Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sin can be a unwanted side kick

(Gen.4:7) “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” This verse was spoken by God to Cain just before he murdered his brother Abel. Here, God attempted to warn Cain of the consequence of choosing sin over obedience. In the beginning God loved Cain just as much as He loved Abel, but when both brought an offering to the Lord only Abel’s was accepted. Why, because only Abel’s was in obedience to the will of God. Sadly, Cain learned first hand the significance of the above verse after he killed his brother. When we choose sin, sin like a crouching animal that waits at the door for attention, attaches itself to us like glue. Never leaving us, desiring our affection, and continually drawing us after its own pleasure, lest we learn how to rule over it. Through obedience God has promised us acceptance, but if we stubbornly choose to disobey Him, we gain a side kick that we will have to continually fight for control. Sin is a bad friend that will not leave you until you learn to repent an obey God & His Word!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Thank God

1Thess. 5:18) “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” It has been said that the happiest people in the world are those that are thankful, and they are happy because they have learned to trust the Lord in every circumstance in life. If we by faith come to the place where we believe that everything happens for a purpose (Rom. 8:28), then we will be able to thank the Lord when in both the good and bad times. For some reason we as believers have bought into this idea that if we are faithful then only good things will happen, and if we are bad then only bad things, but God wants us to see that both good and bad happen to all men alike, but the difference between those that are thankful and those that are not, is in their ability to simply trust God. Thank God for the good things, all of them, but thank God the more when in the bad times. Why, Because He is there for us every hour and every minute. The will of God is to be thankful, so may we this Thanksgiving be thankful, “in every- thing!”

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Beyond their power

Another Faith Promise year is ahead of us, and again this month we will be taking your pledges for another year. Now before we do, it’s vital that we pray and seek God by faith before we give. The worst thing that we can do is to pledge and not give, so seek the will of God and then by faith trust Him. Our slogan this year is “Abounding Unto His Riches,” (2 Cor. 8:2). In this chapter, the Apostle Paul praised the Macedonian Church for their abundance of giving even when in “great trial of affliction, and deep poverty.” In other words, they gave even when it looked impossible, for they gave “beyond their power.” Be careful not to underestimate the power of our great God, for if we by faith trust in His promises, He because of our faith will cause us to “abound unto His riches.”

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Hath God cast away his people?

The Apostle Paul asked in (Rom. 11:1) “Hath God cast away his people?” God’s answer, “God forbid.” It’s great to know that even though Israel as a nation has rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, one day God will restore them back into His favor and fellowship again. You see today the individual Jew can be saved, but he will have much difficulty in doing so because God has judged him with a temporary blindness (11:7-10) that causes him to be insensitive to the truth of Christ. This judgment of God causes them not to see the truth easily, and it places them in bondage until the day they repent and believe, or until the “fullness of the Gentiles come in” (11: 25). After which time God will remove Israel’s curse, “For this is my covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.” Christian, we only have so much time to reach our world before Jesus returns. Oh that we would take advantage of the time we have left !

What have you been sowing?

(Gal. 6:8) “ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Sowing and reaping is one of those principles in life that doesn’t change. Life is full of choices, and if we choose to obey God’s Word, we will reap the promised blessing of God, but if we choose not to obey His Word, we will reap the promised judgment of God. No man will ever stand before God and be excused from the above principle. The question is, what have we been sowing? The deception in this life is to follow the idea that somehow we can get around God’s principles rather than just simply obey them. The wise decision would be to sow the Word into your life, rather than the lies of the flesh, that will only reap corruption !

Sunday, October 16, 2011

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

(Rom. 10:7) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” In Romans chapters 9+10, God teaches us that it’s very possible to lose faith. Take Israel for example, they lost their faith when they began to think more highly of their religion then they did their obedience to the Law. They loved more the idea of being God’s chosen people then they did obeying God’s Holy Word, and so they stumbled at the coming of Christ. The Bible is clear when it says that righteousness can only be attained by believing and trusting in God’s promises. That’s faith, and that’s why we need to be more in love with the idea of being obedient than being saved. God didn’t call us to worship a book, but rather to read it, believe it, and obey it! Be very careful, for faith does not ask for proof, nor does it question why, but it just simply hears and obeys what God commands!

Oh that we would catch the spirit of revival while we still can.

