The Church

10/31/12 Today I want you to focus on the church. Listen to what the bible says about the church. As you read each of these, if you are part of God’s church, then pause and give thanks to God for what he has done for you. The church is the body of Christ, Eph.1:22-23, Col.1:24; the church of God, Acts 20:28; the dwelling place of God, Eph.2:22; the family of God in heaven and earth, Eph.3:15; God’s flock, 1Pet.5:2; the fold of Christ, John 10:16; the assembly of the firstborn, Heb.12:23; golden lampstand, Rev.1:20; God’s building, 1Cor.3:9; God’s field, 1Cor.3:9; the heavenly Jerusalem, Heb.12:22; the holy city, Rev.21:2; the house of Christ, Heb.3:6; house of God 1Tim.3:15; household of God, Eph.2:19; the lamb’s wife, Re.19:7; Pillar and ground of truth, 1Tim.3:15; a spiritual house, 1Pet.2:5; the temple of the living God, 1Cor,3:16,17. As you can see we have much to be thankful for. Our Lord and Savior is awesome! This year while you give thanks for so many things and people, don’t neglect to give thanks for the church. These are the ones that you will spend eternity with. These are the ‘brethren’ that you are to serve with both now and forever. These are the ones that God has called out of the world and to Himself. This is the church of which our Lord said that not even the gates of hell will prevail against her. The church is the salt and light in a corrupt and dark world. The church is the people of God who testify for the only One who can save the world. Let’s be thankful for the church and let’s be what God says we already are - the church! Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You for sending Your Son so that I can be a part of that glorious assembly that will one day stand before You clothed in purity and full of great joy. Do whatever You wish with me to help be the church that You say we already are. In Jesus name, amen.

New Testament Christian

10/30/12 Think about this for a moment. When a person is saved God regenerates them, gives them a new heart (born again). The eternal third person of the Almighty God indwells in them, they are made new creatures, the old has gone and the new is come 2Cor.5:17, He grants them faith and repentance Acts 11:18, 20:21. And they forgive even their enemies. Acts 7:60. Their lives are so plain that Barnabas saw the grace of God in people at Antioch. Acts 11:23. Yet in many churches today we have people who say they are saved but never witness or obey God because they seldom if ever hear Him or even think about Him. Rarely do we see any amazement at what God does in the hearts of people, we see little proclamation of the word, and few speak boldly and share their testimony.( It may be that perhaps they have no real testimony.) We have members who do not love the brethren and therefore cannot love God. We have members who are “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. 2 Timothy 3:2-5 When you are saved you receive the Holy Spirit and though you will still struggle with sin you begin to love God and love what He loves and hate sin because he hates it. Unless we return to this authentic New Testament Christianity we cannot expect God to bless us. And not only are we in danger of judgment but those we love will be affected as well. Prayer: Lord, revive me. Grant me a deep and abiding repentance that I may return to my first love (Rev.2:4). Restore the joy of my salvation. Create in me a clean heart.(Psa.51;10, 12) And grant that I may speak the name of Jesus with boldness and clarity, and in love and power. (2Tim.1:7) In Jesus name, amen.

