Let us look upon the Author of our Faith! The Lover of our souls. The Master Teacher. The Prophet, Priest and King! The Holy One of Israel. The Righteous Redeemer! The Lord above all lords and the King Above all kings! The Wellspring of Righteousness! The giver of Wisdom and Knowledge. The Obedient Servant who Died on a Cross for your sins and mine! Do you know Him? What keeps us from loving Him and serving Him with all our hearts? Pride? Arrogance? Ignorance? Self-righteousness? False humility? Are the things in this world so appealing to your flesh that you see not your need for Saving Grace and Mercy? Has sin so served you well to the point that your heart is so hard not even the Holy Spirit can penetrate? Hebrews 3:7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.'
11 So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"
12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”
If you feel the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart, LISTEN and Respond! God never wants to do us harm. He is our Creator and He knows best! Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
1Co 2:9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
These verses are Irrevocable Promises from Almighty God for those who choose to listen the Holy Spirit's voice! Will you listen today? You may never have another chance to respond in humble repentance to the Only True and Living God who Loves your Soul! 1Peter 2:22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
All Saints Day!
All Saint’s Day is today and I am filled with Awe remembering all the Hero’s of the Faith found in Hebrews 11. Every time I read this chapter I am struck with humility and grief. Not because of how they all suffered for faith but because of my lack of following Hard after God! Am I acting out my Faith as I should? Am I giving God lip service? Am I offering my life as a testimony of the Glory of Christ my Savior? Am I so comfortable in this life that I am unable to advance the Kingdom of God? Am I Standing where God wants me to Stand? Here is a portion of the Scriptures that I am remembering;
Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated–38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Directly following these verses of Holy Scripture we find these passages; Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
What excuse will I find for not following their example? Is Jesus not WORTHY? I want to challenge every Christian who finds their eyes gazing upon this blog entry! Meditate upon these Great passages and ask yourself the same questions that the Holy Spirit brought to my mind during this devotion! I want to close with the Words of Jesus. Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated–38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Directly following these verses of Holy Scripture we find these passages; Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
What excuse will I find for not following their example? Is Jesus not WORTHY? I want to challenge every Christian who finds their eyes gazing upon this blog entry! Meditate upon these Great passages and ask yourself the same questions that the Holy Spirit brought to my mind during this devotion! I want to close with the Words of Jesus. Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Friday, October 1, 2010
Need a Faith-lift?
A Psalm of Thanksgiving!
Let us all consider the bounty we enjoy and to Whom we owe our Thanks. I am not sure who will read this blog entry but I know whom I give Thanks! I know that Atheist have no one to thank and will not admit the bounty they enjoy comes from a source other than man. I dare not try to convinced them of their folly. But for all who read this and know there is a God, this blog entry is for you! I will attempt to illuminate a deep need in our Churches today. Where is the Gratitude? Where is the shouting for joy? Where is the crying with happiness? Where is the Love for our Creator? Maybe you do not see a problem with your Church. My observation of the people within my parish is somewhat discouraging. I hear more complaints and murmurings than rejoicing and contentment. Church seems to be a place of joy suckers rather than joy givers! I do not intend to feel sorry for myself or belittle the folks within the Church, but only to point to a great need! Psalm 100 is the focus of this devotion.
1 A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
To giving thanks is the simplest of things. Did you know that it is the Will of God for you to always give Thanks? Every circumstance and situation should be first handled with Thanksgiving. Trouble, heartache, illness, pain and even death can be a time to give Thanks. It says SHOUT for JOY to the LORD. Maybe we as Christians need to get a little rowdy at times as we shout to the Lord from the gratitude of our hearts! The Hebrew word for joy is; to split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy). Making a joyful noise to the Lord does not count if only you can hear it. I am not saying that God is deaf, only that many around you are when it comes to the Lord! We as God’s people should be the most joyful people on the Earth for the Great Things He has Done! He has bestowed upon us Salvation through His Son Jesus Christ without cost to you! God has given us His Holy Spirit to work in and through us to bring about His Will and Purpose for our lives, which includes Joy. Here are a few thoughts about ingratitude and complaining. 1). Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. -Franklin 2). Ten minutes’ praying is better than a year’s murmuring. -Spurgeon 3). Ingratitude dries up the fountain of all goodness. -Richelieu 4). A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he’ll feel worse when he feels better. -Anonymous Let us be Thankful and Joyful and not be joy suckers!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
The Hebrew word used for worship denote being in bondage. Worship or serving the Lord is the Purpose of our existence! If we fail to be enslaved by the Glory of God in Christ Jesus then we fail at Worship. Jesus is the object of devotion to Christians! Christ gives us the Eternal Spirit to lead us into True Spiritual worship of the Eternal Father. John 4, teaches us this awesome Truth! Now to address the attitude of gladness. Think for a moment about your personal worship time, not corporate worship with other believers, but intimate worship. Soul Worship! Do you come to God with gladness? The Hebrew word for gladness is; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival):–X exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing). Notice, when we come to God it should be festive and pleasureful! There is a time for brokenness and sorrow in our hearts, but not when it come to worship! Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Sing with Glee! Triumph full worship will lift your soul beyond the physical and elevate your relationship with the Living God!
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
When we do come before His Glorious Presence in worship let us always remember the He is God. That He is Holy, Pure, Righteous and the Bestower of Grace and Mercy! He is our Creator and He alone through His Son Jesus Christ gives us Substance! He bought us with His own Blood, shed on the Cross, and we are His! Jesus has given access to His Father and the Comforter for our Empowerment! Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” That is why we are here! Jesus is our Shepherd. He leads us beside Still waters. He Restore our Souls and fills our cups! Know Him or die is the theme of the Bible. So, do you know Him?
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Make no mistake, Jesus and only Jesus, has given us the Freedom to enter the Throne of Grace. We cannot enter the Most Holy Place without first being Washed in His Blood! So when we enter, come with Thanksgiving! Prayer is the topic of this verse and we should, as Jesus instructed us in His Model Prayer, come with praise on our lips. His court is set and His Holiness is Ruling on our behalf by the Righteous acts of His Son! Hallowed is His Name! If there was ever a pressing need within the hearts of men, this is it! Reverence and Praise are due His Name! Let us never come to His Throne with grumbling’s and complaints without first giving His due!
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
The Lord of Heaven, Lord of Earth is always GOOD! Everything He does is for our Good. He never acts out of Character. His Character is always Holy, Pure, Gracious, Merciful, Just and Loving! No one is good, no not one is the theme of Romans 3. But through His Great Love for us He sent His only begotten Son to carry our sins to the Cross and shed His life’s Blood to make us the Righteousness of God the Father! He alone is Good! He alone is Loving without strings! He alone is faithful to all mankind! This is for all time, from Eternity to Eternity, without end! So, have you giving Him Thanks yet? Do you know Him who Created you? Praise His Holy Name! Jeshua, Jesus, Master, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace is whom I serve, whom do you Worship?
Let us all consider the bounty we enjoy and to Whom we owe our Thanks. I am not sure who will read this blog entry but I know whom I give Thanks! I know that Atheist have no one to thank and will not admit the bounty they enjoy comes from a source other than man. I dare not try to convinced them of their folly. But for all who read this and know there is a God, this blog entry is for you! I will attempt to illuminate a deep need in our Churches today. Where is the Gratitude? Where is the shouting for joy? Where is the crying with happiness? Where is the Love for our Creator? Maybe you do not see a problem with your Church. My observation of the people within my parish is somewhat discouraging. I hear more complaints and murmurings than rejoicing and contentment. Church seems to be a place of joy suckers rather than joy givers! I do not intend to feel sorry for myself or belittle the folks within the Church, but only to point to a great need! Psalm 100 is the focus of this devotion.
1 A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
To giving thanks is the simplest of things. Did you know that it is the Will of God for you to always give Thanks? Every circumstance and situation should be first handled with Thanksgiving. Trouble, heartache, illness, pain and even death can be a time to give Thanks. It says SHOUT for JOY to the LORD. Maybe we as Christians need to get a little rowdy at times as we shout to the Lord from the gratitude of our hearts! The Hebrew word for joy is; to split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy). Making a joyful noise to the Lord does not count if only you can hear it. I am not saying that God is deaf, only that many around you are when it comes to the Lord! We as God’s people should be the most joyful people on the Earth for the Great Things He has Done! He has bestowed upon us Salvation through His Son Jesus Christ without cost to you! God has given us His Holy Spirit to work in and through us to bring about His Will and Purpose for our lives, which includes Joy. Here are a few thoughts about ingratitude and complaining. 1). Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. -Franklin 2). Ten minutes’ praying is better than a year’s murmuring. -Spurgeon 3). Ingratitude dries up the fountain of all goodness. -Richelieu 4). A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he’ll feel worse when he feels better. -Anonymous Let us be Thankful and Joyful and not be joy suckers!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
The Hebrew word used for worship denote being in bondage. Worship or serving the Lord is the Purpose of our existence! If we fail to be enslaved by the Glory of God in Christ Jesus then we fail at Worship. Jesus is the object of devotion to Christians! Christ gives us the Eternal Spirit to lead us into True Spiritual worship of the Eternal Father. John 4, teaches us this awesome Truth! Now to address the attitude of gladness. Think for a moment about your personal worship time, not corporate worship with other believers, but intimate worship. Soul Worship! Do you come to God with gladness? The Hebrew word for gladness is; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival):–X exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing). Notice, when we come to God it should be festive and pleasureful! There is a time for brokenness and sorrow in our hearts, but not when it come to worship! Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Sing with Glee! Triumph full worship will lift your soul beyond the physical and elevate your relationship with the Living God!
