A Special Request for Some Friends

Please take a look at this video. These are dear friends of mine who for all I can see are certainly willing and deserving to be parents. There struggle has been difficult and we have seen them battle on in their pursuit of a family.

Your prayers, and support (financially if you feel led) would be greatly appreciated. Andrew serves our church community as worship pastor and Natalie's infectious smile and warm heart have deeply impacted our body of believers with eternal benefits. I am not so sure life would be as joyful if it wasn't for them in it.

Check out there page at http://igg.me/at/FockelFamily

Again thanks for your support of this amazing couple in advance. May God bless you as you bless them!

On Hope for the Hopeless - JP Moreland

Such a great message from Dr. Moreland. This has been an invaluable tool for me in my life. Listen, digest and meditate on this information. You can renew your hope by rekindling your faith in God and re-framing your difficulties.

Surviorman Wisdom...

I was watching an old episode of Surviorman with survival expert Les Stroud the other night. He was backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and he had to survive for seven days. The weather was holding up well for him considering it was late spring. However on the third day into the survival challenge, rain came upon him quickly. It was at this point that Stroud utilized his experience and knowledge to get him through a tough spell. Stroud had learned that in order to stay warm, naturally you would need a fire and in a place like the Sierra Nevada's the temperature can change quite dramatically at night and get below freezing. To prevent the storm from drowning out the fire you have to make a big enough flame to withstand the downpour.

Then it hit me...

What an amazing principle for us Christ-followers. Right now you may be experiencing a particularly great season of weather in your life. However, storms, trials and tribulations can come at any time and most unexpectedly. The question is, how big is your flame right now? Could it hold off the storm? Will your flame be put out by the rain?

What you do with the great weather in your life will determine if you make it through the rain. If your fire is kindled hot for God during the good times that same fire will withstand the storm when it comes, and it is sure to come. However, if you ignore your spiritual fire during the sunny times when the rain comes your flame will be easily extinguished and then you will be unable to withstand the storm.

If you are in the midst of a sunny season take this opportunity to read God's word everyday, pray and devote your heart and joy to him. Build in those great habits and practices that draw you every closer to the source of your fire and when the storm comes, which as I said before it will, then your fire will stay lit. Don't get caught with a small fire.

If you are in the midst of the storm right now (as I am) it is never too late to rekindle your fire. Find a great friend to pray with you, spend some time working on your relationship with your creator, read a great devotional book, rekindled your fire and your faith will be stoked and your hope returned. Just as the storm came, it will too come to pass, you must expect this to happen because our God promises these things for us! Have confidence in Him to deliver you from the storm and the next time a trial comes your way your flame will stay lit!

God bless you all and I will be praying for your fire!

What is Evangelism?

What do you think of when you hear the word "Evangelism"? Do you think of the guy holding the "Trust Jesus" sign at sporting events or high school graduations? Do you think of the guy yelling curses to all apostates and sinners from the top of a soap box on the street corner?

If you do let me say read on a bit because I hope to help change your perspective on what Evangelism is all about.

Those who had the memories of the type above will be happy to know that most of Christianity doesn't see evangelizing the world in quite the same manner. Now you might be thinking well I don't know of any other forms of evangelism and you sadly might be right. You haven't likely seen a true Evangelist do his or her thing because either one it was very subtle or as is the case for the other part no Christian has taken the chance to share the Gospel of Christ with you.

So what exactly is evangelism supposed to look like? Well first before answering that let me say that to those who are Christians we need to take more seriously the words of Jesus in the 28th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew when He says,

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

These words weren't merely a friendly suggestion of the type of things we should be doing but its okay that were not doing it. These were more than suggestions or options for the Christian, these were plain and simply Commands from our Savior and we would be wise to heed the command of Him who knows best how to reach a people in desperate need of His saving grace.

So now that we know that its a command, what does this look like? Well quite simply put, Evangelism is about relationships. If I asked you the question, "Would you marry someone you just met that sat down next to you at Starbucks?" how would you respond? Most sane people would respond with a resounding "No". What if I asked, "Would you marry that same person you met at Starbucks and had a conversation with for 30 minutes?" how then would you respond? Probably in the same way. Marriage is a serious commitment. What if I asked you, "Would you respond to an invitation to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior from a complete stranger, someone you have never had any dialogue with, and not to mention you don't even know who Jesus is besides a cuss word." How would you then respond?

