Saturday, December 20, 2014

The Future Religion Of The Earth.

It is sufficient to say that Christianity is dying in American and the world. Islam is making leaps and a bounds jump as Christianity is being destroyed and dying right before our eyes. If Islam ever takes a good hold in America then the world will also fall. It seems to me that Islam is the devils religion of the future. People in America are fighting Christianity like they want it defected. Some of the liberal side of politics and some of our educators are following suite. If you listen to the news it seems that Islam is being accepted as the accepted religion. Some of our children are being brainwashed in schools and mostly in our higher education institutions. A Lot of the professors in the universities and collages are vastly liberal and haters of anything or anyone unlike them. They have no tolerance for other opinions outside of their own. I believe America is heading for an Islam take over in future years and without bloodshed. Our southern boarders are wide open and everyone is welcome to come as you please. Islam is about rule and it will be easer for the False Prophet to rule the world if he can control America. I have said before I believe Islam will be the world religion of the anti-christ because it is a take control religion. Americans who support Islam have no idea what they are supporting; women are treated as second hand trash and are worthless in the big scheme of things. You have no right to support anything outside of their religion. There is one rule with Islam agree with us or die! Christians and our Baptist brethren have been through this in what is called the “dark ages” from about the mid 500’s to the mid 1700’s where about 50 million Baptist and other believers were murdered and most of them in most brutal fashion by people like unto Islam. These people like to behead those that disagree with them; when back in the dark ages they used to roll them in lard and throw them alive to the wild animals. Folks the days of the Christian in this world are numbered and Jesus is going to return and it absolutely cannot be far off. I know it will be a blessed day for some Liberals and world religions when Christians are gone, however it will be a more blessed time for us when we are gone. This world is becoming intolerable for Christians and churches. The Lord said Satan controls this world system and one day his people and his religion will also control it. I don’t know how far the Lord will allow us Christians to suffer before He returns, but He has allowed many believers to die before for His glory and He may allow it again before He returns. I ask all believers everywhere to join me in prayer that Jesus will return soon before it gets too bad for Christians. Please remember this promise from our Lord, “For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” Psalms 37:28

Saturday, December 13, 2014

As Many As The Father Has Given The Son.

John 17:2 - 3 “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. (3.) And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

We would like to call you attention to the last part of verse 2 “…that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” God has given Christ Jesus the power to give life not to the world, not to all in the world, but to AS MANY AS THOU HAST GIVEN HIM. My question is; who are these people? I know some people hate the doctrine of election, however, without it who are these people? Who was it the Father gave to the Son before creation? I know that the though of God actually electing a remnant or people is scary to a lot of folks but isn’t the bible full of God choosing His people? Did not God choose Israel as a nation and even call then “His son” as a nation? Did God not choose Jacob over Esau and loved the one and hated the other? Did not God choose Moses and so many others throughout the Old Testament? Did God not choose to use the Gentiles in the New Testament to build the churches and to support them throughout our time? Did God not choose the Apostles one by one? I know the first church that Jesus started in Jerusalem was made up of Jews but they soon changed to Gentile. God even goes as far to proclaim that He to set the membership in the churches as it pleases Him. 1 Corinthians 12:18 "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." God speaks of salvation as Him choosing and Him delivering instead of a creature’s choice and a creature delivering. No where, not one time in the scriptures is the creature told to make a choice, nor to decide whom they will follow Satan or God in being saved. I can show multiply scriptures where it plainly says that salvation is of God and not of the creature but I do not have enough paper to list them all. Again I ask who are these people that the Father gave to the Son? The Apostles, His disciples? Jesus said in verse 9 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” Why did Jesus say He would not pray for the entire world’s population? Could it be that God did not choose everyone in the world to be His? Jesus said in verse 2 “As thou hast given him power over all flesh…” but that He would give eternal life to as many as He (the Father) has given Him (Christ). And then Jesus refused to pray for the rest of the world. If this is not election then what is it? Many Pastor’s will say “God sent me to this work, or God chose this church for me” I must ask why you, isn’t that election? Why do we pray to God to save a sinner? If God controls salvation then why aren’t all that you pray for saved? Can not the God who can turn the rivers where He wants them to go turn a sinner’s heart? People say that God can’t change man’s will, then my question is why are we praying to Him to save a lost sinner if there is nothing He can do. Why do preachers give Him credit for sending them to a church or for building a church? Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Who, who works in us the WILL and TO DO His good pleasure? Why you, did God choose you, then that is election. People can fight election if they want, but the truth is God elects everything He wants and what God wants is what He chose. And I close with this thought; remember Jeremiah, Didn’t God choose him? Jeremiah 1:4 - 5 "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying...Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Who chose Whom?

Sunday, December 7, 2014

God’s Omniscience Concerning The Churches.

Revelation 2:2 “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:”

Churches, we all must be reminded; God knows. That’s right He sees everything, He already knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts before we act. Let us never forget that while others may not know or see God does. The churches are the Lords; they are not ours to do as we please. Jesus started the first church in Jerusalem and all since. The churches belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and to none other. The building and growing is His job and not ours to do. “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:28 Churches are to follow the leadership of God and to react to God, and if they do they will succeed. Jesus warns that if a church does not follow truth and spiritual services then He will kill them. “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:5 God is Omniscient so He knows the hearts and the actions of the churches before we even react. He said to the church at Ephesus “I know thy works” He knows what they have done. He knows the works of the churches pastor, and its membership. He knows if your heart is of righteous works or if they are for show. When anyone serves the Lord He knows why. When one sings He knows why. Jesus Christ is not blind. He knows the liars in the churches and He will deal with them. If you are not going to preach, serve, or sing for the Lord and for no other reason, then it is better not to even do it. Serving in the church is done because Jesus has set you in the church to do a particular work, do what God has elected you for and let the others do what God has chosen them for. When Pastor changes things like doctrine in order to accumulate more members then it has been done for the wrong reason and God knows. If it is not truth then it is lies because there is only one truth, God’s truth. Folk’s God knows and He sees, therefore let us do His blessed will and not ours. I believe when God looks at most places of worship (or churches by name) they are not His and He knows. I cannot imagine the churches in the first century being anything like most places of worship (or churches by name) of today. As their teaching the doctrine that is contrary to biblical truth. God knows, He knows what they are and He knows their intentions and their works. He also knows churches of truth; He knows us as well and will deal with us accordingly. Folks, we are the Lords and He will do with us as He pleases and we must be careful in everything we do. The Lord builds the church so we need not change things to add more members. I would rather have a “candlestick” rather than a million members. I would rather teach the biblical truth with a few, than to teach make believe truth to a million. My labors are real and truthful, and God knows. Our church’s heart is real and God knows, and that is all that matters. Let us always seek what’s real because God knows, He is Omniscient, so He knows.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Jesus has not changed!

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

We all know that Jesus Christ is God; unless we delete the entire bible we must believe that the man Christ Jesus is God. However, with that being said we must also remember that Jesus Christ was and is a man; His status did not change after His death, burial, and resurrection. Mark 14:62 “And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” The word “Power” should be capitalized because it refers to God. That is where the Son of man sits today still in His glorified body. But He is still God even though He is still a man in a glorified human body. Remember the angels told the men of Galilee in Acts 1:11 “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Meaning everything about Him would be the same even though it has been more than two-thousand since His death and resurrection. Jesus Christ has not changed in any way. “this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven” the very same one. Some people (whether Christians or not) want to believe that since sentiment among the people on earth, and/or some religion groups, and/or even some Christians wants Jesus to have changed over time that somehow things He and others in the bible taught are no longer valid but they are most definitely wrong. Nothing has changed with God. People have changed, churches have changed, the world has changed, but Jesus Christ and His word have not changed and never will. Whatever was wrong or right two-thousand years ago is still wrong or right today. The United States government has the right to change our laws but no authority to change Gods. Even if the world was to agree on change it would not change Gods thinking or ways. God does not seek mans counsel or advise on how to run the world. So next time people say that what you say or think is old school just thank them because the thinking and ways of God are old school. Do you really think that church services today are anything like what they had in the first churches? The people standing up waving their arms, singing rock and roll? I don’t hardly think so. There were not gay churches, cowboy churches, motorcycle churches, or etc, etc, etc,. The church assembled, prayed, sang bible songs, and taught the truth, none of this stuff you see in churches today. They did not seek to please man but rather God. No, Christ Jesus has not changed, He is the same and so is His thinking and ways. The only change has been man who has changed the truth of God into a lie to satisfy the lost among them. Jesus warned the churches in Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Folks, be careful in trying new things when it comes to Jesus Christ and the churches because not everyone who claims to be of His are. False prophets are everywhere starting places of worship calling them churches that are not even close to being what a church is. The word and the truth of the word have not changed because it is Gods word. God is not concerned with the world and what it takes to get them to church, He builds the churches and if He wanted them in church He would put them in church.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

God has so much to be praised for.

