Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Are You A Slave Of Righteousness Or Sin?

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that we are either a slave to sin, which leads to death, or of obedience to God, which leads to righteousness. The ear tickling preachers of our day will not warn us of this serious fact. The Apostle Peter warned us to make our calling and election sure. This is not a one time event. You must keep on doing this.  
  • So then, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election certain, for if you keep on doing this you will never fail2 Peter 1:10 ISV
In our day countless teachers teach that grace covers our sins and that we can continue to practice sin because of grace. This is a perversion of grace as Paul clearly shows in verse 14. If you are under grace sin will not have mastery over you. If you are living a life of continuing in sin, you must repent and turn from that sin. Paul asks you and me in verse 2, "how can we who died as far as sin is concerned go on living in it?"

Romans 6 ISV
1What should we say, then? Should we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2Of course not! How can we who died as far as sin is concerned go on living in it?

3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into union with the Messiaha Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore, through baptism we were buried with him into his death so that, just as the Messiahb was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too may live an entirely new life5For if we have become united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old natures were crucified with him so that our sin-laden bodies might be rendered powerless and we might no longer be slaves to sin. 
7For the person who has died has been freed from sin.

8Now if we have died with the Messiah,c we believe that we will also live with him, 9for we know that the Messiah,d who was raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10For when he died, he died once and for all as far as sin is concerned. But now that he is alive, he lives for God. 11In the same way, you too must continuously consider yourselves dead as far as sin is concerned, but living for God through the Messiahe Jesus.f

12Therefore, do not let sin rule your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires13Stop offeringg the parts of your bodyh to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have been brought from death to life and the parts of your bodyi as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin will not have mastery over you, because you are not under Law but under grace. 15What, then, does this mean?j Should we go on sinning because we are not under Law but under grace? Of course not! 
16Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obeyeither of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 

Do the following verses describe your life? Which side are you truly on? Praise God! If you are reading these verses and see you are a slave to sin, there is still time to repent and follow Jesus in obedience.
17But thank God that, though you were once slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching with which you were entrusted! 18And since you have been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

19I am speaking in simplek terms because of the frailty of your human nature.l Just as you once offered the parts of your bodym as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater disobedience, so now, in the same way, you must offer the parts of your bodyn as slaves to righteousness that leads to sanctification
  • 20For when you were slaves of sin, you were “free” as far as righteousness was concerned.
  •  21What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death
  • 22But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiaho Jesus our Lord.


Monday, April 29, 2013

Jesus' Salvation Is Through Faith Alone

When Adam sinned, spiritual death fell on all his descendants. Jesus came to pay the price for sin so that all who believed in him would be forgiven and receive a new spirit, being "born again". We cannot earn this salvation.

After believing, we are to walk in obedience to what Jesus and his disciples told us to do and not to do. This is the purpose of my blog, to warn people to turn from sin and obey Jesus the Messiah. To know how we are to live and be obedient to Christ we must know what the New Testament teaches.

The warnings are to keep us from destruction, both temporal and eternal and make us fruitful for the kingdom. We should be witnesses of Jesus the Messiah and what he has done for us. He has made us to "rule in life". We are overcomers, even though we struggle. We must never give up! It will be worth it all.

Romans 5 ISV

12Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death resulted from sin, therefore everyone dies, because everyone has sinned.

  • 13Certainly sin was in the world before the Law was given,k but no record of sin is kept when there is no Law. 
  • 14Nevertheless, death ruled from the time ofl Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the same way Adam did when he disobeyed.m He is a foreshadowing of the one who would come.
15But God’s free giftn is not like Adam’s offense.o For if many people died as the result of one man’s offense, how much more have God’s grace and the free gift given through the kindness of one man, Jesus the Messiah,p been showered on many people! 

  • 16Nor can the free gift be compared to what came through the man who sinned.q 
  • For the sentence that followed one man’s offense resulted in condemnation, 
  • but the free gift brought justification, even after many offenses. 
  • 17For if, through one man, death ruled because of that man’s offense, how much more will those who receive such overflowing grace and the gift of righteousness rule in life because of one man, Jesus the Messiah!r
18Consequently, just as one offense resulted in condemnation for everyone, so one act of righteousness results in justification and life for everyone. 

