Faith is an Action Word!

Brothers and sisters, as his faithful disciples we are called to put our faith into action and serve all those in need from the very least among us to the greatest.  Mark 10:45 tells us that Jesus Christ did not come to be served, but to serve.  

1 John 2:6 says “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”   Yes, church we have to do more than passively believe.  We have to put our faith in to action.  We have “talk the talk and walk the walk.”   James 2:26 says “just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”    

Brothers and sisters, when Christ commanded us to “love our neighbor” he didn’t mean simply “feel love for all people”, but to “act in loving ways” towards all people.    In John 13:35 Jesus says that “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."  Yes, it is our love for others that is our proof to the world that we are like Christ, our Savior; that he is in us and we are in him.   Our actions of love speak as our testimony as to who we are and who we serve.  And this good will extends even to our enemies who we understand are the LORD’S lost sheep, those he passionately seeks; those who need him most.     As servants of our Good Shepherd we go out into the world on his behalf to help him find his lost sheep.   We rejoice with him when a fellow sinner repents, turns from living in the darkness to living in the light and returns to LORD’S green pasture.   
Saints, we are truly acting like our Father when we are kind to those who are ungrateful and ungodly.    It’s hard not to “hate” those who persecute us but the LORD asks us to respond to hate with love.  Brothers and sisters do not let others hatred take root in your heart and harden it.  Do not sharpen your words on the cold edge of hates sword.  Do not let the hateful acts of others dampen your love and drown you its deep dark waters.   If you surrender to hate, it will consume your soul. 
Instead repay evil with good.  Fight darkness with light.  Give! Do good! Expect nothing in return.   Pray for your enemies.  Forgive those who persecute you as Christ prayed for his crucifiers and forgave them.  This is the true spirit of Christianity.  In this way you will resemble Christ and this is how you will be recognized by others as a child of God.

Dear Saints, to live as a Christian means more than coming to church or publically declaring that you are a Christian.   We must work tirelessly on our great commission.  Each day, we must pick up the cross our LORD carried and continue on with his mission.  We must go into the world and make disciples; believers of all people.  We are called to fan the flames of the faithful; re-light the fire of lukewarm believers and to bring a torch to those still lost in the darkness of sin.   To all people whether faithful lambs or lost sheep we are to enlighten them with the truth of the Gospel and light their path on their way to salvation.   John 20:21 says “As the Father has sent me, I am now sending you.”   Jesus is sending each of us to serve him so that the truth is proclaimed to the world and sinners are converted to God.   This is a huge job indeed.  It can be very intimidating.  But we are not called to do it alone.  We are part of a powerful Christian Nation.  God sends us his Holy Spirit to come and live in us and to be our guide and helper.  We are not called to be great by worldly standards or to be perfect.  God calls ordinary people, like us, for his extraordinary purposes.  God’s mighty works are revealed to the world in our humble state and in our weakness.  You’ve heard it said that, “God does not choose those who are able but enables those he chooses.”   Yes, church, The LORD calls into service those who are faithful and rely on his strength and not their own.                                                                        

Each of us can make our own unique contribution in helping to bring the gospel of truth to all nations.  We simply are called to bring our little light of love to the world.  

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus tells us when we look into the face of anyone in need we see his face.  When we serve others we are really serving Him. When we comfort others we are comforting him.   When we give to others we are giving to Him, to his ministry; to his work and to the work of The Father.  When we feed the hungry, we are feeding Christ.  When we provide a drink to the thirsty we are quenching his thirst.  When we are kind to a stranger, we are showing Christ kindness.  When we provide clothes to the needy, we are clothing Christ.  When we tend to the sick we are tending to Our Lord.  When we visit someone at home or in a hospital or even a prison we are visiting Jesus.  When we invite people into our home or into our church home we are inviting our Lord in as well. 

So, dear saints, put your faith into action with all sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. No matter how great or small your service, work at it with all your heart.  See it as though you are working directly for the Lord and not for man.  Do this because God promised you that you will receive an eternal inheritance from the Lord as your reward.   Remember, in all ways you work and give, it is the Lord Jesus that you are serving.  To serve others is to serve Christ and to serve Christ is to serve others.  When we faithfully obey and serve we bring praise and glory to God.  In Matthew 20:26-28 Jesus tells us that whoever wants to become great in the kingdom of God must first be a servant.  He is telling us to put our faith into action.  This is what we all must do if we are to walk like Christ.   We must live out our faith and act on it every day.

