Thankful for the Scars

John 20:27, “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Jesus, even after His resurrection still possessed the scars He received during His trial.

I don’t know if when we see Jesus in heaven if he will still have those scars but in the book of Revelations when referring to Israel it is written that they will look upon Him who they had pierced.

Who in here does not have a scar on their body?

Who in here does not know the story behind that scar?

I’ve had many and I know the story behind every single one (bicep, hand, finger, eye, knee, chin, abdomen, thumb).

But we also have scars that cannot be seen that have more of an impact on us than any of those scars that we can see.

Luke 5:27-32, “And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Can you imagine the label this man named Levi had carried, the tax man doesn’t get much of liking in our day, can you imagine the scars they carried back then, a publican and a sinner. I’m not afraid to say that I am not whole, but in need of a physician, because I’m a sinner.

But these are the ones God chooses, in Matthew West song “Broken Things” he has a verse that says “That its never the perfect, its always the ones with the scars you use”.

1 Corinthians 1:25-29, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

We can look at those that Jesus chose to take His message of salvation to the world and none would have been the first choice of the religious world today. They were men with callouses on their hands, the look of people that have been out in the wind and storms providing a living for their families. Their speech wouldn’t be as eloquent as those who that find themselves on the airways today.

Luke 14:16-24, “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”

Most of us in here if not all of us were not born into this faith, we were found on the streets, we’re poor in spirit if not in the physical, were maimed (scarred), halt and blind. But when we heard the good news, it drew us to Him and though we weren’t much, Jesus accepted us and gave us a promise of life and that more abundant than we ever had.

Probably the main reason God choses the foolish is that there is one thing that God does not take fondly to, PRIDE!

I am a man with many scars that you cannot see and some I have to admit are not healed, but that has given me such a love for Christ and His people that I will go to the ends of the earth for anyone of you.

When I put many of these messages together, its not me speaking, it’s Jesus Christ speaking through me. I’m simply amazed at how things have happened in my life, how God has put certain people in my life, how He has opened doors to me, and I’m not the only one here that can say that.

Many in here including me have been through a lot and when someone I going through a trial that they think they cannot endure, we are the testimony that says that you can make it.

Do you have scars? Then let God use them to further His kingdom!

Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

We are indeed the foolish of this world and that’s a great thing!

Be thankful for the scars.

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Occupy Until I Come

Luke 19:9-13, “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

We all agree in here that we are very near the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and are excited that we are part of His Kingdom.

In the meantime, we are required to “Occupy” but what does that mean? Do we just sit idly by and let the world go down the toilet?

The word “occupy” means in the Greek “to busy oneself with, that is, to trade”. So, the word itself tells us that we are not supposed to just show up once a week for service then do your own thing the rest of the week.

After we have come to Christ, we have several things to do to increase the Kingdom of God, we all know there is no greater joy than being part of someone coming to Christ. Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

Romans 10:13-15, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

To be a good witness of the Gospel, we need to be able to share what it says, 1Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” 2Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

To “occupy until He comes” we also need to be a people that pray, prayer is defined by Miriam-Webster is, an address (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought.

Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

1Thessalonians 5:14-18, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

We also need to keep us from being affected by this world to the point that is affects our walk with Jesus Christ, Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The bible calls this sanctification,

Leviticus 20:7-8, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.”

1Peter 2:9-12, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,: a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Occupy until He comes is investing in God’s Kingdom, as we read on in the parable we can see the importance of that.

People often wonder what he highest calling from God is?

Its not preaching the best sermon ever, it’s not being a pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, or even an apostle. Its not sacrificing your life or giving every penny you have to the poor.

What matters is not the size of our service, but the One for Whom we do it for! 1Co 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Jesus Christ is coming back and in spite of how evil is rampant in our world I have an excitement in my heart because this world is not my home, my life is but a vapor, a speck in eternity. They can pass laws that we have to accept things that are contrary to the word of God, they can strip us of our tax-exempt status, can put chains on our doors.

The dollar can crash and the digital currency can be forced on us, our government can turn completely communist and remove all the rights that our constitution once gave us.

This will have no effect on my worship and love for our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

John 4:19, “The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

Let’s Occupy Until He Comes!

