Faithful!

Genesis 41:38 "and Pharaoh said unto his servants,Can we find such a one as this man in whom the spirit of God is?"

After years of waiting,Joseph finally stood tall before the King.Pharaoh immediately recognized"the spirit of God" in this young man.Joseph had responded positively,no matter what circumstances were. Whatever situation you are in ,remember you profess to be a servant of the living God.With all that Joseph had been through and endured,he remained faithful to God, and conducted himself as a godly man inspite of his circumstances. He was rewarded, for glorifying God in his living.

Results are very different when you work in faith,rather than striving in your own efforts.The biblical steward was the man who cared for his master's property.Like Joseph,each one of us is called to be responsible steward.Because Joseph was a good steward in smaller things,he was ultimately given authority over all Egypt.We may think that our place of service now is insignificant;however,our daily responses in small things matter greatly to God.Every Christian should glorify God by being the best person with God's help in every circumstance.Joseph was faithful over a few things,and God made him ruler over many. Joseph was given a signat ring,which identified him as Pharaoh's second in command. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower His Church.The Spirit puts His stamp on our lives.As Christians we are called to be faithful stewards over all he gives us no matter how small or great.

As Christians, let us live faithful lives ,and like Joseph honor God in spite of the difficulties and hardships we might face.In all that we do ,let us do it as we would do unto God,that he may be glorified in all that we do.

Fruit That will Last

Galatians 5:25 "If we live in the spirit,let us also walk in the spirit".

Living our lives with the Holy Spirit in control will bear wonderful fruit:love,joy,peace,patience, kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness,and self-control.Also, in order to show the fruit of the spirit, we need to help others and not be judgmental toward each other.The Holy Spirit will help us do this because we cannot bear His fruit without His help.

With the spirit's help, our desires and passions should change from the natural desires Paul talks about to become instead what the Lord wants for our lives.We can get to the point where we will desire obeying God over sinning.This is not easy,but when we follow the spirit's lead,good fruit will be produced.This is what the fruit of the spirit will produce in us.If we surrender ourselves to faith in Christ and His Word, the fruit will grow and stay in our lives.However ,fruit is not something that Christians "work on", it is what will grow in our lives when we choose to submit to the spirit.If all the fruit is not in our lives,we are not surrendering everything to the spirit.If these qualities of the fruit are not ours,we know we are not following His lead.The fruit describes what a christian's character eventually should become.The fruit of the spirit is holiness being developed inside you.It is something you are,not just something you do or think.It is not about doing good deeds to show God what good children we are;this is a way of living that genuinely flows from our changed hearts.

Every day we are challenged to live as our old sinful selves or to live by the spirit.The more we live by the spirit,the more we show the fruit of the spirit and produce fruitful lives that will lead others to Christ.

Will you be Ready when Jesus comes?

Mark 13:26 "And then shall they see the Son of man comming in the clouds with great power and glory."

The daily headlines are never very hopeful, they are filled with stories of hopelessness..But we are to be of good cheer,none of this has any bearing on what God has in store for His children.His word says he will supply our every need.This is not His plan for us,let us not be blinded by the gods of this world,to the good things which God has for those who love Him.

Upon completetion of each intricate part of his creation, God said,"it is good!"Each element of creation was brilliant! Today's headlines are but a representation of how the evil designs of satan, and our own sin have taken the beauty of God's creation, and changed it into a distorted world of chaos and dispair. Hatred, plagues,murder,and hunger are not God's will for His creation.Jesus, our blessed hope, will  come and set things right.Jesus is comming back,and when Jesus returns to earth,He will return as our triumphant King,and all eyes will see him.Every knee will bow to him, and every tongue will confess of him, that he is Lord.He is greater than anything on earth and anything occuring in the earth, so be not discouraged. He is our reigning Lord, Savior and conquering King.When Christ returns, the sun shall be darkened,and the moon shall not give her light, as the true light will take center stage,Jesus the light of the world. And then they shall see the Son of man, in the clouds with great power and glory.(ride on king Jesus) Then he shall gather His elect from the four winds,from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

But until he returns, we have his Holy Spirit to comfort us,and his word to assure us and to hold on to. His word tells us"we wait in hope on the Lord he is our help and our sheild" :"But now,Lord, what do I look for?My hope is in you":"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,and my hope is in you all day long".So saints hold on for "we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,Jesus Christ." Hold on ,He is an on time God!

Love In Action

1John 3:18 "My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue:but in deed and in truth."

In word and deed-Love is not piety.It is not sitting on the sidelines complaining about how pathetic everything is.Love is revealed by what we do,not just by what we say.God so loved that He gave,He forgave,He sacrificed,and He saved. He is commanding us to love not in word only, but in deeds."but whoso hath this world's good,and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,how dwelleth the love of God in him?"(1Jn.3:17)If our faith and love do not compel us to action,then how can they profit us or anyone else?

Pure Love as described in 1corin.13 which is perhaps the most poetic,profound and powerful description of pure love written and of course,Christ is the embodiment of pure love.The apostle Paul's prayer for the family of God was that as Christ dwells in our hearts by faith,and we are rooted and grounded in his love,That we may be able to comprehend,the breath,and length,and depth, and height, of Christ love for us; to know the love of Christ,which passeth knowledge.It is a love that neither death,nor life, nor angels,nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,nor things to come, nor height,nor depth,nor any other creature,shall be able to separate us from.Love is not having knowledge of God but knowing God.Knowing God comes from communion with God. That is what Christ had with God.The love of God is a reflection of God's heart flowing through Christ, one spirit, one heart, one mind.

When Jesus died on the cross,I believe he was feeling two kinds of love.One was from the father as Jesus steadfastly did His will.The other was Jesus' love for all people.Because of the love comming from the Father and his desire to love each one of us,He was able to endure the pain and shame of death on a cross.As we draw upon Jesus' unselfish love,we too can better love others.

Savior!