Remember when Evangelizing its about building a relationship. The mission of Evangelism is certainly spreading the word and helping to "convert sinners into winners" eternally but can this be done by force or by a one-time conversation from a stranger? Not likely and if you think of your own experience with coming to a saving knowledge of Christ, you likely didn't do so after one experience. It may have been that one experience that started you off on a step by step path to discovering the truth of the Gospel but it was just one step in many that led to true conversion. If someone is closer to a decision for Christ then perhaps you can be the one to pray with them and witness their conversion but it would not have been without the hard work of others gone before you. 

Also, be prepared to become a guide for the person seeking Christ. Be open about your faith but give room for the person to doubt, question and research the things that don't sit easy with them. Remember, a relationship with Christ is like a marriage and if that is the picture we get then certainly it is a good thing that much thought and study go into making a decision to follow Christ. This is why many people, not just Pastors get to witness conversions. Any who labor for the Gospel will have their part, whether emotionally, prayerfully or intellectually, in the conversion story, none is more important than the other. The important thing is to focus on the task of reaching and reasoning with the unbeliever and being relational with them. It is hopefully through this process (which takes years sometimes) that we can see souls won for Christ.

So in closing, when Evangelizing to the world (a clear command from scripture) keep in mind that you don't have to get a prayer, or a conversion every time you talk with someone. Its not our job to do the saving, that's God's work but we would be wise to take a tip from Paul in regards to Evangelism when he said,

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."

1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV

Be about the job of planting and watering the seeds of the Gospel and if you are faithful to the work you will see God make these seeds grow. 

Wash Away

On vacation this past week I couldn't help but recognize the parallel of the ocean water washing away the foot prints in the sand passer's by made. It got me to thinking about sin and how God removes our sins as well, I hope this video touches your heart as it did mine while recording it!

Praise Christ Jesus for the awesome atonement of the cross!

The Acts of the Holy Spirit

So at our small group on Wednesday we started reading the Acts of the Apostles. This details the early years of the church. One thing we all took notice of was that this was in fact the Acts of the Holy Spirit more so than the Acts of the Apostles.

So the question is do you have the power of the Spirit residing in you? If you don't there is a simple remedy.

1. If you are a Christian, all you need to do is pray for a recharging or refilling of the Holy Spirit each day. When you do this you will be amazed at the things you can do to further the Kingdom of Heaven that you thought were out of your comfort zone or greater than your capabilities. Certainly the Apostles couldn't have achieved the success they experienced without a daily filling power of the Holy Spirit.

2. If you are not a Christian, there is a dormant power available to you just waiting to be called into action. The Spirit can help to inspire you to search out a deeper understanding of why you are here, why there is a God and so on. With this Spirit's urging the hope and prayer is you will accept the gift of salvation paid for at the Cross of Christ. Then this dormant powerful Spirit can be enacted in your life and you too can have the indwelling and the filling of the Holy Spirit to allow your life to transform in ways you never dreamed possible.

Please take some time to ask questions, seek out why these Christians say Jesus is the only way to salvation. Ask the questions about why do I need salvation, what is sin and so forth. If you find someone willing to listen and work with you it is my sincere hope that upon hearing the message of the gospel you will accept fully what it says and give your life to Christ.

Have a great weekend!

I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me."
                                   -John 14:6-

The Parachute of Faith

So tonight, stirred on by a great meeting with some friends, I was led to this little example to sum up faith...well at least as well as I can explain it.

Okay so first lets envision you were duped into going on a skydiving trip with a few friends. You are super terrified of jumping out of a plane not to mention you are scared of heights so jumping out of a plane at any height greater than 3 feet is too much for you to bear.

You decide to do some research about skydiving and the parachutes that will help to ensure your safe landing on terra firma. You study the weight capacity of the parachute, the oxygen level when you jump from the plane, you study the success rate of jumpers landing without splattering all over the ground and so on.

The day of the jump is here and you have prepared yourself with all the information possible and you have rehearsed what the jump will look like but still you are not settled because you have no way of knowing whether or not you will land safely. Now in an ideal world, like in the movie Back to the Future, you can travel to the future and verify that you actually land safely.

So you are standing there all ready to go. You have thought through this but you realize again you can't know for sure so you hold on to the side as you jump. Did you really let go and trust in the parachute to do its job?

