Moving On: My Final Blog

Well, 2015 is drawing to a close. I always take time to review all my activities the past year beginning in December. I take a look at everything I am doing in regards to promoting Christ and the Gospel. God gives me time; time that I have to use wisely. How I invest it is what I focus on.

I started writing messages of encouragement while working at a factory in Dublin in 1999. God not only inspired the messages but opened up avenues to share them. I had been contacted by publishers at one point to consider combining them into a book. I never felt peace about doing that although I prayed that this may lead to a bigger audience. God never "told" me to pursue it. "You better copyright your work" one of them told me or someone else will take them and use them. Imagine that, I told him. Imagine God using others to spread His word! I don't care about credit and it is obvious I don't care about profits. I just enjoyed "hearing" God and watching the words appear on the screen, just as I am doing right now.

This brings me to a conclusion; one that I have prayed about and have peace about. I have started writing little encouraging notes on our church facebook page. Time constraints allow me to do this consistently, for the most part, although there are days I don't have the time at a particular moment to write them. Therefore I will not be posting blogs here any longer. I am thankful for this platform which was provided free of charge, another gift of God, to share His word. I am thankful to all of you, regardless of how few or many, that have or do read these messages. I pray that you have gleaned something from them that has helped you see how much God loves you and how He uses people like me and you to reach out to others with His message of forgiveness and acceptance. I will leave this blogger up as long as Google allows it to remain. For those of you that have me in  your circles you can find me on our church Facebook Page and on our Church Website

Time and tide wait for no man someone has said. As I plot along through this life, running toward the finish line as the Apostle Paul says it, I will always keep spreading the Gospel for my Lord Jesus in all the ways and means He provides. My children are grown and they were the subjects of many of my messages in the early years. They have "taught" many people over the years with their antics and sayings showing up in my writings. I find it amusing that I even shed a tear now as I close this message and move on to others. Many times when I wrote them, (and write them), I read them over and over and tear up a lot. I thank God that He inspires me to write. I know my writings are not "sacred" but there is no way my little mind could have ever come up with material to touch people's hearts the way many of the messages have. I have countless stories of people who have told me  how they have shared them in devotional meetings, church bulletins, Sunday school classes, between family members, and forwarded them around the world actually. My most memorable one is when I was invited to speak at a  little Methodist church not far from where I live. When I showed up I saw a lady sitting at the piano named Miss Zarfoss. She was a Saint of God. She along with Miss Hess, were known as the Bible Teachers. They would go from school to school back in the sixties, from classroom to classroom, teaching and singing about Jesus. They would be at Vacation Bible School in about every church in the area teaching and singing about Jesus. It is no doubt in my mind today, that their work and ministry directly impacted my coming to Christ and Him using me today. When I met her and introduced myself and told her who I was and how that she and Miss Hess had taught me for years in the Ivanhoe Elementary School, that I was so honored to see her again. She then opened her purse and pulled out a church bulletin and pointed to the message on the back. "Is this you?" She asked. "Did you write this?" I was humbled beyond measure. "I have carried this for a long time hoping that I would meet this guy" she said. She then laughed like she always did. We hugged for a long time. She is with Jesus today along with Miss Hess.

Lord; thank You for all the people You have brought into my life over the years and for all the people You have lined up for me to meet. I give You the Glory for all the messages, You know that; but I say this for all those who may think that I am something, God forbid. Jesus; Thank You. Amen.












 

Acts of Terror

Another attack on innocent people by a handful of haters. Acts of terrorism are the result of an inward rage directed outward upon the rest of humanity. They are miserable people who want others to suffer as much as they do. Many are deceived into believing that they will receive an eternal reward for killing those who do not agree with their doctrines. Jesus said in the last days there would be those who will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. The world is a violent place and will continue to be until the Prince of Peace Himself, Jesus Christ, comes back for the final time to eradicate sin; the root of all hate. Satan hates God and all of us because we are made in His image. Satan would like nothing more than to wipe out every human being in order to get rid of Gods image. Even the ones who commit the horrible acts are made in the image of God but Satan has turned them against themselves to the point that they commit suicide in order to get rid of the hate and rage that plagues their hearts. He convinces them that they will have an eternal reward if they kill the rest of us.

What do we do? How do we guard against it? We cannot. We cannot see what is in the heart of another. There are no scanners that can pick up on deranged minds that have been altered by a seared conscious stemming from a heart full of hate possessed by Satan. The only heart we can really know is our own. Jesus said that murder starts in the heart. The heart being of course the inner man. The only way to prevent such acts of terror is to change the hearts of those in whom it exists. No military on earth can do that. You and I have only one option to protect ourselves from these haters; Jesus. As His child I am safe and secure in this unsafe and insecure world. Jesus says do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Spiritual death should frighten us more than physical death. This body I inhabit will one day be changed anyway. It will either decay in the grave or be changed at the rapture of the church. A terrorist bomb or bullet cannot kill me, just this body. I do not know about you but that gives me comfort when I sit in restaurants, theaters, or church. Jesus is able to keep me from the terror of death because He overcame it. The Bible teaches that we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

For the families left behind in Paris my prayer for them is that they will take measures to protect themselves from terrorists; by being born again into Christ. I also pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort their grieving hearts. For the rest of you, put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.







 

Lost Art of Conversation

The information age, the age of technology, the digitized culture and the cyber culture communities of our day have left many people, like me, in the wake of this big ship that sails on the sea of the global society. There are so many ways to electronically communicate today that we are inching closer and closer to not even having to speak to one another at all.  I will admit that it has certainly helped us communicate quicker and over longer distances almost immediately. Just like this simple blog here. When I was in elementary school you had to get a newspaper or a magazine in order to read stuff people had to say about everything. “Communication is the problem to the answer” wrote the British Band 10CC in their song “The Things We Do  For Love” which was released in 1976. How true that line is for us today with the exception of what we do for love, but rather, the things we do to keep from talking to people. Social skills that were taught in the first grade have gone the way of the eight track tape player. Conversational skills such as listening and cadence of speech do not apply to tweets. If you can read you can communicate. Push a few keys, insert some funny faces, a few consonants and vowels in upper case and boom . . . you have sent a message. Facebook has replaced the grapevine. Gossip used to be juicy because it had time to get ripe. You didn’t know it the moment it happened. Now not only do you know at the very moment when someone falls off their commode or their wagon, you can have a video of it; within seconds it spreads to hundreds. The dirty laundry bin for families or friends has now been hung out to dry in cyberspace. Is it any wonder people do not like to talk anymore? They have no need to. People used to gather on front porches or at country stores and even at church, to fellowship and talk with each other. Local post office lobbies were the chat rooms. Now, and I’m guilty as well, we text someone in the next room to keep from having to holler for them or actually walk up the steps from the basement to tell them something.

