The Fruitbearer

 

JOHN 15:5

“I am The Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." 

    What is a fruitbearer? A person who testifies about God's redeeming grace through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. If only one person receives Christ into their hearts through my actions, then I am a fruitbearer. It might not look like my little branches are heavy with fruit, but if that one person shares Jesus with another person, then that new person is added to my fruitfulness. And I want to be fruitful. Which means I'm not going to stop sharing the love of God in Christ with everyone. 

    Proverbs 11:31 tells us, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." I want to be a soulwinner for Jesus. I want to tell you that once I lived a selfish, self-centered life; living only for the moment and the thrill. Once I thought I was living the good life, but it was only a shadow life. For the good life is only available through Jesus reckoning on the cross, through the blood He shed for us: He atoned for our sins, that we who believe would be forgiven when we repented. And repentance is an absolute must. 

    When Jesus began to preach the gospel, His first words were, "Repent, and be baptized." (Matthew 4:17) That same message came to and through each of His disciples. For example Peter states in Acts 2:38 "Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in The Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of The Holy Spirit." 

    What is this gospel message which we are compelled to share with everyone we interact with? Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, given to the world to save each person in it, if they would believe that He is Lord and follow in His ways. (John 3:16-18). Repentance is to make a conscious decision to deliberately stop living a sinful life and learn to live a holy life according to God's Word. 

    To be baptized in water is to make a public confession of the faith we are now professing; speaking aloud the Word of faith which is in us. (Romans 10:8-11). To be baptized in The Holy Spirit is to understand that without The Spirit living in us as well, it is impossible for us to live a righteous and holy life that we must endeavor to live after receiving Christ into our hearts.  We need both baptisms. 

    Even now, I urge you, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please come to Jesus today. Your soul is in immortal danger, for the soul exists forever: some will exist in hell and after hell is destroyed the lost souls will exist in an eternal lake of fire from which there is no escape. Some souls will exist in heaven, in the eternal presence of God forever and ever, praising God and singing with the angels. But the decision must be made this side of eternity. There are no do-overs after we die. 

    COME TO THE ALTAR

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART

    GIVE ME JESUS

WELCOME HOLY SPIRIT 

The Age of Grace

 

 

1 CORINTHIANS 16:23

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 

The age of grace began at the cross of Jesus Christ. Until then, a strict adherent faithfulness to the laws of God had to be met: with a love for God in their hearts and an expectant longing for His Savior, Whom He had promised several times over would arrive and reign on David's throne. 

But what is grace? And why do we need it? 

Grace is the extension of God's love toward mankind because He wants to be near us. We need His grace because without it we cannot enter His eternal dwelling place, nor can we stand in His holy presence. 

How do we get this wonderful grace which has been proffered to us?

Through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son; Who obediently suffered and died for sinners everywhere and in every time period. Ephesians 2:8 tells us, "It is by grace you have been saved, it is The Gift of God." We didn't earn this grace: it is freely given to all who put their faith in The Name of Jesus Christ for their salvation. It is saving grace and Christ Jesus is the only way to obtain it. 

God's grace will not end until after the millennial reign which Christ will set up at the end of the tribulation years. Sin will still exist, as well as death. For Isaiah says, " No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed." 

It is amazing to me that when Christ is on His throne during that time, that people will not only see His loving face and hear His beautiful voice, but will choose to believe that He is not The Only Begotten Son of God and live their lives without Him in it. They will have the same opportunities you and I have now, except for one thing: the churches will be gone. 

And my heart is sad and burdened, even now, for the people in this day and age who choose to disbelieve The Written Word of God, who deny His existence and, again, prefer to live their lives without Him in it. 

Please don't be one of those people who lives without Christ. Come to Jesus. And enjoy a close, personal relationship like you've never experienced before. 

JUST AS I AM (I COME BROKEN) - Travis Cottrell 

LIVE IN ME, JESUS - Calvin B. Rhone 

COME TO THE ALTAR - Elevation Worship

He Took My Sins Away

 

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Titus 2:14

He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

The Amplified Bible reads it this way:

Who [willingly] gave Himself [to be crucified] on our behalf to redeem us and purchase our freedom from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good.

