Sunday, February 25, 2018

Healing Hands and Feet of Promise


Today we enter into the Second Point of the Cross, “Healing Hands and Feet of Promise!” When America wants to know about the Wars of years gone by, they check out the History Books.  When a Lawyer wants to make a winning point, they check out Historical cases. History Books keep the powerful and important moments in our American History. And we believe that History! Christianity has a History that many Christians are not familiar with, yet pretty much everyone knows that Christians believe in Jesus, the Christ. Agnostics, unbelievers, seem to mock and scoff at the Christian’s belief, yet it is a Historical fact that Jesus Christ came to fulfill His Father’s will, therefore there is a God! Jesus testified, that He was about His Fathers business. His followers, eye witnesses, also testified of Jesus life, death, & Resurrection. What a Miraculous Historical event. Jesus came with Healing Hands extended and He traveled the path of Promise. Everywhere His feet carried Him, Promises were given to the believers. If one served in World War 1 or the Wars that followed, they are proud to be an American Veteran; why then are Christians shy to proclaim the power of their Christian Faith? The Resurrection Season is Historical! There are eye witnesses to the Healing Hands of Jesus! There are multitudes of eye witnesses to the journeys wherein Jesus’ Feet traveled, always pointing to His Heavenly Father. Luke 24:49 Jesus said: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you: Acts 2:39  He also said: “For the Promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. No need to be shy that you serve the “Risen Saviour!” These are old statistics, but take a look at them, 81Million people serve the Catholic Church; 28 Million serve the Baptist Church; 22 Million serve the Methodist Church; 8 Million serve the Presbyterian Church; 8 Million Pentecostals, and note Christianity at large, there are over 252 Million who call themselves “Christian.” Talk about History, Yes we have a name to live as the writer of Revelation declares, but do we have an ear to hear what the Spirit of God is saying?   Powerful thoughts:  Loving You, Pastor

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Crowned with Glory

To follow Christ is a serious matter that is often taken for granted in the Christian World. When Jesus asked us to be His Disciple, He also ask as to follow close to Him, deny ourselves, and there is a cross for us to bear. I’m sure there have been great discussions on this particular “cross.”  To me it is simple, it is the “cares of life” that seem to dog our every day existence. Perhaps it is something much greater, but whatever brings fear, anxiety, worry or doubt to our mind is an issue that is sent to detour us from our trust, hope, and faith in God. The whole world seems to ask this question in a crisis  … “If He is a Good God then why such suffering of children, or why such a disaster, etc.” If they are not a born again believer, then they do not understand the workings of God, nor the Mercy and Grace of our Saviour. He showed us through His suffering that we can overcome. It is a day by day overcoming, a growing in Christ, a trusting in God, and a following in Jesus footsteps with a minor amount of suffering. I say minor amount but it is not comparable to Christ’s suffering, but it is a suffering to us. Jesus was Crowned With Glory!?  When we read of the crown that humanity gave Him, it was somewhat different to our thinking but to His Father God it was a Crown of Glory. Jesus was obedient unto death and He willing gave His life. His mind was focused on the Fathers Will.  The Message today deals with our Mind, it is our crown. What do we think of Jesus, what do we think of being a Christian, how does our mind handle the things that we go through that are of a negative or painful nature? The shoved the Crown of Thrones upon Jesus Head … it is the work of the enemy to shove negative issues upon our head, in our mind. There is a lot to be said of things that deal with the “Mind” in Scripture. God through Jesus Christ has promised a crown in Scripture, it will be one that has escaped the thrones of this life. I hear the Word of the Lord, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus!” Loving you, Pastor

Saturday, February 10, 2018

God's Eternal Purpose


Let us give thanks for the Lenten Season, for it contains the Power of our Salvation written in Jesus’ Blood. Let us give attention to our Lenten Discipline and take on a Spiritual Commitment.
   
“The Lord said, I have pardoned … As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the Glory of the Lord.”  ~ Num. 14:20-21                                                         
In this Passage of Scripture above, The Lord is talking to Moses. God wanted to eliminate the Israelites because of gross disobedience, but Moses stood in the gap. You no doubt will remember this account. God told Moses to send 12 spies into the land of Canaan. Caleb was the only one that came back with a positive purpose.  They found giants in the Land, but they also found great bounty of fruits, etc. and then there was the fact that God said: “I will give the land unto the children of Israel.” God has an Eternal Purpose for us, as He did for the Israelites. As they surveyed the land, it is said it “flowed with milk and honey.”  However 11 of them were blinded by the opportunity to profess their Faith in their God who has chosen them to redeem the Land. They did not understand the Eternal Purpose of God – to conquer and to stand strong against the forces of the enemy. While they saw the “good” it seemed fear overrode their Faith. They saw strong people, walled cities, and the children of Anak were know as huge men/giants. God’s Eternal Purpose was to bring them triumphantly into His Promised Land, but alas, they did not receive or comprehend His Eternal Purpose.  But there was Caleb, “Let us go at once, and posess it; for we are well able to overcome.” They saw the giants, and looked at themselves as grasshoppers. What spiritual truth can we get out of this account that God has given to us in Scripture? The hour is upon us, our country, and our Church to rely on the Eternal Purpose of God, for Eternity is nearer then humanity might believe. His Purpose ultimately is “to gather together in one all things in Christ, both in heaven and earth in Him.” Are we ready to be gathered together in Him, to receive the inheritance God has planned and predestinated for us?  The Lenten season is here to bring us to a quite halt, that we might think on Spiritual Matters. God’s Eternal Purpose is that by His Grace and through Faith in Christ Jesus we receive the Gift of God. We find this explanation in Eph. 3; “It is according to the Eternal Purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus!”  The Church at large; does it have Eternity on its mind?   Loving you, Pastor