This time

Something to think about.

This Time

Esther 4:14 New International Version (NIV)

14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

The story of Esther is about being placed at a particular time in the history of Israel to deliver them from there enemies. It is a fascinating story. But what is the application to our lives?

In my lifetime in my country (USA) there have been significant changes. Abortion which was once a crime is now claimed as a right. Drugs which were once illegal have become legal. Virtually any sexual relationship being accepted as moral. Marriage has been stripped of its intended definition.   The list goes on and on.

We are living in this age.
Isaiah 5:20  (KJV)
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

It appears we are living out this verse. Our society is being turned upside down. One of the causes of this is we Christians bought into the ideology that separation of church and state meant we are to keep every vestige of Christian life out of public life. We bought into the idea that God should be kept out of public life. Then we allowed the secularist to dictate to us when and how we should express our beliefs, and by doing so, we have ushered in the apostasy we are experiencing in every area of public life.

For such a time as this, is why we are here. God chose to bring every one of us into this world at this time because he has specifically empowered us to take a stand against those who want to destroy and silence Christ.  We are the people God has chosen to be the soldiers who stand against the assaults of the enemy. If not us who? If not now when? We may be the final generations that can still change the course of the United States. It is up to us, not our children not the next generation or the one after that. It is now. It is here that we must make our stand. Just like Esther who had to put her life on the line to save her people, Israel, we are being to ask to put our lives on the line to save America.

I don't see anyone on the horizon that will be able to take this charge if we don't. Unlike Israel who may have had another deliverer if Esther failed. I don't see salvation coming from any other place for this country at this time. I don't see anyone coming to release the captives, to set free those in bondage, to bring light to the darkness. There isn't anything on the horizon that shows the promise of redeeming this country back to God.

We are Esther we are the hope of America. We must stand up and take our place in the army of God, doing what we were designed and created to do.  We were designed and created to show the world who God is.

Leia Mais…

Accept Your Call

Something to think about.

Accept Your Call

even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28

Jesus, the son of God, came to serve humanity, even unto his own death. For this is why he came. Of all the ways Christ could have served humanity, He accepted the assignment of his father and came as teacher and leader and sacrifice for us.

What has God called you to? And have you accepted the call? We want to do what we perceive as being important. As being noticeable. We want to be recognized for our good works. But if we follow the example of Jesus, we will find that our call may not bring us the attention we desire. It is easy and desirable to be a leader and teacher but are you ready to be the sacrifice. Are you willing to give it all for what Jesus has called you to do?

I am not suggesting that every call of God requires you to physically sacrifice yourself for another. I am asking, you are you willing to accept the call of God for your life regardless of what that is? Regardless of what it would cost you.

The truth is you begin down the path of submission to God expecting and believing that it will result in your ultimate benefit. What you don't know is submission to God will lead you to a sacrifice of self. It will lead you to a place where you will accept the price that was paid for you and realize that price was not symbolic it was actual.  If you accept the sacrifice that Christ made for you and understand is not just a sacrifice but also a payment for you; you, in all honesty, will realize you are a slave of God.

The call of God on your life is all-consuming it will lead you too full acceptance of your position as a purchased slave of God. Better it is to be a slave of God than to be a free man of sin. The free man of sin will ultimately receive his just judgment. The slave of God will receive his adoption as a son of God. Our acceptance of the call of God will lead us into the freedom of our position as adopted children of the most high God.

The call of God is not one-dimensional. It is not simply a service to God it is the doorway to the full benefit of adoption. By accepting the call of God, we begin the necessary transformation into the kingdom of God. We begin to know God when we accept the sacrifice of his son and accept the call he has given us.  We will know God when we take on the full implication of the cross. The quilt, the payment, the sacrifice, and our position as slaves of God. 

As slaves of God we are not idle we are not without purpose. We are called by our owner to do His will. God would not have sacrifice His son for our redemption and salvation for us to be idle. He has a call on your life, a call, and a claim.   

Submission to God though difficult at times will lead us into His Kingdom as His adopted and transformed children.  Heaven will be populated by the transformed slaves of God.

Leia Mais…

A testimony

Something to think about.

A Testimony

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

This verse has been an expression of hope. It is uplifting, promising and edifying to His people. I am grateful that it provides hope for those who love him. I am thankful that He has turned my sinful life into something of value and joy.

