A Chance To Bear Witness

John 18:17 "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.

Here we have a cowardly denial, of both the world and Peter. Peter was innocently questioned by the door keeper he had a chance to bear witness, but Peter denied any association with Jesus. Peter made an attempt to be known as one of the crowd. He joined the crowd, standing around with the many, joining in their activities and conversation and the chance to bear witness was lost.

Too many today deny being associated with Christ and thus lose the chance to bear witness that He lives. People see us in church, or associating with other believers, and when the chance to witness is present, we deny any association to Christ. We deny him in the way we live our lives, the way we don't show our love for one another, in our inability and unwillingness to forgive one another, and give to one another. We deny Him when a chance to witness is presented. We deny Him by not learning His doctrine, and by not proclaiming His teachings, we may not verbally deny Him as Peter did, but we deny Him in our actions. In a world were most religions allows man to be as he is, to do what he wishes and still feel acceptable to God. Just think for a moment, what this world would be like if all who professed Christ was to bear witness every time the opportunity presented itself, if we proclaimed the true doctrine of Jesus Christ. So few are willing to sacrifice their lives and bear witness to the Savior of the world
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When we deny Christ, we deny the lost the chance afforded us, to know Christ and have a chance at salvation. How can we truly say we love one another yet deny each other Christ. How can we say that we love the Lord with all our heart, soul and life,and yet let His blood be trampled under foot, for when a witness is needed, when we need to stand up and speak for Christ, we hide in the crowd and deny Him when a witness is needed . 

Freedom to Serve Not Sin

1 Corinthians 6:14 " And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power".

Many who have professed to be born again Christians have a tendency to believe  everything is permissible to them. While it is true we do have freedoms and liberties in Christ, we cannot use this as a license to sin. Because it is permissible does not make it beneficial.  The Christian life is not just about freedoms, It is about living as ambassador's for Christ, serving the Lord and leading lost souls to His salvation.

When you profess to be a child of God it comes with responsibilities. There is a way we must conduct our selves. Remember we are the light upon a hill that cannot be hid. We are the salt of the earth and we must be careful not to lose our savor. We must live in a manner that shows a lost world that there is a savior who can save the whole world. It is through the power of God that we have been raised from the death of the old man, into a life of the new man, the man born in the spirit of God. It is with the power of God that we can have the freedom to serve and not to sin.

We who are born of the spirit of God must remember that it is His power that keeps us. The life we have been called to live is a holy life, a sacrificial life. Christian should be a union with Christ. Following Jesus is a moment by moment walk with the Lord. We are free to love, serve, and point others to the cross, not to engage in sinful practices offered up by the world.

Know The Truth

Act 17:11 " These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so".

The word of God tells us to study to show thyself approve unto God, yet many today tends to believe what is said about God's word, based on who it is that said it. In this era of the name it and claim it prosperity message many are being deceive by those who are motivated by greed and popularity.  Many of todays ministers of seem to no longer preach the Gospel but instead they have begun to proclaim a message of personal philosophies lined with just enough scripture to be disguised as a truth, full of the promise of material gain.

Here in our text we see that the people of Berea were happy to receive the word preached by Paul. But in their quest for the truth they would search the scriptures to make sure that what they were being taught, was actually what the word of God said. Even though Paul was a powerful preacher of God's word, the people of  Berea didn't let their knowledge of the word be limited solely on what Paul said, so they would study the word for themselves to make sure the message preached, matched what the word said. Salvation is way too important for us to leave it in the hand of men. The bible says it is better to put our trust in God than in man. We too need to search the scripture to make sure that what we are being taught lines up with what the word of God says.

We must be careful not to get hung up on the name, position or title of the one delivering the word of God, that we take what they say as gospel. Don't let the fame and/or fortunes of the messenger, be the measuring stick to what is true when it come to the word of God, and your salvation. Study what God's word says, that you might know the truth for yourself. 

The Walk Matters

Matthew 5:14 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid".

Let your light so shine before man that they might see your good works and glorify your Father which art in heaven. We are instructed to walk in a manner worthy of the name by which we are called. Effective witnessing is not just in what we say to the world in our words, but it is also in what the world sees in our walk. We live in a seeing is believing world, and if you truly want to be an effective witness, let your walk and talk both glorify the Lord.

Here in our text, we see Jesus telling us we are the light of the world. He didn't say we will be or could be, He said we are the light of the world, and a light is seen and not heard. People are lead out of darkness when they see the light and they become drawn to it. Our walk does matter, it actually matters more than what we say, more people see you than hear you. Remember the old saying actions speak louder than words. It is easy to tell someone that God loves them, but to show the love of God, we must be active. We are the light of the world, so let those in darkness see your light, let them see your love one to another. Let them see the love of God spread abroad in your heart in your words and deeds. We are set upon a hill, the world is watching and no matter how small the light it can be seen by all in darkness. Let the world see your light shining.

