Tonight we are starting a neighborhood Bible study. We put out 25 invitations, so we will see if anyone shows up. I am offering the place to study God's Word and have fellowship with other believers. Tonight we will study 1John 1:1-10 if we get that far. I am praying for God's guidance in leading this study. I pray to be the mouth piece and that God will do the talking through me.
God Bless You!
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Money Won't Make It Easy To Be Saved!
Mark; 10:23
(Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God")
If you are one who has much wealth here on earth, don't put your faith in your money. When Jesus was talking to His disciples about the rich man, He told them it is more difficult for that rich man to enter the kingdom because he puts his faith in his money. The Jews believed that with alms a man purchased salvation (as recorded in the Talmud), so the more wealth one had, the more alms he could give, the more sacrifices and offerings he could offer, thus purchasing redemption. That is not what the Scriptures teach us. The Scriptures tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. Even a rich man can't be saved by his own merits, he has to come to Jesus to be saved.
Ephesians; 2:8-9
(For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.)
God knew that man would try to save himself and He knew we couldn't because of our sins. There had to be a blood sacrifice for the remission of sins and that sacrifice had to be perfect and without any sin. That left everyone of us out so we were all doomed to destruction. God then gave His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and we could be saved through Him.
Acts; 4:12
(Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.)
Mark; 10:25
(It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God")
God is telling us that we all can enter heaven through the blood of Jesus. Whether you are rich or poor doesn't matter. What matters is if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Have you come to Him for forgiveness and put your faith in Him. Salvation is not about what we can do but rather what God has already done for us. Salvation is a free gift from God and all we have to do is repent of our sins and accept His gift of salvation. I pray that if you haven't, you'll put your faith in Jesus and inherit eternal life.
God Bless You!
(Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God")
If you are one who has much wealth here on earth, don't put your faith in your money. When Jesus was talking to His disciples about the rich man, He told them it is more difficult for that rich man to enter the kingdom because he puts his faith in his money. The Jews believed that with alms a man purchased salvation (as recorded in the Talmud), so the more wealth one had, the more alms he could give, the more sacrifices and offerings he could offer, thus purchasing redemption. That is not what the Scriptures teach us. The Scriptures tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. Even a rich man can't be saved by his own merits, he has to come to Jesus to be saved.
Ephesians; 2:8-9
(For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.)
God knew that man would try to save himself and He knew we couldn't because of our sins. There had to be a blood sacrifice for the remission of sins and that sacrifice had to be perfect and without any sin. That left everyone of us out so we were all doomed to destruction. God then gave His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and we could be saved through Him.
Acts; 4:12
(Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.)
Mark; 10:25
(It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God")
God is telling us that we all can enter heaven through the blood of Jesus. Whether you are rich or poor doesn't matter. What matters is if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Have you come to Him for forgiveness and put your faith in Him. Salvation is not about what we can do but rather what God has already done for us. Salvation is a free gift from God and all we have to do is repent of our sins and accept His gift of salvation. I pray that if you haven't, you'll put your faith in Jesus and inherit eternal life.
God Bless You!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Who You Don't Know Will Hurt You!
You've heard the old saying "What you don't know can't hurt you." But that's not necessarily true. When it comes to eternal life, If you don't know Jesus it will hurt you. Jesus tells us that He came to save that which is lost and everyone of us is lost until we give our life to Jesus. If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are condemned and on your way to the Lake of Fire when you die.
God doesn't want any of us to perish and sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. But we have to repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness to receive this gift. At that time we become a child of God and we have a personal relationship with Him. He is our Heavenly Father, and Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit is our Helper. He is the Triune God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Three in one. This is referred to as the Trinity!
Matthew; 28:19
(Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,)
So if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, today is the day to change that. Ask Jesus to come into your life and save you. Tell Him you know that you need a Savior and that you believe that He is the Christ the Son of God. Tell Him you're sorry for sinning against Him and you repent of those sins and you want to give your life to Him. Jesus tells us that He won't cast any away who come to Him for forgiveness. If you mean it when you talk with Him, He will save you. You will become a new creation in Him as the old self will be done away with. Yes, you'll still be tempted to sin but you will now have the power of the Holy Spirit in you to help you resist the temptation.
