July 24, 2016

MY FRIENDS, RESTORATION STARTS NOW!!

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”1 John 3:2 (ESV) Restoration, of mankind and a new creation beyond our finite imagination. All restored for the redeemed. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:13 (KJV) “We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness” and love. Paul also says, “For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, or a contradictory character.]

But then my friends, [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God]. And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.”1 Cor. 13:12-13 (AMP)

When God created this world and man in six days, “He saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” and “morally excellent.” That was Gods originally plan and that is what we will be restored back to. John tells us God himself “will wipe away every tear from our eyes,” and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away,” and it  “shall not rise up the second time.” Rev. 21:4 (ESV) Nahum 1:9 (KJV)

My friends it is now personal because. “God so love the world” that He wanted you and I personally to understand perfection in its unadulterated form and how it was from the beginning when “God smiled, And the light broke, And the darkness rolled up on one side, And the light stood shining on the other, And God said: That’s good!” (James Weldon Johnson, The Creation)

And that is what Calvary was All about Happiness, joy, and perfect love restored. Restoration of the new earth is soon to come, but the restoration of our hearts is taking place within us right now if we are allowing self to die daily through the power of God’s Spirit But it also must take place and be completed before we can enjoy the fruits of  “a new heaven and a new earth.”

And once again when you and I see the Son of man coming through those clouds with “thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand angles,” there will be no “blurred reflection” of what we think we will be in Character. For restoration will be complete and we will be exactly like the One we see in all of His glory. My friends the invitations has gone out. But are we standing still and recognizing the voice of God as he knocks at our heart.

“Such stillness will not be just a pause, in which a thousand thoughts and desires assault us, but a time of recollection, giving us an inward peace, allowing us to draw breath and rediscover the one thing necessary, which we have either forgotten. Or something we have never experienced, and that is being in the presence of a God who can restore us into His image. (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger | Excerpts from The Spirit of the Liturgy p 209) My friends that is when it becomes a personal relationship with God and that is what we must seek daily until God Himself says “well done”

July 22, 2016

MY FRIENDS, CAN ANYONE MAKE ANYTHING GREAT AGAIN EXCEPT GOD?

“And all the world wondered after” Donald Trump. “And they worshiped Him thinking He would give them great power saying, who is like unto” Trump? “who is able to make war with him?” My friends, how do you make allegiance with one of the rulers of the darkness of this world simply  because he is asking you to believe he will make America “great again.” “All this I will give you,” he says, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Matt. 4:9 (NIV)

But my friends, the greatest want of the world should not to be “great again.” But the greatest want should be that every man woman boy and girl has a personal relationship with God, someone “who will not be bought or sold, men [and women] who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men [and women]  who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men [and women]  whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men [and women] who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” (E.G. White, Education pp 57)

If these are Trumps characteristic then please listen to His message. But if [he] speaks not according to the word [of God], it is because there is no light in Him.” Is. 8:20 (KJV) “The Emperor’s New Clothes” “is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent.

When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, no one dares to say that they don’t see any suit of clothes until a child cries out, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Trump on the outside spiritually “is not wearing anything.” And only if you seek Gods presence daily through prayer and His word while asking His Spirit to lead and guide you in all truth and understanding will you understand this.

Christ tells us Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch….. Remember my friends, those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.” Matt. 15:13-18 (NKJV) So my friends those who are following Trump must ask themselves; what is coming out of his mouth that would make me want to follow him as a leader.

Now it’s personal because if you are a child of God to hear the words “Make America Great Again.” “Again,” which in the context of what Trump is saying, refers to a greater time, and a greater place in our history. But my bible says, “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” Heb. 13:14 (ESV) So nothing behind or in front of us in regards to this world we should seek except the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My friends, our mission statement, mission meaning “an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by our strong conviction” must be “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” Phil 3:8 (KJV) All things meaning “all to Jesus I surrender.” All of my time, talents and money and most of all, all of our heart. A heart, that dies to self-daily and lives a life through Christ, Jesus the one who gave it all for our salvation.

July 21, 2016

MY FRIENDS, THE DNA FOR VICTORY IS WITHIN EACH OF US IF WE BELIEVE!

It was at Gethsemane that our Savior’s humanity recognized the difficulty of His journey that He was on. And it was His humanity that faced the possibility of His father’s presence no longer being with Him as He became “greatly distressed and troubled, He then said to [His disciples], “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” Mark 14:33 (ESV) And my friends, it was at this point the finish line seemed like an impossible feat.