No mater who your are in Christ your walk matters. There is someone following you on your journey. You are the bible they are reading, the picture of what they believe a Christian to be like, walk worthy of the name that you are a light house and not a stumbling block, that a lost soul might seek Jesus the light of the world and be saved...

Misplaced priorities

Haggai 1:4 "Is it time for you, O, ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie in waste?

We all profess that God is the head of our life, but in reality is He really? Do we truly place His will and desires before our own comforts, and desires? We can all say yes, but if we took a honest inventory of our life, we might find that though we say God is the head of our life, in actuality there are many worldly cares and concerns we place ahead of Him in our daily living.

In our text today we have the children of Israel, they were freed from captivity to rebuild the temple of God, but once they finished the alter, they left the house of God and spent their time and money on their own dwelling places. They used excuses such as not having enough money, not enough time the work is to hard, God understands, but it didn't stop them from working on their own homes. If we were to look honestly within our hearts , we would find we still use many of these same excuses today when it comes to doing God's work. Whenever we are short on funds, God suffers, we pay bills before our tithes and offerings. When we are tired, our witnessing, bible study or Sunday school suffers, while we are willing to work over time to obtain our worldly desires. The word of God says " Seek ye first the kingdom of God". When we have our priorities in order, we can live a life of perfect peace, but when we are out of line with God, our life is off line to the blessings of God, and we find our selves in a state of confusion.

Much like God did to the children of Israel, when He is no longer first in our lives, we never seem to have enough. We work two and three jobs yet still live pay check to pay check, like putting our money in bags with holes. Today we are making more money than our parents did, yet we have less than they had, and can't do as much as they did. Let us reprioritize our life , putting God first in everything and live in the blessed promise of His word, and  live as a tree planted by the rivers of water, and never be in want...

The Road Home

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

We all are on a long journey home, yet not everyone is going to the same address. God has made heaven available to all, yet many will choose to travel on the broad downward road. Some tend to think we can live any kind of way, and God has to allow us to enter into His kingdom. It is true that God loves us so much that He gave His son to die that we might live a life pleasing to Him. But remember He gave us all we need to live the life He calls us to live. He sent us His holy spirit to aid us in our living a life pleasing to Him, and He left us His written word, to correct and instruct us in righteousness, that we might be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. He left nothing to chance.

There is a popular false message being proclaimed that God is o.k. with our living a life in sin. Someone has convinced many of us that God's grace and mercy, makes it alright for us to continue to live the life we professed to be saved from. Jesus died to save us from sin, not in sin,  and He rose with all power in His hands, so He is able to keep us from falling. But we must in faith walk in the truth of God's word. This journey we are on is a road paved with the promises of God, lined with the love of God, with the oracles of God keeping us on the straight and narrow road. Many have started on this road but have chosen to take the off ramp of temptation, which leads to the broad road, which is the road which leads to destruction. There is only one road which leads to everlasting life promised by God. There is only one way, and one truth about that way, and one life, that the truth will cause you to live along that way, and that is Jesus the Christ the son of the living God.

Jesus said no man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Let us look to Jesus as our guide and travel up the kings highway on our long journey home, knowing that He is the way we must go, the truth we must believe, and the life we must emulate to be fit for the kingdom..

Soul Saving Love

John 3:16 " For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

Here we have the most popular, the most quoted and no doubt the most misunderstood scriptures in the bible. It is misunderstood because of man inability to grasp the love of God. We tend to love base on how we feel about the person or the situation. We love with expectations, we love with our eyes, we love what we see, taste, and can feel. But here Jesus reveals God's great love, a love in spite of.

 

"God so loved the world" , He loved the whole world. The ideal that God loves the world is a new idea. The Jews believed God loved the religious and hated the non religious. These same thoughts are held by many in every generation, especially by the religious community. The Fact that God so loves, is shocking. He loves the saint and the sinner. God loves everyman, not just those who love Him but also those who reject Him. He loves the unlovable, the unloving, the unbelieving, the obstinate, the selfish, the greedy, the spiteful, and the vengeful. The basic of Gods Love is his nature, for God is love. He didn't just love ,He so loved. He loved so much that he gave his only begotten Son. He gave not only all he had but the best that he had. He gave His only Son to suffer judgment for my sins and yours. He gave His only son to be punished for our sins." God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us".

 

When the world said we were not fit to live, God felt we were to precious to die, and he gave His only begotten Son, not based on our love for Him, but because of His love for us. Let us now take this love we have been blessed to experience and share it with another, that all may come to know the goodness of the Lord. Let us show our love one to another. Let us give the best of ourselves and all of our selves that the lost  might be saved.

Share The Love!