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
When we do come before His Glorious Presence in worship let us always remember the He is God. That He is Holy, Pure, Righteous and the Bestower of Grace and Mercy! He is our Creator and He alone through His Son Jesus Christ gives us Substance! He bought us with His own Blood, shed on the Cross, and we are His! Jesus has given access to His Father and the Comforter for our Empowerment! Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” That is why we are here! Jesus is our Shepherd. He leads us beside Still waters. He Restore our Souls and fills our cups! Know Him or die is the theme of the Bible. So, do you know Him?
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Make no mistake, Jesus and only Jesus, has given us the Freedom to enter the Throne of Grace. We cannot enter the Most Holy Place without first being Washed in His Blood! So when we enter, come with Thanksgiving! Prayer is the topic of this verse and we should, as Jesus instructed us in His Model Prayer, come with praise on our lips. His court is set and His Holiness is Ruling on our behalf by the Righteous acts of His Son! Hallowed is His Name! If there was ever a pressing need within the hearts of men, this is it! Reverence and Praise are due His Name! Let us never come to His Throne with grumbling’s and complaints without first giving His due!
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
The Lord of Heaven, Lord of Earth is always GOOD! Everything He does is for our Good. He never acts out of Character. His Character is always Holy, Pure, Gracious, Merciful, Just and Loving! No one is good, no not one is the theme of Romans 3. But through His Great Love for us He sent His only begotten Son to carry our sins to the Cross and shed His life’s Blood to make us the Righteousness of God the Father! He alone is Good! He alone is Loving without strings! He alone is faithful to all mankind! This is for all time, from Eternity to Eternity, without end! So, have you giving Him Thanks yet? Do you know Him who Created you? Praise His Holy Name! Jeshua, Jesus, Master, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace is whom I serve, whom do you Worship?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
God's Healthcare Plan!
So many in our society are addicted to illness! Why is that statement being presented in this devotion? Take a look around. Look at the hospital emergency rooms. Look at your Doctors office. Look at our Nations focus for the last decade, if not longer, in the political realm! Where’s my healthcare? I am entitled to healthcare! I am an American and I have a right to healthcare! Vote for me and I will give you the right to healthcare, rants most politicians. My concern is not so much political as it is Spiritual. As a Christian I am told in the Word of God that dependence upon Christ alone for Salvation is not an option but a requirement! Christ paid for our sins on the Cross of Calvary! God’s Salvation by Grace was given to all who would put Faith in Christ Blood and believe that Christ was Raised from the dead! Thank God for His Mercy and Grace! Is that all? Is that the only thing God did for us through His Son? Saving our souls from sin, death and the Devil? Absolutely not! Did you know physical healing was given as well?
Listen to what the Bible says concerning healing through Christ. Ps 103:2 “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” How about this verse; “1Pe 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” What about the many verses in the Gospels where Jesus brings healing and then tells the recipients, "your faith has healed you." Let me say right here that I am not saying you don’t have faith if you go to your doctor! What I would like to point out here is that Christian’s should seek healing for their physical needs first at the feet of Jesus! Cry out to Him when an infirmity comes upon you! Have faith that He has healed you. Don’t pray for healing and then start doubting, Believe that you have received healing! Have you done that before seeking a Doctor’s advice? I can testify to many who have received healing without the aid of technology! Yes, I know that God has bestowed knowledge and Wisdom to mankind concerning our bodies. But I cannot and will not believe that God wants us to rely upon Doctors for our healing! He wants to touch you and heal you mentally, physically and spiritually! How many times have you got sick and never ask Jesus to bring healing? How many times has God healed you through Doctors and you never acknowledged His Divine healing? God wants us to be dependent upon Him! Has your Church Pastor preached and obeyed Scripture concerning healing? Listen to what the Bible says; James 5:14 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Do you believe this passage dear Christians? Do you believe in Divine healing or not?
Listen to what Paul the Apostle says concerning our remembrance of the Lord’s Supper. 1Co 11:23 “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.” Could it be that many Christians have a sickly attitude because of their irreverence for Christ? Weak and sick in verse 30 sure seems to point to Christians infirmities as the result of unworthily partaking of the Body and Blood of the Lord.
To address this further I will attempt to point out a powerful comparison from the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the New. Notice this passage from Isaiah 53 which directs our attention to the coming of Christ in the future and Suffering for all humanity. Isaiah 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Now compare that with Peters proclamation. 1Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” Did you here what the prophet and Apostle said concerning the work of Jesus the Messiah? Isaiah says He took our infirmities (sickness) and by His wounds we are, present tense, healed; whereas Peter’s proclamation was (have been) past tense, healed. Wow! We as Christians have healing in Jesus broken body before we even get sick! That sounds like the best healthcare plan I ever heard and it is a Promise from God, not a politician! Next time you get sick consider these passages and cry out to Jesus in Faith for healing. If the infirmity remains then seek Doctors advice! Always seek God first and give Him the honor due His Name! Amen
Listen to what the Bible says concerning healing through Christ. Ps 103:2 “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” How about this verse; “1Pe 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” What about the many verses in the Gospels where Jesus brings healing and then tells the recipients, "your faith has healed you." Let me say right here that I am not saying you don’t have faith if you go to your doctor! What I would like to point out here is that Christian’s should seek healing for their physical needs first at the feet of Jesus! Cry out to Him when an infirmity comes upon you! Have faith that He has healed you. Don’t pray for healing and then start doubting, Believe that you have received healing! Have you done that before seeking a Doctor’s advice? I can testify to many who have received healing without the aid of technology! Yes, I know that God has bestowed knowledge and Wisdom to mankind concerning our bodies. But I cannot and will not believe that God wants us to rely upon Doctors for our healing! He wants to touch you and heal you mentally, physically and spiritually! How many times have you got sick and never ask Jesus to bring healing? How many times has God healed you through Doctors and you never acknowledged His Divine healing? God wants us to be dependent upon Him! Has your Church Pastor preached and obeyed Scripture concerning healing? Listen to what the Bible says; James 5:14 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Do you believe this passage dear Christians? Do you believe in Divine healing or not?
Listen to what Paul the Apostle says concerning our remembrance of the Lord’s Supper. 1Co 11:23 “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.” Could it be that many Christians have a sickly attitude because of their irreverence for Christ? Weak and sick in verse 30 sure seems to point to Christians infirmities as the result of unworthily partaking of the Body and Blood of the Lord.
To address this further I will attempt to point out a powerful comparison from the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the New. Notice this passage from Isaiah 53 which directs our attention to the coming of Christ in the future and Suffering for all humanity. Isaiah 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Now compare that with Peters proclamation. 1Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” Did you here what the prophet and Apostle said concerning the work of Jesus the Messiah? Isaiah says He took our infirmities (sickness) and by His wounds we are, present tense, healed; whereas Peter’s proclamation was (have been) past tense, healed. Wow! We as Christians have healing in Jesus broken body before we even get sick! That sounds like the best healthcare plan I ever heard and it is a Promise from God, not a politician! Next time you get sick consider these passages and cry out to Jesus in Faith for healing. If the infirmity remains then seek Doctors advice! Always seek God first and give Him the honor due His Name! Amen
Monday, August 2, 2010
Thoughts of God's Mercy and Grace!
As I sit here today and ponder the Greatness of God’s Mercy, I am acutely aware of my inabilities. It is truly a humbling thing to see yourself through the eyes of Scripture and see your shortcomings! I am reminded of the following Holy text; Psalm 103:8 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” and Lamentations 3:19 “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” To think of the Mercies of God and that He never treats us as our rebellion deserves is absolutely a humbling thought. The Lord Jesus is and was always seeking the downcast, sick, blind, oppressed and those in bondage. As Isaiah puts it “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn...” Today is the day of Mercy and salvation! I know that no matter what happens today in life I can trust in the Mercies of God. To think otherwise would be raping my own soul. In case there are some reading this post and do not know or have never experienced God’s Mercy and Grace, please allow me to define these two Attributes of the Almighty. God’s Grace can be defined as God giving you what you do not deserve. Grace is kindness, goodness and love all rapped up as a gift. Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” God’s Mercy can be defined as God does not give us what we deserve. Psalm 103:10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Mercy is an act of God as well and can only be bestowed on those who fear Him! Never can either one of these Attributes come upon a person who is proud and who think God owes it to them! Jesus told us a Parable concerning His Fathers Mercy and Grace; “Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-- robbers, evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." That is as simple as it gets. Salvation is God’s Mercy and Grace! Salvation can be received only by turning to Jesus in Faith! Thank you God for your Great Mercy on me a mere sinful man and thank you for the Gift of Grace through your Son Jesus Christ. AMEN!
20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” To think of the Mercies of God and that He never treats us as our rebellion deserves is absolutely a humbling thought. The Lord Jesus is and was always seeking the downcast, sick, blind, oppressed and those in bondage. As Isaiah puts it “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn...” Today is the day of Mercy and salvation! I know that no matter what happens today in life I can trust in the Mercies of God. To think otherwise would be raping my own soul. In case there are some reading this post and do not know or have never experienced God’s Mercy and Grace, please allow me to define these two Attributes of the Almighty. God’s Grace can be defined as God giving you what you do not deserve. Grace is kindness, goodness and love all rapped up as a gift. Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” God’s Mercy can be defined as God does not give us what we deserve. Psalm 103:10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Mercy is an act of God as well and can only be bestowed on those who fear Him! Never can either one of these Attributes come upon a person who is proud and who think God owes it to them! Jesus told us a Parable concerning His Fathers Mercy and Grace; “Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-- robbers, evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." That is as simple as it gets. Salvation is God’s Mercy and Grace! Salvation can be received only by turning to Jesus in Faith! Thank you God for your Great Mercy on me a mere sinful man and thank you for the Gift of Grace through your Son Jesus Christ. AMEN!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fathers, listen up!