  • 19For just as through one man’s disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man’s obedience many people will be made righteous. 
  • 20Now the Law crept in so that the offense would increase. But where sin increased, grace increased even more, 
  • 21so that, just as sin ruled by bringing death,s 
  • so also grace might rule by bringing justificationt that results in eternal life through Jesus the Messiah,u our Lord.
Do you know you have faith? Has it changed your heart and is it making you a new creation? If it is not confess your sins and get back in the race. Read the New Testament. Obey what Jesus and the disciples said to do and not to do. Jesus is the only way to the Father and true eternal life. Protect your eyes and ears from filth. It will be worth it all!!!




Sunday, April 28, 2013

Without Jesus We Are Completely Worthless

We find ourselves in Romans 3. Paul tells both Jews and Gentiles we are all under the power of sin and cut off from God. Paul then gives the remedy, being faith in Jesus the Messiah. He paid for sin with his own blood on the cross. God justifies anyone who has the faithfulness of Jesus. This does not abolish the Law, but the followers of Christ "uphold the Law".  We are to obey Christ.

Do you know what Jesus and his disciples told us to do and not to do in the New Testament? If you do not, how can you obey Christ? Stop getting the truth from ear tickling men, their books and recordings. Protect your eyes and ears. Sell your TV to those who do not care about their soul and will fill their minds with trash no matter what.

Get into the New Testament and discover the joy of obeying the Savior who gave his life for the world. He is the only source of Truth and True Love. Run to him! Confess your sins! He loves to forgive those who want to follow him and obey him. If you sin confess it quickly and continue on following the Savior!!

Romans 3 ISV

9What, then, does this mean?f Are we Jewsg any better off? Not at all! For we have already accused everyone, both Jews and Greeks, of being under the power ofh sin. 10As it is written,
“Not even one person is righteous.
11No one understands.
No one searches for God.
12All have turned away.
They have become completely worthless.
No one shows kindness, not even one person!i
13Their throats are open graves.
With their tongues they deceive.j
The venom of poisonous snakes is under their lips.k
14Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.l
15They run swiftlym to shed blood.
16Ruin and misery characterize their lives.
17They have not learned the path to peace.n
18They don’t fear God.o

19Now we know that whatever the Law says applies to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God20Therefore, Godp will not justify any human being by means of the actions prescribed by the Law, for through the Law comes the full knowledge of sin.

21But now, apart from the Law, God’s righteousness is revealed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets— 22God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesusq the Messiahr — for all who believe. For there is no distinction among people,s 23since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory. 24By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiaht Jesus, 25whom God offered as a place where atonement by the Messiah’su blood would occur through faith. He did thisv to demonstrate his righteousness, because he had waited patiently to deal with sins committed in the past26He wantedw to demonstrate at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies anyone who has the faithfulness of Jesus.x

27What, then, is there to boast about? That has been eliminated. On what principle? On that of actions? No, but on the principle of faith28Fory we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the actions prescribed by the Law29Is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the gentiles, too? Yes, of the gentiles, too30since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised by that same faith. 31Do we, then, abolish the Law by this faith? Of course not! Instead, we uphold the Law.

George Beverly Shea died April 16, 2013, at the age of 104. It appears the Lord is taking many of the older generation of Godly saints home. I do not see them being replaced. Surely, many are replacing them, but we will go through trials that apparently the Lord does not want the aged saints to go through. It is time for the saints to prepare. How? Read the New Testament, obey God, and pray! Witness!! 


Saturday, April 27, 2013

Our Destiny - Eternal Life Or Eternal Wrath Of God

We find ourselves today looking at Paul's warning to us that we are all sinners and that it is God's kindness that is leading us to repent. Every human being is personally responsible for their sin. Jesus the Messiah is the only one who can forgive sin. Jesus made it possible for us to find forgiveness in him through his shed blood. If we refuse that, the wrath of God abides on us.

