To die is Gain!

VERY soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come!  Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death. If you are not prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertain day; how do you know you will have a tomorrow?  What good is it to live a long life when we amend that life so little? Indeed, a long life does not always benefit us, but on the contrary, frequently adds to our guilt. Would that in this world we had lived well throughout one single day. Many count up the years they have spent in religion but find their lives made little holier. If it is so terrifying to die, it is nevertheless possible that to live longer is more dangerous. Blessed is he who keeps the moment of death ever before his eyes and prepares for it every day.  If you have ever seen a man die, remember that you, too, must go the same way. In the morning consider that you may not live till evening, and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourself the dawn. Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will never take you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly, for in the unexpected hour the Son of God will come. When that last moment arrives you will begin to have a quite different opinion of the life that is now entirely past and you will regret very much that you were so careless and remiss.  How happy and prudent is he who tries now in life to be what he wants to be found in death. Perfect contempt of the world, a lively desire to advance in virtue, a love for discipline, the works of penance, readiness to obey, self-denial, and the endurance of every hardship for the love of Christ, these will give a man great expectations of a happy death. Great Day it will be when I die in Christ Jesus!!

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Can you Repent?

A lady recently commented on a devotion about repentance I posted on a blog. “She told me that a person could not repent until after they are saved. That a person does not have the power to change their mind about sin or turn away from committing sin.” First let it be known that Jesus does not lie! Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” After Jesus was tempted to go against His Holy Nature by the arrogance of the Devil, He began preaching Repentance. Question: if we could not turn from sin to faith in Christ, then why did Jesus tell us to repent?  The possibilities of a sinner to turn away from sin is an act of God’s Grace. Every since the fall in the Garden The Holy God has called sinful man to turn back to Him. The New Covenant is of utmost importance!  The work which our Lord Jesus has done has made repentance possible, available, and acceptable. The law makes no mention of repentance, but says plainly, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” If the Lord Jesus had not died and risen again and gone unto the Father, what would your repenting or mine be worth? We might feel remorse with its horrors, but never repentance with its hopes. Repentance, as a natural feeling, is a common duty deserving no great praise: indeed, it is so generally mingled with a selfish fear of punishment, that the kindliest estimate makes but little of it. Had not Jesus interposed and wrought out a wealth of merit, our tears of repentance would have been so much water spilled upon the ground. Jesus is exalted on high, that through the virtue of His intercession repentance may have a place before God. In this respect He gives us repentance, because He puts repentance into a position of acceptance, which otherwise it could never have occupied.  When Jesus was exalted on high, the Spirit of God was poured out to work in us all needful graces. The Holy Ghost creates repentance in us by supernaturally renewing our nature, and taking away the heart of stone out of our flesh. Oh, sit not down straining those eyes of yours to fetch out impossible tears! Repentance comes not from unwilling nature, but from free and sovereign grace. Get not to your chamber to smite your breast in order to fetch from a heart of stone feelings which are not there. But go to Calvary and see how Jesus died. Look upward to the hills whence comes your help. The Holy Ghost has come on purpose that He may overshadow men’s spirits and breed repentance within them, even as once He brooded over chaos and brought forth order. Breathe your prayer to Him, “Blessed Spirit, dwell with me. Make me tender and lowly of heart, that I may hate sin and unfeignedly repent of it.” He will hear your cry and answer you. “From the right hand of God our Lord Jesus rules all things here below, and makes them work together for the salvation of His redeemed. He uses both bitters and sweets, trials and joys, that He may produce in sinners a better mind toward their God. Be thankful for the providence which has made you poor, or sick, or sad; for by all this Jesus works the life of your spirit and turns you to Himself. The Lord’s mercy often rides to the door of our hearts on the black horse of affliction. Jesus uses the whole range of our experience to wean us from earth and woo us to Heaven. Christ is exalted to the throne of Heaven and earth in order that, by all the processes of His providence, He may subdue hard hearts unto the gracious softening of repentance.” Therefore the act of repentance is given by God’s Grace to bring us to the point of turning to Him for Salvation. If you feel you are convicted and need to repent, then do it because God is calling all men to Repentance!

