11 1/2 Minutes Part 4

Friday, February 26, 2010
11 1/2 Minutes Part 4

Below is Part 4 of "Can you spend 11and a half minutes thinking about Eternity?" (write to pastorbaron@cfl.rr.com for the entire electronic booklet to pass on to others.)

Part 4

God is holy and righteous and no matter how much He loves us, our crimes against God’s law must be answered for, and the penalty must be paid.

For the wages [i.e., penalty] of sin is death (Romans 6:23)

Do you now see what you need to be saved from? ______

Do you now see why you need to be saved? ______

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:20)

No one is ever going to be “justified” or found in right standing with God on judgment day because of their obedience to the law. In fact, the law shows us just how horribly sinful we really are!

The ‘gospel’, or ‘good news’, of Jesus Christ is that God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners (law breakers) Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). He paid the penalty for our sin, and this is called ‘redemption’. Because the life of our flesh is in the blood, God’s righteousness required that the payment of our sin be the sacrificed blood of a perfect sin offering, and that perfect sin offering was Jesus Christ. That is why He is called the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29). John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Christ has done His part in dying for you as your sin offering, and offering you the gift of salvation from the penalty and power of sin. Christ is offering you a right standing with God. The legal term for this is “justified”. (If it will help you, you can think of being justified, as meaning “just as if you never sinned”.)

What is Christ able to offer you since He died on the cross for you? _______________

For the wages [penalty] of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

The question now is whether you are willing to do your part.

Just believing what the Bible says is not enough. James 2:19 tells us the demons believe, and they tremble!

"Repent, [confess and turn from your sin]

and let every one of you be baptized [immersed in water]

in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; [ask Christ to forgive you]

and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (salvation and eternal life!).” (Act 2:38)

Are you willing to repent of your sins? ________

Are you willing to call on Jesus Christ to save you? ________

Are you willing to publicly confess Christ as your Lord and Savior in the waters of baptism (i.e., immersion)? ________
(1 Peter 3:21 says that it isn’t the water that saves us, but it is the answer of a good conscience towards God)

If so, then go!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

11 1/2 Minutes Part 3

Below is Part 3 of "Can you spend 11and a half minutes thinking about Eternity?" (write to pastorbaron@cfl.rr.com for the entire electronic booklet to pass on to others.)

Part 3

Exodus 20:14 says we are not to commit adultery, and Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-30,

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”

Have you ever looked at another person with lust (intense craving)? ________


What did Jesus say you are in danger of if you sin (violate God’s law)? __________

Exodus 20:15 says we are not to steal.

Have you ever taken anything that didn’t belong to you? __________

Exodus 20:16 says we are not to bear false witness.

Have you ever lied to anyone? ________


Based on our brief look at some of God’s law, would you say that you are a sinner, and that you have violated God’s law and broken His commandments?
__________________

By God’s holy and righteous standard, and by the words of Jesus Christ, are you a law breaker that is in danger of punishment and possibly hell fire, or a good person that hasn’t broken God’s commandments?

___________________________________________________________

Read the following scriptures-

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. (Isa 64:6)

As it is written: "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE; (Rom 3:10)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Rom 3:23)

Now you can hopefully see the answer to the question of, “What do I need to be ‘saved’ from? The answer is the judgment of a holy and righteous God before whom you will one day appear.

If you knew that you were guilty of committing many crimes against the state, and knew you were going to appear in court to answer for your crimes would you be fearful? _____

If you know that you are guilty of breaking many of God’s laws, and know you are going to appear in court to answer for your violations should you be fearful? _____

Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fear is evidence that you understand your predicament and are aware of your need of salvation, and more specifically, of a Savior.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

11 1/2 Minutes Part 2

Below is Part 2 of "Can you spend 11and a half minutes thinking about Eternity?" (write to pastorbaron@cfl.rr.com for the entire electronic booklet to pass on to others.)