Say what you will and think what you want but conversation face to face is becoming a lost art. I guess that is why people don’t come to church like they used to. They don’t have to face the preachers when they preach the Word. They can read it online, like in a blog, and read the parts they like. They don’t have to hear what they don’t want to hear. It may offend them or depress them. There is one good thing about not communicating face to face; it teaches us how prayer works!

Who Can Voice Their Opinion?

If you read my blogs you will know that I generally stay out of the nations politics however with the recent opinion stated by Ben Carson one of the candidates in the race for President, I am saddened by the media's attempt to dismiss him because the man simply voiced his own opinion in regards to a Muslim president. Since when do we not have the right to say anything negative about the Islamic faith? Are we so afraid of offending them that we are just to keep our mouths shut and our opinions to ourselves? If Ben does not want a Muslim president that is his business. When a society tells people what opinions they can have and if it differs from that of others it cannot be stated, then friends we are no longer in the America our forefathers established. The Christian's in this nation are the ones being abused in every area of national opinion we have and I might add, with no repercussions for those opinions being voiced. The LGBT movement in general calls those of us in Christian denominations that do not agree with them that homosexuality is not a sin; haters. Why don't they call the Muslim's haters? They actually kill folk for being gay. Could it be because they fear them? Has the radical Islamic community put a fear of Muhammad in them? Now a Christian man voices his personal opinion in regards to whom he would want as his president and the press and the liberals are ready to run him out of the race because he does not agree with them.

I don't know everyone who reads my messages here. Some I know that are Christians that read them and you know exactly what we are facing down the road here in this country. If you are reading these and not a Christian let me encourage you to become one as soon as possible! Someone told me that we need a Christian President because we are a Christian nation. I reminded him that this nation has passed laws against murder unless someone does it to a helpless, speechless, infant. That this nation has passed laws saying it makes no difference who you marry now as long as you "love" them. I don't know what he was basing his opinion on but it was certainly not facts given to us in the Bible that constitutes a Christian Nation. America is no longer a Christian nation; we have millions of Christians living in America but we are not running the country! God punished Israel, His own chosen nation because of the disobedience of His laws given them by the majority of the people. He did not spare them just because He chose them. He will not spare America for turning from Him either. Jesus said, "I know My sheep and they know My voice." His sheep will be spared but the nation as a whole will not be. I think that is why the press and the general population don't want to hear our message, just like they don't want to say anything against the Muslims; they fear judgment. The only difference is, they fear Muhammad more than Jesus. God help them.







 

Cold Blooded Killers

Cold blooded killers are on the rise it seems. The killing of the two reporters in Roanoke this past week along with the deputy in Houston has rocked the country. It leaves us wondering what to expect next. These events affect the way we think about society in general and our decisions on who we can trust and where we go. Before this week news reporters that were not in war zones never feared that they would be killed doing a live interview. Police officers who pump gas into their cars now keep a constant lookout. We as citizens are paying closer attention now to our surroundings and we begin to study the people in stores and restaurants. What are we to do? How do we keep from being a target? Everyone is searching for answers. Experts try to analyze what was going on in the minds of those who carried out these acts by evidence recovered after the fact. When we learned of the anger of the man that killed the reporters and then himself, we try to find out what was the final straw that "pushed him over the edge." Allison, Adam, and Deputy Goforth were innocent prey for vicious predators filled with satanic rage and needing to get rid of it.

You may not want to "hear" what I have to say about such actions and you may not want to believe what the root causes are but the Bible is clear on the "whys" of such behavior. We need only to look at the beginnings of the human race to see why we have turned into creatures that are capable of such acts. A perfect man and a perfect woman were created by a perfect God and they lived in a perfect world. That in itself sounds like a fairytale but it is not, it was the humble beginning of "us." Now enter the enemy; the devil. Convincing the woman she could know what God knows he was able to talk her into doing what God had told her, through Adam, not to do. She then talked Adam into doing what he had told her not to do and what God told him not to do. Death was given birth that day. Years later, when they thought God was not going to kill them, death took its toll on their second son. Abel was the first innocent murder victim of the human race. People have been killing people ever since. When sin entered the world, death through sin entered also. Each one of us has the DNA to become a Cain. We think the Cain's of the world differ from us. They don't. The devil is still seeking out Adam's and Eve's and Cain's. He is still convincing people to do what they think they need to do and not what they should or should not do. The innocent who die at the hands of satanic influenced people join a long list of people who have died the same way since Eden. The only "protection" we have is found in Christ. Protection for the Abel's and the Cain's alike is found in Christ. We ask God to guard our hearts and minds and if we allow Him to, He will. We also ask Him to guard us from the Cain's in the world and He has: by sending Jesus to die for our sins so that if sin kills us by way of a Cain we can enter eternal life in heaven by way of Jesus. Just as death came to all men by the disobedience of one man, eternal life has come to all men by the obedience of One man; the man Jesus Christ. Does Jesus live in your heart right now? I hope He does, there are plenty more Cain's out there.

Their Sins Have Found Them Out.