1Corinthians; 10:13
(No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.)
God Bless You!
God doesn't want any of us to perish and sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. But we have to repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness to receive this gift. At that time we become a child of God and we have a personal relationship with Him. He is our Heavenly Father, and Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit is our Helper. He is the Triune God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Three in one. This is referred to as the Trinity!
Matthew; 28:19
(Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,)
So if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, today is the day to change that. Ask Jesus to come into your life and save you. Tell Him you know that you need a Savior and that you believe that He is the Christ the Son of God. Tell Him you're sorry for sinning against Him and you repent of those sins and you want to give your life to Him. Jesus tells us that He won't cast any away who come to Him for forgiveness. If you mean it when you talk with Him, He will save you. You will become a new creation in Him as the old self will be done away with. Yes, you'll still be tempted to sin but you will now have the power of the Holy Spirit in you to help you resist the temptation.
1Corinthians; 10:13
(No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.)
God Bless You!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Do You Know God?
1John; 2:6
(He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.)
It's easy to say we belong to God and we may fool others by that statement, but our walk will reveal whether we know Jesus as Lord and Savior or not. We can't be part of the world and yet try to be a shinning light for Jesus They just don't mix. To walk in the light means we need to be honest with our self and others. When we sin, we must immediately confess that sin to God and ask for forgiveness. We cannot walk in communion with God and have sin hidden in our life. God tells us He is holy and we need to be holy.
Obedience to God is another character of God's children. There are three reasons a person will obey. You might obey because you have to, or maybe you need to, or the best reason is you want to. You want to because He is your Heavenly Father and you love Him. Small children want to please their parents and God's children want to do the same. God loves us and we love God, it's very simple. To be able to walk as Christ walked though, we must have the Holy Spirit guiding us. Without Him we would not be able to walk as Christ walked. Our flesh wants to do the things of the flesh and we need the Spirit to be able to walk in the Spirit.
Galatians; 5:16
(I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.)
Remember, you are not going to be able to walk as Christ walked without Christ in your life. If you haven't done so, ask Jesus to come into your life and give you eternal life in Him. We all have to make a choice in life to follow Jesus or not. If you chose Jesus you'll have eternal life in Heaven, if you don't chose Jesus you'll spend eternity in the Lake of Fire (Hell). God showed His love for you when He sent Jesus to die for your sins on the cross. Show your love for Him by giving your life to Jesus.
God Bless You!
(He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.)
It's easy to say we belong to God and we may fool others by that statement, but our walk will reveal whether we know Jesus as Lord and Savior or not. We can't be part of the world and yet try to be a shinning light for Jesus They just don't mix. To walk in the light means we need to be honest with our self and others. When we sin, we must immediately confess that sin to God and ask for forgiveness. We cannot walk in communion with God and have sin hidden in our life. God tells us He is holy and we need to be holy.
Obedience to God is another character of God's children. There are three reasons a person will obey. You might obey because you have to, or maybe you need to, or the best reason is you want to. You want to because He is your Heavenly Father and you love Him. Small children want to please their parents and God's children want to do the same. God loves us and we love God, it's very simple. To be able to walk as Christ walked though, we must have the Holy Spirit guiding us. Without Him we would not be able to walk as Christ walked. Our flesh wants to do the things of the flesh and we need the Spirit to be able to walk in the Spirit.
Galatians; 5:16
(I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.)
Remember, you are not going to be able to walk as Christ walked without Christ in your life. If you haven't done so, ask Jesus to come into your life and give you eternal life in Him. We all have to make a choice in life to follow Jesus or not. If you chose Jesus you'll have eternal life in Heaven, if you don't chose Jesus you'll spend eternity in the Lake of Fire (Hell). God showed His love for you when He sent Jesus to die for your sins on the cross. Show your love for Him by giving your life to Jesus.
God Bless You!
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Straight Scoop!
