June 3, 2016

MY FRIENDS, FAITH IS SIMPLY TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD, AND THEN TELLING OTHERS!!

Yesterday I talked about “every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life. The receiver becomes a giver.” (White) Christ sowed a seed to a Samaritan woman at Jacob well. From there she went and also sowed seeds through her witnessing to friends and family. “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, [and women] “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did……….

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified.” John 4:1-45 (NKJV) Then Christ and His Disciples leave Samaria after two days of sowing seeds in that town. “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ.” From Samaria, Christ and His disciples go to Cana of Galilee. “And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.”

When he herd Jesus was in town he searched for Christ. Upon finding Him he tells Christ that His son is sick and at the point of death. Please come he petitions Christ and heal him before He dies……….Then Jesus said “Go your son lives. ”And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way” John 4:46-53 (NJKV) My friends, a nobleman was a man of noble birth or rank; probably part of the royal family Herod.

But because of what he had heard through other witnesses in the area, he had the faith of a mustard seed, which tells you and I, if we say “to this mountain, move from here to there, it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matt. 7:20 (NKJV) “For faith is not sight, smell, taste or touch,” it is simply taking God at His word and not like God speaking directly to Abraham or Moses but only through His holy word.

Acts 27:25 (KJV) tells us, “wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” The bible tells us, that the nobleman believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. If you noticed Christ did what the nobleman requested, but not in the way that was requested of Christ. My friends, For God tells us “My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways.” Is. 55:8 (NKJV)

So this tells us that God will save and answer prayers to all who call upon him, but not always in the way in which we may desire. My friends the key is, we must always have faith even if it is as small as a mustard seed. In addition, we must believe that God’s grace and life eternal is a free gift from God, and “our Father which art in heaven” has the right to give it to anyone that He desires to give it too.

Because His gifts are giving to all that will promote His glory and honor as we seek life eternal. But the story does not end there. From there the nobleman goes out and sows many seeds by witnessing to others. My friends, only heaven knows how many more seeds were planted because of his faith. “And he himself believed, and his whole household.” (v, 53)  My friends, we must go into all the world and sow seeds, go to our families, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers and tell them through our faith what God has done for us.

June 2, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE TELLING THE WORLD WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US?

Today my friends we are going to John 4 where Jesus is telling His disciples after they had come back from going “into the city to buy meat.” Upon returning they said, “Master, eat” then in (v, 29-36) “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. ………..behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” My friends even during Christ leisure time His focus was on the Salvation of others. While the disciples were gone He had been witnessing to the woman at the well.  My friends, it becomes personal today because there is no time where we take a vacation from the work of the Lord because it is all about sowing seeds for His kingdom. And once He had witnessed to Her, she left Christ and begin to witness to her friends.

Come, see a man she says, “which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?……..So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would remain with them: and He abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word.” “As soon as the woman had found the Saviour the Samaritan woman brought others to Him. She proved herself a more effective missionary than His own disciples.

The disciples saw nothing in Samaria to indicate that it was an encouraging field. Their thoughts were fixed upon a great work to be done in the future. They did not see that right around them was a harvest to be gathered…….The woman represents the working of a practical faith in Christ. Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life. The receiver becomes a giver.

The grace of Christ in the soul is like a spring in the desert, welling up to refresh all, and making those who are ready to perish eager to drink of the water of life.” (E.G. White Desire Of Ages, pp 195) My friends, there is no time to tarry; tarry meaning “to delay, be tardy or linger.” For our meat must be to do God’s will. Every waken hour of our day we must “Lift up our eyes, and look on the fields; [and realize] they are white, [and ready for] harvest.”

My friends, if you are a child of God you are a missionary for His Kingdom and you are now able to say to the world I know a Man who has made a difference in my life. difference meaning “I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more.” In addition, we continue to say how we were forced by Satan to go as far as possible until we had completely submerged into the abyss, because Sin will always take us farther than we ever thought we would go.

Then we must praise God from whom all blessing flow as we tell them; “the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry” and He reached down and rescued me. And he will do the same for all who call out, Help Lord. Friends, His reach is unlimited no matter how far we have fallen in sin.

