Are you in Error?

I will sing unto the Lord a new song! I will shout and Praise His Name! Bless the Lord o my soul and all that is within me, Bless His Holy Name! I shall Glory in the Cross of Christ! I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God for Salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew then for the Gentiles! I Believe! I Believe! I Believe! My Soul cries out with Joy knowing that I am Declared Righteous in the eyes of the Only Holy God, through Faith in the Blood of Jesus shed on the Cross! My Soul rejoices because God assures me of Eternal Life by showing me the Resurrection of His Son!
Now that was my testimony of my Soul as I woke this morning! I want to now share a few thoughts for reflection. Last night I heard a “famous” lady preacher speak about the power of the Resurrection and the audience was moved to cheering! It seemed to me as a hyper emotional event. I must admit speaking about the Resurrection gets the spirit within me jumping! So what was wrong and why am I writing this blog? Simply to point to an error. The lady took a passage out of context by omitting a key component. This is the Passage; Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” By omitting the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings she deflated the Power of the Resurrection! Shall we as believers just speak and glory in the resurrection? Did the Apostle Paul, John or Peter? Absolutely NOT! So many Contemporary preachers and churches Proclaim victory in Jesus through the Resurrection without even mentioning the Power of the Cross! Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! 12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.
14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
So many today fall into the category of verse 12. Trying to make a good impression outwardly by only sharing the resurrection with their hearers and avoiding the persecution that comes from preaching the Cross is a disgusting sin! “The cross is the only ladder high enough to touch Heaven's threshold.” -Boardman “No Cross, No Crown.” --Thomas Fuller “To remember Jesus is to remember first of all his Cross.” -John Knox “Jesus has many lovers of His crown, but few bearers of His cross.” -Spurgeon “Trust Christ and you shall live. The bloody sacrifice of Calvary is the only hope of sinners.” -Spurgeon “Plunge into the "fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins," and in an instant you are whiter than snow. Every speck, spot, and stain of sin is gone, and gone forever.” -Spurgeon
The Resurrection of Christ makes the Soul rejoice and emotions soar, but a soul is dirty and must first pass through the Cleansing Power of the Bloody Cross! Without the Cross of Christ there is no True Resurrection Victory! Let us know the Power of Christ' Resurrection by sharing in His Sufferings!

Pass through the Transformer!

Consider this passage of Scripture; 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.” I am going to bring testimony of the Transforming power of the Holy Spirit! As I had devotions with my sister last night, thoughts flooded my cranium. I started to think about the Holy Spirit’s Presence and how He has brought conviction and Salvation to some family members through the teaching and Preaching of the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ! My dad for instance, used to be full of bitterness and anger, until knowledge of Jesus came to him by the Holy Spirit. My dad has changed so much in recent years. His life is full of joy and peace. His face is happy! His love for others has changed to the point where he is always talking with people about Jesus. This is a testimony of how Jesus can change a persons life from the inside out! The phrase, “in view of God’s Mercy” has a defining place in my dads lie now. He seeks to please God now through offering himself to the Holy Spirit to enable him to live a holy life. To know that the Almighty God has forgiven his offenses fills his lips with gratitude. You know, if you dear reader need a new start, surrender to Jesus. God wants to fill your heart with peace and joy as well. The second part of the verse we are considering brings to mind the mindless folly this world system offers. You can have it if you choose. Paul the Apostle tells us not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world. What does that mean? Glad you asked! 1John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world.
17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” The world system leads to misery, deception, lust and the ultimate destruction of your soul! Everything this world has to offer pulls us away from the Living God! Another reason Paul tells us to not conform to the worlds system is you will become God’s enemy. James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Now lets look at the rest of Paul”s instruction. Being Transformed by the renewing of your mind can only happen by the Inspired Word of God as taught by the Holy Spirit. To illustrate this concept let us view God’s Word as a plow. Your heart is hard and fallow. Sin and the world system is pounding at your heart daily. For we know Scripture says that sin hardens the heart. The Word of God will soften our hearts and bring nourishment. Listen to an Old Testament Prophet. Hosea 10:12" Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.” That is precisely what happened to my dad! That can happen to you as well! Unless of course you continue to reject the Holy Spirit’s conviction and remain a Worldling! Another illustration could be an electric pole. If you go out and touch the wires, your dead! That electricity is powerful and deadly. So is sin! If you ran the wires directly to your house it will burn it down. In fact the electricity must pass first through the transformer then into your home before it can be used in a useful and constructive way. Well the Gospel of Jesus Christ ( death, burial and Resurrection of Christ) as made known by the Holy Spirit is the Transformer! Be like my dad and give your life to Jesus. He will bring a new life and new start. The Holy Spirit will give you understanding beyond that of a thousand Theologians! Just a few thoughts. Peace!