Impossible, because when in conflict with men who were inspired by the very spirit of Satan, He would say with no reservation, “He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.” John 8:29. (JKV) But now, “He seemed to be shut out from the light of God’s sustaining presence. Now He was numbered with the transgressors. The guilt of fallen humanity He must bear. Upon Him who knew no sin must be laid the iniquity of us all.” (E.G. White, Desire Of Ages p 685)

But He stayed focused on His journey until in such “agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:44 (KJV) When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow He asked. “Why are you sleeping?” “Get up!!! Get up!!! “and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

My friends, He realized His disciples did not understand they were not “wrestling against flesh and blood, but against the prince of darkness himself and there only hope to overcome was prayer. But remember, this is the same Jesus that faced a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee and while the disciples panicked He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”Mark 4:39 (KJV)   

This same Jesus had faced demons before with total composure and even when Satan drove the agenda of the religious Elect to oppose him throughout His ministry He remained calm. But here in the Garden, Humanity was stretched to the limit and the weight of the entire world was on His shoulders. My friends, now we must make this very personal as we all focus on the reality, if Christ had lost this battle this world would be Satan’s kingdom, and his desire to be “like the most High” he would have claimed. Which would have been a scenario for our destruction.

So much at stake in those few hours at Gethsemane because this was humanity like you and I that understood only through one’s faith “of things not seen” and perseverance and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a constant prayer life, would He obtained victory over the forces of evil and there leader Satan. Which tells us we have access to this same power because we “are more then conqueror’s through Christ.” That is why the DNA for victory lies within each of us.

Remember my friends, we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him [which requires we carry our cross and together we will be glorified with Him]” Romans 8:17 (ESV) And soon we will be among that “great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in [our] hands. and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Rev. 7:9 (KJV)

July 20, 2016

MY FRIENDS, NINETY-THREE PERCENT OF THE SPEECH SHE DIDN’T PLAGIARIZE IS THAT OK?

“In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer penned the words, “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate” (1959:47). “Cheap grace means living as though God ignores or condones our sins. But forgiveness means that sin is real, and must be dealt with. We cannot ignore it, because God does not ignore it. The denial of sin is not grace: it is a lie. Cheap grace means living without the demand of obedience upon us.” (Obedience to God’s Commands, Bible Gateway Commentary)

Christ says if you “love me keep my commandments.” Asked on the “Today” show if this was plagiarism, Melania Trumps speech. Christie brushed it off: “Not when 93 percent of the speech is completely different than Michelle Obama’s speech.” My friends, does that mean the seven percent we did not give to the Master will be the only part that will burn in perdition’s fire. The other ninety-three percent of our mind body and soul will live throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity in Gods pure and holy kingdom.

If Governor Christie is correct, we can worship a false god seven percent of the time or give God only ninety-three percent of our time and talents, and seven percent of our money. How about we keep only ninety-three percent of the Sabbath day, that is probably a better percentage then most Christians do anyway. But God says; remember or don’t forget one-hundred percent of His Sabbath day that He blessed and hallowed.

And The last six commandments, Honoring our mother and father, murder or being angry with someone, adultery, stealing, lying and coveting, we only have to keep ninety-three percent of each one. If Governor Christie made any sense, “till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matt. 5:18 (KJV) is not relevant in today’s society. And if He made any sense, we would only have to carry ninety-three percent of our cross to be a disciple for Christ.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory………. All the nations will be gathered before Him, He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, all who kept one-hundred percent of all His commandments…..Then the King will say ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

And He will say to those on the left hand, the ninety three per-centers, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matt 25:31-46 (NKJV) As a child of God we are too close, “He is even at the door” for us to be putting percentages on Gods laws. Christ himself tells us in Matt 5:19 (NKJV)

Whoever, breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” James 2:10 (NIV), also states “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

My friends, “Stumbles at just one point” is that seven percent of God’s commandments we don’t mind breaking or those “socially acceptable sins.” As God’s children, “what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see him as He is.” [The One who died for our salvation and who showed us it is possible to keep one hundred percent of all ten of His commandments] 1 John 3:2 (ESV)

July 14, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE MAKING WISE CHOICES?

