Our Mission To love all people at all times and lead them into a new life in Christ.
Our Vision To be a church that will be multicultural and generational, having a lasting impact on the people to whom we minister.
To see the gospel extend beyond the walls of our church through various outreaches.
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“These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.” Leviticus 27:34
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Galatians 2:16
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3,4
To fully explain the difference in walking by the law and living by grace would take more time and space than I have available. One of the greatest blockages to freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1) as a Christian is from not using the law lawfully. Under the Law of Moses man tried to live by the law but no one could do it. Man was never right with God by keeping the law. It was the blood sacrifices that covered his sins. The law was given to show man that he needed a savior. Under the Law everything was unholy, even the Holy Place, until it was covered by the blood of atonement offered by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Nothing made the unclean clean but the blood of the sacrifice.
Jesus Christ coming as the Messiah (Savior) did not do away with the law but fulfilled it. He kept it totally and completely by His sinless life. Jesus is the law of the Spirit of life that replaced the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) We are now free from the condemnation that is the result of our inability to keep the letter of the law. The life of Jesus Christ in us is now that which makes us one with God. It is not our effort to keep the law which we will never be able to keep. Our peace with God rests completely on our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Walking by the Spirit is trust in Christ only for salvation. Walking according to the flesh is not walking sinfully but rather trusting your ability to keep the commandments to make yourself right with God. As Paul would say, “Wake up! It won’t happen.” Only Christ in you is your hope of glory.”
“Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father…” (Rev. 1:5-6). “Thou…hast redeemed us unto God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10).
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter
Our position in the earth now is one of kings and priest. Each Christian is both a king and a priest. We are both because a king has authority, but a priest has access. “Royal Priesthood is the combination of those two office.” All the earth is God’s and he is raising up a Kingly Priesthood to reign in migh, spirit power and authority. The kingly nature that has been given to us is not so we control other people but to see others reconciled to God. We have as Christians been given the ministry of reconciliation.
We, in the Church, are a peculiar people”, a separate body and unique. We, the Church, are BOTH KINGS AND PRIESTS, a “ROYAL PRIESTHOOD” We are therefore are different a very unique and distinctive and people!
This world is not our home. We are not suppose to be fitting in.
A MINISTER OF THE GOOD NEWS
THERE WAS A COUPLE NAME LAURE AND THERA
CHILDREN THEY DID DESIRE BUT TOLD THEY NEVER WOULD HAVE
THE FATHER PRAYED FOR A SON WHO WOULD BE PREACHER OF THE GOOD NEWS
GOD GRANTED HIS REQUEST AND A SON WAS BORN THEY NAMED HIM GERALD WAYNE
HIS PARENTS TOOK HIM TO CHURCH FAITHFULLY FOR GOD WAS FIRST IN ALL THEY DID
SCHOOL HE DID ATTEND AND EXCELLED IN HIS STUDIES FOR A TEACHER HE WANTED TO BE
GOD HAD A PLAN AND IT BEGAN TO UNFOLD AS HE ANSWERED THE CALL TO BE A MINISTER OF THE GOOD NEWS INSTEAD
NEVER ONCE LOOKING BACK MAKING A MARK IN HISTORY AS A FAITHFUL MAN OF GOD
MANY TIMES THE ENEMY CAME WITH PHYSICAL ATTACKS WANTING TO PUT TO SILENCE THE VOICE THAT PROCLAIMED THE GOOD NEWS
A STANDARD OF TRUTH WAS RAISED GOD’S WORD DID PREVAIL
HE STANDS NOW AS A WARRIOR OF THE FAITH
AN EXAMPLE TO THOSE NEAR AND FAR OF GOD’S WONDERFUL GRACE
TODAY PASTOR JERRY IS CELEBRATING HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY. WITH WHAT HE HAS BEEN THROUGH THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WE CAN SAY TODAY IS INDEED A DAY OF CELEBRATION!! WHAT A BLESSING HE HAS BEEN TO SO MANY PEOPLE THROUGH THE YEARS. I HAVE SEEN THE FAITHFULNESS, INTEGRITY AND CHARACTER OF THIS MAN. HE BELIEVES THE WORD OF GOD TO BE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS – “THE WORD OF GOD”. SOMETIMES WE DON’T KNOW THE IMPACT WE HAVE ON PEOPLE’S LIVES. I HAVE BEEN A WITNESS TO SO MANY LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED THROUGH HIS MINISTRY.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY PASTOR JERRY”. WE LOVE YOU AND PRAY YOU ARE BLESSED WITH MANY MORE YEARS.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” Matt. 24:21-25
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour (when) your Lord is coming.” Matt. 24:42
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” II Peter 3:10-13
There are so many “end-time” Scriptures I cannot possibly quote them all. But, the end is coming; we don’t know when; and we need to be ready. Jesus Christ is our Messiah, and there is no other Savior. Science is not our savior. Environmentalists are not our savior. The simple fact is that man cannot save himself. He must trust God. The first Scripture above mentions an extinction level event where no flesh will be saved. We can’t stop it. We can’t change it. We can’t avoid it. Even science says it isn’t “if” but “when” it happens. We are to be ready! Where is your faith in the matter?