1Tim.1:15"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all Acceptation,That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

Saints, this is not just a saying, but the words of Christ;for the son of man is come to seek and save that which is lost.A faithful saying accurate, relaible, and worthy of all acceptance, true and faithful words;Worthy to be embraced in the arms of faith.The truth of the gospel, worthy to be believed by all who hears it, and proclaimed by all who receives it,for the comfort and encouragement to a dying world.A faithful saying, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.This is the sum of the whole gospel message, the theme of the entire book.

Jesus came into the world to save sinners,he took on the image and likeness of flesh,not to call the righteous, but the sinners to repent.His purpose is to seek and save that which is lost.He has the power to save ,for he is the power of God unto salvation .Jesus came for the purpose of saving, he came from heaven to earth to show us the way.He came to save those who are perishing,those being destroyed,and cut off; he came to reconcille lost man back to his loving Father.Jesus my savior,it is not about my salvation it is all about my savior and his ability and willingness to save all who seeks salvation.

This faithful saying is the foundation of our faith, Jesus was designed for this purpose, he spared no means to bring it about. He was determined to save man as he endured all suffering and persecution to accomplish the mission for which he was sent,and he did ,as he said it is finished, it is done.Jesus Christ the Word of God, and the God of the word, seeking to save the unsavable,to save those unworthy of salvation,Jesus Christ came to save sinners of whom I am the chief.............he saved me

Give Thanks; He Lives

Matthew 28:6 "He Is not here:For he is risen,as he said.Come,see the place where the Lord lay".

The resurrection is the basis for hope in the Christian faith.The women who came to the tomb expected to find death.Instead, they met an angel who told them that Jesus had risen.Belief that Jesus rose is the key to the completion of his promise that we will rise also.Believers can also experience Ressurection power in their lives.Without this assurance, Paul said,"we are of all men most miserable".The first witnesses were commanded to go and tell the disciples then later tell the world.Go and tell remains the command for believers today who have discovered the wonder of the risen Christ in their lives.

Go and tell is the command to every man and woman who has discovered the power of Christ.It is through the sharing of this good new that we have the power to change the world.We must tell people that the resurrection brings regeneration into the lives of those who are spiritually dead,through the power of the Holy Spirit,bringing about a new birth,changing one from the inside out.This is the basis for the Church's witness to the world. Every believer can share this certainty with confidence.

Of course, a great controversy has always surrounded the Resurrection.The Jewish priest paid the guards to deny what happened that day,and there are still millions of People who deny the resurrection, in word and in deed.Sometime we don't live like he rose with all power,we don't trust that he overcame the world and all it's temptations,and thus harms our witness to the world. A witness is one who tells what he or she knows as a certainty. You can only witness that which you seen or experienced.Countless people who have been touched and changed by meeting the living Jesus provide undeniable evedience of the resurrection.The way they live their life is their witness that he rose ,and rose with all power.The first disciples were commanded to be witness,and each of us whose lives have been changed by the resurrection must invite those who need Him to know Him.The Resurrection's reality gives hope to a needy world so let us give thanks for He lives...........

Cancer In the Body!

Numbers 11:1" And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord:and the Lord heard it; and His anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them,and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp".

Behold how easy mischief begins among the mixed multiutude,the church goer and the christian,and how the fire of the Lord burned in the utermost parts of the camp or congregation.The great danger of the church lies in her congregation, the casual followers,they actually infect the true believer. Grumbling, discontentment, ungrateful complaining these are grievous offences against our gracious God.God is displeased with a dissatisfied spirit,like us with an ungrateful, and unthankful child.There is an evil lust which accompanies our complaining, a covetousness, an ungrateful attitude which says"God you have made a mistake I would have done things different".If you believe God is absolutly always in control trust him.For we deserved to be dead yet the Lord through his mercy and grace gives us what we don't deserve,as he saved us from what we had comming, and we have the nerve to complain.He has blessed us with eternal life, feeding us bread of heaven and we will complain that we are not living like we were when we were a slave to sin.

Murmuring is quarreling with God,and making a verbal attack against Him.The children of Isreal murmurer said, that God had not dealt well with them,that they deserved better than what he had given them.When we complain about where we are and what we have or don't have we to are telling God that he could do better, like we have been so good.God will not withhold any good thing from us, but he can't bless us with them until we are ready to recieve them.Jesus has saved us from sin but we still have a sinners nature, we still think like sinners, and God is still working on us.He is creating in us a new nature, blessing us with the mind of Christ,and only he knows what is needed to complete this great work he has started.If we are selfish with the little things how can he bless us with the big things.If we to tired to clean and care for the little apartment why would he burden us with a big house.It is when you've been faithful over the little things ,that he will make you ruler over the many.

The murmurers charged God with folly,implying God might have a need to be wiser and a better God. They had manna,but complained they had no meat, but then was still not satisfied when they were given meat.Murmurering is a sin against God,and a sin which he cannot bear(Numbers14:27).God knows what he is doing, he sees the end at the beginning,if you find something in your life you don't like ,don't complain ask God to reveal his plan for your life and you will understand why he has placed you where you are and has given you what you have.The children of Isreal didn't understand that God had given them what  was best for their current situation,and it was preparing them for what lied ahead.God has blessed each of us with what we need to prepare us for what lies ahead, for the time has come for us to really trust and rely on God.Let us not complain and be content, for God's word says" contentment with God is great gain".

Are You Willing to Go?

Luke 22:33 "And he said unto Him,"Lord I'm ready to go with thee,both to prison and to Death".

There are many who profess to be willing to surrender and forsake all and follow Jesus, but their words don't always coincide with their actions.We say we love the Lord,that he is the head of our life, that He is our everything,and I do believe that we who profess this truly believe we mean what we say at the time.Yet when it comes right down to it,we have things in our lives that we choose hold on to that hinders our following Jesus.We really feel we want to follow Him, but we either refuse to or don't know how to let go of some things in our life which hinders our ability to walk with Him.