Thoughts on Rapture!

The Rapture or Resurrection of the Church!
Some say Christians will be gone (Raptured) before the Tribulation. Some say that Christians will have to persevere. I personally do not see anywhere conclusively in Scripture that indicates the Rapture happens before the Tribulation.
It would be wise for all Christians to study, without referring to commentaries, of all Scripture concerning the Rapture(Resurrection). Just something to think about and ponder as we wait for that Glorious Day!
Here are a few of the most common Scriptures used to highlight the event.

Mt 24:29 "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
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.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

1Co 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

1Th 4:14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

2Th 2:1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,
2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Re 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.


Notice the theme throughout these passages. Also a passage of importance is Daniel 12:11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13 "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

With these can we conclude that the Rapture will be Mid-trib or Pre wrath Rapture?
Regardless, we are to Trust in Jesus to provide for Christians.
Mt 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Jesus is coming soon, so cling to Him and do not let go. Economic collapse, Food shortages, Disease, Earthquakes and Natural Disasters are increasing. It is a great comfort to read and pray for understanding concerning all the events taking place in the world.
Lu 21:25-28 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
Lift up your heads (ie Be of good cheer) because our Redemption is drawing near and is at the door. Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

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.

Are you a Notional Christian?

What a day to be alive and walking in the steps of Jesus! As I ponder about the life and teaching of Jesus, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a prophecy Jesus spoke concerning His Return. Matthew 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.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Unless you are a notional Christian, that means you follow Christ when you take a notion, this Scripture is accurate and hits the heart of the current Church deception! The church is now so worldly and drunk from its own maddening immorality there is no limit to its folly! The Apostle Paul understood what Jesus said concerning the church in the Last days. 2Timothy 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” The notional Christian is no Christian at all. They are in love with the concept of Christianity but deny the Power of the Resurrected Christ! So many are so involved with world they only speak of Jesus when they think it is fashionable. True Christians are only concerned about Godliness and living a Holy life for the Glory of Jesus, without caring what others think of their love for the One who died for them and Rose from the dead! Jesus has called us out of this world to be Holy as He is Holy and to Love one another as He Loved us! Not so the worldlings. 2Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” Listen to this quote; "The church today is halted between two opinions. They do not know whether they want to serve the God who sent His Son to save them from their sins, or whether they want to pursue the idolatry and vain manner of living that is typical of American society today. What the Spirit wants to impress upon you this hour is that what passes for Christianity in the churches today is unacceptable to Him." ~Joseph Herrin Remember the beginning Scripture of this devotion? Jesus said “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” How do we stand firm to the end of this wicked age? Repent of your idolatrous self and turn to Jesus! You have to come to God on His terms not yours! Turn away from your lies, hatred, lust, envy, strife, drunkenness, sexual immorality, stealing and hypocrisy. Turn to Jesus and be washed in His Blood shed on the Cross. Believe that God His Father raised Him from the dead and start fresh. Be Born again in the Spirit of God , so you can live a Holy life for which you were Created! Stop being a notional Christian and end up in Hell because you failed to know Him and Love Him. May everyone reading this be able to join me in Praising the Lord Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! He is coming soon! Yes, He is coming soon! Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Good Thursday, not Friday!