Anyone can know this wonderful blessing of salvation through Jesus Christ. We just need to place our faith in His Name and live a life of holiness through His Holy Spirit. It won't be easy to live a Christ-filled life at times, but it will definitely be worth it.

The psalmist wrote, knowing that God saves, but not yet having seen The Christ, "Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:2.

Isaiah knew he was in the presence of The Holy God, and recognized his own sins insomuch that God was able to cleanse him from all unrighteousness with a hot coal from His own ever-burning heavenly altar: "Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” Isaiah 6:5-7.

In this age of the church, The New Testament age, we read that Christ died for all sinners. That's me and that's you. That's the sinners who died under the old covenant (in the Old Testament), too. Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Hebrews 10:10 "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Hebrews 7:24, 25 "But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them."

Hebrews 2:9 "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone."

I pray that you know this Amazing Grace which is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross; that you follow Him in life and allow God's Holy Spirit to have His way in you. Even more so than I have.

HE TOOK MY SINS AWAY - Classic Hymn

COME TO JESUS - Chris Rice

Statements of Faith - Overcomer

 

1 JOHN 4:4

You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

   {Just when I think I am done with this series and believe I am waiting for another to begin, I get another study on my Statements of Faith. And it's a good one.}

 1 John 5:3

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. 

    You want to be an overcomer? Overcoming temptations, overcoming hate, overcoming bitterness, overcoming regrets, overcoming depression, overcoming loneliness, overcoming discouragement, overcoming pain, overcoming prejudices, overcoming every single thing that threatens your soul, your sanity, your existence? You need Jesus. I know this because I need Jesus. Every. Single. Day. Of. My. Life. 

    When you accept Christ into your heart, you are saying, I believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God who came for the sole purpose of being The Living Gospel which saves the person who believes in Christ for their salvation. 

    Having this salvation saves my soul. He saves me from the condemnation which is set aside for those who do not believe on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God. Salvation cloaks me with the righteousness of Christ. I am Covered by The Lamb of God who died on the cross for my sins. I am an overcomer because Christ lives in me, having conquered death, hell and the grave, the risen Savior not only is able to intercede for me with His Father, but live in me and I get to live in Him. Home Sweet Home. 

    Why do I take the time to tell you about my Savior? I am able through Christ in me and The Holy Spirit upon me to love you with the love of The Lord. I am able to forgive the wrongs done to me for the sake of the cross. I am filled with the peace that passes understanding, calming my spirit and my soul. 

    I am filled with the desire to have you walk this journey with me: traversing every valley, where shadows are kept at bay by the Light of God's Love in me; scaling the mountains to meet with my Savior. It is good to walk together to reach our destination. We are able to lift each other up, when we begin to falter.. For the journey is long and treacherous and home seems so far away. 

    But we have a Living Hope that keeps us upright, for though it may appear that we are alone in this world, appearances are deceiving. Each Christian who faithfully walks in God's Way of Holiness walks with God, with Christ and with The Holy Spirit. It is a walk of Faith: faith in the promises of God; faith in The Christ Who died for me and rose from the grave and intercedes even now on my behalf with His Father; faith that I will see God and live. 

    I am an Overcome for Christ lives in me. I have nothing to fear. The words and actions of this world cannot destroy me, nor can they hurt me or kill me. For I have The Living Word living in me. And when I leave this body, I will live forever with Him. 

    Come to Jesus. Today could be your day of salvation. O Happy Day. 

OVERCOMER - Mandisa 

I SPEAK JESUS - Charity Gayle 

SAY HIS NAME - Crowder & Maverick City

O COME TO THE ALTAR - Elevation Worship

GOODNESS OF GOD - Bethel Music

Statements of Faith - The Seed of Abraham

 

ROMANS 9:6-8 

It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” (Genesis 21:12). 

So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, 

but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring. 

    Like Abraham, I have not seen Jesus, The Promise, face to face. But also like Abraham, I believe God and that God's Word is Faithful and True. (Revelation 21:5).

 I believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, that He is God's only begotten Son (John 3:16) Who died on the cross for me and rose from the dead ahead of me. (1 Corinthians 15:20). I have called upon The Name of The LORD for my salvation. I acknowledged my sins and my iniquities and my transgressions to God and God forgives me and calls me His own. (Romans 10:9-13; John 1:12). 