In April, 1863, in Columbus, Mississippi, after decorating graves of her two sons who died representing their beloved southland; an elderly woman walked to two mounds of dirt at the corner of the cemetery to place memorial flowers there also. “What are you doing?” friends shouted, “Those are the graves of two union soldiers.” Softly, that compassionate mother said, “I know. I also know that somewhere in the North, a mother or a young wife mourns for them as we do for ours.”
That compassionate action set in motion our celebration which has become known as Memorial Day. We honor the war dead once a year, but their sacrifice is evident every single day of the year! Today, we want to honor the memory of all those who have sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. Those thousands of sacrificed lives were not given in vain! Because of their sacrifice, we are free today and have the right to assemble ourselves together and worship our God in freedom.
For the child of God, Every Day Is Memorial Day. Today I want to put us in remembrance of another great Soldier and to remember the sacrifice He made. This great Soldier stepped onto a harsh battlefield of this world knowing that it would cost Him everything. He won a great victory, but at a terrible price. He gave His life, not for a nation, but for all humanity. His life was not a life given in vain, but the sacrifice of His life served to set free the captives of sin. This Great Soldier, “Jesus” who stepped out into this earth; commissioned by His Father to redeem people who were lost and without hope.
Ephesians 2:12 Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ——foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid a debt, that I could never pay. He paid a debt at Calvary, He cleansed my soul and set me free. I’m glad that Jesus died and all my sins were erased. I can now sing a brand new song “Amazing Grace” all day long.
On the playground of the grade school I attended was a monkey bar. The only way you could get from one bar to the next one was to let go of the one you were holding on to. As little girl it sure seemed a long way from one bar to the next. I would hold on forever before reaching out to grab the next one because I was afraid of falling. Most of the time I would fall as I reached out to grab the next bar. But I knew I had to “let go” in order to go from one bar to the next. It was not until much practice and building up strength was I able to trust myself enough to let go and grab the second one. Each year I was getting stronger and stronger and not even realizing it, and by the time I was in the fourth grade, I had it mastered.
We become hoarders with things in our life that are holding us back from God’s best. We say things like, “I will deal with that hurt later; I will take care of that burden tomorrow; I will forgive that person later; I need that relationship even though it is toxic; I can’t forget my mistakes, my failures.” Soon we have a whole room of our mind filled with things that keep tripping us up and we wonder why.
There are many reasons people use as an excuse for not “letting go.” But the one thing that is a motivating factor behind it all is fear. The past is known. That is what is familiar even when it is holding us back from God’s best. The future is a question mark. It is the unknown territory. The what if’s
It’s so easy to try to hold onto things, you must trust that God has something better. What God has in store for you is never in the past. “LET IT GO” It is time to move on towards Him. He has so much more than those things that you are holding to on to because it is so familiar.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way.”
“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thess. 3:3
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” 2 Tim. 3:1
There are many Scriptures that talk about end times. End times before the Lord’s return will consist of everything that is opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says for us to be reconciled to God. We are not told to be reconciled to the world but rather to turn aside from those who do not obey the Gospel of Christ.
This is the definition of “perilous times” using the Greek word for perilous in the Spirit Filled Life Bible word wealth section (NKJV) “Perilous or (chalepos in Greek) means harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, painful, fierce, grievous, hard to deal with. The word describes a society that is barren of virtue but abounding with vices.” Can you recognize any of this atmosphere in the world around you today? One only has to listen to the news and watch what is being promoted across the world to see there is a great falling away taking place.
The USA, a nation founded on the very principle of God and Jesus Christ, is now trying to silence the mere mention of Jesus. We are being asked to give up our faith in order to reconcile with our fellow man regardless of what he chooses to believe. Christian church leaders are trying to find common ground for Christians and Muslims to dialogue and try to compromise. Some use the term Chrislim to define a common ground. Why not use the term Muslimanity as well?