John21:15" So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, yea Lord; thou knowest that I love thee, He saith unto him, Feed my lambs".

Feed my lambs! these are the instructions given to us by our savior. Those of us who have been blessed to have received the bread of heaven, are now instructed by the Savior to feed his lambs. Jesus has revealed himself to us, that he is the Christ, the son of the living God, and we are now to feed this truth to a lost and dying world. This is the design of his precious Gospel, it wasn't written for a pastime, nor was it published for a profit, but it was written and published so that man could be brought to Christ.

Jesus ask Peter if he loved him more than he loved these, and he is asking us the same question? Do you love me more than you love these things, and these people who occupy your life. Do you love me more than your friends, family, and even yourself. Jesus wanted to know the extent of Peters love for him, he wants to know the extent of our love for him. If we truly love God we should be willing to share Him with all we see. Someone shared the good news to us, and we should be willing to share it with someone else. The same gospel which lead us to Christ, will lead someone else to Christ. It is the duty of all who are called of Christ to feed his sheep, to feed them with knowledge, and the truth of the gospel. Feed them with the word of God that they might be wise unto salvation.

We might not be able to feed everyone we want, but let each of us just feed everyone we can, and together we will feed the whole world, one lamb at a time. So if you love the Lord, share His love with a dying world and  feed his lambs.

Show Me Love

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

There is a line in a song that says " I want a love I can see,it's the only love that means a thing to me, don't want a love you got to tell me about, that kind of love I can sho do with out". See love is an action and not just a word, and actions are to be seen and not heard. 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. God so loved that He gave, He forgave, He sacrificed, and He saved. He is calling us to love one another as He has loved us. If our 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, is a description of the love which is of God and Jesus 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. 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 something to be talked about, but is something we are to do, in spite of, without respecter of person. The love of God is a reflection of God's heart flowing through Christ to us, as we become one spirit, one heart, one mind, abiding in Him as He abides in us.

 

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 coming 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 began to show love one for another instead of just talking about it.

Trying To Love Two

Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one,and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon".

We are a complex being; made up of flesh and spirit. We have two seeking to be our master. We have two seeking  the service of our hearts intent, yet we can only serve one. We have the flesh which seeks the things that while seems pleasurable, will only destroy us in the end, and the spirit striving to destroy the evil which lies within the flesh. We cannot serve both, they are enemy one to another. One will always be denied, in favor of the other. Who is it that you truly serve?

Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. He didn't say you can do it, but it will be hard, he said you cannot do it. Yet many on this journey are fighting hard to hold on to both, trying to love two. Everybody wants to go to heaven ,but nobody wants to die to the ways, will, and desires of the flesh, which will  not allow us to live in the spirit and receive everlasting life with the Father. We want to be saved our way, serve God under our terms. We want the things desired by the flesh and at the same time, we want that  which is offered by the spirit of God. But the flesh is enemy to the spirit. The flesh is selfish, while the spirit giving; the flesh is proud, but the spirit is humble; The flesh is greedy ,the spirit is sacrificing; the flesh is malicious, while the spirit is forgiving; the flesh is weak, but the spirit is willing. So as you see it is impossible to serve both, they are opposite one another. One will lead you to death, damnation and hell, while the other leads you on the path of righteousness to everlasting eternity with the Father. To serve the flesh you must deny the spirit of God, and to walk in the spirit you must put to death the flesh. You cannot serve two masters.

Jesus tells us to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and these things shall be added unto you." When we put God first in our lives he will supply everything our flesh needs to survive, but not so much that it will hinder our walk in the spirit. God wants us to rely on Him for all of our needs, He will withhold no good thing from us. Trust God, be content with God and be a loyal servant to the spirit and watch your blessing flow. You'll be like a tree planted by the river of water, blessed in your comings and your goings............... 

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 it means to be a Christian. 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, that they are living a life pleasing to God. Religion to many, is more or less whatever they want it to be, and this message is sometimes taught in congregations in an effort to fill pews rather than saving souls. Some 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, according to Jesus, it is the highway to destruction.

Many teach all you need to do is say you believe in Jesus, and you go to heaven. Feeling there is no need for change just believe. We must be careful not to be deceived into believing this is acceptable  worship with God. We must not refashion Him in our own image, or shape his word to fit our life style, and thinking this is a godly way of life? Is this traveling on the narrow road?  Can we simply say we believe on Jesus as Lord and savior and have enter eternal Life? Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven. So is simply believing enough? The bible say the devil believes and trembles, so our believing should bring about an action also. 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 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 word. Few look to God's word  in the scripture as the primary source of their belief. If  we really want to follow God according to His instructions, we must honestly look at where our current worship habits and the way we live our lives come from. We need to ask ourselves whether we are following scripture or not. We need to make sure those we are following are faithful to God's word. We must be careful not to get wrapped up in following ideals and opinions which can be misleading and deceiving. Staying on the path of the Lord will assure us of being on the narrow road, the highway to heaven...