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Christ must be greater to achieve Joy!

Consider the words of John the Baptist; John 3:29-30 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.  He must become greater; I must become less. The Bride of Christ are those who have been Baptized in His blood and raised by His Resurrection! We who are listening to His voice through the Holy Spirit are filled with joy. The question I would like to ask is this; is your joy complete as John mentions here in the text? If we honestly ponder this question, most of us reading this devotion would so no my joy is not complete. Why? Because Christ is not greater! Maybe we should confess; LORD, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You visit him? What has man deserved that You should give him Your grace? What cause have I, Lord, to complain if You desert me, or what objection can I have if You do not do what I ask? This I may think and say in all truth: “Lord, I am nothing, of myself I have nothing that is good; I am lacking in all things, and I am ever tending toward nothing. And unless I have Your help and am inwardly strengthened by You, I become quite lukewarm and lax.” Self denial is not an option if we want to have complete joy. The Bridegroom stands waiting! He wants His Bride to be complete. Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  How has the Bride made herself ready? Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. May I also say that He wants us to be filled with joy! Listen to the prayer of Thomas E. Kempes; “Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities.” We must become less and He must be greater in order to be filled with complete Joy!

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Do you desire Enlightenment?

Great Day I am in need of the Sunlight of the Spirit!  Everyday brings more trouble just as Jesus instructed. I would like to offer a prayer Enlighten me, good Jesus, with the brightness of internal light, and take away all darkness from the habitation of my heart.  Enlarge my heart and my desire for your Holiness.  Restrain my wandering thoughts and suppress the temptations which attack me so violently. Fight strongly for me, and vanquish these evil beasts — the alluring desires of the flesh — so that peace may come through Your power and the fullness of Your praise resound in the holy courts, which is a pure conscience. Command the winds and the tempests; say to the sea: “Be still,” and to the north wind, “Do not blow,” and there will be a great calm.  Send forth Your light and Your truth to shine on the earth, for I am as earth, empty and formless until You illumine me. “Pour out Your grace from above. Shower my heart with heavenly dew. Open the springs of devotion to water the earth, that it may produce the best of good fruits. Lift up my heart pressed down by the weight of sins, and direct all my desires to heavenly things, that having tasted the sweetness of supernal happiness, I may find no pleasure in thinking of earthly things. Snatch me up and deliver me from all the passing comfort of creatures, for no created thing can fully quiet and satisfy my desires. Join me to Yourself in an inseparable bond of love; because You alone can satisfy him who loves You, and without You all things are worthless.”  Thomas E. Kempes.  Satisfy my longing with your Goodness, Mercy and Grace.  Lead me in the Way Everlasting, for the Glory of the Holy Child Jesus! Amen

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Consider the Risen Christ!

Up from the grave He Arose, with a mighty Triumph over His foes! What a wonderful thing to know that Jesus did not just pour His life’s Blood upon the Cross of Golgotha’s Hill but overcame the power of sin and Death by His Resurrection from Hades (abode of the dead). It has been over a week since the Church celebrated that marvelous Victory, but what now? Is it Church as usual? Are Christians going to put Jesus back in a box until next year? I pray the answer is Absolutely Not! So many Christians get caught up in the Pagan celebration of Easter with little emphasis on Christ. They mention the Resurrection of Jesus and go about their lives until the next Easter bunny time! I want to challenge you to examine your Easter Celebrations. What does the Easter bunny and egg hunts have to do with the Resurrection of Christ Jesus? Have you ever studied what Easter really means? Did the early Church in the Bible celebrate the Resurrection by having egg hunts to reach children? Best question to ask is; would Jesus go to a Easter egg hunt at His Church? I know this goes against the grain of most people. The only motive of writing this is to ask; is Jesus enough? This World that is in darkness sees what we followers of Jesus are doing. Does the World see the Resurrected Christ exemplified in the Church or only a side issue? Are we as believers putting Jesus first or are we blending the ways of the World with Church? James 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. All I can say is Christ is Risen and has overcame the World!  So Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Jesus is ENOUGH!

