Tag: Holy Spirit

Death…and Life!


I am not sure how many people look at Jesus’ life and death and resurrection in that order, but I do. I have to, I am a pastor after all. Yes, life comes after death! It is not an “if” situation it is a when. When you die you will live somewhere forever, the where is up to your decision in this life. Which decision you may ask? The one about giving your heart to Jesus and asking Him to come into your life! It is not a decision which will ruin your life. Your life will change for sure, but it will be a more sure and hopeful life. Sure because of the promise of God, if you accept Jesus as your Savior you will be saved from an eternity of torment. Eternity is a very long time, so I would really think it over if I were in your place.

I was in your place once. I had never given my heart to Jesus, I just thought that I had. I had gone through all of the motions of going to church and Sunday school and Bible school. I had even gone down front and joined the church and even got baptized. The only thing that really happened during all of this was..that I got wet with my clothes on in front of some people. That is it! Nothing changed in my heart and I went through this more than once. Until I felt the Holy Spirit calling me and I answered Him honestly and truly, nothing changed. When I did answer His call on my life, I knew it!

Some people have said that they can name the day or date that they gave their life to Christ. I never have worked that way, never even tried to remember it but it really did happen. It has been about ten years or so now, but the relationship has grown so much closer and warmer than I could have ever imagined. It truly is like being in love because you are loved so much more deeply than you can be by anyone in the world!

Jesus loves each of us far more than we can understand and I know I have said that before, but it is true! Seek Jesus out in the Bible or at a church where they teach from God’s Word. Learn about Him if you don’t know Him yet and ask Him to come into your life. Read and study the Bible, not because it is a good book to read but because it is a collection of God’s Wisdom and His love letters penned through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to all of us, not just the Jewish people.

In His Service until He comes or I go home.

The Preeminent Christ!


Have you ever heard a preacher call Jesus that? I don’t believe that I have and I have been going to church for about fifty years (although I don’t remember much of those first few years). Jesus was elevated to His position when He returned to Heaven and sat down on the right of His Father. Why doesn’t anyone preach this or tell about Him being in this position today? Because it is not in the Bible, I believe.

Yes, it does say that He occupies the right hand side of the throne but we never hear about what that includes. Why? Because it would be mostly speculation on our part. Jesus never explicitly told His disciples that He would be in control of all of creation, it is just assumed because He is the Creator along with God! It seems that nobody considered that He would be anymore than a man, even if He is the Son of God.

Consider this: He is already on the throne of David even though He is not on Earth yet. He is in control of all of creation because He is the Creator, the Living Word of God. He loves each of us with a love that goes far beyond anything that we can conceive or imagine, even if we haven’t accepted Him as Savior yet.

He is the I AM! He is part of the Trinity! He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is Alive and He is RISEN. Our Savior and Lord, so why is it that His name and the church which began from His disciple’s going out to tell about Him causes so much strife and problems? The “church” from ages past, which sent Crusaders into Jerusalem and lands occupied by the followers of Islam, is not the church that I belong to. Though many people seem to associate Christians with it and lump us all together as one big group. We are so fractured and splintered into denominations and beliefs which don’t follow all of the teachings of Christ or have changed those teachings to reflect what each one wants to believe. How can we be so split up like this? The Bible is still the Word of God. It is still the same whether it is in a different language or translation. So what happened to the Christ and to Jesus and the message that He taught before He went to be at the right hand of the Father?

The scriptures and the words contained in them are still the Word of God, so why can’t the church act like a unified body of believers?

Because of our own beliefs and individual ideas about what should and should not be taught in church. It seems that church squabbles and divisions start because a few people don’t like the sermon which was preached last week or last month. Then, they go and stir up trouble by finding a few more people who agree with them. Pretty soon they have enough people that they can demand that the preacher leave or they can go start another church with another pastor. Who is behind all of this in-fighting and bickering? Satan.

When he was defeated at the cross, he purposed to tear the church apart by quarrels and in-fighting and he and his demons and principalities have done a very good job of it over the past two thousand years or so. The church has splintered into hundreds of denominations with different doctrines. Some which follow the teachings of Jesus and some which don’t recognize His deity at all. It is no wonder that there are so many people who are confused and have decided not to believe what our message says. All that can be done is to keep telling people about Jesus and His teachings and that He is the only way to salvation because that is His message. Don’t add to it and don’t take anything away from it and let the Spirit do its work in the world. That is the job that we have as His church.