But why did I entitle this "A Testimony?" As I look back at my life, I can clearly see where God has open and closed doors for my benefit. I can see where he has turned situations around for my good dispute my bad decisions.

I've seen His hand in large and small places of my life and find evidence of his resolution. I can see a young man who use to be me who for no more reason than the Grace of God did not end up a drug addict or a criminal. I can look back at the lives of people I grew up with and see them mired in the same sin for forty-fifty years. I see lives that have ended after decades of fruitless living. Who's legacy is; why was I here?

I look back and can attest to the hand of God leading us away from poorly made decisions. I can see when I joined the Air Force God's hand in my decisions. He used a clerical error on my part to bring us, my newlywed wife and I to a place of salvation. I can see how he brought us through one bad decision after another. I now see the footprints in the sand where he walked with me and when he carried me.

I can see how He turned a near catastrophic heart attack to my benefit and for His glory. I can see where he patiently and consistently taught me, healed me and saved me. I can not understand the depth of love he has shown me throughout my life.  I would have quit on me if I had been him. Yet through all of my sin, disobedience and wicked insistence, he has never abandoned me. He's never reached the end of his rope with me. 

That is not to say that he has exempted me from reaping the rewards of my sin, it means despite my self defeating actions he has found a way to redeem my life. He has been my savior throughout my life. I may not see it at the moment but as I look back the evidence of His work is undeniable. He has turned a poor, abandoned, confused, isolated, lost child into a member of his beloved family. I can now say and could have said over thirty years ago I am a child of the most high God. I now know the privileged of having a father who never abandoned me and never will.

I am a testimony of Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

I am a testimony of my life being worked out for good by God for his purposes. He called me according to his purposes before I loved Him. This is not an isolated testimony it is a common one. It is the testimony of every one who is called a child of God. The sin and rebellion might be different but it is the same God working things out for your good. It is the same God who saves you from yourself daily.

Leia Mais…

Blessings of The Lord

Something to think about.

Blessing of The Lord

“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.”
Proverbs 10:22 NKJV

When was the last time you received a blessing from the Lord? Was it costly? Did it require something from you? I receive blessings of God on a continual basis. Every day the Lord does something in my life for which I'm grateful. Never have I had to sacrifice anything to receive the blessing of the Lord. It has always been a gift.

Some of the blessings of God are conditional. Even salvation John 3:16 has the requirement of belief in Jesus.

The blessings of God are conditional and unconditional at the same time . The blessings of God are conditional in practice and unconditional in intent. The blessings of God come from the generosity of His heart. For example, redemption is a gift of God. It is something God does for us without condition. You might say that is not true you have to do XYZ to receive redemption. Which is true, however, God did not have to redeem us. There is nothing that required God to redeem us. Forgiveness is another of those unconditional blessings.  He did not have to forgive us. Salvation, restoration, grace, adoption and many other blessing are unconditional. They are unconditional because God is not required to bless us. God is complete and perfect without us. He choose to bless us He did not do it out of need.  A condition is usually in place to benefit the one who grants the benefit. If someone loans you money and the condition is that you pay interest, the interest benefits the one who made the loan. The conditions we must fulfill to receive the blessings of God do not benefit God. By fulfilling the condition in no way, do we add or benefit God.

All of the blessings of God provide us with riches. They may not be momentary but they are rich never the less. When God decided to restore me from my heart attack, it was a rich blessing. Not just because I lived but also because he allowed to serve him. That blessing has turned my life around in ways I didn't know existed. That single blessing has eternal benefits for me my family and friends and even you a stranger.

Every blessing of God is rich because it is not singular in nature. It does not just bless you but everyone around you. It even extends to people you don't know. All the blessings of God are positive in there outcome. 

Deuteronomy 28:1 1"And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  

 

God's blessings are intended to make your life rich spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially. Even though there are actual mechanisms for bringing these blessings to life they are from the heart of God. He offers them too us unconditionally because he wants too. He can't be required to. He chooses to bless us out of his generosity.

Leia Mais…

Cornerstone

Something to think about.

Cornerstone 

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Jesus is the name above any other name. Of course, it is not just the name but the man who possessed that name that empowers our salvation.  This is the cornerstone of our belief system without it we are irrelevant. 