Without Faith................

John 20:29 " Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed".

Those who saw and believed not, were far from being blessed. Those who saw him, and believed, were undoubtedly blessed. Those who have not seen, and yet have believed, are emphatically blessed. There remains the superior degree of blessedness in seeing Jesus face to face without need of believing in the same sense as now. But for now this is  our blessedness, this is our place in the gospel history, we have not seen, and yet we have believed. What a comfort to know that such a high degree of blessedness is available to us. This blessing is linked for ever with the faith that our Lord accepts. God deserves such faith of us, as he tell us just only believe.

But why are we so specially blessed?  Because the holy spirit has brought this faith into our hearts. We are blessed in having a believing heart; we are blessed in the instrument of our belief; blessed in having the evidence that we will pass from death to life:" whom, having not seen, we love". It is more blessed to believe than to see, because it puts more honor upon God's word. We are blessed because we who can trust in an unseen savior, may trust him in all circumstances: shut us up in a dungeon, separate us from sight and light, it don't matter, for we will always have a heart to believe unto righteousness, and our soul rests upon a rock that shall never be moved. The same faith that takes hold of an unseen risen Savior, takes hold of every other truth in the gospel. With man we try first then to trust; but with God it is opposite. Faith makes invisible things visible, the absent things present, and things which seem far off, are very near to the soul.

O think of this, Christian, again and again, when we don't believe, we bear false witness against God! And if we are children of God, we must through faith present him to the world. We have not seen yet we believe, don't distort the truth of our faith by making picture, and graven images to give the world something to look at and believe in. Our believing is in fact our seeing. Let us be to the world the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.

Committed!

Philippians 1:29 "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake".

It is about Christ and him alone, no matter what the situation, let Jesus be what the world see. Christ is proclaimed by many people for several reasons. We need to stop judging the witnessing motives, of others whether good or bad. Instead, when Christ is put on display, and the true Gospel is being preached let us just celebrate. When Paul was in jail he proclaimed an uplifted attitude. How could this be, well Paul believed all things would work together for his good, he also realized he had a captivated audience in which to proclaim the Gospel to. He couldn't go anywhere, but neither could the guards assigned to watch him. So even in prison Paul was not ashamed, everything that was happening to him in prison, he used in furthering the message of Christ.

Paul had come to that wonderful place in his life where it didn't matter if he lived or died. He saw advantages in both. If he died He would go home and live forever with his blessed savior, Jesus Christ. But if he lived, Paul's desire was to help the new churches grow and develop, so he desired to continue to live. So let us remember no matter what the situation, rather good or bad, we must conduct ourselves in a godly manner.Let us work together, keep our eyes on the return of Christ, by living as though he is here already. Let us continue to help as many people as we can to believe in Him as possible, And stand strong in spite of the opposition. We must learn how to live for Him and also suffer for his sake. Don't let our current situation determine whether or not we put Christ on display, but let Christ on display in our lives determine our situations.

We must always conduct ourselves in a way that is worthy of the name which we have claimed for ourselves. We say we are Christ like, called to be like Jesus, so others could see Jesus through us and be drawn to Him. So let us be committed to exalting Jesus, let us always keep Him on display in our life,  rather things are going good or things are going bad." And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me".

Move Forward !

Exodus 14:15 "And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go Forward":

There may come a time when this question needs to be asked of everyone. There is a period when crying should give way to action: When prayer is heard and the Red Sea is dividing, it would be shameful disobedience to remain trembling and praying when God has already provided you with a way out. There is nothing wrong with prayer but we must be careful not to let prayer be a cover for our lack of faith when God has already answered our prayers. Therefore Moses must lift his rod and speak to the children of Israel that they move forward in faith. Ask of God's direction in all situations, but prepare yourself to receive. Seek earnestly; but do not hold back when the hour arrives for you to find. Knock and knock again, but hurry to enter when the door is open.

When we believe that we have the mercy, why do we continue to cry for it as though we don't? When increased faith is all that is wanted, why are we seeking the blessing which God places within reach of our faith? When our duty is made clear, why do we hesitate to perform it and make prayer the excuse for our delay? The children of Israel prayed for deliverence, yet they continued to cry out instead of moving forward in faith to that which God had promised them. We too pray for God to deliver us out of various situations, yet we refuse to walk out in the faith that he has answered our prayers, and we use the excuse that we are praying for direction, to keep us from stepping out in faith.