Part 2

If a lawbreaker has done many good deeds in the community and has said they are sorry, can a righteous judge let someone that is guilty of breaking the law go unpunished? _____________

Is God a righteous judge? ______

Can God then let religious people that do good deeds, say their prayers, and ask forgiveness, go free from punishment if they are guilty of breaking His laws? ________

Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
(Mat 7:22-23)

So if we’re all going to appear before the judgment seat of God after we die, a good question would be, “Have you violated God’s law?”

1 John 3:4 says that sin is the transgression, or violation, of the law. So when we talk about breaking God’s law, we are talking about our sin.

Let’s look at some of God’s law for a few minutes, and see how you do. [The Old Testament book of Exodus records some of God’s law/commandments, and Jesus refers to some of these commandments of God in the New Testament book of Matthew.]

In Exodus 20:7 we read, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

Have you ever used God’s name inappropriately? ____________


According to the Bible, is God going to hold you accountable for this? ________


Exodus 20:13 says we are not to commit murder, and Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22,

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' . . . But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1Jn 3:15)


Have you ever been angry or had hatred toward someone? _____________


Have you ever called someone an idiot or fool in your anger? __________


What did Jesus say you are in danger of if you are guilty? _________________

No wonder we find ourselves in need of a Savior!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

11 1/2 Minutes Part 1

Below is Part 1 of "Can you spend11and a half minutes thinking about Eternity?"

Part 1

Someone that cares about you would like you to consider God’s gift of salvation.

If I can assure you that this won’t take more than 12 minutes of your time, would you pick up a pen, think through some questions with me, and jot down your answers as we go? (You can even check your watch to make sure I’m being straight with you about the time. Ready?

Let’s start with the question of why any of us would need a gift of “salvation”. What do we need to be “saved” from?

To understand what we would need to be “saved” from, we would first need to know that there is a heavenly courtroom where we all will one day face God, the holy and righteous judge, and give account for our lives.

Hebrews 9:27 reads,
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, after this the judgment”.

Revelation 20:11-12 reads,
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”

What does the Bible say you will face in God’s court room after you die?

___________________________________________________________


In earthly courtrooms what does a righteous judge do to people that are found guilty of violating the law?

If a lawbreaker has done many good deeds in the community and has said they are sorry, can a righteous judge let someone that is guilty of breaking the law go unpunished?

_____________

Is God a righteous judge? ______

To be continued . . .

write Pastor Baron at pastorbaron@cfl.rr.com to request the electronic copy of this to pass on.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Are You Willing to Spend 11 1/2 Minutes Thinking about Eternity?

Every now and then some of you have posted comments to the blog asking me questions about the gospel of Christ, the Christian faith, salvation, and such. Please direct your correspondence to me at pastorbaron@cfl.rr.com. I received a "comment" yesterday with some excellent questions, but blog comments often don't provide the name and e-mail address of the author. I would be glad to post comments to the daily devotions that enhance the devotions, themselves, but don't want to distract readers of the devotions with sidebar discussions that really don't comment on the devotion, itself.

I do have a several page booklet that I have written called, "Are You Willing to Spend 11 1/2 Minutes Thinking about Eternity?" that answers a lot of basic questions regarding eternity and God's judgment of sinners in less than 12 minutes! So if you'd like an electronic copy of this brief booklet to read for yourself, or to send to friends, please e-mail me and request it.

It's great the way so many of you send this daily devotion on to others, and I want you to know that I do get comments back from people in other parts of the world. So be aware, that when you pass this devotion a long, you are planting seeds throughout the world for the cause of Christ. Thank You!!

Remember,
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1Jn 5:13)

There is a way to KNOW that we have eternal life, and the Word of God wants us to spread the good news. It will not always fall on fertile soil, but our responsibility is to "SOW IT so they KNOW IT"!

SPREAD THE WORD, THEY HAVEN’T HEARD!
SOW THE SEED TO THOSE IN NEED!

Pass this and the booklet I mentioned on to as many people as you can. You never know what life you may touch for the glory of the Lord, and the salvation of a soul!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Let's Not Be Fickle Soldiers in the Lord's Army

Just how fickle are you?

One of the traits that is so needed by our men in uniform is constancy, stedfastness.

The Word of God says,

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
(1Co 15:58)

Isn't interesting that on the one hand we are told to be stedfast and immovable, and on the other hand we are told to be moving forward in the work of the Lord?