Here Peter professed to willing to not only follow the Lord but to go to prison and even die with Him, yet we all know that before the cock crowed Peter denied the Lord three times.But are we really that different from Peter? How many times have we denied the Lord in word or by and ungodly action when a witness of Him might have save a lost soul.How often do we hang on to old habits which exclude Christ in our lives, instead of creating new habits which  will make Him a bigger part of our life?How many things do we have in our life which when we think about it honestly, hinders our ability to walk with Chrsit in the truth of His word.(I'm not talking about saying we are walking with Him, but others can actually see Him in our walk).Remember the story of the rich young ruler,He came to Christ and asked how he might inherit eternal life.Now he came to the right person, he came the right way as it says he feel at Christ feet, He asked the right question,and he seemed to know what the word of God said.But there was one thing he lacked,he wouldn't let go of his riches to follow Christ.

Are you really willing to forsake all and follow Christ? Are you willing to make a sacrifice and go to Sunday school?Are you willing to forsake "Ladies Night" at the club to make prayer meeting and bible study?Are you willing to make changes in your life to be a better witness for Him.Are you willing to search yourself and ask God to remove all in your life that is hindering your walk with Him, and then let it go?Are you truly willing

The Power Of Prayer

Acts 12:5 " Peter therefore was kept in prison;but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him."

Prayer, a sincere heart felt communication between man to God.The most personal form of worship that we have.Prayer,the only thing that Jesus said a man should always do.Prayer life is to the spirit man what breathing is to the physical man.Prayer is the single most powerful weapon or tool we have at our disposal in this spiritual battle we undertake daily. It is through the power of prayer that God's mercy is shared with us, as Jesus prayed from the cross,"Forgive them Father for they know not what they do".Prayer is power.

In our story today, we have James being killed,and Peter imprisoned awaiting to be killed.Now it says he was in prison, chained between two guards.There are many today who are held prisoner.Captivated by sin, chained between hoplessness and dispair.Locked in darkness seemingly to have no way out, awaiting the certain death that sin brings with it.But the text says that the church prayed without ceasing to God for Him.We the church of the living God are to pray for those who are lost ,trapped in darkness those who are without hope and see no way out.It is the effectual fervant prayers of the righteous that brings about a change in this world.All through the Bible when someone prayed without ceasing, something changed.The text says when the church prayed,the angel of the Lord came to where Peter was and set him free.It was the prayers of the church which released the power of God.It is when we pray that the power of God is at our disposal to change our hearts which changes our situation and makes us free.

We who profess Christ are the church, and rather we like it or not we are our brothers keeper.Just as Christ prayed for us , we too are to pray for others.It is the duty of the Church to do the will of God, and His will is that none should parish.So let us ,the church pray without ceasing for the lost souls that Jesus shed his blood for, that all might come to know the love of God.I'll pray for you and you pray for me and together we will pray that all might be saved.

Lingering In dangerous times (part 1 &2)

Help From Above!

Isaiah 50:7 " For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have i set my face like a flint,and I know that I shall not be ashamed".

There was no hardness in the heart of Jesus,but there was in his face.He was as determined as he was humble.He did not hide his face from the shame or the spitting,but he set his face like a flint.In our Lord there was no turning aside,though none helped him,and everyone hindered him.He was neither confounded by thoughts within his own soul,nor rendered ashamed by the scorn of others.

A divine support was given to the human nature of our Redeemer, for the great work in which he was engaged required abundant strength.But our Savior relied upon his Father's help.Faith in God is the best foundation for a firm resolution,and a firm resolution is the best preparative for a great task.Nothing is so hard that it cannot be cut with something harder;against his hard labor,our Lord set his harder determination.His face was like a flint,you could not turn him form his work,nor get him to feel pity for himself.He was set upon it,he must die to save his people,because he loved us more than he did himself. So our purpose must be God's glory.Our education must be God's teaching.Our life must be His living,our strenght must lie within him.We must walk on a path of faith,and our words must be His message to a dying world.

Oh what a sea of blood,wrath,sin,sorrow and misery did the Lord Jesus wade through for our internal and external good.Christ didn't complain this cross is too heavy for me to bear;or this wrath is too great for me to lie under;this cup to bitter for me to drink,no Christ doesn't complain about the difficulty of the service,but bravely wade through it all and fulfills his purpose.Christ makes nothing of his Father's wrath, the burden of our sins, the malice of Satan, and the rage of the world,but just triumphantly passes through all.A soul not stirred by this,not raised and lifted up by this,to be resolute and brave in the service of God,withstanding all dangers and difficulties,is a soul left of God to much blindness and hardness.

Jesus Christ is the Way!

Job 34:33 "Should it be according to thy mind?He will recompense it,whether thou refuse,or whether thou choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest".

God commands that all repent and be baptised,but the choice is up to each person.We are accountable for the choices we make.But how we are saved is not up to us.There is only one way to be save,and we have no say so it that matter.It is never wise to dispute with God,especially upon the matter of salvation.No sinner seeking pardon should be foolish as to dispute how it is to be done with our Savior.

The question is asked of Job by God, "should it be according to thy mind?" Should salvation be planned to suite you? Should beggars be choosers?Should these who profess penitence become dictators?What is your objection? Is there something wrong with God's perfect plan of salvation?Since He paid for it should it not be his way.When we pay for something we want it our way.Isn't his way the best way,after all our way got us to the point of needing to be saved.Should salvation be according to my mind which is ignorant to the things of heaven,which is sometimes feeble,fickled, selfish and often short sighted. Rather we accept or refuse salvation,God has paid the price.Rather you believe it or not,God will punish sin, and the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.God will be glorified and will glorify Christ by the conversion of willing souls who do it His way.God is not one to dispute with,He dosn't need saving we do,we have the choice if we want to be saved,but how we are saved is not up to us.So here God says "Not I", He will not be responsible for the choices we make, He did all he needed for us to be saved, now it is up to us to accept his way or deny salvation.