An anxious woman whom had received the gospel command," believe in the Lord Jesus", constantly baffled the attempts designed to lead her out of self to Christ. Finally she cried out "pray for me! pray for me!, she was shocked when she was told no.She had been prayed for before; but she refused to believe the word of the Lord, so what should we pray for.The Lord tells us to believe his son, and there are many who refuse to do so. Sometimes we comfort people in their unbelief, at a time they should be stepping out on faith, we help them to sit in their doubts and fears. God has already provided us with everything we need to live a prosperous and a abundant life, but we must move forward in faith, and accept the gift which has been given to us. Let us be careful not to just rest in our prayers, and not move forward in our belief in Jesus. God has already answered all the prayers of mankind, when He gave us Jesus.

Living Your Confession

Romans 10:9 "That if thou halt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved".

The relationship with God that is of salvation is a matter of the heart, and here in this 10th chapter of Romans it is revealed how a man can be saved from sin and death and be made the righteousness of God. The righteousness and salvation of God is right before man, it lies within his heart and he only needs to believe with all his heart and confess this truth with his mouth to be saved. But it is the action of this belief, which tells the world that the savior lives

The gospel demands that man only believes and confesses that Jesus has both died for his sins and have been raised from the dead, for him to have everlasting life with the Father. But true belief is a action. How do one believe that Jesus is Lord and then live a life of disobedience. The fact that we believe should bring about the action of obedience. The devil believes and his belief causes him to tremble. Man must believe this with all his heart. He must believe that Jesus died for him, and was raised from death and perfectly satisfied God's demand for justice. It is man faith in this truth which allows man to be born again, as believing by faith he has died with Christ to the ways of old man, and has been raised to a new life in Christ. Man only need to confess with his mouth this truth which  he believes within His heart. He must confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord from heaven, the only begotten son of the Father who died for mankind. This confession is made with his mouth but he should also be living this confession with His life, as faith without works is dead faith.

It is with the heart man believes, with his mouth confession is made, as you can't confess something you don't believe is true. But when our belief  leads us to live a life of confession, we become a living testimony and a true witness to the truth of God's revelation to mankind.Then we can lead others to believe and confess and a dying world can be saved....

The War Within..........

Colossians 3:23" And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; "

We are citizens of two natures, we are both a physical and a spiritual being. This often times causes a war within as to who we are and what we are to do. See there is a physical man who looks for a self gratification, and then there is the spiritual man who only wants to bring glory to God. There is a war within.

As we embark upon this holy journey we must remember the words of our Lord and savior, that we must deny ourselves daily, take up our cross and follow Him. See we must always remember this walk is not about us, who we are, what we have, or anything else. We are on a journey that is solely about Jesus the Christ and Him crucified. The things we do should bring glory to God as it should elevate the love God has shared with a lost world. When at work, we must work as servants of the Lord, that lost employees might see the light of God within us. When in our marriage we must show the love, patience, and compassion of God, that our spouse and children might see the love of God within us. In all that we do we must do it as though we are doing it for the Lord that the world at all times will see the love of God within those who profess to be His.

 The word of God tells us to let our light so shine before man, that they might see our good work and glorify the Lord. It is a wonderful thing to tell the world about Gods love, but think about how great it would be if the world could see the Love God has for them. Remember we are servants of the Lord, and in Him is our reward.

Get Out The Way

John 11:29 " As soon as she heard that she arose quickly, and came unto Him".

We are called to lead lost souls to Christ, but in this religious uprising, many believe we are to lead them to certain denominations, congregations, Pastors and yes even our own personal ministries. It seems we have begun to lift up who we are, higher than we are lifting up Jesus, and the lost can't see Him because we are in the way.  We get in the way with our agendas, We are interested in building up our own congregation more than building up the kingdom of God. Let us lead them to Christ and let God place the member in the body where it pleases Him.


In our text today we have Mary the sister of Lazarus who is dead. Now Martha just receive a revelation from Jesus as to who He is and she runs to share the news with her sister. When we come to know Jesus for ourselves we too should run tell someone, starting with our household. Now when she tells Mary the master is come and He calleth for you, Mary immeatiately rises and runs to Him. We should all run to the Lord when He calls for us. He is calling for many still this day through the gospel message which we are to share with a lost world. We are the voice that tells lost soul that the master is come and He calls for you. Now when Mary came running many in the house followed her. There are many who are following us in our journey to Jesus. You might not see them or even know them , but someone is following even you to Christ. 

Now when Mary got to Christ she fell at His feet in humble worship, all who were following her seen Jesus and not her, for she got out of the way. When we come to Christ or lead others to Christ we need to get out of the way that they might see Jesus. It is not about the church, denomination, Pastor or even the ministry, if they don't find Christ and enter into the true ark of safety, the church  or denomination they attach themselves to won't really matter. Only those in Christ will be saved so get out the way....

Nearer Thy God

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.


Out of the heart flows the issues of life. the heart is the soil to which the seeds of life are planted. If you plant the things of God, out of the heart will flow the fruit of the spirit. But if the seed is evil then it will produce the things of the flesh. we must protect the boarders of our heart from anything that defiles or contaminates the good seed.