Maybe you jump and you wait and wait and wait for the parachute to open itself, eventually you hit the ground having not pulled the cord to release the chute and well you guess what happens to you.

But on the other hand maybe you let go of the side, jump and when the time is right pull the string and glide safely to the earth below you. You did it! You took the leap of faith and trusted in the parachute and it didn't let you down.

Here is where I was going with this. We can reason, research and do all the intellectual things involved in attempting to know God, just like we did before our skydiving trip.

Eventually we come to the point where we realize we cannot reason and research anymore because we realize that knowing God is more than just reason and fact. There is a huge chasm that seperates us from God and eventually we have to jump.

Don't jump holding on to the facts that led you this far thinking that becasue you still cling to you reason that faith will lead you to the answer while you never let faith actually do its thing and become  well, faith.

Also, don't just jump into faith waiting for God to do something for you before you actually try to pull the parachute of faith for yourself, if you do this you will wait and wait and wait until splat...its too late.

Instead jump, pull the string and let the faith you say you have guide the parachute open and land safely in the arms of the Savior.

Are you willing to jump in faith for God? It is my sincere prayer that you are... I will be praying for you all that God's divine parachute opens and guides you safely home!

Why did he do that?

Have you ever just sat around wondering why something happened a particular way it did?

Why did that car cut me off?

Why did the waitress not hear me ask for some more water?

Why did I throw my back out just bending over?

So we can ask a bunch of why's and this week I found myself finally resolving a why for myself.

I was reading the story of the Exodus and the encounters between Moses and Pharaoh. It struck me as strange why God would purposely harden the heart of Pharaoh. I realize in my limited knowledge as a human I cannot fully perceive of what it must be like to have supreme power and knowingly make decisions that will effect the outcomes of certain lives in different ways. But then it struck me...God did this because of the reaction that it would cause and the response that would come from the Israelites.

Go with me here on a small journey and picture if you will the story of the Exodus if God had not hardened Raamses heart.

As Moses approaches the people of Israel full of strife he realizes he must do something, he comes to Pharaoh and demands that he let his people go. Pharaoh laughs him off and the plagues begin. After a few of the plagues on the land Pharaoh realizes that the Hebrews have a powerful voice and they need to be released and allowed not to be a curse on the land of Egypt any longer. Pharaoh in his infinite wisdom and grace allows the people to go into the wilderness as Moses requests and Israel begins her journey to the promised land. Here is where the story takes the turn. In recognizing the graciousness of the Pharaoh instead of turning their praise to the God in heaven they turn their love and admiration back to Pharaoh for the mercy he showed them. They actually build statues to him and volunteer to return to live and worship Pharaoh in the land from which they were once slaves.

What could go wrong with that???

How about everything and anything...that's a dead-end road for the Hebrews. In worshiping a man they would have most certainly doomed their existence in Egypt and probably have been wiped off the face of the earth after generations of slavery and euthanasia.

However, the Lord came to the rescue in history. He did harden Pharaohs heart and the result, the people left the land triumphantly. They took riches from the land, and who got the praise, not Pharaoh, not Moses but God. Who did the people worship, God...at least for a little while but that's for another time!

The point, in God's infinite and divine foreknowledge and middle-knowledge, He could see the outcome either way it went down and he knew how his people would respond. In order to truly allow them to leave the land he had to put in front of them the choices that would lead to their ultimate freedom and he had to harden Pharaoh's heart. No one deserves slavery and God saw to it that this people would be freed from it. This was much like in our own country, God intervened in the lives of the Christians who moved a country to abolish slavery through President Lincoln's decree.

Why did he do that...to give peace to His people and he can do the same for you if you call on His name accept him with faith and follow His word and do as He says. Then you can be assured of the gift of Salvation. Will you do that today?

I sincerly hope so!

Have a great weekend all!

The Lord is My Rock!

So reading this morning in the great book of II Samuel I came to chapter 22. This chapter holds a song of David to his beloved Lord God Almighty. This song is well written and the first few verses struck a chord in my heart so I figured why not stop and write them and share them with my internet friends. Here they are as I read them:

"...The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, My high tower, and my refuge; My savior; Thou savest me from violence. I will call on the name of the LORD, Who is worthy to be praised..."
                                 -II Samuel 22:2-4 KJV-


Just sit with those words and descriptions of God:
Rock
Deliverer
Shield
Refuge
High Tower
Savior

With descriptions like these its no wonder our Lord God Almighty is able to lift us up when we are weak, comfort us when we are broken and feed us when we are hungry.