This came from the back of a church bulletin and is worthy of our time to meditate and reflect. How to be a five star dad by Paul J. Twist:
It has been said, “The only things you can take with you to heaven are your children.” “Father’s Day is a good day for dad’s to examine their hearts and priorities, asking questions such as; 1. Am I the spiritual leader God wants me to be in my family? 2. Do I spend more time earning money than I need to provide for my family? 3. Do I value the friendship of others more than time spent with my own family? Often, mothers are thought of as the ones who have the greatest influence in training their children. But a few years ago, a study revealed a startling fact regarding Church attendance. When both parents attended Church, the study showed that 80% of the children also attended Church when they were on their own. When the mother attended with the children, but the father did not, only 30% of the children attended on their own. Yet, when the father attended Church with their children, without the mother, 70% of the children continued to attend Church when on their own, almost as high a figure as when both parents attended with them! A family does need a strong, faithful mother who takes time to pray for her children, and train them in the ways of the Lord. But the father needs to be the leader, and set the example by his own faithful Church attendance if his children are to follow Christ when they are older. They are more likely to do as you do than to do as you say and the result of your Godly example will follow you into Eternity.” Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” So now what are you going to do with this thought? God ordained the family unit and designated the father as the spiritual leader. We can see in our own Nation how the world views a fathers role in the family. But our thinking should not be as the world thinks but as God thinks! O fathers and mother, the ruin of your children or their salvation, will, under God, very much depend on you. -Spurgeon For you fathers out their, let me ask a question; do you pray with your children? I said with them not for them. Do you lead them in prayer? Why not? Wake up and swallow your Pride if you do not lead your children in prayer or to Church! I pray you so live, that when you stand over your child's dead body, you may never hear a voice coming up from that clay, "Father, your negligence was my destruction. Mother, your prayerlessness was the instrument of my damnation. Fathers remember the survey that was just shared? Do you want your pride and slackness to be the destroyer of your children? Not to mention the destruction of your own soul! A mother is important for the children, but the father is the leader of both! God ordained the family unit. Can we undo what God has done? Only to our destruction as a family and then a Nation. Blessings to you fathers. Pr 20:7 “ The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”
It has been said, “The only things you can take with you to heaven are your children.” “Father’s Day is a good day for dad’s to examine their hearts and priorities, asking questions such as; 1. Am I the spiritual leader God wants me to be in my family? 2. Do I spend more time earning money than I need to provide for my family? 3. Do I value the friendship of others more than time spent with my own family? Often, mothers are thought of as the ones who have the greatest influence in training their children. But a few years ago, a study revealed a startling fact regarding Church attendance. When both parents attended Church, the study showed that 80% of the children also attended Church when they were on their own. When the mother attended with the children, but the father did not, only 30% of the children attended on their own. Yet, when the father attended Church with their children, without the mother, 70% of the children continued to attend Church when on their own, almost as high a figure as when both parents attended with them! A family does need a strong, faithful mother who takes time to pray for her children, and train them in the ways of the Lord. But the father needs to be the leader, and set the example by his own faithful Church attendance if his children are to follow Christ when they are older. They are more likely to do as you do than to do as you say and the result of your Godly example will follow you into Eternity.” Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” So now what are you going to do with this thought? God ordained the family unit and designated the father as the spiritual leader. We can see in our own Nation how the world views a fathers role in the family. But our thinking should not be as the world thinks but as God thinks! O fathers and mother, the ruin of your children or their salvation, will, under God, very much depend on you. -Spurgeon For you fathers out their, let me ask a question; do you pray with your children? I said with them not for them. Do you lead them in prayer? Why not? Wake up and swallow your Pride if you do not lead your children in prayer or to Church! I pray you so live, that when you stand over your child's dead body, you may never hear a voice coming up from that clay, "Father, your negligence was my destruction. Mother, your prayerlessness was the instrument of my damnation. Fathers remember the survey that was just shared? Do you want your pride and slackness to be the destroyer of your children? Not to mention the destruction of your own soul! A mother is important for the children, but the father is the leader of both! God ordained the family unit. Can we undo what God has done? Only to our destruction as a family and then a Nation. Blessings to you fathers. Pr 20:7 “ The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Most Christians Cannot Explain their Faith!
Many things are happening today that should cause Christians to pause and take note. The Church for instance. Just stop and ponder a moment about the changes that has come over the past 20 years. As I share a few thoughts and make a few observations, please pray concerning what you are reading. First thing I would like to do is define the word contemporary. 1. existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time. 2. of about the same age or date. 3. of the present time; modern: a lecture on the contemporary novel. For the task at hand, modern, will fit best for this devotion. It is obvious that modern Churches have some pros and cons. First the positives. Contemporary praise and worship songs can be very uplifting and Christ honoring. They seem to have a more upbeat tone than some of the traditional hymns which can stir some emotion into the worship. This is not to say that emotionalism is all good but does seem to honor Christ when He Commanded us to Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Modern Churches with modern worship services can be very Glorifying to Christ and can lead many to Christ as Savior.
Secondly the negatives. Contemporary praise and worship can become idiolatry just as traditional. If the worshiper is getting a high and is focused on the entertainment value, then to much emotion can certainly lead the worshiper to commit idiolatry by getting a boost of adrenaline instead of focusing on Glorifying God with their all!
Now lets look at Preaching the Word of God. Worship is important and preaching is part of that worship. The problem comes when Preaching contemporary messages. So many Churches have abandoned Rock solid Bible Preaching for some hybrid modern seeker friendly social club! Not offending anyone or making people feel comfortable seems to be the standard. I recently read an article about this very subject and would like to share. The title speaks volumes: Most Christians Cannot Explain their Faith, Says Apologist. Here is the article.
The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.
This is a concern because pastors’ inability to present biblical truth comprehensibly and relevantly has led to children from Christian families leaving the church, research has shown.
In the United States, the age at which nearly all such children leave church has decreased to 18 years.
Not even the children of many successful ministers are spared.
McDowell made his comments at a recent networking dinner among various men’s ministries organized recently by Men-in-Covenant. MiC is the men’s ministry of Covenant Evangelical Free Church.
He recalled speaking with the pastor of one of the largest U.S. churches, a man known for his expository preaching. Confiding in him, the pastor said their church was losing its youth right after high school graduation.
In his 50 years of ministry, McDowell has asked several thousand pastors and leaders how they could be certain Jesus Christ said “I am the truth” and not one of many truths or a truth.
“Not one person has ever given me an intelligent, biblically-based answer,” said the author of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict.
During the past six years, he asked hundreds of Christians and leaders why they see themselves as Christians. Again no one gave him an “intelligent” answer. In the past 17 years, he has asked over 4,000 pastors, leaders and parents why they believe the Bible is true. A mere six “came close to giving an intelligent answer,” McDowell noted.
“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others.
“The saddest thing is people come to me and say, ‘What’s the answer?’”
“I say, ‘There’s no answer… There are hundreds of answers.’”
Most Christians, even some pastors, don’t even know one. On the other hand, the apologist said he could give 50 reasons for his belief that the Bible is true. Ninety-five percent of Christians gave disappointing responses when asked why they believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.
A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.” McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it?
“If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.”
On one occasion, 13 youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question.
Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer. The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.”
And to McDowell’s dismay, all the youth pastors applauded him.
McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world?
“To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.” Another response the apologist received was: Because I have faith.
He commented, “Where did we ever get the crazy idea that faith makes something true? That’s idiotic. That’s so unbiblical you can call it heresy.
“God doesn’t use faith to create truth. He uses truth through the Holy Spirit to create faith.”
Christians, the apologist stressed, are called to explain their faith when asked. They are set free by the faith in the truth, he expressed, referring to John 8:32.
Yet others say Christianity is true because Jesus changed their lives.
Even this will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, McDowell argued.
“Lies change lives; cults change lives,” he said.
To make such an appeal is “not the essence of Christianity,” the author emphasized.
McDowell said: “We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to the lost, to tell them not just what we believe but why do we believe it.”
Secondly the negatives. Contemporary praise and worship can become idiolatry just as traditional. If the worshiper is getting a high and is focused on the entertainment value, then to much emotion can certainly lead the worshiper to commit idiolatry by getting a boost of adrenaline instead of focusing on Glorifying God with their all!
Now lets look at Preaching the Word of God. Worship is important and preaching is part of that worship. The problem comes when Preaching contemporary messages. So many Churches have abandoned Rock solid Bible Preaching for some hybrid modern seeker friendly social club! Not offending anyone or making people feel comfortable seems to be the standard. I recently read an article about this very subject and would like to share. The title speaks volumes: Most Christians Cannot Explain their Faith, Says Apologist. Here is the article.
The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.
This is a concern because pastors’ inability to present biblical truth comprehensibly and relevantly has led to children from Christian families leaving the church, research has shown.
In the United States, the age at which nearly all such children leave church has decreased to 18 years.
Not even the children of many successful ministers are spared.
McDowell made his comments at a recent networking dinner among various men’s ministries organized recently by Men-in-Covenant. MiC is the men’s ministry of Covenant Evangelical Free Church.