Millions of Christians celebrate the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and then wake early in the morning on Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. I was stunned when I heard an Atheist say, “there are contradictions in the Bible and I can prove it.” To my amazement, he proved his point. He said, “there is no way that Jesus was Crucified on Friday and then Raised from the dead early on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Jesus said, “Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” So, if Jesus was Crucified on Friday then there is a contradiction because that would mean Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night and then Sunday .” Here ends his argument. The Atheist was right! We Christians wonder why there is so much corruption and confusion in the Church and why so many in the world say there are problems with Christianity. The Atheist did not like my response and some of you may not either. Jesus did die on the Cross for your sins and was raise from the Dead, so repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. Just because Christians contradict themselves from time to time does not give you an excuse not to believe the Truth! The Christian Church has for generations celebrated the Crucifixion of the Passover Lamb, Jesus, on Friday when it should be celebrated on Thursday. Listen to what Jesus said and count for yourself. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Christ was crucified for us at the third hour (9 a.m.). Darkness came over the land at the sixth hour (Noon) and lasted until the ninth hour (3 p.m.), when our Lord gave up His spirit. So here is the Truth. Thursday night, Friday, Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night then Sunday. Corruption, ignorance and deceit are manifest in the Church today. We as believers need to always study and obey God’s Word rather than trust in the traditions of the Church. The Atheist did not find contradictions in the Word of God, he found then in the people who go to Church! We must know the Truth and obey, even if doing so causes people to feel uncomfortable in their ignorance. Just because “that’s the way we have always done it” does not make it Right! What do you believe and why do you believe it is more important than just acting out your religion in ignorance. Jesus Rose from the dead early in the morning on the first day of the week (Sunday) and we now know He was Sacrificed on Thursday and not Friday. As I always tell my people “now you’ve heard the Truth, what are you going to do with that Truth? Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Father, thank you for sacrificing you only begotten Son on the Cross to Atone for our sins. Thank you for His Glorious Resurrection. Grant all who reads this the knowledge of their sins and how our sins can be Washed Away by His Blood if they would just Repent and believe! In Jesus Name, Amen

Easter verses Resurrection!

A close friend ask me a question concerning Easter events at a Church she has been attending; This is what is being planned at Church for this weekend for the children...what do you think of this...that they are having our kids participate in a Jewish tradition? For the sake of teaching them how things were done in those days, I am not offended at that, but to mix Judaism with Christianity is mind boggling to me....not sure what to think...could you clarify? Answer - I have done many studies on the subject and see nothing wrong with sharing the customs of the Hebrews as long as it is used to clarify and point to Jesus as the fulfillment! The Seder dinner is an interesting Passover celebration as long as we understand the bitterness of our bondage to sin and how Jesus become sin for us and delivered us from that bondage on the Cross! The emphasis of Passover was to show God's deliverance and He passed over the people who had the Lambs Blood on their door. We know that God doesn't Passover (cover) our sins, but washes our sins away by the Blood, Lamb of God, Jesus! If they emphasize these points, Old fulfilled by the New, very good Bible lesson. Many people smarter than myself have shared their personal convictions about Easter eggs, Resurrection cookies and Easter egg hunts. I understand the need to reach youngsters with the Gospel Message but I just cannot imagine Jesus doing such things. Many Christians participate in such events but I am not to fond of such none sense. That is my conviction. In case you do not know why I feel so strong about even using the word Easter, I want to share. Here is the only Scripture that uses the word Easter. I am placing King James and New International version together to see the difference in the translations.
Ac 12:1 ¶ Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. {stretched...: or, began} (KJV)
1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. (NIV)
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. (KJV)
2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. (NIV)
3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) (KJV)
3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (NIV)
4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. {Easter: Gr. Passover} {quaternions: a file of four soldiers} (KJV)
4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. (NIV)
NIV has translated the word properly from the Greek. pascha is the Greek word meaning Passover. the Passover (the meal, the day, the festival or the special sacrifices connected with it). The Hebrew origin- pretermission, i.e. exemption; used only technically of the Jewish Passover (the festival or the victim):--passover (offering). - Easter----Is improperly put for PASSOVER, Ac 12:4; Passover being the name of the ancient Jewish festival here referred to; while Easter, from the Saxon goddess Eostre, is the modern name of a Christian festival, in commemoration of the events of Passover-week, and fixed at the same period of the year. History--The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." 1 Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime.
I cannot and will not ever mix the Passover and Resurrection of Jesus Christ with Paganism. Ignorance went a long way but not when God opened my eyes to this perversion! Isn't that partly what is wrong with the Church today? Mixing Sacredness with Paganism? James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. I am of the opinion that we as Christians need to obey God’s Word as written and teach our children from what He says and not use the ways of this world to illustrate what He has said so clearly in His Word! 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.” But as always you need to pray and seek God's face concerning how to teach your children. I know it is hard but Jesus always honors humility and our desire to serve Him!