I think the reason for this is that the only way we can truly move forward in the work of the Lord is to be set and unmovable in our minds with respect to certain things.

One very present characteristic of the world, that is a very dangerous characteristic when present in God's army, is fickleness.

Fickleness is an inconstancy that is largely due to putting too much stock in outward circumstances. Greatness and success are measured by how things look on the outside in a given day, week, or month. The funny thing about the etymology of the word 'fickle' is that it comes from the Middle English 'fikel' and Old English 'ficol', which mean "deceit". That not only goes with the saying that outward appearances can be deceiving, but makes one think of the ultimate deciever that seeks to derail us from what is important in life.

When the Word of God warns us to be good soldiers and to not get entangled in the matters of this world, it is, among other things, warning us not to be tossed to and fro by what we see all around us down here. Looks are deceiving.

Trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit and don't trust your eyes. God is not fickle, and the more you walk in Him, the less fickle you will be. Keep your eyes on the target, your mind on the mission.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

You Could be Blessed in Your Pit

Let's take a few minutes to read and then think about the story of Joseph where his brothers throw him into a pit.

Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!" But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him." And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him"—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. So Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened. (Gen 37:20-27)

Hardship #1- Joseph's brothers want him dead and intend to kill him.

Blessing #1 for Joseph- Joseph's older brother Reuben saves his life. Most of his brothers want to kill him and throw him into the pit, but his oldest brother Reuben talks them into just throwing him into a pit in the wilderness where Joseph would die of natural causes due to no water. (Reuben was planning on coming back for Joseph when the others weren't around and rescuing him.)

Hardship #2- Judah, probably wanting to save Joseph's life at this point, talks them into selling Joseph to an Ishmaelite caravan. Unfortunately, this will foil Reuben's plan to rescue him, and put him on the road to Egypt where he will be sold as a slave.

Blessing #2- God is going to raise up Joseph to second in command of all Egypt and position him to save the lives of many people. (Genesis 50:20).

From inside that pit, it didn't look like things were going very well for Joseph, and things certainly didn't look very hopeful. Yet the very fact that he was ALIVE in the pit was a great blessing.

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (Psa 40:1-4)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Women and the Word

Each Friday morning a group of ladies gather around the Word of God here at the Calvary Chapel Space Coast church facility and talk about life with the Lord. A lot of times the Bible has lessons for us that are not what we want to hear. One of the important things is that we take this journey TOGETHER.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1Jn 1:7)

Did you catch two important truths here?

1) If we walk in the light as Christ is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. Fellowshipping together in Christ is part of walking in the light. One can't truly walk in the light and avoid fellowshipping anymore than one can truly live and avoid drinking fluids for very long.

2) If we walk in the light and fellowship with one another, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

Now, that is a very interesting thought. We are familiar with the call to repent, be baptized, and call upon the name of the Lord for the forgiveness of sins, but how does walking the light and fellowshipping with one another result in the blood of Christ cleansing us from all sin?

I think the answer lies in the following two verses, and in Hebrews 3:13.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:8-9)

but exhort one another daily, while it is called "TODAY," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb 3:13)

As we walk in the light and fellowship with one another, we exhort one another and call each other into account so to speak. This will hopefully open our eyes to our sin, and cause us to be quicker to confess our sin, and to receive the covering and cleansing of the blood of Jesus.

And Praise God the Word tells us that He will cleanse us from ALL our sin, and ALL our unrighteousness!!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

How to Pray for God's People

Daniel the prophet was a mighty man of prayer. I thought I'd share one of his prayers with you so that you could see how he approached God on behalf of God's people. The Babylonians had invaded Judea, sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and had taken many, including Daniel, to Babylon.

And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.
(Dan 9:4-5)

Even though Daniel, himself, had been faithful to the Lord, he identified himself as part of the dispersed Judeans, and said "WE have sinned and committed iniquity". He could have said, "Those rebellious Judeans that turned from you have sinned and committed iniquity", but he said, "we have sinned". A good start at interceding on the part of your family or church family is to take "ownership" of your family. You are a part of your family, and you are therefore a part of the sin that goes on as well as the good things that go on. "We have sinned".