We have an invitation,"therefore speak what thou knowest". Let us excercise our freedom,choose or reject the plan of salvation set before us.Be sure of that you know by personal observation and experience,and let you decision be based on unquestionable knowledge.Decide for you self,but let it be done with much prayer and spiritual thought,for you decision is for an eternity.

Bear Witness to the Light!

Isaiah 49:6"And he said,it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,and to restore the preserved of Israel:I will also give thee for a light to the gentiles,that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth".

Our mission in life, just as it was for Israel and for Jesus,is to share the truth about God with others,so they know what they have to do to have a right relationship with God.God wants to restore his relationship with all people and nations.A relationship broken by sin and compounded by people's rebellion against him.

People seems to have one or two approaches for sharing our christian faith with others.Some feel strongly,that they should live the christian life to the best of their ability,and only talk about Jesus if asked.Although others might know them to be kind and considerate, but because they seldom speak about Jesus or the gospel,few will ever know about their faith in God.The other way is to share the gospel with our words as well as our lives. Working hard, trying to live in a way that is a good reflection on God's character,but also looking for opportunities to talk about God,Jesus,our faith, and what it takes to have a right relationship with God.Jesus said, this about the relationship between our lives and our words:"you are the light of the world.A city on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.Instead,they put it on its stand,and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way let your light shine before man,that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."

We are called to be God's light in our world today.It's through our lives that people see what God is like and hopefully become attracted to him.But it is through our words that they hear what's true about God,(For faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God)and what it takes to have a right relationship with him.God's servants are to be the light that penatrates spiritual darkness and leads others to a relationship with Jesus.It is our dedication to this mission which glorifies God,and in the process help reconnect others to him.This is the mission of servants of the Lord.

Feet Washers!

John 13:14 "If I then,your Lord and Master,have washed your feet;ye also ought to wash one another's feet".

We are servants of the Lord,no matter what title or position we hold in God's Church, we are but servants to do His will and carry out His commands.The position you hold or the title you give yourself does not free you from the work in which we have been called to do.We are the feet washers of the Lord. The head is responsible for the caring for the feet.

Jesus tells his disciples that if He being Lord and Master wash their feet, then they to have to wash feet. Now he is not telling us that we must literally go out and wash someones dirty feet, but we who know the Lord is responsible to share Him with a Lost world.We are responsible to look after and care for those who are less fortunate.See somewhere the message got twisted, the Church leadership looks for the congregation to serve them when we have been put in the position to serve the congregation.Jesus the great head of the Church is the example, he laid down His title and took on the position of a servant that God's will be done,and we are to follow His example.He came to serve,He washed feet,He fed the people,He gave freely of that which He had to all who had need. He sacrificed that others might have. The Son of God became the son of man that the sons of man might become the Sons of God,and we who have be chosen to lead and teach His people, should be able to lay aside our titles and positions and become feet washers so that a lost soul might be saved. He didn't chose us so we could be important, but that we might serve and be willing workers in the vineyard.

Now I'm not saying,your calling isn't genuine, that is something each of us will have to answer to God about,what I am saying is regardless of your calling or title, we were called to do a work.The work of all who were called is to lead a lost world to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.We are to provide for and care for those who Christ shed His blood for, that the lost might to enjoy the salvation of the Lord. No mater what you call yourself, let us be careful to wash the feet of the lost souls of this world.

It is All About Jesus!

Revelation 1:18 "I am he that liveth,and was dead; and,behold,I am alive for evermore,Amen; and I have the keys of hell and of death.

Life through his name;Salvation is of God and of His Christ."Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved". Again, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way ,the truth,and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me". No matter how good or noble a man or woman may believe he or she is, that person can no more save himself or herself than you could have created yourself.

"Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,though he were dead,yet shall he live:and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die".Before a person can experience the event of the resurrection unto life, he or she must experience the person who is the resurrection.People how can you be apart of something you know nothing about, how can you believe in Him whom you haven't heard?See without any conviction there can be no true conversion, you can't experience a resurrected life until you first realize you were dead in sin. As we partake in His death, we will walk in the newness of life. But to walk new, the old must die, and for the old to die, we must realize there was an old."I am crucified with Christ, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me".It is not about the titles we wear, the building we fellowship in,or the Pastors and Bishops we sit under,it is solely about the Savior of the world.

All things are of God. He is the beginning, He is the process, and he is the end. He is our beginning, he is our path, and he is our life.Saints it is all about Christ and him crucified, not about who we are but whose we are.We must really come to this knowledge,for when we truly grasp hold to this fact,we will become better christians,obedient servants,  conviencing witnesses, and a more accurate reflection of Christ.Who we are will no longer seem important, our time will be spent lifting up our savior, and not elevating ourselves.We will seek all lost souls,spreading the good news of the gospel.So let us take the time and let ourselves get caught up in the thought of being in Jesus' powerful presence.This is our resurrected Lord,and it is about Christ and Him crucified........

The Power of God!

Acts 19:20 "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed".

The word Of God; the power of God unto salvation.If we just once again trust in this word like the saints of old did what a wonderful world we would live in.In these times God's word is so badly needed yet we seem to share everything but the truth and purity of God's word.We agree and disagree with it as it relates to us and what we are doing or trying to do. If it goes against our agenda's we don't want anything to do with that part and will de-friend and remove people from our sights because we're convicted by God's word.How can we lead the lost to Christ when we who profess Christ can't follow one another to his truths.We must continue to share God's word and  we will see the Word of God grow and prevail. 

The gospel is the same as it ever was,God hasn't changed.There are still sinners in the world, the sins that need to be overcome are the same, and the Holy Spirit is just as mighty to convict and renew,but we have changed how we share this good news.We must understand it is a blessed time in the soul,a blessed time in the family,a blessed time in the congragation and in the country when the word of God grows mightily and prevails in the hearts of the people.But Faith comes by hearing,and hearing the word of God.But to many are sharing their books, motivies,ideals and philosophies over the truth of God's word, thus giving birth to so many faithless christians.It is a blessed time when the open sinner is seen leaving his sinful ways and seeking the salvation of the Lord.When men are seen giving up their unholy gains, and changed their lives to follow the word ,will and way of God.When the leaven of the gospel begins to work, there will be no need of  arguments to prove how unworthy it is for a christian to turn to the amusement of the books of the world or those who proclaim the messages of said books.