    By grace am I saved through faith in The Name of The LORD. (Ephesians 2:4-10). 

Acts 15:11

 "On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of The LORD Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be The God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

    There is no better time than now to give your heart and surrender your life to God through Christ Jesus than now, today. So, we say, Come. Come to the altar upon which the sacrifice of God was laid and see Jesus on the cross dying for you and I. Come to the garden and see the empty tomb where He had lain, for He is not there: He is Risen!

    Come and be baptized into His Name and be filled with His Holy Spirit that you, too, may walk in the strength of The LORD forever. Come, let us go and see Jesus. 

I FEEL JESUS - Carman

COVERED - Planetshakers

BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD  

A Crucified Life - - Lives To Convince Others

 

2 Corinthians 5:11

Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well. 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3982

Persuade: have confidence, urge

From the Greek word ' peithó' (pronounced pi'-tho): to cause belief in a thing, to convince with words.

THE LORD PERSUADES

    Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

    1 Corinthians 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

    Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

    1 Corinthians 13:30

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

    Mere words alone cannot convict an unbeliever into believing. The words spoken must have the power of God in them. And the Spirit of God must be in the words being spoken. 

    Knowing, however, that many preach without power and too many sit in their congregations believing their souls are fine and everything will be hunky-dory when they reach heaven's gate. This is so untrue. 

    Read your Bible. Don't just let it sit there. It wasn't meant to be a dust catcher or a table decoration; Bibles are printed to be read. Like any good book it has adventure, romance, battles and a happy ending. Unlike other good books though, we can ask the Author to reveal the meaning in what we are reading and He will show us.

    God reveals Himself in His Word. His Word is Love. His Word is Jesus Christ. And in Christ is our salvation. 

THE POWER OF GOD CHANGES HEARTS

    The power of God conquered death, hell and the grave forever. The power of God washes sin from our hearts when we believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ for our salvation. John 3:16, a much loved verse and known by even those who have not yet believed: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

    The Word of God has power to save the lost, the lost in the darkness of this world. It has power to save the humiliated, the lonely, the bullied and the bully. The Word of God has power to save the thief, the murderer, the embezzler, the adulterer and the fornicator, the liar. In fact any transgression against God can be forgiven as long as the heart is sincere in turning away from the wickedness that entangles it. 

    How do I know this? In the Old Testament we read about King David. King David lusted after a married woman in his kingdom, had an affair with her and got her pregnant, had her husband killed upon thereafter he married the woman. Then their son got ill and died because of David's sin. But David repented and God forgave him. 

    In the New Testament we read about Saul. After the 120 became filled with the power of God, they immediately set about preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ the power of God. Whereupon Saul began to persecute the new sect, the Way, condemning their belief and having them stoned. But God persuaded Saul to change his heart mind: God changed Saul's heart. God even gave him a new name: Paul. 

    The power of God also changed women in the Bible, too. One was delivered from demonic possession. At least two that we read of (one in the OT and one in the NT) were delivered from prostitution. Hadassah was elevated from her lowly stature in her Uncle's family to a position of influence when God made her Queen in Persia. And God changed her name, too: Esther. 

    The power of God changes a person's heart. The power of God fills a believer's heart that we may live for Him, in Him, with Him. If God has yet to change your heart, come first to the cross and then into the garden. See my Jesus? God has raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand where He intercedes for us. Even now. 

    Can you feel that tug at your heartstrings? That's the Holy Spirit calling you to salvation in Jesus Christ. For the Spirit and the Bride, like a strongly built lighthouse, shine out over the rocky shores of life to the wandering vessels, warning them to avoid danger and come to the harbor where they will be safe. 

    Come to Jesus. We want you to join us. Come as you are to the cross and lay down every thing that weighs you down. Give it all to God and allow Him to change you. Talk to God. He wants to hear from you.  

PERSUADED

    

A Crucified Life - - Our Eternal View

 

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but is on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4648

Fix Our Eyes: to look at, contemplate

From the Greek word 'skopeó' (skop-eh'-o)): regard attentively, take heed, beware, consider, mark, have regard to.