Keeping our hearts clean, guarded, and protected is one of the most challenging aspects of our faith and life. too often out of our hearts come evil thoughts and deeds, because we let too much of that stuff in. It is difficult for us to grasp god's heart of love, His heart which looked upon His perfect Son, then looked upon sinful man and willingly made a sacrifice of the righteous for the unrighteous. When we see the heart of Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us , we see the heart of God. If we want to understand and develop the heart of God, it will come through study of the scripture, prayer, confessing our sins, hating sin and total surrendering our will to God's will.

When we come to know the heart of God we will begin to serve people as we worship God. We will devote our entire life to do His will, serve His purpose, and love all that He died to save in spite of and without respecter of person. When will draw nigh to God He will draw nigh unto you.

A Love Thing

Luke 6:27-28 "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you".

What would happen if, as Christians, we started actually living out what Jesus taught us? Jesus' teachings on love attacks several traditions and misinterpretations of scripture that we sometimes use to justify our sinful and unloving nature. While we have learned to love thy neighbor, we sometime seem to exclude our enemies. But Jesus shatters this line of thinking by instructing us to love and do good to our enemies. The love Jesus instructs us to love with, is not based on the other person, but comes solely from the heart of the one loving, and we are to seek the best interest of that person, despite their behavior toward us. Now this love does not result from a weakness or failure to stand up for truth or justice, it is a purposeful love that flows from a heart filled with the love of God, and it seeks the eternal salvation of others. This sacrificial love demonstrates that our purpose for living is larger than ourselves.

Jesus commands us to pray for and bless those that offend us. Our natural response is to strike back when mistreated, but Jesus teaches us to do the opposite. Jesus gave two illustrations to show the extent of how far our love for others should go, there is a blow to the face and stolen clothes, in such cases we are not retaliate. The purpose is to reach out in love instead of satisfying ourselves through revenge. Our love must be strong and purposeful in accepting mistreatment, as it shows our trust in the Lord and his ability to use the situation for his Glory. Jesus not only taught us our love must be strong and purposeful when mistreated, but we must also be merciful to others in our daily lives, as the Father daily pours out new mercy on us. The standard of sacrificial love goes beyond what others might do or what we might feel we should, but it is what Jesus teaches us to do, it is what he did.   

We must love as God loves us. God showed kindness and love to all humanity regardless of how they treated him.  He gave his only begotten son that we might have everlasting life. When we love others the way Jesus instructed us to, we show the world we are his and we show the love of God to a lost soul that they might receive everlasting life.

The Lover Of My Soul

Song of Solomon 3:4 " It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought Him into my mothers house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me".

The writer starts of with the phrase " I passed from them", We must go beyond the fellowship of the best of men, and commune with the keeper whom our soul loves. Our love must lead to action: " I sought Him" Those who truly love Jesus will seek him with all they have. And those that find Him will hold on to Him with all their might; and they will have to share Him; as the prophet said " It's like fire shut up in my bones", When you truly have Jesus you can't help but to share Him with all you see.

See the love of Jesus creates in our hearts, is a love one for another. When we have him, he lives within our spirits, His mind is our mind, his will is our will, and he is seen by others in all that we do. But first we must find Him; to find Christ, one just needs to seek Him. The writer says "I found Him"; I a man, found the Lord of Glory; I a slave to sin, found the great deliverer; I, a child of darkness, found the light of the world; I the uttermost of the lost, found my Savior and my God. Now I hold Him; Holding Him by not offending Him. First by being lazy, when the soul turns sleepy or careless, we tend to put Christ away. By beholden to Idols, for you can't serve two masters, nor hold on to two things. By being unwilling to be sanctified, or dwelling in an unholy house, we must remember to take Christ home with us, and let Him rule the house. If you only walk with Christ at church and never take Him home, you will soon part company with him forever. So hold on to Him and share Him with all.

When you diligently search for Christ in your heart, he shall be found, but then you must hold to Him by learning of Him, by loving Him, by obeying Him. Build a personal one on one relationship with him, then share him. Bring him to your house, not in word only but let others see him in you by your actions, and attitude. They say you can share anything you have, share Jesus if you got Him.

The Word Is Salvation

John 3:17 For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved


Salvation is a big deal and describes the whole life of the true believer. They feel the need of being saved from self, sin, Satan and the world. They trust in God for preservation, and the end there of is eternal rest and peace in the bosom of the Father. The prosperous sinner is on another track, and comes to another conclusion: he disowns all need of salvation, and considers his success to be of his own winning. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off. God is not with the unrighteous; they have neither safety, nor strength, nor salvation in their time of trouble.

