The One True Church of God

Ephesians 4:3-4  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called—

The world attacks Christians.  This is a fact.  It always has and it will until the very “end of end times”.   Christians are hated because as Christ told us that we are not of this world any more than he was of it.  The world is under the influence and power (not the control) of Satan.  Notice, I said influence because God still controls all that happens here.  Nothing happens without his permission.  So, Satan is “allowed” to attack and tempt us and to influence us but we should never be confused and think that he is God’s equal.  God has NO EQUAL! All that God allows to happen in this world is for his purpose of the salvation of mankind.  Don’t hurt your head trying to figure it all out.

John 15:18-19  "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.   19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

Now back to our first scriptures in Ephesians.  There is only one body, one spirit, one church.  We Christians are split into many denominations but there is only one true Holy Church of God.  We are all one united body united in Christ.   All Christians need to look past the differences in our traditions and doctrines (which are man-made) and live in peace and love as one holy nation.   John Wesley, founder of the United Methodist Church said that even though our differences in worship styles and rituals and ceremonies may prevent us from enjoying an “external” union, we can all be united in our love.  We can be one united “catholic/universal” church in our love for the Lord and in our love for one another and in the good works we do in serving God as his children.   That’s deep.  In this way there should be no division between us.  We are family and should care for one another.

We should lovingly serve one another.   Our hearts should be filled with peace and love because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  So “in one body and in one Spirit” we are united with God and with one another.  In Barnes Notes on the Bible it reminds us that Christ didn’t come to save a certain earthly church/denomination of people or any particular group of people.  He sacrificed himself for ALL people so that all who unite with him will have a way back to God, the Father and will be called into His kingdom.  As Christians we all have the same hope in our salvation and God’s promise of eternal life.

Oh, and remember scripture says…. 16 “whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in him.”  (1 John 4:16, 20)   20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

May the Almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, bless you.  Amen

Don’t Be Afraid! Fear Not!

This is a lesson that I had lost.  A friend had saved it and sent it to me.  I have changed a few things but in these troubling times it is good to see this message again.

 The news is pretty scary these days.  It seems like there is chaos on so many levels in the world.  I hear leaders of nations and armies talking about declaring war that most experts say will lead into a world war.   Our world has become very small.  We are all connected.  Our nations are like dominos.  What happens to one will set off a chain reaction and we all suffer.  Sometimes when I watch the news I find myself holding my breath because everything seems so explosive.

But then I pray and feel better.  I read the bible and see God’s promises and reassurance and I know that no how bad things get that the one nation that will remain standing when the smoke clears is “The Christian Nation.”  See all our nations belong to this world and this world is being manipulated by Satan….BUT….God’s people are not of this world.  We are the spiritual Israel.  We have been grafted into the chosen people of the Almighty God.  We have nothing to fear.

The Lord has led me to study the books of the prophets the past couple of months.  I just keep seeing the Lord saying over and over, "Don't Be Afraid!" and “Fear Not”.

God is telling us this for a reason.  God has a plan.  He has a plan to save us from this world and from our sin.  Through Jesus we have a way back to God and he tells us that not one of his lambs will be lost.  In fact, Jesus said that he came for the lost.

 Now, this doesn’t mean that God’s faithful will not suffer.  Throughout history God’s people have suffered.  As we move through the centuries and through end times it is only getting worse.  But “don’t be afraid/fear not” because God tells us that it will be this way.    Satan loves to create chaos and he loves to create fear in us.  When we become afraid we get confused.  Like sheep we run with no thought about what we are doing.  We just run.  When we panic and run from God then Satan, the hungry wolf picks us off. 

