GOOD NEWS? THAT'S GREAT NEWS!!!

Ro 5:9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Ro 5:10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Ro 5:11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
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I think of the words Good News or Gospel all of the time when I read a verse like this above. I look at it an entire different way now. I know see the Good News or rather AWESOME NEWS!! and why they were running around trying to get this message out. Really think about what the Good News is. You turn to Jesus and BELIEVE that you are covered in His blood, and you are free from the wrath that God will in fact pour out on this Earth. So many people are afraid of the year 2012 and how the end may be here. I am at total peace with it. In the end, I know I am saved. I am 100% sure that I am going to Heaven when I die. I know that I will not face the wrath of God, because I am covered in the blood of Christ. It states through whom we have now received reconciliation. That means it's already there over and done with for the BELIEVER. We are so conditioned to this world that we live in where someone promises something and does not deliver, or when they give us a gift they must expect something in return. I feel that is why some even though having read these verses in the Bible, refuse to BELIEVE it could be that easy and when you refuse to BELIEVE, you are not saved. Let's say a person walks up to you to hand you a gift. You look at them politley and say, ummm no I cannot really accept that from you, but thank you so much anyway. They keep offering but you keep saying no, I am sorry but I just cannot BELIEVE that you want to give that to me free and clear so, I won't accept it. Finally, they walk away hoping you will change your mind. Who has the gift at that point? I mean they told you it was for you right? The problem is that you are sitting there empty handed of your own doing. You refused to accept the gift. It's still there there with your name on it. All you have to do is BELIEVE the promise that it is your Gift to take.

There must be a catch! It cannot be that easy! Friends if someone is preaching fire and brimstone to you and Jesus Christ, think twice about staying at this church. If someone is teaching works as a way of salvation, move on. There is no condemnation in Christ.

Don't believe me? Ask your Father. Seek Him with all your Heart and you will find Him.

FLYBOYS?

In my quiet time with the Lord today, He laid it opon my heart to give an analogy from the movie Flyboys. If you have not seen it, I encourage you to make it your next movie. In my mind, I was shown a people that think they will be safe at the end of times, if they are standing on neutral ground. Basically, if they are not picking a side in this spiritual war, that we are battling on this Earth. They are not choosing Jesus or satan. These people I am speaking of, are choosing to go this battle on their own. Friends, there is no doubt that Jesus is coming back to claim what is His. God has provided a way for us to enter into His glory and be saved from this war. It is through His Son as we have been reading in Romans. Our only part is to realize that we cannot fight this battle on our own any longer. We need to BELIEVE the promise that God sent Jesus to die in place of us, so that we can be justified before God on judgment day. We need to be heartfully sorry for the things we have done that were not of God’s best for us (sin). If you have broken relationships, anger issues, addictions, etc. You can be sure that there is sin reigning in your life that you are struggling with. You are in bondage to something that only Jesus can free you from. All you need to do is come to Him with a heart set on making your wrongs right. BELIEVE that He can change your life, and He will. Surrender your will to His. Trust that you are forgiven and forgive yourself.

This is a scene from Flyboys. Beagle's plane comes apart and he crash-lands hard in the middle of a battlefield where infantry from both sides fire at each other, and the enemy shoots at Beagle whose hand is stuck under the wreckage, making him unable to flee. Blaine ends up landing and darting through the battlefield. With no alternative, Blaine uses a shovel to cut off Beagle's hand because it is pinned under his plane. They then run over to their side, avoiding gunfire, with Beagle's plane being hit and then exploding.

Wow, this is a powerful scene to me that speaks to this situation of thinking we are safe going things alone! If you see the movie, please let this scene stand out in your mind and think about what I am saying. There is Beagle (us) pinned under his plane. What is your plane (sin) that is pinning you down? Here comes the main character Blaine (Jesus) coming to our aid. During this entire scene Beagle keeps telling Blaine to just leave him there (we tend to refuse the help of others out of pride). They are in the middle, stuck in the crossfire of the two sides. What a dangerous place for us to be! We have the enemy shooting at us, and some of our own side because they cannot tell through the smoke and commotion which side we are on (our actions). Eventually, Blaine had to make a decision that he knew was going to be very painful for Beagle of cutting his hand off. There is Beagle knowing his life depends on this, but screaming NO NO NO! He would have rather stayed there pinned under his plane, which would have eventually led to his death. Sometimes Jesus has to take things or people out of our life that we are comfortable with, that are catering to our sin in order to transform our lives. Sometimes it is a temporary time off and sometimes, we will have to say goodbye forever. The good news is that He does not take anything away without giving you something in return and that He knows what is best for us. We need complete trust in our one and only true savior, Jesus Christ for life.

