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  

Statements of Faith - I Am Born Again

 

JOHN 3:5-7 

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and The Spirit.

That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of The Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said to you, 'You must be born again'. 

John 1:12, 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

    When we are born of our parents, we are born in flesh, which has a corruptible nature already because of the initial sin which Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Our bodies and our minds are prone to live sinful lives: disobedient, willful, self-satisfying, self-glorification, self-serving lives. In and of ourselves we cannot save ourselves: we need a Savior from God to save us from the inevitable punishment of our sinful selves. So God sent His only begotten Son JESUS to save us. 

    Think of ourselves as houses: our house is built on a faulty foundation. We base our ways of thinking on the perceptions of mankind. We believe certain tenets of wisdom to be truth and fact. For example, the theory of evolution is just a theory. But the truth of creation is factual and evident. We follow leaders expecting them to lead us into better lives, when in fact their lives are ineffectual for their hearts are not filled with the Love and Light and Wisdom of God. We study to know everything in our fields when we should be studying to know The God of Everything. 

    When we believe on The Name of The Son of God, JESUS, we begin the process of becoming born again. Salvation first; Holiness second. To be born again is to be born into the family of God by God's plan of salvation. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:23-25), "Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and The Wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength."

    Salvation through Jesus Christ is foolishness to those who seek a different way. But the Scriptures also tell us that those who refuse to hear God's Word and receive it will find other teachers to listen to and follow their paths. They have set themselves on the road to condemnation from God by refusing to listen to  God.

     Just as we are subject to the laws in our countries and must adhere to them or be found guilty of breaking such laws and face the courts for our errors of judgment, so, too, will those who break God's laws be in His courts to face Him for judgment. Unless the blood of JESUS is upon the once errant soul---said blood having washed away their sins---a person cannot see God and live. For in and of ourselves we are not holy and "without holiness no man can see God". Hebrews 12:14. 

    It is The Spirit of God Who places The Word of God in us and Who writes The Word of God on our hearts. It is The Spirit of God who draws us to God through the cross of Christ, where we see The One Who Saves bearing our sins and taking our punishment, that we might be in His family forever and ever. We are made clean by the washing of The Word on our souls: washing away the stain of sin and the blemish of iniquity and the blot of transgression. 

    It is The Word of God that demands our new faith be made public. Though Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly, hoping for a permanent place in Christ's kingdom, Jesus rebuked him for it. For anyone who comes to Jesus must come to Him openly and unafraid of what others may think about their actions in doing so. Anyone who chooses to follow Christ will seek Him out knowing their actions could cause them at the least to be scorned and mocked by their peers and families; at the worst to be jailed and killed. 

    Immersive water baptism is a wonderful thing to experience. Especially when you are surrounded by not only those who understand what you are doing, but also when people who  do not know see what you are doing. It is very public and a very powerful statement on what we believe. We are baptized in The Name of The Father, and The Son and The Holy Spirit. We are baptized into His Name. Matthew 28:18, 19. 

    To be born again is to choose the foolishness of God's Wisdom over the foolishness of this world. It is to seek after the things which are found in His Kingdom. It is to live a life which pleases God and not ourselves. It is to start over, to begin anew, a life in Christ which honors and glorifies God. It is to live in peace with they whom we interact with. It is to live a life faith and trust in God and His Christ through the power of God's Holy Spirit. 

STILL - Hillsong United

    

Guard Your Heart - - Watch Your Walk

 

Galatians 5:25

If we live in The Spirit, let us also walk in The Spirit.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4748

Walk: to walk by rule

From the Greek word 'stoicheó' (pronounced stoy-kheh'-o); walk according to The Spirit, walk orderly, to walk in step with The Spirit.

We sing Where He Leads Me I Will Follow, and He Leadeth Me, sometimes without thinking about the HOW we are being led. If we walk in step with The Spirit, it is more than a following after His lead, it is keeping up with Him. Think of boot camp where the private is taught to keep in step with not only the drill sergeant but also the men and women walking with that soldier. One misstep and the whole order falls apart. 

    

    To walk in The Spirit is to 'walk according to His rule' (Galatians 6:16) wherein we walk out this new life in Christ in Truth and Liberty. For The Word tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:17,  "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where The Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 

     Liberty to walk unbound by the bondage of sin, which once held us captive, ready to deliver us to death and hell. But now, having been set free from our sinful nature, we walk "in the newness of life" ( given us when we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord and Savior. 