Psalms 50:14 "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:"

As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving, let us all approach it with grateful hearts. We have so much everyday to thank God for that we could never thank Him for everything He has done for us. Thanksgiving for the believer ought to be a daily thing; it ought to be a delightful thing. We have no idea what is good for us and what is bad for us, but God does. We are reminded in Matthew "...for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Matthew 6:8 therefore we should thank God before we have time to think what is good and what is bad. Peter and John thanked God for being able to suffer for His name sake. Acts 5:41 "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." suffering is not always a bad thing; if God gets glory then it is worth our suffering. People believe that God only wants good for us therefore He only wants us to be healthy, wealthy, and wise, but did not God appoint us all to die and to face judgment? Sometimes God chooses for us to suffer many things for his glory. Look at Job, he lost everything including his children, land, cattle, and wife of sort when she told him to curse God and die. Now I wonder who we would all deal with those sufferings? We truly have no idea what to be thankful for, something looks good we think it will be good and if it looks bad then we think the world has caved in on us. But God knows because He has appointed it for us and will bring it all about. We know two things, (1) God works all things to our good Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." And (2) God will never put more on us than we can handle. 1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Therefore we must trust God that whatever happens is Gods will whether good or bad, and to be thankful for it. Thanksgiving is just a holiday and it is neither a godly holiday nor a holyday. However if one needs to be reminded to be thankful maybe they need to attend church more. It is best to be thankful for everything therefore you will never fail to be thankful for what you need too. The Psalmist reminds us in Psalms 106:1 - 2 "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (2.) Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?" Be thankful and praise God not at Thanksgiving but every moment of everyday that you can and for everything.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

A Guarantee Of Walking Godly!

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16

There is only one guaranteed way of walking godly in this wicked world, walk in the Holy Spirit. The bible is the words of the Holy Spirit because every writer was Spirit inspired to pen what was written. Since it is the words of the Holy Spirit it is therefore Gods book and if one walks in their life according to Gods word then you will be walking after the Holy Spirit. If one is walking in life according to Gods word then you will walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Paul also told us in verse 25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” If you are truly a Christian then this ought to be your desire, to walk godly. If you are not a Christian then anyway you desire to walk is fine. Unsaved people are not required to, neither can walk godly, but every Christian ought too. The Lord said in Romans 8:5 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh…” walking fleshy is the best they can do, however in the same verse Paul went on to pen these words “…but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” If you are saved then your mind set ought to have changed to desiring spiritual things. For a Christian to say they have no desire to walk godly or after the Spirit means the Spirit is not present in their heart because all Christians feels the need to walk godly and feels guilty for not walking properly. It reminds me of a person who says they are saved but have never experienced the Holy Spirit in their hearts working, if one has not felt the Holy Spirit in their salvation then they are not saved. Therefore, if one has no inner felling to follow the Holy Spirits teaching then they are not saved. Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” And that is only as many… and no more. And the same can be said of wanting to walk godly; if there is no desire then there is no salvation. While the lost person only wants to walk fleshly, a Christian should want to walk godly. However, this is only accomplished by walking according to the scriptures which should be what your heart is telling you to do. If one has no desire to walk godly then it is time for a spiritual checkup because there are a lot of folks who no desire to walk godly, or who think they were saved outside of the Holy Spirit. It is not that a true Christian will not sin nor that they will not have to fight off fleshly desires, however they will be a different desire in their hearts causing them to walk different. All Christians feel this desire. Do you feel it? If not maybe a salvation checkup is needed.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Christian Voting.

Romans 13:1 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”

The question if Christians should vote is a highly controversial subject, even among the Sovereign Grace Baptist. Some believe as Christian we ought to simply accept what God ordains and therefore we have no reason to vote in a non-Christian world, as some believe women have no right to vote in the Lord’s churches. I am not here to ruffle feathers of my brethren in the Lord but I must disagree with both. First, I believe every member in the Lord’s church have a right to vote if they choose too. I understand submission but I find no instance in the scriptures where the church would not allow their women to vote. A husband and wife ought to talk about their opinions and should reach an agreement in how to vote just as they should in a National election. I also do not believe that a woman casting a vote one way and her husband casting a vote another way would violate the submission rule. My wife and I talk about things before we vote and 99.999% of the time vote alike on everything. I know some will disagree but when we get to heaven we will agree 100%. It is true that God ordains all the powers that be including world leaders. It is true that President Obama is in office because God put him there. These ungodly men ruling the world are what I would call ungodly servants of God. God has the right and the power to do with His creation as He chooses even the lost. Ever who is elected next Tuesday (November 04) will be Gods choice for sure. All will not be for our (the Christians) good but remember God also has a predetermined plan for the world to enter the tribulation period and God will setup an evil world leadership to take the world into this period. However, with this being said I do not believe this excuses the Christian from voting. I believe that Gods will, will be done in the Lord’s churches, but I also believe in voting. I believe we are servants of God and should do God’s will and be used of God to see His will done. I have a question; can God save a sinner without us preaching the gospel? The answer is yes, if a church never preaches the gospel God can and will continue to save the lost souls because Salvation is not dependent on our preaching, God simply chose to use our preaching in salvation, but it is not a must. 1 Corinthians 1:21 “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” However it is the churches responsibility to preach the gospel to the world, because God uses that gospel to save the lost. However, God’s elective will, will always be done no matter what we do. We are taxpayers, we are part of this world, we are living in this world according to the laws these people set in place for us, and we ought to vote. Our vote will not hurt the ordained will of God, but God could use it to accomplish His will. It is our responsibility to God (if we vote) to vote for people as close to godly as we can. There are no excuses in voting for a person who hates God or outright tries to override God’s word. I believe ungodly laws are here to stay like abortion, gay marriage, and etc, etc, etc. however, we as Christians ought not to vote for people who support these views. Find out where the person you are going to vote for stands on these issues. I believe we are accountable to God for the way we vote, as we are in every other way. We are Christians and we are to live like one and also vote like one. Remember God has ordained all things, so the results are Gods will and therefore also remember that the world is quickly heading for the tribulation or wrath of God so do not be discouraged, lift up your head, for redemption drawth nigh!

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Mankind Loves Darkness More Than God.