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Choose This Day

Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Choices, we make several each day and according to the experts the average individual makes between 33,000 and 35,000 choices each day.

If you figure you sleep 7-8 hours per day that means in your waking hours you make approximately 2000 choices per hour or 33 choices per minute. A lot of those choices you can say are made from habits or unconscious choices but we do have the option to change those.

Just think of the things you do in the first minutes of your day, you open your eyes, look at the clock or don’t look at the clock , choose if you will close those eyes again, roll over, lay on your back, pull those covers up and try to go back to sleep, do you check your phone for any messages or calls, do you get up, turn off your sound machine, find your glasses, put some shorts or pajama bottoms on, go sit on your comfy chair, or go to the bathroom, do you do #1 or #2 or maybe both?

Some decisions are still choices even if we make the same ones every day out of necessity, like going to work, “I owe, I owe, so its off to work I go”.

The experts also tell us that 226 decisions we make every day are concerning food, this I think is under estimated as 5 minutes after we taken the last bite of our lunch my wife is asking what are the plans for dinner.

Have you been to the grocery store lately? The prices are not the only thing that’s shocking, the variety is also mind blowing, I like frosted mini-Wheats, but do you know you can get them strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, smaller size or even with no frosting. Mountain Dew you can’t get the original but you can get berry, orange, red, diet, and even a surprise flavor.

When it comes to our religion you also have literally thousands of choices out there on what you want to align your beliefs with, many of them watered down versions, 2Ti 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Galatians 6:7-8, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
From the very beginning man had a choice and choose the flesh, Genesis 3:6-7, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

There are many choices we make that we think and feel are right especially if we do not have Christ in our life or adhere to sound doctrine.

Pro 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Pro 16:9, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

Our choices we make on a daily basis should line up with God’s word and God’s voice, Pro 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Our savior Jesus Christ made the supreme choice to become a man, live under the laws He gave man, suffer, die and thank God was resurrected for us!

Heb 12:1-3, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

Jos 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”

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Dependent and Dependable

We live in a world that puts much emphasis on individuality or independence. We just celebrated our countries freedom from England 248 years ago but it looks like we have forgotten the reason our country sought that freedom.

The word dependent is an adjective which is defines as relying on someone or something else for aid, support, etc., conditioned or determined by something else.

In spite of the emphasis on being independent we have in this nation one of the most dependent generations in our country’s history, in 2022 we have 81 million people in Medicaid or 24.3% up from 12.4% of the population in 1975 and 41 million receive Food Stamps.

We have an epidemic in a country that is dependent on pharmaceutical drugs with 66% of all adults using prescription drugs, 2012 research from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association found that 81% of adults use some kind of drug as a first response to minor conditions.

21% of adolescents between the ages of 12-17 have experienced symptoms of anxiety in a two-week period of a survey given in December of 2022, more than 42% felt persistently sad or hopeless, 22% considered suicide, and 10% attempted suicide in 2021.

Our world especially the USA is a dependent nation.

As Christians, we are too dependent, but dependent in an entirely different way. As the world tells us to be independent not reliant on one another, the bible says differently.

Heb 10:24, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

1Co 12:12-14, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

God has built His church to be not a kingdom governed by one or a few individuals, Jesus Christ is the head and everybody else is part of the rest of the body.

We need to have dependence on one another in our Christian Walk but where should our total dependance be put on?

Psa 62:1-8, “To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

John, “15:4-7, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

Our hope is built in nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness!

Dependable means to be trustworthy and reliable, we all have a dependable God, but are we not supposed to be dependable as well?

1Corinthians 4:1-2, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Luke 16:10, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

I don’t know about you but the more I realize that I’m not that super-Christian that I thought I once was, that the forgiveness Jesus Christ has given me through the blood He shed for me, I have a debt I can never pay.

Luke 4:41-48, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”

1Co 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

It doesn’t matter what task it is, whatever it is, do it as you are doing it for the Lord! We don’t labore to earn anything but only because we love Him!

Matthew 25:21, “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

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The Importance of Fathers

Ephesians 6:1-4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

In our world today there is a lot of importance placed on sports figures, politicians, educators, jobs, etc

But one area that should receive a lot more notoriety is the “father”!