There is only one thing that is different about this story. Beagle did not need to ask Blaine to come and get him. They were on the same side of the war. Jesus needs to know which side we want to be on. He will not force us just as they do not force you to choose a side in war. We need to choose. I choose life! I choose Jesus!

REJOICE IN YOUR SUFFERINGS

Ro 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
Ro 5:4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Ro 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
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It stinks to be in pain. There is no doubt about it. It hurts when someone hurts us. It hurts when a prayer is unanswered. It hurts when someone dies. It hurts to realize that we have messed up things and have to wait on God to fix them. If we can remove ourselves from the feeling of pain long enough, there is much growth to be had. I challenge you to look back on your biggest points of pains that you have had in your life, and test this scripture to behold it's Truth. This is one of the many reasons why it is so good to keep a journal. It allows you to look back on past happenings and learn from them. Our minds have a strange way of forgetting, especially if we do not particulary want to face the truth of any given circumstance. If you do not have a journal, I invite you to sit in silence for a bit and recall some of this past pain. After you walked through it, did it not strengthen your character? How about lesson? Did it teach you something that you may not have learned if you had not experienced the pain? Sometimes the pain is a result of our own poor choicces and we just learn from them. There are times however that God is using the pain to get us out of our comfort zone and onto the narrow path of life. Sometimes it takes something radical to force us to make appropriate changes in our life in order to secure a better future for ourselves. We will not always know the reason for our suffering but we can rest assured that God is in control and He will use even the worst of things for our best (ROM 8:28). How hopeless life would be without believing that promise God has made to those of us that love Him. Walk through whatever you are going through with full Faith that God can and will use the situation for the best of all involved. Know that this too shall pass, and someday you will have back double of whatever the devil has stolen. If you BELIEVE.

I never Saul such a conversion

Saul’s Conversion
Ac 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
Ac 9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Ac 9:3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
Ac 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Ac 9:5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
Ac 9:6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Ac 9:7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
Ac 9:8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
Ac 9:9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
Ac 9:10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
Ac 9:11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
Ac 9:12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
Ac 9:13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
Ac 9:14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
Ac 9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
Ac 9:16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Ac 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Ac 9:18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
Ac 9:19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength
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When we hear His Word and truly BELIEVE, we will become obedient and follow His instructions through His Holy Spirit, and let them guide us into His Kingdom. Saul, heard the word of God and was Obedient to God's instructions to go to the town he needed to in order to receive his sight back. Another believer, Ananias had to be obedient to God and meet Saul. This had to be humbling for each one of them. Saul had been killing believers. Why would Ananias want to help Saul gain his site? How humbling it had to be for Saul to ask a BELIEVER for help. Ananias was instructed to meet Saul in a vision and was informed that Saul would regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit (ACTS 9:13). When he received his site back, the Bible states that something like scales had fallen off Sauls eyes and that he regained his sight and was baptized. There are two baptisms in Christ. One of Water (repentance) and one of Spirit (Belief). I believe that Saul's baptism at that time was one of Spirit. The seal that he received by BELIEVING the words God had spoken to Him. I feel The scales that had fallen off his eyes, were symbolic to viewing the word differently after he became a true believer. When I hear the words scales, it brings the following to mind because a snake and a dragon have scales:
Rev 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with himIt is written that our eyes are the lamps of our body (MAT 6:22). I feel that satan distorts our vision just as he warps our minds with his lies. This causes us to see the worst in others rather than the best. When we receive the Spirit of Christ, we see through the eyes of Christ because he is living in us (GAL 2:20). This is all a part of the transformation process. We begin to see others through the eyes of love rather than the accusatory eyes the devil would have us look through. (REV 12:10)