He recalled speaking with the pastor of one of the largest U.S. churches, a man known for his expository preaching. Confiding in him, the pastor said their church was losing its youth right after high school graduation.
In his 50 years of ministry, McDowell has asked several thousand pastors and leaders how they could be certain Jesus Christ said “I am the truth” and not one of many truths or a truth.
“Not one person has ever given me an intelligent, biblically-based answer,” said the author of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict.
During the past six years, he asked hundreds of Christians and leaders why they see themselves as Christians. Again no one gave him an “intelligent” answer. In the past 17 years, he has asked over 4,000 pastors, leaders and parents why they believe the Bible is true. A mere six “came close to giving an intelligent answer,” McDowell noted.
“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others.
“The saddest thing is people come to me and say, ‘What’s the answer?’”
“I say, ‘There’s no answer… There are hundreds of answers.’”
Most Christians, even some pastors, don’t even know one. On the other hand, the apologist said he could give 50 reasons for his belief that the Bible is true. Ninety-five percent of Christians gave disappointing responses when asked why they believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.
A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.” McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it?
“If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.”
On one occasion, 13 youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question.
Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer. The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.”
And to McDowell’s dismay, all the youth pastors applauded him.
McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world?
“To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.” Another response the apologist received was: Because I have faith.
He commented, “Where did we ever get the crazy idea that faith makes something true? That’s idiotic. That’s so unbiblical you can call it heresy.
“God doesn’t use faith to create truth. He uses truth through the Holy Spirit to create faith.”
Christians, the apologist stressed, are called to explain their faith when asked. They are set free by the faith in the truth, he expressed, referring to John 8:32.
Yet others say Christianity is true because Jesus changed their lives.
Even this will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, McDowell argued.
“Lies change lives; cults change lives,” he said.
To make such an appeal is “not the essence of Christianity,” the author emphasized.
McDowell said: “We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to the lost, to tell them not just what we believe but why do we believe it.”
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Ascension of Christ!
There seems to be some confusion in the minds of millions, if not billions, about who Jesus Christ is and what He has done. Many have tried to articulate the Life and Works of Jesus Christ in hopes of dispelling misconceptions about His Character. I am not qualified, nor claim to be, a Theologian. I would however like to talk briefly about my Savior’s Ascension. The Ascension is when Jesus rose to the right hand of His Father in Heaven. Here is one Biblical account; Acts 1:9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." 1. Why did Jesus go up there? 2. Does His Ascension point to His second Coming? 3. Why is this important to Christian doctrine? These questions shall be briefly answered. The Bible best answers the questions. 1). Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Ok, so the Old Testament prophet said He would bare the sins of many and will make intercession for them or on their behalf. Wow what a Truth that is, that the Son of God not only took my sins upon Himself and paid the penalty, but now He is praying for the repentant sinner. The New Testament also says this; Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-- more than that, who was raised to life-- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 2). The Bible also says in the text of the Ascension that our Lord will Return the same way He went up. Daniel 7:13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. We did not see His Ascension but we will see Him descending! Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 24:30. “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Also in Revelation 1:7 “ Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” He went up and is Coming back down. Are you ready? 3). This teaching is important to Christianity because of the Great Work Jesus did for you and me. We need to point people to the Jesus who Died on a Roman Cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, He was Resurrected from the dead and He Ascended and is Coming back soon! We dare not forget His Ascension which points to His Coming! There are millions and billions on this planet that need to hear this message. The Blood of Jesus has no power to save unless the sinner repents and turns to His Mighty Works! Jesus is Coming soon, turn to Him now if you have not done so already.
11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." 1. Why did Jesus go up there? 2. Does His Ascension point to His second Coming? 3. Why is this important to Christian doctrine? These questions shall be briefly answered. The Bible best answers the questions. 1). Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Ok, so the Old Testament prophet said He would bare the sins of many and will make intercession for them or on their behalf. Wow what a Truth that is, that the Son of God not only took my sins upon Himself and paid the penalty, but now He is praying for the repentant sinner. The New Testament also says this; Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-- more than that, who was raised to life-- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 2). The Bible also says in the text of the Ascension that our Lord will Return the same way He went up. Daniel 7:13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. We did not see His Ascension but we will see Him descending! Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 24:30. “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Also in Revelation 1:7 “ Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” He went up and is Coming back down. Are you ready? 3). This teaching is important to Christianity because of the Great Work Jesus did for you and me. We need to point people to the Jesus who Died on a Roman Cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, He was Resurrected from the dead and He Ascended and is Coming back soon! We dare not forget His Ascension which points to His Coming! There are millions and billions on this planet that need to hear this message. The Blood of Jesus has no power to save unless the sinner repents and turns to His Mighty Works! Jesus is Coming soon, turn to Him now if you have not done so already.
Friday, April 16, 2010
How Great is our God?
As I ponder today about the Greatness of our God and Father, I am reminded from the weeping Prophet Jeremiah of God’s Great Faithfulness. Jeremiah Laments over his people and comes to this conclusion in chapter 3 of Lamentations; 3:19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 ¶ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” I am convinced that everything in my life that is bad is do to my lack of devotion to the Lord and everything in my life that is good comes from Him who died for my iniquities, Jesus Christ! I have a problem with self- imposed misery. To explain my misery, it is best to go to the affliction of the Apostle Paul. Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” I have the desire to pray but I put it off. I want to walk obediently before my God always but I find myself coming short of that mark. My soul gets downcast within me and I find myself broken before Him. Alas, it hits me! THAT’S where He wants me to be!! Lamenting my sins and humbly coming to Him for Cleansing and strength! Paul buts his conclusion this way. Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! May everyone who finds this devotion find themselves lamenting and humbling themselves before the Lord Christ! For Jesus understands our afflictions and He understands humility. Isa 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” O my Jesus, my Rock and my Redeemer! Isa 53:10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus understands our needs and will meet our needs, according to His Riches in Glory, if we would simple humble ourselves, repent and lament our sins! Come to Jesus, He will not forsake you or leave you! He will Save you from yourself!!
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 ¶ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” I am convinced that everything in my life that is bad is do to my lack of devotion to the Lord and everything in my life that is good comes from Him who died for my iniquities, Jesus Christ! I have a problem with self- imposed misery. To explain my misery, it is best to go to the affliction of the Apostle Paul. Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” I have the desire to pray but I put it off. I want to walk obediently before my God always but I find myself coming short of that mark. My soul gets downcast within me and I find myself broken before Him. Alas, it hits me! THAT’S where He wants me to be!! Lamenting my sins and humbly coming to Him for Cleansing and strength! Paul buts his conclusion this way. Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! May everyone who finds this devotion find themselves lamenting and humbling themselves before the Lord Christ! For Jesus understands our afflictions and He understands humility. Isa 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” O my Jesus, my Rock and my Redeemer! Isa 53:10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus understands our needs and will meet our needs, according to His Riches in Glory, if we would simple humble ourselves, repent and lament our sins! Come to Jesus, He will not forsake you or leave you! He will Save you from yourself!!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Ignorance is not Bliss!
There is an old saying that will start the thought process of this paper. “Ignorance is Bliss.” This statement has some truth, except when dealing with your Eternal destination! The Truth is simple, there is life after death and ignorance of this Truth does not change its reality. Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He did this to satisfy His Fathers Wrath concerning sinful man. Jesus is known as the Passover Lamb, holy, spotless and without defect (sin). He was offered up on the Alter of God’s Holy Throne as a sin offering. His Blood shed on the Cross satisfies His Fathers Holiness. God is offering a way for all of humanity to have their sins Washed away and declared Righteous before His Holiness if they Repent of their sins, that means turn away from your sins, and Trust what Jesus did on the Cross was payment for their sin debt! Hebrews 10:10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all 11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” If any human feels the weight of his own sin, feels the wrath of God upon them, grieves their sins, and even cry out, “I believe in Jesus”, can still end up in the Eternal Lake of Fire, why? REPENTANCE! Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-- even Jesus.” Without repentance there is no Salvation! Matthew 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Christ Jesus was Sacrificed for you on the Cross, so repent of your sins and believe in the Death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus! God does not except your ignorance, Master card, Visa or American express as a payment for your sin debt. Jesus is the Purpose of the Passover celebration! Let it never be forgotten that Jesus gives all that is needful for our salvation. It is highly important that all seekers after mercy should remember this. Faith is as much the gift of God as is the Savior upon whom that faith relies. Repentance of sin is as truly the work of grace as the making of an atonement by which sin is blotted out. Salvation, from first to last, is of grace alone. You will not misunderstand me. It is not the Holy Spirit who repents. He has never done anything for which He should repent. If He could repent, it would not meet the case; we must ourselves repent of our own sin, or we are not saved from its power. It is not the Lord Jesus Christ who repents. What should He repent of? We ourselves repent with the full consent of every faculty of our mind. The will, the affections, the emotions, all work together most heartily in the blessed act of repentance for sin; and yet at the back of all that is our personal act, there is a secret holy influence which melts the heart, gives contrition, and produces a complete change. The Spirit of God enlightens us to see what sin is, and thus makes it loathsome in our eyes. The Spirit of God also turns us toward holiness, makes us heartily to appreciate, love, and desire it, and thus gives us the impetus by which we are led onward from stage to stage of sanctification. The Spirit of God works in us to will and to do according to God’s good pleasure. To that good Spirit let us submit ourselves at once, that He may lead us to Jesus, who will freely give us the double benediction of repentance and remission, according to the riches of His grace. Have a Blessed and Christ centered Holy Week!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Are aliens referred to in the Bible?
