Back to School * Truth * One Half World Wide Event * 16 Roses * Springing to Life * Exclusive * Lasting Love * The Benefit of Cycle * Go Figure * Exposure * Liberationism * Did you Hear?
Back to School
There going back! The kids are going back to school. There is a commercial for an office supply store that used this phrase. To some it may be offensive, but all who send their children to school experience some portion of this emotion.It isn't that we don't love our children and desire to get rid of them; some folks school their children at home. But life becomes a bit calmer and there is time to enjoy our personal pastimes, when our children are busy about their delights. When the kids are home we focus on them and their needs and wants because of our love for them.
But whether we are of the group that can't get enough time with our kids or of those that can't get enough time away from them, we send them to school. Why do we send them? Because we want them to be prepared for their future and education supports a better future.
I believe most of you have seen the statistics that reveal just how much education affects their income. Income surely affects their quality of life. The better the quality of life, the better future for them and your grandchildren.
A High school graduate will earn an average of $6,000 more each year than a drop out. Completing college will provide $20,000 more per year. A Doctorate means more than twice the annual income. There are benefits to education.
It's not only the knowledge that makes the difference. There is the perseverance, commitment and purpose. These characteristics influence their entire life. They will learn how to expand their opportunities and utilize them. They begin to realize that set backs aren't defeat. They learn that challenges and struggles are the path to victories and accomplishments.
Now, our Father who is in heaven knows all of this. He has provided for you and me to be educated and prepared for our eternal future. He has placed a curiosity about life after the death of our bodies in our hearts, it says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “ He has put eternity in their hearts ,”. Because only our physical bodies die, our souls will live for the rest of eternity.
He has supernaturally preserved the Bible as our text. Did you know that through out history there have been powerful and influential people and governments that have tried to eradicate the Bible from the Earth? There have been efforts to restrict access to it. There have even been those who declared that we, the average soul can't understand it. But God says that we should study it in 2 Timothy 2:15, “ Study to show your self approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ”
Now many set aside that curiosity in our hearts and it nags us, similar to the thought that we have forgotten something. Maybe because we have. We have forgotten to prepare for our eternal future. Every “body” dies, but every soul lives forever. Are you preparing yourself for forever? The quality of your live in eternity depends upon your preparation here in this realm.
The lack of true wisdom in our world today is due to the fact that fewer souls are preparing for their future in eternity. That nagging sense of something forgotten is quieted by our striving for temporal things. But you forfeit the peace, assurance and even joy of knowing that you have prepared for your eternal future. After all the Bible says: “ 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. ” (2 Timothy 3:16&17)
Let's all get back to school: Sunday School, Bible Study and Christian Education, preparing ourselves for eternity. If we study, we will fare much better in heaven than if we don't, if you make it into heaven at all. “How do I get in to heaven”, you ask? You MUST believe in God, but also believe God. Being willing to let Him be God in your life. If you wish you may e-mail me to find out more. You may be mistaken in what you believe.
With Godly love I submit this suggestion to you, Pastor Joe.
Truth. Pilate ask Jesus, “are you a King?” Jesus then says that He has come to “bear witness of the truth”, prompting Pilate's question “what is truth”? We seem to ask the same thing about many things.
We wonder when considering our Politician's, what is the truth. What do they really want to do? What are their real policies? With the low rating for all our government leaders it seems safe to say we don't believe them.
The other day, I don't remember what I said, but some one responded, “And you believe they went to the Moon too.” It was obvious that he believes the rumor that it was all staged. I suppose this was born out of our distrust of the Politician's and Scientists.
We have so many commercials on our TV's, pushing drugs and making claims, only to find out later that they lied. Recently, there was an expose about a sprinkle on food supplement for weight loss. During the research they were interviewing a woman who worked for some government agency. She said that when she came to work for the first time she read a statement on the wall in big letters, “In God we trust, all others must show data”.
Data, proof of the claims, repeated results that confirm the veracity and credibility of the claims. There has been a number of drugs introduced lately, that a few months go by, and we learn of how the benefits are overshadowed by side affects or the claims were lies. Even the news media, they issue these hyped up teasers to keep us tuned in and then when they report the story, we hear that question mark. There really isn't a 100 foot tidal wave heading for Boston, but someday there could be. I'm sure you've heard these.
With all this manipulation it makes you want to ask, like Pilate, what is truth or is there any truth? Can't anyone say what they mean? Can I believe any one? Yes you can. You can believe God!