Here's the straight scoop from the Word of God. We are ALL sinners, everyone of us. None of us are without sin even though we may like to think we are.
Romans; 3:23
(for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,)
God didn't say some of us have sinned, He said all of us have sinned against Him. So no matter how good we think we are, we will never be good enough because our sin has separated us from God.
There are also consequences for the sins we have committed.
Romans; 6:23
(For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.)
God knew we were going to sin so He sent His Son to die for our sins. Jesus didn't just die for the sins of Americans or any other specific country, but He died for every one's sins. Jesus died for our sins now we must come to Him for forgiveness of those sins. A person must repent and ask for forgiveness in order to be forgiven. God will not make you come to Him unless you want to. If you do come to Jesus, He will forgive you and give you eternal life.
John; 6:40
(And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.)
So this is the promise from God, that if we will just believe in Him, we'll have everlasting life. There is no other way to to the Father except through Jesus. There is no other way to be saved except through faith in Jesus.
Ephesians; 2:8-9
(For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.)
Don't let anyone tell you differently, without Jesus you are not saved.
1John; 5:11-12
(And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.)
God does not lie. Put your faith in Jesus and live eternally with Him. If you don't put your faith in Him and His sacrifice on the cross, you'll die in your sins and have to pay the price for those sins yourself.
Come to Jesus today!
God Bless You!
Romans; 3:23
(for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,)
God didn't say some of us have sinned, He said all of us have sinned against Him. So no matter how good we think we are, we will never be good enough because our sin has separated us from God.
There are also consequences for the sins we have committed.
Romans; 6:23
(For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.)
God knew we were going to sin so He sent His Son to die for our sins. Jesus didn't just die for the sins of Americans or any other specific country, but He died for every one's sins. Jesus died for our sins now we must come to Him for forgiveness of those sins. A person must repent and ask for forgiveness in order to be forgiven. God will not make you come to Him unless you want to. If you do come to Jesus, He will forgive you and give you eternal life.
John; 6:40
(And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.)
So this is the promise from God, that if we will just believe in Him, we'll have everlasting life. There is no other way to to the Father except through Jesus. There is no other way to be saved except through faith in Jesus.
Ephesians; 2:8-9
(For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.)
Don't let anyone tell you differently, without Jesus you are not saved.
1John; 5:11-12
(And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.)
God does not lie. Put your faith in Jesus and live eternally with Him. If you don't put your faith in Him and His sacrifice on the cross, you'll die in your sins and have to pay the price for those sins yourself.
Come to Jesus today!
God Bless You!
Thursday, February 04, 2010
A Stiff Necked People!
When God spoke to the Prophets in the Old Testament, He often referred to the Jews as a stiff necked people. They had eyes to see and yet didn't see and ears to hear yet didn't hear. Their hearts were harden and they refused to obey Him. This forced God to judge them and He also sent them into captivity. God had told them that if they would just obey Him that things would go good for them but they still didn't obey. They worshiped idols and even their priest were corrupt.
Today we face the same problem. Our nation still refuse to be obedient to God. Then we have those in government who feel that they are above the law and continue doing things that are inappropriate until they get caught. Our country has been so blessed by God and yet the people have turned their backs on Him. They have the freedom to worship God without persecution and yet they don't. We have eyes to see but most don't read the Bible. Ears to hear yet most don't go to church. Now we have troubles in our country and Americans ask why.
I'm not necessarily saying God has brought these troubles on us, but why shouldn't He? We are a very stiff necked people ourselves. We want it our way, not God's way, and now we have one of the worst messes in our country I can remember. There is only one answer to our woes and that is if our country returns to God and repents. Pray for our nation before it is to late.
God Bless You!
Today we face the same problem. Our nation still refuse to be obedient to God. Then we have those in government who feel that they are above the law and continue doing things that are inappropriate until they get caught. Our country has been so blessed by God and yet the people have turned their backs on Him. They have the freedom to worship God without persecution and yet they don't. We have eyes to see but most don't read the Bible. Ears to hear yet most don't go to church. Now we have troubles in our country and Americans ask why.