Satan is terrified of a determined, faithful, active child of God.    A friend sent me an email that reads, “Be the kind of person that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil looks at you and says, “OH, CRAP, YOU’RE UP AGAIN.” 
The Apostle Peter tells believers to prepare for duty because Christ's call is a call to active service.  See church, we are here to serve our neighbor and everybody is our neighbor.  Luke says that we should remain faithful to the doctrines of the Gospel and always be ready to serve as we wait for the coming of the LORD.   
True faith is active not passive.  Everyone must be an active participant in spreading the Kingdom of God.    Each one of us is called to an active living faith.  Like Christ we are here to be servant’s, not to be served.  At life’s party, we are the workers; the help not the guests.  But don’t worry because Ephesians 6:8 says that God will reward us for the good work we do.
Saints, most Christians sit in church as a passive spectators but really the LORD is the audience in church not us.  He watches and listens as we all gather to perform; to display our acts of worship and praise before him and for him.   
So, how will you serve the LORD?  How is God calling you to put your faith into action? 
I love this saying, “God does not call us to go to church; He calls us to Be the Church.”  

 

Desert Times

During this Lenten season Christians are reminded of the time when our Lord was led by the Holy Spirit to spend 40 days in the desert, in seclusion, preparing for his ministry by fasting and praying and communing with God. During this time he was also tempted by Satan.
   
Christians commit themselves to walking in the ways of Christ and becoming more like him.  This requires disciplines like bible study, honest self–examination, repentance for our sins, fasting and prayer. 

As God led Christ to the desert he leads his people to “desert times’’ as well.  In these times we can gain spiritual clarity and become better equipped for our service to God.  In “desert places/desert times” God strips away worldly comforts so that we can focus on our relationship with him.   God uses our “desert times” to develop our spiritual character and strengthen our faith.     Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us not to be afraid or discouraged because the LORD is with us.  The LORD our God is always with his people especially in “desert times,” in periods of temptation and testing.  Psalm 78:52 says “God led his people like sheep through the desert.”

“Desert times” help us to be humble as Christ was humble when he walked here on earth as a man.  In our “desert times,” in our hardships and temptations we prove our heart; our devotion to God.  In “desert times” we can feel fragile, broken and when our guard is down we are left open to the attacks of the enemy.  Satan is an opportunist.  He never lets a crisis go to waste and use them to attack us.  He is always ready to tempt us away from God just as he tried to tempt Christ to turn from the Father and his mission of the cross.    The Holy Spirit led Christ into the desert to be a model of faithfulness for us and to expose Satan’s battle tactics so that we may know how we can defeat him. 

We must be a wise nation of people and uphold our Fathers commands.  Just like Christ we must pray and listen for God’s voice and for God’s direction.  As Christ obeyed we are also called to obey.   Our LORD never deviated from the Father’s plan of salvation.  To disobey God is to sin.  If Christ had sinned, he could not have been the pure sacrifice God required for the redemption of humanity.

Just as Christ was tempted in the Desert his Holy Church, will be attacked by Satan in his attempt to keep her from her mission to save souls and bring the message of salvation through Christ to the world. 

The devil is called "the tempter."  He is unrelenting in his work to entice us to sin by twisting scripture, persuading us to disobey God, encouraging us to complain about God’s provision and coaxing us to question God’s promises.  Satan will use all the spiritual weapons in his arsenal to get us to stop trusting the LORD and turn from his love and protection.

Matthew 4:1-11 tells us the story of Christ’s temptation in the desert.  For 40 days Satan tempted Christ in the hopes that in his meek human form that the LORD could be persuaded to rebel against the Father’s plan.  Satan tempted Christ to use his divine power and to reject his mission of the cross.  He tempted him to take a comfortable and easy path to satisfy his needs and to obtain the glory and all the things that rightfully belong to him.  

Satan tempts us in the same way.  Our adversary will sing sweet worldly songs to us so that we will put our trust in the work of our own hands to satisfy our own needs instead of putting ourselves in God’s hands and trusting he will provide for all of our needs.  Satan will whisper to you, “If you really are a child of God why would your Father let this happen to you?”- “If God loves you, why would he let you suffer?” - “It’s OK to act against the will of God because you are in need and God is not answering you.”  The great deceiver will also camouflage himself in goodness so we will not see the poison in the honey; the lies mixed with the truth.  We must stay alert to his schemes especially in the desert times.  Jesus was hungry and cold and alone and exhausted from living in the desert for 40 days with no food or comforts or human companionship.  The LORD did not let his difficult circumstances or Satan’s false offers of prosperity and power to justify sinning against God.   Jesus’ trust in the Father would not be shaken.  He trusted God’s plan.  Christ answered the enemy’s temptations; the taunts and his false promises by reciting scripture.    As Ephesians 6:16-17 tells us we are to use God’s Word as our sword and our faith as our shield.                                             

Brothers and sisters, if you are in a “desert time” right now Trust God! Endure!  Wait patiently on the LORD who will care for you.  Christ showed us that even in the desert God still loves us and is with us and is providing for us. 