John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Sometimes I wonder how it is that man can be so evil and happy at the same time, the fact is mankind are lovers of evil. I believe that mankind has a high thought of themselves and God has a low thought of them. God knows their thoughts, nature, and actions. He knows the intent of their hearts because he knows their frame. As the world draws closer and closer to the end of the church age and the beginning of the tribulation period they will wax worse and worse till judgments comes. Paul wrote to young Timothy in 2Timothy 3:13 “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” People try to convince themselves that there is good in man we just have to look for it. I can agree that morally speaking some people can be good but this good does not count as good from or to God. Remember God sees the intent of their hearts and if they are not saved by Jesus Christ God only sees evil intentions. God does not look for good in man because He already knows their evil hearts. With this thought we must always return to Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” He also said in verse 11 “…there is none that seeketh after God.” So all this false religious preaching that people are flocking to is a lie. They may be flocking to religion, they may be flocking to men like Joel Olsten, and etc. but to God they are not flocking and will not. John wrote that the reason their deeds were evil is because they seek darkness. They only seek darkness because they don’t see anything else. It is only after the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been shined on us that light and direction will come, changing our entire direction. Beloved do not ever be fooled by the blind who are leading the blind, if all is dark then there is no light to guide them. Job said in Job 15:16 “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?” man is so filthy that God has cast them off into the filthy sin they seek to consume like water. Paul wrote in Romans 1:26 “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections…” that is He gave them up to their passions of dishonor and disgrace. In other words God has given them up to dwell in, bathe in, and drink their sin until they die and awake in the eternal flames of hell. Paul went on to say in verse 26 “…for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:” They will get so bad that even the women will lust after their own kind. I do wish there was something I could say to change mankind, but there is nothing. I preach the gospel and am called a liar by so-called-christians and hated by the others. There is no repentance in them, no seeking salvation from the Saviour, no second thoughts about their eternal future. All I see is a world who is happy to be sinners, men sleeping with men, women with women, children with other children, and adults with children. Mankind is seeking to murder one another and steal each other blind. The governments of the world seeking to destroy their nations and the entire world with greed for their political theories. And all seeking to erase any thought of God from society and our minds. Now you can understand why “…God gave them up unto vile affections…” Folk’s mankind is not looking for God, they are not seeking salvation, they are not even acting like they are, because sin and darkness is all they want. John 1:5 “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Proof Of God Is Everywhere.

Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

To doubt that God exist is about the most ignorant thing one can do. I believe that everyone, even the most avid atheist believes in some sort of god. There have been doubters of God’s existence almost since the beginning of time. People who doubt Gods existence and Deity do so because they cannot accept God and who He is; God calls them “fools”. Psalms 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." I must always agree with God’s word so I also must agree that they are fools. The entire idea of evolution is built on a couple of false facts, (a.) where did the material that first existed come from, and (b.) where did life come from. Two questions any foolish non-believer in God cannot answer and never will. God said in verse 20 that “the invisible things of him” that is His being, deity, and power are clearly seen in creation. One should have no issue in seeing God in all creation and to understand that He existed before anything, and that all things came from Him. There is no other just or logical reason or explanation of these facts. God is the only one who can explain everything in complete detail because He is the creator of it all. The Psalmist wrote it this way in Psalms 33:6 - 9 "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. (7.) He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. (8.) Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. (9.) For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." God made the heavens and the earth from nothing but the words from His voice, then He made other things from those things. It is for this reason that the Psalmist said “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” But they do not because like fools they would rather believe a theory that something came from nothing rather than a creator. This is why God called them fools. The Psalmist concluded “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." Now I ask, where did Darwin say it all come from. There is no logical reason that man cannot see Gods hand in creation. God said “…the creation of the world are clearly seen…” that is coming from God’s wonderful voice and hand. His power and glory are also clearly seen in that He and His power is from where the entire solar system gets its power. When people thing of God they think of an old wise man but God is neither old or a man He is an eternal being that never changes from what He was in eternity past before creation. "In the beginning God..." Genesis 1:1 nothing else and no one else just God. It was from there He created everything else that exist. So for one to doubt God, or to doubt where everything including life come from just look around and think, it is clearly seen. Psalms 148:7 - 13 "Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: (8) Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: (9) Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: (10) Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: (11) Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: (12) Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: (13) Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven."

Sunday, October 12, 2014

There Are Many Benefits To Salvation, But Peace With God Must Be One Of The Best.

Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"

Peace is always a wonderful thing, but when you have peace with God that is the best. Many in the world misunderstand God, it is true that God is Love but it is as equally true that God is a God of judgment and punishment. I have heard many unwise souls say “all I want form God is what He owes me” well if you knew God and His judgments; one would never make such an ignorant statement. The last thing anyone wants is that. What God owes all mankind is an eternal place in the lake of fire. Many fail to understand that mankind is not naturally at peace with God, mankind is at enmity with Him. Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God…” people who are not saved never please God, how can they. Romans 8:8 “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” How can they ever please God if they are at enmity against Him? People want to please people and most people are selfish and have no desire to ever please anyone but themselves. It is only once the Holy Spirit delivers Jesus Christ into your heart that you began to change or can change. It is at that time that peace between God and man is possible. The tribulation period is a time of judgment and will be a time when God will give mankind what He owes them and that will not be a time of love, grace, or longsuffering. Salvation will be very limited in this time, today is the day of salvation not then. I taught through the book of Revelations a couple of years ago, and I saw the heavens rolled back so that people could see who was bringing these judgments and I saw no one fleeing to Christ. There is no peace during this time, there is a reason Jesus Christ comes and rescues His people and churches from this day. People that are not saved in the blood of Christ Jesus have no peace and never will. There is a life beyond this one where peace exists and it is not this present world and never will be in its present condition. How can a world of people who are controlled by Satan ever be at peace with God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." This is why God is so hated in this world, this is why the bible is so hated in this world, and this is why Christians and churches are so hated in this world. This is why such great judgments will be executed by God against the people of this world. This world has no peace, and certainly has none with God. Everyone who has punished Gods people in this world will answer to God in judgment for their sins unless they have been saved by the blood of Christ as Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul) was. He hated Christ, he hated the church as Jerusalem, he seek to jail and kill Christians, until Christ appeared to him and saved his soul making him at peace with God. Folks, regardless what you have been told, or what you may believe, this is a fact if you are not washed in Christ’s blood you are not at peace with God. Study this scripture as you think upon this subject. Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Having peace with God is a wonderful thing; I am thankful that my sins will not be brought against me, and that Christ Jesus paid that penalty and delivered peace to me with God. Amen!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Lost In The World Of Religion.

Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

The world is full of religions, religions of all sorts and religions of all doctrine. The radios, televisions, internet, and every street corner are full of powerful, inspiring, great philosophy teacher who knows absolutely nothing about God or salvation. This is called the blind leading the blind and everyone on the train is going to derail and end-up in hell together, wondering what went wrong. Those that are truly saved are not religionist they are Christians, our faith is not built on a religious experience or a religious doctrine. Christianity is built upon a man, the man Christ Jesus. Our faith is in Christ, that His death, burial, and resurrection, all according to the scriptures is enough to save us and His glorious blood is pure enough to cleanse all our sins not leaving one single sin un-cleansed. As far as the blind leading the blind the Lord said to “Let them alone…” they have no desire to repent of being led astray, they will be happy until they all fall into the ditch (or hell) together. That is right they are blind, they might have big congregations, fancy buildings, lots of money, and the most powerful educations, but they do not have the Holy Spirit in their hearts nor does the biblical truth fall from their lip. If the people who are leading are blind, and the people who follow are blind then who sees where they are going, they will not know until they feel the heat of the eternal flame. We cannot change them and if God does not change them then they are not going to be changed. I must ask, what is salvation, where is it found, in a doctrine, religion, no not at all; it is found only in Jesus Christ and in none other. The scriptures have concluded this in John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Why don’t they testify of works, baptism, or anything else? Because they are not the Saviour, Christ Jesus is. Only the blind would testify of anything else because a saved person would be embarrassed to say it is found in anyone or anything else. The world of religion is large, powerful, rich, and blind and it will all fall together into the lake of fire. I do not believe anything we can do will change them, just as a sinner loves to drink sin like water the lost loves to hear the blind. Abraham told the rich man who wanted one to return from the dead so his brother would believe in Luke 16:31 "And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." Now understand what was just said, they would not believe even if one was raised from the dead, He did, it was Christ Jesus and they believe their blind leaders over the Son of God. God said in 1 Timothy 6:5 “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” supposing that gain is godliness, supposing that gain is godliness, that’s right supposing that gain is godliness, works will never save one lost person, ever. I wished there was more I could do, as a Pastor of a church and a minister of the gospel of Christ I surely do wished they would hear the simple truth but only God can change their sight and cause them to see, lead them to grass and water, and keep them from following the blind into the eternal fire of hell. But there is one thing we can do and that is keep witnessing the truth and praying for them, it will not change them but God hears our pleads

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Do You Follow Jesus Voice?