The first thing I want to share before going on to answer this question is; God’s Word says what it says and we sinful men must take His Word, by faith, to say what it says without adding to it or taking anything away from it. We can and must not go beyond what His Word has Revealed! I will share verses that indicate another realm beyond the physical. We as sinful men love to dwell upon things such as UFO’s, intelligence on other Planets, Angels, Demons(fallen angels), Ghost’s and so on and so forth. Many have seen and have based their entire lives on the UFO sightings. I must tell you I personally know for a fact that there is realm beyond the physical. The whole entire Bible teaches us this fact. We are physical beings as well as spiritual beings. There are spiritual beings called Angels which are holy and there are spiritual beings called Demons which are evil. God Himself is a Spirit for Jesus said John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” There are Scripture’s that indicated that Angels, fallen and holy, who come into the physical realm from the spiritual realm and some men have seen them. Genesis 6:1-8 “When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days– and also afterward– when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth– men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air– for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Ancient text and many Bible scholars have for thousands of years indicated that holy Angels came to Earth to teach righteousness to men and became corrupt. They took women of men and had children. Their children became giants and where wicked. The study of this can be traced to Goliath the giant, the one whom king David slew. Fallen Angels who were cast out of Heaven because of rebellion led by Satan, can and always will bring confusion and delusions to men. They will always try to get people to worship them rather than the only true God. 1Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. As we see the day of Jesus Second Coming we will continue to see spirits appear in the physical realm so men will follow them. Also a good story to indicate the possibility of UFO’s. 2Kings 6:8- Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As indicated in this story Angelic beings were hidden from men’s eyes, then the LORD opened their eyes and they saw what people today would call Aliens or UFO’s. Do Aliens exist? Yes! Are they from other Planets? Doubtful. Are UFO’s and Aliens as we like to call them, fallen Angels enticing men to worship them? Absolutely! Be careful when you see things and hear things that are “out of this world.” It just may be an Angel or (demon) from a different realm. Last few verses which point to the true Aliens, Believers.
1. Ephesians 2:18-20 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
2. Hebrews 11:13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
3. 1Peter 2:9-12 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
1. Ephesians 2:18-20 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
2. Hebrews 11:13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
3. 1Peter 2:9-12 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Happy New Year?
Something to ponder in the coming year. BLESSED is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Hebrews 12:2,3 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things. Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened. Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail. Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what belongs to another -- He wants your heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you. You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for "all flesh is grass" and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away. You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. “If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself -- to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do.” Thomas E. Kempes. May you seek Christ Jesus more in 2010 than in 2009. Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Meaning behind 12 days of Christmas.
The 12 Days of Christmas
In England, between 1558 and 1829, it was not legal for Catholics to practice their kind of Christianity in private or in public. Being a Catholic was treated as a bad crime. If you even owned a Catholic Bible, you could be put in prison! Catholics were stopped from worshiping because King Henry VIII fell out with the Catholic Church and started his own 'Protestant' Church (the Church of England). There were many people who were still Catholics and they worshiped in secret.
'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was written in England at the beginning of this time. Some people think that it was written to help children learn about their Catholic religion. In the carol, the days are supposed to represent special symbols and have hidden meanings, because it was illegal to have anything in writing that would indicate that you were a Catholic.
... See More
But there's no evidence that this is true and it seems most likely just to be a folk song and the meaning were added at a later date! Also, all the symbols can be used by Protestants and other Christians! There was another song called 'A New Dial', written in 1625, which gave religious meanings to the 12 Days of Christmas, but not so people could practice their faith is secret. If you'd like to know more about this, please go to the 12 Days of Christmas page on snopes.com
The 12 Days of Christmas refer to the twelve day period that starts with Christmas day and ends on Epiphany (6th January). The song begins, On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... The 'true love' was meant to represent God, the true love of the world. The 'me' in the carol is the Christian man or woman who receives these presents. The meanings given to the 12 Days are:
The 'partridge in a pear tree' is Jesus who died on the cross. In ancient times a partridge was often used as mythological symbol of a divine, sacred king.
The 'two turtle doves' are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible - another gift from God. Doves also symbolize peace.
The 'three French hens' are faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 13). The French hens can also represent God the Father, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The 'four calling birds' are the four Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible.
The 'five golden rings' are the first five books of the Bible also called the Pentateuch, the Books of Moses or the Torah.
The 'six geese a-laying' are the six days of creation.
The 'seven swans a swimming' are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11)
The 'eight maids a milking' are the eight beatitudes, Jesus' teachings on happiness. (See Matthew 5:3-10)
The 'nine ladies dancing' are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians 5:22)
The 'ten lords a-leaping' are the Ten Commandments in the Bible. (See Exodus 20)
The 'eleven pipers piping' are the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus.
The 'twelve drummers drumming' were the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed.
In England, between 1558 and 1829, it was not legal for Catholics to practice their kind of Christianity in private or in public. Being a Catholic was treated as a bad crime. If you even owned a Catholic Bible, you could be put in prison! Catholics were stopped from worshiping because King Henry VIII fell out with the Catholic Church and started his own 'Protestant' Church (the Church of England). There were many people who were still Catholics and they worshiped in secret.
'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was written in England at the beginning of this time. Some people think that it was written to help children learn about their Catholic religion. In the carol, the days are supposed to represent special symbols and have hidden meanings, because it was illegal to have anything in writing that would indicate that you were a Catholic.
... See More
But there's no evidence that this is true and it seems most likely just to be a folk song and the meaning were added at a later date! Also, all the symbols can be used by Protestants and other Christians! There was another song called 'A New Dial', written in 1625, which gave religious meanings to the 12 Days of Christmas, but not so people could practice their faith is secret. If you'd like to know more about this, please go to the 12 Days of Christmas page on snopes.com
The 12 Days of Christmas refer to the twelve day period that starts with Christmas day and ends on Epiphany (6th January). The song begins, On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... The 'true love' was meant to represent God, the true love of the world. The 'me' in the carol is the Christian man or woman who receives these presents. The meanings given to the 12 Days are:
The 'partridge in a pear tree' is Jesus who died on the cross. In ancient times a partridge was often used as mythological symbol of a divine, sacred king.
The 'two turtle doves' are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible - another gift from God. Doves also symbolize peace.
The 'three French hens' are faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 13). The French hens can also represent God the Father, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The 'four calling birds' are the four Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible.
The 'five golden rings' are the first five books of the Bible also called the Pentateuch, the Books of Moses or the Torah.
The 'six geese a-laying' are the six days of creation.
The 'seven swans a swimming' are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11)
The 'eight maids a milking' are the eight beatitudes, Jesus' teachings on happiness. (See Matthew 5:3-10)
The 'nine ladies dancing' are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians 5:22)
The 'ten lords a-leaping' are the Ten Commandments in the Bible. (See Exodus 20)
The 'eleven pipers piping' are the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus.
The 'twelve drummers drumming' were the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Rise Of Christian Persecution!
Sharing this article from Prophecy News Watch. Where will you spend Eternity? A Scripture to think about while reading this article is ; “Re 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.
10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
There is a widely quoted statistic that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in the 19 centuries leading up to it. But as bad as the 20th century was, the 21st century is starting to make that look like a Sunday picnic. In every corner of the globe, Christians are being shot, burned, hanged, tortured and even stuffed into metal shipping containers. Christian clergy are being marked for assassination around the world, hundreds of churches are being burned to the ground along with scores of homes and businesses owned by Christians. Dozens of nations across the globe have now passed strict anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stifle the spread of Christianity. In the countries where Christians are not yet facing physical persecution, they still must deal with open discrimination, lawsuits and increasing ridicule. Christianity is now the most hated and most persecuted religion on the plant. The reality is that the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:18 ring truer today than ever: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
Keep those words in mind as you read the following shocking reports of Christian persecution from all over the world….
China
Chinese authorities have conducted a crackdown on “illegal” Christian churches in recent months that church leaders are calling the harshest in years. Christians in China are required to worship in “churches” run by state-controlled organizations, and Christians who attempt to worship on their own are brutally persecuted.
Recently, hundreds of government police and hired thugs descended on a megachurch that served approximately 50,000 worshippers, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries. The co-pastors of the church are in prison and police vehicles remain parked on virtually every corner of the neighborhood where the church is located. Scenes such as this are regularly being repeated all over China as the Communist government seeks to eliminate all religion that is not government-sanctioned.
Eritrea
In a story that recently made headlines all over the world, thirty elderly women in Eritrea were arrested for simply praying together. But the truth is that this is just the latest episode in an ongoing persecution of Christians that is beyond brutal.
The Pakistan Christian TV website recently described the horrifc persecution of Christians in Eritrea this way….
Today some 3,000 Eritrean Christians are imprisoned for their faith. Some are in underground and solitary cells whilst some are in ’secret’ prisons for the ‘disappeared’. However, most are herded into unventilated shipping containers in the desert where dysentery and infectious diseases go untreated. Torture is routine.
The truth is that these unventilated shipping containers are extremely uncomfortable. The temperatures in these metal shipping containers can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in many instances Christians are not even let out of them to use the bathroom.
Assassinations Of Clergy
Increasingly, Christian clergy are being targeted for assassination all over the world. The following are just a few of the recent examples….
*A Russian priest that had been highly critical of Islam has been assassinated inside his own church.
*Leftist guerrillas in Colombia brutally executed a Christian pastor just outside his own home.