FIX OUR EYES

Hebrews 11:13 (regarding the people who believed the promises of God before the Promise came in the person of Jesus Christ) "All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." Their faith was counted unto them for righteousness (Romans 4:3-22 [Abraham]; Hebrews 11:39-40 [untold numbers of faithful believers]). 

     2 Corinthians 5:7  For we walk by faith, not by sight. 

    Romans 8:24  For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?

    Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.

    We should never lose sight of the Promise, for having placed our hope in Christ, we are now bound to Him and look forward to meeting Him face to face. When this fleshly veil is removed from us, and our glorious bodies are revealed, then we shall meet Him as He is. 

WHAT IS UNSEEN

    As the song by MercyMe states, "I can only imagine" what God has in store for us. But we are given glimpses of heaven, peerings into the glories of our eternal destination. 

>Revelation 22:1-5

>Psalm 46:4

>Revelation 4,7,21

>Ezekiel 48:35

    So much wonderfulness to look forward to. Don't you think so, too? But who will we see there? 

>Hebrews 12:1-2 "a great cloud of witnesses" (those martyred for their faith) and "Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith". 

>Revelation 19:1-16 "a great multitude", "the Lamb and His bride", the Rider on the white horse.

>1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 "the dead in Christ" (they who died before His second return) and "they who are alive at His second return".

>1 Corinthians 15:51-54 "we will be raised changed".

ETERNAL

    But all of this wonderfulness is only for the believers of God's Promise. We urge you who do not believe, therefore, to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, to claim Him as your own Lord and Savior. To acknowledge that there is no other God and Savior. To begin to follow Christ and live the Word in the power of God's Holy Spirit. We plead, we beg, we ask that you reconsider your ways and walk faithfully in the path of life which God is setting before you. Eternity is forever. 

    *Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 166

Eternal: age-long, and therefore: practically eternal, unending; partaking of the character of that which lasts for an age, as contrasted with that which is brief and fleeting.

    From the Greek word ' aiónios' (pronounced ahee-o'-nee-os):  "Eternal  life operates simultaneously outside of time, inside of time, and beyond time – i.e. what gives time its everlasting meaning for the believer through faith, yet is also time-independent." 

    (Figuratively) the unique quality (reality) of God's life at work in the believer, i.e. as the Lord manifests His self-existent life (as it is in His sinless abode of heaven). [from Word Studies]

    Eternity is forever. Heaven is forever. The lake of fire into which hell and death and their residents are thrown is forever. 

    In heaven is the glory of God, the King of Kings, the Spirit of God, God's faithful angels and all of God's people.

    In the lake of fire is everyone who turned their hearts against God. This includes Satan/Lucifer/the devil, the angels who followed him out of heaven, and all the people who turned their hearts against the Word of God. 

    We have for our example of this the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus the Beggar, as related in Luke 16:19-31. We know from our reading here that the rich man in hell had all his senses intact. He was hot. He knew thirst. He knew pain. He could see. He could taste. He could hear. He could speak.

    Lazarus in paradise with Abraham was near water. The water the rich man in hell asked for. Even in his agony and torment, the rich man demanded to be served; to be served by a man he ignored in life. 

    But the gap between heaven and hell could not be breached by either. 

    Even now the believers around the world are standing in the gap, praying for the lost and the dying unbelievers to receive Christ and live with Him forever and ever. When we kneel in prayer, we are not only humbling ourselves before our God, we are committing to pray for each other's souls; we are battling the forces of darkness every time we open our mouths and our faith in the Promise of God springs forth. 

FIX OUR EYES 

I Can Only Imagine - MercyMe

Fix My eyes - 4 King & Country

Home - Chris Tomlin

You Say - Lauren Daigle

Hope In Front of Me - Danny Gokey

No Matter What - Ryan Stevenson

Glorious Day - Casting Crowns

There Will Be A Day - Jeremy Camp

His Banner Over Me - Winds of Worship 4 Live From Brighton England

    

Signs & Wonders of Christ's Arrival - - Swaddled & Clothed

 

Luke 2:7

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

#Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4683

Swaddling Cloths: strips of cloth for wrapping newborns

From the Greek word 'sparganoó' (pronounced spar-gan-o'-o). 