Planned Parenthood, (what a stupid name for this baby killing outfit anyway), and Ashley Madison, the cheaters website set up for people to arrange secret affairs, have both been found out recently. Nothing is ever hidden from God and there is nothing that will not be revealed sooner or later. Let this be a warning to those who think their sins are hidden. Now they need to repent and seek forgiveness. Can you really imagine them doing that? Do you really think that the Planned Parenthood folk will come forth in sackcloth and ashes and mourn the millions of babies they have assisted in executing for their own personal gain? Will the adulterers that hackers have uncovered under the blankets of Ashley Madison come forth seeking forgiveness and change from their evil practices? They could . . . . but will they? I think they will defend their decisions to do what they are doing; both outfits and the people involved in them. Somehow they will blame their actions on someone else. A woman who did not want a child or a man whose wife never pays him enough attention. Excuses will be made while explanations will be offered. Josh Duggar has confessed again to even more sins this past week and has finally admitted his years of his hypocritical lifestyle to cover up his sexual immorality. He is on the road to repentance if he will endure the chastening that God brings upon His children. Time will tell.

How long O Lord will you allow these things to continue one may ask. Moses told the Israelites that if they did not obey God;  "and be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23b). We know that nothing is ever hidden from God. We can hide things from people and fool them into believing we are who we say we are but the proof is in the pudding. Abraham Lincoln said, "You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time." I have come to believe that devil is fooling a lot of the people all of the time!

Our duty as Christians is not to rejoice in the wickedness of these groups that have been exposed but rather to pray for the souls that make up these organizations. Abortions sometimes happen naturally but when a person reaches into a womb and drags a little life out of it they are committing murder. When a spouse decides that they need more excitement in their life and sneak into an adulterous affair they are sinning against God, their own body, and their spouse. Pray. Pray, and keep praying.

Sin that is exposed can be confessed and forgiven. Jesus died for our sins, all of our sins, so His forgiveness is for them just as it for us.

Is God About to Give Up on Us?

Is God about to give up on the human race? You will more than likely answer in your mind with either “I am surprised He has let us go this far,” or perhaps, “No, He will never give up on us.” You may know this and you may not but God did give up on the human race and wiped all of them out except eight people. Noah and his family were counted as the only family on earth that cared about God and what He wanted. We can only speculate how many people were on earth at that time but it was over 1,600 years after Adam and Eve. The speculations from scholars say over 100 million.  Noah did the right thing in God’s eyes. His family did as well. His sons were married to one woman. Not several wives and not same sex marriages. It is evident from the Scriptures that creature worship was at the center of God’s wrath. Man worshipping man by caring more about sensual satisfaction than spiritual satisfaction. “God is Spirit and is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth” Jesus told us. When humankind turned their attention to each other more than to Him, He put an end to them with a flood. Everything on earth died except the eight people who cared more about God than they did themselves or each other and the animals He chose to preserve. Jesus warned that those who love spouses, children, or parents more than they do God are in violation of His commandment to love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. He used the strong word “hate” to emphasize the difference between worshipping each other instead of Him, and it was worship He was talking about. He knows we love our kids and parents and spouses but we are not to love them so much we worship them. Mankind has become obsessed with themselves again. From cereal commercials with gay guys to car commercials with old ladies the media appeals to our sensuality in order to get our attention. Sensuality can replace spirituality in our lives as it did those Paul talks about in his letter to the Romans, Chapter 1. From the time Masters and Johnson started their human sexuality studies in the name of science in 1957 the obsession with sexuality and sensuality has replaced being obsessed with God. The porn industry thrives on sensuality and has spread its sensual tentacles into the deepest depths of society today by way of the internet. Sexual addiction is rampant among society as is all other drugs that appeal to the human senses. Spirituality is perverted as well with ignorant practices such as grave soaking or mantle grabbing. Society puts more emphasis today on the creature than it does the Creator; which is what got the pre-flood bunch wiped out. He will give up on man again but this time He will wipe them out with fire, and the earth itself will be wiped out this time, (2 Peter, Chapter 3). He physically saved the righteous in Noah’s day by way of an ark. He will spiritually save the righteous next time by way of faith in Jesus Christ (Romans, Chapter 5). As a tee shirt I saw recently that read, “Jesus is coming back. It is about to get real.”

The Flag Issue: More Discord.

Conflict after conflict. It seems that each week brings with it some serious issue affecting the social stabilization of our society. Ringo Star just celebrated his 75th Birthday yesterday (July 7). His message to the world at high noon, the time of his birth was, "Peace and Love." I remember the conflict he and his cohorts brought to the nation in 1964. I like his message though, don't you?

Why is peace so hard to have in societies? James, the half brother of Jesus said it is because of what we want (as individuals or nations) and cannot have because it belongs to someone else. Therefore we fight them for it, or they fight us for it (James 4). I would surmise that peace has to start within an individual before it can come about in a relationship with others. Differences of opinion do not necessarily constitute a seedbed for discord. Jesus never agreed with His disciples on many issues but He never forced them to accept His teachings but loved them enough so that they would accept Him and then His teachings would make more sense to them. Love and then Peace.

The latest issue with the Confederate Flag is causing discord. Let me say that as a southern born and southern resident, I was born into One Nation under God. Had I been born into the south when it was divided from the north, I may have had a different opinion about that flag. I know that perhaps some of my great granddaddies or ancestors could have been born under it, or maybe not, but that does not make me a confederate. I live in the south and am proud to, but I am an American, just as those who live in the North, East, South, and West are. I understand the history associated with the flag and whether we like to talk about that history or not, it stands as another example of people wanting what they want and willing to kill to get it as Saint James says.

I like what the Apostle Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; "So don’t be a stumbling block to anyone, whether they are Jews or Gentiles or Christians.  That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do, not doing what I like or what is best for me but what is best for them, so that they may be saved (1 Corinthians 10:32,33 The Living Bible).

Paul also gave the definition of love to that same church with the words, "Put others before yourself." If we all did that then peace would come naturally but we all know that we are imperfect humans and even if we tried to love each other that way our nature would prevent it. That is why it is so important that we have Jesus in our hearts so that we can let Him love people the way He wants and does not leave it up to us. With Christ in our hearts we can agree to disagree on many issues without holding grudges against those who disagree with us so that unbelievers can see the love and peace we have in our hearts and perhaps they may be motivated to seek Christ as well so as Paul wrote, "So that they may be saved."

Marrige, The Law and The Truth

With the recent Supreme Court ruling Friday regarding the same sex marriage law the comments from government leaders are varied. There is one thing that all the proponents are saying. “People can now marry whom they love.” You may have not noticed but the entire issue has revolved around love and the rights of those who love each other being the same sex.