*Two masked members of the al-Shabaab Muslim militia shot and killed a Christian pastor in Somalia as he drove home from a worship service.
India
Persecution of Christians in India is getting so bad that India actually made International Christian Concern’s Hall of Shame.
According to the ICC, 2008 was particularly bad, with “wave after wave of highly coordinated Hindu raids” that resulted in “the worst outbreak of anti-Christian violence in its recent history.”
The statistics that the ICC quotes regarding the outbreak of persecution in India are sobering….
“In all, more than 100 Christians are confirmed dead, 4,000 homes have burned down, and over 50,000 Christians have fled their homes.”
The following is just one example of what is going on in India. This story was originally posted by The Voice of the Martyrs….
—-
On April 25, Pastor Mohan Babu and two other believers were severely beaten by 35 Hindu extremists for holding a Vacation Bible School (VBS) near Bangalore City, in Karnataka State. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, the three-day VBS was organized by Ragigudda Baptist Church. VOM sources said, “Around 60 children from different backgrounds were attending the VBS. As they were worshiping, about 35 people belonging to a Hindu extremist group forcefully entered the hut chanting slogans and demolished the hut. The extremists mercilessly beat Mohan, Samuel and Krishna, alleging forceful conversion. The perpetrators chased the children without any courtesy and tore the Bibles. Mohan was severely injured on his lips and was profusely bleeding. The believers are living in fear and did not lodge complaint with the police.”
—-
Egypt
Hundreds of Muslim villagers in southern Egypt recently burned and looted scores of Christian-owned shops. Christians in Egypt live in a constant state of fear and thousands are being forced to relocate. In fact, the forced deportation of Egyptian Christians from their homes by the government in order to “protect” them is rapidly increasing.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, of course, strictly forbids the conversion of any Muslim to Christianity. The penalty for conversion is death. Back in 2008, The daughter of a man who works for Saudi Arabia’s religious police became a Christian after she joined an Internet chat group. He responded by cutting out her tongue and burning her to death.
The United Kingdom and Europe
All across Europe, “anti-proselytising” laws are being passed. Not only that, but other laws are being adopted that force Christians to deny their beliefs. For example, the U.K. government is being forced by the European Commission to eliminate exemptions that allow churches to refuse to employ homosexual staff.
North Korea
North Korea is one of the most brutally repressive governments in the history of mankind. Tonight more than 200,000 Christians will try to stay warm in horrific North Korean labor camps.
Christians there are considered little more than dogs as the following story from The Voice Of The Martyrs illustrates…..
—-
The young brown-eyed girl looked up at her mother. What would she decide?
Earlier that morning, the young girl’s mother, their pastor, and twenty-six others in her North Korean village of GokSan were bound and taken before a screaming crowd of Communists.
One of the guards ordered Pastor Kim and the other Christians, “Deny Christ, or you will die.” The words chilled her. How could they ask her to deny Jesus? She knew in her heart he was real. They all quietly refused.
Then the Communist guard shouted directly at the adult Christians, “Deny Christ, or we will hang your children.” The young girl looked up at her mother. She gripped her and knowing how much her mom loved her. her mother then leaned down. With confidence and peace she whispered, “Today, my love, I will see you in heaven.”
All of the children were hanged.
The remaining believers were then brought out onto the pavement and forced to lie down in front of a huge steamroller. The Communists gave them one last chance. “Deny this Jesus or you will be crushed.” The Christians had already given up their children; there was no turning back.
As the driver started the heavy piece of equipment, the singing from the villagers started softly. “More love, O Christ, to thee, more love to thee.”
—-
United States
Even with everything that has happened, the United States still offers Christians more freedom than virtually anywhere else on earth. But that is quickly changing as well. Christians in the U.S. just do not have the same level of freedom that they used to experience.
For example, school teachers in Florida say that they are being forced to hide in closets to pray after a controversial court ruling. All expressions of Christian faith are being ruthlessly pushed out of the public sphere by very powerful interest groups.
Calls for government repression of Christianity in the United States have grown louder than ever before. The Huffington Post even published a deeply disturbing article that calls evangelical Christianity the number one source of domestic terrorism in the United States and that calls on the Secret Service and the FBI to investigate and “infiltrate” pro-life and evangelical Christian groups.
Not only that, but many of the hottest best selling books in recent years have publicly mocked Christianity….
Just consider the titles of a few recent New York Times bestsellers…..
*”God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything” by journalist Christopher Hitchens.
*”The End of Faith” by atheist author Sam Harris.
*”The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins.
But this anti-Christian sentiment is just not held by a few elitists. The reality is that it has spread to much of the general population.
For example, the following are the titles of just a few anti-Christian threads on one of the most popular political discussion forums on the Internet….
“Dirty, Filthy, Christians”: Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History
How can we destroy Christians?
Christians should not participate in politics
Why Christians are so ******* lame…
Attention Heterosexuals! Repent! Jesus Can Finally Make You Gay!
Christian are sub-humans
The truth is that hatred for Christians and Christianity is rapidly increasing.
Jesus warned us that these days would come.
In Matthew 24:9, Jesus told us how the world will treat Christians in the end times….
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
The times ahead of us are not referred to as “the Tribulation” for nothing. It will be an absolute bloodbath for Christians. The entire world system will be geared towards eliminating all traces of the true Christian faith. Members of the same family will even betray one another to the authorities.
The truth is that things are not going to get any easier for Christians from here on out. Someday soon there will be no place to hide from Christian persecution.
When that day arrives, what will you do?
10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
There is a widely quoted statistic that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in the 19 centuries leading up to it. But as bad as the 20th century was, the 21st century is starting to make that look like a Sunday picnic. In every corner of the globe, Christians are being shot, burned, hanged, tortured and even stuffed into metal shipping containers. Christian clergy are being marked for assassination around the world, hundreds of churches are being burned to the ground along with scores of homes and businesses owned by Christians. Dozens of nations across the globe have now passed strict anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stifle the spread of Christianity. In the countries where Christians are not yet facing physical persecution, they still must deal with open discrimination, lawsuits and increasing ridicule. Christianity is now the most hated and most persecuted religion on the plant. The reality is that the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:18 ring truer today than ever: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
Keep those words in mind as you read the following shocking reports of Christian persecution from all over the world….
China
Chinese authorities have conducted a crackdown on “illegal” Christian churches in recent months that church leaders are calling the harshest in years. Christians in China are required to worship in “churches” run by state-controlled organizations, and Christians who attempt to worship on their own are brutally persecuted.
Recently, hundreds of government police and hired thugs descended on a megachurch that served approximately 50,000 worshippers, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries. The co-pastors of the church are in prison and police vehicles remain parked on virtually every corner of the neighborhood where the church is located. Scenes such as this are regularly being repeated all over China as the Communist government seeks to eliminate all religion that is not government-sanctioned.
Eritrea
In a story that recently made headlines all over the world, thirty elderly women in Eritrea were arrested for simply praying together. But the truth is that this is just the latest episode in an ongoing persecution of Christians that is beyond brutal.
The Pakistan Christian TV website recently described the horrifc persecution of Christians in Eritrea this way….
Today some 3,000 Eritrean Christians are imprisoned for their faith. Some are in underground and solitary cells whilst some are in ’secret’ prisons for the ‘disappeared’. However, most are herded into unventilated shipping containers in the desert where dysentery and infectious diseases go untreated. Torture is routine.
The truth is that these unventilated shipping containers are extremely uncomfortable. The temperatures in these metal shipping containers can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in many instances Christians are not even let out of them to use the bathroom.
Assassinations Of Clergy
Increasingly, Christian clergy are being targeted for assassination all over the world. The following are just a few of the recent examples….
*A Russian priest that had been highly critical of Islam has been assassinated inside his own church.
*Leftist guerrillas in Colombia brutally executed a Christian pastor just outside his own home.
*Two masked members of the al-Shabaab Muslim militia shot and killed a Christian pastor in Somalia as he drove home from a worship service.
India
Persecution of Christians in India is getting so bad that India actually made International Christian Concern’s Hall of Shame.
According to the ICC, 2008 was particularly bad, with “wave after wave of highly coordinated Hindu raids” that resulted in “the worst outbreak of anti-Christian violence in its recent history.”
The statistics that the ICC quotes regarding the outbreak of persecution in India are sobering….
“In all, more than 100 Christians are confirmed dead, 4,000 homes have burned down, and over 50,000 Christians have fled their homes.”
The following is just one example of what is going on in India. This story was originally posted by The Voice of the Martyrs….
—-
On April 25, Pastor Mohan Babu and two other believers were severely beaten by 35 Hindu extremists for holding a Vacation Bible School (VBS) near Bangalore City, in Karnataka State. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, the three-day VBS was organized by Ragigudda Baptist Church. VOM sources said, “Around 60 children from different backgrounds were attending the VBS. As they were worshiping, about 35 people belonging to a Hindu extremist group forcefully entered the hut chanting slogans and demolished the hut. The extremists mercilessly beat Mohan, Samuel and Krishna, alleging forceful conversion. The perpetrators chased the children without any courtesy and tore the Bibles. Mohan was severely injured on his lips and was profusely bleeding. The believers are living in fear and did not lodge complaint with the police.”
—-
Egypt
Hundreds of Muslim villagers in southern Egypt recently burned and looted scores of Christian-owned shops. Christians in Egypt live in a constant state of fear and thousands are being forced to relocate. In fact, the forced deportation of Egyptian Christians from their homes by the government in order to “protect” them is rapidly increasing.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, of course, strictly forbids the conversion of any Muslim to Christianity. The penalty for conversion is death. Back in 2008, The daughter of a man who works for Saudi Arabia’s religious police became a Christian after she joined an Internet chat group. He responded by cutting out her tongue and burning her to death.