7 of the most Beautiful Statements ever spoken!

The Passion and Love of Jesus Christ expressed while paying your sin debt on the Cross! Give Him Praise! He is Worthy! He is ALIVE! “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!” He poured out His Life’s Blood to cover your sins? NO! NO! NO! He poured out His Life’s Blood, To WASH our sins AWAY!

Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, — which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Luke 23:42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,”
27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

John 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

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!

Spiritual Awakening!

A good article I want to share.

The people of Uganda call it Balokole. In the Luganda language it means “the saved ones,” but the word became synonymous with the East African Revival—one of the most significant Christian movements in modern history.

This revival had humble beginnings in September 1929, just before America’s Great Depression. Historians trace it to a prayer meeting on Namirembe Hill in Kampala, Uganda, where a missionary to Rwanda, Joe Church, prayed and read the Bible for two days with his friend Simeoni Nsibambi. They felt God had showed them that the African church was powerless because of a lack of personal holiness.

It is impossible to explain exactly what happened after this prayer meeting or how the resulting spiritual fervor spread. When God comes, unusual things happen. Within weeks after the Rev. Church returned to Gahini, Rwanda, Christians gathered to pray and confess their sins openly. A heavy spirit of conviction fell on the people. Whenever they repented for their sins and failures they would weep uncontrollably, ask others to forgive them and pledge to make restitution.

The weeping spread to farmlands and open fields. Unbelievers who visited these gatherings were converted after they witnessed the sincerity of the Christians. Repentance went deep. Husbands publicly apologized for adultery and farmers repented for stealing cows from each other. Eventually, as the revival spread from Rwanda to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi, even the centuries-old tradition of polygamy (which was still common among professing Christians) was unraveled in some areas.

Balokole changed African Christianity forever. In a 1986 article for Christian History, Michael Harper writes of the revival: “It’s effects have been more lasting than almost any other revival in history, so that today there is hardly a single Protestant leader in East Africa who has not been touched by it in some way.”

I spent the past two weeks ministering in Uganda and Kenya, and everywhere I went I met people who still talk about the East African Revival—80 years after it began. It breathed resurrection power into dead, traditional churches and triggered aggressive church-planting movements that affected a variety of denominations.

Whether sermons were delivered from pulpits or under trees, six important themes were emphasized in those days: 1) the blood of Jesus; 2) the name of Jesus; 3) the cross of Jesus; 4) the Word of God; 5) the testimony of the saints; and 6) the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Leaders also stressed the message of 1 John 6-7: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His son cleanses us from all sin (NASB).” As was true in other spiritual awakenings in history (such as the Asbury Revival in Kentucky in 1970), people stood in front of each other and admitted their sins, no matter how embarrassing. The honesty cut deep into human pride and dealt a fatal blow against entrenched sin and religious hypocrisy.

After hearing more details about the East African Revival while I was in Uganda last week, I was convinced that this type of movement is the only thing that will pull the United States out of its current despair. We must have a spiritual awakening, or we die. Political engineering, economic policies, government bailouts and stimulus packages will not save us. No politician, Democrat or Republican, will reverse our course toward destruction.

Our only hope is that a backslidden American church—a church that is as smug, blind and lukewarm as the Laodiceans-—will “be zealous and repent” (see Rev. 3:19).