Romans 2 ISV

1Therefore, you have no excuse—every one of you who judges. For when you pass judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, practice the very same things
  • 2Now we know that God’s judgment against those who act like this is based ona truth. 
  • 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on those who practice these things and then do them yourself, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 
  • 4Or are you unaware of his rich kindness, forbearance, and patience, that it is God’s kindness that is leading you to repent?

5But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart you are reserving wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 
  • 6For he will repay everyone according to what that person has done: 
  • 7eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good; 
  • 8but wrath and fury for those who in their selfish pride refuse to believe the truth and practice wickedness instead. 
  • 9There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well. 
  • 10But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well, 11because God does not show partiality.

12For all who have sinned apart from the Law will also perish apart from the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. 
  • 13For it is not merely those who hear the Law who are righteous in God’s sight. 
  • No, it is those who follow the Law, who will be justified. 
  • 14For whenever gentiles, who do not possess the Law, do instinctively what the Law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the Law. 
  • 15They show that what the Law requires is written in their hearts, a fact to which their own consciences testify
  • and their thoughts will either accuse or excuse them 16on that day when God, through Jesus the Messiah,b will judge people’s secrets according to my gospel.
I am a chief of sinners who found forgiveness in Jesus. This music video tells my story.


Friday, April 26, 2013

The Rejection Of God And Sexual Immorality

The Apostle Paul tells us that as a result of the fall of man we are all born in sin and do sin as soon as we are able after birth. Jesus came to pay the price for sin. Those who in faith believe in Jesus for forgiveness of their sins and obey him, will be forgiven and receive Jesus' righteousness.

Those who do not believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and obey him, are under the wrath of God. Paul  gives us examples of what such people do. There is no excuse for rejecting and denying God because God has made it clear to us that he exists.

In our nation and around the world we are seeing the results of the rejection of God by the masses. It is getting worse day by day. Jesus loves to forgive, but we are each responsible to repent and obey him. If you have not turned away from you sins to follow Christ, please do so before your heart becomes so hardened that you cannot be saved. The path of sin just gets worse and worse. There is no bottom and that is why we have been given short lives, then we will be judged on what we did with Jesus and his commands.

I write this as a chief of sinners who found Christ's forgiveness when I repented and started following him. True life, peace and joy have been the results even though I have many trials.

Romans 1 ISV

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel,m because it is God’s power for the salvation of everyone who believes, of the Jew first and of the Greek as well. 17For in the gospeln God’s righteousness is being revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”o

18For God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of those who in their wickedness suppress the truth. 
  • 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God himself has made it plain to them. 
  • 20For since the creation of the world God’sp invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been understood and observed by what he made, so that peopleq are without excuse. 
  • 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. 
  • Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things,r and their senseless hearts were darkened. 
  • 22Though claiming to be wise, they became fools 
  • 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that looked like mortal human beings, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.

24For this reason, 
  • God delivered them to sexual impurity as they followed the lustss of their hearts and dishonored their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged God’s truth for a lie and worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26For this reason, 
  • God delivered them to degrading passions 
  • as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural. 
  • 27In the same way, their males also abandoned their natural sexual function toward females and burned with lust toward one another. 
  • Males committed indecent acts with males, and received within themselves the appropriate penalty for their perversion.t

28Furthermore, 
  • because they did not think it worthwhile to keep knowing God fully, 
  • God delivered them to degraded minds to perform acts that should not be done. 
  • 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. 
  • They are full of envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. 
  • They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, haughty, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, 
  • disobedient to their parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. 
32Although they know God’s just requirement—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do these things but even applaud others who practice them.



Thursday, April 25, 2013

Have You Turned From Darkness To Light?

Have you turned from darkness to light and from being controlled by Satan the devil to being controlled by God? Or are you practicing sin and living a life of disobedience? If you are, you must repent and turn from your sins and surrender your life to Jesus. Do not listen to the ear tickling preachers of our day. They are blind and leaders of the blind. Jesus told us we cannot serve two masters at once. Today you are either serving Jesus or the devil. One leads to eternal life and the other leads to eternal death. Do not be deceived!

  • Luke 16 ISV 13“No servant can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and wealth!”

Acts 26 ISV

12“That is how I happened to be traveling to Damascus with authority based on a commission from the high priests. 13On the road at noon, O King, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun. It flashed around me and those who were traveling with me.