The grace of the gospel produces a new taste,it alters everything about us,our friends, our pursuits,and even that which we find entertaining.Is the word of God growing amoung us?If not why not?It is a living seed and it should grow,and will grow unless it is hindered or wrapped with the imagination of man.There is no other power in our ministry which will equal that which is produced when one hears the truth of God's word.If you plant it, it will grow;"So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed". It won't come back void! 

True Praise!

John 15:8 "Here in is my Father glorified,that ye bear much fruit;so shall ye be my disciples".

We bring glory to God, and give Him real praise, when we live a life before men that bears fruit,real fruit that will last.God's spirit working within us helps us change and begin producing right fruit in our lives.Galatians 5:22-23 list the fruit of God's Spirit, which becomes increasingly evident in us as we grow spiritually. Producing the fruit of righteousness is important,it is also important for us to understand that the credit for that fruit goes to God.We must strive to be acceptabled to God, not by our own righteousness,but with the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God.We must trust God to produce righteousness in us,for "it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure".Yet there is a part we must also play.

When God calls us to be His children,He initiates a change in us from our formerly proud, and selfish, disobedient ways.He transforms us by renewing, or changing of our mind,a process to which we must surrender to. Paul said "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God"(Rom. 12:2). Transformation is not instantaneous,it requires ongoing changes in our thinking and outlook that permanently affect the way we live.We become " a living sacrifice,holy,acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service".

To bear good fruit we must have the mind of Christ, being like minded, having the same love, being on one accord, of one mind.Doing nothing out of selfish desires, or conciet, but with humility, esteeming others better than oneselfs.We must not look to our interest, but the interst of others.having this mind of Christ makes the  miracle of a transformed fruit bearing life possible.The symbolic meaning of baptism, represents both forgiveness of sins and newness of life in Christ.It should change our lives forever, especially when we recall that these blessings have come at a great price.Jesus Christ sacrificed His own life so we may gain ours through the forgiveness or our sins.We who accepts this truth are to live a fruit bearing life thus glorifying the Father which is in heaven.Let us worship him with our life and praise him with our living, that a lost soul might seek out the salvation of the Lord.

Working Faith!

James 2:20 "But wilt thou know ,O vain man,that faith without works is dead".

Faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Faith the backbone of this Christian journey ,many have chosen to travel.It is a walk of faith,it is a life of hope, for the bible tells us we are saved by hope.The bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God, for they that come to him must first believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him. He gives each man a measure of faith,yet many today chose to live a defeated life.Many give into sin and the ways of this world because they don't have a working faith.

James tells us that faith without works is dead.Now he is not saying we can work our way into heaven, or that we can work our way into salvation.No salvation is a free gift offered to all who will by faith accept this free gift.Now this is where the working of your faith comes into play.See by faith we believe when we are baptized that the old man, the flesh man, the sinner man and all his ways was put to death with Christ.When Christ died on the cross with the sins of the world, by faith we when we accept his death believe that our old man also died, and was raised with him a new creature in Christ old things have past away,behold all things are become a new.So now we are a new creature born of the spirit of God,and by faith we believe we can walk in the righteousness of God,in faith we believe we are no longer a slave to the flesh and it's desires.Now when trials and temptations come upon us, when the desires of the flesh raises up against us, by faith we believe that Jesus has power over all flesh and he will deliever us from these weak moments, that he will save us from ourselves,that he will deliever us from evil,that he will carry us through as he strengthens us.But in the event that we don't submit to God and resist the devil,thaat we do give in to the lust and desires of the flesh,that we are over taken by a fault, by faith we believe that if we go to him with a repented heart, seek his face and ask for forgiveness, in faith we believe he will forgive us and restore us back to his righteousness.

This is working faith.We must put our faith to work, believe that Christ can keep you in the times of weakness,and forgive you when you surrender to the wiles of the enemy. Don't live life thinking that you have to sin, if you believe that your old self died and you have risen a new creature in Christ. Walk by faith in the new creature,believeing that Him whom you rose with has all power, and if you do fall know that he is faithful and just to forgive your shortcomings. 

One Body!

Philippians 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things,but every man also on the things of others".

What differecnce has God made in your life? Do all christians talk and act the same?No.But we should all have a love for God,first of all,and then love for one another.The sweetness Christians experience in knowing Jesus as Savior and all the good he brings into our lives, inevitably reflects in everyone of our relationships.Paul asked the believers at Philippi,"Has being a follower of Christ made any difference in your life? Has the fact that he loves you with everlasting love caused you to make different life choices? Have you experienced the Holy Spirit's presence and enjoyed being a part of this glorious unified body? Is Christ's love flowing in, out, and through this unified body with tenderness and lots of mercy?"

If you answered yes to any of these questions ,then you should spend more time talking about the things we have in common, than our differences.We should love each other unconditionally,strive for unity in all we do by lifting up Christ.We all have sinned and come short of God's glory, the enemy wants us to focus on the short comings which lie in all of us.But Jesus is the one thing we have in common and it is through him and by him that we are perfected even with our shortcomings,so when we lift Jesus up in the lives of others, we have all things common.We should be thrilled to the heart to lead people to the Lord, and then see them interacting and developing deep, caring, and lasting friendships, as their walk with Christ becomes stronger.

How honest are your conversations? It's a good practice among brothers and sisters in Christ to put self aside, help others move forward ,and constantly check our motives.We must be sure, that which we do in the unity of the body, is for the glory of God and not to fulfill a personal agenda.Remember the enemy is a deciever,you may want to do it for God's glory,but if unchecked, pride and self righteousness will creep in, and your good will be evil spoken of. We can emphasize the good in others while still acknowledging their faults and weakness. And the weak should be able to handle correction which is done in love for the building up of the body.(too many of us get mad when someone points out a fault or a shortcoming in our character, but how can we grow stronger if we don't know where we are weak). The Body of Christ can only become unified,loving, and like-minded when we care for the inerest of others as much as we do our own.