What encourages me is that God, not man, initiated all the spiritual awakenings of the past—including the First Great Awakening, which gave our country its historic Christian identity. Yes, we play our feeble part by praying, and we must storm heaven. Yes, awakenings come in response to our weak attempts to repent, and we must passionately seek a fresh baptism of holiness.

But we cannot manufacture revivals. Pentecostal fire comes from heaven alone. It is a sovereign blessing from a God who loves us and desires to rescue us from ourselves. We charismatics have generated a lot of our own sound and fury in the past 30 years, but much of what we have created is a shameful substitute for revival. We must become desperate for the real thing.

Today our movement is mired in the shallow waters of self-centered, carnal Christianity. May God mercifully send us our own version of Balokole. May gut-wrenching repentance and public confession of sin interrupt our trendy worship services. May this holy fire spread until the people of the United States see genuine Christians living the message we preach.

The Presence of God!

God has Manifested Himself! Yet so many do not see. “Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
They walked with God, talked with God and enjoyed the Presence of God. What happened to cause blindness and shame? Listen to this argument. If God is present at every point in space, if we cannot go where He is NOT, why then has not that Presence become the one universally celebrated fact of the world? The Presence and the manifestation of the Presence are not the same. There can be the one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His Presence! On our part, there must be a surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work is to show us the Father and the Son. If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face. Today we see in America Christians who are content with living as the world lives and giving God His due when they feel they need something from Him. James 4:1-4 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
What does this have to do with the Presence of God? James 4:8-10 "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
I am sure that Adam and Eve lived the rest of their lives wanting to get back to enjoying the Presence of God and not just the manifestation of His Presence. Biblical Christianity teaches us the through the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, He has enabled us to come into a personal relationship with God. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in the hearts of believers and we do not have to be limited to the manifestation of God’s Presence, we can live in His Presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is His Presence and He is always present with us! “Oh, may He come to us now and light up the sanctuary of our hearts until they shall shine like the chambers above!... His own immediate, everlasting Presence, Amen!” Tozer

A Happy heart is a Pure heart!

Are you happy? Listen to the Psalmist; “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” The childish clamor after happiness can become a real snare. One may easily deceive himself by cultivating a religious joy without a correspondingly righteous life. No man should desire to be happy who is not at the same time holy. He should spent his efforts in seeking to know and do the Will of God, leaving to Christ the matter of how happy he shall be. For those who take this whole thing seriously, I have a suggestion: Go to God and have an understanding. Tell Him that you desire to be holy at any cost, and then ask Him never to give you more happiness than holiness. When your holiness becomes tarnished, let your joy become dim. And ask Him to make you holy whether you are happy or not. Be assured that in the end you will be as happy as you are holy. “ The work of the Holy Spirit is, among other things, to rescue the redeemed man’s emotions, to restring his harp and open again the wells of sacred joy which have been stopped by sin!” A.W. Tozer. So Christian are you more concerned with your own happiness more than personal holiness. Or is it truly the other way around. The evidence is clear to your fellow Christian and is certainly clear to the one and only Holy God who wants you to be Holy as He is Holy. What is your heart desire? To live a life the way you want or to loose you life for the sake of Righteousness? Which is it? It cannot be both! You will either serve your own interest or you will surrender your life to the One who died for your life! Easy to say but harder to accomplish. Listen to Jesus; “Matthew 10:37-39 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Just something to ponder as we seek happiness and holiness. Who is worthy?

Going back to the beginning!