Looking it up in my Illustrated Dictionary, it tells us that this is (1) the most loving thing a mother would do for her infant child. (2) 'it is a reminder to us of Christ's humility in becoming a human being for our sakes'. 

    Having left heaven and all His glory behind, He now finds Himself clothed in strips of cloth. His first bed is a borrowed manger in a dimly lit stable behind a busy inn that had no room for Him. 

    The first time He is visited by others, He is wrapped in these cloths and lying in a feeding trough. In a barn. In what could have been the smelliest place, the aroma of heaven now fills the stable. For the Messiah has arrived. 

    But not with pomp and circumstance, not with bells and whistles; not as a conquering king, nor a triumphant entrance. No, this Christ has arrived as a mere babe and is found by many, though not received by many. After all, there was no room in the inn, was there? 

NO ROOM by Todd Agnew

    However, now the opportunity to receive Christ has come to you and to your household. His purpose in coming to earth was fulfilled 33 years after His birth. While not many received Him in His lifetime, untold numbers of people have sought Him, found Him and received Him into their hearts. And you know what? There's always room for more. Jesus never turns any seeker of Truth away.

    John 1:11, 12

11. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

12. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

    Galatians 4:4-6

4. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5. to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.

6. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

    No longer wrapped in swaddling cloths, no longer an infant unable to care for Himself, Jesus now is wrapped in light and life (John 1:4). For He is Light and Life to all who find Him. He is Truth. And He now lives in the hearts of those who have received Him upon believing in His name: that He Is Jesus Christ, Messiah, the only begotten Son of the Most High God. 

    In infancy He was wrapped in swaddling cloths for His protection and growth. In the grave He was again wrapped up in cloth but for an honorable burial (John 19:40, 41). 

    Now, in heaven and in our hearts, He is clothed once more with glory, with honor, with praises (Revelations 5:12, 13). We who believe are His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19) not made with hands (Mark 14:58). We who believe are honored and awed that Jesus would make His home in us. 

    No longer does darkness reign in our hearts and lives: for the Christ now sits on the throne of our hearts, directing us in what is right and will fulfill God's purpose and plan (Proverbs 3:6). 

    John 12:46

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Have you seen the Light? Do you find yourselves being drawn to the Light? For this Light scatters the darkness and all its inhabitants away into the shadows. This Light illuminates and reveals what is hid and can be found. This Light shines in the hearts of every believer, revealing and making possible the uprooting of all evil in the heart. 

    Psalm 139:24, 25

24. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 

25. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.

    Can you hear the Father's cry? He's calling you to come into the Light and let the Light come into you.  

SOFTLY AND TENDERLY by Alan Jackson

GOD WITH US by All Sons & Daughters

 KEEP THE LIGHT ON by Christy Nockels

NO ROOM

--An Original Song by Me-- 

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

Can you imagine telling God 

you have no time for Him?

There isn’t any place today for Him to enter in.

To enter in with joy delight,

Communion sweet to share

No room for Jesus, No room anywhere.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

The temples are empty, no life exists here.

No joyful days, no redeemed souls, 

The faces of the people are shut, blank and cold.

I see forlorn temples, I hear lonely sounds

Heartbeats, no heartbeats, no love of God abounds.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

No merry hearts, no shining lights

The doors to the temple are shut, slammed in tight

Listening, not hearing; Hearing, not caring.

Heartbeats, no heartbeats, no love of God lives here.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

Now, when the feastday of the Bride

Arrives and you are there,

Will you hear Jesus say to you,

“You have no place set here.

There is no room for you today,

You’ll have to go, you cannot stay:

I do not know your name you see, 

It isn’t written here.”

No room, no room, no room for you.

No way, no how, not here at this time,

Not now.

Thought + Decision = Action

Thought + Decision = Action

• A thought is an idea that has not yet been realized.
• A decision is acting on the thought; a will and commitment to bring the idea to life.
• An action is the realization of the thought. It is following through on the commitment and bringing the thought to life; manifestation of an idea.

     While the generosity of many utilize their ideas to benefit this world in which they live, some ideas should have never seen the light of day. The thought begins in the heart, not the brain. The brain begins the process of bringing the thought into an idea and rationalizing that the idea is useful and needs to be given more attention.