Must Be Born Again!

Ephesians 4:24 "And that ye put on the new man,which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness".

We at our best we are still a filthy rag,but thanks be to God we don't have to stay that way.Through the blood of Jesus we can now shed the ways of the old man, and be born a new,become another, someone totally different from the first. God very much wants us to become converted,to be one of his converts. He wants us not only to learn, but practice His ways of life,to be sincerely and thoroughly committed to it.He promises us His help if we willingly follow His instructions.Through His spirit He will empower us to "put on the new man which is created according to God,in true righteousness and holiness". His purpose is to change us, to convert us from the inside,from the heart.Remember God is the only source of righteous character.

In the bible we find details of God's resolve to save us from the spiritual malaise that has plagued us throughout history.It explains the source of our behavioral and spiritual problems.It shows the true difference between God's devine nature and our human nature,and describes His plan to change our basic attitudes and responses to life's everyday situations.It reveals God's commitment expressed in His exceedingly great and precious promises to make us partakers of the devine nature. Our thoughts and emotions are directly linked to our fleshly impulses and desires.We are born with them.But we are born with neither the knowledge nor the power to properly manage them.Our natural impulse and desires are often affected and even manipulated by external pressures.( often situations and circumstances dictate the actions and attitude we display).

Only our creator can give us the power to rightly manage our thoughts and attitudes and resist the temptations that bombard us daily and sometimes every hour on the hour.Therefore the process requires the direct and active intervention of God.First He calls us by opening our minds to understand the scriptures.Then He begins turning our lives around if we willingly respond and submitt to His calling and cooperate with Him.Our commitment to change causes us to be converted,to turn to God with our whole life.Well what separates us from God? Our sins and iniquities have hidden his face from us,so that he will not hear(Isaiah 59:1). To receive the blessings and other help from God, we must turn to him,we must turn away from satan's ways, the ways of the old man,by turning to God's ways, the ways of the new man.Each of us MUST accept and respond to God's terms and conditions for the forgiveness of sin. We must be commited , converted and changed from the old and and his ways to the new man and the ways of God...........

Tell It ;He Is Risen!

Matthew 28:6 "He Is not here:For he is risen,as he said.Come,see the place where the Lord lay".

The resurrection is the basis for hope in the Christian faith.The women who came to the tomb expected to find death.Instead, they met an angel who told them that Jesus had risen.Belief that Jesus rose is the key to the completion of his promise that we will rise also.Believers can also experience Ressurection power in their lives.Without this assurance, Paul said,"we are of all men most miserable".The first witnesses were commanded to go and tell the disciples then later tell the world.Go and tell remains the command for believers today who have discovered the wonder of the risen Christ in their lives.

Go and tell is the command to every man and woman who has discovered the power of Christ.It is through the sharing of this good new that we have the power to change the world.We must tell people that the resurrection brings regeneration into the lives of those who are spiritually dead,through the power of the Holy Spirit,bringing about a new birth,changing one from the inside out.This is the basis for the Church's witness to the world. Every believer can share this certainty with confidence.

Of course, a great controversy has always surrounded the Resurrection.The Jewish priest paid the guards to deny what happened that day,and there are still millions of People who deny the resurrection, in word and in deed.Sometime we don't live like he rose with all power,we don't trust that he overcame the world and all it's temptations,and thus harms our witness to the world. A witness is one who tells what he or she knows as a certainty. You can only witness that which you have seen or experienced. Countless people who have been touched and changed by meeting the living Jesus provide undeniable evedience of the resurrection.The way they live their life is their witness that he rose ,and rose with all power.The first disciples were commanded to be witness,and each of us whose lives have been changed by the resurrection must invite those who need Him to know Him.The Resurrection's reality gives hope to a needy world and gives all who truly believes the power to change the world..............

The Kings Highway!

Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,which leadeth unto life,and few there be that find it".

People hold varying ideals about what constitutes Christianity.Few who profess Christ actually know what he taught and even fewer practice what he preached.As a result most people believe Jesus way of life is impractical and unworkable in the real world.But this is not based on what the bible actually teaches.Many think as long as they believe in Jesus,attend church occasionally and are basically good people,they are pleasing God and have their ticket in their hand.Religion to many is more or less whatever they want it to be,and this is taught in many congregations today by leaders who are more interested in filling the pews than saving the souls.They think that any personal religious preference or practice, as long as it is motivated by good intentions is acceptable to God. They see modern christianity as being a mile wide and a inch deep, but mile wide Christianity is not the path to God's kingdom,rather according to Jesus it is the highway to destruction.

Many teach all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you go to heaven,there is no need for change just  believe.It is acceptable to believe we are free to worship God the way we want,to refashion God in our own image,and to taylor his word to fit our life style,but is this the Godly way of life?Is this traveling on the narrow road?Is simply believing on Jesus as Lord and savior enough to enter eternal Life? Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven.So is simply believing enough? What does it mean to believe? Remember God said "your ways are not my ways";Man believes with his mind,but God's word says to believe in thine heart.See our belief in Jesus must be in the heart so that it can change our heart.It is when we believe in our hearts that we can truly deny ourselves,and follow Christ on the narrow road.It is when we believe in our heart that we can honestly and boldly confess with our  mouth that Jesus is Lord.Then we can live by faith,a faith that will keep us when the cares of this world try to lead us down the broad road.