Matthew 6:33 tells us “above all else seek the kingdom of God and he will give us all things we need.”    Above all things we must seek the truth of the Gospel. The LORD promises that all things will be given to us; the very kingdom of God will be our eternal dwelling place.  Church of Christ, we are not here for our own glory but to serve God; to show the world His glory.

Look, Satan wants to be worshipped as God.  He will be happy to give us material treasures and status and power and all kinds of worldly glory if we will just embrace the ways of the world and bow down to him.  But his victory leads to our destruction.  Mathew 4:8-9 tells us that the tempter was even brazen enough to tempt Christ with this very offer.  He promised him the easy road to glory not the one filled with the pain of the cross.  He offered Christ all the kingdoms of earth; instant power and glory if he would bow down and worship him instead of God.   

When the enemy attempts to bribe us we should answer him the way Christ did; “get away from me Satan!  I know who you are.  I know what you’re doing! I will not be tempted to worship or serve anyone but the LORD, God.”  

Body of Christ, learn to use the Word as your weapon when you are faced with the temptations and trials of life, just as Jesus did!

Remember, Satan cannot destroy us himself.  He has no real power over us.  He is a squatter that simply creates an illusion of ownership and authority.  He is in control of nothing.  In fact, God, who is truly Almighty, simply uses Satan as another tool for his purpose of salvation.   The only power Satan has is to tempt and trick and misdirect us into turning from God and in our rebellion, like Satan, we will be sentenced to eternal death. 

Children of God remember who you are and why you were created.  Choose life.  Love the LORD your God, listen to his voice calling to you in the desert and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life.   You were created in your Father’s image in his name, to be a holy people.  You were created in love to be with God.    Like Christ you are not called to live for self but for God.  You have been called to a higher purpose.  You are here for God’s glory not your own.

If we turn from God we lose his protection and our inheritance; our birthright.    What can Satan offer that us worth that sacrifice? God exposed Satan’s feeble plan and deceptive tactics through Christ’s temptations in the desert.  Christ became our model for fighting and defeating Satan’s attacks.  Satan attacks us when we are weak or alone or sick whenever our path is rocky.  It is then he pounces, ready to tempt and ready to devour our soul.  He will twist the scriptures so that they seem to promise us self promotion and personal prosperity.  He will trick us into worshipping him and not God. He will make us think that he doesn’t exist or that he is equal to God or that he is the ruler of earth and even Hell itself.

Satan attacks the faithful the hardest because we are a threat to his plan of destruction.   Those lost in the darkness pose no threat to him because they are easily dazzled when he dangles the shinny trinkets of the world in front of them.  Their hearts belong to the prince of this world and not the King of heaven.

We must never forget that we are in a spiritual war.  If we resist Satan as Christ did in the desert he will flee.  It’s not going to be simple or easy.  Resisting temptation is hard work.  We cannot defeat Satan with our own strength or with our own authority.   We must rely on God’s power and God’s authority especially in the desert times.  Let The LORD be our example. It is not simply our bodies that need to be fed, for “it is written that we do not live by bread alone”.  We must also nourish our spirits with the word of God.

Jesus defeated Satan in the desert because he trusted God and wanted to please his Father more than anything else in life; even if he had to sacrifice himself.  He put God first.  Christ relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to help him “Fight the good fight of faith”.

LENT is not just about making a sacrifice that will end in 40 days.  It’s about true and lasting spiritual growth.  Lent is not about what you are giving up for him.  It’s about what HE gave up for you.   Repent!  Return to God.  Walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior. This 40 day walk in the desert is our training period, our proving ground where we face Satan and tell him to “get away; get behind us”.  Pray!  We need to allow God to change our hearts, to strengthen our souls to help us be the holy people he has called us to be.  

God has given us so much in our relationship with him, isn’t it time we started giving back?  So, during Lent how will you be good and faithful children of God?  How will you use the next 40 days to live out your faith?  You don’t have to do things that shake the foundations of the world.  Mark 4:30-32 tells us that even a tiny mustard seed of faithfulness to Our LORD and his kingdom will grow into a mighty tree of life.  Be a mighty little mustard seed for The LORD not just during Lent but throughout your life.

As we follow Christ through the desert and through Lent, it will be a journey of reflection and soul-searching. Like Christ we will find the desert time filled with challenges and temptations.  But it will also be a time to build our relationship with God and develop a better sense of our calling.   Our desert time will help us understand that, in love, God gives us freedom to choose to walk with him or with the world.  We have a choice to walk in the light or in the darkness.  In the desert, evil cannot control us unless we allow it too.  Remember in the in the end, “the devil didn’t make you do it”.  You are free to choose. Choose God and choose life!