In the Gospel of John chapter 17 and verse 17, Jesus is praying for all the believers, then and now. He asks God the Father to sanctify us in truth and says, “Your Word is truth”. The Bible is the truth, absolute truth.
That statement might be a challenge for you. If so let me point out some data. Everything that the Bible said has been proven to be true. Even science, proven science not theoretical science, confirms Biblical statements. All the prophecies regarding the Messiah, Israel and the condition of the world have or are coming true. If you challenge these statements, ask yourself, on what data?
There are many day to day questions we ask ourselves, making decisions that are required. We make those decisions based on our life's goals and responsibilities. If we are short on funds to pay bills and we are offered additional work that conflicts with some other activity we would prefer, we need to decide. Our decision is determined by our goals. Whether responsible or not, they are determined by our goals.
Our goals are those things we want or places we want to be. If we want to be a business person you're not likely to spend your time studying for ministry, like me. If your desire is to respond to a “calling” God has put on your life, then you aren't likely to study the cards at a blackjack table. We choose our goals based on our desires and then make decisions that will help us achieve our goals. Even if our goal is to do as little as possible.
I have been discussing practical and temporal matters. But what about eternal spiritual matters. What are your desires for you when you cross the threshold of death and enter eternity? Additionally, how will you prepare for that and how will that affect the decisions you make now.
I was 30 years old, a fisherman and real estate broker, when I had what I can only describe as an experience with God, an epiphany. All my life I believed in God, but now I believed God. I believe He is, yes, but also that He wanted the best for me. The best for me was to serve Him by serving His people. I had often wanted to do so, but I was raised in a faith that didn't permit marriage for those who chose a life of service to God, and I liked girls. I wanted to get married.
I was taught that their way was the only way. But that day with God He showed me they were wrong, and I believed Him. I didn't only believe in God, that He existed. But now I believed what He said to me.
Well, as you might expect, I wanted to hear more. He directed me to the Bible. I had researched many other religions, it was the 60's. Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Paganism and the list goes on. Some were appealing but they didn't give me the answers I was searching for. What is my purpose, my purpose, not humanities purpose but mine? Is there life after death? How can I prepare for it if there is? How should I live my life now to receive the greatest benefit? You know the normal stuff.
After reading much of the writings of these religions I must say that some of the things were helpful and even true, but none of them were completely suitable for the answers I needed. An example was the Hindu writings, Veda and learning of Vishnu, Kali and Shiva. I realized what they were saying was that they strove for enlightenment and repeated lives to achieve it, only to tell us they didn't and that they would be back. Buddha, in his writings concludes with he made it, good luck. Paganism seemed so complicated and not reassuring. I expected to devote myself to sacrificing to these gods and possibly gain their favor.
Well, I thought, I had given these other religions the time to read their books and research, why not Christianity. I had been told I shouldn't read the Bible because I wasn't able to understand it. I was encouraged to let the leaders teach me what I needed to know. I really hadn't done the research and now God, I believed, was telling me if I wanted Him to talk to me more I should start by reading the Bible.
So I did. I discovered truth for the first time. Originally I read it with a jaundice eye. I was determined to locate and expose all the contradictions and myths in it. But, it exposed all the contradictions and myths in me. I found out why I was alive and my purpose. I learned how to fulfill that purpose and the way to prepare for my immortality. I was and am being trained in how to receive the benefits of this life and the one to come. No guess work. No vain labors. I discovered, along with millions of others the definitive and correct way to live this life to the fullest, with satisfaction, understanding and achievement, and the assured entrance into the Kingdom of God, heaven.
So all that's left is to ask you, what are your goals and are you making decisions that will guarantee that you will meet them? I have bee and still am. I also believe, no know, that the Bible is the truth you need to know. If you think I might be right, then let me encourage you to begin with Genesis and Exodus in the Old Testament. Then go to the New Testament and read the books of Luke through to and including Romans. You can fill in the blanks later, but these will wet your whistle so to speak.
If you need any help along the way, e-mail me. Come on, you know you want the truth!
In the nineteenth century scientists began to notice that every culture seemed to have a flood story. Not simply that the banks of a river swelled and carried away a village. Nor a giant wave slammed into the coast killing thousands. No, these were records of floods that covered the entire area of land and how only those in a boat were saved. Actually, the character for flood in China is 8 people in a boat, Noah and the Ark.