It is good to give thanks and praise to the one who is worthy of it!

It is my prayer that you would do so today. OH PRAISE HIM...HE IS HOLY!

What happens when we turn from our ways?

So what does happen when we turn from our ways? I don't mean just the bad ways, what about the good ones too?

Here is what God's says in Ezekiel 33

"When the righteous turneth from his righteousness and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby."
                                Ezekiel 33:18-19 KJV-


So what does this all mean. Basically this, if we know the truth and as Christians we should, then if we are living righteously then all is fine. But if we turn from the righteous way and the righteous God we will surely die in our sins, and if we die in our sins we likely know where we are headed when we depart this world.

On the flip side if the wicked stays on his wicked path he too will suffer the fate of the one who fell from righteousness. But he too, the wicked man, can turn from his ways, follow God and his ways, accept what is lawful and right (thanks to Christ's sacrifice he became both which is lawful and right) he can be saved from the torture of Hell.

Bottom line to these verses if you are on the straight and narrow do all you can through prayer and relationship with God to stay on that path (he will do the rest), and if you are not on that path, reach out to God to show you the way, and when you get there stay on that path as well because as Christ puts it in Matthew 7:

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." 


Be counted as one of the few my friends!

How long would you wait?

Before I rolled my lazy body out of bed this morning I had a thought in pop in my head (amazing I didn't think I would be able to function so early, it must be God!).

If your spouse, friend, or anyone promised to pick you up from the airport and after landing you got your bags and you were waiting around... 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 45 minutes, 2 hours! How long would you stand there and wait for them to come before resorting to another means of transportation home?

How about if you were waiting for a doctor's appointment, how long would you sit in the waiting room before saying something to the clerk, "Hey where is this guy??"

How about when your on hold trying to get your cable internet working again, how many songs and how long will you sit on that phone before you get frustrated and hang up?

Stay with me here I know I go out on a limb sometimes but this is good...

Read the following verses below:

"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..."
                                 Psalms 37:7 KJV-

"...be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
                                 Revelation 2:10 KJV-

"...knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope."
                                 Romans 5:3-4 KJV-   

"Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."
                                Colossians 1:11 KJV-

So I ask again how long would we wait?

How long would we wait for God's voice to speak to us?

How long would we wait to see God's answer to our prayers?

How long will we wait to see God coming back to earth like he promised he would return someday?

I hope your answer is not hang up, He's not answering, or I'll just call a taxi God forgot about me.

He hasn't forgotten you, your prayers and your heart. He knows us all by name and will reward you for your patience, but sometimes what we think qualifies as patience doesn't even scratch the surface of what God would call real longsuffering and endurance.

So here is my urging to you, don't stop believing, don't stop praying!

Stay diligent He will answer you when the time is right. If we claim to love Him and want to follow Him wherever He might take us then do that.

Follow Him even when its not popular, believe in Him even when all hope seems to be lost. He is coming back someday for His own, just be patient and as the verse above says we will recieve the crown of life!

I hope these thoughts have blessed you richly this day.

May His peace and love and hope be upon you, AMEN!

Because the LORD God of Israel...

In my morning quite time I read chapter 10 of the great book of Joshua. The Israelites are gaining strength and they are conquering many peoples along the way as the Lord God had commanded them to do. But on the second to last verse it reads:

"And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel."
                                 Joshua 10:42 KJV-


Did you catch that part, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel, that is the key.

If God is for us who can be against us, but if God is not for us then how do we evaluate our actions, responses and postures towards him to ensure he is for us?

First off God loves all his creation. I know this might seem odd considering that means he loves guys like Hitler, Manson, Stalin, Ahmadinejad and etc. But He is just simply good. I threw one at you there is he just good or is he Good and Just?

Of course he is both and that means loving his creation equally.

I know, I know, Yes he did hate Esau but that was because of what Esau did, but he did not hate Esau in the womb only when Esau turned from God by selling his birthright. 

Back to my point...

However that also means judging his creation equally, that means my sins are counted equally with the sins of Pilate. We are judged on the same scale whether I think thats fair or not.