The truth is that there is no common ground on which they can meet. Muslims do not wish to understand Christianity. They wish to destroy it by killing the infidels (non-Muslims). There is only one reason Christians need to understand Islam and that is to show the love of Jesus Christ to them and see them reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
The foundation of the Christian Gospel is Jesus Christ as Savior of mankind and there is no room for a believer to embrace any other teaching. We wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of the air and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places. To compromise with evil is to damn your own soul. Stand firm in the faith and avoid the great falling away.
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected (being brought to maturity) in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” I John 2:3-6 (NKJV)
One of the greatest obstacles in the Christian life is believing that I have to keep Jesus’ commandments as good as He did; because no matter how hard I try, I can’t manage to live up to His standards. No one can perform faultlessly by using human ability. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”( Rom. 3:23) Even the most perfect person you know cannot live up to God’s standards by his own effort. Therefore, comes into play God’s grace. Grace is not just God’s love and willingness to forgive our past, present, and future sins. It is the power to love and obey God’s word that takes up residence in the true believer. It is one thing to know what is right and wrong but a deeper experience to “know Him.” Grace is the power that causes the believer to have the desire to serve God because he loves God, and he knows God loves him.
One of the biggest lies of the devil is causing one to believe that because he does not live perfectly his relationship with Jesus is lacking something. The part of our relationship with God that depends on us is that we love Him and believe His word. Christ in us is the hope of glory. I can do nothing in my own strength, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You must believe in His power in you. That is where you get your strength to live. Stop trying to live up to the word of God and start believing God will give you the power you need. God loves you and wants to pick you up if you fall. Satan wants to knock you down and then condemn you because you fell. He then tells you how bad you are and how you have disappointed God and lost His love. You have to get over this kind of reaction or you will never be what God made you to be. God made you more than a conqueror! Start believing it and live like one. AMEN!!
Have you ever tried to forget something? You know that, “one thing”. The more you tried the harder it was. There was something said on TV, radio, a billboard sign that seem to remind you of what you were trying to forget. The enemy of our souls is the master of rewind. And whenever we give him the opportunity he will cause our minds to rewind to the past.
Paul tells in Philippians 3:13 …..but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…. We will never be able live a peaceful life until we make peace with our past. Part of the process of maturing in our relationship with God is not allowing the past to be a stumbling block. Stop looking in the rearview mirror. How far do you think you would make it on the road driving if you were constantly looking in the rearview mirror.
Philippians 3:12-13 “ Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christ like] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet….. Paul seems to be saying, “Whatever strides I have made, whatever ground I’ve covered, I don’t consider myself done running. There is more race to run.” Paul says this as he is in Rome, he is in prison. He has already lived what we read about in the book of Acts. He has already been on several missionary journeys. Miracle after miracle, convert after convert, church plant after church plant. Paul goes on to talk about attitude in verse 14-15 “I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us stay true to what we have already attained”. What attitude was Paul talking about? The attitude of letting the past go and reaching for those things that God has ahead for us.
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.
God has created people as empty vessels, designed in a way to be filled only with Him. All us have at one time has sense that emptiness inside and were driven to fill it. Not until after we were saved did we realize that void we were trying to fill with money, the newest gadget, drugs, sex could only be found by reconnecting with our Creator-God.
There was a certain Samaritan woman who knew all about living a life of emptiness. She tried to fill her life as she went from relationship to relationship seeking the fulfillment that only God could give. Then she encountered Jesus. He looked past all her mistakes and made a her a promise- “Everyone who drinks this water (the water in the well) will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life”. John 4:13-14
This woman, this empty vessel who was seeking to fill an emptiness in all the wrong places meet the One who would make a difference. Her reaction to this connection-“Then leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people. Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did, could this be the Christ.” John 4:28
Meeting Jesus-one encounter with Him can change everything in your life. That which you are searching for to fill that emptiness can only be found in a relationship with God thru Jesus Christ as you are led by the Holy Spirit daily. Begin filled with God with this living water Jesus promised, is not a one-time event. But a moment-by-moment way of life.
Do you know Him? He so longs for you to come into relationship with Him. Why not make that decision today.
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:3-4 “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” 1 Cor. 15:12-14 “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” 1 Cor. 15:16-17
Coming into its own in the early part of the 1900s, higher Biblical Criticism now has a vital part in the teaching and training of Bible scholars and ministers. Within this academic circle most, if not all, of the supernatural and miraculous events in Scripture are explained by natural events.