Be honest

10/29/12 Satan is a thief and he seeks to destroy your witness and your life. If he cannot destroy from without he will attempt to deceive from within. Hypocrisy is dangerous and deceptive. I must constantly be asking myself: do I pretend to have a devotion when I preach that I don't have? Do I preach things that I don't experience? Do I say things that I don't believe? Do I declare commitments that I've not made?" And, very frankly, the very question that struck fear into my is, “Am I being honest?” Is there any pretense in your life?" We must constantly examine ourselves. There are times when I feel as if my heart is getting cold and hard. I must go before the Lord and seek Him until He warns and softens it again. A prayer that I have for myself (and for you) is that I will not be a hypocrite. This does not mean that we won’t struggle; it means that we admit that we are in a battle and the struggle to live a life of transparency before the Lord and others is real. Satan, the devil is real so don’t take him lightly. I’m listing some scriptures about him. As you look at them ask yourself if Satan has influenced you with his lies and craftiness. Who is this enemy? 1. Satan the accuser rev12. 2. Father of lies John 8:44 3. god of this world 2cor 4:4 4. an infidel or unbeliever 2 Cor. 6:15 5. prince of the bottomless pit or angel of the abyss (destroyer) Rev. 9:11 6. angel of light 2 Cor. 11:14 7. star of the morning, son of the dawn Isaiah 14:12 8. the enemy or the avenger Psalm 8:2 9. evil one Matthew 6:13; John 17:15 10. adversary 1 Peter 5:8 11.ruler of demons (Beelzebub) Matthew 12:24 12 the destroyer Job 15:21; 2 Thes. 2:3 13. the tempter Genesis 3:1; Matthew 4:3; 1 Thes. 3:5 14. the dragon Rev. 12:7-13; Rev. 20:2 15 the serpent Genesis 3:1-4, 13; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 20:2 16 the deceiver Genesis 3:13; 2 John 7; 2 Thes. 2:3 Prayer: Lord, You are greater than my enemy. I surrender myself to You. Keep me from the evil one by Your power and wisdom and for Your glory. In Jesus name, amen

Do you have the Holy Spirit?

10/26/12 In Acts the receiving of the Spirit is described; it is experimental not only inferential. Everyone who received the Spirit not only knew that they had the Spirit but they could point to and describe their experience - this so uncommon today. Paul ask the Ephesians is Acts 19:1-2 … "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." We usually ask someone if they believe and if they yes, then we infer that they have the Holy Spirit. Paul doesn’t ask that. He wanted to know if they had received the Holy Spirit. This implies being able by some experience to describe the event in some detail. Acts goes into enough detail and ways of describing the coming of the Holy Spirit. At least six stories or instances in the book of Acts are recorded for us and in every one the coming of the Spirit is with experienced effects. 1. At Pentecost there was hearing and speaking in tongues (known languages) and praising the mighty works of God and had power to witness (1:8; 2:4, 11); 2. in Samaria there is something so obvious in experience that Simon saw it and is amazed and wants to buy the power to make it happen (8:18); 3. in Caesarea at the house of Cornelius there was speaking in tongues (languages) and praising God (10:46); 4. in Ephesus where Paul found the disciples of John the Baptist there was speaking in tongues(languages) and prophesying (19:6); 5. at Paul's conversion there is extraordinary boldness and empowering to witness (9:17, 22); 6. and in Acts 5:32 Luke says that God "gave the Holy Spirit to everyone who is obeying him." So obedience to God is a mark of his presence. Rom.8:9 says that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he is not His. Do you have the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit in you? Can you demonstrate it? Prayer: Father, thank that You have given us Your Spirit. May we live by the power of the Spirit and not ourselves. In Jesus name, amen.

Is our nation being judged?

10/25/12 Our nation is in trouble. In fact it seems to me that we are being judged by the Lord. Why do I think this? Throughout history nations has been judged by God. (Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Israel, are just a few of them.) And there are similarities with all of them. They were continually at war. Our troops have been fighting on same foreign soil since WWII. Secondly, there was no real solid or sound leadership in those nations that were judged. (Need I say more?) Third, sexual immorality was abundant in those countries and they thought nothing of it. In fact not only did their laws allow it but the religious leaders even approved of it. Today in our own country not only are laws being formatted to allow same sex marriage, but we also have churches springing up across our land that not only allow such practices but even approve of them. And fourthly, like bygone countries, our nation is being evaded by foreign powers. We call them terrorist. And lastly, our economy, like the other nations, is grumbling as we speak. In spite of all these things I don’t lay of all the blame on the government or congress or any of the leaders, though they will be judged too. I believe the problem lies with us – the church, God’s people! When are we going to wake up? Is there an answer? Is there a word from God? I believe there is. And since we have a word from God I have hope because He is merciful. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God says, ”if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Notice God says that if His people will humble themselves, pray, seek His face, turn (repent) from their wicked ways then He will HEAL OUR LAND! I don’t think anyone questions the fact that our land needs healing. Here is the Judges’ solution. If we will obey God in the power of the Holy Spirit then I believe the church will be restored to its rightful place as salt and light to a miserable and darken world and our land will be healed. Prayer: Father, in heaven, You are holy. Grant us repentance and a broken and contrite heart. Return to us the joy of our salvation Heal our land and let it begin in me.