    If you are not a born again Christian you CANNOT walk in the Spirit of The Lord, for you have no New Life in Christ. You are still walking in darkness, bumping into things you cannot see and are but dimly aware of, if there is any awareness at all. You need to see the Light: the Light of God's Love extended to us through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We can only walk in The Spirit if we are living in The Light, for The Light shines on the path of the righteous, wherein The Spirit leads the faithful believer.  I pray you come to know the Love of God and His precious Holy Light. I pray for your salvation, the indwelling of The Holy Spirit within you and an eager joy birthed in you to serve the Lord your God with all faithfulness and urgency.​

   

Romans 6:3-5

3. Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 

4. We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.

5. For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.

    When we live by, live in The Spirit, we are walking by His lead, walking in His authority, under His rule, in Love. When we truly follow His leading, our lives will show the fruit of walking in The Spirit: Galatians 5:22, 23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Against such things there is no law."

•     LOVE: Agape Love, Divine Love
•     JOY: The awareness of God's Grace
•     PEACE: God's Gift of Wholeness
•     LONGSUFFERING: Divinely-regulated Patience produced by The LORD 
•     GENTLENESS: Divine Kindness which meets the need(s); Meeting real needs in God's way, God's timing.
• GOODNESS: The Goodness which comes from God and reveals itself as spiritual excellence, moral excellence; a virtuous life.
• FAITH: God's Divine Persuasion, which He inbirths within us through the power of His Holy Spirit and which He refills us with each time we trust in Him and in His Word.
• MEEKNESS: Strength in Gentleness; Uncompromising, but firm; Temperate (Levelheaded, Sober {minded}, Restrained.
• TEMPERANCE: Self-Control from within; Mastering our desires with the power of The Lord through His Holy Spirit. Constraint, self-discipline.

    Let us walk in The Spirit. Let us walk in The Love of God, exhibiting the kindness of God to everyone we interact with. Walk in the Joy of knowing we are saved by the Grace of God. Walk in Peace, God's gift of Wholeness, knowing that we are complete in Him. 

    Let us walk in Longsuffering, in divinely-regulated patience, a long-tempered way of speaking and thinking, instead of  a short-tempered, short-fused way. Let not words of unkindness bleed through our lips when we get frustrated or upset.

    Let us walk in Gentleness, waiting on God to nudge us in the direction we need to go and serve Him in. Sometimes a simple prayer prayed with someone concerning their needs is what we are to do. Other times God reveals the need to someone and they bring what is needed to the person who needs it. (There was a time when I had no money for food. The boys and I prayed. That same night friends showed up at our door with armfuls of groceries for us. I had no phone so I could not call anyone. But I had faith that God would meet our needs and He did).

    Let us walk in the Goodness of God, living morally upright lives which reflect His Word and His Light and His Love to everyone that they may see Christ in us. This is not a 'holier than thou' stance, nor is it  judgmental living. It is letting The Spirit teach the believer how to live according to The Word of God which lives within us.

    Let us walk in Faith, believing, trusting God for His wisdom in making our every day decisions. Let us seek out, pursue and know His will that we may live righteous, holy lives before God.

    Let us walk in Meekness, leading uncompromising lives which shine the Light of God's Love into the darkness of the world around us. We walk knowing we have the mind of Christ: levelheaded, intelligent, wise, sober-minded. But not backing down in the fight against us. Not surrendering any part of our relationship with Christ, but making a steadfast showing of His Love and His Mercy to the unloved and unlovely, to the merciless and the unforgiving, to the hateful and the embittered. 

    Let us walk in Temperance, in the self-control, the self-disciplines, of The Spirit. Let us embrace Wisdom and allow it to be applied to our hearts and our minds. Let us surrender what we want and how we want it to God through His Holy Spirit, who seeks only to perfect us in the righteousness of Christ. 

    Can we be saved and live unholy lives? No. To be saved is to be saved from the punishment for sin. If sin is still ruling in us, then we are not living a holy lifestyle. The two cannot be on the same throne, especially the throne of our hearts. Sin must go when Christ enters in. 

     So let us walk in the newness of Life in Christ. Let us allow The Holy Spirit to lead us through God's Word and walk in The Way of Holiness, the path which God has set for His people to walk in. Come, walk with me.     