Now I’m well aware that we have in our world fathers that are truly unfit for that title, whether they are abusive emotionally or physically there are times that it is best for that person to be out of the picture.

In the Guardians of the Galaxy we have Yondu telling Star-Lord at the end of #2 that Ego may have been his father but he was not his daddy.

We also need to be sensitive to the fathers who have lost a child that this can be a difficult time. As a father who has lost two children, I’m well aware of the pain of waiting for that text message, phone call, or card that never will come. I pray the comforter Jesus Christ will comfort you on this day and the days to come.

But overall, the “Father” is an important figure in the health of the family. Proverbs 23:22-26, “Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

In 1968, 85% of children under 18 lived with two parents (regardless of marital status); by 2020, 70% did, according to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).

Fatherhood Initiative https://fatherhoodinitiative.org/research

Fatherless Homes Account For:

63% of Youth Suicides

71% of High School Dropouts

90% of Homeless: & Runaway Children

2x more likely to drop out of high school

4x more likely to grow up in poverty.

7x more likely to become pregnant as a teen.

1 in 4 children grow up without a father in the home.

Among the different ethnic groups, the numbers are even become more staggering:

Among whites 78.6% have homes with both parents, Hispanics have 67.9%, but among blacks you have only 41.3% of both parents living in the same home.

There are currently more than 17,000,000 (other research suggests nearly 30,000,000) children growing up in America without their fathers.

One of the main contributors to fatherlessness are divorce and out-of-wedlock births. In 2019 there were 1,498,113 out-of-wedlock births. That is 40% of all births in the United States.

Matthew 24:37-38, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,”

Children need both parents and with the growing absence of fathers, the focus is on the need for them. I applaud the single mothers that work so hard and are doing the best job they can alone, but we need to have fathers step up and do the job God ordained them to do!

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Fathers have the responsibility to teach children in the ways of the Lord.

This doesn’t always guarantee that our children will always do what’s right and that at times may even break our hearts. But no matter what we will love them.

The best way to understand the love that God has for us is to have children, the story of the prodigal son is a perfect example of Gods love for us, Luke 15:17-24, “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

We need Fathers!

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All Scripture

2Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

In a recent interview with The Christian Post, George Barna, founder of the Barna Group which is one of leading voices on cultural trends, had a stark warning for a declining Christian Church. “People have become more selfish, churches have become less influential, pastors have become less Bible-centric,” said Barna of the current climate. “Families have invested less of their time and energy in spiritual growth, particularly of their children. The media now influences the Church more than the Church influences the media, or the culture for that matter. The Christian Body tends to get off track arguing about a lot of things that really don’t matter,” he said.

Rom 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

One thing Barna has seen that worries him is how churches focus more on attendance numbers and buildings rather than discipleship and knowledge of the Bible. “You get what you measure. So, if you measure the wrong things, you’ll get the wrong outcomes … [pastors] measure how many people show up, how much money they raise, how many programs they offer, how many staff persons they hire, how much square footage they built out. Jesus didn’t die for any of that. So, we’re measuring the wrong stuff and, consequently, we get the wrong outcomes,” he said. The American Bible Society’s “State of the Bible USA 2024” found that the number of Americans who engage with the Bible three or four times a year outside of church has dropped to just 38%.

Psa 1:1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Barna stated that the solution is to focus more on children and families. “We need to go back and recognize it starts with families; parents have the primary responsibility to raise their children to become spiritual champions … local churches need to support parents in that endeavor. Our primary focus needs to be on children … and growing their biblical worldview. If we do that, we’ll be able to grow the 3 percent of adults who are disciples in America today to a larger proportion,” he said. He also emphasized the importance of worldview. “What I’m seeing now is that we’re getting to this place where the typical American … will not have anyone in their circle of influence who has a biblical worldview. You’re not going to be influenced with God’s truth,” he said. Barna’s Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that only 4% of Americans hold a Biblical worldview, dropping from 6%.

1Co 2:1, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:”

According to Barna, a biblical worldview is described as “believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is defined by the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views were that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people; and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.”

Amo 8:11-13, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.”

Barna found that a Biblical worldview drastically changed an individual’s behavior, such as more sexual purity, less gambling, and less drunkenness. “These are not perfect people,” said Barna, “but once they catch on to the critical principles found in the Bible and train their minds to incorporate those views into their thinking, their behavior varies noticeably from the norm.”