Carnal Christian (part 2)

10/24/12 Carnal Christian? (part 2) Some would say that Jesus has saved them but they haven’t surrendered to Him as their Lord. Theologically they are saying that they are justified but not sanctified, It is like asking Jesus to save you but still allow you to sin. Imagine saying to the Holy, Holy, Holy God, “I want you to save me but I don’t want to be holy.” It would be saying that I want God to save me in my sin not from my sin. Matt.1:21. Our Savior came to take away our sin. John 1:29. This carnal Christian idea does not see the seriousness of sin nor do they seem to understand how much even one sin offends God. That is exactly what Paul says in Rom.6:1-2: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! If the carnal Christian teaching is right then Paul should have answered the question with an affirmative. Instead his answer was the strongest negative possible. What bothers me the most is that this false doctrine portrays an inadequate and low view of Christ. It pictures Him as a savior who is weak and helpless and unable to save anyone from their path of destruction unless they allow Him. At the same time it pictures man as in complete control of His life. Man becomes sovereign instead of God. God is reduced to someone like an old grandfather type who winks at his grandchildren’s sinfulness and continues to supply them with more gifts so they can sin even more. This false doctrine portrays Jesus as Savior but not Lord. They think they someone can accept Him as Savior and then later (if they choose to) as Lord. Again this is foreign to the teaching of the Bible. Even at the announcement of His birth Jesus was declared both Savior and Lord. Luke 2:11. Jesus is one person. All who truly receive Him must receive all of Him. Matt.7:23. There are other points of concern that I have but my burden is for so many of those who have been led astray into thinking that they are saved when in reality they may not be. My dear reader, do not be among those who will hear the words of our Lord, Depart from me because I never knew you. Prayer: Lord, You came and died on the cross to take away my sin. Your word says that sin will not have dominion over me. Help me by the power of Your Holy Spirit to live by faith for that is pleasing to You

Carnal Christian?

10/23/12 Some believe that you can be a Christian but not live like one, thus the carnal or sinful living while still claiming to be a Christian. Space will not allow me to go into much detail so I will give you the highlights of my thoughts. First, the Scripture clearly puts all people into one of two categories – saved or lost, sheep or goats. Either you are born again or you are not. There is no third category. Second, the only place this is mentioned is in 1Cor.3. The Corinthians were certainly carnal in their preferences of one leader over another but it was certainly not a way of life for all of them. (Paul did imply that some of them may not be saved. 1Cor.15:34, 2Cor.13:5) All of us struggle with sin. I am not advocating perfection; but I am saying that for anyone to claim that Jesus has saved them from their sin yet show no sense of repentance or desire to live a life that is pleasing to God is a very dangerous and deadly doctrine. Matt.7:21-23 Third, the new covenant that was the result of Christ shed blood insured at least two things for all who are in the covenant – forgiveness of sin and a changed heart. Heb.10:15-17. If the carnal Christian theory was true it would then appear that a new life and new heart were optional. And I can be justified (saved) but give no evidence of sanctification (holy living). It would then appear that the ‘Holy’ Spirit, if He is even in the so called believer, is at best dormant. Why would the thrice holy God even consider saving someone so they could continue in the very thing that he hates and His wrath is against it? Fourth, if there has not been a radical change i.e. a new heart, then we have no reason to believe that Christ’s blood has covered our sin and our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life because there would be no distinguishable difference a biblical faith and the kind of faith (belief) that the demons have. James 2:19. When the gospel has really been believed then those whom God has justified will live by faith. Rom.1:16. Receiving the gospel is receiving God’s power in the Holy Spirit to live by faith. (There is no other way to please God.) Living by faith means that you trust in what God says and act on it. If anyone tells you that he is a believer but still lives in his sin, it is your duty to assure him that his faith is like those of the demons and he is not saved. Love him, pray for him, and witness, but do not compromise the gospel. Life and death are at stake. Prayer: Father, I still struggle with sin but not the sins I used to struggle with. Thank You for your grace and the power of Your Spirit to live a life that You are pleased with.