Recently another event seems to be emerging from the records of many cultures. A darkening of the sun. Not a normal eclipse, but an extended blackout of the sun. An eclipse will gradually get darker and darker until nearly black as night and then almost instantly begin to get lighter and lighter. This was three hours of darkness, from midday till mid afternoon.
Recently it was reported to our church how the Chinese are compulsive record keepers and always have been. They were expert astronomers. They were able to recognize that star, at the time of the birth of Jesus, as unusual. They probably followed it to Jerusalem, with other Astronomers from other regions. Remember that magi/wise men came from the east to honor the King of the Jews. We have no real evidence of how many or where they came from, only from the east. Did they come from modern Iraq, Iran, India, China or even Japan? We don't know.
So curiosity prompted a search. An intentional search was made of the records of approximately the time of Christ. Because of the differences in the calendars used, it was challenging. But it is believed that an event that was discovered records another world wide action taken by our God. Well, to be accurate, one half the world.
In Matthew 27:45, we are told, “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land”. How much land? The land of Jerusalem? The land of Israel? The land of the middle east? How much land? Since daylight covers only half the globe at a time, the land in that half of the globe.
The records in China report an “eclipse” at the time of Christ. This was an unexpected “eclipse” and it lasted for “many hours”. The Emperor, who was considered the High Priest, if not the embodiment of god, declared that “this is because of our great sin” and imposed five days of mourning, “for the man from heaven has died”.
Currently there is a casual search of other cultures to see if they recorded similar events. I believed that the crucifixion of Christ was witnessed be every soul, by the unusual darkness, on at least one half of the Earth at the time. They may not have known what it was, but they experienced a dramatic, supernatural event.
“Bring out the people who have eyes but don't see and those who have ears but don't hear. All the nations gather together, and all the people come together. Which of their gods said this would happen? Which of their gods can tell what happened in the beginning? Let them bring their witnesses to prove they were right. Then others will say, “It is true.” The Lord says, “You are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so you would know and believe me, so you would understand that I am the true God. There was no god before me, and there will be no god after me. I myself am the Lord ; I am the only Savior. I myself have spoken to you, saved you, and told you these things. It was not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, and I am God,” says the Lord . “I have always been God. No one can save people from my power; when I do something, no one can change it.” This is found in Isaiah 43:8-13.
The fullest independence is experienced only in complete dependence upon God the Father. Wanna be free? Do you want to understand God, then you must read the Bible. If you have questions or want help, contact me.
We all receive our 16 roses exactly at the moment we need them the most. What am I talking about? It relates to a true story I heard a few weeks ago.
In 1988 there was an awful tragedy. A school bus full of adults and teens from an Assembly of God church returning from an outing for the teens was struck head on by a pickup truck driven by a drunk. The impact was so strong the front of the bus caved in dismantling the front axel, puncturing the fuel tank which was just filled. The sparks ignited the fuel and the bus was engulfed in flames.
Dozens died! Eventually the driver of the pickup trunk was convicted of many vehicular homicides, but he attended a service at the church to receive forgiveness. It was an awesome and incredible time!
In the fire, one man lost his wife and 2 daughters. His entire family was gone in minutes. Most of us can not relate to the emotional and spiritual pain he must have experienced. Many would have blamed God and forfeited their faith. But he knew that his wife and daughters had given their lives to God. They worshipped God in spirit and truth as Jesus said was necessary. They were now in heaven and his desire is to be united with them.
Beloved, every soul born has sinned and offended God. But God loves us and desires to reconcile. He wants to be a part of our everyday lives and give us the best life we could ever want. This father and husband knew that enduring this tragedy would require Gods help. Bad things happen to good people and we don't always know why. But only God can bring good forth out of tragedy.
To be reconciled to God, we simply need to admit we have sinned and ask for forgiveness being willing to change our behavior. This is referred to as being born of the Spirit, born from above or born again. God will always forgive the confessed sins of a contrite heart; see 1 John 1:9. But those who are to stubborn to admit their guilt and be willing to change their ways will spend eternity were they can do no harm to anyone else, hell; see Ephesians 5:5.
Let's get back to the roses. The man turned to God. First, because he was convinced that his family was in a much better place than this world and that the pain he felt was his separation from them. So he determined that he would be sure to enter the place where they now were. He would not blame anyone but trust God to get him through this disaster and go forward in life.