Corinthians 6:9-11, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

2Ti 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

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Pentecost Sunday

Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Conforming to the world, its not really a new thing, it’s been happening from the onset of the church and even before, Galatians 1:6, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:”

The world can twist, refute, dilute, delete, and compromise the Word of God in pretty much any matter including salvation!

Jude 3-4, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” On this Pentecost Sunday let us contend for the “Faith”.

There are not many ways to get to heaven as many Hollywood personalities have claimed as well as some biblically ignorant churches, Oprah Winfrey says this, “Well, I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity” Steve Harvey also believes this.

What’s worse is that an ever-increasing number of church goers believe that your good works will get you into heaven. According to a Christian post article from September 2022, over a third of senior pastors believe, “good people” can earn their way to heaven.

Psalms 14:1-3, “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Your “good” works cannot get you into heaven!

If we had multiple choices to make heaven, I would think the Apostles would have been witness to that, Acts 2:1-4, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

This attracted a crowd questioning what was happening in which the Apostle Peter stands up to explain this phenomenon in verse 21 he says, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Peter doesn’t stop there but continues on talking of Jesus and the resurrection which then brings us to the question that we all need to come to in our life, when we realize we were sinners that needed a Savior, Acts 2:37, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

This is where we should see an option lists if there are other ways to salvation, Acts 2:38-42, “then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

We can find this same formula in Acts chapters 8,10, and 19 which is the only formula to fulfill the Born-Again experience in the Gospel of John.

The book of Acts of the Apostles is the only NT book that gives us the history of the birth of the church. The “Epistles” to follow, literally, “letters” contain topics that the author which often carried an admonition to turn away from sinful things with instructions about how to live a life as a believer in Christ.

These are written to “saints” example, Galatians 1:1-5, “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Galatians 1:9, “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

We will not conform to the world’s standards in doctrine and especially when it comes to what the Word of God tells us when it comes to salvation!

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The Price Has Been Paid!

1Corinthians 7:23, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.”

What is the value of a human being? The U.S. government federal agencies have a very specific answer. They say a human life is worth about $10 million. 80 quadrillion dollars. A housewife would be considered worth an estimated salary of $113,586.00 per year.

Psalms 51:5, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Ways To Evangelize Effectively – STOP USING THE WORD “SIN!” by Robert Wimer|Published December 31, 2019, stated this,

“Probably the worst thing you could do when evangelizing to anyone is to use the word “sin.” It’s a word that has no meaning to anyone except Christians. Jesus never used it, but this is what He did do.” WRONG!

Joh 8:34, “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”

Rom 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I read recently that one very large church in their invitation to the public won’t use the words “blood of Jesus”, “calvary”or “resurrection” in an effort to make their church more accessible to a wider audience, they have chosen not to use certain words that might alienate potential non-Christian attendees.

When talking about our salvation the “blood of Jesus” is an extremely important doctrine that we need to understand.

Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

In the sacrifice that was required of the Israelites, blood was the main ingredient in it, Hebrews 9:18-22, “Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

This is no more apparent in the “Passover” found in Exodus 11-19, a lamb without blemish was to be sacrificed, “Exodus 12:5-8, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”

Now I have heard that the angel of death only had to see the blood upon the doorposts and would Passover that house no matter who was inside the home.

But there was a preparation made before the blood was applied, the house was to be rid of leaven which often is referenced as “sin” in the bible. Like wise before the blood of Christ can be applied in our lives, we need to do one thing! Acts 2:38

Matthew 26:26-28, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

1 Peter 1:18-20, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,” How precious is that blood?

The price has been paid and God had the plan for it before the creation of this world.

One of the last things Jesus mentioned on the cross was “It is Finished”. Telling us the era of the law was over, Jesus came not to destroy the law but fulfill it and the beginning of the era of Grace was to begin.

The one thing that amazes me in all this is Romans 5:6-8, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.”

Hebrews 12:1-2, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

You looking unto the author and finisher of our faith?

1Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”

We can because the Price has been PAID!

