Be Bold

Question: do you need boldness to witness to your family, your friends, or your neighbors?  With so many people being drawn away from the Lord and so much hostility against Christians surfacing and persecution on the rise, you may feel intimidated; maybe you are a timid person and more of an introvert than an extrovert.  

Think about the life of Peter before the day of Pentecost compared to after when the Holy Spirit was poured out; there seemed to be a different Peter.  Before this event took place Peter seemed to speak out before thinking, maybe from his emotions, sticking his foot in his mouth, so to speak, denying the Lord at His most crucial moment, just sort of wishy washy you might say.  After the day of Pentecost, Peter seemed to be very bold.  What made the difference?  The power of the Holy Spirit in Peter’s life made all the difference in the world.  The Holy Spirit helped Peter to be very bold in his witnessing!!  

Jesus told His disciples what would happen when the Holy Spirit was poured out.  Read what He said in Acts 1:4-8, “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”

If you read Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2:1-41, you may notice a different Peter, one who was very bold, witnessing without fear.  There are a few reasons why you may not be bold in witnessing besides the ones I mentioned earlier.  You may have grieved the Holy Spirit by not being obedient or maybe there is unconfessed sin in your life that you need to confess and repent of.  Maybe you need to ask God for a refilling of His Holy Spirit in your life.  

The first step is that you have to be a born-again believer.  If that is the case, do what Peter told the people to do in his first sermon after being baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:36-39, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’

Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’”

Spend a lot of time with the Lord studying the Word, praying and memorizing the verses that speak of salvation until you are comfortable with saying them.  Then step out in faith trusting the Holy Spirit to anoint and empower you, giving you the words you need to say at the time.  Be available and willing to be used by God.  Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!  

Know the Truth

Jesus said this to the disciples who followed Him, in John 8:31-32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

Jesus also said this in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

In our day there are many people that say there is no truth or no absolutes, but Jesus claimed that He was the truth, and He was, and still is.  He has set many people free and continues to do so, and knowing and keeping His Word has also set many a captive free, I being one of them, praise the Lord!!  If you want to know the truth, come to Jesus with an open mind and a willing heart to listen and learn, like a man called Nicodemus did, who was a member of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews.  Jesus criticized this group many times because of their self-righteous attitudes, most were very jealous of Jesus’ popularity.  Many stubbornly refused to believe in Him.  Nicodemus came to Jesus by night to learn from Him and Jesus wasted no time in telling Him the truth.

Everyone should learn these truths from Jesus; they’re recorded in John 3:1-21, “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’

Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’

Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’

Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, ‘How can these things be?’

Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.’”

Without receiving this truth from Jesus and applying it to your life, you will not enter God’s kingdom, you will be eternally lost.  There is no other way to enter heaven except through Jesus and being born-again, it can’t be any plainer than that, and that is truth.  You can be set free too, if you choose to be, repent of your sins and ask the Lord to forgive you and be the Lord of your life.  Find a Bible believing church and start growing in the faith.  Don’t forget to thank the Lord for what He has done and share it with someone else!!  Something to think about!  May the Lord bless you and yours and have a super day!!

Lost People

Jesus spoke twice about how we can make heaven a place of rejoicing in Luke 15:1-10, “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them.’ So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

‘Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’”

I am not saying that there is no rejoicing in heaven at any other time, I think that heaven is the happiest place there is, but I believe when a sinner repents and puts their trust in the Lord, there is something like a party going on and a lot of rejoicing.  Think of this, how many angels are there?  I have no idea, but there are many, and if they all rejoice when a sinner repents then heaven must resound with rejoicing, which brings me to my next point.  There is probably not a day goes by without at least one repentant sinner repenting of their sins and trusting the Lord as their Savior, so there must be a lot of rejoicing going on, praise the Lord!  Jesus said this when He was in the garden with His disciples, in Matthew 26:53 “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?”