    Romans 8:5

Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

HE LEADETH ME by Candi Pearson

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT by Hillsong Young & Free

 SPIRIT LEAD ME (Oceans) by Hillsong United

WISDOM IN THE SECRET HEART by Shane & Shane

MOVE THROUGH ME by Charity Gayle 

 

Signs & Wonders of Christ's Arrival - - The Way In A Manger

Isaiah 7:14

 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 226

Sign: miracle, attestation of God's divine presence and interposition (mediation)

Matthew 1:23

"Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel" (which means, "God with us").

On the surface of the Scripture a person may wonder what this verse and the many verses we will touch on this month have to do with being born again. Christ is our foundation of living. Without His arrival to this world there would be no born again experience. The world would still be awaiting God's promise of a Messianic kingdom to be set up. 

THE WAY

To be born again is to believe that Jesus Christ is God's Messiah, that God's plan of salvation is enacted in Him and through Him. He is the gospel of salvation. He is the Way (John 14:6a): the Way in which we are to walk out our daily lives (Isaiah 30:21), the Way which God has provided for us to reach The LORD God Himself (John 14:6d). 

John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am The Way and The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

IN A MANGER

Luke 2:11, 12

11. Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! 

12. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

15. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger.

THE LIGHT

He was born on this Earth of humble birth. After all, what could be a more humble birth than to be born in a stable, a barn? Mary had prepared for the birth of her son by bringing the necessities required to wrap him up after His birth, but the place of one's birth can never really be planned for. 

Babies are born in taxicabs, hotel lobbies, hospitals, at home; very seldom are human babies born in a barn stall surrounded by sounds of barn animals. But this was a special baby, this was The Light of God's Love given to a dark world. It is only fitting then, that He should be born in a dimly lit stable. 

John 1:5

And The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 

John 8:12

Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, "I am The Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have The Light of Life."

John 9:5

"While I am in the world, I am The Light of the world."

Has The Light of God's Love made Himself at home in Your heart? If not, are you ready to believe in God's Messiah, to have The Light take up residence in the darkness of your hearts? 

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son. Please forgive me of all my sins and help me to walk in Your Way, in Your Light. Come live in my soul: in my heart, in my thoughts, in my emotions, my attitude. Lead me through Your precious Holy Word into Your marvelous Light. Forgive me, Father, of all my unrighteousness; forgive me for trying to do things my way, instead of Your Way. To You, O Lord, I surrender my all. 

As in days of old, when they who had been forgiven much by kings of the realm, I pledge my allegiance to You. May my feet go where You lead. You have promised never to leave nor forsake Your people. I would that I were one of Your people. Come live in me that I might live in You. Forever. 

In Jesus' Precious Name, I pray,

Amen

THE WAY MEDLEY

His Indescribable Gift

 

2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for His Indescribable gift!

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 411

Indescribable: inexpressible (beyond words); indescribable (inexplicable), impossible to estimate

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1431

Gift: freely given, not acquired by merit or "entitlement."; expresses a brand of giving that highlights the beneficent desire of the giver

INDESCRIBABLE

This word 'indescribable' is used only once and that is here in 2 Corinthians 9:15. The King James Version (KJV) renders it 'unspeakable'. The English Standard Version (ESV) reads as 'inexpressible', while the New Living Translation (NLT) says 'too wonderful for words'. 

Indescribable by Chris Tomlin

HIS GIFT

Romans 5:12, 15, 17-19

(12) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

(15) But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many!

(17) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

(18) So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men.

(19) For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

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.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

Romans 9:16

So then, it does not depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE BLOOD by Charity Gayle

     BORN AGAIN

     In life, gifts are handed out either individually or jointly, like birthday presents (to the individual) or wedding presents (to the couple) or corporately (to the company). But the gift must be received on an individual basis, as well. We don't always receive the gifts given to us well. "I don't like this gift as much as I liked that other gift." "Do I have to participate?" 

    This applies Scripturally and spiritually, too. The gift of grace is given to everyone, but everyone must accept it on an individual basis. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, "Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

    Ezekiel 36:26 wrote, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." That is what happens when we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. God gives us a new heart when He applies the blood of His Son to our hearts. He puts a new Spirit in us when we receive the baptism of His Holy Spirit. Both Grace and Power are the gift from God. To receive only half of the gift is to cripple one's self spiritually. We need both to fulfill God's purpose, God's will, in our life.