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:27

We live in a world that contains billions of Christians, some of whom are Christians and some of whom are counterfeit Christians. I do not mean to be rude with my names but there are a lot of Christians that are so by name only. A real Christian loves the Lord Jesus Christ, they love to worship Him, they love to learn from Him, and they love to walk in the path of His righteousness. The Real Christian depends on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour; they depend on the gift of His life, death, burial, and resurrection for their salvation. They depend on His glorious blood to cleanse them from all their sins, and trust that it does just that. The real Christian takes the word of God literally as His word and trusts it to be alive in their heart. They trust what it says and will stake their eternal being on its contents. The question I have for you the Christian is; do you trust the word of God? Do you hear it speak to you personally? Do you cherish it in your heart as a book of Godly learning, and a book to rule your life? Jesus said in verses 25 and 26 "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me...But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." They did not believe because they were not His sheep, what a sad thing to hear. These poor folks were not the children of God; they were all destined for eternal hell fire. I believe this is why there are so many counterfeit Christians in the world today and have always been. They think they hear Jesus but in reality they only hear what they want to hear and that is the devil controlling their hearing and actions. God said in Romans 1:24, 25 "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves...Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." God gave them up to their own voices and they changed the truth into a lie and served themselves over God. Let me ask, does your doctrine in church worship the creature or the Creator? Do you truly serve God or man? It is important that you know this because the teachings of Jesus never worships man, never glorifies man, and never, no never puts the wishes and wants of man over God. Not even the Lord Jesus Christ ever put His will above that of the Fathers. John 5:30 "...because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." The question here us; who’s will do you seek to do? Do you read the bible wanting to learn or to teach? The bible was written for our understanding of God’s teaching us and to learn us of His teachings and His will for us. If we believe a lie then we have not heard God speak or we do not believe what He has said. Jesus said His sheep hear His voice, which means they hear what He said and understand spiritually what he has said. Just as He followed His Fathers will we follow His because He and the Father are one. That means they are one in knowledge, thinking, and in doing things. Are you one with them? Jesus said not only do we hear Him but we also follow Him, we follow Him as one of authority and power to teach and lead. Following Him, not in our own ways and thinking but in His. It is like James taught us in James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Then wouldn’t it be safe to say that Christians without learning and following also be dead? I have to wonder about “Christians” who refuse to learn, follow, and serve our glorious Saviour and God in truth and righteousness. If faith without works is dead then what is Christianity without truth. Truth is defined as God, and what He says is truth because He cannot lie. Seek the truth and follow it. Let God speak to you and stop telling God what He means. When God speaks if you follow him and you will never be wrong.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

The Grace That Brings Salvation.

Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”

Oh! If salvation were as most believe it would be such a strain on mankind. Most believe that salvation is in the hands of mankind but they are so wrong. Salvation is in totality of God, it is His precious gift to those who truly believe. If it were left up to man he would never come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour. It is “grace that bringeth salvation” It is grace that has delivered salvation to all who have believed. One that has been truly saved by God knows that they were saved by a source other than themselves. I believe the most provable scripture that salvation is totally of God and not of man is Ephesians 2:8 - 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God...Not of works, lest any man should boast." I do not know how anyone could be confused on these scriptures. These scriptures are two of the most irrefutable scriptures in the bible. I believe they are as sound in teaching as Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." and then ask “who created the heavens and the earth.” God warned mankind that they would seek to create their own salvation and they did, He warned they would change the Truth of God into a lie and they have. Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." I must ask here; doesn’t salvation as most of the world see’s it involve worshiping the creature? This also reminds me of “serving two master” if a person is the master and creators of their own salvation, if they worship themselves more than God in salvation, aren’t they attempting to serve two masters. God said in 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Doesn’t serving yourself in salvation eliminate God, which is removing God mathematical from the results? If one has done the deeds to bring salvation to themselves than were does God fit? But, if one is saved by grace and through faith then where does man fit? This is the same thought in church membership; 1 Corinthians 12:18 "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." As it is of wisdom; James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally...", The same as it is in knowledge; 1 Corinthians 1:5 "That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;" the truth is we only need one master and that is God who giveth all things we need by grace. Grace hath delivered all things to the Christian. What master do you serve? From whom did your salvations come from? Whom do you serve God or yourself? How can one say salvation is of grace, if salvation is of man? How can one stand in church and sing “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me....” if they are their own saviour?

Paul went on to write “…hath appeared to all men,” This does not mean that this grace is available to all men but that it can be seen of all men. The word “appeared” means - to shine upon; or to be visible – to all men. Man can see it in a saved person; they can see it in what a saved person believes about their Sovereign God. In how God receives all credit for everything not in word only but also in deed. They can see, but they will reject what they see. They will turn the truth of God into a lie just as God said, worshiping the creature over the creator because they are not saved and reject God in reality. Rejecting

Sunday, September 7, 2014

I believe deep in the hearts of all mankind they know God exist.

Romans 1:32 "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

It is my personal belief that all created beings which would include humans believes that Jehovah God exists. I believe they know He created everything and that He controls everything. I believe this is why they reject Him as they do. They make themselves believe that He does not exist and therefore they fight more and more to prove Him as non-existent, as non-sovereign, and as non-controlling. They call Him a liar, they mock Him and His word, and they spend their entire life trying to convince themselves and others that His is an imaginary creature. I believe they want to be unclean because it is what they lust as lost souls. I believe that they know it is wrong to live ungodly and enjoy it because it defiles God. Therefore they changed God into a god and allowed Him to be weak and insignificant in their own hearts. They changed God into a god that commands evil over love, and depends on man to do his work because he is too weak to accomplish anything. God can be whatever they want Him to be, nature, a statue, a dead man who is in the grave, a doll, even just a figment of their imagination. Even those who claim to know God, who knows Christ, who call themselves Christians deny who God truly is and worship a god who is weak and insignificant. Yes I believe the entire world knows their creator to a point and this is why they created a false God to take His place. They have changed Gods Holy Truth into an unholy lie and worship the creature over the creator. I believe this is why the hatred of God is so deep in mankind, even in so called Christians who attempt to weaken our Sovereign God. I believe this is why He, His children, His word, and even the thought of Him are so vitally hated. I believe they want to weaken and hurt God because they want to control Him; they want Him and His beloved children to be wicked and vile like them. This is why they convince themselves that we are no better then they, but what they fail so see is the blood of Christ in us, it is not what they see it is what God sees and He sees a person who has never sinned, no not once. In them He only sees sin and because of that He hates them and their sin. They are not His chosen vessels and therefore are GIVEN over to their evil hearts, their vile affections, their imaginary gods, and their sinfulness. God does not want them as his own and never will. He is not awaiting them to repent, turn over a new leaf, or to make a decision for Christ because they never will, because God has given them over to their heart of evil and to Satan their father. I believe in their own hearts they know at least some part of this and this is why they hate God so much. I think the fact they know hell exist and they are heading there causes them to be more evil. Romans 1:21 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Saturday, September 6, 2014

A Good Pastor Is Worth His Weight In Gold.

1 Timothy 5:17 - 18 “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. (18.) For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.”

All churches must reach the point that they must recognize their Pastors worth. Churches never need to take their Pastors for granted, never ever. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Your Pastor is as valuable as gold, why if you looked up tomorrow and you no longer had him? Pastors are far and getting farther in-between. God said that an elder or Pastor that rules well is worthy of double honor, but before you can know what that is you must first know what honor or his worth is, then double it. If your Pastor is worth salt he will never ask for a raise in pay, never suggest that maybe he is not getting enough, but the church must ponder this thought once in every while to know they are happy with their support of their Pastor. Now we as Pastors are always happy with what the church can give, and does give, we are not your Pastors for money and will never value money while being your Pastor. Chances are your Pastor will never ask you for more money and if asked he will almost always say “I receive enough”. But what is your Pastors worth? Are you giving him sufficient corn? Don’t muzzle the ox that is doing the work because if you do he will weaken. For a Pastor that does his job is wonderful but one who preaches above and beyond standard is priceless. Your Pastor will always earn his pay but are the churches rewarding him enough for his labors. I am not speaking here for a raise from my own church, but for other Pastors who receive less than I do. I hear church members saying “we do all we can” but I ask “do you”? Pastors are called men of God and only those called of God will ever be able to do it right and with power. Pastors are getting fewer and farther in between, because there are countless churches that are without who would love to have yours. However, the system that God has created is a man stays with one church until God moves him. This keeps other churches from bidding and trying to hire your Pastor. I would never leave this church for another just for money because being a Pastor is not about money. I once heard a Pastor tell a church member of another church that they ought to feel real blessed that they had their Pastor, I must ask you; do you feel blessed to have your Pastor? Are you doing all you can to support your Pastor? Are you holding back corn from him and letting him go hungry? There are many ways you can support your Pastor, but don’t forget the corn. Many churches Pastors works secular jobs like myself in order to make it possible to pastor the church, but churches don’t need to count their secular jobs as support, it is not. If you are happy with what you give your Pastor then God bless you in your gift, but if not, it might be time to re-evaluate what you give. You Pastor will always give you his best, now the churches need to give him their best. May God bless all His churches and their Pastors now and forever, Amen!