The great Evangelist RA Torrey of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, once said that he had a prescription that would bring revival to any church or community in any city on earth. 1) “Let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing. 2) Let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. 3) Let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ. That is all! “This is sure to bring revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches, and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail.” When you think about what Mr. Torrey said, why wouldn’t this work today? Oh that we would catch the spirit of revival while we still can.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Revival

In most churches revival week comes about twice a year, so it is very important that you prepare yourself for them before they come. 1) Prepare. Prepare your heart and mind by humbling yourself before God, confessing all known sin, forgiving others, and be willing to repent and change as God directs. 2) Pray. Not just for yourselfs but for others, for the souls of men, for visitors, for one another, and for God to powerfully work in and through the evangelist. 3) Prioritize. Unless you put revival week first, you will skip the meetings, you will not invite people to them, you will not pray as you ought, and as a result you will not experience the blessing of God. For you have not been serious about revival. “Revival” means, to come back to usefulness, and to be restored to vigor. Most Christians don't even realize that they need revival until they come out to a revival meeting. What you put into a revival meeting, is what you will get out of them!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Romans 8

As we continue looking at walking in after the Holy Spirit of God in (Rom. 8), we see that God gives the believer much encouragement along the way. 1) We have the encouragement of heir-ship. In (v.14-17), we see that, at the moment of salvation we became “sons of God,” and also “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” Now in Christ we have been given a new family (the Church) to encourage us, but also a future glory to look forward to as well. Praise the Lord that now in Christ, all that God has given Jesus will one day be shared with all in his family. 2) We have the encouragement of helpers. The first helper is the church. It's amazing how many people try to walk the Christian walk alone, rather than join a church and reap the benefits of having new brothers and sisters to help them and encourage them along the way. Now in Christ, we not only have a new family but secondly a new Dad, so that when we are in need or in distress, all we have to do is cry “Abba Father”(or dad help), and He promises to help. Thirdly, We also have The Holy Spirit’ help. The Bible tells us in (chp. 8) that as we travel our journey, the Holy Spirit is in constant communication with the Father, revealing to Him God’s will for our lives. So that when we know not the way, or when we can’t pray as we ought, the Spirit of God is constantly praying for us. Thank God, that God promises in His Word, that “He will never leave us or forsake us.”

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Now in Christ

As we continue looking at walking in after the Holy Spirit of God in (Rom. 8), we see also that God gives us much encouragement along the way. 1) We have the encouragement of heir-ship. In (v.14-17), we see that, at the moment of salvation we became “sons of God,” and also “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” Now in Christ we have been given not just a new family (Church) to encourage us, but also a future glory to look forward to as well. Praise the Lord that now in Christ, what God has given Jesus he will one day share with us. 2) We have the encouragement of helpers. Now when in need or in distress, all we have to do is cry “Abba Father,” and He promises to help. We also have The Holy Spirit’ help. The Bible tells us in (chp. 8) that as we travel our journey, the Holy Spirit is in constant communication with the Father, revealing to Him God’s will for our lives. So that when we know not the way, or when we can’t or don’t pray as we ought, the Spirit of God is constantly praying for us, so He can guide us. For God promises in His Word, that “He will never leave us or forsake us.”

Saturday, September 3, 2011

O wretched man that I am!

Rom. 7:24) “ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” This was the Apostle Paul’s question in chapter 7 after realizing that sin was still controlling him after salvation, but thank God he also concluded, ‘”so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”After salvation, it becomes quite apparent to us that we can still sin. Why? Because even though we have been freed from the condemnation of sin in salvation, our flesh or sin nature is still very much alive within us. Therefore, we must learn to control the old nature of sin. That’s why God at the moment of salvation places within us his new nature, and his Holy Spirit to help us control the old flesh. So, the problem that we face is not that we still have the old nature, but rather that the old nature has tricked us into believing he's still in control. Baptism is our first step of obedience to Christ, but we also must choose to yield our mind and body to Jesus as well. You see the old nature within us wants us to believe that we can't stop sinning. In Christ we are now free from his power, just as death frees a wife from the power of her first husband (Rom. 7:1-6). “So then (Paul asks) who (then) shall deliver us?” Well, the answer is clear, our new husband, Jesus Christ (Ro.7:4). Once we learn to yield ourselves now unto his word and walk in and after his Holy Spirit, we will have power over the old nature! You see the problem is not that we can't, but rather that we just won't. (Phil 4:13) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Friday, August 26, 2011

Baptism

Rom. 6:2) “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” As we continue on our journey through the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul makes it very clear that once we are saved from the condemnation of our sin we are not to go back to the old sinful life style of our past. Therefore Paul introduces to us in (Chp. 6) “Baptism.” Here, Paul teaches us that baptism is a symbolic ordinance demonstrating not just the gospel of Christ but also our death to our old way of life. Baptism was never meant to save anyone, but it is 1) A symbol of identification. (It identifies us with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus). (Ro 6:4) “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:” Water baptism is a symbol of our death to the old way of life, and our coming out of it, alive unto God. “that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” 2) A symbol of surrender. If we are dead to our past sin, then we need to make a decision of the mind and heart to “yield ourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead” (Rom. 6:11-13). Baptism is a surrender of our will to follow God. 3) A symbol of servant hood. (Ro 6:18) “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Baptism pictures a new allegiance to a new Lord. Once saved we are no longer under the power of the old master Sin, but rather now under a new master, Jesus Christ!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Gospel