Image yourself living in a place where there is no sin. No need for doctors, hospitals, insurance, electric bills, cars, trains, planes etc... No need to worry about your house being broken into when you decide to take a walk. Just imagine yourself talking with animals and them talking with you without fear. How about walking with God in the cool of the day? No knowledge of evil! This scenario is not a fairy tale but reality. Allow me to ask a question; Is it a good thing to know good from evil? Most will say YES! I will tell you, NO. Adam and Eve lived without knowledge of good and evil. Totally oblivious of anything wicked. When you study the text in Genesis you will notice that Adam and Eve lived this reality before they disobeyed God’s simple command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for if you do you will surly die! When they disobeyed God and ate from the tree of knowledge their eyes were opened and all Hell broke loose in their lives. Listen to the discourse. Genesis 3:7-10 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" Notice Adam and Eve where not afraid of their Creator until after their eyes were opened. The problem with this is simple; God our Creator Loves us so much and wants to fellowship with us but man chose to disobey and choose evil instead of good! Knowledge of good and evil is at the heart of the sin nature. When man has the choice he will choose evil every time. This is where Jesus comes into the picture. God promised redemption to his Creation. Genesis 3:15; And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Jesus fulfilled this verse in His death, burial and Resurrection. The restoration is that we do not need to be afraid of our Creator anymore. Jesus paid that debt of disobedience and has given us the Holy Spirit so that we can now choose the good and shun the evil! The Truth is that we can live in this ideal scenario. We who are Redeemed can walk and talk with our Creator without fear of punishment. Walking with God in the cool of the day is possible with a personal relationship with Jesus. Listen to what will soon happen as God finishes His redeeming work in the near future. Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The curse is gone(knowledge of good and evil). What a Glorious thing our Creator has done and is going to do to restore us back the way it was before evil entered the picture! Even so Lord Jesus come quickly!

New heart, Pure heart!

Consider this passage of Scripture. Hebrews 12:14" Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Sounds very important does it not? The fact is that we are not today producing saints. We are making converts to an effete type of Christianity that bears little resemblance to that of the New Testament! The average so-called Bible Christian in our times is but a wretched parody of true sainthood. Yet we put millions of dollars behind movements to perpetuate this degenerate form of religion and attack the man who dares to challenge the wisdom of it. Clearly we must begin to produce better Christians. We must insist on New Testament sainthood for ourselves and for our converts, nothing less; and we must lead them into a state of heart purity, fiery love, separation from the world and poured-out devotion to the Person of Christ. Only in this way can the low level of spirituality be raised again to where it should be in the light of the Scriptures and of Eternal values. “It is well to remember that a new heart is one thing and a pure heart is another. They are not synonymous. Any man can have a new heart which loves God and yet not possess a pure heart from which self, man-fear, love of praise and other like things are banished.”Tozer A new heart is given when a sinner repents and believes in the Death, burial and Resurrection of Christ Jesus. A pure heart is produced when the new heart rids itself of self. Purity of heart comes from denying the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Purity comes from taking up your cross and following Jesus. We need this type of Christian today. A new heart that is not only converted to Christ but is sold out as well. Christian’s like Paul the Apostle, Peter, John, James, Barnabas, Timothy, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Charles Finney, D.L.Moody etc. One of my pastor friend’s was weeping over today’s Christianity. His conclusion; Where is Holiness and who sets the standard for us to live by? Have we become content with living just to get by from day to day? Here's something to chew on. "Most church members live so far below the standards, you would have to backslide to be in fellowship. We are so subnormal that if we were to become normal, people would think we were abnormal." Listen to a holy saint of old; “Php 3:8-11 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. We need new hearts yes, but we need pure hearts more!

3 Things!

I know it is not just me but many of you have wondered about why things
seem to be moving so fast. So called economic crises, healthcare reform,
bailouts and so many other things seem to overwhelm most. I am not a
prophet but I know what the Bible says. Regardless of the situation you and
I find ourselves we need to remember what Paul the Apostle writes; 2Ti 3:1-
5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of
godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do w ith them. From this
passage of Scripture I would like to sugg est three things to ponder. 1) F aith
2) Holiness 3) Prayer. Faith is not an option in order to please God. We
must believe and put our Trust in Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus said that
before He comes many with wonder from the faith, so we need to be
Trusting in Him to bring us through every situation and not trusting in
government or men. Heb 12:2 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.
Second thing to consider is Holiness. Paul states that in the last days many
will have a form of godliness but denying its power. Many people all around
us seem to be religious. But Christian s now that religion does not bring
about a Holy life. The Bible says that without Holiness no one will see God.
So how do we live H oly lives amongst a religious godless society? Obedience
to Jesus Commands! Jesus Blood makes us Holy and we need to be Holy as
He is Holy! The H oly Spirit helps us to live Holy and G odly lives. The lost
world needs to see true believers living what they profess. Thirdly we need
prayer. This is the weapon of the believer. Paul talks about our strugg le in
this life in Ephesians chapter 6:10-18. Each piece of armor can only be put
on through prayer. Listen to Paul  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full arm or of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm then, with th e belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this,
take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the S pirit on all occasions w ith
all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always
keep on praying for all th e saints  . With everything th at is going on in life
we all need these 3 things; Faith, Holiness and prayer!