The Lord is telling us not to fear because fear is a faith killer. Remember, there are also verses that tell us to "trust God" and to "have faith". The bible tells us that when the angel appeared to Mary he said "don't be afraid." When the angel appeared to Joseph he said, "do not be afraid." The angel says, "Do not be afraid" because God's promises are being fulfilled. Scripture says, "You will give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins." Scripture says, "They will call him Immanuel - which means, "God is with us." (Matthew 1:20-25)

Luke 1:30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

Matthew 14:27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

It goes on and on and on.... "FEAR NOT"! "DON'T BE AFRAID"!                                            Do not be afraid; fear nothing in this world because "God is with you". Don't lose faith because God is with you. Don't lose hope because God is with you. Don't give in to sin because God is with you. Don't fear Satan because God is with you. Don't fear anything mankind can do to you because God is with you.  No matter how bad or chaotic it gets here on earth, “fear not” – “don’t be afraid because God is with you.

Again, God tells us ahead of time ahead of time that as time marches on toward the second coming of Christ the world gets worse.  The world will turn away from God.   The Lord tells us to not be surprised at this.  Why act surprised when he has told us how it will be. 

Luke chapter 21 tells us that terrible things will happen. There will be wars, civil unrest, disease, famines and natural disasters. The saints will be persecuted and martyred. This chapter tells us that the chosen ones will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of us to death. We will be hated because we are Christians; followers of Christ.

Luke 21:26 tells us that men will faint in terror at what is coming. They WILL BE AFRAID. BUT you see God also reassures his children that "not a hair on your head will perish" (Luke21:18) Luke 21 tells use when all these things happen "do not be frightened" (Luke 21:9) See your soul is safe....so don't be afraid, fear not. When everything around you is frightening; terrifying YOU ARE COMMANDED TO “FEAR NOT”! Stand strong. Be courag eous. Be Patient.

You have to ENDURE! Remain in your faith. Do not let Satan scare you away from your inheritance in God's kingdom. In Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Don't fear anything Satan throws at you. He will do his best to make you afraid, to make you stop trusting God and run from your faith. But at the very worst all Satan and his followers can do is make your afraid and yes, kill your body. Remember, scripture says that God controls your soul and it is protected in His mighty right hand. No one can snatch you from it.

Yes, God tells us not to be afraid because we will run from the truth and from our faith if we are fearful. We will hand over our salvation in fear. We will give over our soul because we fear in our body. Why do you think there is more "chaos" in the world than ever before? Because Satan knows that chaos creates doubt and panic. It makes people afraid and when they are cold and hungry and sick and afraid they will grab on to ANYTHING and ANYONE who comes along with some weak old promises of making their earthly life better.

There is an old Weight Watchers saying that says, “Don’t trade what you want MOST for what you want NOW.” Don’t let your fear drive you into choosing a worldly reward over what you really want most….your eternal reward.

 Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Do not let fear replace your faith. Luke 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

1 Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened

Isaiah 41:13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”

Don’t let Satan pull you away from God through fear. Study the Word and use it as your Sword against him. Use your faith as your shield.

I tell you dear friends, scripture says that the very hairs of our heads are all numbered. We have nothing to fear for God is our refuge, our rock and our hope. God tells us that we need to listen to him.  So listen…..when God says, …. “don’t be afraid!  Fear not!

And…if after reading this you are still afraid…sneak a peek at the end of the bible….. “WE WIN”!!! 

Overcoming Obstacles

In the United States we just celebrated a holiday called "Labor Day". This is observed the first Monday in September. This day is designated to celebrate the contributions that American workers have made to the economic prosperity and social well-being of the country.

So, on Sunday morning before church I was thinking about Labor Day. Well, I wasn't really thinking of Labor Day. I was thinking about making my special "gourmet" deviled eggs for a Labor Day picnic that I was going to right after church.

I was rushing to get my eggs done when the Lord touched my heart with a lesson that he wanted me to give in church that day. Sometimes the Lord directs me to do something "last minute". But as He tells us, his way and his time is not ours so I just go with the flow. You have to be ready to drop everything when he calls you and sends you.

So, my picnic eggs with gourmet fixens went into the refrigerator, undone! Now, I only had about an hour to get this message together and get ready for church and actually get to church (which lucky for me is only a couple of blocks from my house).