Every excuse we may give as the reason we cannot serve Christ, was challenged and answered at Calvary.

June 1, 2016

MY FRIENDS, LOVE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you LOVE, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Gen 22:1-2 (KJV) This my friends, is the first time the word LOVE is mentioned in the bible and after that another 309 times.

But now the bar is set, and it is set very high in regards to it’s meaning. So if God is love, why not just begin His word by saying “in the beginning LOVE created the heavens and the earth” and as humans the meaning will become very personal and at times you will understand because of sin you will feel LOVE is just not enough or I am not enough. But my friends LOVE begins my word and LOVE will end my word.

And if you will just have faith and believe all 783,137 (KJV) words. And 1,260 (KJV) promises in my word you will understand the true meaning of what LOVE means from the beginning and throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. So my friends, God had a plan and it all begins with a test of our faith which one day we all must go through in order to prove if we can love as God loves, and sacrifice as God sacrificed.

For God, it all begins with a Fathers love for His Son, as the greatest love. “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you LOVE” and then He was told once you arrive at your destination you must then offer your son as a sacrifice. My friends, how could we understand the word Love without understanding the cost of such a word and that it is just not a word we can use like other words in the English language because LOVE is a sacrifice and at times LOVE is pain and at times love hurts but we don’t question it.

Abraham never said if you want my only son Isaac whom I love to die then You kill Him. I will not have any part in your cat and mouse game. But my friends, by faith “Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son;……to the place of which God had told him.” Oh what a sacrifice God is asking of Abraham.

But this my friends is where the story begins for our salvation for it was all about each of His children understanding the enormous price that must be paid because sin entered the world. In addition, God loving us so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that we would not have to pay that price. And a Son who was willing to give up His own life on Calvary “While we were still sinners” so that we would understand what the plan of redemption was all about.

“In the beginning.” God’s greatest precepts is to LOVE Him with all our heart and soul. “And the second is like it: [we] shall love our neighbor as ourself.” Matt. 22:37-39 (NKJV) and we do it selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. And as heirs to His kingdom, if we have faith and believe, that God has made our life to be as that of a “man or woman after His own heart;” then we do understand LOVE.  Because Whoever does not understand LOVE, “does not know God, BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE.” 1 John 4:8 (KJV)

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May 31, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE LUKEWARM IN THE SIGHT OF GOD?

“And to the angel of the church of Laodicea……..I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked……” Revelation 3:14-21(KJV) My friends we are going to personalize the church of Laodicea.

Remember the church is only a structure, made of brick and mortar. So it is not the church that is lukewarm but each of us that sit in the pews each week and allow the Holy Spirit to entertain us. Yes, it is God’s children that have lost our “significance and savor,” because the god of this world have occupied our minds with the things of this world, which then causes us to lose sight of the saving grace of the Master.

In addition, we have become more concern with materialism, consumerism, individualism, and did you see the last episode of Empire. This is why we have a lack of knowledge and faith. And this is why we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked and neither cold nor hot and because we are neither, God just wants to vomit us out of His mouth. But it is all about building upon our faith as we study the word of God. Jeremiah tells us, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.”

My friends, Jeremiah knew in digesting God’s word, that would allow a child of God to understand “the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; and The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. [And His word is] more to be desired…than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; and Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” Jer. 15:16 (NASB), Ps. 19:9-10 (NKJV) So now, because our God loves us so much, and is so patient with His children, (v, 19-21) of Rev. 3 tells us to anoint our eyes with eye salve, that [we] may see.

[Because] as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” And as we study God’s word we then begin to allow God’s Spirit to transform us into the likeness of Christ.

Consistent with this, as we look at the “breaking news” of our world each day and realize the grace of God is gradually being remove from this earth. We need to ask ourselves, what is it about this world and the things in it that gives us the desire to choose Death over life eternal in a place “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9 (NKJV)

My friends, it will be a tragedy to get to that point in our life we have waited for so long, when Christ says “well done good and faithful servant.” And we only hear, “I know you not,” because our focus remained on the things of this earth and not on the things above.