Although the next story in ACTS is speaking of Saul's ministry, Luke does not mention that Saul spent three years after his initial conversion in Arabia. That’s right the desert (GAL 1:11). It seems the Spirit leads us into the wilderness right after our baptisms. This is because Jesus has a work that He wants to complete in you, before you are ready to soar with the Eagles and further advance His Kingdom. I say this tonight as an encouragement. I was baptized on April 23Rd, 2006. Only recently was I sealed with the Holy Spirit by a true BELIEF that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, because I was so tired of trying to do things my way and trying to lead a good life by my own works. I humbly came to Him because I had no other place to go. I never had the joy that everyone speaks of when they speak of receiving Christ. I had all the Biblical knowledge, that is for sure but it had not made its way to my heart. Now I do! I feel it all the time! If you have been following Christ for some time and do not feel this yet, keep pressing on. You will get there. Nothing is wrong with you. Some are saved immediately, some take more time. Everything is in God’s perfect timing. He knows when you are ready to truly BELIEVE. Just keep abiding in Him. He who began a good work in you will see it through to completion (PHIL 1:6).

ps: In case you do not know, Saul was later re-named Paul by God. That is right! God chose a person who killed many believers and was out to destroy the church, to be one of the biggest proponents of Christ. If you feel you are unworthy to be transformed by God, think again. God uses the biggest sinners to make the biggest changes. If you are looking down on someone because their sins seems worse than yours, do be careful for one day they may have more crowns on thier head in heaven than you.

COME TO THE CROSS

Ro 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope BELIEVED and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Ro 4:19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
Ro 4:20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
Ro 4:21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Ro 4:22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Ro 4:23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone,
Ro 4:24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Ro 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
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The wages of sin is death (ROM 6:23). We all have a sinful mind and heart(ROM 3:23). God cannot stand in the presence of sin. Therefore God would have to condemn everyone of us to death for our sins. Knowing this and loving us enough to not want this to happen, he sent His Son to die on a Cross so that we would not have to face our well deserved death (JOHN 3:16). When you come humbly to the Cross, when you come to a place where you know that you are unable to live a blameless life of your own works, you will realize that you are in need of the saving Grace that is offered to you when you truly BELIEVE in the promise God has given to you. Confess your sins before the Lord, invite the savior into your heart. He will come and He will save you and forgive you. All you need to do is BELIEVE. Once you make this decision, walk forward with your head held high with bold assurance that you are saved! You must BELIEVE this in your heart. Christ does not want religious theories at His Cross. He wants your heart and He wants to have a relationship with you. It is the relationship that you have with Christ and the trust you have in His Word and promises that will save and transform your life. There is nothing else you can do for eternal life. Put your salvation in God and not in man. Don't be a follower of anyone but Christ. Once you cultivate this relationship, Christ will show you the way to go from there. It is the Belief in His Promise of His blood covering your sin that will seal you with the Spirit. The Spirit will lead you down the straight path. This will not be of any work of your own but only the Grace of God. All you have to do is BELIEVE.

Do you have a broken relationship with someone because of your pride? Are you in financial crisis because you have tried to live outside the means that God has provided to you? Are you lonely because you have a void inside of you that you refuse to fill with God? In your quest for perfection, have you lost your friends because they were unable to live up to your impossible standards? All of these are forms of sin playing out in your life. God can make you whole again through Christ. Christ will transform your heart and make you into the person that you long to be. Christ in your heart will restore the unity you long for. IT IS A PROMISE WORTH BELIEVING!

WE ARE WHAT WE ARE ...OR ARE WE?

Ro 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
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God brings us back to life by allowing the Spirit of Christ to live in us, if we choose to BELIEVE. While we are still walking in darkness before we turn to Christ, our Heavenly Father calls us to something great in this life as if we are already that something great. It may be the many gifts and talents that He is giving us, or knowing that even though we are struggling with many sins, He is going to deliver us from them and we are going to become beautiful butterflies in Christ. The point is that He is looking at the beauty in us before it is even a thought in our mind. He knows who we will become in Christ. We are unable to see it but the good news is that He does. If we could only do this same thing for others. Perhaps we should choose to see potential in someone today. Give them a word of encouragement. Make it a task to pick a person to lift up in Christ. Speak blessings fourth on their lives. See them as God sees them. Whatever you see in someones life that is not the best for them, see them living it to God. Whenever we are living to God, we are living our best. In order to do this, we must see this in ourselves first. We must see who we are in God's eyes. We cannot give something we do not have. We need to give ourselves, grace, mercy, and patience. God does. God also expects us to freely give to others what He has freely given to us. Whatever measure you use, it will be measured to you (LUK 6:38). Might as well start measuring with a God sized measuring cup! :)