Christianity is weird if you think about it. We believe in being born again. Of eternal life through the blood of one man. We believe in the unmerited redemption of mankind. We believe in a God we have never seen. We believe this same God is still active in the events of man.  We believe in the resurrection of a man who had been dead for three days. We believe He left earth by other means than death. We believe and wait for His return.  We believe in the Trinity. We believe there is an unmovable moral standard by which to live our lives.  All that we believe is dependant on this one man.  

Christianity does not exist if you remove Jesus from it.  If you make Him a man, the actual son of Joseph he becomes a byline of a ridiculous cult.  If you prove, He was never resurrected, again Christianity crumbles.  If you can find His remains, Christianity is a farce. If you can disprove any of essential claims we make about Him Christianity is a waste. The cornerstone on which Christianity exists is Jesus. In every aspect, Christianity depends on Jesus.  

As everything about Christianity depends on Jesus, so does our salvation depend on Him.  He is the only one that can provide us with salvation. In Him resides the power of salvation, rebirth, redemption, forgiveness, and life and life eternal. Christianity is all about Jesus it is not about anything else. It is not a means to an end. It is not a social program, a political party. It is not a religious entity.  It is not the good we do for one another. Or the beautiful things by which we express Christ. Christianity is not a what it is a who. Christianity is Jesus. From Him flows everything else. He is the bedrock cornerstone of what we believe. Without him, precisely in the center of our lives and belief system, we will miss the mark.
   
There is no other name.

Leia Mais…

On the Road to Damascus

Something to think about.
On the Road to Damascus

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³ As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Acts 9:1-3

This is the famous story of Saul's conversion to Christianity. Saul who is later renamed Paul is on his way to persecute those who believe in Jesus. He is headed down a road with a definite destination with a definite purpose full of self-righteousness. He is headed in the wrong direction. He is headed down a path that is in direct opposition to where he wants to be. He is persecuting Christians because he believes they are opposing and denying God. He is doing it in defense of God. He believes that in incarcerating Christians, he is doing Gods will.  

Before we became Christians, we were not so different from Paul. Though we do not, in this day in this country incarcerate people for being Christians. We were headed down the wrong road for the wrong reason. Saul regardless of his reasoning is headed in the wrong direction. He is not working on God's side he is working against God. We, before Christ were on our way to Damascus. We were on the wrong road for the wrong reason to accomplish the wrong goal. 

We are not Paul we will not write parts of the New Testament. We will not be quoted around the world. But our conversion to Christianity is just as miraculous as Paul's.  We all have to have an encounter with Jesus for our conversion to be accomplished. Every one of us must have a personal interaction with Christ for a conversation to occur.  It is not just an intellectual realization of truth it is a personal connection with the risen savior. We all have to make contact with Jesus. It is no different for any of us. Without, an on the road experience, none of us will meet Jesus.  

The conversion of Saul was personal, powerful and intimate. It was not an experience born of mysticism. Your contact, connection with Christ must have a tangible permanent effect on your life. It is not something you can walk away from and remain the same. If you leave as you came, you did not make the connection. When you meet Christ, you will in some way leave changed, made new, born again.

Leia Mais…

Remain

Something to think about.

Remain

I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith. Philippians 1:23-25 

Recently I heard an evangelist ask, "Why are you here?" She was speaking to believers, in a small setting, not a large crowd. The simplicity of the question and in the setting, it which in made.  Made it particularly piercing. If, as we proclaim we are saved by faith. If all of the people in the room were saved what was our purpose? If salvation is the only goal God has for our lives, why are we still here? Why are we not remove from this life and instantly transfigured into eternal life? It is not to attain the secular pleasures of the flesh. Paul states it very clearly, "having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." Why would we want to remain on this earth once we have attained eternal life through Christ? Which will be so much better than this painful temporal existence? The answer is in his next statement, "Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." We remain for the very same reason as Paul. Because it is better for the rest of the world that we stay. We are the hands', feet, mouth, and heart of Jesus. We exist to propagate the gospel of Christ to all around us. For those of us who believe in Christ as it says in John 3:16. Our purpose is not for our selves. It is for those who have not yet heard of Christ. For those who have not accepted our Lord. We remain to serve our risen Lord by serving those that have not been saved. Your purpose is simple, be the hands and feet of Jesus. That is why we remain. The only reason we remain. 

Leia Mais…

One Thing

Something to think about.

One Thing

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple. Psalms 27:4

This is the perfect picture of contentment. Being in the presence of God. No fear, no want, perfectly secure fully provided for, in the presence of all mighty God.  To be in His presence would make us whole.

