candle and put it under a bushel.
We shine it.
We're the lights of the world.
That's what we're supposed to be - salt and light.
Anyway, one more here...