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Has the Christian label become meaningless?

Listen to this article and then pray about your relationship with Jesus!

“Hypocrisy in one Age,” warned Joseph Addison, “is generally succeeded by Atheism in another.” Consider this in light of charges that America is becoming, according to a Trinity College survey, less Christian. It’s not that Americans are converting to other religions, it’s that they are more willing to avow nothing. One researcher blames Christianity’s association with conservative politics for turning people away. Sexual abuse by Catholic priests also tarnished us, he says. Underlying it all is a cultural shift that makes atheism more publicly acceptable. Recognizing this trend, President Obama became the first president to pay homage to nonbelievers in his inaugural address.

Faith surveys are fraught with problems. Opinion pollsters understand that when formulating an answer many respondents ponder what other people are likely to say, and what the pollster thinks. This is because none of us wants to look stupid. While some people who claim Christian faith do so from genuine commitment, then, others likely do so because they think it’s what they ought to say.

Regardless, Christianity is still hip among Americans. Although those claiming to be Christian have decreased from 86 percent in 1990 to 75 percent today, that’s still a sizeable portion. What we ought to care about, however, is not what labels people choose, but what they believe and do. In surveys aimed at discerning Christian worldview (e.g., whether respondents believe that absolute truth exists, that Christ was sinless, etc.), Barna Research Group finds the portion with consistent biblical beliefs holding steady the past dozen years, around 10 percent. Similar surveys reveal disturbing ignorance of dogma among professing Christians.

While the vast majority of Americans claim to be Christian, in other words, a good many of us don’t seem capable of explaining what that means. Little wonder the comically vicious Bill Maher had such a field day filming a mockumentary wherein he accosted Christians about their faith. Not knowing what we believe makes it awfully hard to answer why we believe it. It shouldn’t surprise us if Christians who can’t articulate what they believe have children and grandchildren who don’t even bother to try. And this is exactly what we are seeing, as large numbers of young people stop attending church altogether upon leaving home.

The way many churches respond to declining public interest exacerbates the problem. The Christian church grew when its leaders stressed biblical study and fervent prayer, each of which was considered, in the early church, a means of knowing God. The modern feel-good church, meanwhile, de-emphasizes both in favor of “messages” that are “relevant to my life.” (Don’t tell me what Job said about the imponderable glory of God, tell me how to have fulfilling personal relationships.) That kind of offering can only be as stimulating as its deliverer, which explains why telegenic showmen find their congregations swelling, and so many other churches are shrinking. Eliminate the theologies of Word and prayer, and all you have left is a competition to see who can provide the best circus.

What we are in danger of—in our country, in our churches, in ourselves—is practical atheism. This is not a considered embrace of godlessness. It is instead the slow slide into lives where God is irrelevant. The people who walk away from churches likely haven’t pondered Christian theology and rejected it; they simply haven’t been exposed to theology in the first place. Absent knowledge of—and communion with—the living God, why would anyone in his right mind keep coming back?

Practical atheism isn’t limited to people who abandon church; it extends to all we who drift from Christ, even as we dutifully attend Sunday services. It’s in the brief morning prayer that eventually becomes no prayer at all. It’s in the way we emulate men rather than the God-man. It’s in the way we brood, as if the things that vex us don’t pass through the hands of a loving God. I don’t know if practical atheism afflicts you, but I slip into it every day. Surveys tell us more people are forgoing the Christian label. What ought to concern us is how many—perhaps most of all ourselves—are willing to keep the label without fully living the life it requires.