(Eph. 1: 4&5) “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will..,” So how can we as Bible believing Christians reconcile the command of God to go into all the world and preach the gospel, with the above verses that seem to indicate that God is the one, and not man, who chooses us for salvation? When Jesus died on the cross, his sacrifice was sufficient for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). My Bible still says in (1 Tim. 2:4) that God, “…will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” meaning that his desire is that all men repent and turn to Christ, but also that “ whosoever will…” can still come (Rev. 22: 17). Christian, all men can if they so desire. When any man hears the gospel of God he is faced with a choice to believe it or not. Jesus said himself that many are called but few chosen. God knew us from the foundation of the world whether or not we would believe the gospel or reject it. Jesus was not an after-thought and neither were we. God doesn’t want any to perish. That’s why God sent His Son to save all or whosoever will !

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Apostasy

Is There Apostasy In America
This question can simply be answered, Yes! Who then is in apostasy? The Church, for you can’t fall away from something that you never really had. Apostasy is defined as the abandoning of what one used to believe or practice. In the book of Jeremiah, God called Jeremiah to preach to a people who had abandoned their faith in God, for a faith based upon the beliefs of men. God’s simple message was for Judah to repent and return to the Lord, but they refused to listen and went into captivity anyway. So, the real question is why didn’t they listen? 1) They failed to remember their past. God rebuked them for not remembering where they came from, nor the God who led them there. (Ps 9:17) “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” As Christian Americans, if we as the Church forget God, our nation is doomed to the same. 2) They failed to remember God’s Law. (Ps 11:3)” If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” In our country today all of a sudden God’s Word is optional or up for interpretation. Christian, our foundation is still Jesus Christ and his Word. Be careful lest you go the way of the apostate. (Ps 33:12) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

The Backslider In Heart

The Backslider In Heart
(Prov. 14:14) “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways:” I’ve never yet met a backslidden Christian that didn’t have an excuse for why he/she is living contrary to scripture. A backslider knows that he is not living right, for he has convinced himself that the way he is living is justified, even though God says in the above verse that it’s not. This world is constantly antagonistic to the ways of God, and we must be on guard at all times least we slip back into the ways and thinking of our past. This slipping backward is not fast but slow, a bit here and a little there and before we know it, we are outside the will of God looking in. But there is a way back. In (Rom.12: 1-3) 1) God tells us to “present” our bodies back to the Lord, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. This is a recognition of a wrong direction, and a re-dedication to the correct way of God. 2) We need to “transform” our thinking. The backslider must re-fill again his heart and mind with God’s Word. An acceptable sacrifice is one that is practiced in agreement with God’s Word. 3) “Prove” the will of God. Practice the first two, but prove the third. Talk is cheap, practicing the known will of God proves to God and others that you have indeed repented. Everyone slips, but the consecrated remain !

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Salt

As Christians we are commanded to be salty. In (Matt. 5:13 )Jesus said that “ye are the salt of the earth,” and in ( Mark 9:50) he commanded us to “have salt in ourselves,” and just as every sacrifice was salted in the old testament, he said that “everyone (every believer) shall be salted with fire.” John the Baptist told us in (Matt. 3:11) that when Jesus comes he will “baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” From the moment of our new birth in Christ, we have been salted with the fire and power of the Holy Ghost. At that moment we become salty, and according to scripture we need to work at staying salty. Jesus said, “but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Of Christian, don’t lose your saltiness because you have decided to become lazy and apathetic. We must daily work at walking with the Lord. Praying daily for boldness, feeding daily upon God’s Word, so that we never lose the savour of God’s fire.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Who hath believed our report?

(Isaiah 53:1) “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? The prophet Isaiah spoke these words 700 years before the coming of Jesus, and this message has been given to every generation since. Oh that man would believe this report and be saved. In fact God’s heart has always been, ” Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,” (Isaiah 1:18). In Isaiah chp. 53, we read of the love of Christ who carried our sins to the cross. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. You and I cannot be healed from our sin until we believe and trust in Christ.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Impatience

(James 5: 7) “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” This exhortation by James to the Jewish believers of his day was written in light of the truth that as we see the day of Christ approaching, there will be many that will abandon their faith because of Impatience. 1) Impatience with God. You see, God is not slow, but He is patient and longsuffering! He’s in no hurry nor does He look at things as we do. So, don’t grow frustrated with Him, rather learn to trust in Him patiently. 2) Impatience with Others. James says that impatience with others will breed “grudges.” The word grudge means to murmur about others out of frustration. People are frustrating, and so are we, but since God is very patient with us, He expects us to show the same patience toward others. It’s easy to quit on people, but not so easy to be longsuffering with them. 3) Impatience with Affliction. We must learn that affliction is God’s way of building faith. God’s end is always pity and mercy, so endure and patiently wait for Him.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