No violence, no argument and no pushing “religion” on anyone, just tell people about His love and that He died for them so that they might live…forever.

In His Service.

Why all of the violence?


We see it and hear about it on the news every day. It is in the movies and TV shows. So why are we so enthralled with violent games and TV shows? Honestly…I don’t know. I don’t understand the love of violence, but it has been in our culture for a very long time it seems. We have had many wars in the past and if you go back just for the lifetime of America, we have been involved in many.

So, why can’t we just get along? Is it pride or arrogance that keeps us from having peace? Is it our religious differences between cultures which causes most of this madness? Is there a solution to all of the killing and violence?

All of those questions are valid and the answer to some of them is yes we can get along, yes it is pride and arrogance that causes some, if not all, of the divisions in the world. The religious differences have been around for many hundreds of years and in some cases it really is our problems with tolerance that causes our hatred and violence between people of different faiths. The solution to these problems is not one which will be accepted by all though. There are three faiths which center around God in the world and they have a lot of cultural baggage between them. Radical beliefs which polarize them because of a minority claiming them as beliefs which they want to force upon most, if not all, of the world.

It has been this way for many years. A minority that holds radical views of their religion which doesn’t reflect the beliefs of the majority but they get noticed because of their attacks on others and their voices are usually the loudest too. Even Christianity has some radical congregations or groups which teach views which most Christians look on as not representing the church at all. The solution to our violent problem will not come from us though, it will come from Jesus Himself.

There has to be a change in the way that we live our lives and how we serve others and the church. That change has to begin within each of us first. Speeches don’t do it, revivals which last for a day or two won’t get it done. If the change is not brought into each person’s heart by Jesus and a commitment to Him then there will be no possibility of change which will last. Talking about it won’t help, listening to tapes won’t help but the Holy Spirit can change each of us from the inside out.

Seek Him out while He may be found.

What is happening?


The world is burning and many people are applauding the fact that it is, why? No, it isn’t literally burning yet, but the fires which fuel the hatred and violence which precedes the end times which are taught in the Bible and in the Koran are burning and getting hotter. Believe it or not, call me crazy if you wish, but the  problems that are in this world are here because of sin, period! There was an exchange of a BBC show about sin and other topics and I have given the link to it from theblaze.com. In essence the host of the show is calling the Truth in God’s Word bigoted and hateful. It hurts when you find the truth of scripture that applies to your life. It hurts when you realize that some of the sinful things that you condone and agree with are shown to be the sins which God abhors.

Preachers don’t teach bigotry, we teach and preach the Truth of the Living God! If you don’t like it, don’t come to church, don’t read God’s Word at all! But…if you are looking for the truth and the way to live your life by God’s laws and God’s ways, then by all means learn about Him! God loves those on Earth, each of us, but He doesn’t condone nor approve of our sinful lifestyles or the sins which we live in every day! I may be a preacher but I am a sinner too. I don’t claim to be pure or holy, the only righteousness that I have has been imputed to me through Jesus because it is His righteousness that I have in my heart!

No, I am not perfect in fact I am far from it. Not one person on Earth is righteous enough to get into Heaven on their own and whether you agree with me or not, you know this to be true! God provided us with a Savior through Jesus and all that we have to do to have His righteousness is to believe in Him and give our lives to Him through faith. No amount of works or actions on our part will ever help us get into Heaven because He did all of the work necessary and it is our responsibility to either accept it or not. God doesn’t send anyone to Hell, you do that by rejecting Him and His love for you.

Is it possible to commit an unpardonable sin?


The point of no return is the same as an unpardonable sin, when you die there is no return and if you have refused the grace of God all of your life there is no pardon available! You don’t get a second chance after death because you have had many opportunities in this life. What can you do? What will you do with your eternity now?

For many people, that decision has already been made and there is no changing it. For others there is still hope. If you still breathe and walk this earth you can change and seek out your Creator, today. Tomorrow is still ahead and yesterday is already gone, consider this before you go to sleep tonight. Like the farmer in the story who said, “I have enough. I will build more barns and take life easy. Eat, drink and be merry and take life as it comes. And God said, you fool, tonight your soul is required of thee.” Granted, this is a paraphrase of the scripture (Luke 12:19,20), but you get the idea.

Your life and mine are not guaranteed. We don’t have a certificate which says “you will have 58.5 years before you die” when we are born. Even in the Bible it says that man has appointed three score and ten or seventy years, anything beyond this is due to God’s grace alone. Yet, even that isn’t guaranteed. Consider that you live X number of years, after this there is eternity in one place or another. Which one will you live in during that time?