The way leading to eternal life is the way of living within the boundaries defined in God's law.It is not the broad popular way that approves of any behavioral preference and practice.As it was in Jesus day,many put their faith in the words and opinions of the religious teachers they like the most and whose teaching agrees with their lifestyles.Few look to God's word  in the scripture as the primary source of their belief.If you really want to follow God according to His instructions,let us honestly take a look at where our current worship habits and the way we live our lives come from.We need to ask ourselves whether they come from scripture or not,are the teachers we follow,faithful to God's word or are they teaching ideals and opinions to fill the pews and collection plates.The answer to these question will help you determine if you are on the road lest traveled or not.

Changed!

Philippians 3:21"Who shall change our vile body,that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,according to the workings whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself ".

We use the word changed or converted quite alot in religious circles,but what does it truly mean to be changed.Is going to church,singing in the choir, or preaching in the pulpit evidence of change. And if we are in fact converted or changed what is it we are changed from, or more important what are we change into.The scriptue says Jesus will change our vile body, that it might  be fashioned like his glorious body. Well biblical change is represented as a miraculous life transforming process,a process that is impossible without the direct,active intervention and participation of God. In fact he must initiate the conversion process. No man can come to Jesus unless the spirit of God draws them.

He first opens the mind of those he is calling, or inviting to change so they can begin to understand the scriptures with a clarity and depth they could never attain on their own.This wonderful miracle of transformation usually begins when those God is calling hear the truth of God 's word accuratelly from one of his true servants( faith come by hearing, but how can they hear without a preacher,and how can  he preach unless he be sent). Our creator begins to open their minds at that time to comprehend the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God to salvation.God's words now begin to make sense,just as a picture emerges when a puzzle is put together.Now the once lost soul begins to grasp the holy scriptures and thus be part of the miracle of God's calling.

What follows depends on the choices they make when they hear or read God's truth. They can respond to God and ask for His help to implement what they learn,or they can turn their back on the understanding of the truth they have received.Even though God encourages us to choose life, He will not force this choice on any of us. But as we will soon see, the consequences of our choices are enormous.The process begins with God's calling,followed by the key steps of repentance,baptism,and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, finally climaxing with the return of Jesus Christ when those that are his will be resurrected to immortality and given eternal life.That is the ultimate transformation being change from this vile mortal body, and fashioned into a glorious immortal being! 

He Did It For Me!

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressons,he was bruised for our iniquities:the chastisement of our peace was upon him;and with his stripes we are healed."

When Jesus suffered and died on Calvery's cross,the sin of the entire world hung on his shoulders.This weight He carried,we are not designed to carry.Jesus suffered enormously so that we might be saved from "the sin that so easily entangles us"and be able to run the race he has set before us easier each day, that one day we might be with him in  all his Glory.

Jesus allowed his flesh to be crushed,ripped,and torn.He suffered and died a gruesome death.He was the subsitute who took our punishment, who paid for our crimes,that we might be made whole,that we might be made the righteousness of God.Through his suffering, we are blessed,through His death we have abundant life.It was our sins that pressed the crown of thorns on his head,our hatred that slapped him,and spit on him,our disobedience which mocks him.He was wounded for our transgressions, and  died for our sins.It was by His bruises that healing was made available to all who will surrender their lives into the Masters hands.Jesus looked beyond all of our faults and he saw our need,and he supplied our every need.

Because of Jesus death,lost sinners can find their way back to the Heavenly Father again. Jesus,our mighty hero who poured out his life and his blood for us,and hung on a cross between two criminals, was no criminal himself.He was just our gentle Savior, who died for us, and now intercedes for us in Heaven.God now looks upon all who have truly  committed their lives to Him, through lenses stained with the blood of Jesus Christ,and where there once stood a sinner,there now stands a saint washed in the blood of the Lamb.THANK YOU JESUS

Everything to Me

Hebrews 1:3 "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high;"

The earmark of God's signature on anybook or sermon is Christ as the devine "word," the central focus, and the only way to God.How important is the Lord to you?The question might seem silly, but the apostles themselves had some disagreement about how much the Lord was worth.When Mary broke that box and anointed Jesus,there was a great indignation amoung the disciples.Mary Gave her Lord the best she had yet if she would of asked the twelve, they would of said no it is a waste sell it and give the money to the poor.But thank God she forgot the poor for a while,she forgot the disciples, she forgot herself, and love just flowed out,and she lavished her best possession upon her Lord.

Sometimes we forget just how special our savior really is.We can get so busy about his work, and ironically, forget him,Yet he is the pinnacle of our existence, the reason we are saved,the highest motivation for all christian ministry.(No matter the title we put on ourself, we are nothing but a servant of Jesus Christ).Jesus humbled himself as a servant when he walked this earth,even stooping to wash the feet of his disciples, but he also rose to proclaim "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."Just how special is he,here is just a peek;

First God appointed him heir of all things;He made all things: he is the brightness of the glory of the Father;He is the express image of the Fathers person,as he bears the impression of Gods nature, he is the perfect revelation of Gods will and glory;He upholds all things, Christ is carrying the universe toward the fulfilment of Gods devine plan; He purged our sins, through his redeeming work on the cross he made salvation available to all who believes;And he was granted the place of highest honor, at the "right hand of the Majesty on high." Jesus is the name above any other, "at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess."It's not about fancy titles, big congragations, or fancy buildings, it is about Jesus, there is none greater!

Testimony Of Praise!

Psalm 107:2 "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy".

God has been good to us, but have we been good to God.We say a lot of things with our lips but there are times when our actions tell a different story. Now I understand that we all at times fall into divers situations,we think things that are not Holy,we do things that are not Christ like and yes God is faithful and just to forgive us those shortcomings.But what about that which we make plans to do.If you have been redeemed from a life of sin say so, but not with lip service, but hip service, in other words walk like it.

There are many who profess to being delievered from the darkness into the marvelous light,yet right now they are making plans to do evil in the sight of the Lord.Rather it is fornacation,adultry,lying, getting drunk,back bitting or various other evils,many are already planning their evil in their weekend activities.Well if you have been redeemed say so,say so by not giving in to the lust of the flesh,say so by standing in faith that Jesus has power over all flesh,say so by surrendering your life this weekend to the will of God and not the desires of your flesh.We all have weaknesses that sometimes overtake us, but if we don't put ourselves in the position the weakness can't over take us.So if you you have been redeemed live like it.Let us truly worship and praise the Lord.

