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Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

WHOSE REPORT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Posted in Faith, Gospel, Jesus, Salvation, Sin, The Father on July 20, 2021|

“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

Isaiah53:1NASB2020

Jesus is a historical figure and documented in various religions. He is described as a great teacher, prophet, the Son of God, the Messiah, Emmanuel, the list goes on. Whose report do you believe? In Isaiah 53 we have an extensive prophesy about Jesus. Isaiah starts off the chapter by asking “Who has believed our report? Knowing the truth about Jesus is by faith. To understand Isaiah 53 you must have eyes of faith to see what God is revealing.

There are many who do not understand nor believe the purpose of Jesus. I grew up believing although Jesus died on the cross and rose again, I did not need Him to talk to the Father. I was quite offended by the people who showed me the gospel that I needed Jesus to have a relationship with the Father. Isaiah is rich with prophesy about Jesus and God’s purpose in sending Jesus. Jesus is the gospel message. You cannot have a relationship with the Father apart from Jesus. We will explore the revelation that Isaiah gives about Jesus. It will take faith to be able to see and understand the truth about Jesus. Do you believe in the Lord’s report?

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COMPULSION TO QUIT

Posted in Faith, Love, The Body on June 8, 2021|

Photo Credit: Jeremy Yap

“For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ — which is far better — but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.”

Philippians 1:21-26 HCSB

 

There has been a lot of talk about mental health amongst celebrities and sports figures.  Many of these individuals coming out and expressing their battles with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.  The Christian is not immune to this.  Matter of fact I am sure the majority of us suffer from outside pressures to quit or go it alone.  So many suffer in silence and do not realize how many others are also suffering.

 

There is a lot of pressure on our lives today.  If you are a leader or someone that others rely on this can be at times unbearable.  The Apostle Paul speaks about this in Philippians 1.  He has this desire to be with Christ but recognizes he also has a purpose on the earth for the church.  The cross Paul bore was great but the fruit he bore was greater for the body of Jesus Christ.

 

Your life matters.  God has a great plan and purpose for your life to impact others.  So many of us give up ams do not endure the times for the sake of God’s people.  Not everyone thinks about suicide but so many give up on their calling and the place where God has placed them

 

As a Christian our walk will involve pain, anxiety, hopelessness, and can entail love, joy and peace in the midst of darkness. Jesus never said we would live a life free of pain or suffering. On the contrary He said we would suffer. We must remember Jesus told us to endure. Do not give up on your dreams, life or even God. You still have fruit to bear for the sake of others. Your life and even your pain has a purpose. Don’t Quit!

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Influencing God

Posted in Faith, Knowing God on August 2, 2018|

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,” Ephesians 3:20 NASB

 This is a familiar verse to many of us.  Normally we quote the first part of the verse that God will do more than we can think of or ask.  Usually we see this verse as a way of God blessing us in a way that we cannot begin to imagine.  Unfortunately, we have taken this verse out of context.  By only looking at the first part we can think that God will do what He likes, whenever He likes.  Some may even think that they do not have to do anything for God to do more for them.  Let us take a look at the whole verse.

There is a caveat to this verse and that is God will do more than we can ask or think based on the power that work within us.  What is this power?  One of the definitions of power is having the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.  Do we have the power to direct or influence God?  Yes we do.  It is called faith.

Power Image

God is moved by our faith.  He is not moved by our need or desperations.  It is by faith that we please God.  We see it in the miracles of Jesus, those that had faith that Jesus could heal them or deliver them was done according to their faith.

When we look at this verse in Ephesians it makes more sense to understand that God will do more that we can think or ask according to our faith.  It is our faith that moves God.  Also because our God is big, He will do more.  It is like God takes our natural mindset and applies His super to it and we get the supernatural.

We see this in the miracle of the two fish and five loaves of bread.  Jesus took something a young boy had, knowing the Father would bless it and make more than enough to feed 5,000.  Matter of fact, not only were the 5,000 fed but there were 12 baskets left over.  That is the application of Ephesians 3:20.  Jesus and his disciples did not just sit around wondering what they were going to do and how they were going to feed all these people.  Jesus understood the power that was within Him and the nature of God that when Jesus looked to heaven he blessed the food and gave thanks.  Then he kept breaking the bread and dividing the fish for his disciples to pass around and everyone was able to eat and more was leftover than what they started with.

Remember Jesus told us we only needed to have faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.  Our faith influences God to move on our behalf much greater than we can ever imagine.  So don’t just sit back waiting on God to do great things on your behalf.  Decree, confess, pursue your faith that God will do all that you ask and believe He can do.  The power is within us.