     Some thoughts are acted on without ever thinking about the consequences of the action. But once acted upon, people in general do not like to be given credit for the fruition of their actions.

Mom: Johnny, did you take that cookie?

Johnny: No, Momma, I did not.

Officer: Sir, do you have any idea how fast you were driving?

Mr. : No, officer, I do not. My (…..) is broken.

     The evidence of cookie theft is usually the melting chocolate on the fingers or the face which gives away the theft. But the evidence of doing something you are not supposed to be doing could be the sweat on your brow, the twitching of your eyes or the shakiness in your voice, whether you are a thief or a liar, the evidentiary proof is in your reactions to being called upon to take responsibility for your actions.

     But where did these thoughts come from? From the heart, where sin reigns. One of the first words a child learns is “No”. And though children are not in the age of understanding why, it is our responsibility as their parents to teach them not only right from wrong, but righteousness from unrighteousness. For though a person may reach adulthood with the knowledge of good or bad, until you turn to God and call on Jesus' Name; until you have Jesus in your heart; until you have God's Holy Spirit in your life, you do not have the understanding of why the knowledge of good or bad is necessary to bring about a change in the way you think and act on your thoughts.

     Eve knew her actions would have consequences, but she did not have the full knowledge of the consequences of her actions, when she touched what she should not have in the garden of Eden: the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. And though she had some knowledge before her actions, some knowledge given her by eating of it, it was only the knowledge of right and wrong, good and bad. For upon being called out by God for her actions, she immediately denied responsibility for such actions. She had God's Word to live by and that should have been enough, right?

     Wrong. It is not enough to hear God's Word being spoken unless one applies God's Word to one's heart, where the thoughts begin to manifest themselves. Whether you are a member of the congregation in your church or whether you are an elder, a deacon or even the pastor or the preacher: you must have God's Word applied to your heart, for you to to live by God's Word. It is not enough even now, just as then, to hear God's Word if you aren't going to apply God's Word to your hearts. The actions of many in the churches who do do not do this have been brought to light in recent years and put a black mark on the church: Blemishes and stains on the Bride.

     Our actions reveal our hearts. And our hearts NEED to belong to Jesus Christ: “For with the heart man believes, and confession is made with the mouth.” [Romans 10:10] What lives in your heart is spoken with your tongue. And you and I, all peoples, are accountable to God for not only what we say and what we do, but also for what we think. God knows the heart and He knows what we are thinking. For in The Scriptures of His New Testament we read where Jesus spoke and told them of this:

• Matthew 9:4
• Matthew 15:8, 18, 19
• Mark 7:21-23
• Luke 5:22
• Romans 2:13-16
• 1 Corinthians 3:20
• Hebrews 4:12
  
  
  
  
  Seeing, then, that God knows what we are thinking and that God's Word divides truth from untruth, and reveals what the heart is thinking, we should be pursuing God's directive to receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, where the process of holiness may begin. We should actively take hold of God's Word and earnestly begin to pray for His Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us and transform us daily into righteous living, that sin may no longer abound, nor live, in our hearts. But that Christ may live within our hearts. For where Jesus Christ is, sin is not. For sin cannot live in the light of holiness; sin is darkness and darkness flees the light, it does not embrace it.
  When we light a candle or flip a switch, does the darkness of the room remain the same or change? It changes. That is fact. The darkness changes because when the light enters the room, the darkness is no longer there. Shadows take up residence in nooks, crannies and corners until the light is so strong and bold, that there is no room for even that amount of darkness to maintain its residency. So, too, the light of God's Word, once applied to the heart of the one who believes, lives in that heart. As the new thoughts work on the heart of faith, the Word of God chases away the words of sin.
  It is akin to weeding a garden. Sin is referred to in Scriptures as 'tares', or weeds. Once the sin has taken root in the heart, through constant thinking on sin, then it is much harder to dig up the roots of sin and fully remove it from the heart. It is why no one is perfect. Though the heart of faith lives in the saved, or born-again, person, some sins have taken up residence in the shadows: the nooks, the crannies of the heart. Those places in which the light needs to be applied regularly to not only chase away sin from the heart, but to fully remove it and sanctify the believer.
  If you only trim the weed tops, you have not removed the weeds. If you only pull up part of the root, but the rest remains in the ground, you have not removed the weeds. Sin will begin to grow again. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we accept Jesus into our hearts by believing that He died on the cross to pay for our sins and that He rose from the grave that we too would not be overcome by death and the grave. By Faith we believe. And this belief, this idea, begins in the heart of the one who believes.  
  