I'm not necessarily saying God has brought these troubles on us, but why shouldn't He? We are a very stiff necked people ourselves. We want it our way, not God's way, and now we have one of the worst messes in our country I can remember. There is only one answer to our woes and that is if our country returns to God and repents. Pray for our nation before it is to late.
God Bless You!
Monday, February 01, 2010
Don't Give Up!
2Peter; 3:3-4
(knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lust, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have from the beginning of creation.")
When we are witnessing to people, sometimes we will have someone say this very thing. But God told us to expect this towards the end times. I have experienced this a few time in the last few years and this verse always comes to mind. They will tell you, "Sure Jesus is coming, we've been hearing that all our lives and He hasn't came yet." To me, this just encourages me more knowing that God has told me to be ready to hear this from people.
When you are talking to others, have you ever wondered why they just don't get it. It's seems so simple to you, yet so hard for them? We were the same way until God gave His Spirit to teach us.
1Corinthians; 2:14
(But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.)
So when you are talking to people about Jesus and the Bible and they just don't seem to understand, there is a reason for it. God is the one who gives us the light of the Scripture, and without His help, we would not be able to discern divine truth. Remember, we can do nothing without God, but with God, all things are possible. Keep being a light in a dark world and keep telling others the good news about Jesus.
God Bless You!
(knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lust, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have from the beginning of creation.")
When we are witnessing to people, sometimes we will have someone say this very thing. But God told us to expect this towards the end times. I have experienced this a few time in the last few years and this verse always comes to mind. They will tell you, "Sure Jesus is coming, we've been hearing that all our lives and He hasn't came yet." To me, this just encourages me more knowing that God has told me to be ready to hear this from people.
When you are talking to others, have you ever wondered why they just don't get it. It's seems so simple to you, yet so hard for them? We were the same way until God gave His Spirit to teach us.
1Corinthians; 2:14
(But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.)
So when you are talking to people about Jesus and the Bible and they just don't seem to understand, there is a reason for it. God is the one who gives us the light of the Scripture, and without His help, we would not be able to discern divine truth. Remember, we can do nothing without God, but with God, all things are possible. Keep being a light in a dark world and keep telling others the good news about Jesus.
God Bless You!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Honor Your Parents!
Ephesians; 6:2-3
("Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise: "that it may be well with you and you live long on the earth.")
When God gave His law in the ten commandments, this was one of them. For the family to function as God ordained it, there must be this respect from the child to the parent. If this respect is missing, then the family doesn't function properly and the result is strife within the family. When God told you that your days may be long upon the earth, the punishment for disrespect in the Book of Exodus was death, while obedience was the chance for a long life.
Another reason for listening to and respecting your parents is that they always have your best interest in mind when they tell you what to do and what not to do. It isn't that they don't want you to have fun, they just are looking out for your safety. It's unfortunate in today's society because children have zero respect for their parents. This then results in no respect for any authority. The child is basically running loose doing whatever they feel like. Many time this results in premature death from drinking or drugs or hanging out with the wrong crowd doing what is wrong.
Remember, God always knows what is best for us as He created everyone of us. When God says don't do it, He knows what are the consequences of every action, whether good or bad. So the next time you think about doing something, ask yourself, what does God say about this?
God Bless You!
("Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise: "that it may be well with you and you live long on the earth.")
When God gave His law in the ten commandments, this was one of them. For the family to function as God ordained it, there must be this respect from the child to the parent. If this respect is missing, then the family doesn't function properly and the result is strife within the family. When God told you that your days may be long upon the earth, the punishment for disrespect in the Book of Exodus was death, while obedience was the chance for a long life.
Another reason for listening to and respecting your parents is that they always have your best interest in mind when they tell you what to do and what not to do. It isn't that they don't want you to have fun, they just are looking out for your safety. It's unfortunate in today's society because children have zero respect for their parents. This then results in no respect for any authority. The child is basically running loose doing whatever they feel like. Many time this results in premature death from drinking or drugs or hanging out with the wrong crowd doing what is wrong.