Sunday, August 31, 2014

A Pastors job is to feed, love, care for, and be an example to the Lord’s church.

1 Peter 5:1 - 3 "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (2.) Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (3.) Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

I believe the word “elders” is speaking to Pastors. I know it means aged men, but I believe here that it means Pastors and Ministers because the word “feed” in verse 2 means - to tend as a shepherd – making this a Pastors example. I know there are some who would argue with me, and that’s ok because most people are just looking for something to argue about. But for the sake of the thought let us assume I am right. Peter says in verse 1 “The elders which are among you I exhort…” the word “exhort” means – I want to call this to your attention – in other words if you are a Pastor or Minister in charge of one of the Lords churches you need to pay close attention to what is about to be said. Peter went on in verse 2 and said “Feed the flock of God which is among you…” this is our job in the church and our charge from the Lord. Any Pastor or minister who is not teaching the meat of the scriptures is failing the church and the Lord. Church is not a playhouse for swinging singles, ball game, or anything else it is a seminary for a biblical education. If the membership is not learning the scriptures the Ministers have failed and the church is weakened. The ministers and especially the Pastor will be held responsible for the churches educational failure. Peter went on to say “…which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly…” A Pastor must take the oversight in the church; he is the appointed leader and ruler of the Lords church. Not the ruler as one who controls or dictates, but one who makes sure the church is fed properly, and run properly. This is a work, "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work." 1 Timothy 3:1 and if a man does not want to fulfill the office of Pastor as the Lord has commanded it is better he quite and let someone else fill the office. Churches are not playhouses nor are they talent shows; they are the most important institution on the earth. Therefore tending to one of them is a full time job, there is no such thing as a “part time” pastor. If you have the oversight of one of the Lords churches you did it willingly and not by force. If you do anything for the Lord you do it willingly because those who are truly called are chosen and God makes us willing to do His will. Jesus was not forced to die, He gave His life, and neither are we Christians forced. Peter went on to say “…not for filthy lucre…” That is not for self glory or gain. The word “filthy” shows it to for something dishonorable, which could be many things. Personal glory would also fit here. Peter also said “…a ready mind;” that is with a cheerful heart, with the Lord and churches benefit in mind instead of self. And then Peter in closing here said, “Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” Not being lords but examples to those who serve under us. Being a Pastor or Minister in the Lords church is a richly blessed work if done decently and in order; the main purpose is to feed and have oversight in the Lords church. We are only good Pastors if we follow Gods rules in oversight, and we are gauged by the truth we teach. 1 Timothy 5:17 "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine." The churches need to allow their Pastors to do their work and when the Pastor doesn’t do his work then it is a churches responsibility to dismiss him and find another one. The Church is an important place and there is no place for fun, pleasure, or failure.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

God’s Appointed Time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

As we read the writings of “The Preacher” whom most believe to be Solomon the son of King David, we find a diamond in the scriptures. I personally love to study about our Sovereign Lord. The sovereignty of God makes me thrill to my bones and make my heart shout with joy. God is so wonderful and much more so when He declares His sovereignty. When the “preacher” penned the word “season” he was speaking of God doing all things according to the council of His own will or God’s Sovereign Will. Ephesians 1:11 "...being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" The word “seasons” here means – an appointed occasion – whether it be of time, an event, or a person, everything functions according to God’s purpose and will. In verses 2-8 we see the word “times” used 28 times. We see it used 14 times arranged in pairs of opposites, for example “A time to be born, and a time to die” Now let us look at this in a proper prospective; everything (without exception) has a purpose and a season or appointed time. Whether it is birth or death, to plant or to pluck up, a time to mourn and a time to dance, and etc, etc, etc. No matter what it is God has in a sovereign way created it, appointed a time for it, and a time when it is to began and end. God has set the bounds and nothing can pass God’s bounds. God has said of man “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Job 14:5 Man fails to realize that his days are numbered by God and when that number is accomplished that person will expire. What the “preacher” told us in Ecclesiastes 3 has a deeper meaning than man likes to admit, it says God controls everything in existence. Let’s use a very controversial subject as an example, “Climate Change”. Whether it exist or not doesn’t even matter, why not, you may ask, because we cannot pass the will and plan of God. Is the earth heating up? Well maybe it is or maybe it isn’t we all know that one day God is going to melt the earth with “fervent heat” "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (12.) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” 2 Peter 3:10, 12 we often worry about things we cannot control. If we believe what the “preacher” wrote then we also see we cannot stop death. Death is appointed of God, he is the one who controls all life, He gave it and He can and will take it at His choosing. Why does God allow abortions? God has the power to stop abortions, He has the power to control the minds of those involved, but He allows it because He has a purpose in it, what it is; only God knows. God has the power to stop death, floods, natural disasters, and anything else but again He has a purpose in them all. While we look at it all as horrible, God sees it as beautiful because it is all done according to His blessed will and purpose. Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." We do not always see the blessedness of death, to us it us final and an end, but to God it is a beautiful thing. We do not know the mind of God nor do we know the plan of God, but be assured God knows because He is sovereign in all His ways. God hath appointed; not some events and things, but all events and things. Beloved when something happens it is better to recognize it as God’s blessed will and move on, but some have a problem with that, if so then maybe this scripture from the “preacher” will help. Ecclesiastes 3:14 "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him."

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Trust the Lord and He will never fail you.

“And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:29

We sometime find ourselves of little faith. Faith is biblically defined as "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 A. H. Strong’s defines it as “persuasion” which means - belief in something – and W. E. Vines defines it as “trust”. Either way it is defined it always ends with an uncertainty or dependence on someone else. Peter knew his ability to walk on water was an impossibility, he knew if he tried he would sink, this is not faith but a known fact. But Peter said in verse 28 “… Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” With Peter knowing without the power of Jesus he would sink then he had to have faith in Jesus power to hold him up. Therefore Peter stepped out on the water and walked, with success. It was only when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus that he began to sink. “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Verse 30 This reminds me that if we have a hot plate sitting in front of us; then we touch it to see if it is hot. Peter knew once his faith in the Lords power slipped then he would sink but he did it anyway; but the Lord saved him any way. Folks if we trust in the Lord, then let us trust in him. All Christians at certain times always take our eyes off the Lord and trust in ourselves even though we know without the Lords power we will fail. Our future is an uncertainty, except where we trust the Lord. We know only what the Lord tells us in His word, but we will do everything in our power to fix something or change something that we cannot fix or change. Faith is stepping out of the safe boat and walking on the water, with our eyes fixed on Jesus. Life is moving forward with our faith and eyes on Jesus, let us not take them off when trouble comes, the Lord is in control. The old quote is “if the Lord leads you to it; He will lead you through it”. However, it is wonderful to know the Lord loves us enough to lift us back up and help once we cry to Him. Jesus said to Peter in verse 31 “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” or “why did you fail to trust me”. Folks, if you are convinced that the Lord has led you into something then trust Him to get you through it. Even if the waters rise into a wave and everything seems to be falling a part, keep moving forward, trust the Lord and He will give you a hand and lift you to safety. We as Christian know this, just as we know the plate sitting in front of us it hot, but sometimes we just forget what we are not to do. Once our eyes are lifted from Jesus than we will began to sink and we become “O thou of little faith”. We all fall into this same unfaithful way, because if we did not and our faith was as strong as it should be there is no telling what we could truly do as Christians. Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” I cannot explain why we have such little faith in this flesh but we do, every time trouble comes we start to worry and doubt. Beloved, it is the Lord in whom we trust, so let us all trust Him more and more, and when the storm begins, let us trust Him even more. Because if we take our eyes off of the Lord then we will surly began to sink. “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (9.) It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." Psalms 118:8 – 9 Trust in the Lord and certainty will come.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Exclusion