Now I believe that you worship God with your life and you praise him with your living.God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.So when we live life in the spirit we are worshiping God,but when we live in the flesh we rebel against Him.When we live befor eman in a way that causes other to come running and ask "what must i do to be save" then we are praising God. The highest praise you can give God is to let your light so shine befor eman that they see your good work sand glorify God.That is living a hallelujah life.So this weekend, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, by living so! 

False Professions

Matthew 15:8 " This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth,and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me".

The world is full of people who profess a love for God.They are always saying, writing or posting on the various social networks scriptures and various other things so that those who read them will believe that they are saved.But it is really not important that one believes that we are saved or not,the important thing is that the world believes that their is a savior.The sole purpose of our being saved ,is to lead others to believe in Jesus, and we should start with those in our own households.And yes it is true that faith comes by hearing,our actions speaks louder than our words.

In the scripture today Jesus speaks of those who always say the right things but, their hearts are not in what they are proclaiming.In other words they really don't believe what they are saying.We today don't truly believe everything we say when it comes to our walk with Christ.(now don't get me wrong ,I'm not questioning anybody's faith).But if we would be honest with our selves and look at what our life is saying we might see that maybe we are giving more lip service and not enough heart felt truth.We say God is everything,the most important thing,the one thing we can't live without,yet we push our children and our love ones more toward the secular than we do toward God.How many have spouses that don't go to church? Yet we allow and put up with that, but let them not have a job or income, then we have a problem with them.We make kids go to school, we make push them get a job as soon as they are old enough, yet when it come to Sunday school, bible study or even the study of the bible at home, we leave it up to them. True the law says they have to go to school, but did't Jesus command us to learn of Him, isn't that a law.Now I'm not saying a person shouldn't work, but didn't Jesus say "take no thought" "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you".If we lead them to believe and trust Jesus, he will lead them on the path he has for them.He will bless them with jobs,and when he gives you ajob no man can take it from you.Let us truly began to honor Christ with our hearts by leading others to believe in Him.

Now I'm not suggestion that you quit encouraging your children to get jobs, and to go to school or any of the things that will help them along in this life.What I am suggesting is that with the same effort and energy if not more,instruct them and encourage them to seek the things and ways of the Lord just as hard.Make them study God's word and attend Sunday school and bible study,it will enrich their lives unlike anything else and it will carry them through when times get rough.After all if it was good enough for you,shouldn't it be good enough for them. 

Look What Jesus Did For You!

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us,who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him".

Jesus Christ death;the message is unbelievable,a message of redemption,that is a substitution for sin. This is one of the great verses proclaiming the unbelievable love of God.It is impossible for man to grasp the fact that God made Christ to be sin for us,yet that is exactly what the scripture says.He who knew no sin made to be sin,the perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people,and yes he paid for me.

Why was this act necessary? Because man needs more than just righteousness to stand perfect before God.To stand righteous before God is not enough,for man has already sinned.Man already stands guilty of breaking God's law, and the judgement and condemnation of death has already taken effect upon man. So the condemnation and judgement of sin had to be taken care of,God did this by laying all the sins of man upon Christ,all the guilt and condemnation of sin,God placed it all on Christ and let Him bear it all Himself.God's purpose for this was that we might be made righteousness of God in Christ.When a person believes in Jesus Christ,I mean really believes,God takes that man's faith and He counts it as righteousness.The man is not righteous,but God considers the man's faith as righteousness.God does this because he loves man so much,so much that he sent His only begotten Son to die that we might have a right to life.Jesus secured righteousness for man.He came into the world to die for man.He came and arose from death and thus conquered death for man,thus His resurrected life could stand for the resurrected life of the believer.

The truth is this God loves His Son Jesus Christ so much, that He honors any man who honors His son by believing in Him and believing Him.When we sincerly trust Christ,God takes that faith and counts it as righteousness,thus He judges us , and treats us,as though we are innocent.We are not innocent,us and God both knows this,but God counts us as innocent because of our faith in Jesus Christ.To God we have died with Christ and rose a new creation.Yes he paid for Me

Learn Of Me!

Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you,and learn of me;for I am meek and lowly in heart:and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

In the first part of this chapter Jesus taught the solemn truth of human responsibility,and afterwards he had joyfully proclaimed in prayer the doctrine of election.Now he turns to give a free and full invitation to those who are needing rest.We must remember who it is  who is inviting men to come to him.The Son of the most high God,bids men to draw near to Himself without fear,and he will give them rest.

We draw near to God through the study of His word.God said "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge",it is not that the knowledge is not available,it is that the people of God do not make themselves avavilable to receive the knowledge.We go to church but we don't attend Sunday school and bible study.Some of us don't even open our bibles until instructed to by the person who is bringing the word that day.So Jesus said "Come to me", come to the person of Christ,the living Savior and our example of how to live this earthly life.Come to Him with your whole heart,don't just come to chuch, come to Jesus.Take His yoke upon you, be obedient to His word, but you must first have to know what His word says.So much is being taught today that is not in the bible, and it is a doctrine that gives birth to lame and weak sheep.We are teaching people to doubt the power of Him who has all power.Jesus said "I have power over all flesh" yet we act as though He has no power in our life.He said "take no thought", yet we spend countless hour worring about that which we have no control over.So learn of Him and enter into His rest.

Christ said I will give you rest, not I will show you rest,nor tell you of rest, but I will give you rest for your soul.Christ said believe in me and I will give you rest,I will give you peace with God and peace with conscience.I will turn your storms into everlasting calm.I will give you a rest the world cannot take from you.The more we learn of Jesus the more we can take rest in His promises.Many are wondering through a vast wilderness of doubt ,disbelief,and worry because they don't know enough to know Christ as a way out of no way. Christ said "Learn of Me".