I got very frustrated because everything went wrong. I was feeling very “PRESSURED”.  My picnic eggs were undone so I would have to do them after church and be late for the picnic. As I was writing my message about half way through the power shut off to my house briefly and I lost my work and had to start over. When I finally got the message written my printer would not work. Time was running short and I wasn't even washed and dressed for church.  I started praying out loud. I swore that no "obstacle" whether it was man-made or Satan himself was going to stop me from getting God's message to the church. I yelled out loud that I would write this all by hand again if I had to. I didn't care if I had to go to church un-bathed with no deodorant, my teeth un-brushed and in my night clothes! If God wanted me to deliver this message NOTHING was going to stop me. I didn't know that all these “obstacles” were actually part of the message.

While the tasty "deviled eggs" that I was preparing for my picnic were sitting undone in the refrigerator I continued to create a beautiful "spiritual egg soufflé of truth" for my church to hear.

I would like to share it with you today.

So, in preparing for my "Labor Day" picnic the Lord got me thinking about "LABOR".  The dictionary says, to “labor” is to toil, which means hard and continuous work that is painful, difficult and crates weariness. To labor is to battle. It means to struggle.

Many of us in my church and in the "universal Christian church" around the world are "laboring" even as I write this message to you. We are experiencing physical or emotional or spiritual burdens that are going on and on and on. They seem to be un-ending.

It seems that every day someone comes to me about one of my brothers or sisters in Christ that is struggling with severe health issues or some other mountainous type of "life obstacle".

Please remember dear ones that the Lord tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 and in Psalms 55:22 that we should cast our burdens, our anxieties and all of our troubles on our Almighty God who will sustain and care for us.  We do not labor alone.  God is with us.

Matthew 11:29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Psalms 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

The yoke, the burden upon us individually or as God's people may seem heavy. We may feel overloaded and weary but Jesus has promised us peace and rest and I have been called by God to tell you that we will have it. We know that we will have it because the Lord has promised it to us and he has never broken any promise that He has made to us. The Bible tells us repeatedly that our Lord Jesus Christ is "faithful and true."  We can trust in the Lord for he is our Rock and our helper and our shield.

The Lord has not left us defenseless in this world. He has not left us alone to deal with the pain of this natural world. He has not left us exposed and powerless against the attacks of Satan. In Ephesians 6 the Lord tells us to put on or clothe ourselves in the "full armor of God" so that we can "stand our ground" against all "obstacles" in this world and "stand firm against the powers of darkness."

Ephesians 6:10-13  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Now, let me tell you a good thing about "obstacles". Obstacles build us up. Obstacles build our strength because we have to jump over them or climb up them or slide down them or crawl under them or side-step them. Each time we are challenged with an "obstacle" we build our strength and with "spiritual obstacles" we build up our faith. We build our spiritual muscle and are made stronger.

With this in mind, HOLD ON SAINTS! Stand up in your faith and use any "obstacles" that come your way, whether from the natural world or Satan or from God Himself, to recharge your spiritual light in this dark world.

To encourage you let me share a "special blessing" from the Book of Numbers, chapter 6:22-27 with you.

God taught Moses this "special blessing". The Lord said that, "whenever you bless my people in my name, I myself will bless them."

So, now dear children of the Most High God I am sending this "special blessing" to you.

"May the Lord bless you and protect you. Many the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace."

Remember precious children of God, you work for the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Stand firm in your faith and in the truth of the Holy Word of God. Do not be seduced away from it by the desires of your heart or to satisfy the desires of your body. Do not be afraid of anything or anyone.  Remember that it is His work; His Will that must always be your focus and you goal to achieve above all else in this world. Remember that even when things don't work out as you plan (like making deviled eggs for a picnic or writing a message) that this IS GOD'S PLAN for you; to fulfill HIS PURPOSE. It’s OK not to understand “WHY”.  As humans we are incapable of understanding or knowing what God knows.  Remember that "success in Godly terms" is not measured in the same way as it is in "worldly terms". Your boss may not recognize your hard work but God tells us that he see's everything you have done and will reward you for your love and faithfulness.

John 6:27 Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Most of all remember this... "Your life's work should focus on your work for your life."

So put your whole heart into your "true work" because your soul will see the lasting profit of your labor.