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Strange Fire in the House of The Lord….

No one fully understands what Nadab and Abihu did to prompt God to strike them dead in the sanctuary of Israel. The Bible says they loaded their firepans with incense, ignited the substance and “offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them” (Lev. 10:1, NASB). As a result of their careless and irreverent behavior, fire came from God’s presence and consumed them.
Zap. In an instant they were ashes.
When Moses had to explain to Aaron what happened to the two men, he said: “It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near to Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored'” (v. 3). Although we don’t know the details of what Nadab and his brother did with the holy incense, we know they were careless and irreverent about the things of God.

This ancient story has relevant application for us today. We don’t use incense or firepans in our worship, but we are expected to handle God’s Word with care and minister to His people in the fear of the Lord. In other words: No funny business allowed. We aren’t allowed to mix God’s Word with foreign concepts or mix our worship with pagan practices.

Yet as I minister in various churches around this country I am finding that strange fire is spreading in our midst-even in churches that call themselves “Spirit-filled.” Pastors and leaders need to be aware of these trends:
1. Deadly visitations. In some charismatic circles today, people are claiming to have spiritual experiences that involve communication with the dead. One Michigan pastor told me last week that some church leaders he knows promote this bizarre practice and base it on Jesus’ experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. The logic is that since Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah on the day He was glorified, this gives us permission to talk to dead Christians and our dead relatives.
Although little is said about these experiences from the pulpit (since the average believer is not ready to handle this “new revelation”), people in some streams of the prophetic movement are claiming to have visitations from Aimee Semple McPherson, William Branham, John Wimber or various Bible characters. And we are expected to say, “Ooooooo, that’s so deep”-and then go looking for our own mystical, beyond-the-grave epiphany.
That is creepy. Communication with the dead was strictly forbidden in the Old Testament (see Deut. 18:11), and there is nothing in the New that indicates the rules were changed. Those who seek counsel from the dead-whether through mediums and séances or in “prophetic visions”-are taking a dangerous step toward demonization.
2. Ecstatic rapture. Not long after ecstasy became known as a recreational drug, someone in our movement got the bright idea to promote spiritual ecstasy as a form of legitimate worship. The concept evolved from “spiritual drunkenness” to the current fad in which people gather at church altars and pretend to shoot needles in their arms for a “spiritual high.” Some preachers today are encouraging people to “toke the Holy Ghost”-a reference to smoking marijuana.
I hate to be a party pooper, but the Bible warns us to “be of sound judgment and sober spirit” (1 Pet. 4:7). There is plenty of freedom and joy in the Holy Spirit; we don’t have to quench it by introducing people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing control. Those who worship Jesus do it “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we shake or how many times we fall on the floor.
Recently I told a friend in Pennsylvania that when people get tired of this drug imagery it won’t be long before we see some Christians having sexual experiences at the altar. “It’s already happening,” my friend said. He described a recent “worship concert” in which one of the musicians simulated sex while stroking a microphone and whispering sensual phrases to Jesus. What is next-orgasmic worship? God help us.
3. Angels among us. Angels have always played a vital role in the life of the church. They are “ministering spirits” sent to protect, guide and strengthen believers (Heb. 1:14). But suddenly angels have become the rage in some segments of our movement. People are claiming to see them everywhere, and often the stories don’t line up with the Word of God.

During the Lakeland Revival last year in Florida, a man from Germany took the stage and claimed that an angel walked into a restaurant while he was eating a hamburger, took his intestines out and replaced them with a gold substance. Others have testified that angels took them to heaven and operated on them. And many are claiming that angels are dropping feathers, gold dust and precious gems on worshippers.
I know God can do anything. He can make an iron axe head float, hide a coin in a fish’s mouth and use a little boy’s lunch to feed a multitude. Those were genuine miracles that He can still do today. But we still have to use caution here. There are counterfeits. If we promote a false miracle or a false angel in the Lord’s house, we are participating in strange fire.
I know of a case where a man was caught planting fake jewels on the floor of a church. He told his friends he was “seeding the room” to lift the people’s faith. I know of others who have been caught putting gold glitter on themselves in a restroom and then running back in a church service, only to claim that God was blessing them with this special favor. Where is the fear of God when Christians would actually fabricate a miracle?
This is a time for all true believers with backbones to draw clear lines between what is godly worship and what is pagan practice. We want the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and reverence of God. We cannot allow this strange fire to spread unchecked.

