But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. — Romans 5: 15-21
Even though there is chaos, confusion and anarchy rampant in our nation today, Jesus Christ, by His grace is ready and willing to give you His free gift of eternal life!
Have you ever observed someone being baptized and heard the pastor make a statement that baptism is not important and that you are not saved by baptism that it is only a symbol of publicly receiving Christ as your Savior? I have and I always wondered why they felt that they had to tell everyone this every time they baptized someone as if they might do something wrong if they didn’t. I have thought on this subject many times and have always wondered about it!
The bible teaches that there are certain important major Church doctrines that we ought to obey. In the book of Hebrews God very thoroughly explains to us what the “new covenant” is all about. The church of God is no longer under the old covenant after the order of the Levitical Priesthood as given to Israel by Moses. We are now under the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek! Our high priest is Jesus Christ who is from the tribe of Judah which was never even mentioned by Moses that there would be a priesthood other than the Levitical Priesthood. Now Christ teaches us in the bible that there are new covenant doctrines that we need to learn and follow. Hebrews 6: 1-2 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the author of the Holy Bible and that it is the infallible truth of God! When He makes it a point to tell us about the major doctrine of baptism in context with the resurrection of the dead we need to pay attention and understand what Jesus is saying! When God sent His Holy Spirit down to the earth to inhabit the hundred and twenty believers on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire) the Apostles went out and started preaching to the multitude of people in Jerusalem and the very first thing Peter told them in Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be BAPTIZED in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. WHEN YOU ARE BAPTIZED YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT! Don’t you think that makes baptism rather important to a Christian? But always remember that with God all things are possible! If He chooses to give you His Holy Spirit some other way He can but you still need to be baptized. (Acts 10:44-48 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord).
I encourage anyone who has not done so, to get on your knees and ask God what baptism is all about and He will answer and lead you into a life so wonderful and will infuse you with a new power that you never knew existed. Jesus changes everything! SEEK HIM NOW!
Are you intense, stressed out and have hypertension as you strive to achieve your goals in life? Do you think about what every new day has in store for you? Have you planned for contingencies in life such as mid life crisis? I ask that in particular as I did not prepare for it and was totally not ready for the things that took place. The problem was, I didn’t understand how certain events in life can produce enormous pressure on me and not really be aware what was causing it; such as, my daughter’s wedding, my brother having a massive stroke and almost died, my son joining the army instead of accepting a full scholarship to USC, my father died, and then my mother died. There is more but that should suffice to get the point across. It caused me to unconsciously become depressed and not be on top of my game in society. In my case, I was not familiar with mid life crisis and didn’t realize what affect it was having on me until I asked one of my church elders for advice about my condition. After having asked me a lot of questions, he asked me if I was familiar with mid life crisis and I answered, not really. The first thing he did was pray with me about it asking God to give me understanding what I was going through, then he told me that I was having full blown case of mid life crisis. Jesus is very familiar with being stressed out and understands what we go through. He knew what was waiting for Him on the cross as He asked the Father to take away the problem but always submitted Himself to His God.Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.
He explained in great detail what it is all about and how it works. This was all new to me! God has much to say about such things in our life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned and saw under the sun that — The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
God revealed all of this to King Solomon so he could record it for us to learn. The problem exists that people do not want to believe God. Therefore, they do not receive the blessings God wants to give them and they suffer many of the afflictions mentioned above.Psalms 78:22 Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation. But if they give themselves over to God and believe what He says they will receive His help in time of need.Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Are you seeking an answer to our problems in life? There is an answer!1Corinthians 15: 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 19:26 With God all things are possible.
Seek peace and pursue it through Jesus! He is waiting for you to ask Him! God bless you!
John 5:21-24 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
Great God in heaven the world is full of people who are still under the death penalty and need the saving grace of Jesus who being totally sinless died on the cross in their place so that they may have life. Open their hearts to receive the glorious salvation of Jesus Christ. In Jesus name, Amen!
The clean pure moral lifestyle that citizens of this great nation have enjoyed and practiced for over 240 years is under attack. Below is an excerpt from post in Franklin Graham’s Facebook account. The enemy has started a program of indoctrinating our children with their vile agenda. The people who are doing this do not know Jesus Christ and what He teaches. This is a perfect example of what believers of Jesus Christ need to be praying about. The unsaved of the world need Jesus’ salvation. The unsaved are susceptible to the evil influences and works of the Devil and the only recourse we have to stop the Devil is to pray for the gospel of Jesus to reach into the hearts of the unsaved and stop this wicked practice assaulting our society especially our children.
Planned Parenthood’s true colors are showing. They’re in the news this time because their website gives “guidelines” that instruct parents to teach their children, even preschoolers, that “your genitals don’t make you a boy or a girl.” They want to introduce the concept of transgender identity to a younger and younger audience—pushing the LGBTQ agenda.