"O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name." Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
(Dan 9:16-23)

Daniel pleaded on behalf of God's people, not because they were deserving of His favor, but because they bore His name.

Daniel confessed his own personal sin before God, as well as the sins of God's people. No pointing of the finger at his fellow dispersed Judeans who had been disobedient to the Lord. No excuses. Just a plea for mercy based on the good name of the Lord and His mercy.

God is slow to anger and abounding in mercy (Psalm 103:8).

Don't hesitate to pray to your heavenly Father, and while you're at it, take the time to pray on behalf of your Christian church family as well as your immediate family.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

The Desire of Our Eyes

God gives us many beautiful things in life. But it is important to remember the old saying, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away". The same God that so generously gives us things of beauty can take away those things. Our God is a justifiably jealous God (Exodus 34:14), and does not want us giving to another the affection that rightfully belongs to Him. It is common to think of things like work, sports, hobbies, and family competing for the attention and affection that might belong to God, but even 'religious' or 'spiritual' stuff can rob Him of the affection and attention He deserve. We can love our worship music, our Bible studies, our witnessing, our praying, and even our church buildings in a way that comes between us and our relationship with the Lord.

Even though the Old Testament temple was built by King Solomon per God's instructions, it became the object of Israel's affection and adoration, to the exclusion of their affection and adoration of God, Himself.

God was going to wipe away the temple with a single stroke.

Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke;
(Eze 24:15-16)

With one stroke, God can remove something from our lives that we hold dear.

So when we read in Psalm 37:4 that God will give us the desires of our hearts, we best remember that this is all predicated on our taking great delight in our relationship with the Lord.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

5:00 A.M. Prayer

Monday, February 15, 2010
5:00 A.M. Prayer

The alarm needs to be set pretty early to make it to 5:00 a.m. prayer on Mondays, but it is a great way to start the week.

Today we talked about how we are to look out for one another, and that we ARE our brother's keeper. We also discussed how our actions affect others, especially those around us.

Oswald Chambers made the statement that God hasn't left us on the earth to be saved and sanctified, but to "be at it for Him". He said that our life is the way that we say "thank you" to God for His unspeakable salvation.

Psalm 46 says:
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; . . . Be still, and know that I am God; (Psa 46:10)

God is never as far as we sometimes feel He is, and is always close at hand, ever ready to bless us and minister to us. He is a VERY PRESENT, VERY AVAILABLE, VERY CAPABLE, VERY DEPENDABLE, VERY POWERFUL help in times of trouble. We must only learn how to press into Him and receive His embrace. A good start is usualy just being still, and letting Him know that you know He's there and that He cares.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

The Debt We Don't Talk About

Who do you owe? Many of us would never think of not paying our bills and not making good on what we owe to people, but some of us at times short change the very people to whom we are the most indebted. These are the church families that have brought the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God to us, our families, and communities.

Paul put it this way in Romans 15:27:

For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them [the Christians from Macedonia and Achaia] indeed, and they are their debtors [these owe the church in Jerusalem]. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them [the church in Jerusalem] in material things. (Rom 15:26-27)

The church of Jesus Christ was born about 2000 years ago when the Holy Spirit came upon a group of believers in the resurrected Christ, and church families began springing up as the gospel (i.e., good news) and the Word of God was spread throughout the known world.

The Word of God bring salvation and life, and many have faithfully brought it and taught it so that people could be reconciled to God.

Do we really appreciate what these church families have done, and are doing? Do we see that there is a debt that we owe those that faithfully labor to bring us the Word of God?

Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE AN OX WHILE IT TREADS OUT THE GRAIN." Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?
(1Co 9:7-11)

What God is saying in the passage above, is that those that feed you the Word of God are just entitled to your support, as you are entitled to your paycheck at your job. hmmmm.