 I do not know of any law that existed that said people could not marry whom they love. In fact many people marry people they don’t love. Some marry for money, some for lust, some because they were not sober enough to know what they were doing.  Why don’t they really say what the law is all about? That people of the same sex can marry one another and enjoy the same marital relationship and status as heterosexual couples. The sin of sexual immorality covers the entire spectrum of who can have sex with whom under the Law of God, married or not. God says that fornication (sex before marriage), adultery (sex with someone after you are married other than your spouse), sex with children, sex with animals, and sex with people of the same gender, all fall under the heading sexual immorality. Here is what the Bible says about it; “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7 NIV). God has not changed His mind since those days. Here is what the Apostle Paul was inspired to tell the people in Corinth who were out of control as well: “But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2). 

The Supreme Court decision orders states to recognize same sex marriages just as they do heterosexual marriages, it does not, and cannot, order pastors, ministers, and churches to recognize it and thereby force them to perform such weddings. The Supreme Court is not the Supreme Authority; Almighty God is! Jesus said “That a man will leave his father and mother (male and female) and be joined (married) to his wife (female), (Mark 10:7 Italics mine). If Christ lives in our hearts and we want to marry then we cannot override that command; yes a command not just an opinion.  

Our President made this statement in a speech Friday after he said this was a “Victory for America.” [1]“Shifts in hearts and minds is possible,” he said. “And those who have come so far on their journey to equality have a responsibility to reach back and help others join them. Because for all our differences, we are one people — stronger together than we could ever be alone.”

 My heart will never shift because Christ lives in it and as long as I have my right mind I will never change it about the Bible. Never forget that God has not been overruled and never will be.

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[1] Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/26/obama-ditch-religious-convictions-about-same-sex-marriage-already/#ixzz3ebSexEC9

Killed at Church.

I remember when I heard about the shooting in South Carolina. A friend called and asked if I had seen the news and at that time I had not. He told me what had happened and asked if we could pray for those folk, and we did. People have been taking their hate out on other people ever since the Garden of Eden. They will continue to do it until Jesus comes and sets up His Kingdom. You may think that I am a pessimist; no, I just remember what Jesus says. "In this world you will have tribulation (troubles), but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." At our church one of our ushers asked what could we do to secure our church better. Nothing, I told him. We can not guard against such things. In fact we invite non church people to come to church, if we were afraid they would kill us we would not invite them would we? Jesus said that we were not to fear those who kill the body but Him who can kill body and soul! The guy that killed the bodies of those Christians in that church did not kill their souls. The One who created their soul has them with Him today; and they will be with Him from now on. We are all going to live forever, somewhere. Fear is the enemy of faith. Fear causes us to think there are things we cannot control thereby making us the keeper of our selves. There are things we cannot control, such as being shot by a hater. Fearing that we will be erodes our faith in life after death. It is unlikely that any of us would voluntarily have a hater shoot us but Jesus let haters kill Him. He said if they hate us not to worry, they hated Him first.

It is tragic that people do such things, but be honest; are you really surprised? We live in a world plagued by haters. Tares in the wheat is what Jesus called them. Both will grow together until the time for harvest. They believe the only way to feel better or to save themselves is to get rid of those they hate. Jesus stepped out of glory into a world filled with haters. He went back to glory and sent the Holy Spirit who now lives in us, and we live in a world of haters. Being killed in church is not a guarantee that you will end up in heaven. Being born again is the only way we will get there, and that is accomplished through faith in Jesus Christ. If Christ lives in you, the same Spirit that raised Him from the dead will raise you up also, the Bible teaches. Haters will keep on hating but Jesus will keep on loving them. He died for them too you know. Pray for the families of those killed and for that Church. Pray for the shooter and his family too.

Self Inflicted Wounds

Catchy title, hey? I am not writing about physical inflicted wounds so I hope you will not be disappointed if you thought the article would be about those. The wounds I am addressing come from "self" but impact us emotionally and spiritually. As you well know I have had the opportunity afforded to me by God to talk to lots of people who are in crisis situations over the past years. In the beginning I was overwhelmed by the problems that people face and the critical decisions they had to make in order to bring resolve. I have learned from experience that life 101 does not always have fairy tale endings. The best we can expect sometimes is to survive and live another day. Some of the problems we face are not of our own making of course. Some of them are. Hopefully and prayerfully we learn which is which.


It seems that we are quicker to forgive people their trespasses than we are to forgive our own. There is a big difference between the Holy Spirit bringing conviction upon our hearts and our own convictions we bring upon ourselves, or even worse, the attacks the enemy brings against us. The Holy Spirit has one goal in mind for us, to be of one mind and one accord with Christ. To allow Him to mold us into the person He created us to be. When we veer off track He will convict us in order to get us back on track. He does not excuse us but He does forgive us if we are willing to accept His instruction. He does not give up on us and does not "kick us" when we are down but always extends the Spiritual hand of Christ to lift us back up.

When it comes to our self conviction we are harder on ourselves than the Lord is! I think it comes from our desire to be a "good Christian" and somehow we get caught up in the illusion that we can do it. When we fail we blame ourselves for being a "bad person" or nothing but a hypocrite. We feel that we have failed Christ and we try to work harder to make up for the failure. Promising ourselves that we will "do better next time" and promising God that we will not fail again. If we were able to keep those promises we would not need Christ in our lives. If we could live a Christian life without Christ there would be no need to have Him in our hearts! We begin to fail over and over and each time we do we inflict wounds to our spirits and our emotions and therefore we find it more comfortable to just quit trying and not have all the pressure of trying to be a Christian; and we give up. Which pleases the enemy of our souls because he is always ready to tell us how much of a failure we are and that we should just accept that fact and not worry about it.


Here are some Words of Encouragement for you today; God does not expect you to live a Christian life. He expects you to allow Him to live through you. With Christ in your heart you do not have to fear failure. He will guide you, instruct you, forgive you, and love you unconditionally. As long as you are willing to receive His guidance, instruction, and forgiveness He is willing to abide with you; forever. Pride is the biggest reason for our self inflicted wounds. Once we realize that our righteousness is as filthy rags and therefore we have to allow Christ to put His robe of righteousness upon us, He will be able to heal our self inflicted wounds.