But when you think about it if God did judge on different scales how right and just of him would that be? No your very right, God should not show favoritism in judgement heres an example:

"Chris you have been a good guy, you followed your own right path, even though I think stealing is wrong you only stole a few small things in your life namely bubble gum, so I guess well your in! Just do me a favor and stay away from the bubble gum isle at our heavenly convenience store."

So I only stole little things and I was allowed entrance into the kingdom, well what about you maybe you never stole anything, how fair is it that a thief like me enters the kingdom? How about that guy that stole a car once in his life, should he get in? I mean I stole gum a few times but he stole a car once, which is worse, once or multiple times?

Do you see how this whole judging thing could get out of hand if God did not hold everyone accountable on the same scale? I hope you do. I doesn't matter, gum, money, boats, cars, if you steal then your a thief plan and simple and that's how the judge will see it.

So now your thinking well God is love and he won't judge me, and you would be right your god won't judge you, that's because the god you created in your mind doesn't believe in that but the God of the Bible is clear he will judge his people someday.

No one is perfect and I know that better than anyone, and God is perfect and his law is perfect by which he judges our actions and life. So how can we being imperfect hope to achieve this state of perfection and everlasting life. We can't imperfect will never equal perfect just like 2 cannot have the same value as 5 no matter how much time and effort 2 puts into being bigger and stronger and holier he can never equal 5.

Now don't loose hope, remember how I told you that God was perfect, well he is and he came down in the form of a man to pay the penalty against that perfect law that judges us. With his death, burial and resurrection Jesus defeated the law's penalty for us and if we take his name into our hearts and live him out, believe fully in his promise we to can be saved.

I pray this message reaches you with joy and you find the hope that I have found in the savior, Jesus Christ. Remember if God is for us who can be against us!

May God richly bless you this day friends!

Last Night...

Last night as I stood, sat and jumped in attendance at the Oakland Raider Season and Home Opener I was in awe at the sheer volume 60,000 plus fans can make. It was amazing to hear the shouts of praise, of course there were also boo's but thats another story.

On a 4th and 15 late in the 4th quarter the Raiders Quarterback JaMarcus Russell hit receiver Louis Murphy for a 57 yard touchdown to put the Raiders in the lead late. The building erupted in cheers and screams and claps, and as I hugged my brother and high-fived fans around me I stopped and wondered for a brief moment why we were all going so crazy for a game.

Granted NFL football is quite exciting especially in moments like that, but when was the last time we cheered like that in church?

When was the last time we clapped that hard and hugged one another after the Pastor told us about the promise of the Gospel?

I dare to say not once if any!

And that's what has me thinking, since last night and this morning, how will it sound when Christ returns to this earth?

Will they cheer like we did last night in Oakland?

Will the noise be louder and will we feel the vibrations like we did when the Air Force flew 2 F-16's over the stadium?

I am not sure exactly but I would have to say yes! This will be the most climatic event in all of history and every eye will see Him when He comes.

When Christ returns it will be the end of the game after a winning touchdown drive, the opponent won't get a chance to tie or win the game, its finished. Jesus will come back as a Savior and more importantly to us who follow him and are oppressed, he will come back on a White Horse as a Conqueror!

My job and the job of those who choose to follow him is to get that word out to as many people as possible.

Living a good life in front of people and being a good example is nice but how will those you are around know why you are such a nice, polite, uplifting person if you never share that with them? How can they hope to achieve your relationship with Christ and the hope you have inside of you if you don't share that? How can they escape the judgement of the almighty if they have not been informed there is a judge who sits on the throne of Heaven rightly judging the people of his creation?

To the elect and workers in Christ, this is our message, get the word out.

Don't delay make it today!

Nice rhyme huh!

God Bless brothers and sisters in the way, and have a nice day!

Sorry, I did it again, I'm thinking might just write a Dr. Seuss book after this. :)

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen!

9.11.09-Eight Years to the Day

I remember the words sung by country music singer Alan Jackson, "Where were you when the world stop turning that September Day?"

I remember where I was and I will never forget the families and the victims of these heinous attacks. They will forever be etched in my memory. If I don't pray for them any other time of the year I do this day. Pray with me:


Dear God, Father of Heaven and earth, I pray for your comforting hand for all those mourning this day. I pray for peace, and closure. I pray that this nation never forget this day and we never forget just how vulnerable we are. We want you to be our God and we to be your people. Protect us as you did our ancestors in generations past. Help us fight and win the war on terror, so that your name may be praised. We thank you for all you have done and all you will do to keep this country safe. Watch over all of our service men and women and guide them safely. To your honor and glory we pray in the name of the one you sent to us for a sacrifice, Jesus Christ, Amen!