Second, he realized that the pain was too great for him to bear and only the Holy Spirit would be able to comfort him. He began reading the Bible with a willingness to receive that comfort. Portions that helped him he wrote on file cards and carried with him, when he felt the grief he would read them again. This got him through to were eventually he was able to minister to others living great grief.
Well it came to pass that he was scheduled to speak at a church on the same Sunday that would have been his oldest daughter's 16 th birthday. He had promised her that on her 16 th birthday, he would buy her 16 roses and they would go to dinner and spend the day together celebrating her life.
He thought to cancel the engagement and buy the roses and spend the day at the cemetery honoring his daughter. But in his prayers God said that he should keep the engagement and send the 16 roses to the church he was speaking at so that they would be there when he arrived. He couldn't begin to understand what God was doing, but he obeyed.
When he arrived at the church early Sunday morning, the pastor reported that the roses had been delivered but he didn't understand nor know what to do with them. So they decided to put the roses on the Communion Table.
As the service began, a girl came down the center aisle and sat in the front pew. The man noticed her and the Lord said to give the roses to that girl. He leaned over to the pastor and asked who she was. The pastor said that she was a student at the local Teen Challenge Ministry and attended faithfully.
When the man got up to speak he explained to the congregation that he didn't fully understand but was doing what God wanted him to do. He called the girl up on the platform and told her how he made a promise to his daughter to give her 16 roses on her 16 th birthday and how he isn't able to do that, so God told him to give them to her.
She burst into tears. She told how she was having such a terrible time of it that day. She was depressed, ashamed and was convinced that no one loved her, not even God. Someone told her that God does indeed love her. She thought to herself, “If God loves me so much, then let Him give me roses for my birthday today”. Through her tears she declared that never again would she doubt Gods love for her.
Beloved, time and again I have received the equivalent of those roses from God, have you? As we now see the world coming to bloom, each time you see a beautiful blossom, remember the roses God has given you.
If you can't remember any roses, then ask Him now. What is it you need to give you or strengthen your faith? Ask Him, go ahead, I dare ya!
And if you don't get you assurance let me know. Call or e-mail me, PASTORJOE@PEMBROKEASSEMBLYOFGOD.org . Maybe I have your roses.
The signs of spring are becoming bolder. Buds are appearing on the trees. Sprouts are punching through the ground gasping for the sun. Even the grass seems to be getting greener. By the end of the month new life will be springing up everywhere. Early April showers, along with longer days and more sun restore all that seemed dead. All nature has waited for months to be revived.
I have a few oak trees in my yard that seem to be dead. There are no buds and even the bark seems to be peeling. I'm pretty sure they're dead. I had to wait though, because I thought others were gone but now they have been revived. The worms got them. Over the last couple of years these pests have continued to attack. Little by little each season, the trees lost more and more strength. Finally the inevitable, but some survived.
How about you? Have the worms of the world been damaging your life? God warned Israel that if they rejected Him from their lives the “cankerworm” would eat their livelihood in the Old Testament book of Joel. If they no longer honored and obeyed Him the cankerworm would devour all they cherished more than Him. He also told them if they were willing to repent of their disrespect and rebellion He, God, would remove the cankerworms and restore what they had destroyed.
Are you battling cankerworms? It's a revolting description, cankerworm, but effective. Worry, confusion, discouragement, disappointment, financial struggles, dysfunctional destructive relationships, these are all the world's cankerworms. The soul becomes weary. Life is just a rut. Enthusiasm, purpose and peace flee from us. Joy, contentment and hope seem to be childhood dreams. Have the worms of the world got you so weak that there isn't going to be any new life for you this spring? Do you want to have new life? Will you be able to survive?
The Bible compares Gods coming into our lives, upon our request, as the early rains. If we call out to the Lord, He sends spiritual nourishment, reaching into the soil of the world that traps our soul. Our spirit strengthened, we are enabled to escape. As we begin to rise, the Son is streaming all around us adding to our vitality as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit for a return from what was the valley of death.
What can you do? How do you receive some rain? Can you have God in your life? Yes, if you want that. Psalm 37, verses 3 thru 6:
Trust in the Lord , and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord , and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord , trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Well, now it's up to you. Trust God, feed on Him. Delight yourself in the Lord. Commit your way to the Lord. If you will call out to Him, He will hear and begin to bring spring to your spirit. E-mail me if you need help or have any questions. Why let the worms have their way.