Consider this the next time you are in a close call on the highway. Why do I emphasize this today, now? It is truly because our lives are just a puff of smoke compared to eternity and whether you believe it or not, that is where you will spend most of your actual life. Seventy years is not a long time compared to even one million years, it is just a dot on a very long line. Even one million years is only a dot on a line that never ends! That is why I am speaking this way today because your eternal life will be either in the presence of God in Heaven or it will be with the demons and Satan and everyone else who refused God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It is your choice. God doesn’t require it of you nor does He force you to serve Him, ever! You cannot force anyone to truly love you and if it is forced, it isn’t love at all. It is done out of fear and that kind of devotion is NOT what God seeks!! God is not Allah and Allah is not God! Radical thinking, huh? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not Allah, it is Yahweh Elohim! Seek Him out and learn of the One True God because beside Him there is no other!

Amen

Life….


Where do we find life? Here on Earth we can see it in all of its forms and shapes. It is all around us, everywhere. We can’t escape life except when we take it.

Do people here respect and revere life today? No! The evidence shows on the television and on all news media outlets that there is no respect for life anymore. Why has this happened and who allowed it to happen? The answer to both questions falls to our love of convenience and our disdain for rules. We have allowed our country to be overrun with people who have grown up with instant communications, drive-thru windows, microwave meals and popcorn, even drive-thru marriages in Las Vegas. Why would anyone care about life when things are so easy and simple and quick? What do you care that someone just shot a child because his dad was from a rival gang? It isn’t your kid, so stay out of it!

Our hearts have become numb and hard to the point of being heartless and uncaring in this world. What happened? Fifty years ago prayer was taken out of schools along with the Bible and gradually we have moved any mention of God away from children, unless their parents brought them up in church. Yet, today almost any mention of Jesus’ name is called offensive. Prayer isn’t even allowed at sporting events for the most part. Is it any wonder that our country is about to go the way of Rome? We have pushed God away so many times that, if He was human He would never come around here again!

Jesus was and is human but He is also the Son of God and He has not forsaken us nor has He forgotten us. He is the Author of Life, the Creator and the King of Kings! One day, likely very soon, He will come back and everyone will bow to Him and call Him Lord! Life comes from Him, eternally and yet we throw it away as well as our own chance at eternity because of unbelief or rather we choose not to believe because “we are not ready yet”. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow because it isn’t here yet and yesterday is already gone! He seeks out those who will have Him, He waits patiently for those who are seeking Him, so what will you do?

Why are you leaving?


So many people are leaving religion and their belief in God today, why? I know they are dissatisfied in the religion or with most of the supposed rules that it has. Some are saying that they can get their satisfaction spiritually by going to yoga classes or martial arts class. Some just don’t seek any affiliation with any religion regardless of whether it is Christian, Muslim or Jewish or any other religion.

It is true that many people have found that during college their views of the world and their place in it changes and they adapt to those changes, but I would like to ask a question about all of this.

Are you willing to risk eternity on this decision? While it is true that if you don’t believe that there is an afterlife leading to an eternity then there is no reason to worry, but do you really was to risk it? Why am I asking this? Because I have to for one, I am a pastor and a Bible teacher so I am required to make you aware of your choices and what they could lead to.

Even if you don’t believe in God or His existence, He still loves you, and He has provided a way for you to escape the punishment in hell that comes with rejecting Him and the grace that is offered through His Son, Jesus. I know, hell is not real according to some people but if there is a Heaven then there is a hell where Satan and his demons will be punished. If you reject Jesus and His atonement for your life and your sins then you will be there with Satan and his demons and everyone else who believes that they are good enough to get into Heaven on their own.

Our righteousness is as dirty rags in the eyes of God because He is Holy and perfect and our imperfections just don’t measure up, no matter how “good” we think we are.

There are so many today who think that everyone is against them, even the church, and that is not true. Many things are happening today because God is orchestrating it, even if He isn’t directly behind the murder and mayhem that is happening He is in control. Satan and his powers and demons are the ones behind all of the evil in this world, whether you want to believe it or not. It is true that those who ridicule the existence of God or don’t believe in Him at all won’t believe in Satan’s existence either, but not believing doesn’t make anything or anyone go away.

Jesus loves you and gave His life for your healing and for your salvation, there is no love greater than that!

What do we NEED?