“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” John 17:9

Does Jesus Christ love the entire population of the world? Did He die for the entire population of the world? Is there really such a thing as election which excludes a large section of the world population? In today’s churches pastors preach that all have the opportunity to be saved; it is just a matter of making a decision, choosing, praying a prayer, being baptized, joining a particular church, or etc, etc, etc. They would demonize the doctrine of election as something horrible on God’s part if it were true. They whip their congregations into a hatred frenzy over the teaching and then tell their people to do things that they cannot do, like making a choice to allow Christ into their hearts, or turn over a new leaf. But I must ask where are those terms used in the bible? In all the accounts of salvation, no where are these commands ever quoted. Why not? Because they are man made terms and are useless. The truth is no one has an opportunity to do any of these things, because salvation is not of man, it is of God, Who gives salvation to whom He choose and not to any who would choose Him. The short answer to our question “is there exclusion with God” the answer is yes! Yes because without election not one single person would have ever been saved. Romans 3:11 “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” They will not seek Him because they neither understand Him nor want Him. They want to be religious because they believe they have something, it makes them feel good, or it makes them think they have something they neither want nor have. People simply want to feel good, they want to feel like they have made a difference in their life and have something special because they are good people, but the truth is they have neither. There is an exclusion with God, He hated Esau, He chose Judas Iscariot to be a devil, and without election all souls would have went to hell. God chooses a lot more than you think He does and He has chosen and adopted His children to be His and also delivering them. God loves the elect and hates the rest of the population. His judgments will be great upon them, and in eternal hell fire will they suffer. The truth is election is real and exclusive and those that believe it to be a lie are in danger of eternal suffering. How could God leave salvation up to man, if man will never come to Him for salvation? John said in John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…” and in Romans 8:14 God said “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Then I must ask who can make a decision for Christ? Do all have the opportunity to be saved? If you look up the word draw in John 6:44 it means “to drag” because we will never come on our own. We see it in Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” We also see it used in John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Where we must exclude the word “men” because it was added by the translation and is not part of the original text. It is additions like this which confuse the weak. I will conclude with this thought. If you are one who thinks election is of the devil then simply study it. Read the scriptures it is used in and think about them. Just because election is exclusive does not make it of the devil, it makes it Gods love toward them who otherwise would have never repented from sin, and that makes it wonderful!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

You Cannot Hear Without Spiritual Ears.

Matthew 11:15 "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

If one is totally deaf then they cannot hear anything, no sound at all. It is the same with spiritual deaf people, they hear nothing spiritual. In the world learning is easy, 1+1=2 or spelling cat is simple, or hearing and understanding an average conversation, but it is not as simple with God’s word. God said in 1 Corinthians 1:23 "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;" as a “stumblingblock” to the Jews a stumblingblock means - something that offends them – but why? Because they totally reject Jesus Christ as the Messiah, they hated Him so much they hung Him on the cross like a criminal, and today is no different. The Greeks are anything not Jew, in other words it means the Gentiles, and to them it is “foolishness”, that’s right to preach Christ crucified is foolishness because simply His crucifixion could never be enough to save a sinners. There must be more than just the crucifixion of Christ Jesus in order to be saved. The Jews stumble at the crucifixion of Christ Jesus and the Greeks thinks its foolishness because they are both with deaf ears. How many times does the bible say we are not saved by works and they must include works of some sort into their salvation. It would be foolishness to believe that salvation is totally in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, foolishness to say that the spilt blood of Christ cleanses all our sin’s, but God said it is true. It is too simple when God said "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:15 but that is just too simple. Salvation as a gift is also too simple, they cannot believe that Christ’s death was enough to save a sinner, no we must also do something, but I ask what? Do we not sin once we are saved? Is our works for salvation better than our life before salvation? Folks, we are never perfect in this life whether saved or lost unless Christ blood cleanses all our sins. The problem is they have no spiritual ears to hear and then Christ as Saviour becomes foolishness to them. So, since they don’t like God’s plan of salvation, since they have not the ability to hear the truth, they set out to “establish their own righteousness” which is foolishness to God. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Romans 10:3 they have called God a liar, when they themselves are the fools. 1 John 2:22 “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” Brethren, we can preach and argue until Jesus Comes and it will accomplish nothing until the Holy Spirit gives those ears to hear. This is why I stopped arguing years ago, it does no good unless the Holy Spirit gives them ears to hear. I have been told in laughter that believing that Christ is Saviour and enough to save a sinner simply is too simple. However, to us who have ears to hear let us hear, let us hear the Pastor when he preaches, hear the teachers when they teach, these are God’s messengers delivering God’s messages to the hearing ears. While the Lost may not hear or understand, as Christians we ought to hear and heed Gods messages, and His word. What a blessing it is to be able to hear Gods word, and what sadness it is to ignore what is said. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Saturday, July 26, 2014

One Day Every Knee Shall Bow To Jesus Christ.

"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" Philippians 2:10

One glorious day every single knee shall bow to Jesus Christ as Lord. The Lord God is not going to ask them to but command it and it shall be. People will one day learn that Jehovah is God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It is to Jesus Christ the Son of man that God has given all authority to judge everyone. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:" John 5:22 and it is He whom all knees shall bow. They will not be bowing to Him as Saviour, but rather to Him as Lord, Master, and God. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36 we who are saved bowed as we were saved however the lost has never bowed to Him but one day will. They may hate Him; they may hate us because we are His, but one day their knee shall bow and confess Him to be Lord and Christ. This will do them no spiritual good, in fact it will do them no good at all, but it will bring much glory to Jesus Christ. People will deserve everything Christ does to them because in their hearts they refused to recognize Him as Christ and Lord. God calls these people FOOLS. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." Psalms 14:1 I believe these folks really say “we will not have this God rule over us”. They laugh at Him and His authority, they mock His churches and children, they refuse Him on every end, but in their end they will all bow before Jesus Christ. I believe it will be the worst thing they have ever had to do, I believe it will be the last thing they do before being cast into everlasting hell fire. In this world all of them hated God and anything connected to God. They hated Jesus so much they allowed a murder to go free and slew a Holy man. They have killed Christians themselves in order that they might call themselves holy, some even call themselves Christians. They hate the Lord, the churches, the bible, and even a symbol which has nothing to do with Christians in the cross. The cross is NOT a Christian symbol because Christianity has NO SYMBOLS at all. It is not about symbols it is about Jesus Christ. It is about the salvation He offers to us who are and was without. Crosses are a symbol of Catholicism and it drives the liberals and lost nuts. It is a symbol for those who know nothing about Christ and His salvation to lean on, but to us who are saved it is useless and a false image. They hate Israel because of their connection with God, and wish them death. But the truth is most of Israel has no idea who Jesus Christ is. The world hates Jesus Christ so much they think they have Him defeated but one day they will all find out just before they are all cast into their final place of torment they will have to bow to Him as Lord and King. Oh, I believe it will be a great punishment to them and they will overflow with hatred. "And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!" Matthew 27:29 this time the bowing will be real and the crown will be made of Gold. They will not be any mocking, spiting on Him, or killing Him. This time will be different. It is in Christ Jesus that we as believers have victory, not in this world but OVER the world. This why we daily bow our knees before our Saviour Jesus Christ. “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 3:14

Sunday, July 6, 2014

All are welcome in a church service.

Luke 15:1 - 2 "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. (2.) And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."