By the way, while I am at it, a special thank you to all those that have faithfully supported your pastors and church families with your finances over the years. You have done more for the advancement of the kingdom of God than you know. Let's make 2010 a bannter year for sowing into the kingdom of God.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

It's never too late to set things on a right course

Once there was a king named David. The Word of God says that he was a man after God's own heart. He had a son named Solomon that chased after and obtained most all that the world had to offer. As a result the kingdom was torn in two under the kingship of David's grandson (Solomon's son) Rehoboam. Judah and Jerusalem endured 17 years of Rehoboam's disobedient reign and 3 years of his son, Abijam, who wasn't any better. But along came Asa ("healing" in the Hebrew). He was King David's great great grandson; Solomon's great grandson; and Rehoboam's grandson. He was )

Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David. And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
(1Ki 15:11-12)

Finally, a good king! He not only went to great lengths to uproot perversions and idol worshipping from the land, but he was not a respector of persons. He deposed the queen mother who was his grandmother (Rehoboam's wife) because of her idol worshipping.

It's never too late to start a new heritage with your family, and that starts with your own personal relationship with God. Those that are around me alot hear me frequently say that God is a god of new hearts and new starts.

So regardless of your lineage, your parentage, or you personal sacrilege, it is never to late to start anew. His mercies are new every morning, He is slow to anger, and abounding in mercy!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Glorify Your Name

What trouble and difficulties are you currently going through in life?

Is your prayer more along the line of, "Father, deliver me", or "Father, glorify your name"?

As Jesus approached the hour of his crucifixion, He pointed out that it is impossible for a grain to produce fruit unless it first dies. We must be willing to die to ourselves in order to truly live unto God.

Jesus admitted that He was troubled in His soul as He pondered what was ahead for Him, but He couldn't ask the Father to save Him from it, because He knew that it was God's will for Him to go to the cross. His prayer was therefore, "Father, glorify your name."

But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name."
(Joh 12:23-28)

So what's it going to be? Dead to ourselves and alive unto God? Or, . . . ?

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
(Php 3:8-10)

What do you hold most dear? How closely are you holding it? Is it something that God wants you to hold on to?

Are you hearing God's voice? Are you heeding His call? Is your prayer, "Lord, glorify your name through me"?

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

What's Your Burden and What's Your Yoke?

SO WHAT'S YOUR JOB IN THE KINGDOM?

Some people say that God doesn't want us to carry a burden, but I strongly disagree. Responsibility is a necesssary burden that all of us must bear, and especially when it comes to service within the kingdom of God and church of Jesus Christ.

We live in a day and age where people want to be served rather than to serve; independent rather than interdependent; free rather than obligated; indulged rather than involved; uncommitted rather than committed; detached rather than depended upon; and we could go on and on.

Church becomes more like a smorgasbord where families attend because of what's being served, rather than like a family where relationships are built on the foundation of commitment and self-sacrifice, as opposed to convenience and what's in it for me.

Jesus didn't say that we are to be burdenless. What He said was that He could make our burdens light. In fact He commands us to come to Him and be yoked up.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
(Mat 11:28-30)

It's funny in a way, but one of the fruits of personal "freedom" (that is freedom FROM self-sacrifice, commitments, obligations, and freedom TO do what best interests or serves you) is STRESS AND ANXIETY. (And medical science will tell you that stress and anxiety is the number one killer of our physical bodies.)

What Jesus offers us is a yoke of lifelong servitude in the kingdom of God, but what Jesus promises us is BLESSING AND PEACE! I.e., rest for our souls.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

What Are you doing for What Ails You?

All of us have our valleys in life. All of us have our struggles. Where, or to whom, do we turn when the going gets rough?

The prophet Isaiah spoke to the Israelites regarding their response to trouble in the land. They were being attacked by the Babylonians, and were ultimately going to be invaded and conquered. But their men were slain way before the battles took place. They were slain by their refusal to turn to the Lord in the midst of their trouble.

What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops, You who are full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, Nor dead in battle. (Isa 22:1-2)

The Israelites were doing everything within their own power to defend themselves from the Assyrians EXCEPT repent and turn to the Lord.

You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago. And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
(Isa 22:9-13)

The end result was that they would lose their position in the land that God had promised them. A position from which they were to be light to a dying world.