“More grace”

The Apostle Paul often began his epistles with these words; “Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” He understood, as we must, that grace (divine help) comes only from God, but as we read in (Ja.4:6) "But he giveth more grace...” meaning that there is even more grace available to those who resist sin and obey God. So, learn to 1) Resist Lust. The lust spoken of in (Ja.4:1) is the lust of wanting things our way, contrary to the will of God. Sometimes, rather than ask God for help, we selfishly try to work it out ourselves, without God’s grace. (Ja. 4:2) “ye have not because you ask not,” or you “ask amiss” due to selfish purposes. 2) Resist worldliness. Worldliness is an ideology or lifestyle that is contrary to the Bible. God resists those that practice worldliness because it’s opposed to His Word and His perfect will (Ja.4:4). 3) Resist Pride. (Ja.4:6) “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” Don’t be so proud that you don't repent, or confess sin, or forgive others, or humbly seek God the way you should. “More grace” is available to those who humbly seek God and His help.

Grace is available to all who resist the devil, but stand in the power of Christ.

(James 4:7) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” All of us who know the story of Adam and Eve’s fall, know that they were deceived by the devil. His tactics have not changed over the years, because he always includes the words “yea hath God said.” He hates the Word of God and his temptation is always to get us to doubt it, but Christian don’t, Satan is a defeated foe. The only power that he has over us is the power that we give him when we doubt God’s Word. Jesus said, (Matt. 28:18) All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore..” And in (John 4:4) “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” We have been given the power of Christ as Sons of God, not just to resist the devil, but to cause him to flee. How? By our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his Word. Jesus is God, and his name powerful. We can call upon no greater, and he has promised all who believe in him to do so when under attack by the devil. (Jn 15:5)”… for without me ye can do nothing” Grace is available to all who resist the devil, but stand in the power of Christ.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

No faith, no power.

As Christians, God allows us to go through certain tests and trials for a purpose. In the book of James, James gives us insight into why we go through trials and into what God is trying to teach us by them. So why do we go through them ? 1) To Promote Joy. To teach us to have joy in Christ, even in the trial. Joy is an inner rejoicing of peace and trust, knowing within that no matter what happens Christ is at work both comforting and helping us for good. 2) To Perfect Patience. Patience is strengthened by experience. Trust God, obey God, and watch God handle the situation, so that the next time a similar trial comes, you patiently know God can handle it. 3) To Provoke Wisdom. When we ask for wisdom, God promises to give it. Wisdom is acquired in one of 4 ways: through prayer, bible study, council, and experience, so be careful not to miss it when it comes. 4) To Prioritize Faith. Faith is the power behind asking. No faith, no power. Ask doubting, and God cannot answer. Faith is prioritized when we have nothing to hold on to but God’s Word. 5) To Produce Endurance. Endurance takes much exercise. The more we are tried the greater our endurance or faith. An enduring Christian does not quit, is not impatient, nor does he waver in faith. He has learned to trust in God.

Religious hypocrisy is wide spread,“so say and do.”

In Christianity, it’s very common for us to say that we are religious but in practice, not be. In James 1:27, James explains to the Jewish brethren that pure religion is demonstrated by the practice of loving others, and by the practice of obeying God. In other words it’s not enough to know the truth we have been called to practice the truth. 1) Visit the needy. The church has been called to watch out for one another. Visiting involves caring for people, love, and time. We have been commanded to go, and not just pray for others. 2) Love without partiality. Our calling is to love & minister to all people, regardless of race, religion, stature, or depth of sin. “For God so loved” all men, and died for them. 3) Keep yourselves unspotted. As Christians, our affect on people is greatly determined by our walk with God. Before we can effectively preach to others, we must obey God ourselves. Religious hypocrisy is wide spread,“so say and do.”

(Jas 2:17) “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

What James is implying here, is that if all we have is a knowledge of the Word of God, and not practice what it says, then our faith is useless and dead. Works of righteousness must accompany our faith or the promises of God’s Word cannot be given to us. For instance, 1) In Salvation. If we read how to be saved in the Bible, and yet not do what it says to be saved, how then can we get saved? The only work that God expects the believer to do for salvation, is to repent, and receive Jesus as Savior (Ro.10:9-13). 2) In Service. What good is just knowing that we should serve God and others, and then not practice it. Good intensions will never profit anyone on the day of judgment. 3) In Submission. What good is just knowing that we need to surrender our will to God, if we don’t do it. Abraham of old submitted,” and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”