God's Offering

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ~ John 3:16

The season on the Church Calendar is approaching, which is the Lenten Season. A time of humbling ourselves before the Lord by taking on a Discipline and adding a Spiritual Discipline as we remember Jesus Suffering. It is a 40 day commitment between the Christian and God. It is a time of not only recognizing Jesus Suffering and obedience to His Father, but it is a time of remembering God’s Offering.  God’s Offering is sometimes forgotten as we see the suffering of Jesus. God’s Offering was “His Only Begotten Son!” As we worship Jesus we must remember the heartbreak in God’s heart as He view the suffering of His Only Son. In the Message today we will see what God’s Offering did for us. I’m sure you know that the “Only Begotten Son” of God came to take away our sins and to give unto His followers Eternal Life. This is God’s great Offering that we might have Eternal Life. Perhaps we don’t often think of Eternal Life until there is a death close to us. But Eternal Life is our goal, it is our destiny! It is our Hope!  In Joel Chapter 1 – The Word of the Lord came forth and God commanded that the children be told and their children must tell the next generation. What was so important for God to speak in this manner?  VS 9 “The meat Offering and the drink Offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; there’s a languishing in the land! In there mourning, which is a type of death/separation; an expression of great sorrow there is an uncontrollable languishing in the land. To Languish means “listlessness, weakness, laxness, lackadaisical, and most interesting – spiritless! That’s just the explanation of Wester the dictionary – but we quickly recognize spiritless --- we recognize this as in our own land today! The things of God’s creation such as the Fruit of the fields, the trees, the vines, are found withered! Because “Joy is withered away from the sons of men. Could this be true today?  We might be caught up in the stresses and anxiety of our day until the “Joy of the Lord’ is not operating appropriately in our life. Jesus came in “Joy” – “Who for the “Joy that was set before Him: Jesus endured the Cross!” [Heb 12:2] How does this Joy live in us? It was an Offering given to us in this Holy Season by the Father through His Son -- “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, will bring Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost!”   Pastor

“Lovest Thou Me?”

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the Faithful God, which keepeth Covenant and Mercy with them that Love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations;”   Deut. 7:9

We hear these words from God as He speaks to Abraham: “Take now thy son, thy only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon the mountain I tell thee.” We hear Mary and Martha saying, unto the “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick,” and finally we hear the Words of Jesus as the Resurrected Savior speaking to Peter as the disciples set around the fire: “Lovest Thou Me? Three times Jesus asks this question of Peter. Perhaps it was necessary for He had told His Disciples many times what was going to happen concerning Himself, and yet, they did not discern His hour of suffering and Resurrection. In this Valentine Season, a season of love, we hear Jesus Words once more – “Lovest Thou Me?” There is so much to be said about Love in Scripture. Let us pause for a moment and look at 1 John 4:8-11 – “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is Love. In this was manifested the Love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but that He Loved us, and sent Jis Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so Loved us, we ought also to Love one another.” There is often Sacrifice in True Love! Can I say that again? There is often Sacrifice in True Love! Our society today is full of love – love of the things of this world, lustful love, love for power and praise! The heart of God is still calling for pure Love, as in the moment He spoke to Peter: “Lovest Thou Me?” Sacrifice is involved, as in God’s offering of Jesus; Consider the painful sensation in the heart of Abraham when God said to him, offer thy son for a burnt offering. Let us recognize afresh the desire in God’s heart for our Love. His desire is not just for words, but action, as we see the day of Jesus return approaching. The call is still going forth; “Come and Dine!” Sit at the table with the Lord, make room for Him in our daily routine, muse upon His Goodness, consider Eternal Life, meditate upon the Holy Ghost which came to comfort us, guide us, and reveal the power of God’s Love and Presence to us! A part of Loving God is Loving our neighbor! Know I sincerely love every one of you and as we worship Him, may His power be revealed to us afresh!  Love, Pastor

“Heart Burn for Jesus!”

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;” ~ Luke 12:34-35

Do you feel a burning sensation of anger or strife or untruth as you watch the primaries? As you hear the promises and you know that they are impossible … it is impossible to get all the departments of our government on the same page, if you know what I mean. In division there is failure. This is a powerful Truth! In Luke 11 there were those tempting Jesus to show them a sign; I hear His Words from Luke VS17 “Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. We are no longer “One nation under God!” That of course is God Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are seeing signs today, warning signs of Jesus Coming. The question is: Do our hearts burn for Christ? To burn is a sensation, it also calls for action. A dictionary describes it: as a flame that consumes something, or a source of Light, a source of energy as fuel … Herein is the mandate for this Message. Christianity’s Light seems to be diminished and evil is on the rise. Before you feel a negative thought, this is an alert for Prayer, a cry for a hunger for God, a need to exercise our Faith, to walk in the power of the Holy Ghost, and a time to step up to the plate and be victorious in the God we serve. Politics without God will bring destruction. Too many worldly changes to His Church will also bring effect the Body of Christ. [Heb. 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” – Mal. 3:6 “For I Am the Lord, I change not;” I believe the saints of the Gospel of Christ see the signs of our time, but perhaps we fail to sense the urgency of our day. When you study Jesus Life, as we will note in the Message today; He warned them, blessed them, taught them, and revealed Truth to them. Yet when He was crucified, they each one handled it differently without continuing strong in His teachings.  A couple of them headed out for another village – after they heard the news from the women who had been at the grave and talked with the Angels. The Angels had confirmed Jesus’ Words to them; “He is not here, but is Risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be Crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His Words, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. Fear & unbelief ruled.  Ad you no doubt are aware of this Account in the Life of Christ, Jesus joined them on the way to Emmaus. Did they recognize Him? No fear and doubt had blinded them. Eventually they sat at dinner, Jesus took the Bread, and blessed it, brake it and gave it to them … The emblems of His Sacrifice opened their eyes and they knew Him. He vanished and they said: “Did not our heart burn within us!” O God may we discern our moment, Pastor