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Jesus Christ is right on time!

What is the meaning or purpose of Palm Sunday?  In Christianity Palm Sunday has been referred to as the Triumphal entry of Christ as the Messiah. I would like to suggest something more significant. Did you know that the entry of Christ before the Passover celebration actually fulfilled Old Testament prophecies? In fact it is so wildly overlooked in Christianity today. In all my years being in the Christian Church I have never heard the Truth of this fulfillment. Prophecy; Daniel 9:24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Seventy Sevens is 490 years. Daniel received the vision of Jesus, the most holy one(anointed), coming into Jerusalem to atone for sin. Now here is the fulfillment of Daniels prophecy;  Luke 19:41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Notice that Jesus said they did not recognize the TIME of God’s coming.  Jesus came precisely 490 years after Daniels prophecy and they did not recognize Him as the Messiah. This is significant in that Jerusalem was destroyed exactly as Jesus predicted, in 70 A.D. as a result of the Jewish people not recognizing His coming.  To back that up, consider this; if the Jewish people really believed that Jesus was their Messiah would they have shouted Crucify Him just a few days after they shouted Hosanna (which means save us)? The fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies authenticates the Truthfulness of God’s Word.  Thank God the Father He sent His Son Jesus to be are Passover Lamb at just the right time in History!

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A-Z Character of Jesus!

* To the Artist, He is the Altogether Lovely One.
* To the Builder, He is the Chief Cornerstone.
* To the Chef, He is the Bread of Life.
* To the Doctor, He is the Great Physician.
* To the Educator, He is the Master Teacher.
* To the Filmmaker, He is the Famous One
* To the Geologist, He is the Rock of Ages.
* To the Horticulturist, He is the True Vine.
* To the Intellectual, He is the Wisdom of God.
* To the Jeweler, He is the Pearl of Great Price.
* To the King, He is the Prince of Peace.
* To the Lawyer, He is the Judge of all the Earth.
* To the Manufacturer, He is the Creator of All Things.
* To the Newsman, He is the Glad Tidings of Great Joy.
* To the Oculist (in search of the light), He is the Light of the World.
* To the Philanthropist, He is the Gift of God.
* To the Queen, He is the King of Kings.
* To the Rabbi, He is The Messiah.
* To the Scholar, He is the Truth.
* To the Theologian, He is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith.
* To the Undertaker, He is the Resurrection and the Life.
* To the Visionary, He is the Revelation of God.
* To the Waiter, He is the One who came not to be Served but to Serve.
* To the X-Ray Technician, He is the Word of God before Whom all things are naked and bare
* To the Youth, He is the Life.
* To the Zoologist- He is the Lion of Judah, and the Lamb of God

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Robbing God?

Great Day if we Christians would obey Jesus and be Thankful as much as we complain about our situations, this World would  be changed for the better! Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. If we would stop and think for a moment of how many blessings we have, we would break out and sing “Showers of Blessings”. I must tell you that one of the most overlooked sins in the Bible is ingratitude or unthankfulness. If we complain more than we thank we need to repent! Listen to Romans 1:21″ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. If we fail to be Thankful we rob God of His Glory.  Again listen to 2Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. People that are not Thankful fall into the category of Ephesians 4:18. “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts”. Look around and see the Mighty Provisions of God the Father.  Let us all be “Thankful in all circumstances for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”.

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