14“All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hurting you to keep on kicking against the cattle prods.’c

15“I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’d

“The Lord answered, ‘I’m Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16But get up and stand on your feet, because I’ve appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you’ve seen and of what I’ll show you. 17I’ll continue to rescue you from your people and from the gentiles to whom I’m sending you. 


18You will help them understande 
  • and turn them from darkness to light 
  • and from Satan’s control to God, 
  • so that their sins will be forgiven 
  • and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’




Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Tongues - Are You Trying To Stop God?

Continuing the post from yesterday we find further information regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Peter had just seen the Holy Spirit fall on the gentiles, but when Peter went to Jerusalem the Hebrew believers were upset that Peter had eaten with the gentiles. Peter then gives them the facts that occurred and tells the most wonderful story. The Holy Spirit has been given to the gentile believers just as it had to the Hebrew believers. Chapter 10 shows clearly that the way they knew the Holy Spirit was given was the gentiles spoke in tongues, in foreign languages.

Acts 11 ISV

1Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who emphasized circumcisionadisagreed with him. 3They said, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

4Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said, 5“I was in the town of Joppa praying when in a trance I saw a vision: Something like a large linen sheet descended down from heaven, lowered by its four corners, and it came right down to me. 6When I examined it closely, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it.’ 8But I replied, ‘Absolutely not, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ 9Then the voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘You must stop calling common what God has made clean!’ 10This happened three times. Then everything was pulled back up to heaven.

11“At that very moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea. 12The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitating. These six brothers went with me, too, and we entered the house of the man from Caesarea.b 13Then he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his home and saying, ‘Send messengersc to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. 14He will discuss with you how you and your entire household will be saved.’

15“When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he was first given to us16Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized withd water, but you will be baptized withe the Holy Spirit.’ 17Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,f who was I to try to stop God?

18When they heard this, they calmed down, and praised God by saying, “So God has given repentance that leads to life even to gentiles.”

Do we really understand what these passages are saying? Do you see why I plead over and over in my posts not to listen to man, but to get into the scriptures? Countless preachers and their followers ignore or condemn tongues, the very gift of the Holy Spirit while the fact is it is a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. These people are literally trying to stop God as Peter says in verse 17. I lived most of my Christian life denouncing the gift of tongues. I also lived most of my Christian life as a powerless believer. 

We are in the last days when if it is possible the very elect will be deceived. Repent of your sins. Surrender your will to the Lord Jesus Christ. Say no to the things you want. Seek the Lord with all of your heart. Follow him continually. Protect your eyes and ears from the filth of this world system. This includes TV, movies, worldly music and magazines. You are to be holy as God is holy. Get into the New Testament scriptures and obey what Jesus said to do and not to do. Do not trust man. Assemble with believers, but do not trust man and their doctrines. Build on Jesus Christ and the scriptures he gave us.



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

There Is A Baptism In The Holy Spirit

We find ourselves in Acts chapter 10. Cornelius was a centurion. He was gentile and God fearing man. An angel from the Lord told him to go to meet Peter. When he arrived at the place Peter was staying the Holy Spirit fell on the gentiles.

Brothers and sisters, there is so very much I do not understand, but this passage clearly shows that the way the Hebrew believers "the circumcised" knew that the gentiles had received the gift of the Holy Spirit was because they spoke in foreign languages "tongues". After many years I received this baptism. It occurred as I was surrendering my all to the Lord Jesus Christ. All I can say about it is seek the Lord with all of your heart.  Surrender yourself to the Lord. He is truly the only safe place. He will give you the gifts he wants to. He will not force them on you. Do not be afraid of his gifts. That comes from the old nature and the devil.

Acts 10 ISV
44While Peter was still making this statement, the Holy Spirit fell on all the people who were listening to his message. 45Then the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the gentiles, too, 46because they heard them speaking in foreign languagess and praising God. 

Then Peter said, 47No one can stop us from using water to baptize these people who have received the Holy Spirit in the same way that we did, can they?t 48So Peteru ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah.v Then they asked him to stay there for several days.

Earlier I was singing to the Lord and so many of my words are in this song.