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FALLACY OF CHRISTIAN POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

Posted in Faith, government, Jesus, Law, Love, Peace, Salvation, Sin, The Body, The Father, The Righteous on April 7, 2018|

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“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4: 20 NASB

For over two years the Media has defined what it means to be Christian by people’s political and religious beliefs.  Rarely, are we depicted as Disciples of Christ.  Instead many articles and debates question who are the real Christians?  Some have defined Christianity based on political and religious; if you are a true Christian you must ascribe to certain political and religious traditions.

I was struck this week by a question posed on a radio station on whether or not Christians who support President Trump are really Christians.  Can Christians be characterized by their support or criticism of a leader or political party in lieu of their faith?  There are many that argue they can because certain political and religious ideals are rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ.  I found this interesting because our salvation and adoption as God’s children cannot be secured through the law or our adaption to world systems.

Those of us who identify ourselves as Christian believe in Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins, was raised from the dead, and is alive today at the right hand of God our Father.   We know “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”  Romans 10: 9-10 (NASB)

Unfortunately, in the height of political debates and a politically charge environment we have succumb to defining Christianity through a political lens.  We have this delusion that the party we belong to or the leaders we show allegiance to has some impact on our entrance into the Kingdom of God; or defines us as a disciple of Christ.  This is just absurd, because you are trying to judge something that is spiritually rooted in God with something rooted in mankind.

Our salvation is not obtained by any work we do or what others have done.  We cannot stand before God and claim that because we ascribe to a set of political and religious ideologies we are proven to be the Children of God.  The only reason we can stand before God blameless, is because Jesus Christ died for our sins.  He took our sin and punishment.  We were graciously given Jesus’ righteousness in exchange and have been reconciled to the Father.  There is no work we have done to earn our salvation, so we have no right to boast in our political and religious beliefs.  The law cannot save us, so it is ridiculous to think adhering to certain religious and political beliefs and laws (defined by men) can save us.

The bible is clear that we can identify Christians (the Children of God) by the love that we have for one another.  Jesus even said we would know people by their fruit.  So if a person claims to love God but hates his brother he is a liar and Christ is not in him.  If one claims to follow Jesus but is full of hatred they are not Jesus’ disciple.  Whatever comes out of the mouth reveals what is in the heart.  Whether we are ruled by love or hate speaks more to our faith in Jesus Christ than anything else, including our political party affiliation or religious sect.

Politics and religion will always reveal hypocrisy in man.  Often time these belief systems run contrary to the person’s own behavior.  Also, it is mostly used to sit in judgment of others and think too highly of ourselves.  Boasting about our political and religious ideologies is rooted in pride and God hates pride.  We are taught in scripture to hold our brother in higher esteem than ourselves.

Christianity is defined by humility.  Jesus Christ, who is God, became man and walked amongst us.  He took our sin and became the perfect sacrifice and died so that we might live.  It is through Jesus’ resurrection that we have eternal life and power.  There is no other name in heaven or on the earth that is greater than Jesus.  Jesus is the only one who is deemed the Savior of mankind.

Our faith is not evident through our political and religious symbols and allegiance.  Jesus said the world would know we are His disciples by the love we have for one another.  We may disagree on the political and religious battlefield but even in our disagreement we are called to love.

 

For those that want to know how to spot a Christian, check their fruit (character).  Jesus said you will know us by our fruit.  If these things (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, see Galatians 5:22-23) are not evident in a person’s character,  then the Spirit of God is not in them and they are not known by Jesus.

21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23 NASB

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When Will We Meet Again?

Posted in Faith, God's Glory, Healing, Heaven, Jesus, Salvation, The Righteous on November 30, 2016|

“Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  John 14:1-3

I grew up knowing death as long as I can remember.  I lost my mother when I was four years old.  I have vivid memories of my mother, including her illness that eventually took her life.  My childhood was impacted by my mother’s absence.  At a young age I had to come to terms with life and death.  As I grew up I lost several relatives, including my sister who was 17 at the time of her death.  I know death all too well.

As a pastor there are times I am called to comfort those that have lost a loved one, and it is not an easy thing to do.  It is especially difficult in those moments that you prayed, had faith and hope for a loved one’s healing, only to see them eventually lose their battle to death.  Death is never easy because it always seems a life ended too soon.  We are left with the question “Why God Why?”

As I pastor people in times of a loved one’s death that question comes up.  It is difficult to answer.  At times, there is no answer nor explanation given by God.  Just recently I learned of someone’s death that we believed would be healed of cancer.  We knew God would heal and it was His will to heal.  At one point we were celebrating the news that the cancer was gone, only to learn later that it had come back spreading throughout the body.  Still you hope in miracles and you know God is able and willing to heal.  However, when the healing does not come, it is easy to question our faith.  Did we believe hard enough?  Did we doubt God?  Was it God’s will to heal?  Why did this person die?