What is the word of this salvation? It is the testimony that Jesus is the promised Savior. The word which promises forgiveness to all who exhibit repentance of sin, and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In a word, it is the proclamation of perfect salvation, through the risen Savior. It is a word, as being spoken by God, and as being his present utterance even at this moment. It is a word which reveals "the word", Jesus the living word of God. It is a word of salvation; for it declares, describes, presents and presses home salvation. It is a word sent, for the Gospel dispensation is a mission of mercy from God, the gospel message, Jesus the Messiah, and the Holy Ghost himself is sent to work salvation among men. Will you decidedly and honestly refuse it? Will you delay and put off your acceptance of this Free gift? Will you play the hypocrite and pretend to receive it, while in your heart you reject it. Will you be a temporary convert, or will you accept the word of salvation with delight?

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

Without God........

John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

 How do people handle going through life without God? Gods promise to never leave or forsake us, is perhaps the best of all promises. In spite of our rebellious hearts toward God, with love he still tells us "I have chosen you and have not rejected you". Did we earn this love? Do we deserve it? No. God is committed totally to his children, event though our walk with him is inconsistent and shaky. What would we do without God? Many seek Solis in a number of false gods, they sometimes enter into bad relationships, they chase careers, money, material goods, sex, substance abuse and even religion. These are just a short list of the false gods he create. But there is only one true God. He says " fear thou not", We have nothing to fear, for he offers his presence to support us in life, for he is with us, the Lord is our shepherd, he provides for us, he is our provision, our hope, our guide, and our way  and his two wonderful sheep dogs goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life.

 God has removed all of our doubts and fears. You say I don't see no way thru this, and God says I am the way. He  has to be the first thing on our agenda, let him who is first have the first, the first of our thoughts, the first of our day, the first of all our fruits, let all our waking thoughts be of God first. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path .He tells us to seek ye first the kingdom of God. Now when we seek him, we must really seek him. Seek him like we do when we can't find the car keys and we are about to be late to work. Turn over everything, move everything, look even in places you know they are not, and that you've look in before. So move greed, and pride out of your hearts, turn over unrighteousness, self pity, doubt and fear. Remove all things and the people which might hinder your seeking and finding the peace in God.

God never promised us big cars, fancy houses, large bank accounts, He never said the road would be easy, in fact a narrow road is never an easy road. But what he did promise is that he would never leave you nor forsake you. He promised us life and life more abundantly, what can be more abundant than a life with one who has all power, Jesus the Christ the savior of the world..

Enter My Rest

Matthew 11:28 " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,and I will give you rest".

  The invitation, Jesus said "come" to him, a different command than the Pharisees' always saying "do this or that". Jesus offered a different kind of yoke. Jesus is asking us to come to Him so that we could receive a well fitting yoke, one that is not a burden, but will bring us rest. Jesus yoke is tied to the grace of God and results in salvation, based on faith, and not on personal effort, only believe. Jesus wants those of us who follow him to throw off the yoke of legalism we were once hitched to, to quit worrying about our circumstances, and take on his yoke. To cast all of our cares, concerns, problems, and our circumstances on Him. Jesus' plan to lift the yoke off all who are shackled to their circumstances.
Jesus invites the weary to come to Him so they can experience rest for their souls. The key to experiencing this rest is having a right relationship with God, something that can happen only if you have a personal relationship with Jesus. We all have responsibilities that drain us and difficulties that wear us down. We can let the world drag us down its weary path, or we can join our lives with Jesus, who wants us to know that He's eager to have us in His yoke of care, guiding us, giving us help for our present needs, and assuring us that He has a plan for us that includes rest and peace, with everlasting life.

So he tell us to come, leave where you are, the situation you are in and come to him. The promise is when you come to Him with everything he will give you rest. Rest from worry, from need, from doubt, rest from the cares of this world, for he said" seek ye first the kingdome of God", before you seek a job, a husband, a way out, a way in, before you do anything seek Him, come to him and He will give you rest. The invitation has been extended, will you accept it?

The Promise Of God

2 Corinthians 7:1" Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in fear of God".

Burning with strong emotions, kept by the love of Christ, and animated by the fellowship of all spiritual blessings, the apostle here strikes out an exhortation. He appeals to the noblest passions of the children of God, to their possession of divine lineage and their exalted destiny. He uses these as incentives to holiness of life. To stir up in us this godly ambition, he sets before us the promises of God.

He says "having these promises"; that God will dwell in us, and he will be our God and we will be his people. The promise that he will walk with us, that we are never alone. The promise that he will receive us, for whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The promise that he will be our Father and we shall be his sons and daughters. His promise to provide our every need, so we can take no thought for the cares of this world. So let us cleanse ourselves, both body and mind from all filthiness. If God is going to dwell within us let us clean the house for so pure a God. We must set before us perfect holiness as a thing to be reached, and blame ourselves if we fall short. Let us strive for true perfection through Jesus Christ by living a life of total self denial.

