Thursday, April 11, 2024

The Most Wonderful Thing About Salvation

1 Corinthians 13
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
The Greatest of all Fruits of the Spirit of God is Love. The first of the fruit of the Spirit is love.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

No Need for Grandiose Miracles, We Walk by Faith

Luke 16:29-31
"29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, Father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
And, born-again believers have no need to see heaven because we walk by faith and we have the scriptures as well as Christ living in us we do not need to see a miracle at all.
2 Corinthians 5:7
"7 For we walk by faith, not by sight."
Those who require grandiose miracles to keep up faith have little faith.

Evidence that We Know God and He Knows Us!

John 2:4-6 "4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked."
John 14:23
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
1 John 2:3
By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.
1 John 3:24
Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.
1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:13
By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit.
It is only possible to be saved, born-again, if we have the Holy Spirit living in us. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us when we confess to God that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. Then Christ enters our bodies and lives in us until He calls us home.
The evidence that we have been born again is in the character qualities of Christ that we demonstrate in our life on a continual basis. No born-again believer lives a lifestyle of sin and anger.
Galatians 5:22-23 " 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.…"
Matthew 7:16-20 "16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, by their fruit you will recognize them."
God made it clear that many people who think well of themselves and have joined a Christian church because they enjoy whatever it has to offer in companionship are not necessarily saved. Many have not trusted in Christ and do not know what it is to be led by the Holy Spirit because they do not have Him. They have a form of religion but deny Christ as they trust in themselves.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’"
I have seen people very proud of how good they think they are who condemn others they believe had a sinful past. Those who have come to the church to be seen as good people but have never trusted Christ remain in their sinful state without hope until they repent from their arrogance.
Everyone has a sinful past, no one is without sin. Even if those who think they have lived a good life have sinned in their hearts as they elevate themselves above others and even above God.
Luke 18:9-14 "9 Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:16-17 "16 But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”…"
Humility is a demonstration of a child-like posture. Knowing we are worthless and on our way to hell in need of the Savior is the first step to salvation. No one can remain full of pride and self-satisfied when they have humbled themselves in repentance toward God.
No one who has been born-again will look down on others are unworthy of love when the love of Christ lives in them. We see the unsaved in pity and desire for them to find Christ as we did.
There is an old saying; "except for the grace of God there go I." It means that I was once lost just as others are right now. Our desire is to love those we come in contact with, love them to Christ and love the brethren who have already found Christ. When there is no love but only prideful superiority there cannot have been a salvation experience.
Remember the fruit of the Spirit, this is the evidence of a born-again experience. Christ changes us, we cannot change ourselves. It is all Him all the time.
Ephesians 2:9-10 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. "
For those who are not yet saved repent and for those who are born-again allow the love of Christ to shine through you His way, the way of His Word, the Scriptures.
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Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Yearning for Home!

I don't know about anyone else but personally, I don't like others to tell me what to sing or what to say to worship. If its not coming from my own heart in my own personality that He gave us, then I feel as though we are following others and not Christ Who lives in us.
I know it sounds radical to think like this but the more we are told what to say and do by others the less we are focused on Christ....just my own thoughts.
I don't judge anyone else about this, it's just what I was sensing lately as I pondered the nature of worship.
When the prophets prayed it seemed that they went away into the wilderness to be alone with God. With all the noise around us in church gatherings it is hard to keep our focus on Him alone.
Spiritual worship is marked by a leading from the Holy Spirit and not a command of men.
This is why I appreciate the worship of the Brethren when each person is led by Christ to ask for a song or pray in the gathering. This is not orchestrated ahead of time by men to evoke "feelings", but led by the Holy Spirit that the focus would be Christ.
Matthew 6:5-15
5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they [a]will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
In these last days of apostasy, it is difficult to find a group gathering in which the people are being led by the Spirit, everything seems to be orchestrated and calculated to evoke emotions.
When we spend time with God there will be emotions but not manipulated by what others are saying and doing, they will come from a heart that has heard from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit stirs inside of the believer causing intense joy, peace, and even conviction of sin if there is something that needs to be cleansed away.
Some of us are a "fish out of water" in modern gatherings, we are yearning for something deeper, and an intense connection with Christ in us is our desire.
Some of us yearn to go home to our Savior, to the marriage supper of the Lamb when we will be wed for eternity to Him.
Coming Soon!!!!
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How to be Saved from Hell, Don't Miss How Easy it is!

No born-again believer who has been changed into a new creation by Christ wants to live in continual sin. We become confused about this because so many people who say they are "Christians" have no regard for God's Word and think they are saved merely by saying so to someone.
Our words are nothing to God. Our love of Him comes from a heart that produces His character when He changes us into a new creation. Its His Work not our own.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new [a]creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"
This is also why a born again believer does not lose their salvation, the Holy Spirit has sealed them with the Spirit of Christ as a guarantee of our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"
All that is required to become saved and born-again is the confession of our sinful nature and a desire to be changed by Christ. After that He does all the work in us, He gets all the glory we get none!
Hallelujah! When this happens all pride is removed because we know He is the One Who saves, we have nothing to boast about.
Romans 3:27-28
"27 Where then is boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."
Those who are trying to get into heaven by their own works will not make it. It is all Christ or nothing.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Which Connection do we Seek?

When we seek human connection more than we seek truth we will be disconnected from God. In order to have authentic relationships to one another as believers we have to deeply be connected to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the One Who connects believers to one another. Unity for its own sake will ultimately push away the principles of Christ to placate human nature. We will disobey God to make others happy with us when people are our priority over God.
When we are deeply connected to the Holy Spirit, seeking Him about everything we will not have a connection to those who have rejected Christ. Those who do not love Him will only attempt to change our hearts to be like theirs.
Mankind is not tolerant of the ways of God or even to Him. They want what they want and no one can object without reprocutions.
Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
It is better to be alone with Christ than in a room full of people who don't love Him.

Monday, April 8, 2024

Don't Go Looking for Miracles, See the Ones Right in Front of You

When someone attempts to guess what "might" happen because of an eclipse that is our first clue it is not coming from God. When God speaks the prophet will say something like: 'Thus saith the Lord", there is no guessing or figuring things out.
Every time a Christian guesses based on their desires they ultimately end up discrediting Christ.
The unbelievers need to see us walking by faith, full of trust in Christ no matter what is happening to us. This is far more evidence of the existence of God than any natural occurrence. After all, we have already seen God's handiwork in nature every single day.
The trees grow from the rain that falls and the nutrients in the soil. They grow from a tiny little seed one can hold between their fingers into a three-hundred-foot tall redwood tree.
A person can place a tiny tomato seed in soil and a plant will grow that produces large fruit that we can put in our salads. If these things are not enough of a miracle then we have become dull and ungrateful.
Every year the trees know when to know which time of year to grow flowers on the trees that produce the fruit. And each tree produces fruit according to its own kind. An apple tree always grows apples and a plumb tree always grows plumbs.
These plants and this fruit is a miracle every day. And every day there are miracles all around us that we take for granted. When we realize there are miracles all around us every day we can have a sense that God is taking care of us providing all that we need.
Those who are looking for big grandiose miracles are missing the miracles in nature that God created. When we ponder His greatness and the immensity of this earth and everything in it we can have joy and peace, worshiping as we thank Him for this amazing creation.
Matthew 16:4 "4A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away."
Matthew 12:39
"Jesus replied, "A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."
Luke 11:29
"As the crowds were increasing, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah."
Hallalujah!