 

Prophecy Being Fulfilled?

WOW!  Well brothers and sisters I just woke up to hear that the Pope is resigning!

Now for those of us who are not Catholic we may not be thinking a whole lot about this.  However, for me this is pretty exciting news.  For years I have been studying “end times” prophecy.  There is a Catholic prophecy made by an Irish saint who lived from 1094 –1148.  He was the Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland.  He had a vision that included the identity of the last 112 Popes.   His vision has been proven correct throughout the centuries. 

St. Malachy said that the next to the last pope was identified as “the Glory of the Olive”.  The current pope chose the name Benedict after founder of the Benedictine Order.  The order's crest contains an olive branch.  The prophecy said that this pope would only rein a short time.  If Pope Benedict does indeed resign he will have been pope since April, 2005.  This is only 8 years.

 

Let me say that not all end times preachers or faithful Catholics belief in this prophecy. 

But it makes me wonder.  Is St. Malacy’s prophecy almost complete?   IF this is true prophecy being fulfilled then the next pope in some way will be identified as “Peter the Roman” (Petrus Romanus).  This is going to be interesting because all popes are heirs in a sense to Peter who they say for them is their first pope.   I think it is interesting that the first pope and the last pope are being identified as "Peter".   Is this God tying things up in a nice little package for us to see???   Peter the Roman  will be the 112th pope and according to St. Malacy he will “lead the sheep in many tribulations.  When the tribulations are finished the “city of seven hills” (Rome sits on seven hills) will be destroyed and the dreadful judge will judge his people.  The end.”  

Many prophecy preachers are saying that the next pope will lead the church through the tribulation but not as a shepherd but they say that the prophecy suggests that pope 112 will be the false prophet. If this is true that means the anti-christ is with us right now ready to take leadership of the world. It means that something is going to happen that makes the world follow him.  Makes you wonder with all the talk by political leaders of a "global bank" and "global citizenship."  Why wouldn't there eventually be one "global leader".   It sure does give you something to think about.

I'm thinking that we will see those that believe in the rapture of the church start preaching hard about this because this would mean the rapture is upon us.   I'm not sure I believe in the rapture but brothers and sisters I sure would vote for it!!  I really don't want to be here for the ugly that is going to hit this world.

Is this the very end of the “end times” the bible speaks of????  IF this is prophecy coming true then it will be a very terrifying but very glorious time to live on earth. We are going to see things that the world has never seen before and will never see again.

Could it really be true?? We just may live to see Jesus coming in the clouds!! Awesome!!!!!

Luke 21:20, 22“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.

Luke 21: 26-28Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

My advice is ....whether this prophecy is true or an entertaining story we should use it as a reminder to stay awake and to be strong.   Remain faithful to Christ.  Do not let yourself be deceived and lose your salvation.  If this is end times being fulfilled it will be a time when Satan will have great power in the world and will be fiercely hunting down God's children to destroy them. Remember he doesn't have to worry about those who he has deceived because they are no threat to him. They are lost in the darkness.  To Satan, they are where he wants them to be, on their way to eternal destruction.  His focus will be hunting down the faithful because we are a threat to the war plan.  As long as we are here we bring the light and the truth to the world.  As long as we are here we can be used by God to tell the lost the truth and plant the seeds of salvation. Now more than ever you have to keep speaking the truth and remain obedient to the Word.  Don't be sucked into what the world believes no matter how good is sounds to your natural body.  You are NOT "global citizens."  You are "citizens of heaven".   The world says all people believe in the same God and there are just different names for him and different ways to get to him.  This is NOT biblical.  When you reject their false/twisted version of the truth you will be seen as "intolerant" and "non-inclusive". 

 

Do not be pressured into error.  Remember the bible says that the world will twist the truth and that which is the true word will be called false that which is a lie will be seen as truth.

 

Isaiah 5:20-21   Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

 

See with your heavenly eyes.  Hear with your heavenly ears.  There is only ONE God.  He calls himself our Father and the God of Israel.  He gave us the truth of the bible so we can "test all spirits" against his Word.  He did this so we would be warned ahead of time to protect ourselves.  There is only one way to God and that is through His Son....Jesus Christ.  This is the one and only and  absolute TRUTH.  Any watered down version is simply counterfeit christianity and is worthless to your soul.  PRAY!  PRAY! PRAY!

Mark 13:36 Don’t let him (the Master) find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

Remember, all the faiths of the world being united under the notion that we all believe in the same God sounds good by the world but it is not biblical and God warns us he does not share who he is with other Gods.  God see's this as idol worship.  Don't get caught on Judgment Day crying out to God and saying wasn't I good and inclusive and loving then hear back...."get away from me you evil doer!  You never knew me!!"

Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

John 17:25-26    “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Dear ones........You have been warned!