God has already told us in His word what these people have become because they chose the Devil instead of Christ! They are weak and unable to control themselves and are easily swayed by the enemy of mankind. God has allowed people to make their own choices in life and He has set before us the choice of life or death. Choose life and live eternally! God wants to give His people great rewards even to the sharing of His throne with us. That is one awesome promise!!
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. — Romans 1:26-32
The bible says that just as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the end times.
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. —Genesis 6:5
God stirs up His righteousness in believers to accomplish His agenda by instituting a special day for the purpose of praying for the unsaved. Therefore: International Network of Online Evangelists has announced the first ever “International Day of Prayer For The unsaved—2017” to start on August 20, 2017, just 12 more days from now. This is a worldwide event! Please, take a minimum of just 5 minutes or however long your heart desires for this most important counterattack against Satan the Devil. Will you join us in the most powerful prayer engagement in history made possible by, ”the blessing of the internet” making the world accessible?
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. —Mark 16:15-16
The following comment was made by an individual responding to a recent poll about how important God is in our lives:
“What has he done for me? Is my life depending on him or is my life depending on what I’m doing with it? My life is well without believing in him. I really don’t care about someone I never knew, because if I do I should care for all people I don’t even know. And doing that is something not very sane.It’s not normal. I don’t care for people I don’t know because they can be all bad as far as I know.”
Proverbs 30:3 I neither learned wisdom Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.
WOW! Do you see what this person is saying? IT IS NOT NORMAL TO CARE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE! He does not want to be abnormal and care about God, who he does not know, may mean that he would have to care about other people, who this person does not know. How sad! This is the epitome of an unsaved person who does not want to know the God who sent His only Son to take on the flesh of a man of this world and sacrifice Himself on the CROSS spilling His blood for the sins of the world so that person can be saved from eternal judgment. Why would he want that?
Ecclesiastes 6:12 For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?
Those who do not know God and say that He does not exist and like to make disparaging remarks about those who do believe in God are scared to the core to actually try to know God because they are intensely afraid that they may find out that God really exists. They only think in terms of an entity of God in a single dimension. They identify God as a mythical entity. In other words they don’t know much about the subject of God, only what they imagine He is like in their own minds.
Job 18:21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
How do you feel about yourself?
Are you normal or abnormal? Down deep inside where only you know how you think and feel, do you have a perfect feeling about yourself? Have you successfully fulfilled your dreams in life? Have you been a failure about any important things? Are you so filled with joy that there is no room for more? Do you feel an emptiness that needs filling? What do you really care about? These are all important questions that anyone should be concerned about! It doesn’t make any difference where on earth you live; they are all pertinent to you.
Job 42: 2, 5-6 ” I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You “. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
You are hearing His voice now! This is how God speaks to your heart! Today is a day of salvation! God wants more than anything to give you His blessings. He will share His glory with you if you will receive Him into your heart.
I pray that your response will be to allow God into your life so he can pour out His grace upon you, that you may have eternal life from this time forward. Great rewards await you. Let this be the beginning of your new life.
What better retirement benefits can you get than these? Working for Jesus Christ really does have its perks!
We get a new body.1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
We share Christ’s throne. Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
We share His glory.1 Peter 5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
We receive a great reward in heaven.Luke 6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
You will be given a high position in heaven.Revelation 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God
You will receive eternal life!Revelation 2:7 I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
God be praised! Join Him, surrender your life to Jesus Christ and be saved, share His everlasting retirement benefits.
I pray you are blessed by God and are called to His eternal kingdom.
Preaching the Word of glory! Amen!
Please join me and INOE in prayer on the International Day Of Prayer For The Unsaved-2017 August 20th.
There are approximately 6 billion unsaved people on the earth. The world is ripe for the harvest!
Have you ever read the story about how butterflies go through a life cycle known as complete metamorphosis. The life cycle stages that they go through include: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The butterfly lays a very tiny fragile egg on the leaf of the milkweed plant. The egg then begins to grow and change into the larvae (caterpillar). After a short while the caterpillar excretes a substance that covers its whole body. This substance protects its body as it goes through a miraculous change. Then a most beautiful creation appears in the form of a fabulous butterfly.
We humans are very much like that caterpillar worm until God attracts our attention and we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. He sends His Holy Spirit to spin a protective cocoon over us and we begin to be transformed into a new creation that will burst forth into a glorious new body into the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? Philippians 3:21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, 1 Corinthians 15: 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
We shall see Him as He is and be as He is, we will share all His glory in the Kingdom of God.
John 17:22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 1 Peter 3:4… with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
We become a beautiful, gentle and quiet spirit in the family of God.
Here is a thought for today in the midst of all the intense political unrest in this nation concerning the upcoming elections. It is good to stop and take a deep breath and examine ourselves and consider this.
Psalms 1:1, 3 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
I pray that God gives us all an earnest, upright heart and divine discernment of the needs of America. Amen!
"He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me. Restore my strength with raisins and refresh me with apples! I am weak from passion... His left hand is under my head and his right hand caresses me" - Song of Solomon 2:4-6