Leia Mais…

Your Redemption Draweth Near

Something to think about.

Your Redemption Draweth Near

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and hunger, and pestilence, and fearful things, and great signs shall there be from heaven. Luke 21:11


 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth near. Luke 21:28

With the increased occurrence of natural disasters occurring all over the world, these verses are being quoted more often. I will not address the prophetic implications of these verses.  I would like to discuss the excitement and gleeful anticipation of these verses.

I admit I am torn emotionally, spiritually and intellectually.  On the one hand, I am as is every other Christian joyfully anticipating the return of Christ. I can not wait to see Jesus face to face. How can a Christian have any other reaction than joy and utter contentment at seeing Jesus?

On the other hand, I fear it will be the most painful day of my existence. It will be the day when the opportunity of salvation is removed from the face of the earth. It means the day of judgment has arrived. Will it be a day of joy or a day of sorrow? It will be the day when the wheat is separated from the chaff. For me, it may mean some of my friend's and family will not be part of God's family. This prospect is not something I am looking forward to. It is selfish to ask God to advance this day. Is it not contrary to why we are here? We are here to offer the salvation of Christ to the world, Once he returns that offer will be rescinded. Humanity will have no one but themselves to stand before God. Should we not lament those who will be lost? This verse should bring us to conviction, to action.

On that day we will celebrate our reunion with Christ.  Will we, in the back of our minds know we should have done more for the call of Christ?

Leia Mais…

Flee

Something to think about.

Flee

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NKJV

James makes an astonishing statement. In elegant simplicity, he provides us with amazing power. He tells us to submit to God, then resist the devil and the devil will flee. There are no big words here. No need for deep spiritual interpretation. Nothing that can be confused. The issue with this verse is not what it says but implementing what it says. Yet, if we do what it says most if not all of our lives will be lived in constant victory. Are we making life much more difficult than it has to be?

The problem with the implementation is not in resistance it is in the submission. We don't want to submit. We want to do it our way. We want to change the laws of God and supplant them with our own. If we are resistant to anything it is not to the devil, it is to God. Our country, states, cities, and municipalities are in open rebellion against God. Every arena of public life has been reduced to an anti-God environment. You can't pray in school. In every government office prayer or the mention of God is strictly forbidden. Most of our places of employment are defined as nonreligious entities. Even in raising our children the state is defining what a parent can and can not propagate. Our Christian principles are being abandoned in favor of political correctness or the fallacy of separation of church and state. Are you aware this is happening not because we are resisting the devil but because we are opposing God? Our refusal to submit to God has brought us to where we are. Our society is crumbling under the false delusion of Godlessness.
We have a simple formula if you'll accept it. "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." "He will flee from you."

Leia Mais…

Wisdom



Something to think about.

Wisdom

8“ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9“ As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.' Isaiah 55:8-9

Through Isaiah God is making a distinction between His creation and Him. It's a distinction that appears to have been lost by man. We are not God's equals. We don't know what He knows. We will never attain that place. If for an instant we would stop and look at our existence and be honest with our selves. We would admit we know nothing. The universe is beyond our comprehension. We sit on this small insignificant rock floating in a vast universe and claim we know where we came from. Some of us claim we self-created which makes absolutely no sense.

Because of the size of the universe, the known universe there are important facts that have not been discovered. We barely coexist. We are fighting the same battles for the same reasons. Technology changes but we are still fighting the same wars. Generation after generation after generation the wars continue. We can't permanently solve any issue. The more we learn the more our ineptitude is exposed.

We may be more comfortable more affluent, but still the most heinous of crimes exist. Slavery, starvation, famine, injustice, these crimes are the hallmark of our societies. If the product is the proof of our superiority, intellect, and industriousness we have proven our selves to be savages. Affluence and wealth only hide the stench of ignorance. If we were truly wise, the crimes we perpetuate, create and support would not exist.

Our ways are not His ways, our thoughts are not His thoughts, our wisdom is not His wisdom. God, the creator of the universe is so much more than we can imagine. If I have any wisdom, it is this, the God who created the universe and humanity is superior to His creation.

Leia Mais…

It's A Matter Of Value

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It's A Matter Of Value

By the end of this day, most of Florida will have experienced the worst of Hurricane Irma. Between now and then lives will be changed. All the worry and anxiety will have passed, and real life will resume.