Many people think or feel that to say that a person must be “born again” in order to go to heaven is to restrictive, exclusive and narrow. Maybe you are one of them. But I hope you'll let me explain why this is so before you dismiss me and lock your soul into that box you have constructed.
Let's begin by realizing the truth that Jesus is the one who said that we must be born again. But I would like to explain what He meant. He was telling a man named Nicodemus what was required for a relationship with God. Everyone who wanted to be pleasing to God and have His favor need to change their attitude toward Him, they must be willing to obey Him. They must place God in their lives before anything or anyone.
Considering all this you can see that this is becoming a new person, so in fact they are being born again and they are to let it happen. It is exclusive, but every soul ever born of a womb has been and is being invited to become a new creature in Christ and that is the criteria He has established.
This month we will celebrate Resurrection Sunday/Easter. This isn't a fairy tale or myth. The events are documented by secular sources as well as the Bible, and those of us who have accepted the deal it made available, have current personal evidence.
To deny the Bible is the authoritative and perfect, in the original languages, Word from God is being obstinately blind to reality. This book relays the happenings of the week that God displayed His loving willingness to welcome everyone to His Kingdom.
God Himself came into our world, not to rule and be served, but to participate and serve. Then, knowing after experiencing every form of injustice and betrayal, He would be murdered feeling all the pain any human would feel. He rose from death and proved it by appearing to individuals and crowds. He is the source of the instruction that we must be born again. No one else has come back from the grave after three days in it. No one else has healed, restored, delivered from possession or raised anyone from the dead. This gives Him the authority and credibility to teach, for He has proven His claim to be God as far I'm concerned. What's your opinion?
Each of us has a choice to make. We have the opportunity to be reborn and God will help us. It's not a do over but a dramatic change in the way God would have us live. The way we have been rejecting, resisting or ignoring. Your experience will be that of being born again not only because of the changes but the return of wonder, enthusiasm, hope, and understanding of life.
But most important of all, we become intimate with God. Like the prodigal, we accept our relationship to Him as His child and settle the question of where we will be for eternity. Our bodies are terminal, but our souls are immortal.
So this year, celebrate Resurrection Sunday with a resurrected life. Allow your rebellion, disbelief, fear or bias to fade and the love God has for you to brighten.
February is viewed as the month for lovers. I don't quite know why, but love is truly a focus for me this month. Yes it's Valentine's Day this month, but also it is my 41 st wedding anniversary.
At times some one will ask me, “how did you do it?”. I don't believe I did anything. It was my wife. She made me love her. If you would read Proverbs 31:10-31 you would have a fair description of my wife.
Certainly she has cultivated her culinary skills, and we all know that a mans heart is found next to the stomach. But that's not all. She has always been a frugal steward. Not only has she worked part time after our sons were older, but she has made our home a true home on what ever resources we have had. She made it a place that I always wanted to be in and support.
But most of all she has always honored me and been supportive. She makes me feel like a man. I simply love her because by all this she made me.
I didn't do anything to make my marriage last, she did it all. I would hope that I did half as much as she did to help her feel as I do.
I admit I have been fortunate and blessed. For when we were dating in High School, no one gave us 6 months. I think we both recognized each others love and devotion to the other.
That's what it takes to be a Christian. It's when a soul recognizes God's love and devotion to them, and wanting to reciprocate. February would be a great time for us to remember John 3:16. “For God so loved the world...” that's you and me and everyone.
We're born again when we realize that and want to respond accordingly. It's learning that you have offended and hurt the one who loves you so much He died for you and wanting to stop doing that to Him. Being a bona fide Christian is honoring God in such away that He knows He's your God.
So, this February, the month for lovers, recognize those who love you, if it be only God and make it a lasting love. You will never regret it, for God's love for you is ever lasting.
Once again we are entering Fall. But we've been here before, many times. Although we experience the cycle of seasons with tolerance and acceptance do we understand the purpose and benefits of these cycles.
Spring brings new life and growth. Summer secures this growth by enhancing it. Fall is the discarding of used resources. Winter is the testing of the fittest to insure future survival. This cycle, we call nature is in reality the system designed and implemented by God to eliminate the weak and support the strong. We refer to this as “survival of the fittest”.