These two parables talk about sheep and a coin which were very important in those days to these people and the loss of either would have been a great loss, so when they found them there was great rejoicing among them and their friends also.  Regardless of how much the people and the angels rejoiced, how much more the Lord rejoices when a sinner repents and turns away from their sins!  You might say that without the Lord no one can be saved, and that is true, Jesus said this in John 6:41-44, “The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.’ And they said, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?’

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, ‘Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.’”

But don’t forget this, everyone has a free will and a choice, so a person can be drawn but still refuse to repent, the choice is theirs, the Lord doesn’t force anyone to repent.  What I see in both of these parables is a love story, the sheep and the coin were very important, but souls are much more important to the Lord.  They weren’t only important, but He loves people, not just the redeemed ones but those that need to be redeemed, the sinners, and He demonstrated that many times while He walked the earth.  

The story of Jesus’ birth in Matthew, chapters 1 and 2, the Christmas story, was a love story which is interwoven through the entire Word of God.  In the Gospels we find that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, the precious Lamb of God, who God’s Word says takes away the sin of the world, in John 1:29.  Jesus loved people so much that He was willing to give His life for them, and He did just that, He allowed Himself to be crucified for our sins when we were still His enemies, He died for us.  That was good news, but I have even better news, the grave couldn’t hold Him, and the sting of death had no power over Him so on the third day He rose again!  He suffered much pain and agony for the very people who killed Him.  He allowed these things to take place because He wasn’t willing that any be lost but that all would come to repentance.  God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us, taking our place and our shame.  The blood of Jesus was shed for the sins of mankind and it has never lost its power and the stream never runs dry, Halleluiah.

So, if you would like to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, repent of your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness and come into your life and be your Lord and Savior.  If you are sincere, I believe it will happen, but take your time and let the Lord fill you with His peace, love and joy.  Then you can go forth rejoicing and be sure you thank and praise the Lord.  Find a Bible believing church and start growing in your new found faith.  Something to think about!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!            

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is something Jesus warned about.  Hypocrisy is teaching, or pretending to believe something that you don’t and claiming to live up to the standard that one doesn’t have.  A hypocrite is a pretender, or actor, claiming to be what they aren’t.  There are those in church that claim to be Christians but in all reality they are not.  When people hang around with other people long enough, they can learn to mimic them and can walk like them and even talk like them, and, in many ways act like them but they are not them.   Think about actors who play the part of someone else, they practice and practice to be like the person they portray in the movies, on TV or in plays but they are just actors.  True Christians are not perfect and we do sin at times, and we also do things that we regret, so someone may say we are hypocrites, but we are not.  We may act that way at times but remember we are sinners saved by the grace of the Lord and covered by His righteousness and forgiven through His shed blood as we repent and ask His forgiveness asking Him to be our Lord and Savior.  Hypocrites, on the other hand, are different, they may be full of religion but they have no real relationship with Jesus.

Read some of the things Jesus said about hypocrites in Matthew 6:1-15, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Hypocrites are people who do things just for show purposes but may pretend to do the things they do for the Lord, but they take the credit for what they do themselves.  Many of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day lived this way.  These men did good things for appearance only.  Our attitude is very important in the things we do and the reasons why we do them.  Doing things just for show is not the attitude a Christian should have.  There are other things that Jesus said on this subject.  

If you want to know more, you might want to read Matthew 23:1-36, “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

Something to think about; just because you find a mouse in a cookie jar, doesn’t make him a cookie, no more than a person in church makes them a Christian. It is all about relationship and in this case a personal relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God, the one and only Savior, the Lord!!

If you don’t have that relationship but would like to, you need to acknowledge the fact that you are a sinner in need of the Lord’s saving grace and ask Him to forgive you and come into your life and be your Lord and Savior.  I believe that He will, if you are sincere, but let me encourage you to take your time and let the Lord fill you with His perfect peace, love and joy and then start growing in your new found faith.  Get into a Bible believing church and start thanking and praising the Lord!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!