As I pondered these questions the Holy Spirit reminded me of our faith in Jesus Christ.  The foundation of our faith is that one day we will see Jesus face to face.  That faith in Jesus exceeds all other acts of faith.  Salvation is the greatest miracle because a person that is saved is someone who was once dead and now is alive in Christ for all eternity.  Those that have put their faith in Jesus Christ have eternal life.  Death cannot hold them; when they are absent from the body, they are present with the Lord.  That is our faith.  So when a loved one dies in the Lord, they are with Him.  They experience the evidence of their faith.

Jesus told the disciples that He was going away and would prepare a place for them, for all of us.  He promised to come again but His ultimate promise was that He would receive us and we would be where He is.

We cannot fully comprehend eternity because we live in such a temporal world and are governed by time and space.  We experience life, sickness, disease, tragedies, and eventually death in this world.  Yet in heaven there is none of this and they are not governed by time and space.  So we have to rejoice when a loved one in Christ dies because they get to be where He is and stay.  They have received the full promise of God.

Still this may not bring us great comfort since we will no longer see our loved one.  We wonder “when will we meet again?”  So we mourn for our loved ones, we mourn with those that are mourning.  Soon our mourning will turn to joy.  We will meet again.

If you are reading this and you are not sure if you are going to spend eternity with Jesus then you can ask Jesus to come into your heart.  The bible says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:9).  Jesus died and rose again so that we could be reconciled with the Father and have eternal life.  It is available to all.  You don’t have to wonder where you will spend eternity once your life is surrendered to Jesus Christ.  He has gone and is preparing a place for us.  He will come again.  For those of us still left on this earth, let us continue to occupy until Jesus’ returns.  That is what our faith is all about, seeing Jesus face to face and living with Him for all of eternity.  In the meantime let us keep healing the sick, raising the dead, expanding the Kingdom of God on the earth – be SALT and LIGHT.

For this [s]perishable must put on [t]the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this [u]perishable will have put on [v]the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15: 53-57

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What Pleases God?

Posted in Faith, Knowing God, The Father, Uncategorized on October 8, 2013|

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

I am sure that every believer wants to please God.  Of course we want to please our Father.  Many of us strive to please God.  We may think doing certain acts makes God happy.  God does love to spend time with us.  He wants us to walk upright before Him.  The thing that brings God pleasure though is our faith in Him.

Many believers are satisfied in their faith for salvation or that God will take care of them.  But I believe God is really pleased when we put our absolute faith in Him.

Abraham had faith in God.  God told him to leave his country and family and go to the place God would show him.  Abraham listened and obeyed God.  That is good faith.  God did not stop there.  He made Abraham a promise, God told Abraham something that was impossible but Abraham believed God.  God promised that Abraham’s descendents would number the sands on the sea shore.  This seemed impossible because Abraham and his wife Sarah were old and beyond child bearing age.  However, Abraham believed God.  That pleased God.

God doesn’t want us to simply have faith for things like our basic needs.  Jesus told us that God would take care of that because He created us; look at how God cares for the birds.  God wants us to have faith for those things which are impossible with man but made possible with God.

God wants us to believe that He will do what He says.  That He is a keeper of His promises.  He wants us to believe that when we come to Him He will give us what we ask for but mostly that we believe that He is who He says He is.

God wants us to believe that He will heal our diseases because He is a Healer.  God wants us to believe that He will bless us because He has promised to bless us when we obey His commands.  God wants us to have faith that we will prosper because God is our provider.

Many believe that sin displeases God.  God hates sin but Jesus paid the price for sin.  Our sin was settled on the cross.  What brings God displeasure is our doubt.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  Imagine if Abraham had doubted God’s word and said it would never come to pass.  What kind of relationship would Abraham have had with God?  Even though Abraham obeyed God it was His faith that pleased God and was counted as righteousness.

Whenever we see God in pain in the bible it is because His people refused to believe in Him.  He was in pain when Israel built the golden calf.  He was hurt when Israel cried out for a king like the other nations of the world.  God saw generations of men in Israel die because they doubted God.  Now it pains God when men reject His Son Jesus and refuse to believe in Him.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Faith pleases God.  He takes great pleasure in our belief that He is and a rewarder of those who seek Him.  So when God says He will take care of all your needs and wants believe Him.  When He says He will heal all your diseases trust in His word.  When God says He loves you don’t doubt it.  Have faith in God.

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