I was raised to believe that a church worship service is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. When one looks at a church they see a limited number of saints assembled together for a worship service, business meeting, or ect. But a worship service is open to whoever desires to come. As church members we should never look down on a visitor to our church service, no matter who it is. There is no one to sinful to attend a worship service, period. While we are here to worship the Lord our God we are also here to teach those who desire to learn the scriptures, making the church a seminary of higher learning. However, we are also to educate the weaker in knowledge in simply and basic teachings, and the lost how to turn to Christ for salvation. The greatest message a Pastor or teacher of the scriptures will ever teach will be the gospel and in the simplest way. Salvation is the most important thing in the entire world, and the church is the chosen ones to keep it moving in the world. I have seen over time people in church mocking visitors in many ways, and this ought not be. If all in a worship service are saved then who do we preach the gospel too? I agree all sermons are not to be salvation sermons; however some must be since the gospel is our greatest sermon. We see Jesus mocked by the Pharisees and scribes for being around and talking to sinners, but don’t you have to speak to sinners if you are going to present the gospel to them? And another question; aren’t we all sinners. John 8:7 "… He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." This was a woman who had committed adultery. And we see another woman that Jesus visited, and that was the woman at the well; remember what Jesus revealed about her? John 4:18 "For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." But the Lord Jesus still went out of His way to visit with her. Adultery and sinful living in theses days were treated with great punishment but here we see the Lord Jesus twice being seen with them and not condemning them but rather preaching the message of salvation. I cringe when a person tells me they are too sinful to attend a church service, because there is no such person. Although, I would cringe even worse when a church member lets me know they would rather a sinner not attend the services. Here I must brag on our church, I cannot remember anyone ever speaking these words to me. Folks, give visitors a break, they may not be what you are in the Lord, but if they are in church it is good for them. They may not be dressed properly, their hair may not be right, they may be the town drunk, or they may be the biggest adulterer you know of, but now they are in church, simply greet them and treat them as though they belong in a worship service. Don’t forget dear saint of God, you too were once without Christ and ignorant of Gods truths. Please remember our Lord visited with them, eat with them, and saved them, and we are no better than he is.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

It is better to suffer for the Lord than to profit in this world.

“For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.” 1 Peter 3:17

This is something a lot of Christians have a problem coping with, suffering is good. Most people and a lot of Christians don’t understand why believers are not always profitable. Well the truth of the matter is that they do, but the rewards are not always in this world. The scriptures are very clear that Christians and even the best of Christians suffer in this world. People fail to remember that Christ suffered in this flesh and not just in His death but His entire earthly life was full of sorrow. Isaiah 53:3 "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Christ was not sent to profit in this world but rather to suffer shame for our shame. Matthew 8:20 "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Jesus Christ came from riches to rags in order to suffer His entire life for us. He never had peace; they were searching for Him even at His birth. Believers, let us not be dismayed when life on this earth seems difficult and hard. God never promised us earthly riches nor did He promise profit at all in this world. It is because our rewards are set up in glory and not this world. Christians are also people of sorrow in this life, but be assured that while we suffer like Christ in this world; we will also glory with Him in eternity. 2 Timothy 2:12 "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him..." We will have only soul and spirit when we die and when the rapture come we shall have a glorified body to be a tri-fold once again. Believer there is only one more thing we will carry into heaven from this earth, and that will be the worthy works we have done for the Lord during our earthy stay. We will carry no other treasures from this earth. Our rewards are built in heaven and in heaven we will receive them. Matthew 6:19 - 21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (20.) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21.) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If you are a Christian and it seems like your troubles are as bad as or even worse than that of a lost person, that’s ok God said it would be. Matthew 5:45 "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Now, what if we suffer for righteous sake, why if we suffer for doing right? Well, the Lord said it is better, that’s right it is better to suffer for doing the right thing. Jesus Christ suffered unjustly, that’s right Pilate said of Christ in Luke 23:4 "Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man." But He still was crucified. We do not know God’s blessed will for us, unless God manifest it to us; however it is God’s will for us to suffer in this life, even for doing right. God has a purpose for everything, and we would be well served as Christians to worry less about our suffering and more about serving God. God blesses us believers every second of everyday, we just most of the time do not know how his blessing are coming. Beloved, it is better to suffer than to have riches in this world, if it is for the Lord. We all need to be more like John and Peter. Acts 5:41 "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." They counted it joy that they worthy to suffer for the Lord. I pray to God that I too am worthy to suffer for the Lord.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Is God Sovereign?

"As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (14.) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." Romans 9:13 – 14

I have asked the question is God sovereign, and I asked it for a reason. I believe that most people say that God is sovereign but in their hearts they refuse to believe that He is. They act as if God can do nothing, cannot think ahead, can not ordain anything, or that He cannot control His own creation. They act as though God’s entire being and will depends on us, mankind. I have heard some “Christians” (and I use the word loosely here) speak of God as though our will overrides His will. Because of man’s free will God must wait on us to make a decision on something before He can proceed forward. I almost regurgitate every time I hear some preacher say “God can’t change your will”, well if God is truly sovereign, then this is a very ignorant statement at best. The very word “sovereign” itself means - One who has supreme power or authority; having supreme rank, and also is preeminent, and indisputable. – This does not sound like one who bends to man’s will. If God is truly sovereign then we must accept the fact that He can do His will without the assistance of others. The day that God’s will depend on what man wills is, is the day God is no longer God. God said in our text verses that He loved Jacob and hated Esau but my question is, why? God said He was not a respecter of persons. Acts 10:34 "...Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:" Which means God does not accept man on any good in them, race, creed, or nationality, God accepts man because He chooses too. God had no reason to love Jacob more than Esau except that He chose too. Even though Esau tried to make himself acceptable to God, he never changed Gods mind. Election in the bible is God’s choosing and not man’s choosing. We are like Jacob and Esau God chooses one and not the other. Paul quoted and Old Testament scripture when he wrote in Romans 9 "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" verse 21 The question is, does God have the right to make (from one lump of clay) two vessels one that is honorable and the other junk? Sure He does, He is God and He can always do as He chooses without question. Paul went on to say in verse 18 of Romans 9 “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." God never has to have mercy on anyone and those that He does He chooses too. Some people act as though God owes them something, but please understand the truth, He has to do nothing except as He chooses. One might ask “then what about one who chooses to follow God? Well if one chooses to follow God then it is God who causes them to repent. Paul went on to say in verse 16 of Romans 9 “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Who ever said that man would choose Christ? Who ever said that man would ever choose God over sin? Sinfulness is their nature, it is what they choose, it is their ever desire. If it came to the point when man had to choose Christ or sin they would choose sin every time, God made it very clear that man would never choose Christ over sin. "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:11 No one ever was told in the scriptures to choose Christ or God over sin in a lost state. In Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve..." God is speaking to His people not to unredeemed people. This scripture is very used out of context. Folks the choice is not ours, it is God’s and you had better hope He has chosen you. You may have chosen something but it was not salvation. Jacob did not choose God and neither did we. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." 1 John 5:1 The word “begotten” means – caused to be delivered.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Works; they are wonderful, but not for salvation.

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Galatians 2:16

This has been a battle ever since Jesus was here and before, and I know there is not one article going to change the minds of those who believe in works for salvation. All I can ask is that you listen to the scriptures and not tradition or some preacher. I always advise our church membership to listen to the scriptures more than me. The scriptures will never fail you; ever. If you believe that works plays any parts in salvation then you fail to recognize Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You can talk all you want about your salvation but if your faith is not in the saving blood of Jesus Christ then you are lost. 1 John 1:7 "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." It is impossible to be justified by works and faith together, because works steals the glory of the blood of Christ, just as it steals the glory from the grace of God. Romans 11:6 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." The bottom line is the two no more mix than gas and water. I understand some mind’s thinking that works can be a part of salvation but the scriptures conclude the opposite. How can God be so firm against works if it has any part in salvation? Ephesians 2:8 - 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9.) Not of works, lest any man should boast." I have just showed you two scriptures that point blank state that works are NOT in any way part of salvation, now I ask you to show just one where God says different. I am not talking about where you think it says it, but rather where it says you cannot be saved without works. See, if you had one scripture then the scriptures would contradict itself, because these two alone point blank takes works out of the conversation. It is impossible for the law to be a justifier and a condemner. The law was used to show us our sin, or you might say God used it to condemn us. Romans 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." He also called it a School Master Galatians 3:24 - 25 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25.) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." God said once salvation has come we no longer need the schoolmaster. Not that it voids out the law of God but that the law has no more value in salvation. The law and works will always play a part in a Christian’s life, but not in saving a lost person. James 2:17 - 18 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (18.) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." Every Christian must have works or else they are sill in the lost state. If one only says they believe and never care enough about their Saviour to work for Him then I must doubt their salvation. The greatest work of a Christian is love and if one has not a God given love in their heart then how can they know the God of love. 1 Corinthians 13:3 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." Charity means love. The same thing can be said of works; you can do all the works you want to but if you do not trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour then al your works are in vain. Romans 9:32 "Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;"

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Don't worry Christian; God is not worried, he is still Sovereign.