UPHOLDING THE LAW THROUGH CHRIST

Ro 3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
Ro 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Ro 3:29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
Ro 3:30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
Ro 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
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up·hold \(")əp-'hōld\ vt, -held \-'held\ -hold·ing (13c)
1 a : to give support to b : to support against an opponent
2 a : to keep elevated b : to lift up support
— up·hold·er n

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Jesus brought a new covenant of love. The work of Jesus on the Cross began because of God's love for us (JHN 3:16). We needed the Commmandments in order to physically understand what sin is. It gave us a place to start. As humans, we need this tangible information in order to understand the spiritual nature of Christ. We need to sometimes physically act things out in order to understand them. Someone can explain something new to you. You may pick up a lot of what they are saying but there is nothing like hands-on training. This is why I feel Jesus spoke in parables, so that He could compare his spiritual teachings and lessons with something their mind could relate to. The problem is that when Jesus came to show the new covenant, the Jewish leaders were more in love with their religious customs, and the security and power that it brought to them. In the days of Christ, the scribes, Pharisees, etc. earned their living by being spokespersons for God and explaining the observations of the law and upholding them to it. They were also using this law to create bondage for the people and slavery to sin. They were making them feel as if they needed to be perfect in order for God to love them. All the while they were doing this, they knew in their hearts that they were not upholding the law themselves. Instead they were being hypocritical. I feel bad for them. That is what they had been trained their entire lives. They were trying to be who they thought they were supposed to be in God. The only thing that I see that Jesus was upset with is the fact that they knew they were holding the people accountable but in their hearts and by their actions, they were not doing it themselves. I am sure they were also running with teachings that man decided to throw into what Moses had originally said. This happens still today. Most likely a lot of them doing it for their own gain whether it be egoic or financial gain, or power. So imagine this scenario in your head with me. We have groups of people who have lorded it over to others for many years. Everyone came to them for all answers about things that were very important to the people. They were secure in their positions and comfortable with their way of life. Does this sound familiar to any of you? Jesus came to reveal a new covenant of love. One of thinking from your heart and doing what is right for that reason. When someone commands that you to do something, what is your first gut reaction? Of course, the answer is NO! As a matter of fact, you will go to great lengths sometimes to assure that you will do what was commanded not to and maybe even worse. This is a sinful human nature of a fallen world. Even if something is right, we have so much pride and evil in us, we don't want to do it simply because we were told to. Especially if it is connected to a long-standing belief that we have held. Jesus knew that if we had His Spirit in us, one of love, we would naturally want to do things for the good of all because we love one another, and in taking this approach we would uphold the law out of love. This is no longer an action born of obligation but of the heart. Doesn't it always feel better when you are doing things out of your heart? These religious sects had only known of serving God in these ritualistic and non-heart committed actions in most cases. They were used to it, it was comfortable and no one was going to come and tell them otherwise. Even though I believe they had to know in their hearts that they themselves could not live up to the practices they had been preaching and they had to feel the bondage it was creating inside of them. Still they were going to make sure that everyone else did and no one was going to come around there and change things. No way, not on their time. Their hearts were hardened to letting the people out of their bondage of needing them and to the laws, just as Pharaoh's was to letting his slaves free. Jesus came to free us from this bondage just as God had freed the Israelites from Egypt. They knew His Truth would set them free. It is funny how our human nature would rather sit in bondage to something rather than make a change. We are so comfortable where we are even if it is bad for us. Like a baby that cries when you change his dirty diaper. It was warm and familiar sure it stinks and causes a rash, but who wants to go through the seemingly uncomfortable and cold diaper change? Jesus is not looking to change our diaper, He is looking to change our heart. There are very many uncomfortable moments that will happen to us through the transformation but in the end, we will be free.

I challenge you to exam your life. I bet there is at least one thing you can say that you are in bondage to. Is it what someone else thinks of you? Is it your appetite? Is it your job/money? Is it your false sense of freedom? If you have not already, make your starting point turning to Christ. Accept His gift of His blood poured out for you on The Cross. BELIEVE this in your heart and receive His Spirit. Read your Bible and keep communion with Him and community with other BELIEVERS. He will make radical changes in your heart if you choose to let Him. Seek Him with all your heart and you will find Him. Seek His Kingdom first and the rest will be given. His Truth will set you free.