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! Luke 12:27-28

Jesus is speaking to His disciples when he tells them about the lilies of the field. He is saying if God spent so much effort in creating something that is here today and gone tomorrow. How much more valuable are you, who have an eternal existence. God knows who you are He knows what you need. He can and will provide and protect you. If you are in the midst of the storm or out on the furthermost edges of its power God values you more than you can imagine. He will come to your rescue if you call on Him.Jesus is speaking to believers in Him. Faith is the identifier of those who are called God's children. Faith is the doorway to protection, provision, and the favor of God. Faith is the determiner of your value.

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Whether you are in the midst of the storm or on the outer edges, put your faith in Jesus, and He will provide a way. You and your family will be saved.

Leia Mais…

Nails in His Hand

Something to think about. 

 

Nails in His Hand

 

In Jeremy Camp's song "The Man" some of the lyrics are.

 

Would you take the place of this man? Would you take the nails from his hands?

 

As I was preparing a piece of furniture for spraying this song played on the radio. I contemplated the lyric. "Would I take the place of this man"? Knowing the death Jesus experienced my immediate response was no. As I gave it more thought, I came to my conclusion, absolutely not. Not under any conditions what so ever would I take His place. I would not take nails from His hands. 

 

Before you say well, that's because you don't love Him let me explain. Had I taken His place on the cross had I taken the nails from His hands, only Jesus would have been saved. Only Jesus, because of His righteousness, not mine. If the entire human race were sacrificed, it would not warrant the salvation of one person. We, in total, do not possess the currency to pay for our sin. If I or anyone else had taken His place the resulted would be the damnation of humanity. It had to be Jesus who paid for our sin. He is the only one who possesses the currency to pay for our sin. The currency is righteousness, and Jesus is the only who possesses righteousness. He is the only one who could save the world from our sin. Anyone else would be powerless to forgive sin. His righteousness is why He is Lord. Only he could do what we could not. Only he is our propitiation.

 

2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

Leia Mais…

Absolutes

Something to think about.

 

Absolutes 

 

11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."Acts 4:11-12

 

There are statements in the Bible that are unmistakable. These statements can not be reinterpreted or redefined. They can't be manipulated to mean some thing other than what they mean. This is one of those verses. It clearly and unambiguously states Jesus is the only way to salvation. This is a Christian absolute. We claim to believe and are affirmed in the validity and absolute certainty of  Jesus Christ as the only savior of the world. This is non-negotiable. Jesus is the only one with the authority and power to save those unto eternal life. 

Leia Mais…

Rejected

Something to think about.

 

Rejected

 

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”John 6:66-70

 

Jesus was rejected to His face. In this verse, it says "many of his disciples."  The inference or deduction I get is, much more rejected Him than the twelve that didn't. It is imperative for us to realize that not everyone is going to respond to Jesus. If this verse is a sign of a broader reality, we must come to the understanding that many will reject Christ. There will be those that upon hearing the word and understanding the word will reject it. For those of us who believe that statement is incomprehensible. How could anyone in their right mind deny Christ? Since we know, there is nothing, no one better. We know and believe with total confidence and expectation the promises of salvation and eternal life. We believe in restoration, reconciliation, rebirth and new life. We believe in the grace, redemption, and forgiveness of God.  Furthermore, we accept and expect all Gods promises to be fulfilled. We know that the God of creation through His Son Jesus has provided for our eternal life with Him in heaven. We can't understand how anyone can reject Him. 

 

Jesus does something here we need to become aware of. He does not turn and chase those who reject Him. He turned to the twelve who recognized Him for who He was and changed the world with those twelve. As the family of God and as individuals we need to stop chasing rejects and embrace those who God has chosen.  We need to seek and find the chosen.

 

There are two important gems in this section of Scripture. One is your uniqueness in accepting and understanding the call of God. Many hearing and understanding will never accept the reality of Christ. You are special for you have heard and accepted His sacrifice for your life. Two and most importantly are, God chose you. As He chose the twelve, He chose you. You are the preferred of God. We need to start acting like it. You are exalted above the rest of humanity because He chose you. The rest of mankind will not sit at the wedding feast of the lamb.

Leia Mais…

Cleansed

Something to think about.

