Category Archives: Grace

Everyone’s Welcomed

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but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. Acts 10:35

Peter, who was chosen by Jesus to build the foundation of the Christian Church, misunderstood an important message by God. The message is that everyone through Jesus Christ can now be saved and children of God, not just the Jews.

At first Peter didn’t understand this revelation and as a Christian still only associated with other Jews as traditional practice. However one day God gave Peter a vision, that not only were Jewish people Gods children but now also Gentiles through Jesus Christ

All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. Acts 10:45

The Holy Spirit was poured out now to just Jews but to Gentiles also, just as the prophet Joel fortold

“It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28)

The Holy Spirit will be poured out on everyone who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior including men, woman, and children

These revelations show us God is preparing spiritually for his Kingdom to Come, and not reestablish a present Kingdom here on Earth. This is what most Jews didn’t understand and reject Jesus as the Messiah. As Christ said his Kingdom is Not of This World (John 18:36) but of the Kingdom to come in Jesus Name Amen!

 

Can’t Buy God

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But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! Acts 8:20

Do you think you can buy your way into Heaven? Do you think you can purchase the Holy Spirit? There was a sorcerer named Simon who thought he could buy the power of the Holy Spirit from the apostles. Not only was this mans heart far from God, but also he didn’t understand what Jesus Christ has already done for us!

At the cross, when Jesus said “It is Finished” and died for us, he paid our debt to God. We are purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no money or deeds you can do to obtain salvation and power from God. This is a gift that was earned by the atonement of Jesus Christ and given to us because God loves us

So how can we obtain this salvation and power? First we need to repent for our wickedness. This sorcerer Simon, who was driven by demons, had no intention of repenting or worshiping Jesus. He just wanted the power of the Holy Spirit. You cant obtain the Holy Spirit, until you obtain the salvation of Jesus Christ

Another take away from this story is even though this Simon had demonic powers, which he displayed great wonders. The power of The Holy Spirit was greater than any demonic power, as Philip was casting out demons on the Samaritan people.

If you want the gift of Salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit, you must get right with God and repent. There is no money or works that you can earn your way into Heaven, only through Jesus Christ can we obtain access to God Amen!

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“But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Acts 3:18

The second sermon given by Peter revealed how Jesus Christ has been foretold throughout the entire Bible. Even since the book of Genesis all the way through Revelation, Jesus Christ has been revealed to the world. Prophets like Moses, Isaiah , and Daniel all spoke of the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

And even though Jesus was revealed through the scriptures, the people still didn’t recognize him in the flesh. And not only did they reject him but had him tortured and crucified on a Roman cross. The Messiah that was promised by all the prophets through the Holy Spirit, was murdered by his own people

“For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” Acts 3:26

God raised up his only begotten Son, the suffering servant, who took the wrath of all our sins, so we can be justified before our Heavenly Father. The time has come for everyone to repent, the blood is on all our hands.

Only  Christ, can save us from the curse of death, repent and receive his salvation in Jesus Name Amen!

Society Needs The Church

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And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.. Matthew 16:18

The picture above is of New York City during Easter time in 1956, notice the change in culture of America. Only a few decades ago, many families based their faith and morals around Jesus Christ. Today sadly if anyone tried to put up a cross in a public building they would be sued immediately. So what happened? How did our society go to such extremes? The answer is The Church

As Christians we have unrealistic expectations of The Church. We expect The Church to be perfect, to be fun, to be catering to our needs. However this is not what “The Church” was designed for in the first place,  these unrealistic expectations have caused many to turn their back on “The Church” and cause a major backslide in society.  Unfavorable images from the media have also caused many to have a negative opinion on “The Church”

I am guilty of this myself, we have these images or ideas of how we believe the perfect Church should be and strive to seek that. However we fail to understand “The Church” in Greek is “Ekklisia” which simply means “assembly of people”. The Church is simply a group of people coming together to worship Jesus Christ, to believe that any Church would be perfect or not have issues, is nonsense

Years ago, The Church was the foundation of society, just as Jesus instructed it to be. Fast forward today “The Church” has become the scapegoat for society’s problems and has become abandoned. Turning on the news today has become a scary routine, the evil among this world has spread at epic proportions. It’s time for all of us Christians, to recommit ourselves to “The Church”, and build upon the rock foundation for our children and grandchildren in Jesus Name Amen!

Jesus Is The Resurrection

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Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, John 11:25

At this moment life seemed hopeless for Lazarus family; he had been dead for over four days already. A whirlwind of emotions had been going on , Martha was angry with Jesus, if he had only been here sooner, she said. Jesus was overcome with emotion,  he wept as he saw Lazarus motionless body and the mourning of his family.

and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11:26

But Jesus said anyone who believes in him will never die, he was about to perform a miracle that nobody could dispute who Jesus really is. Before Jesus arrived he told his disciples that this sickeness would not be the end of Lazarus (John 11:4) His disciples at the time didn’t know Lazarus was already dead, so they didn’t understand what Jesus was prophesying at that time.

Jesus asked Martha “Do you believe this?” Meaning do you believe Jesus is God in the flesh, the one who can give and take away life? Martha didn’t hesitate she said Yes Lord I believe! Her faith saved her brother’s life, Do you believe?