Each Fall it would do us well to examine our lives to evaluate that which is enhancing our lives and that which is useless or even destructive. As you read this you might think of things like smoking, gambling, drinking, etc.. But there are other things that deteriorate the quality of our lives. Unhealthy attitudes such as bitterness and unforgiveness, hopelessness, discouragement and many others.
The storms of nature serve to prune the environment making way for healthier growth. The storms of our lives can do the same. The determining factor as to what the results of these storms produce in us, is our understanding of life itself.
Now it is my belief, that without a relationship with God, a soul doesn't have the ability to understand reality. How can understanding come without all the information? How is it possible to have the information without consulting the originator, creator and sustainer of the thing you misunderstand? In this case, life.
Odds are that you believe in God, but the odds are also that you don't know the truth about Him. That leaves you with a great disadvantage. Having to experience this existence and not have the advantage of being able to be taught, guided and supported by God Himself.
Not having Gods help to give us understanding, so that we can forgive those who offend or harm us. To live with the confidence that all bad things come to an end and all will be alright. Feeling loved even when all around you don't seem to care about you at all. These things will come into your life in cycles and will serve to make place for new life and spiritual growth, if you will let God be active in your life.
Most of the great things in our lives are the results of hard, struggling and even stormy times in our lives. The hardships of adolescence break into the pleasures of young adulthood. The struggles of training lead to the gratification of achievement, maybe even a prosperous livelihood. Even those times of storm provide the opportunity to discover our weaknesses and strengths.
So what to do, to understand the cycles of nature and our lives? Figure God into your life. God is all powerful, but He will not force Himself upon or into your life. He will always respect your free will. That's why, when we allow God to be our God it is more glorious.
The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept”. He wept because they, the people, wouldn't allow Him to help them through the cycles of life. Won't you please not make Jesus weep for you, by letting Him help you through the cycles of life and giving you an understanding of Himself and life over all!
September is marked by Labor Day, the unofficial end of the summer. It isn't the end of summer till about the 21 st or 22 nd , but because the kiddies go back to school and families reenter routines of yester year it seems like it's over. But it's not.
About Labor Day. This so called holiday originated in 1882 as a day to recognize the achievements and contribution the American worker made to the success and prosperity of the nation. It wasn't till 1894 that Congress made it a national holiday after pressure from the labor unions. The unions felt that their members had been ignored regarding their part in the quality of life in our nation. I'm not sure when it drifted away from it's original intent, but it has.
Now, after 114 years, even the unions as well as the workers have forgotten the purpose and intent of this so called holiday. I say so called because it seems that many union workers must now work on Labor Day and even those that do get the day off fill it with so much activity and work, it surely isn't a day of rest.
There are many of our holidays that have lost their original focus. Memorial Day was to honor those who
died in those battles to preserve our freedoms. Now it seems to be the official beginning of summer. Veterans Day was to honor and recognize our Veterans who served their nation in the military. Today it is a sale day for retailers. As well as Presidents Day, Mothers and Fathers Day and more.
Even our special days of faith have lost their original reason. Easter/Resurrection Sunday has become some sort of initiation of spring rather than the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus the Christ. Christmas is now a necessary retail supporter with an imaginary character who seems to have the same qualities as God but is a toy maker. But I wonder if the most tragic alteration isn't Sunday.
For most of the population it is just another day, except we don't have to work. The original purpose is found in the Scriptures at Exodus 20 verses 8-11. Here God commands us to rest on the seventh day and to not cause others to work. Then in Isaiah 58:13&14 declare;
“If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God 's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,' making money, running here and there— Then you'll be free to enjoy God ! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all. I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.” Yes! God says so! ( Message)
And in Mark 2:27 our Lord said; 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (NKJV)
If you will believe this and apply it to your life as a Christian, you WILL experience those high places He speaks of. You will be rested and feel that recovery that is so essential to better health. But also for honoring God by being obedient you will experience His favor and greater blessings.
Beloved, many believe that God wants to restrict and deprive us of fun and enjoyment. Nothing could be farther from the truth, He would have us have more enjoyment without regrets or troubles. God is a good God and if you will obey His directions you will discover what a loving God He is.
Our sign statement this week is; Caution: non-exposure to the Son will cause burning. It's a reference to the spiritual jeopardy that souls need to be more aware of and attentive to.