God has given you and I, the ability to choose “this day whom we will serve.” But with our choice, comes accountability. That is why Jeremiah tells us in Jer. 10:23-24 (AMP) “……O Lord, I know that the path of [life of] a man is not in himself, It is not within [the limited ability of] man [even one at his best] to choose and direct his steps [in life]. O Lord, correct me……but with mercy and in just measure Not in Your anger.” My friends, we cannot with our finite mind “properly determine our own steps.”

“For we do not understand our own actions. For we do not do what we want, but we do the very thing we hate…………” Rom 7:15-20 (NKJV) And as a child of God the battle from within rages on because, “the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other. “Gal 5:17 (NIV) My friends, if we could only travel without interruption on this Journey. But there are times when we wander in another, or an opposite direction from what God has designated for us, to save us.

And we do this because the world has told us throughout our life we must achieve a certain status and accumulate many possessions, and things and reach the very height that one can aspire to. But my friends, Christ also tells us “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt, 6:19-21 (ESV)

So as free moral agents we have two opposing sides the world and Christ and then we are told we are free to choose. My friends, where I need you to focus today is, on those two opposing sides. On one side you have a created being, created like you and I, who said in His heart “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” Is. 14:14 (KJV) And if we make the decision to follow after the one who wants to be like the Most High, in reality we are also saying; I or self will do whatever we have to do to achieve all of my HEART’S desire to be like the Most High.

HEART meaning that which is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” Jer. 17:9 (KJV) Or, our choice can be to follow after the one who has given us the choice to choose throughout our life so that we may understand what the consequences of our choices and the pain and misery of following after the one who wanted to be like the Most High God.

And then show us the alternative, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” Rom 5:20 (ESV) And once we realize there is a better journey with a better outcome we are then cleansed from the inside out and transformed into the image of the one who died so that we may live in the same place as the one who lost it all because His desire was to be like the Most High.

My friends God does not forsake us when we make bad choices He tells us in Isaiah 42:16 “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Now that my friends is love!!

July 13, 2016

MY FRIENDS, IS PRAYER NECESSARY IN THE MIDST OF ALL THE CHAOS?

Prayer How sweet the sound to the ears of the one who saved a wretch like you and I. We were all lost, but now we are found; was blind, but now through the grace of God and our prayers we see. My friends, the principalities, the powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world surrounds all with a cloud of discouragement who neglects to seek God “at all times in the Spirit, with prayer and supplication.”

The enemy tells us that being on our knees is not a priority and the blessings that comes along with that personal relationship with God when we are on our knees is not a necessity. Why should the “sons and daughters of God” take the time from their busy schedule to communicate with God. He has already given us everything we need. My friends, if that is your attitude, then focus on the chaos and say with conviction “He is even at the door.”

And then fall on your knees with that same conviction because prayer is the key that unlocks our faith and endurance to all the boundless resources from the one who gave his only Begotten Son and a son who gave it all even His life along with all their omnipotence within our reach through the Holy Spirit. But it all starts with prayer. And if we neglect understanding the importance of prayer we will become complacent and begin to deviate from where God is leading us on this journey He has placed us on.

And as God’s elect, we must also take our prayers to the front lines of the battle field and in the center of the chaos and the “breaking news” of the day and the great controversy between good and evil that has taken our world by storm. But if we neglect our prayer life in the midst of it all, then we become part of that same storm that is leading many to a state of spiritual ruin. So friends, prayer is how we stay focused while at the same time communicating our message in the midst of the chaos and the over saturation of technology.

And the bombardment of five hundred plus cable TV stations to choose from, along with Netflix, Facebook, twitter, Instagram and whatever else Satan has devised to make one’s mind numb to the fact that, when ye shall see all these things spoken of in Matt. 24, know that Christ second coming is near” even at the door.” In addition, from our knees the world must be able to see the light of Christ who directs all to “Come to Him, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and He will give them rest.

Take His yoke upon us and learn from Him, for He is gentle and lowly in heart, and we will find rest for our souls. For His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”Matt. 11:28-30 (NKJV) So my friends, our focus must never waiver. We must communicate Christ in the midst of the chaos of this world and it must be all about Christ and His will for us, as we communicate our passion to serve through our prayers along with God’s word and Spirit.

”But the obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, “Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly;” but faith [and prayer] courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things.” (E.G. White Patriarchs and Prophets PP 290)