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40

Jesus confirmed what he prophesied to raise Lazarus from the dead based on faith, because Martha believed with all her heart, mind, and soul who Jesus is, he delivered Lazarus. After Jesus prayed to the Father, he then commanded Lazarus to Come Forth!

Jesus spoke the dead back to life, just like he can speak our dry bones back to life also. Jesus is The Resurrection, he holds the key to life and death, nobody comes to the Father except through Christ in Jesus Name Amen!

Jesus Is Risen #EasterSunday

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and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, Luke 24:5-6

If you are seeking Jesus, don’t look for him among the dead, Jesus has Risen, he is alive forevermore. On that Sunday morning, the stone was rolled away from the tomb, sin and death were defeated for good. We have ultimate victory through Jesus Christ!

So why do many still seek for help among the mortal and the dead? Why wouldn’t you put your faith and trust in the One who holds the keys to life and death (Revelation 1:18) Jesus is the first born of the dead (Colossians 1:18) meaning Jesus defeated death and rose with an immortal and perfect body, sitting on the throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Even if you rejected Christ, the resurrection has impacted your life. The greatest moment in world history occurred that Sunday morning. Our calendars, holidays, and seasons are all based around the Resurrection of Christ. This moment changed the world forever, question is did you allow Jesus to change your life forever yet?

If you want to find Christ, look up at the sky, don’t look at the grave of other false prophets , false gods , and false religions because He is Risen! Victory over death is ours in Jesus Name Amen!

Into The Pit

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Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” Daniel 6:16

Usually when we think about the story of Daniel and The Lions Den , we think about it literally. However what if we thought about it symbolically relating to ourselves. I’m sure there has been a time in your life, when you were thrown into the pit of despair (lions den) surrounded by demons (lions) who were looking to torment and devour you

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

The apostle Peter describes Satan and his demons as lions looking to devour us. So think of yourself as a symbolic Daniel under attack by Satan himself. Was it fair or just for Daniel to be thrown into the lions den? No, however notice how Daniel reacted, with pure faith and peace that God would deliver him, even though from most peoples point of view, he was about to be ripped apart

“My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” Daniel 6:22

God has sent a deliver to protect and redeem Daniel. God has sent Jesus to deliver and redeem you. Even when you are down in the pit of despair, trust in Jesus, because demons tremble at the sound of his name Amen!

Free Will

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“If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. Matthew 18:13

Often Christians are criticized by non-believer for worshipping an “Angry God” that is wrathful and hateful, the reality is , it couldn’t be farther from the truth. As we look at this parable about how God rejoices over just one person repenting and coming to Christ

God loves us enough to not only forgive us for our sins and disobedience , but he was willingly to lay down his life for you, there is no greater love than what God displayed on the cross

“So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. Matthew 18:14

It is not Gods will for anyone to perish, it is our will that determines if we perish. Since the beginning of time, God has granted us “free will” that allows everyone to choose, good or evil, God or Satan, this is a choice everyone gets to make

However even after all God has demonstrated to us , some will still reject Christ and refuse to repent or change their ways. When you make your choice ,you must also be willing to accept your fate, which will be the Lake of Fire

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Many people mock at the delay of Christ return, however God is doing this purposely allowing people time to come to repentance. However God is just and eventually justice will be served!

Come to repentance , come to Christ, who is the only one who can redeem you of your sins and restore your soul in Jesus name Amen!

Deny Yourself

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And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Luke 9:23

When we look at Christianity today, it has become the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. Preachers have not become more like “self help” salesmen rather than ministers of God. Everyone is looking for “ their best life now”, looking for prosperity and fame.

Jesus is telling us to “Get over ourselves”, stop worrying or pursing the things of this world. Give up the lust for the things of this world and pursue righteousness with God. This is obviously hard for many to do as we are carnally minded. But until we “Deny Ourselves” we can’t become a true Christian

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. Luke 9:24

Jesus even goes one step further, if you continue to live carnally minded for the world, you will lose your life. The only way to gain eternal life, is to be crucified with Christ. Most people when they see the cross, they only see Christ on their. However we must all become crucified and resurrected to be “Born Again”

If you want eternal life, you must lose this carnal life first. You can’t live in the flesh and expect to walk in The Spirit.  Take up your cross daily, humble yourself, be willing to suffer for the Kingdom of God is at hand in Jesus Name Amen!

5 Loaves + 2 Fish

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But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” Mark 6:37

Lets set the scene…there is a large crowd composed of men, woman, and children. They have traveled from great distances to see the Son of God speak. Its getting late, everyone is hungry and tired. The location they are at is remote, it would take hours to travel back into town, so the disciples decided to send them all away

But notice what Jesus says “You give them something to eat!”

The disciples are perplexed, they don’t have any food or shelter to give anyone. How are they going to feed a crowd of over 5,000 people?

And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Mark 6:38

Notice how Jesus responds, “How many loaves do you have?”  Meaning instead of saying all the things we don’t have , tell him what we do have to give!”  This is a lesson even today all of us can learn from. We have many reasons and excuses to not help people out, limited money, limited time, limited resources. But God doesn’t want to hear our excuses he wants to know what we have and he will bless it!

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. Mark 6:41

Jesus took what the disciples did have to offer, blessed it, and multiplied it! There was more Bread and Fish , then the disciples knew what to do with. God is our provider, not us. We need to take the gifts that God has given us and use them to serve others, and God will bless and provide for us in Jesus Name Amen!