Though the pain may still be present we have a God who is strong enough to help us through and encourage us to live life to the fullest, a life pleasing him. May God's comfort be over you all this day as we remember those who have fallen 8 years ago today.

God Bless America!

God Will Move Waters For You!

This morning while reading in the Old Testament book of Joshua I was stirred with a thought. In chapter 3 the people of Israel, once led by Moses in the wilderness, are preparing to cross the River Jordan. Joshua, the newly appointed leader of Israel, was given a command how to approach the river and how to cross it to take the land promised by God to be the habitation of the Israelite people. Most people don't realize that God parted the waters for the Israelites not once but twice! Originally when God used Moses to call his people out of slavery and oppression at the hands of Pharaoh, he led them across the Red Sea which he parted by Moses stretching out his hands over the waters. They passed on dry ground provided by God. Well that was to bring them out and here in Joshua 3 we see God again parting the waters as his people went in to claim their land.

"And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the People were passed clean over Jordan."
                                 Joshua 3:17 KJV-

When the Levites stepped into the waters of the Jordan holding the Ark of the Covenant the water would rise up and split apart making the way for the Israelites dry and safe. Twice God moved the waters for his people to cross through unharmed.

That is his continued promise which I thought about this morning. First off God is the same yesterday, today and forever.


"For I am the LORD, I change not..."
                                Malachi 3:6 KJV-


"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever."
                               Hebrews 13:8 KJV-


If he protected his own back then what makes any of us think he won't do the same today?
The fact is that he will stand up for his own. In the last book of the Bible we read of a special protection given God's people in the last days to stand up against the evils taking place on earth during the great tribulation. We read:

"And then came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men which have not the Seal of God in their foreheads."
                               Revelation 9:3-4 KJV emphasis added-

With this wonderful promise it makes me wonder why anyone wouldn't want to have God do the same for them. The true fact is however, many people in this world choose not to follow God. They either don't believe, don't care or worse, they have never heard his gospel message.

If you are a Christian and you are looking for God's will in your life, its quite simple really:

"And He said unto them, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.'"
                              Mark 16:15 KJV-


"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Spirit)."
                              Matthew 28:19 KJV emphasis added-

So you see God's will for our lives is to spread his message to the whole world. Go preach, teach and give speech to the lost ones and help them come to a place that they can truly say they are found!

For those of you who are reading this and don't know the gospel message, please read some of the previous posts. If it is still unclear after reading please feel free to email me and I would love to respond to your questions. If you have heard the message of promise from the gospel before but it never really took hold in your life then its not to late to change that, here's what you can do to accept the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Repent- Turn your heart from the ways of sin in your life, confess to God about your sins and he will forgive you.

2. Believe and Trust-Believe and Trust on the Lord Jesus Christ and his resurrection and you will be saved (John 3:16).

3. Get and Read a Bible daily-This is a sure way you will stay grounded in your faith by learning daily who it is that has saved you, what you have been saved from and the very nature of the one who saved you!

4. Get in a good Bible based church-This helps build community and a support system for you. It helps grow the body of Christ as well.

5. Share what you have experienced with others who do not know the promise and truth of the Gospel. They are lost but can be found like you were.

I hope this has helped your understanding this day, Enjoy this day to the fullest.

God Bless friends!

Do we assume God is American?

This was a great question posed to me from a great friend of mine. He made the statement that he believes most Christians in America assume that God is the God of America alone. I think that most American Christians don't realize the same God we worship is also very active in the persecuted church worldwide. To say that God is just a white-Christian American is to miss the mark on the nature of God for sure. We must open our eyes to the church worldwide.

It is interesting to think that about that. Why is the Church persecuted? Why do some many people get violent or hate-filled when the name of God, Jesus or the Bible is spoken? Why are Pastors being imprisoned daily worldwide for spreading the good news and hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ? What is so scary about a Christian worldview to most in politics?

After pondering these sorts of questions I can only really think of one thing...

THE TRUTH HURTS!

I know, I know, how do I know that Christianity is the truth?

Better still how do you know that it is not?