Cleansed 

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Have we turned the death of Christ into a symbolic gesture? Does the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross become no more than being baptized in water? Where baptism is a symbolic representation of our dying to our old lives and being resurrected into new life. If it has, we have lost its value. Jesus did not represent the spotless, innocent lamb of old Jewish law and tradition. The spotless, innocent lamb represented Jesus. Jesus was literally and actually an offering for our sin. There was nothing symbolic about it. It was not symbolism that cleanses us from sin. It was the actual shedding of real human blood belonging to the only righteous man who ever lived. This event that happened over 2000 years ago is still cleansing the sin of man. The omnipresence of God means that he is present everywhere at all times at once. God is as much in the future eons of time as he is at the beginning of time and is present right now with us.  For this reason, the blood of Christ His crucifixion is present now before God. His blood is still cleansing us claiming us as if it happened today. This is how it is possible for the sacrifice of Christ to be available for everyone. This is why Christ only died once. Because His sacrifice, the shedding of His son's blood is forever before the presence of God.  The same as is His resurrection and His victorious return to His Father in heaven.  

We work and understand events in linear motion. In other words, one after the other. Because of the laws of our existence, we must function this way. But those are our limitations, not Gods. As the creator of time, He is not subject to its laws or limitations. That is why He has no beginning and no end. He created the beginning and the end and still exists outside of those two limits. That is why the shedding of Christ blood is so important. It transcends all time and space it is an event the same as His resurrection that will have no end. 

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Have we turned the death of Christ into a symbolic gesture? Does the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross become no more than being baptized in water? Where baptism is a symbolic representation of our dying to our old lives and being resurrected into new life. If it has, we have lost its value. Jesus did not represent the spotless, innocent lamb of old Jewish law and tradition. The spotless, innocent lamb represented Jesus. Jesus was literally and actually an offering for our sin. There was nothing symbolic about it. It was not symbolism that cleanses us from sin. It was the actual shedding of real human blood belonging to the only righteous man that ever lived. This event that happened over 2000 years ago is still cleansing the sin of man. The omnipresence of God means that he is present everywhere at all times at once. God is as much in the future eons of time as he is at the beginning of time and is present right now with us.  For this reason, the blood of Christ His crucifixion is present now before God. His blood is still cleansing us claiming us as if it happened today. This is how it is possible for the sacrifice of Christ to be available for everyone. This is why Christ only died once. Because His sacrifice, the shedding of His son's blood is forever before the presence of God.  The same as is His resurrection and His victorious return to His Father in heaven.  

We operate and understand events in linear motion. In other words, one after the other. Because of the laws of our existence, we must function this way. But those are our limitations, not Gods. As the creator of time, He is not subject to its laws or limitations. That is why He has no beginning and no end. He created the beginning and the end and still exists outside of those two limits. That is why the shedding of Christ blood is so important. It transcends all time and space it is an event the same as His resurrection that will have no end. 

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Commonplace

Something to think about.

Common place

6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:6

"For he is risen" the four most important words ever spoken. The world has been shaken to its core at these four words. An actual change in the history of man occurred on account of these words. A new hope and reality came into existence when they were uttered. A whole new way of living was validated because of these words. 

The crucifixion of Jesus was not the single most important event in history. His resurrection was. Jesus was dead, Christ was resurrected. This man died. He was resurrected as King and Savior. His resurrection was by the God of the universe. Have we lost sight of this event? 

We are so busy with our lives. With doing for God. We try to flourish and excel in our gifts, jobs, lives, have we lost sight of why we do what we do. Have we turned the resurrection into a commonplace event? Has it become a historical event that we lump together with all others? Has it become something that is not life altering. Something commonplace? Something that we have become so accustomed to we don't give it the importance it requires?

"He is risen." Have you ever seen the dead come back to life? I'm not talking about CPR or any rapid resuscitation protocol. I mean someone who has been dead for an extended period of time being brought back to life. No other such event has been recorded or claimed by anyone in History. Do you realize this event was witnessed by hundreds of people? It was reported by his followers. These twelve men went on to change the world. Not based on a conspiracy or on Jesus's religious philosophy but on His resurrection. His inner circle never recanted their claims. Even when threatened with death. Even as they were killed

The most important aspect of this event is this. Jesus the Christ is alive. He was not resurrected to die again. He was not resurrected to be lost or hidden from humanity. That reality should be paramount in your mind every day through every situation. God or bad. He was the first to be resurrected.  His resurrection gives us hope for the future. It validates all of His claims. It solidifies His claims of eternity. It turns an interesting philosophy into an undeniable reality. Every Christian belief hinges on this one event. His resurrection validates all of the claims about Him. From His virgin birth to being the sacrificial lamb for the world. Without the resurrection, we diminished Christ to an interesting person in human history. He becomes as so many others without eternal consequence. He is then an enigma without substance or value. 