  
  Why the heart and not the head? The heart believes what the mind cannot comprehend. If only the ears hear God's Word spoken, but the heart does not believe, then nothing has changed. If the eyes see what Gods' Word can do, but the heart does not believe, then nothing has changed. The skeptic sees and hears, but does not believe. The heart believes, the mind reasons. When the mind reasons in and of itself, without reasoning in God's Word as He directs us to in Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”, then we are not fully rationalizing the righteousness which is available to us if we only believe.
  We are fools and only fooling ourselves when we reason God out of the picture.
  • Psalm 14:1
  • Psalm 107:17
  • Proverbs 1:7
  • Proverbs 8:5
  • Proverbs 10:8
  • Proverbs 12:15
  • Proverbs 14:33
  • Proverbs 15:14
  • Proverbs 18:2
  • Matthew 7:26
  • 1 Corinthians 2:14
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It is the heart that changes the course of the world. God's heart is that all be saved. Satan's heart, if he has one, is that all be lost. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ and Him only. Upon belief, we are separated unto God for the sanctification process, which is done through the work of The Holy Spirit of God in our hearts, our minds and our spirits, that we may be purified and refined: made holy that we may be able to stand and live in the presence of God. “For without holiness no one can see God.” “Be holy, for I am holy.” Holiness begins in the heart. It is more than a thought or idea, though.
  
  
  
  It is the actions taken in the spiritual realm by The Holy Spirit to weed out sin in our hearts, where the light of Christ may shine upon it and remove that sin from our hearts, each time making us a little more holy within in our hearts.
  
  
  And while we are known to each other by our actions and our words, it is more important to be known to God, who knows our thoughts, whether righteous or unrighteous; who knows our hearts, whether His Son lives there or not. For it is God who is our Judge and not we ourselves. We always measure up to our expectations; but how much more could be accomplished if we measured up to God's expectations? For His way is better than our ways.
  
  
  
  • His Love is Greater: John 3:16; Psalm 103:11.
  • His Truth is Greater: John 8.
  • His Thoughts and His Ways are Higher: Isaiah 55:9.
  • His Faithfulness is Greater: Lamentations 3:22, 23.
  • God is Great. AND Greatly to be praised: Psalm 48:1.
  
  
  There is no other god like our God:
  • Jeremiah 10:6;
  • 1 Corinthians 8:6;
  • Exodus 15:11;
  • Deuteronomy 33:26;
  • Psalm 86:8;
  • Psalm 96:4;
  • Isaiah 12:6.
    
    
    “Believe on The Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved; you and all your house.” Acts 16:31.
    “If you confess (declare, speak) with your mouth The Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Romans 10:9. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is The Son of God, God dwells (lives) in them and they live in God.” 1 John 4:15.
    
    
    I do hereby state and declare:
    Once I was lost but now I am found. I was lost in the darkness of sin until the light of God's love: Jesus Christ, shined into my heart and I believed. So say I now to you: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God, that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, and that God raised Him from the dead, that Jesus walked out of the tomb. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. No longer does sin reign in my heart, but it is Christ who sits on that throne now. It is His righteousness which is in me, and on me, that makes me righteous; I have none of my own. For my righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God. It is God's Holy Spirit which fills my heart and my thoughts and draws me closer and closer to God. And though I may stumble and at times nearly fall from the snares of sin, it is God who catches me, Christ who strengthens me and The Holy Spirit who sets me up anew to take another step of faith in obedience to God's Word.
    No longer do I just hear God's Word being spoken, now I act upon what I have heard and continue to hear. I believe that God Is and that Jesus Christ is Lord of All.  
       