I will drive you out of your office, And from your position he will pull you down. (Isa 22:19)

Christ said that we as His people were God's city on a mountain, a light for the world to draw them to the Lord. Yet His seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation warned that if we aren't faithful to be what He has called us to be, we may find our candles being removed from their position.

We all have valleys. We all have troubles. Look to the Lord in the midst of your valleys and troubles, stand together as a church family, and shine your light to the glory of God.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Are you Cracked and Willing?

Sometimes we lose sight of how special we are to God, and begin to think of ourselves as old cracked flower pots that though kept around, really don't serve any useful purpose. It is in these times that we need to remind ourselves that God knows our every weakness, that God VALUES US, and that God USES US IN SPITE OF OURSELVES!



But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— (2Co 4:7-9)

As hard as it is for us to accept sometimes, God is not looking for perfect pots. God is looking for willing pots. God is actually glorified when He takes imperfect not-so-beautiful pots such as us, and does beautiful things.

So it's not so much your condition, as your position. Are you IN CHRIST?

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
(Eph 1:3-7)

In Christ we have every spiritual blessing. In Christ we are the chosen of God. In Christ we are loved and accepted. In Christ we are clean and forgiven. Cracks and all.

So are you willing to be used of God to display His glory as He does beautiful things with you?

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

What do you do at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday?

Well, here I am bright and early in the church office trying to get this morning devotion typed up and out to you before 7:00 a.m. We're setting up some tables and a prayer tent and a hot dog grill out front this morning and running a combination garage sale, prayer ministry, free hot dogs, gospel sharing outreach. Wish I had time to make some 'Fast Food' type combo signs. Value Combo One would be a prayer and a million dollar bill tract. Value Combo Two would be a hot dog, prayer, and a water. Value Combo Three would be a prayer, two million dollar bill tracts. Value Combo Four . . . well you get the idea.

Feel free to come by and meet us this morning. We'll probably take down around noon. (We're at 5195 S. Washington Ave., about a mile or so north of the NASA Cswy. overpass on the east side of U.S. 1). Hopefully we'll have some signs up, and hopefully the weather holds up.




Either way, outreach events are an opportunity for brothers and sisters in Christ to pitch in and together, make a difference.

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. (Rom 12:4-13)

We are a family of God, and the Lord calls on us to serve TOGETHER, in whatever form that takes. So make sure that part of your service to the Lord includes serving alongside some brothers and sisters in Christ. You'll be glad you did, others will be blessed, and you'll bring a smile to your Heavenly Father's face.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Physical Signs Signal His Presence and Show His Glory

Did you ever stop to think that God, our creator, is big on physical signs? After destroying the earth with water He put a rainbow in the sky as a reminder of His covenant with Noah never to destroy the earth with water again. From the pillar of fire to lead the Israelites in the wilderness to the tongues of fire to show His presence on the church (Acts 2). From the washing of the whole frame in water (i.e., water immersion, or baptism) as a preparation for the Old Testament priesthood (Ex.29:4), to immersion in water as preparation into the New Testament priesthood (Acts 2:38, Heb. 10:24)

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
(Heb 10:22-23)

Jesus said miracles are even to show God's glory (John 9:3, 11:4).

All that to say that your Heavenly Father has a habit of manifesting Himself in our very physical world, since He created us with eyes, ears, touch, smell, and taste. So keep your eyes and ears on alert, or you may miss some of the awesome ways He is showing Himself to you.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

What Kind of Virus is In Your System?

A "Security Alert" screen popped up on my computer this morning telling me that I had all sorts of viruses, malware, spyware, and such, and suggested that I pay $29.95 to install their security program in order to have it remove all of my infections. I decided to Google it to see if it was a recommended software program, and lo and behold, I found out that IT WAS A VIRUS! And what made matters worse is that it started hitting me with warnings and not allowing any of my computer applications to run. Well, I googled solutions and waded through them (not being very technical is a disadvantage in this type of situation), and though I got the basic idea of what I was supposed to accomplish, I couldn't get there by following the various sets of online instructions. I decided to pray (Don't laugh at me- I know what you guys are thinking- why didn't he start with that?). I then got an idea, clicked a few places, found exactly what I needed to find, and eradicated the beast. Praise the Lord!