Prayer: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed is Your name; help us this day by searching our hearts and healing our self inflicted wounds. Remove our pride by humbling us in Your presence. Thank You for not giving up on us and loving us unconditionally. Thank You for accepting us as we are but loving us to much to leave us that way! We ask this in Your name Jesus; Amen.

A.D. The Bible Continues Slights the Holy Spirit

I heard the hype about the series A.D., The Bible Continues on N.B.C. One of my favorite preachers, Dr. David Jeremiah, even wrote a book about it and highly endorses it. I watched the first couple of episodes and it was following the Bible accounts in my opinion. I realize the dramatic parts are added to imitate what life may have been like during those days. Last evening, Sunday, April 19th, was about the Day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples. I was disappointed with this episode because they did not follow what Dr. Luke recorded happened in the Book of Acts.

They had the disciples waiting in the Upper Room along with Mary as Luke wrote when the Holy Spirit came upon them. The program followed the Bible at this point. The problem comes after that. They showed the disciples speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance as the Bible teaches but they stopped in the Upper Room. Then they came out of the Upper Room into the crowd below and walked through them like hero's. Here is the problem. Dr. Luke writes this; "Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?" Then he writes, "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." Then Peter closed his sermon this way the Bible says, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Read it for yourself in Acts, Chapter 2.

They skipped that entire section! Peter never peached, people never asked what to do, repentance and forgiveness was never offered, and it was never mentioned that each would be given the Holy Spirit.

If you take the preaching out of what happened that day, and they did, you have missed the whole point of why God sent His Holy Spirit upon the disciples to begin with! The show portrays the disciples as rebels against Rome instead of servants of Jesus. The episode went on to show Peter and John reaching out to the invalid and then being arrested; totally leaving out the entire Peter preaching to the crowd sequence. They slighted the Holy Spirit and His work in a major way. You don't have to be a Pentecostal Preacher to know they left it out, just read it for yourself. When you take the ENTIRE work of the Holy Spirit out of the initial founding of the church, you have left it up to just those disciples present to be the "hero's" of the faith by following Christ and rebelling against Rome. The Bible says; "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." They totally went right over that part. The whole point of Pentecost was to build the Kingdom of God, the Church that Jesus said He would build, and they never showed it. I am utterly disappointed but not surprised. We are living in the last days people so get ready for more and more "half truths" to be preached. Dr. Jeremiah, I would have thought you would have caught that. Read your Bible's people to get the WHOLE truth.

 
 







 

Why Study When I Can Google.

I am amazed at the number of Christians that I converse with sometimes about Bible verses. Did you know that there are a certain number of verses that about every Christian knows? John 3:16 for example seems to be the one they know most. I ask them what John 3:17 says or even John 3:18, only to get a blank look. Now before you begin to think that I am saying that every Christian should remember every verse in the Bible, or at least the New Testament, I am not. That would certainly be very beneficial for all of us to do though! The other thing I have found out is just how little many Christians really know in regards to certain doctrines of Christianity. I think one reason is the fact that so many do not study the Scriptures. I know people who have read the Bible through over 10 times; but they could not tell me what Jesus meant when He said that we must "Eat His flesh and drink His blood." How can Scripture really benefit us if we do not know how to apply it? If we had just read a manual about how to drive a car but we never got under the wheel would we really know how to drive it?

I have noticed a big drop in Sunday School attendance over the years. The church I attended as a kid had a ton of people in Sunday School. Half of them would leave after it was over and not be in the "preaching service." Today, most people attend a worship service and not Sunday school or even a weekly Bible study. Many of the churches in our area no longer have Wednesday evening or Sunday evening services; because they don't have enough people coming to make it worthwhile they say! That is why I consider myself a "treacher." I spend most of my sermon time teaching coupled with some preaching. It is easy to tell people what to do but without telling them why they need to do it and why God wants them to do it, there is a good chance it will never get done.

There has been an information explosion in the last decade and the amount of information available to us on any subject we choose has contributed to us taking the quote that someone once said to heart: "You don't have to know everything, you just need to know where to find it when you need it." We can access any Scripture in the Bible in a matter of seconds. We can read hundreds of commentaries and blogs on that Scripture. We can "self educate" ourselves on every subject in the Bible at the touch of screen. We can generally select the information we like, that says what we would like to hear, and discard the rest. All this information flooding our brains eventually finds it way into our spirits and we no longer need the Holy Spirit to teach us or tell us anything; we can Google it. If the congregants that listen to my message on Sunday morning or night are offended by something I say, they can always Google it and find someone else that will say that I am wrong. It is almost as if there is no absolute truth any longer so what is the point of studying if we have no real answers.

Oh, my friend, there is absolute truth; and it is the Bible. Not the bloggers (like me), not the commentators opinions, or the theological explanations, but the Bible. The Word of God Himself. For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God (2 Peter 1:20 The Living Bible). Many folk think that the teachers and pastors do all the studying for them, even believing that is what we "get paid to do." People have a doctor, a dentist, a hair stylist, a therapist, and the pastor that will take care of their spiritual needs. I hope it does not come down to Jesus asking someone, "Why did you believe that?" Only to have them say, "Because my pastor told me it was true." Do like the Bereans that the Apostle Paul talked about: They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).






 

What's Happened to the Altars?

The kids came up for praise and worship the other morning during Sunday service. What a blessing it was to us to have them all sitting in the front pew singing and praising with us, with their teachers sitting behind them. The thing that impressed me the most however was when after the singing I took prayer requests from the congregation and then called the church to prayer. At the moment I said, "Let's all go to God in prayer" the kids on the front row ALL went to the altar and knelt with their hands clasped in prayer! They have an altar in the children's church area and it was apparent that their teachers and leaders have taught them what it is for and are utilizing it.