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You Grace is Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12:6-10, “For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

There are many thoughts about what this thorn in the Apostles Paul’s side was, if it was a physical problem or may have been a spiritual one but the Lord clearly tells him that his prayer for it to go away would not happen but to rely on God;s grace in dealing with it.

Today I’m going to attempt to answer one of the “why” questions.

There are biblical reasons for our prayers seemingly being not answered and the main reason is because we have sin in our lives. Isa 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

It maybe be for a selfish reason, James 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

Lack of faith is another, James 1:6-8 , “but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Other reasons are that you didn’t ask or its not God’s timing and so on.

First thing we need to understand is that God is not the cause of suffering in this world. Ultimately, it’s man that brought sin and death upon all mankind.

Who brought the thorn in Paul’s side? Yep, Satan

I’m not positive who the author of the book of Job is but who is the one who brought death to Job’s family? Who caused illness to Job?

When God spoke to Job, did He ever explain why these things happened to Job?

Isaiah 55:6-12 tells us that God is sovereign!

Now, if you’re not Born Again of the water and Spirit, God has no obligation to hear your prayer, Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

But paise God he can and will answer prayers of those not in the “Born Again” group as many of us would not be here if Jesus hadn’t answered our pray in those dark days of our lives. Matthew 15:21-28, “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour”

John 9:39, “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.”

God does not cause sickness, Matthew 17:14-18, “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.”

God is not the source of death, Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

So, we can easily see why there is sickness and death in this world but that doesn’t answer why it seems God does not answer our prayers, I mean we ask, we believe, we repent of our sins, we forgive others, so why?

It really goes to our feeble thoughts of who God is and how merciful He is!

1Timothy 1:12-16, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

We live in a corrupt fallen world, where every evil imaginable is possible, where sickness, murder, death is rampant, where a child in what should be the safest place you could imagine is in danger. Where governments that were established to protect your freedoms are taking them away and looking for complete control every facet of your life. Where Jesus Christ and His followers have become a threat to this control and are labeled as bigots and racist.

In a way God has answered the prayers of this world and that prayer is for God to leave us alone! Let us decide for ourselves what is right and wrong.

But I also contend that Jesus does hear the prayers of His children Psalms 66:19-20, “But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.”

This my not answer in its entirety the “Why” question since in this life we may not get that answer but God does hear and sometimes we don’t like the answer. Never lose that trust and get caught up in the lie of the devil that God just doesn’t care for He does!

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The Promise

Promises made, promises kept used to be the saying, not so much anymore!

A promise is an assurance similar to a vow or a pledge where one will do, give, or arrange something, undertake, or declare that an event will happen. A promise is sacred and verbal commitment that isn’t to be broken.

We all of unfortunately been the victim of a broken promise and try as we may, have been guilty of breaking a promise sadly. It used to be that “your word is your bond”.

There is someone who will always keep His promise, Titus 1:1-2, “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

Let’s look at the greatest promise ever made in the History of mankind that came about by a major mess up at the very beginning of mankind.

The man Adam was created with the best of everything with only one instruction to not do something which was to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:1-3, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

There were several consequence of this disobedience to God and first was to the serpent, “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:”

With that comes the first promise from God of a redeemer one day, Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Throughout the entire Old Testament, we have the hope that this Messiah would be appearing soon. But for 4000 years as man waited even though having many miracles are recorded this miracle was not fulfilled.

It has been said that we have over 300 prophecies about that birth, life, and death of the Messiah and the book of Isaiah is the clearest about what to look for about the promise.

A virgin; Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

The Name; Isaiah 9:6-7, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

His lineage; Jeremiah 23:5-6, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

A forerunner; Isaiah 40:3-4, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:”

The promises of the place of the birth of Jesus is also mentioned in Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

So when were these promises fulfilled?

Mark 1:1-4, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

Luke 1:26-33, “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Luke 2:1-7, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

So, with all these promises and more how could the nation of Israel miss the coming of the Lord?

The promises of God didn’t end with the birth of the Messiah, for each of us are given a promise if we are willing to accept it, Acts 2:38-39, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

Our lord also promises in no matter what situation you are in that you will never be alone, Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

We also have the promise that Jesus is going to come back for us, John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

This place is going to be the most wonderful place and beyond our imaginations, Revelations 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Jesus Christ is and will always be the GREATEST PROMISE

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