It reminded me of 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, which tells us that Satan and our adversaries can transform themselves to look like "good guys", and that we must be discening enough to not fall for their schemes.

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works."

My dictionary tells me that a virus is something that poisons one's body, soul, or mind. The best anit-virus protection in the world, is to love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your body (strength), and with all your mind.
(Mark 12:30). Darkness can't survive in the light.

May the fire of God's Spirit burn brightly and burn hot in you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Have a great day in Him!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Taking God's People From Their Work

Are you climbing the stairway to Heaven?

I read an interesting saying the other day; "The elevator to success is out of order. You're going to have to take the stairs - one step at a time!"

While that is a catchy saying, and holds a lot of truth for those that are seeking to overcome obstacles in life, we must be careful not to think that there is some stairway to heaven that we have to climb. I am going to make some bold statements here. THERE IS NO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. THERE IS NO PATH THROUGH THE JUNGLE THAT LEADS TO PARADISE. YOU ARE EITHER THERE, OR YOU AREN'T.

The Word of God says that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered (Romans 10:13). It goes on to say that when God delivers us He transports us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Son. HE BEAMS US UP!

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us (i.e., transported us) into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:13-14)

In Christ, we are there! In Christ we have full and immediate access into the throne room of God! In Christ we are forgiven and free!

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Heb 10:19-22)

Full assurance of faith. Lord bless us with the full assurance of faith that lifts us FROM the quagmire of despondency, hopelessness, fear, and doubt. Lord bless us with the full assurance of faith that lifts us TO the forgiveness, freedom, fearlessness, patience, perseverance, and promises that are ours IN CHRIST.

Praise God!! He has beamed us up, and nothing can now separate us from the love of God.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

The Big Five Oh

So what Biblical pictures come to mind when you think of the number fifty? The firstfruits of a wheat harvest, maybe?

Did you know that 50 cubits was a common measurement in the tabernacle, and that the tabernacle curtains were joined together by fifty loops and fifty clasps of gold? (Ex 26:5-6)

But more than anything else, 50 is a number of new life, of victory over your period of great trial.

It was on the 50th day that the Israelites celebrated the feast of weeks (Shabuoth-Greeks call it "Pentecost"- Ex 34:22), God's making of His covenant of law with His people under Moses, who had led them out of bondage in Egypt. This feast came at the time that the firstfruits of the wheat harvest came up.

It was on the 50th day that the followers of the Messiah received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God's sealing of His new covenant of grace with His people under Christ their Messiah, who freed them from the bondage of sin.

Many of us have been through our '40 days of testing', and as one brother wrote to me yesterday, "Some of my trials have gone well beyond 40 days...not that I'm counting." But the 50th day is coming! Your Shabuoth. Your Pentecost. The beginning of a new harvest of great blessing!! God is faithful and your great blessing is on its way. Praise God!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

The Big Four Oh

40

Forty is a significant number in the Bible.

It rained for forty days and forty nights during the great flood (Gen 7:12), and the earth had a new beginning.

Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain for forty days and forty nights (Exo 24:18), and Israel had its first beginning as a nation.

The 12 Scouts/Spies of Israel checked out the land for forty days (Num 13:25), and they did not have their new beginning in the new land because of disobedience.

Goliath, the Philistine, challenged the Israelites for forty days, morning and evening
(1Sa 17:16), and Israel had a new beginning of victories over their enemies.

Jonah preached to Nineveh warning them of judgment falling in 40 days and they repented and had a new beginning as a city. (Jon 3:4)

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, fasted forty days and forty nights, and entered into a new season of ministry. (Mat 4:1-2)

The risen Christ instructed His own for forty days prior to ascending and assuming His throne at the right hand of the Father. (Act 1:3)

One point to take note of here, is that regardless of what struggles you may be facing, God has a reward, i.e., a new beginning or new season of blessing, that is yours if you pass the test. Study His Word, seek His will, and serve His way. Hang in there, trust Him, and He will strengthen your heart (Ps. 27:14)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.