Why is nobody imprisoned for spreading the message of Krishna? Why haven't countries banned distribution of the Qur'an? Why don't New Agers face death for talking about the higher power of self?

Simple again I think... they all miss the mark for absolute truth. Here is what I mean. Christianity is the only religion to declare that God came in the flesh to die for the sins of man, and that believing in him and only him is the path to heaven. We Christians believe that Narrow is the path that leads to life.

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
                                           Matthew 7:14 KJV-

The world believes that wide is that same path to life and heaven. Much is the belief of Oprah Winfrey and her New Age belief system. To her there are many ways to heaven. You can see how non-threatening this world view is. It says that you are in control of your own morality, you set the bar for your way of life. Your are not governed by any authority above your own self-governing. You are your own absolute truth, that is truth and light in self.

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there will be which go in there at:"
                                         Matthew 7:13 KJV-

Now do we see why New Age belief is not persecuted but Christianity is? Do we see why the Buddha is  a safe image to worship but Jesus is outlawed?

I hope it is clear, the truth will always face the most opposition from forces seen and unseen, because it poses the greatest threat to self-righteousness and living a life that is pleasing to you and not others. Christianity teaches that God governs all, and truth is in him and life everlasting exists in his one way for your life. Jesus said:
 
"I am the way, the truth and the life; No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
                                       John 14:6 KJV-

This is the truth that strikes to the heart of unbelievers and keeps them at a distance. Why? Because as soon as you accept the fact that God exists, and you accept that he is a perfect and just judge then you realize you have to fall under his law. When you realize this your heart races because you realize you are subject to obeying those laws which means giving up all you want for all he wants.

But its not that bad, life doesn't lose all meaning, your hope is not dashed. When you realize what I have and many Christians worldwide have is when you surrender your life to your Lord and King he will fill the voids that were left when you gave up everything to follow him. You might lose that girlfriend you were living with but God may replace that with a Godly marriage in the future. The job where you stole money from may be gone but God will provide work you can be proud of and be honest to.

Life as a Christian is anything but smooth and boring, it is quite invigorating and full of purpose. Sure you can't really go out and sleep with whoever you want, and drink and smoke and shoot any drug you want, you can't continue to steal from work, or cuss out that guy that cut you off on the freeway, but really when you look at it where did that stuff get you anyway? Hung-over, depressed, feeling guilty, in prison or in the doctor's office for hypertension.

Give God a chance to transform your life for the better. Its simple really, yet it is very hard for many.

What you have to do is Repent, Trust in Christ, get in a good bible teaching church, read his word daily and do what it says. If you do those things, I promise you, you will see God move in amazing ways in your life!

God Bless friends!

Atheism?

I saw this on a website today and it made me think about the absolute truth it told.

Atheism really doesn't make much sense. And if Atheism doesn't make sense then Theism (the belief in a God, Creator) must make sense or at least Deism (believe in a creator that no longer intervenes in the universe). As you can tell by this blog I believe in a God who is above all, He sacrificed himself for our sins, something only a perfect all knowing being could do.

So ask yourself if you are an Atheist, WHY? Does your belief make any sense? If it doesn't why do you cling to it? Does it have to do with a question of Morals?

If so check this out, I too was a great sinner, as a matter of fact I know I have sinned today. The difference is that I am willing to admit it to the Creator of this universe and with the admittance and acceptance of my faults and failures as an imperfect being I can then accept the amazing sacrifice of the Savior who paid the fine due for the failures and faults of my life. Then I can walk freely knowing my sins have been forgiven and my fate has been sealed to one day walk and worship in paradise with the God of Creation!

"The Fool hath said in his heart, There is no God..."
                                   Psalm 14:1 KJV

Faith...

So in my morning reading I took a journey through the new testament book of Hebrews and in particular chapter 11.

Right away this chapter jumps out with a claim about faith, here is what is says:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen."

Hebrews 11:1 KJV-

If I could sum up this entire chapter I would by the word FAITH. Just like this passage says and the examples set forth from the writer of the book of Hebrews we see time and time again throughout biblical history the faith of the ones who proceeded Christ being displayed. Enoch's faith that he would not see death, Abraham's faith that even if he sacrificed the one son God promised to prosper him through that God would find a way to see his promise fulfilled. Moses' faith to step away from Pharaoh and be called a Hebrew as was his heritage. David, Samuel and the Prophets all showing great faith to overcome kingdoms and dominions.