We have come to realize that we should protect ourselves against the ultra-violet rays of the sun. These rays that cause us to tan, a look that we desire, but may also cause cancer, a condition we do not desire. Hence, we use blockers from clothing to lotions. We consciously do this.
There is though another Son, which we consciously and unconsciously block. He is the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth the Christ. But the fact is that He is the blocker we must have to avoid spiritual burning.
In the Gospel of John chapter 14 and verse 6, Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Now at this point if you doubt that Jesus is the only way to be saved from the lake of fire, hell, or the way for us to be redeemed by God from the schemes and deception of the devil, you then are declaring that Jesus is a liar and you should then surf on. But if you are seeking to block that which will cause your burning, then maybe you should consider what is to come.
You see many consider themselves to be Christians and therefore protected from the spiritual burning in the life after this one. But are you sure? Recently the news reported that many of the sun blockers on the market aren't what they claim to be. The buying public should and is offended by this. We feel cheated and deceived, and so we are. Well here is another news flash, that won't simply give you a sun burn, but will leave you forever burning. You have the right to be told and to make an informed decision as to what you will do about it.
When we are about to apply blocker we generally will read the label to find out if it washes off and how often we need to apply it. I know that not all of us do that, and that is my point. We have available to us a guide to blocking the unseen influences of our spiritual enemy, but most self identified Christians neglect their responsibility and are miss lead by those who are ignorant at best and evil at worst.
God has preserved the Bible for us against many enemies. One reason the Pilgrims were willing to leave their home land and risk coming to America, was because of an enemy of Biblical Liberty. But God would have it that we would all have the ability to read it, so He promoted literacy. And that we would have it available to consult it so as not to be held captive to those who would distort it or make it a weapon.
The scary part is that if you are victim to the sun blocker scam, you get a sun burn that will clear up in a few days. If you permit yourself to be deceived by a Son blocker, you will, well, suffer much longer.
So what to do? Read a bible! You may say that you can't. You can't understand it, or it's written in the old English and you can't understand that. I'm no scholar, but I can understand what it say's. Get a more contemporary version, like the New King James, American Standard or the New International. I would stay away from paraphrases. Try it, if your seeking to understand God and have His blessing obvious and more abundant in your life, you'll like it.
If this seems a bit daunting, find a church that studies the Bible and has Sunday morning classes to help people understand the Bible. I say that because the enemy of honest study of the Bible is now conducting Bible studies but usually not on Sunday morning. Note also that they should use the Bible as their text book and no other. If they insist that you need to have their Bible, go some where else. You should be seeking the truth of the Bible not some organization or individuals' interpretation of it.
I suggest a protestant church, preferably a spirit filled church. Spirit filled referring to the Holy Spirit being in control. Consider an Assembly of God. Consider visiting Pembroke A/G. Consider something! Because you need to read another portion of the Bible found in Matthew 7:15-27
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
CAUTION:
non-exposure to the Son will cause burning!
People today are obsessed with liberationism. We seek to be set free from as much as we can. Free from responsibility, restrictions, social demands, and moral expectations. Each of us has our encumbrances that may adjust with time and/or situations, and these prevent us from our own personal expressions. We resent that!
The reality is that we are never at complete liberty. There is always something or someone who is imposing on us. This is because in actuality we live within an environment, a container of sorts. Most if not all of our universal physical restrictions we have come to terms with and don't usually struggle against them. It's the spiritual intangibles that generally cause us distress.
One of those intangibles can be greatly influenced by knowledge of spiritual authority. Some deny it exists. Some unwittingly attempt to affect and control it by the imaginations of man, as if the physical might understand the spiritual through logic. We speak of Karma, Yin/Yang, Yoga, meditation and the like. The truth is that there is a spiritual realm that controls this realm and it is a choice that liberates us from slavery.
Slavery is being indentured without choice. It is the forced control and effort to maintain that control. Liberty is each of us having the free choice in our restrictions. We can never escape restrictions. They are intrinsic to our safety and quality of life. The question is are they our choosing or are they imposed upon us.
Liberationism is the quality our living according to our own choices. Many believe they are living as such, yet they seem to continuously or often find themselves dealing with the results of acts that they regret. Paul said it this way ,” the things I don't want to do I do and the things I do want to do I don't do”.