     John 3:4, 5 

(4) “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

(5) Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless anyone be born of water and of the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.

(6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

INDIVIDUAL ACCEPTANCE

John 1:12. 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

     

     To 'all who did receive' shows us that not all will receive the gift of God. Only the people who believe in His Name will receive the gift of God: Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. 

1 John 3:8-10

(8) The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

(9) Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God's seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

(10) By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

John 1:16

From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

Dear Lord,

I recognize that I am a sinner, that I have sinned against You and broken Your laws. Forgive me of my sins and make me Your child. You are so good to me. Thank You for Your grace on me, for saving me. Thank You for this Indescribable Gift which You have given me. Thank You for removing my hardened heart and replacing it with a new heart: a heart that loves You and wants to serve You; a heart which rejoices in Your Word and Your presence; a heart that wants to share You with everyone I meet. 

Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your precious Holy Spirit, Who empowers me with boldness to speak Your Word. Help me to be more gracious, more loving, more merciful to those around me, to shine Your Light and Your Love into a dark and dying world. Give me words to speak. Open my mouth and fill it with Your Word.

In Jesus' Name, I pray

Amen.

Here I Am To Worship by Tim Hughes

Generations

                                                   

Basic Timeline

|--Before Time Began----------Time----------Beyond Time--|

     Sat down with Brother Littleton at Family Camp this year and he asked me, “What's the word?” My response? “Generations. How many years are in a one generation?” Bro. Littleton said that generational lengths are determined by cultural eras. What a generation was in early Genesis is not what a generation was in Malachi, nor was that the same as in Matthew or even now. From parent to infant is one generation.

     Consulting King James Bible Word Book*, I read that generations means “the whole body of individuals born about the same period; also, the time covered by the lives of these”. Also from this book I see that generation in the New Testament has two meanings. In Matthew 1:1, 18 the word generation means 'birth'. In 1 Peter 2:9, the word is rendered 'children, offspring'.

     Vines' Expository Dictionary gives these same definitions for generations: (1) Age; (2) Origin, lineage, birth; (3) Offspring. Somewhat helpful, but not as helpful as Brother Littleton. So much more interesting conversations are had with people in person than through a study book, but am grateful I have such books with me.

     Why do I want to know what a generation is? Well.........the first time the word is used is in Genesis 2:4, when God tells us “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that The Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” Here, the word generations means 'history, descent (referring to family), birth) using the Hebrew dictionary.

     But the word is not translated the same in every passage of The Old Testament. In Exodus 3:15 “And God said moreover unto Moses, 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Is'rael, The Lord God of your fathers, The God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and The God of Jacob, has sent me unto you: this is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.” Here, the word means 'revolution of time, an age, a dwelling: posterity'. A revolution of time goes clockwise in a circular motion, which could refer to passage of time, as the earth revolves around the sun giving us day and night repeatedly. 

     These two definitions of generations are repeatedly used in The Old Testament. The first explains generations as historical fact. The second explains generations as the passing of time. Each reference needs to be separately looked up to know what it actually refers to. For instance, Psalm 14:5 “There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.” Revolution of time, a dwelling.

     Psalm 24:1-6 “The earth is The Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of The Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from The Lord, and righteousness from The God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek Him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Se'lah.” Again, a dwelling.

     I bring up these two specifically as examples because we know that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3 “But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.) In other words, God dwells in the praises of His people. And who are His people?

     In The New Testament, the word generations refers to: kin, diversity, nation, age, kindred, offspring, stock, age, time. 1 Peter 2:9,10 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” These are God's people.

     Acts 8:33 “In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” This verse refers to Jesus Christ. His generation, His descendants  are they who believe that He is Lord, that He is Savior, that He is the Only Begotten Son of God. His generations are the people of God; they who love Him and keep His commandments.

     Now, we come to one of the verses on my mind which started this whole thing to begin with. Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that The Lord thy God, He Is God, The Faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.” How many is a thousand generations if generations vary? Here the definition of generations is the second one: the passage of days, of time. These are God's people.

     A thousand generations of them that love Him and keep His commandments. We cannot know how many this is, because only God can keep perfect track of who is righteous is His sight. Their names are written in The Lamb's Book of Life. We will know these generations later in heaven and we will get to meet all of them eventually. 