Not much more to add to this. Take it to your heart and pray about it.God and Oxygen

Is your life yours?


This is what we think of our lives mostly…that we own it, that it belongs to us and we can do whatever we want with it. If you are not a Christian and you don’t believe in God nor have you given your life to Jesus and asked Him into your heart, then maybe you do own your life. Unless your parents do or your wife or your boss at work does. They do have a certain amount of “ownership” of your time and your life, up to a point. Our life, as we live it, is ours to do with as we please…until we realize that we need Jesus in our life and in our heart. Then we are His.

Why do I say it this way? Because He purchased us with His blood, His death and His resurrection! He paid all of our debts in regards to sin and we are His creation because He knew us before we were ever born into this world! Our purpose in this life, our REAL purpose is to serve Him in whatever way we can. Whether it is as a missionary or a teacher or a preacher or an evangelist. Our work for His Kingdom is to tell others about the gospel, the Good News of His gift of salvation! You cannot earn this gift nor buy it with any amount of work that you claim to do for Him, particularly if the work is done without Him in your life and heart.

Everything that is done prior to repentance from your sinful life and asking Him to cleanse you and make you a new creature if Him has the same value as garbage. In other words…it is worth NOTHING in relation to eternity! Life in eternity is only granted by belief in, and living your days with, Jesus. Remember the story about the thief on the cross? He didn’t have a chance to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit nor did he have a chance to witness to many people, he only asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His Kingdom. Jesus said to him, “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Because of his belief in Who Jesus was and is, his faith and belief in Jesus saved him from an eternity of punishment. He recognized the Messiah when very few did at that point.

Truly, because of God’s grace toward us, we belong to Him whether we have accepted His grace and mercy through Jesus or not. The unpardonable sin is that we go through life, having heard sermons or read the Bible and know the way of salvation and yet refuse it, sometimes you or someone you know has felt the pull or the voice of the Holy Spirit and just walked away. That is the unpardonable sin which will not be forgiven, especially if you die without ever repenting and turning to Jesus! Think about this, seek Him in His Word, listen for the Spirit speaking to your heart, pray about it and ask Jesus to come into your life and change you. Then live your life as a testimony to Him and about Him until you are called to Heaven by death or by the Angels. Just don’t wait like Satan wants you to, because his lie is that you have plenty of time yet your time may be up tonight or tomorrow!

Changing times…


The world and everything in it is changing. The problems which we have to deal with, the good and the bad things which happen every day rarely give any of us a break in our lives. How can we handle so much change from day-to-day? With prayer and seeking God it is possible but there are many people in the world who either refuse to do that or they just don’t believe in God in the first place. Have you ever noticed the stars or the pictures taken by the Hubble telescope? Our universe is not an accident! The stars and their galaxies were placed by God in their orbits and in their places so that we could wonder at His power and majesty.

This world that we live on was put here specifically for our benefit with just the right amount of oxygen and nitrogen to sustain life. This didn’t happen by accident either. The placement of the outer planets and the comets were planned and placed for God’s majesty and for our wonderment. Why? Because we cannot explain these things away with mathematics and calculus. Philosophy and mankind’s intellect can’t explain these collections of stars and gases nor can it explain our own chemical make-up. No amount of education can explain the chemical signals which produce emotions like love or hate or rage and we never will!

They are out of our grasp but one day we will know as we are known by Him. How do I know that? Because it is in His Word! God said so and the world and everything except us was formed by His Word. He specifically came to the garden and formed man from the ground, with His Hands not by His Word, that is why we are fearfully and wonderfully made!!

One of the most worrisome beliefs that I hear about and read about today is that there are many (only 2 to 5% of the population) who either don’t believe in God, are not associated with any religion or who just choose not to associate with an organized religion. That is fine and you are entitled to your opinion, but don’t expect me or any other believer to stop believing in Jesus and the Bible just because you don’t! As I have stated many times before, disbelief or not believing in something or Someone doesn’t get rid of them!

Yes, our culture has changed drastically in many ways over the past fifty or sixty years, but God is still real and so is Satan. Two opposing sides trying to either save mankind or drag as many into hell as possible, the choice is ours. We are not automatically damned to hell, unless that is our choice, and we don’t get a free pass into heaven either. Many do believe that if a child dies before they are old enough to make a rational and conscious choice then they do get to make that choice in the presence of God. Whether that is true or not, I don’t know because it isn’t revealed in the Bible.

Change is coming soon, though I am not sure of the severity or magnitude of that change but it is coming.