Redemption Through His Blood

If this photo or message offends you, we need to talk.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (things) in Christ:
According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved.
In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:3-7

For by grace are we saved through faith; and that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any one should boast.
Ephesians 2:8,9

You and I, our families, our neighbors, our communities, our enemies, the strangers among us have all been chosen BEFORE THE EARTH EVEN EXISTED to be a part of God's family. How AWESOME IS OUR GOD!! You have a place at God's table in God's home BECAUSE JESUS MADE A WAY for us to be with God His Father and with Himself.

God has chosen us to be holy and without blame. Us. Not of anything we did, but simply because He loves us EVEN BEFORE WE WERE BORN. Right here in these few verses in Ephesians we can see and read how much God loves us and how blessed we are in Him. Or rather, how blessed we could be in Him. See, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and that He died on the cross and God raised Him from the dead, then you have the spiritual blessings which are spoken of in the first verse I mentioned.

Still, if you have not yet believed, these blessings could be yours when you do. See, even the unbeliever has been called to salvation. For before we who believe became sons and daughters of God through the adoption by Jesus Christ into God's family, we, too, walked in darkness and were lost in sin. But God loves the whole world and desires that none be lost.
Having that desire to see all of mankind saved from eternal destruction within God's heart, then it is He who predestinates our calling into His plan of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

"According to the good pleasure of His will" It is God's will that all be saved. However, it is not man's will that they be saved. God cannot force a person to receive the gift He has offered. I can give you a present, but unless you accept it and open it, then you have not received it. Once opened, it is your responsibility to decide whether or not you will keep it and use it. The same goes for the gifts of God: you and I are responsible to accept the gift, it is our decision whether or not we will.

"To the praise of the glory of His grace" Amazing grace/how sweet the sound/that saved a wretch like me/I once was lost/but now I'm found/was blind/but now I see. Grace that is greater than all my sin, greater than all the sins of the world from time till time is no more. We sing about grace, we praise God for His grace, but do you know what the grace of God is?

The anagram of GRACE is: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Grace is what keeps God from destroying the people who hate Him. Grace is what prevents us from dying in our sins. Grace is God's love in action through the life and death and life eternal of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

Grace is mercy and forgiveness and compassion and hope and love and allows us to repent of our sins against God and receive His forgiveness on those sins, never again remembering them. Do not think that God keeps reminding you of past sins; for He cannot as He does not remember them once He has forgiven you for them. It is Satan; his very name-Satan-means accuser. He accuses us constantly in his attempts to draw us away from God. The enemy loves to tear down God's people. However, if you have not repented of the sin that has come to your thoughts, it may well be that The Holy Spirit is bringing you under conviction and calling you to repent of those sins. And once you do, God will forgive you. And bring you one step closer to His side.

We are accepted by God in His beloved Son Jesus Christ. When we pray, we end every prayer with "in Jesus' Name" for a reason. God's Word has given us directions on how to pray to God so that our prayers get answered. Every direction begins and ends with Jesus Christ. We must be IN HIM first and foremost, for God to hear us at all. If you are not a believer, then you are not IN HIM at all. God answers the prayers of the righteous. WE do not determine righteousness: God does. Jesus is the righteousness which covers us when we believe. Upon belief, not only are we adopted into God's family, but we are now IN JESUS' NAME.

For IN HIS NAME is Righteousness; is Hope; is Peace; is Salvation; is Strength; is Love; is Wisdom; is Redeemer, Judge, Defender, Warrior, Savior. Look back to the studies I have sent you on JESUS NAME and you will begin to see through new eyes Who Jesus Is. It is why I began that study in the first place. When I say 'in Jesus' Name', I want to know what I am saying. I needed to fully understand and be aware of the impact of my words. For words have power in and of themselves. It is why we should think before we speak: words can break down and destroy; words can build up and restore.

"In Whom we have redemption through His blood" Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life though Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. ~ Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His Name JE'SUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. ~ Romans 3:23-25 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation (atonement) through Faith in His Blood, to declare His Righteousness for the remission (pardon; forgiveness; mercy) of sins that are past, through the forbearance (patient endurance; choosing to not mete out judgment) of God. ~

What can wash away my sins? NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS.



So, did you enjoy our talk? Let's do this again some time. Love you.