FAITH, a simple 5 letter word that can transform lives.

Isn't it interesting how we are told to share our faith with people?

That's what we have to do, share the faith we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Share how he came into this world. How he lived, died and resurrected. Share why he had to do this, to save us from our sins and hell's fire and judgement. Without our faith in Christ we are as good as dead. Most people today are good people at heart but when we own up to the fact that God is a perfect God with a perfect law and that he will not bend the law or provide loop holes to squeeze through judgement on the merits of good deeds then we realize that the judgement must stand up firm. The fine or time has to be paid for or served.

The Great News 4 Everyone is that God sent his only begotten Son to the earth for this very purpose. God realizing that man could never obtain his perfect law created a way for us to come into relationship with him and escape the sentence from the righteous judge. As I close with probably the most quoted scripture of all time, don't just let it pass your eyes like "oh I have seen this before", but really thing about what this is saying, think about how awesome it is that God came down to rescue the creation he loves and how sacrificial, and painful and joyful this all was. Have a blessed weekend friends!

"For GOD so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,. For GOD sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved."

John 3:16-17 KJV-

He is good in times of trouble

This morning in my quiet time with the word of God I read a great little passage in the Old Testament book of Nahum the prophet and it made me think about this world and the lost. It made me think that though they try to fill their lives will all sorts of things in vain from money, to women, to cars, to jobs, to drugs and any other host of things they are missing the promise of this verse that I read.

Ok, Ok so what does the verse say???

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."

-Nahum 1:7 KJV-

How awesome is that. He is a strong hold in the day of trouble, isn't that comforting?

Now I know we would like to think, believer and non-believer alike, that life should be easy, no worries, perfect harmony and all that good stuff, but the truth is life is far from that. We are destine for troubled times, but to some of us if not all of us this happens daily! But the promise here can be the same for all of us if we do what it says in the later part of the verse.

TRUST IN HIM!

Will you do this today? Will you trust in him?

If so hand God the keys of your life and he will drive you wherever you need to go! It is not complicated but it definitely takes some courage and surrender. You cannot begin to feel the love of the Savior if you haven't surrendered to the one who does the saving. But I promise you his is just the one who can save you from these troubles of life. Trust in Him and begin your new walk in this life confident that when all is said and done you will be in the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

If you are struggling with accepting this Jesus into your life, email me, or post a comment below any post, I would love to have a chance to answer any question you might have, negative or positive, tough or easy, God will guide the response and make sure it helps where you most need it.

Have a blessed day!

Ye are my Friends...

Hey Good Morning All,

So just briefly today I wanted to write to you concerning the promise made from the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples, the ones who would follow him. In John 15 Christ is telling his disciples that they are no longer his servants because servants do not know what their masters do, because Christ has revealed his work to them making them friends.

He says that the greatest thing a friend can do for one another is lay down his life for him. That is exactly what Jesus did for us all. That is the Great News 4 Everyone I want to put across to you all.

Of course there is one more thing, in this chapter Christ talks about giving us whatever we ask. So many people assume this means things for our benefits, our pleasures, and that this is open to anyone who prays in the Lord's name. I have to say that this assumption is false. It is not open to anyone, not for our benefit or our pleasures. So you are now probably asking, "Okay so what is it about?"

This set of verses is for those who would be called friends of Christ. Who are the friends of Christ?? It can be you and I if we do something first, accept the Lord as Savior of our lives and as in verse 14: "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you"

You are a friend to Christ if you do what he commands, and that is to love one another, and take the word unto all the world and all creatures as in Mark 16:30.

Then our prayers will be answered but another clue into how they will be answered and which ones will be is that we pray not for selfish desires but pray for the things that Christ wanted us to do. Then if he sees fit that you should need a new car, or clothes, or a bigger house, anything you might be praying for to make your life better he will give it only if it fits his purpose which might mean a minivan and not that BMW to drive the youth group around in. Remember the words written in James 4:3: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your own pleasures."

Friends don't be caught asking inappropriately but ask as a friend of Christ so that you may do the things he commands us, then our joy in this world would be complete. Remember we have the Holy Spirit available to us daily to help in the areas in which we struggle, he will help us to speak the truth in love to the lost sheep. Lets go out and rescue the lost and bring them into the glory of a relationship with the Father!

-Peace in Christ-