One of the most critical events to be questioned is the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. Dr. Rudolf Bultman, a Lutheran Bible scholar, was a major voice in this movement and he is quoted as saying, “It doesn’t matter if Jesus was raised from the dead as long as you believe He was.” One might as well say it doesn’t matter if you have air to breath as long as you believe you do.
We must never let go of the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. That is the one thing that separates Christianity from all other religions. OUR SAVIOR IS ALIVE! If not, there is no other reason to accept the truth of our faith. This is the most important message you can ever hear. “He is not here, for He has risen!”
The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. Deuteronomy 1:30-33
The children of Israel had a trust issue. Trust means to have
confidence in the ability of someone. No matter how many times God had been there before to deliver them from the hand of their enemy they still doubted if God would do it again. Their lack of trust kept them from a “there place” where God had their blessing waiting. It was a “there place” of a promised land that flowed with milk and honey.
There is so much more God has for us but sometimes our lack of trust in Him causes us to stay in our place of comfort. Each of us has a place called “there” were the blessings of God are waiting. Our God never fails to provide but we often fail to receive because we are not willing to go with the change that takes us to our “there place”.
These places call “there” changes and we must be willing to trust God and go to those “there places” when He says. “ it is time to move, you have been here long enough”. I have more at your “there place.”
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:15-17 (KJV)
One of the most awesome things that took place at the cross and then in Jesus resurrection and ascension into heaven was the fact that we become joint-heirs with Christ . We have been made partakers of all that it represents. Our inheritance has the eternal aspect – Titus 3:7 “…that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Our inheritance consist of the here and now. Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the the Holy Spirit of promise. Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession. To the praise of His glory.”
You can never partake of something until you believe that it is yours to partake of. We possess our inheritance first by believing. Ephesians 1:18-19 “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that: ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.”
Begin a joint-heir with Christ means that we actually begin to partake of His blessings right now.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
In the New Testament the primary Greek word for “peace” is “eirene” and it refers to rest and tranquility. Romans 5:1 tells us that is it through Jesus work of justification that we can have peace with God. This peace shall keep your hearts and minds secure through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
As Christians we are to allow the peace of God to rule in our hearts. Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].” The word “let” is an action word and means to allow or to forbid. It is something you do. This means we have the choice either to trust God’s promises letting his peace rule or to rely on ourselves and reject the peace He has given us.
Until Jesus comes and establishes lasting peace this world in which we live will continue to have wars and unrest. As long as we are living we are going to encounter tribulation and distress and suffering along the way. But as long as we trust the one who is peace and has given that peace to us we don’t have to allow our heart to be troubled or afraid. Jesus gave this promise to His disciples and to us also – “John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.”
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:6
The apostle is telling us that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails us anything. It is “faith which worketh by love” that availeth; that is what has value. The word availeth, comes from the Greek word ischuo which means “avail or forcefulness.” This text is saying neither circumcision nor uncircumcision are of any avail, of any account, or any benefit, or any profit, or any usefulness, “…but faith which worketh by love,” is forceful, compelling, persuasive, powerful, convincing, satisfactory.
Faith which worketh by love. In Greek, “which worketh” (from energeo) means, “to be operative, be at work.” So, literally, Galatians 5:6 says, “faith, being operative by the Divine Love or Agape.”
Faith which worketh by love.” The Greek structure of this word “worketh” is that present tense, continued action. This shows us that the Holy Spirit is saying, “…faith keeps on always working by love. This working is present tense or continues always to be going on.
For (if we are) in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love. Galatians 5:6 (Amplified Bible)
The Bible text that we will be looking at this morning is a familiar passage taken from 1 Samuel chapter 17. It is young David against the Philistine, Goliath. The name Goliath means giant but also means to uncover. Goliath represents the many things we face in life whether they are spiritual or physical. God wants us to recognize the giants in our lives and uncover them for what they are.
What is your giant? The thing that you cannot see around because it so big and consuming, you see little else but it. It could be debt, it could be illness. A giant could be
relational, someone in your family, your spouse and your marriage.
The giants that come along in life will try to win over. As we uncover them they will not be as big as the enemy wants you to believe. But like David we can say to the giant, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts…” 1 Samuel 17:45 David comes against Goliath in the name of the “Lord of Host or the Lord God Almighty!