The United Kingdom and Europe
All across Europe, “anti-proselytising” laws are being passed. Not only that, but other laws are being adopted that force Christians to deny their beliefs. For example, the U.K. government is being forced by the European Commission to eliminate exemptions that allow churches to refuse to employ homosexual staff.
North Korea
North Korea is one of the most brutally repressive governments in the history of mankind. Tonight more than 200,000 Christians will try to stay warm in horrific North Korean labor camps.
Christians there are considered little more than dogs as the following story from The Voice Of The Martyrs illustrates…..
—-
The young brown-eyed girl looked up at her mother. What would she decide?
Earlier that morning, the young girl’s mother, their pastor, and twenty-six others in her North Korean village of GokSan were bound and taken before a screaming crowd of Communists.
One of the guards ordered Pastor Kim and the other Christians, “Deny Christ, or you will die.” The words chilled her. How could they ask her to deny Jesus? She knew in her heart he was real. They all quietly refused.
Then the Communist guard shouted directly at the adult Christians, “Deny Christ, or we will hang your children.” The young girl looked up at her mother. She gripped her and knowing how much her mom loved her. her mother then leaned down. With confidence and peace she whispered, “Today, my love, I will see you in heaven.”
All of the children were hanged.
The remaining believers were then brought out onto the pavement and forced to lie down in front of a huge steamroller. The Communists gave them one last chance. “Deny this Jesus or you will be crushed.” The Christians had already given up their children; there was no turning back.
As the driver started the heavy piece of equipment, the singing from the villagers started softly. “More love, O Christ, to thee, more love to thee.”
—-
United States
Even with everything that has happened, the United States still offers Christians more freedom than virtually anywhere else on earth. But that is quickly changing as well. Christians in the U.S. just do not have the same level of freedom that they used to experience.
For example, school teachers in Florida say that they are being forced to hide in closets to pray after a controversial court ruling. All expressions of Christian faith are being ruthlessly pushed out of the public sphere by very powerful interest groups.
Calls for government repression of Christianity in the United States have grown louder than ever before. The Huffington Post even published a deeply disturbing article that calls evangelical Christianity the number one source of domestic terrorism in the United States and that calls on the Secret Service and the FBI to investigate and “infiltrate” pro-life and evangelical Christian groups.
Not only that, but many of the hottest best selling books in recent years have publicly mocked Christianity….
Just consider the titles of a few recent New York Times bestsellers…..
*”God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything” by journalist Christopher Hitchens.
*”The End of Faith” by atheist author Sam Harris.
*”The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins.
But this anti-Christian sentiment is just not held by a few elitists. The reality is that it has spread to much of the general population.
For example, the following are the titles of just a few anti-Christian threads on one of the most popular political discussion forums on the Internet….
“Dirty, Filthy, Christians”: Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History
How can we destroy Christians?
Christians should not participate in politics
Why Christians are so ******* lame…
Attention Heterosexuals! Repent! Jesus Can Finally Make You Gay!
Christian are sub-humans
The truth is that hatred for Christians and Christianity is rapidly increasing.
Jesus warned us that these days would come.
In Matthew 24:9, Jesus told us how the world will treat Christians in the end times….
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
The times ahead of us are not referred to as “the Tribulation” for nothing. It will be an absolute bloodbath for Christians. The entire world system will be geared towards eliminating all traces of the true Christian faith. Members of the same family will even betray one another to the authorities.
The truth is that things are not going to get any easier for Christians from here on out. Someday soon there will be no place to hide from Christian persecution.
When that day arrives, what will you do?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Mary and Elizabeth!
Great Day! What a Wonderful Savior! I was pondering about the Christmas message and discovered a new found Truth. All the years of going to Church and Preaching has left me speechless concerning this Truth. This Truth has always been there and may not be new to you, but it is for this Preacher. Here is the Truth; Elizabeth(John the Baptist mother) did not know Mary was carrying the Christ child. The Angel Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant. Elizabeth only knew that her cousin Mary was carrying the Christ child after Mary greeted her and John leaped for joy in his mothers womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. I always thought Elizabeth knew about Mary’s Miraculous Conception but she did not. Here is the Scriptures; Luke 1:35-45 The angel answered,(to Mary) "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" What a Truth to be shared! Thought I would share a Christmas thought.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Random Thoughts of Jesus!
Thoughts about Jesus from my heart and Thomas E. Kempes.
JESUS has always many who love His heavenly kingdom, but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds many to share His table, but few to take part in His fasting. All desire to be happy with Him; few wish to suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of His passion. Many revere His miracles; few approach the shame of the Cross. Many love Him as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise Him and wish always to give Him thanks. What power there is in pure love for Jesus — love that is flee from all self-interest and self-love! Do not those who always seek consolation deserve to be called mercenaries? Do not those who always think of their own profit and gain prove that they love themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be found who desires to serve God for nothing? Rarely indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of all things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in spirit as to be free from every creature? His value is like that of things brought from the most distant lands. If a man give all his wealth, it is nothing; if he do great penance, it is little; if he gain all knowledge, he is still far afield; if he have great virtue and much ardent devotion, he still lacks a great deal, and especially, the one thing that is most necessary to him. What is this one thing? That leaving all, he forsake himself, completely renounce himself, and give up a ll private affections. Then, when he has done all that he knows ought to be done, let him consider it as nothing, let him make little of what may be considered great; let him in all honesty call himself an unprofitable servant. For truth itself has said: “When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: ‘we are unprofitable servants.’” Then he will be truly poor and stripped in spirit, and with the prophet may say: “I am alone and poor.” No one, however, is more wealthy than such a man; no one is more powerful, no one freer than he who knows how to leave all things and think of himself as the least of all. How about you? Do you love the cross of Christ? If not Why? Great Day He is Worthy!!
JESUS has always many who love His heavenly kingdom, but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds many to share His table, but few to take part in His fasting. All desire to be happy with Him; few wish to suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of His passion. Many revere His miracles; few approach the shame of the Cross. Many love Him as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise Him and wish always to give Him thanks. What power there is in pure love for Jesus — love that is flee from all self-interest and self-love! Do not those who always seek consolation deserve to be called mercenaries? Do not those who always think of their own profit and gain prove that they love themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be found who desires to serve God for nothing? Rarely indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of all things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in spirit as to be free from every creature? His value is like that of things brought from the most distant lands. If a man give all his wealth, it is nothing; if he do great penance, it is little; if he gain all knowledge, he is still far afield; if he have great virtue and much ardent devotion, he still lacks a great deal, and especially, the one thing that is most necessary to him. What is this one thing? That leaving all, he forsake himself, completely renounce himself, and give up a ll private affections. Then, when he has done all that he knows ought to be done, let him consider it as nothing, let him make little of what may be considered great; let him in all honesty call himself an unprofitable servant. For truth itself has said: “When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: ‘we are unprofitable servants.’” Then he will be truly poor and stripped in spirit, and with the prophet may say: “I am alone and poor.” No one, however, is more wealthy than such a man; no one is more powerful, no one freer than he who knows how to leave all things and think of himself as the least of all. How about you? Do you love the cross of Christ? If not Why? Great Day He is Worthy!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Being Thankful!
Great Day there are so many reasons to be Thankful! Where to start you might ask? I have a few I would like to share with you.
1. Gospel of Jesus Christ: Good news is always welcome. We don’t have to pay our sin debt, because Jesus already has by His Death on the Cross, His burial and His Resurrection from the dead! We are saved by turning to Jesus and Trusting in His work for our Salvation!
2. God’s Grace: God’s kindness is given to us freely! God gives us what we do not deserve. Eternal bliss! Enjoying Him Forever!
3. God’s Mercy: God’s Mercy is why we are not consumed by the fires of Hell! God does not give us what we deserve! He has pity on us.
4. Privilege of Prayer: It is an Awe inspiring thing to know that God hears us and responds to our request. Without prayer our relationship with the Father in Heaven would be very cold.
5. My family: Thank God for your family! God ordained and created us to be a family. We need our family for many reason’s. One reason is your family knows your weaknesses better than you do. It is tough to have them point out your weaknesses but you would never grow in your Spiritual walk without this important accountability. Our weaknesses becomes our strengths when God’s power is involved. 2Co 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
6. Church family: Thank God every day for the people who sit next to you in Church! It is Christian suicide not to have Christian fellowship. Hebrews 10:24&25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
7. Technology: Can you imagine life without computers? Without a washer and dryer, without electricity or a refrigerator. Think about your life without a car, without a doctor and without anti-biotic’s. Thank God for giving us the knowledge and creativity to improve our lives!
8. America: We need to quit damning our Country and start Thanking God for the Freedoms we all take for granted. America has many faults and we should all be involved in trying to improve our Country, but would you rather be in another Country? Thank God for giving us the rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. He will continue to bless our Country if we turn to Him in repentance, faith and with Thanksgiving in our Hearts.
Be Blessed and Thankful !!
1. Gospel of Jesus Christ: Good news is always welcome. We don’t have to pay our sin debt, because Jesus already has by His Death on the Cross, His burial and His Resurrection from the dead! We are saved by turning to Jesus and Trusting in His work for our Salvation!
2. God’s Grace: God’s kindness is given to us freely! God gives us what we do not deserve. Eternal bliss! Enjoying Him Forever!