Why is it that when I call the church up to the altar to pray there are more that will not come than do. Now don't go getting pious on me and say, "We can talk to God as good in the pews as we can at the altar." You think I don't know that? Some of the best prayer time I enjoy is in my car when on the road. However when I am in His house, even by myself many days during the week, I always kneel, or stand, or sit, at the altar and pray. Those altars that stretch across the front of our sanctuary are not just pieces of furniture. The forefathers that designed that church also designed to have these altars. We think that because Jesus has torn the veil into between us and access to God that the altar is not necessary any longer. Again, do not think that I am saying that the altar is the ONLY place you can have audience with God but understand that the altar still serves as the place in the House of God where we can come together, as a body of believers, to meet with God in His House.

Let me tell you what use to keep me from the altars in churches. First of all I was not saved so the altar held no more significance for me than the piano or the pews did. When I finally accepted Christ, it was not at the altar; in was in the pews! About two weeks later I made my way up to the altar and was met by the pastor and several other saints who prayed with me and for me. It was a very special moment for me and at that moment I wished I had went to the altar earlier. There is something about that altar. I think pride kept me from the altar that day I got saved. I did not want to appear that I had an issue by going up to the altar. After all what would others think of me? "Why is he going up there, what has he done?" Some may not come to the altar because they think they don't need to. (Hear the pride in that statement?) Which of us are not in need of Gods guidance; even when things are going well for us!

The altar is becoming more and more less important. People are becoming more and more dignified. Jesus said this; "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26)

At the very least Christians should be honored to come to the altar. Coming to the altar is not just for sinners, or people in distress, or people who are ill. We worship at the altar! We praise at the altar!

I may be old fashioned in my thinking. Maybe I am making a too big of deal about it. Say what you will, think what you want, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord and every time I have an opportunity in our church or some other one; you will find me at the altar sooner or later.

 

The Church of Burger King

If the title of this message got your attention then that's a good thing, however I am not planting a church in a burger joint. I used the title because years ago Burger King had a slogan that said, "Have it your way." In the world of "church" today it seems that many congregations and entire denominations have adopted that slogan. I could spend hours and megabytes of room defining the differences between what Jesus established as His Church and what we have evolved into that we call church. You may get offended if you keep reading because there is not anyway to say what needs to be said without confronting ideas that many have in regards to what Jesus accepts and does not accept. It seems that many tell God what He accepts by telling others what He is okay with. Just because we think God is okay with it does not mean that He is okay with it. The doctrine of the Church of Burger King has one article of faith: God loves you and because He does He will let you have it your way. I am as firm a believer in the grace of God as anyone you can name but I also know that grace can be abused. Grace is what we get from God instead of justice, mercy is what we get from Him instead of what we deserve. The Apostle Paul said that "God forbid" if we should think grace cannot be abused (Romans 6:15). The Church of Burger King says that we can leave out what we do not like and add in what tastes better to us. God forbid.

Here is what God says in His word: ¹⁵ but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1; underline mine).

God does not give us a choice which behaviors we can keep and which ones we must do away with. All our conduct, that is not just our actions but our words as well. The holiness of God is only imparted unto us by Christ. We have not the ability to make ourselves holy. We cannot live a Christian life but we can let Christ live His life through us. When we allow Jesus into our heart He will guide us by His principles and His virtues. The behavior resulting from His indwelling is called the "Fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22, 23). Jesus is the vine, His children are the branches and He produces His fruit through us. The Church of Burger King says we can bear grapes on a watermelon vine. The Church of Burger King teaches that a fresh water spring can also supply salt water. Don't be deceived, be doers of the Word of the God and not just hearers only. One more thing; If it says it in the Bible, Jesus agrees with it; whether it is in "red print" or not. 

Over Complicating the Gospel: The Kid and the Doc

My wife is one of the children church teachers for our church. She has kids from ages 5 to 8. When they were praying for one another and taking requests, one little guy told her he needed them to pray for his leg. His leg was hurting one night and the next day his mom took him to the doctor. My wife inquired, "What did the doctor say honey?" He said, "The doctor called it a pain in the leg.'"

The doctor gave it to him in terms he could understand even though it may not tell us exactly what the pain was from. The doctor knew that a little fellow could not understand complicated medical terms and jargon. Which brings me to my message point today; we sometimes overcomplicate the Gospel. We find it hard sometimes to accept the fact that redemption and salvation is as simple as it really is. We have grown up in a society that teaches that you get what you pay for. If it is cheaper it has to be of less quality.


If something is free there is a catch to it. There is a hidden charge somewhere, there are lines of fine print that we missed. Trying to get folk to believe in something as critical as life after death is hard in itself, much less trying to get them to believe they cannot buy it.

The teaching and preaching of the grace of God has went to both ends of the spectrum over time. On one end you have the grace only applying to devout monks while at the other end the grace covers anything we want to do with no repercussions. There is no middle ground to grace, either God is gracious or He is not. When we try to decipher what the grace of God covers and what it does not we open ourselves up to having to choose sides with the folk at one of the spectrum or the other.

Let's just take what the Bible says about it, teach and preach that, and let the Word speak for itself. The Bible teaches that God's grace is beyond our human reckoning; but so is His judgment. We do not like to put judgment and grace in the same sentence but that is where they go. Jesus said, "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, ²⁷ and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." (John 5:26,27). You caught that line didn't you? The Savior of mankind, the One who died for the sin of all, the One who forgives those who will come to Him; has authority to execute judgment too. Grace and judgment in the same sentence.

So, don't overcomplicate the Gospel. God is loving, He is forgiving, He is gracious, He is merciful, He is patient; but He will also judge those who reject His Son.











 

Christ and ?

Is Christ really all we need? How many times I have heard it said by well meaning individuals, "Jesus is all you need." Now being well versed in "Christianese", (the language of church goers), I know what that statement means but what about the homeless man or woman on the street who has not eat today or has no where to get in out of the cold? What about the person that has lost everything in a house fire or a tornado? What about the distraught parent's standing at the graveside as the minister reads Scripture over the coffin of their child? What about the teen girl that everyone laughs at because she is different in size, color, or culture? How would they accept that statement from us? "Well, all you need is Jesus." No, He is not all they need; they need for His servants to help them.