Money and God!

I sure wish I could win the lottery! I could do so much for the Church, my family and friends. I would love to be financially wealthy. Never having to worry about finding the money to pay bills; electric, doctors, water, groceries, housing, car, insurance, cloths, cable and tithes all need to be paid. Where I am going to find the money to pay for all these necessities of life? These are statements that have crossed my mind before and I am quit sure I am not alone. Lets see what Jesus has to say concerning money. Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. So much for my thoughts of financial health. Jesus can’t be saying this to my situation. “Preacher, God understands I can’t give my tithe because I have so many bills and I don’t have much left over. God accepts me giving what I can, when I can.” In other words, God I will pay my bills and you get what is left over! Dear friends you cannot love God and love your money at the same time. If our lives are dedicated to making ends meet then something is wrong! A Christian should never be focused on the things of this Earth. Listen to the Apostle Paul “1Ti 6:9-11 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” Question: Can you say and mean it that you hate money so I might love God? Jesus said we can’t love God and love money at the same time. Is Jesus lying? All of us are struggling with fiances during this so called recession in the economy. It is only a recession if you are focused on money. May I close with this challenge? If we are having trouble tithing (giving a small 10%- 1 penny out of a dime) then we are loving money more than God. We are storing up treasures upon Earth instead of treasures in Heaven. The only solution to our Idiolatry is repentance. Turn away from your pursuit of money and find yourself in pursuit of Jesus Christ! If you don’t have enough money to make ends meet, you have too many things. Jesus knows we have a problem with serving God and ourselves. He shed His Blood upon a cross to wash our sins away, even our love of money. Money is not evil, it is the love for money. So do you love God or money? Jesus will not accept split loyalties. Either Him or money, the choice is ours! Father forgive me for loving money instead of only loving You. Cleanse me from this stronghold of sin in my life through the blood of your Son Jesus. Holy Spirit I pray You will convict me and lead me to full devotion to the Kingdom of God. Help me to see the Truth and lead me to Victory over the love for money. In Jesus Name!

Declaration of Dependence upon Christ

Whereas we hold these truths to be self-evident...
*that all men, according to God’s Word, are sinners.
*that the wages of sin is death-eternal separation from God.
*that no man is able to save himself, not by his character, his good works, his religious resolves, or by any other means.
*that Jesus Christ is the only Savior for lost mankind.
*that He died to redeem us and pay the penalty for our sin that we might be free.
*that by simply believing in His death, burial and Resurrection and receiving Him as your personal Savior we have Eternal Life.

We do hereby affirm our signatures to this declaration to make known our belief of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and to acknowledge our complete dependence for time and eternity upon Him and Him Alone!

Signed by Millions upon Millions now living and dead.