Christ is everything. There is before His resurrection and after. Before is hopelessness and futility. After is eternity and victory. He is resurrecting every day the lives of those who believe. "He is risen."

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Repent Revival

Something to think about.

Repent Revival

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Mathew 4:17

I have repented. Yes, I'm still working on it. I am still in the process of receiving all that is associated with repentance. This commandment of Christ still haunts me. It rattles me to my core because it is still a valid call. There are those around me that have not repented. I am not talking about those in Hollywood or in politics or business. Nor any other category of people, I am talking about my brother, sisters, nieces, nephews in short my family. There is an entire world living all around me that have not repented that have not accepted Christ. I pray for revival in this country, state, and city. I need to start praying for revival in my family.  Is it possible that we have not seen a great revival in this country because we are praying for someone else? The next great revival needs to begin at home. The great field of harvest is not in some far away city or country. It is within our homes. With the people, we break bread with. With those that will no longer listen to our message. If they won't listen how can we reach them? We need to pray for them. We need to stand in the gap for them. What that means is we need to chase after God on their behave. We need to cry out to God for their salvation. We need to get into the battle for their souls. They may not listen to us, but God has the resources to reach them He has the means to touch their hearts. 

Have we given up on our families? Have we written them off as unreachable, unworthy, hopeless unforgivable? Have we become blase about their eternal destination. Have we accepted them as a lost cause? Have we turned them over to eternal death? If we are to see revival it needs to start at home. If we have written off our families do you really think we will care about the lost of the world? This is a call to action to pray for your family to begin a revival in your home.

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Enlarge my Territory

 

Something to think about. 

 

Enlarge my Territory

 

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10

 

"And God granted His request." How, what did that look like? Does it mean that mystically without explanation it was accomplished? Did Jabez wake up the next day and find every boundary of His life magically multiplied?  NO!!!!!!!! Jabez did not wake up the next day and poof everything was enlarged. He had to find other peole to help him.

 

 

The prayer of Jabez, if it is anything at all is a prayer to open the doorway of opportunities in your life. The Christian faith is described in the New Testament as a body. We are one body working in concert to do the will and purpose of God. What does the prayer of Jabez have to do with the body of Christ? You can't do it alone. If you want to receive the blessings as Jabez did, you must do it in concert with other Godly people. Must they be Godly? Yes. Does God bless the ungodly? No!! He uses them. They are puppets He uses to bless and save His people. They are unknowing clogs in the will of God.  

 

 We will not be granted our requests if we are an island unto ourselves. The greatest need of Christianity is for the body of Christ to work as the body of Christ. If you want the prayer of Jabez to be factual in your life find Godly people who will counsel you. So that you may receive the blessings of an enlarged territory. You just cannot do it alone. 

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An exchange

Something to think about.

 

An exchange

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”

Romans 1:25 NIV

In Genesis 1:1 it says "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth." This is a truth man once accepted. Now we have unsubstantiated ideologies usurping the truth. Once we had permanent standards of morality. Redefined morality now allows us to kill the unborn. Once we believed in living in eternity with a loving God. Now we are taught there is neither a God or an eternity. The epitome of life is money, power and prestige.

We worry more about the condition of the world than we do about the condition of man. The promise of a loving God has been replaced with the promise of emptiness. Many have are convinced this is all there is and hence live life with the consequences of that ideology. We have become people of no hope, no future, no possible victory. We have replaced the one true a God with the empty abyss of hopelessness. Or with powerless religions be it academia, intellectualism, or self-empowerment. We have become self-fulfilling, self-empowering, our own deity. We proclaim to be the ultimate intelligence in existence. Thus we have become the ultimate God. The most intelligent, educated, gifted, and powerful among us have failed to resolve a single human conflict. And still, we deny God. Humanity with all its technical advances is still a species trying to exert control over it self. After all of the paths, we have traveled we are no closer to making this a better world. We have not changed we still need the God of Genesis 1:1.

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