Yes, I know that salvation is the most important thing one has need of but we also have need of food, clothing, shelter, and someone who really cares about us. Oh, I know, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you," the Christian will say. Someone once said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We often associate that saying with teamwork. What if we applied it to the Kingdom of God? What do you think about this Scripture: And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh (Jude 1:22-23). What about that "Pulling them out of the fire" part? That kind of sounds like to me there is some work involved in having compassion. Saint James said, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:15-17).

My point today is this; people do need Jesus but they need us too. Jesus not only died on the Cross that we may be saved, He also healed people, fed people, and showed them compassion without just telling them He had it. Lord, help us to do the same. Christ and us; the link that connects God to the rest of the world.





 

Are We Afraid to Ask?

Have you ever wanted to know something but were afraid to ask? I have even as an adult and especially as a kid. There was an old fellow in the town I grew up in that wore a patch over his eye and I always wondered how he lost his eye but was afraid to ask him. In fact all of us kids were afraid of that guy, he looked like a pirate and talked rough. He would catch us somewhere and would threaten to pull that patch off and we would fly!

The fear of asking questions goes way back to Bible times. St. Mark tells us that Jesus told His disciples that He was going to be killed but that He would be raised from the dead three days later and they did not understand what He meant, but were afraid to ask Him (Mark 9:32). I wonder why they were afraid to ask Him what He meant. We know what He meant . . . . now. We have the New Testament that explained it to us and we have the account of His death and resurrection; but they never had that. They only had His words at that moment.

Which brings me to the point of my message today; are there things we are afraid to ask Him even now? I mean, things like why did my mom have to get cancer and die. Things like why are You allowing all those Christians to be killed in Iraq. How about this one; why did you allow my spouse to leave me because they said they do not love me anymore. Maybe even, why did You allow my precious child to die. These are very personal and heart wrenching questions. I am sure we have asked why many times and yet we are like the disciples that day; we still don't know what it all means. We can all agree that there are things which He allows that we do not understand now but we know as people of faith that He is never powerless in any of these situations.

There are other questions some do not want to ask. Questions that we know the answer to but really do not want to hear His reply. "Am I praying enough?" "Am I reading Your Word enough?" To name just a few. We know that He loves us regardless of how He replies to those and because we know He loves us anyway, we kind of just don't ask them a lot.

Never be afraid to ask Him anything; yes, anything. He knows what we would like to know anyway but it sure does give Him joy when one of His kids ask!

 

Head, Heart, and Hands

"I just don't feel Him like I used to." Is that something you could say? Is it something you have said? I have a lot of people tell me that. I do my best to answer them and sometimes I think they accept it and other times I think they are still left unsatisfied with the answer. Our relationship with God and Christ can only be real if we have done what Jesus told the first disciples to do and continue to follow the instructions God has given us in His word.

The Apostle John wrote, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." To behold the glory of Christ, (The Word), was a marvelous thing for those first disciples. Jesus was with them in the flesh, day and night, morning and evening, in good times and in bad times. If He was not defending them against the Pharisees He was stopping a typhoon type wind that was splashing waves into their boat to keep them from drowning. They watched in awe as demons would come out of people at His command and blind eyes would be opened with just a word from Him. They must have questioned His sanity when He told them they would have to "Eat His flesh and drink His blood" if they were going to believe in Him fully. Then believing Him to be the Christ, the Messiah, they had to doubt their belief as they saw Him hanging helpless on a Roman Cross and still promising a man that he would be with Him in paradise that very day as the religious leaders paraded back and forth in front of Him shaking their heads and pointing their fingers as they ordered Him to come down from the Cross and prove He was who He said He was. They touched Him, they smelled Him, they hugged Him, they ate with Him, they watched Him, they listened to Him, they abandoned Him, and then they finally believed in Him with all their heart when the tomb was empty and He showed up in the private chambers and told them to "Touch His hands and put their hand in His side."

Here is my point; if it took His Bodily resurrection to prove to the first disciples that He was really alive and that He really was who He said He was; why should we expect to be any less skeptical than they were? That is why He told Thomas, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." I am glad He said that. I am REALLY glad He said that! If being saved by Him is determined only by seeing Him, or feeling Him for that matter, then our faith is futile and we are still in our sins. It could be that we don't feel like we used to about Him and mistake our lack of feeling toward Him as His lack of feeling toward us. Huh? You think that may be it? If I lose my love toward my wife how should I expect to feel her love toward me? We are the Bride of Christ you know (the Born Again Church). If we fail to love Him as much as we used to and then wait for Him to prove He loves us before we will love Him that way again; it is very possible that we "Won't feel Him like we used to." If He is just in our heads we will never "feel" Him in our hearts. If we try to touch Him with our "hands" (good works) and never allow Him into our hearts (Born Again of His Spirit) we will not "feel" Him either. There you go; take inventory and then maybe you can answer the question: "Why don't I feel Him like I used to?"




 

Mental Overload: Is there a fix?

Another one of those days. You know the kind I am talking about. From the moment you wake up things begin to go wrong. You are still carrying the baggage from yesterday that had unresolved issues. As the day wears on more stuff gets added. Trying to keep everything in perspective and under control is getting harder and harder to do. You are not sleeping well and your eating habits are changing. Even your body feels the impact from all this mental stress as the immune system goes into overtime trying to resist the current virus circulating around. You have trouble relating to those you love and become irritable and short on patience which adds more issues to your already overloaded mind. If not resolved you can expect the red flags to start popping up; headaches or maybe chest pains. What is a body to do?!

About now you are expecting me to tell you just to turn it all over to the Lord. That is what most preachers do, right? That is easy for me to tell you to do but I know from experience that it takes more than that. Because I have turned a lot of stuff over to Him but it never left me for some reason! I have tried to leave things at the altar but somehow they are still with me when I get home. Then some would say, "Well, you really didn't turn it all over to Him." I have tried. I have tried to walk away from it and promised myself to let Jesus worry about it. Guess what? Yeah, still had it. I have prayed and handed it all over to Him as much as was possible on my part; but it never left. Therefore I knew there had to be fix, a fix that I had not found.