Now consider this, that God created us and put us in the garden giving us the CHOICE. We can choose to listen to Gods direction and instruction, always retaining our ability to choose. Or we can do as we think we wish and forfeit our liberty to the enemy of God and our souls. Think for a moment of criminals, drug addicts
and gang members, do they really have a good life? Do you think their having fun? It seems as though they are trapped, they even describe it that way and they choose to express that frustration through the life style they have chosen given their perceived limits they exist in. But they have another choice that they overlook. They may escape their current master for the Lordship of God.
It is true in the spiritual realm also. There are choices to be made which dictate our future options. Now considering that Gods initial treatment was to offer us a choice and the devil and his minions seek only to control us, robbing us of that choice and messing with our lives for their enjoyment, who would you like to serve. We all serve. None of us are free from servant hood, it comes down to who will we serve.
One of the great truths in the Scriptures is given to us by Peter in his second letter Chapter 2 verse 19, ” While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.”
This illustrate what Jesus said, “ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
Jesus also said that the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. So it comes down to a decision. Who will we serve, as for me, I will serve the Lord God Almighty. The death of Jesus on the Cross insures us the choice. It is the greatest freedom we have and the most neglected. We get to choose our master! I have discovered the liberty found in Christ and I'm willing to fight for it. No longer will I be enslaved by a master who deceives, abuses and torments me. I choose liberty, fulfillment and choice.
Beloved, it's easy to be gullible. We are physical beings and the physical is demanding. This makes it simple to focus on those needs and wants, while overlooking the soul that also needs and requires nourishment. The enemy of our soul DUPES us in just that way, leading us about with the candy of want is just ahead of us.
Yet, we recognize our need for spiritual nutrition. But enemies provide cheap imitations. None of these provide what we truly need and so we are infected with S.A.I.D.S., Spiritually Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. We lose our defense against those schemes that are destroying our eternal opportunity.
But fortunately there is a cure. The Lord provides all we need to through off our dupability and offers each of us abundant life here and an eternal existence without jeopardy, sorrow and pain. If you reject the cure, beloved you will regret it for all time.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, 1 Timothy 2:3-6a
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36
So, are you still dupable? Have you had enough? Are you ready to live life to it's fullest or will you remain gullible? Let me encourage you to gain you freedom and liberty as millions of us have. To learn more about true liberationism, e-mail me!
There have been times when some one would say “Did you hear”, and I didn't. Background noise drowned out the important stuff. Sometimes when I answer the phone the stereo or TV mingles with the receiver and I can't hear.
The noise may be from people talking, traffic, audio appliances, construction machinery and a plethora of other sources. We all have experienced such things. We then do what we can to eliminate the interference. We turn down the stereo, step into another room; put our finger in our ear. At times we need to make arrangements for another time and/or place, without interference.
It seems that in our society there are more distractions and interference than ever before. From the commercialization of almost anything to pop-ups on the computer, something finds its way to disturb our attention almost every time we want to hear because we need the information or simply find it interesting.
That's why attending church is even more important today than ever before. In years past people went to church because there wasn't anything to do. Hence many were hypocritical. They weren't attending church to grow in their knowledge of and relationship with God. They had other motives, from entertainment to socializing.
Today, it is mostly for the reasons God intended, to have an abundant life, for there are other things to occupy our time. But God would give us a life with confidence, courage, hope, purpose, fulfillment and satisfaction. They want a life that knows God and enjoys His favor. See, today people mainly come to church to escape the clatter and distractions and hear what God is saying.
Jesus is quoted in Mark 4:9 saying “he who has an ear to hear let them hear”. If a soul has an ear to hear they search for a place to hear. They are interested and realize they need the information. They have ears to hear and they will hear, because they are His people. John quotes Jesus in 10:27 declaring “my sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me”.
Church is a place where interference and distractions are eliminated. So they that want to hear will find a place to hear. Are you one that wants to hear what God has to say? You too can hear His voice. But you must find a place to quiet the noise and allow you to focus.
Now those who will allow themselves to hear must allow what they hear to affect them. Jesus taught this in Luke 8:21, saying “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the Word of God and do it”. He proclaimed that those of us who will listen to Him and conduct ourselves as He desires will be rewarded by His relationship. That's what gives us confidence and courage. This is where we get purpose, fulfillment and satisfaction. In Him we have hope.
So those of you, who have an ear to hear listen, come, visit our church and let Him speak to you without interference. That's what our Church is for.
About My Father's Business,
Pastor Joe.
Come join us at Pembroke Assembly
and Know God by the Book!
Living for God....By the Book
Devotional