Homosexuality and Christianity

What about homosexuality and being a Christian? Is this possible? Is living in sin and being saved from the penalty of sin even possible? Woe to a people who calls evil good and good evil! We all have sinned, yes. We all will from time to time fall into sin. What does God’s Word say about this. 1Jo 3:4-6 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Again 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Now read this article that lays out a scenario. “As more states-like Iowa-approve same-sex “marriage,” conservatives are claiming that freedom of religion is in peril. Same-sex “marriage” supporters accuse them of engaging in hysterical gay-bating. Who’s telling the truth?
Let me share some stories with you from an excellent news broadcast produced by National Public Radio. Then you decide.
Two women decided to hold their civil union ceremony at a New Jersey pavilion owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. This Methodist group told the women they could not “marry” in any building used for religious purposes. The Rev. Scott Hoffman said a theological principle-that marriage can only exist between one man and one woman-was at stake. The women filed a discrimination complaint with the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights. The Methodists said the First Amendment protected their right to practice their faith without being punished by the government. But punish the Methodists is exactly what New Jersey did. It revoked their tax exemption-a move that cost them $20,000. Then there’s the case of the Christian physicians who refused to provide in vitro fertilization treatment to a woman in a lesbian relationship. The doctors referred her to their partners, who were willing to provide the treatment. But that wasn’t good enough. The woman sued. The California Supreme Court agreed with the woman, saying that the doctors’ religious beliefs didn’t give them the right to refuse the controversial treatment. In Massachusetts, Catholic Charities was told they had to accept homosexual couples in their adoption service, or get out of the adoption business. They chose correctly-get out of the business.
In Mississippi, a mental health counselor was sued for refusing to provide therapy to a woman looking to improve her lesbian relationship. The counselor’s employers fired her-a move that was backed up by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In New York, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University refused to allow same-sex couples to live in married student housing, in keeping with the school’s orthodox Jewish teachings. But in 2001, the New York State Supreme Court forced them to do so anyway-even though New York has no same-sex “marriage” law.
In Albuquerque, a same-sex couple asked a Christian wedding photographer to film their commitment ceremony-and sued the photographer when she declined. An online adoption service was forced to stop doing business in California when a same-sex couple sued the service for refusing, on religious grounds, to assist them. Convinced? Clearly, homosexual “marriage” and religious liberty cannot co-exist-because gay activists will not allow them to. As marriage expert Maggie Gallagher puts it, same-sex “marriage” advocates claim that religious faith “itself is a form of bigotry.” I know this may sound alarmist, but it’s true. If we don’t work to stop this juggernaut, we may soon find ourselves hunted down at work, at school, and even at church-as others have been-by those determined to force us to accept as a moral good what God calls evil. Our attitude toward all sin must change. All sin will lead to Hell! May the Holy Spirit give all of us reading this conviction to view sin the way God does. Let us truly be Born again in Christ Jesus!

Consider prayer and think of the possibilities.

Consider prayer and think of the possibilities. “Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, and the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, the growth of our growing.” Prayer in its magnitude is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom. Illimitable in its breadth, exhaustless in height, fathomless in depths and infinite in extension.- Homer W. Hodge 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.” Behind every prayer of a believing soul is faith. This is why holy men and women of old were commended! Heb 11:32-40 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 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. 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. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 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-- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. So have you considered the power and possibilities of faith based prayer? The Holy Spirit can and will help us in our weakness! Listen to E.M. Bounds “What a mighty Christ of prayer is the Holy Spirit! How He quenches every flame in the heart but the flame of heavenly desire! How He quiets, like a weaned child, all the self-will, until in will, in brain, and in heart, and by mouth, we pray only as He prays. “Making intercession for the saints, according to the will of God.” Better to pray than to fret. Better to pray than to talk about praying! So let us pray in faith.

To die is to Gain!

VERY soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come! Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death. If you are not prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertain day; how do you know you will have a tomorrow? What good is it to live a long life when we amend that life so little? Indeed, a long life does not always benefit us, but on the contrary, frequently adds to our guilt. Would that in this world we had lived well throughout one single day. Many count up the years they have spent in religion but find their lives made little holier. If it is so terrifying to die, it is nevertheless possible that to live longer is more dangerous. Blessed is he who keeps the moment of death ever before his eyes and prepares for it every day. If you have ever seen a man die, remember that you, too, must go the same way. In the morning consider that you may not live till evening, and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourself the dawn. Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will never take you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly, for in the unexpected hour the Son of God will come. When that last moment arrives you will begin to have a quite different opinion of the life that is now entirely past and you will regret very much that you were so careless and remiss. How happy and prudent is he who tries now in life to be what he wants to be found in death. Perfect contempt of the world, a lively desire to advance in virtue, a love for discipline, the works of penance, readiness to obey, self-denial, and the endurance of every hardship for the love of Christ, these will give a man great expectations of a happy death. Great Day it will be when I die in Christ Jesus!!