Remember, God always knows what is best for us as He created everyone of us. When God says don't do it, He knows what are the consequences of every action, whether good or bad. So the next time you think about doing something, ask yourself, what does God say about this?
God Bless You!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Judgment Is Going To Come!
As I was reading in the Book of Ezekiel this morning, God was talking to Ezekiel the priest and told him all the abominations that the nations of Israel and Judah were committing. The more I read the more I realized just how close the similarities were between what they were doing and what America was doing. They had been worshiping idols and America has its idols. God had told them to obey His word and they had refused. God has told us to obey and we have refused. They have eyes to see and ears to hear but they don't see and refused to hear God. We as a nation do the same thing.
God brought the sword, pestilence, and famine on them to kill the people because they had aroused His anger. Here we are in America passing laws that are a total abomination to God and then wondering why He isn't blessing our country. Maybe you aren't familiar with the Bible so I will mention some. We passed a law after Roe vs Wade that legalized abortion and have since killed millions of unborn babies. If that isn't bad enough, we have passed in some states a law that makes same sex marriages legal. That is just scratching the surface of our abominations. Then we wonder what is happening to our great country.
I see America continuing to deteriorate unless there is a revival within our nation and we repent and turn our hearts back to God. I listen to people who try to say they have the solution, but none of them mention God as the solution. All I can say is that if you leave God out of the equation there is no answer. Pray for our country as well as the world because Christians are being persecuted all around the world every day.
God Bless You
God brought the sword, pestilence, and famine on them to kill the people because they had aroused His anger. Here we are in America passing laws that are a total abomination to God and then wondering why He isn't blessing our country. Maybe you aren't familiar with the Bible so I will mention some. We passed a law after Roe vs Wade that legalized abortion and have since killed millions of unborn babies. If that isn't bad enough, we have passed in some states a law that makes same sex marriages legal. That is just scratching the surface of our abominations. Then we wonder what is happening to our great country.
I see America continuing to deteriorate unless there is a revival within our nation and we repent and turn our hearts back to God. I listen to people who try to say they have the solution, but none of them mention God as the solution. All I can say is that if you leave God out of the equation there is no answer. Pray for our country as well as the world because Christians are being persecuted all around the world every day.
God Bless You
Friday, January 15, 2010
A Nation In Mourning!
With the resent earthquake in Haiti, people need to understand that nothing happens in the world unless God allows it. Yes, it has caused much damage and loss of life to the residents of this Island and we don't understand why it happened, but God is still in control of this universe. I do know that this nation is into witchcraft and idolatry. We need to pray for these people that it will draw them to God the author of Salvation. It also should serve as a wake up call to all people that their life is just a moment away from eternity. God tells us today is the day for Salvation and not to harden our hearts against Him.
I posted a comment on a blog that I follow about how when we see these things happening we are to look up because our redemption draws near. The disciples ask Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the ages? This is recorded in the Book of Matthew, chapter 24. I will let you read it for yourself but many things that are happening in the world today are recorded in the Bible as signs we are to watch for.
I don't know about you but I think we are getting very close to the rapture of the saints. I'm not trying to prophesy anything but as student of the Bible I feel we are close. If you haven't committed your life to Jesus yet, do so today. You don't want to be left behind to go through the Great Tribulation! Things that are happening now in the world will be mild compared to what will happen then. I say this because I care for all of you and pray for your Salvation.
God Bless You!
I posted a comment on a blog that I follow about how when we see these things happening we are to look up because our redemption draws near. The disciples ask Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the ages? This is recorded in the Book of Matthew, chapter 24. I will let you read it for yourself but many things that are happening in the world today are recorded in the Bible as signs we are to watch for.
I don't know about you but I think we are getting very close to the rapture of the saints. I'm not trying to prophesy anything but as student of the Bible I feel we are close. If you haven't committed your life to Jesus yet, do so today. You don't want to be left behind to go through the Great Tribulation! Things that are happening now in the world will be mild compared to what will happen then. I say this because I care for all of you and pray for your Salvation.
God Bless You!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)