God has given us His name – His name which reveals His character and His ways. When facing the Goliaths of life that is where we are to look – who God is and what God is. He is the “The Lord of Host – He is the “Lord God Almighty”. The many names that God has in reference to him is more powerful than any name of the giant’s that come against us in this life.
I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20
One of the hardest things to accept is the truth that “we are”…. not that we shall be but “we are”. “We are now” not in the sweet bye and bye but now. It does not have to do with how much we pray, fast or even how much we attend church.
The reason people have a hard time accepting who God says they are is because they are trying to base the truth on feelings. Any of us can believe what we can see, feel or hear. Feelings will fail you faith will sustain you when you have it grounded in the Word of God. When it comes to spiritual things we don’t by feelings we walk by faith.
The beloved man of faith, Smith Wigglesworth, once said, “I cannot understand God by feelings, I cannot understand the Lord Jesus Christ by feelings. I can only understand God the Father and Jesus Christ by what the Word says about them. God is everything the Word says He is. We need to get acquainted with Him through the Word.”
“Those who wait for God to keep His promises will not be disappointed.” Romans 8:19
Waiting-the one word most of us don’t like or want to hear. Waiting is used to indicate that one is eagerly impatient to do something or for something to happen. When we really stop to think about it waiting is part of life. After all it took you and I nine months of waiting to get here. That is right nine months for a baby to be fully developed to enter into this world healthy and whole. If a baby is born any earlier there is complications to deal with. As early as seven months a baby’s lungs are not fully developed. Just two more months of waiting for one of the most vital organs to be developed so a baby can breath normally on their own.
One of the important exhortations of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Sometimes the wait is not very long and yet at other times it seems as we have been forgotten by God. One thing I have learned is that God’s timing is always perfect. Trusting in the the perfect timing of the Lord is one of the hardest things to do. Waiting requires patience. The half-joking prayer, “Lord I need patience, and I need it Right Now,” is probably not far removed from the truth as we all may feel at times.
The word wait in the Bible carries the idea of confident expectation and hope. Those who wait for God to keep his promises will not be disappointed.
“But God” a phrase used 43 times in the Scriptures. When we read the “BUT GOD” in the Bible it reminds us of the merciful interventions of our God. Two words that indicate that something is about to change.
Everyone of us have encountered circumstances in our lives where we just feel like throwing in the towel and walking away- “But God”! You may be feeling that way today – “But God”!
How many times have you turned off the TV of your favorite sporting event because your team was not winning. Then you found out later there was a miraculous turnaround in the last few seconds. Things can change in a blink of an eye in your favor. Stayed tuned in to the whole game. If you decide to quit too soon and walk away you will never see the victory that God promised is yours.
Too many times we look through our eyes and can only see the bad news, our failures, or what people may be saying. At times it may seem as if we are losing. “But God” wants you to have his perspective. Put on Kingdom glasses and see through the Word that God is on your side.
We read in the Bible as different situations came up in people’s lives and what could have happen there is “But, God”. Every “But God” we read in the Bible reveals to us good news.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, “But God” is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”. Psalms 72:26
“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 4(NKJV)
The last of Scripture was given over two thousand years ago. Since then there have been changes in human knowledge and technology that cause “many” to believe that the Bible is out of date and not relative to today’s society. Even Bible “scholars” and seminary professors have embraced this idea. The Bible says that men have studied and studied but have not come to the knowledge of the truth. There is little purpose in calling yourself a Christian if you refuse to accept the Bible as the final voice of authority. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but my word will not pass away.”
I am not addressing what is going wrong in the world; we all can see the results of a culture that denies the rule of God over them. I am addressing that which is being fostered by the “church” of 2017. The only thing wrong with the Word of God is the way man has twisted it to suit his own ideas. This has resulted in all the numerous denominations interpreting Scripture in their own attempt to “rightly divide” the Word of truth. If we accept the Bible as God’s word, it has full rule over us now and forever. We are not at liberty to believe what we want to believe; we must believe it all. This being the case, nothing of the Word has passed away regardless of what certain denominations say.
We cannot pass judgment on Scripture– we must yield to it. Don’t judge Scripture by what a man says, but judge the man by what the Scripture says. It is said, “Let God be true and every man a liar”. If anyone says, “I know the Bible says..’but’,” watch out. If the Bible calls something a sin, then it is still sin. If something was wrong according to Scripture, it is still wrong today. The truth has and will always agree with the Word of God. The problem is that many men have not gotten the truth taught by the Word and therefore teach error. We must do our best to rightly divide the word of truth. By the way, science and the Bible will agree if the truth is taught.
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