Psalms 2:4 "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision."

I know that for the Christian in today's society we must all be concerned. The world we live in here in the twenty-first century is a horrible one. Christians have fought to get people elected to change the laws of America in an attempt to make the world a better place to live, only to loose to the evil of the world. It seems that the battle cannot be won no matter what we as believers do. We are forced to live with the evils of abortion and gay marriage as well as so many other evils. It seems that the entire world is against the churches and Christians in general. It seems the hate for us is getting to be more than we can bear. It seems as though we are reaching the point of defeat and surrender to Satan and the world government. Well dear Christian let me assure you that God is still sovereign and still sitting on His blessed throne. God is not defeated and will never be. Please be assured that God is still in control of this world and its governments. We may not always understand what God is doing, but please be assured He does know. The world and its commander (Satan) thinks they are defeating God and all He stands far, but there is no defeat and never will be. Have you ever heard of the old saying, "give them a little rope and they will hang themselves"; well that is exactly what God is doing. Folks, our great God is sovereign over all the world and even over all His creation, and believe me He is going to win the battle. The Psalmist wrote in verse 4 " He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh..." at the ignorance of man in thinking they will ever defeat Him. They can pass all the bills they want, kill all the unborn their hearts desire, and allow all the gays to marry, but be assured, they have won nothing. They did not win when they crucified Christ and they will not win by killing the unborn. Those that crucified Christ will pay account to God and those who support the evil of today will also pay account to our Sovereign Master. While they think they are winning God is laughing at them. He said in verse 2 " The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD..." that is while He is laughing at them. Believer lat us remember when they sought to crucify our Lord Jesus Christ; "When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death;" Matthew 27:1 The world has always been against the Lord and those who stood with Him. Believes have died for the Lord and His churches. We need to understand that the Lord did not set this world up for us and our victory, all that was lost in the fall, however one blessed day Christ will for the last time take this world away from Satan and evil. God in all His sovereign being has promised that judgment day is coming. Psalms 2:5 "Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." The tribulation period and hells design is to punish all the evil of this world with Gods wrath. Do not worry dear believer, God still reigns from His throne and laughs at them. We ought to cry for them and pray for them because the wrath waiting for them is more than they can bear. We may suffer the pains of the world but our blessed day is soon coming. A little suffering today is an eternity of glory with the Lord. No believer, we will not win this world back and we will continue to loose more and more, but let us all understand God is taking care of us. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Bidding God Speed To Others.

2 John 1:9 - 11 "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (10.) If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: (11.) For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

In today's religion, it seems that the right thing to do is to swallow you values to get along. The thinking is that we are all wrong at some point in our belief so therefore we do not really know who is right or wrong; therefore, we ought to get along. Nevertheless, the scripture conclude different. While it is true, we will all differ on some doctrinal belief it is essential that we do not associate with those who truly are different doctrinally. The Lord said here that those who differ doctrinally are "transgressors" and are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ. If one refuses to believe and teach the truth of the bible then what do we truly have in common. What area of fellowship are there? God never told the Christian, the Pastor, or the Church to fellowship with those who oppose the doctrines of Christ. The Lord just told us through John not to bid them "God speed" which means neither greet them nor wish them well. God never told us to get along with those who differ scripturally with us. God said in verse 10 that if they come to your church and believe different to tell them to keep moving. Now this is not everyone but it is the teachers of religion. As Christians and believers in Christ's doctrine, what do we have in common with those who oppose the truth? I know it sometimes seems rude on our part, but we must understand that even as believers in truth we are all subject weakness. We are to protect the truth and not to associate with those who preach another doctrine. Paul told us in Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Now let us understand that the "unfruitful works of darkness" are those who teach unfruitful doctrine and not the fruits of Christ but of darkness. We were also told in 1 Timothy 5:22 "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure." Now this is not just the "lost" but also those who claim to be Christian who do not teach truth. I get invitations every year to join one religious group or another, to join the local pastors for this event or another, to have the Gideon's to come to speak at our church, and I refuse them all. I know some of these groups are wonderful causes like the Gideon's but why would I allow someone who I know nothing about speak at our church at all. If they want a donation that is one thing but we are not going to fellowship with a bunch of preachers or laymen who think our doctrine is of the devil or who themselves teach doctrine opposite of that, that Christ taught. It is not rudeness it is obeying the scriptures. As Christians, we are not to just support anything that claims to be Christian, but rather those things of like faith. We are also not to bid them God-speed or pray for their success. God is very bold in this area and we are to obey. Do not allow words to direct your decisions, walk in the way of the Lord. Satan has many devices and he will use them all to harm your belief and faith.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

The Father Care

Matthew 10:30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

When speaking of a Fathers care there is none that is more wonderful than that of God's. While our earthly fathers try so much to supply their children with so much, to bless them with protection, housing, clothing, education, fulfilling wishes and wants, and etc, etc, etc, they simply cannot fulfill their total care. An earthly father's love, while it is meant to be unconditional, it simply cannot be. Moreover, while an earthly fathers love and grace is wonderful in many ways, it is no match for our Heavenly Father's love and care. There is a reason for this and it is because your Heavenly Father knows everything there is to know about you. He knows how many hairs are on your head because He put them there. He knows all your needs and the difference between needs and wants and wishes. He knows what is truly on your heart instead of what you simply say is on it. He knows when your heart is broken, and why is it broken. He knows what you have need of before you ever ask, and He knows what He will do to help you before you ask. The scripture has concluded, "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." Acts 15:18 it is simply amazing what our Heavenly Father indeed does know about us. The thought in this passage of our text scripture is not fear anyone but God. We as His children never need to fear the world and its ability to destroy us in every way possible. God told us "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28 Peter and John certainly understood this when they were "...perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men..." Acts 4:13 these men were not unlearned or ignorant but rather most intelligent because they had learned to obey God rather than man. The world may kill the body but they cannot kill the soul or spirit. In addition, we must remember God is going to glorify that old body with a new one soon and you will not need the old one again. A Fathers care means total care, it means He knows everything you need and can supply total care for you. Sometimes things happen in life that we do not understand, a disaster happens, a death comes about, one looses a job, real heart ache or suffering come, it seems like God has turned His head from you, and we ask ourselves as Christ did on the cross "...My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46 but be assured dear Christian HE HAS NOT "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5 this is why we need not covet for our own self-love and passion but rather give way to Gods will. The big question so widely asked in times of turmoil, why? The only answer is it was Gods pleasure! In addition, most of the time it is hard for even the most devote believer to simply accept. We ask why was it His pleasure? God has a reason for every purpose He brings about, and He controls our destiny and He has total care over us. This is how Peter and John followed the Lord instead of fearing the government. This is how millions upon millions watched as their families were martyred while they waited their turn. They trusted God rather than asking why, or looking for an easy way out. We as Christians must trust God, we all must trust in our Fathers care over us, we must learn (even as hard as it may be to understand) that what ever happens in this life (while sometimes very painful) is God will and pleasure for us. Our Fathers Care is not temporal or lacking strength, but is most wonderful to us. Do not forget His ability in caring for us. HE LOVES US ALL