     But only if our names are written in The Lamb's Book of Life. How do you get your name in that Book, you ask? You must be born-again. When your name is called by The Holy Spirit and you feel yourself being drawn, led, to Jesus; and you answer this call, you have taken the first step to being born again. Repentance means to turn your back on sin and turn your face to Jesus. How can you do this when you cannot see Jesus?

By faith, by believing that Jesus Is. By believing that Jesus died for you and rose from the dead; the first act washes away the sin from your heart, the second gives you eternal life through His life.

     John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life.” You are whosoever. You can trust in Jesus to wash away your sins through the blood He shed on the cross He was nailed to. You can trust in Jesus to give you eternal life with Him. You just have to believe.

     Hebrews 11:1, 3 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen....Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by The Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Faith is believing that something is real, is true, even if you cannot see it right now. We believe that tomorrow will come even though tomorrow is not yet. We have faith that the sun will rise at day, the moon at night. We cannot see tomorrow but we believe it will happen anyway, and so we prepare for it.

     Just as we prepare for eternity. An eternity with God is better than an eternity without God. “For whosoever was not written in The Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15. That is an eternity without God. It is not my eternity, for my name is written in His Book.

Is yours? 

The House of The Lord

This beautiful setting is in the Great Smoky Mountains.

 

 

Psalm 122:1 "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into The House of The Lord."

 

The House of The Lord takes on a whole new concept, when we realize that we who have been born-again into newness of life, into the family of God; we are now The House of The Lord.

For it is in us that Christ dwells through the power of The Holy Spirit. We carry the gospel of salvation within our bosom, our being. It is our privilege, and honor, to serve God in this capacity.

As Mary was the first one to carry The Gospel within her, when she carried the baby Jesus in her womb, so to are we given the same blessing.

Carrying the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ

within us we are able to present Him to other people,

that those who are called out of darkness at the urging of the Holy Spirit

into the Light and Love of God can receive His salvation and

worship at His presence.

As the shepherds of the fields were called out of the darkness of the night

upon the fields where they lay watching over their flocks,

so to were we called out of the darkness of spiritual night,

to a place where we could worship at the feet of Jesus.

A place where we could sing our hearts out in praise for what Jesus did for us.

A place where we could worship God for Who He is and What He does.

A place where we could receive the message of salvation:

That Jesus died on the cross,

suffering the punishment for our sins,

was buried in a tomb,

and walked out of it

full of glory and truth and power,

into a resurrected life.

Having conquered death and the grave,

He held the keys to both.

By His example of love for us and to us,

we now can have this eternal life and joy

when we believe.

 

When we accept Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God,

Who died for the sins of the whole world,

And rose from the dead,

We become born-again people.

We are borne, carried, through the blood

which flowed from His head, His hands, His feet

onto us and into the ground where we stand.

We are born-again through The Spirit

into God's family.

As Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again",

so to is that command given to us.

Born of water and born of spirit:

first we are born and then we are reborn.

How cool is that?

 

And when we receive the baptism of The Holy Spirit,

and are given the evidence of same by the speaking in tongues,

which is a heavenly language and not of our own knowledge,

then He begins the transformation process within us.

Cleaning out our hearts and our minds

from all unrighteousness, removing wickedness from within us,

that our hearts, our seat of emotions, might be made new and perfect.

Would you invite Jesus into a dirty house? Expect Him to sit on filthy furniture?

Give Him a drink of water in a dirty glass? Feed Him off of stained plates?

And, yet, that is what many of us do, or have done.

 

The Holy Spirit of God first convicts the sinner of sin,

then begins to clean out all sin from the sinner's life,

making us able to house The Lord within us,

that His Light would shine brightly and clearly

into the darkness of this world in which we live.

 

I am the house of The Lord.

He shines brightly within me.

The Spirit reveals through The Word of God

all unrighteousness that is still in me,

and I give Him authority over my life

to remove all uncleanliness from within.

For when I stand before God at m judgment day,

I would like nothing of myself to be left in the ashes,

only what I have done for God.

 

I thank God that someone prayed me out of darkness.

Lord, let my prayer be that I would continue in their stead

and pray my family and friends out of darkness.

Amen.

"...The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16

 

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of The Lord."