3. God’s Mercy: God’s Mercy is why we are not consumed by the fires of Hell! God does not give us what we deserve! He has pity on us.
4. Privilege of Prayer: It is an Awe inspiring thing to know that God hears us and responds to our request. Without prayer our relationship with the Father in Heaven would be very cold.
5. My family: Thank God for your family! God ordained and created us to be a family. We need our family for many reason’s. One reason is your family knows your weaknesses better than you do. It is tough to have them point out your weaknesses but you would never grow in your Spiritual walk without this important accountability. Our weaknesses becomes our strengths when God’s power is involved. 2Co 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
6. Church family: Thank God every day for the people who sit next to you in Church! It is Christian suicide not to have Christian fellowship. Hebrews 10:24&25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
7. Technology: Can you imagine life without computers? Without a washer and dryer, without electricity or a refrigerator. Think about your life without a car, without a doctor and without anti-biotic’s. Thank God for giving us the knowledge and creativity to improve our lives!
8. America: We need to quit damning our Country and start Thanking God for the Freedoms we all take for granted. America has many faults and we should all be involved in trying to improve our Country, but would you rather be in another Country? Thank God for giving us the rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. He will continue to bless our Country if we turn to Him in repentance, faith and with Thanksgiving in our Hearts.
Be Blessed and Thankful !!
The Ministry of Prayer!
THE ministry of prayer has been the peculiar distinction of all of God’s saints. This has been the secret of their power. The energy and the soul of their work has been the closet. The need of help outside of man being so great, man’s natural inability to always judge kindly, justly, and truly, and to act the Golden Rule, so prayer is enjoined by Christ to enable man to act in all these things according to the Divine will. By prayer, the ability is secured to feel the law of love, to speak according to the law of love, and to do everything in harmony with the law of love. God can help us. God is a Father. We need God’s good things to help us to “do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God.” We need Divine aid to act brotherly, wisely, and nobly, and to judge truly, and charitably. God’s help to do all these things in God’s way is secured by prayer. “Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” In the marvellous output of Christian graces and duties, the result of giving ourselves wholly to God, recorded in the twelfth chapter of Romans, we have the words, “Continuing instant in prayer,” preceded by “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,” followed by, “Distributing to the necessity of the saints, given to hospitality.” Paul thus writes as if these rich and rare graces and unselfish duties, so sweet, bright, generous, and unselfish, had for their center and source the ability to pray. This is the same word which is used of the prayer of the disciples which ushered in Pentecost with all of its rich and glorious blessings of the Holy Spirit. In Colossians, Paul presses the word into the service of prayer again, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” The word in its background and root means strong, the ability to stay, and persevere steadfast, to hold fast and firm, to give constant attention to. In Acts, chapter six, it is translated, “Give ourselves continually to prayer.” There is in it constancy, courage, unfainting perseverance. It means giving such marked attention to, and such deep concern to a thing, as will make it conspicuous and controlling. This is an advance in demand on “continue.” Prayer is to be incessant, without intermission, assiduously, no check in desire, in spirit or in act, the spirit and the life always in the attitude of prayer. The knees may not always be bended, the lips may not always be vocal with words of prayer, but the spirit is always in the act and intercourse of prayer. There ought to be no adjustment of life or spirit for closet hours. The closet spirit should sweetly rule and adjust all times and occasions. Our activities and work should be performed in the same spirit which makes our devotion and which makes our closet time sacred. “Without intermission, incessantly, assiduously,” describes an opulence, and energy, and unabated and ceaseless strength and fulness of effort; like the full and exhaustless and spontaneous flow of an artesian stream. Touch the man of God who thus understands prayer, at any point, at any time, and a full current of prayer is seen flowing from him. But all these untold benefits, of which the Holy Spirit is made to us the conveyor, go back in their disposition and results to prayer. Not on a little process and a mere performance of prayer is the coming of the Holy Spirit and of His great grace conditioned, but on prayer set on fire, by an unquenchable desire, with such a sense of need as cannot be denied, with a fixed determination which will not let go, and which will never faint till it wins the greatest good and gets the best and last blessing God has in store for us. The First Christ, Jesus, our Great High Priest, forever blessed and adored be His Name, was a gracious Comforter, a faithful Guide, a gifted Teacher, a fearless Advocate, a devoted Friend, and an all powerful Intercessor. The other, “another Comforter,” the Holy Spirit, comes into all these blessed relations of fellowship, authority and aid, with all the tenderness, sweetness, fulness and efficiency of the First Christ. So get right with Jesus Christ by repenting and trusting in His death and Resurrection. Then you will be able to truly tap into this bounty of Power and change the world around you!
Monday, November 16, 2009
How to Love God!
I would like to share how to love God. “Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” The human heart can love the human Jesus as it can love the human Lincoln, but the spiritual love of Jesus is something altogether different from and infinitely superior to the purest love the human heart can know. Indeed it si not possible to love Jesus rightly except by the Holy Spirit. Only the Third Person of the Trinity can love the Second Person in a manner pleasing to the Father. The spiritual love of Jesus is nothing else but the Spirit within us loving Christ the Eternal Son! Christ, after the flesh, receives a great deal of fawning attention..., but love that is not the overflow of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not true spiritual love and cannot be acceptable to God. “Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual {1 Or } act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We do Christ no honor when we do no more than give Him the best of our human love...He is not rightly loved until...the Spirit within us does the loving! “Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” “We are not love, and we never expect to love by our own impulses... but Jesus is the heart of Love. Jesus is Love itself, and Jesus is ours! His love is ours. We draw it in and give it out.” Tozer Jesus showed us what true Love is when He took our punishment for our sins upon Himself and died on the Cross.. Jesus Himself said that no greater love is this, than a man lay down his life for his friends. To express this kind of love toward sinful humanity is every believers message! There can be no other way to love God than to love His Son and be obedient to the high calling of His work of Redemption. To express our love toward God in any other way is to only love carnally and fleshly!
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We do Christ no honor when we do no more than give Him the best of our human love...He is not rightly loved until...the Spirit within us does the loving! “Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” “We are not love, and we never expect to love by our own impulses... but Jesus is the heart of Love. Jesus is Love itself, and Jesus is ours! His love is ours. We draw it in and give it out.” Tozer Jesus showed us what true Love is when He took our punishment for our sins upon Himself and died on the Cross.. Jesus Himself said that no greater love is this, than a man lay down his life for his friends. To express this kind of love toward sinful humanity is every believers message! There can be no other way to love God than to love His Son and be obedient to the high calling of His work of Redemption. To express our love toward God in any other way is to only love carnally and fleshly!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Freedom!
As a Christian, then an American, I am somewhat concerned about the Church and my country. Our country has corrupt leaders who are elected by corrupt Americans. We deserve the Government we get! Why so much corruption and so many lies? I would like to interject an idea. The corruption in the Church of Jesus Christ aids in the corruption of our Republic. When the Church Proclaims Liberty through the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the people rejoice over the Freedom they have received through the transformation of their lives, and the country in which they live will also be transformed because of the Freedom they receive from the Gospel. However, when the Message of the Church wains the people groan and the country also groans because Freedom is taken away. This principle is found in Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
It sounds precisely as to what is happening to America. The Death, burial and Resurrection of Christ is no longer the message of the majority of Churches. Most churches have become so politically correct that they have become Biblical incorrect. Don’t bring up the consequences of sin. Don’t talk about the Cross. Don’t talk about Hell or the Lake of fire. Don’t talk about the Wrath of God coming upon ungodliness. We need to only speak of His Love. Tell people that God is not mad at them. Tell people that they are ok just as they are. Never talk about Jesus preaching repentance. As a result, people believe lies and are unconverted to Christ, and lack spiritual discernment to know where they get Freedom. They then vote for unconverted, corrupt and spiritually blind leaders to lead them. Jesus warns believers that false teachers and prophets would increase just before His Return. “Mt 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” Freedom does not come from people or Governments, it comes from Christ. “Ga 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Again listen to Scripture; “1Pe 2:16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” For all that are reading this; Christ Jesus is the Author of Freedom! Let all the false teachers and false prophets who rob men of this Truth, be warned. Jeremiah 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. 29 "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 "Therefore," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.”
I pray this message gives insight as to what is happening in America. I also pray that believers will repent and humbly seek the face of Christ who can restore His Church, message and our Republic!
It sounds precisely as to what is happening to America. The Death, burial and Resurrection of Christ is no longer the message of the majority of Churches. Most churches have become so politically correct that they have become Biblical incorrect. Don’t bring up the consequences of sin. Don’t talk about the Cross. Don’t talk about Hell or the Lake of fire. Don’t talk about the Wrath of God coming upon ungodliness. We need to only speak of His Love. Tell people that God is not mad at them. Tell people that they are ok just as they are. Never talk about Jesus preaching repentance. As a result, people believe lies and are unconverted to Christ, and lack spiritual discernment to know where they get Freedom. They then vote for unconverted, corrupt and spiritually blind leaders to lead them. Jesus warns believers that false teachers and prophets would increase just before His Return. “Mt 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” Freedom does not come from people or Governments, it comes from Christ. “Ga 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Again listen to Scripture; “1Pe 2:16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” For all that are reading this; Christ Jesus is the Author of Freedom! Let all the false teachers and false prophets who rob men of this Truth, be warned. Jeremiah 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. 29 "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 "Therefore," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.”
I pray this message gives insight as to what is happening in America. I also pray that believers will repent and humbly seek the face of Christ who can restore His Church, message and our Republic!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