Then let us perfect holiness in the fear of God, out of a reverence to who He is and what He has already done. The fear of God casts out the fear of man and thus saves us from one prolific cause of sin, and disobedience.The fear of God casts out the love of Sin, and if you pull out the root the fruit is sure to be destroyed. The fear of God works in and through love to him, and is a great factor of holiness. The fear of God is the root of faith, worship, obedience and so it  produces all manner of holy service. So Let us look to the promises of God and be cleansed and with holy reverence seek perfection in His beloved Son Jesus Christ.

His Blood Shed- Our Sins Forgiven

Hebrews 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission.

"One day when I was lost ,Jesus died upon the cross and I know it was the blood for me". The first time I really listened to the words of this song, I cried like a baby. See for the first time I truly realized just how much God loved me and what He was willing to do to show me how much He loved me. Jesus died for me.

The love God has for mankind is beyond the understanding of the carnal mind. How can one who is holy love something so unholy? How can one who is love, love someone so unloving, un-giving, unkind ,uncaring and unforgiving. God is so perfect and without flaw while we are so flawed without perfection, and yet God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Why? What is man that thou art so mindful of Him?When Adam sinned the soul of man was condemed to death,"for the soul that sinneth must surley die". So God took His precious word and wrapped it up in the sin of man and sent Jesus, the word of God made flesh to be sacrificed on the behalf of mankind. All who by faith accepts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus shall be saved. His Shed blood for our salvation.

Blood had to be shed to accept for man the wage paid by sin. Jesus was the perfect sacrice for such a imperfect people.The precious lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. His blood for my sins, will you accept His blood for your sins?

He Alone Is Lord

Isaiah 43:11 "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior"

God's promise to save, to help, and to rescue, has been extended to all humanity through Jesus Christ. The God who rescued Judah, is the same God who is with us today, and he rescues all those who call on him, and he walks with them in each hardship. The Lord looked past the sins of mankind, and seen something of value and significance, so much so that He would send His only begotten son to die on the cross for our sins.

We never outgrow our need for the Savior. As Christians we trust Christ for our salvation from sin and for the promise of eternal life. When we come to Christ, we are justified, or saved from the consequence of our sin. As we walk with Christ, we are sanctified, or set apart to obey God and live for him, saved from the self-centered living, that trapped us in sin and condemned us to death. And when we go to live with him in heaven, we are glorified, realizing the full extent of our salvation, as we are made complete in every way to enjoy fellowship with God forever, face to face. We never stop needing our Savior in this journey, and He never stops being there for us. Even though as Christians we are sanctified, set apart to walk daily with our Lord, we find many struggles, trials, difficulties, sorrows, pains, and all manner of needs for His comfort and intervention along the way. These serve as opportunities for us to grow in our trust for the Savior, as we bring our needs to him, and wait for Him to intervene. He is our Savior, saving us from all circumstances and situations.

We will never stop having a need for the Savior in our lives. He is here for us right now, whatever we may be navigating, wherever we may be struggling. Calling on him, trusting in his promises, and waiting for him are exactly the right things to do, today and all the time. For he is Lord.

I Know The Man

John 19:5 "Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!"

"I am the door, by me if any man enters in he shall be saved. Here we have the greatest event ever recorded in history. A night when the world witnessed the evil in man, and beheld the love of God. A night when the sin of mankind came face to face with the salvation of the world, when all was revealed as they beheld the man. It was the night they crucified the savior.

 

This precious lamb of God shedding his blood for the remission of sin, so man could be reconciled back to God. Jesus perfecting his glorious body, preparing a people for his prepared place. Jesus the love of God, giving us the word of God, that we might be led by the spirit of God. A perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people, a lamb without spot and or blemish, taking on the sin of the world; Jesus making himself a curse that we might be made free from the curse. Behold the Man whipped for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquity. Behold the Man led from judgment hall to judgment hall, as they search in him for sins that lied within me. Behold the Man, led up Golgotha's hill, bearing the sins of the whole world upon his shoulders. He who knew no sin, made to bear our sin that we might have eternal life. Behold the man. Behold the Man, hung high between heaven and earth, like he is unworthy or either, but the creator of both. Behold the Man in the mist of two thieves, separating the old man from the new. Behold the Man, God stretch out like a bridge over troubled water, bridging the gap reuniting fallen man back to his righteous Father. Behold the Man, Gods word made flesh, mans healing, mans deliverance, mans salvation.

 

The work now complete, and Jesus cries with a loud voice, that all the world should hear, a loud voice that his death should be proclaimed out loud to all the world, a loud voice that we may know that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the Ghost. Behold the Man, who died that we might live, Christ and Him crucified.