Philippians, Chapter 4

Then one day during a devotional reading in my study I came across this verse written by Paul the Apostle: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Paul went through a lot. Risking his life daily to tell people about Jesus. For him to say this must have had a great impact on his life. Then I read this verse a little farther down in the text: I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Ah, there it is! There is the fix Paul found. It was not giving his troubles to the Lord. It was learning, yes learning, to live with them. I realized that even though all these things were upon me, they had not killed me! Christ had kept them from crushing me! I then began praying different. Instead of praying and asking the Lord to take all the things I asked Him to keep me strong as I worked through them. Today, I still have unresolved things going on that I would like to have complete fixes for but I have learned, as Paul did, to keep my focus on serving Christ and not fixing the problems. When I do that, the problems do not go away, but they sure look a lot more solvable!






 

Awesome Jesus Moment

We had one of our youth speak for us Wednesday evening in service and she did a great job. Being only thirteen she preached her first sermon to the church like a pro! If she was nervous it was not noticeable! Her sermon was to the point and took all of about 15 minutes. She spoiled our congregation as now they will get bored with my thirty minute messages. Jesus told His disciples that it was not the length of prayers that made a difference but it was their motive in praying to begin with. I think the same could be said for sermons. As a pastor I have so much that God would have me to share with the sheep in my flock but I do not think He intends for me to share it all in one message. Perhaps if I could narrow down the points of a message, like this girl did, and challenge the people to respond to it, like this girl did, then maybe people would respond to it; as they did for this kid!

She had texted and asked several weeks ago if I thought God called young people to preach. I told her absolutely. God sees the heart of a person, not their age, height, gender, ethnicity, social status, or geographical location. Of course I never told her all that; I just said, "Sure He does!" We then began texting over a period of weeks about how God uses people and we even sat down in my office one morning during Sunday school and discussed how the Holy Spirit guides us and empowers (anoints) us to carry out His mission of telling the world about Jesus. She is lead by the Spirit and after her message last evening, I think she may be filled with Him as well.

The congregation was very impressed at her composure as well as her message. I think they may have been surprised to see a thirteen year old articulate her words, connect her illustrations with the Scriptures she used, and stay on point without forgetting or stumbling through her delivery (which I have been known to do). There was no doubt in any of our minds that she was delivering what she felt God had given her to say as at one point she stopped for an "Awesome Jesus Moment." That touched me in my soul! I saw this young, delicate, pretty, spiritual, little lady, acknowledge the fullness of the Spirit in her message and in her heart!

The devil does not have control over all the teens out here regardless of what the media may report. God is still reaching and using hundreds, even thousands of them, to show His power in the world today. I thank Him for sending many of them to our church and encourage other teens; come to Christ and allow Him to use you too. Parent's, take your kids to church, teach them about Jesus, and watch what He can do through them!      Watch the Video

The Boy Lied: But he Came Clean.

W

hen this young man was six he said he died and went to heaven; remember him? He and his father wrote a book which also became a movie. He describes in the book what he saw and it was very encouraging. Now he admits it was all fabrication. It all came from the mind of a six year old that wanted attention. Now before we get all red faced and mad at him, take a look at his letter here and let it teach us a lesson. Yep, I said us. We may get upset about those who lie to us and deceive us for personal gain as we should, but we must get upset with ourselves as well for believing everything that we can find a Scripture to support.

                                                            

 

 “Please forgive the brevity, but because of my limitations I have to keep this short.  I did not die. I did not go to Heaven. I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible. It is only through repentance of your sins and a belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died for your sins (even though he committed none of his own) so that you can be forgiven may you learn of Heaven outside of what is written in the Bible…not by reading a work of man. I want the whole world to know that the Bible is sufficient. Those who market these materials must be  called to  repent and hold the Bible as enough.     In Christ,   Alex Malarkey.”

 

 

 

I think we would have to agree that his letter is sincere. Repentance looks like this. It took a lot of guts for the kid to tell the truth, even if it did take him a while to do it. He would have had to consider the lawsuits and everything else that those who are upset with him may try to do to retaliate in order to sooth their anger for believing him; but he did it anyway. There were many who never believed it in the first place and there are many who may be let down, but as Christians we know that the Bible is true; even if a little boy made up a story of heaven and angels does not change the fact that heaven is real and so are angels. Thanks Alex for coming clean; your bold repentance will encourage others who are keeping secrets to come clean before God too.

 

     

Sermon Notes: The Holy Spirit in Everyday Living.

Several weeks ago I began teaching/preaching a series on the Holy Spirit in everyday living. I felt impressed by the Lord to explain how the Holy Spirit participates in our life. It started with knowing that when we are born again we therefore have the Holy Spirit sent into our heart by the Father. When we ask Christ to come into our hearts, He does; by way of the Holy Spirit. This is not the baptism with the Holy Spirit as the series will eventually lead to explaining what exactly that is. We covered the fruit of the Spirit, those characteristics of Christ which are imputed to us by Him being in our hearts and how we learn to allow Him to express Himself through us as opposed to us trying to express Him to others on our own. Yesterday we began a series within this series! Knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells within our heart we need to learn how to let Him lead our thinking and our behavior.  One of the ways we do that is to listen to our heart and not just our mind. We have the power within us to think any thought we choose. Many of the thoughts we think are not what the Holy Spirit would have us think. That is why I used the term learn. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit does not come naturally. The Bible teaches that the natural (hu) man cannot understand the things (thoughts, teachings) of God as these things must be spiritually discerned.[1] 

The session yesterday began with understanding what thoughts the natural heart thinks. You can find those in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 15[2]. That is why the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts instead of our minds. His thoughts are totally different than those listed in Matthew’s Gospel. Once we learn the difference between what we naturally think and what the Holy Spirit thinks and imputes His thoughts to our mind, we will understand what the Apostle Paul was saying when he taught that we need to have our mind transformed.[3]

Our next session coming up will begin dealing with the heart; not the fleshly organ that pumps blood but that “core” of the human being. Jesus taught that people’s hearts fall into one of the four categories He described.[4] Some are soft hearts, hard hearts, distracted hearts, and “half” hearts. The heart type is directly related to receiving the Holy Spirit into it.

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[1] 1 Corinthians 2:14

[2] Matthew 15:19

[3] Romans 12:2

[4] Matthew 13:4