Category Archives: Holy Spirit

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!

Faith Over Fear

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But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”  Mark 5:36

Fear has a way of controlling our lives. Fear of the unknown, Fear of our health, Fear of our relationships, Fear of our futures. But Jesus said Fear no longer only Believe! Meaning your Faith will lead you over your Fear.

In this chapter of Mark 5, we read of multiple people in need of a miracle. A synagogue official in need for his daughter’s life and a woman who had a medical condition most of her life. These people were desperate, but they put their hope in Jesus , and in an instance he restored them.

There were people who mocked Jesus, because the synagogue official’s daughter had died before Jesus reached her house. But notice what Jesus did, he kicked them all out of the room except  his disciples (Mark 5:40) Why? Because there lack of faith was a stumbling block and not a blessing

What is your fear doing to you today? Is it causing you a stumbling block for your faith? You need to remove the power of fear from your life and allow the power of God in

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Any fear that you feel is not from God, it comes from Satan who uses it as a trap and stumbling block for our faith. Allow the Holy Spirit to help you overcome your fears and anxiety , Do not be afraid any longer, only believe in Jesus Name Amen!

Who Is Jesus?

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They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:41

Who is Jesus? This is what the disciples asked as Jesus commanded the wind and sea to obey him. Who can speak to demons and have them shutter and beg to flee in a herd of swine? Who can bring the dead back to life by one touch or command? Who can walk on water or turn water into wine?

Jesus has demonstrated over and over again, that he is more than just a man. He showed that he is more than just a prophet or a teacher. He revealed that he is the beginning and the end. He is Immanual “God is with us”

Still today many people only consider Jesus a great man or teacher. They say he had some good ideas but wasn’t the only way to God. Jesus said he is the way , truth , and the life, nobody comes to the Father God except through him. There is no other way to God except through Jesus Christ!

Finally he paid the atonement for our sins, and on the third day he walked out of that grave alive forevermore. Sin and death were defeated forever, no more would they have a stronghold on us as long as we follow Jesus Christ!

Who is Jesus? He’s the answer to every problem you ever had, he gave his life so you could have yours eternally in Jesus Name Amen!

Spirit of Truth

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The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14

How can we understand God? How can we comprehend the One who created time, space, and matter? How can we explain The Creator who spoke the Heavens and The Earth into existence? There is only one who can help us understand, and it’s the Holy Spirit

As Paul explains here somebody who if not filled with the Holy Spirit will obviously never accept God because they don’t have the understanding that only the Holy Spirit can give us

the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:17

Jesus revealed the Holy Spirit would be coming to his disciples. And notice he describes him as the “Spirit of Truth”. The Holy Spirit reveals the mysteries of God to us, if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit will live inside us , to guide, comfort, and teach us.

Does all the wisdom and understanding happen overnight? No,  but you allow the Holy Spirit to mold you into who God has designed you to be, you will see a transformation over time.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5

None of this is possible though without Jesus Christ, once you are redeemed by the blood of Christ, then you will become baptized by The Holy Spirit in Jesus Name Amen!

Message Of The Cross

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For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

As we looked back on the life of Billy Graham, one reason his ministry was so effective was because he kept it simple. He preached the message of the cross! This is the place we should all start when preaching the gospel, because without repentance there can’t be any transformation.

In todays world, I believe many modern preachers have abandoned this message to combat the Atheist movement. Instead of us talking about the cross and what Jesus did for all humanity, we talk about fossil records and aging measuring techniques. Don’t get me wrong, I love apologetics , however sometimes it feels like we get tied into endless arguments and never talk about Jesus Christ.

But you say “the message of the cross is foolishness” to all the Atheists, Muslims, Hindu’s, and everyone else that rejected Christ. Yeah that’s precisely the point, we can chase our tails to try and appease non believers, or we can just give them the gospel straight and leave it up to them to decide.

Whether the Earth is old or new, flat or round, doesn’t really matter in the final moments of life. The real moment that matters is did you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, did you repent of your sins?  Is the message of the cross foolish to you or is it the love and power of God in Jesus Name Amen!

Fear God

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The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Ecclesiastes 12:13

A person who doesn’t  “Fear God”, is the most dangerous person in the world. Because without the Fear of God there is no morality or love. With all the violence and blood shed happening around our country and world, the “Fear of God” needs to be brought back more than ever

Everyone is looking for a reason and a solution to all the madness happening in our society today. They want to blame it on guns, blame it on mental illness, blame it on our authorities, but the core of the issue is , with no respect or knowledge of God, there will be no cure.

We were all made in Gods image, we were taught by Jesus Christ  to “Love our Neighbor as ourselves” . But when society removes Jesus and tells our children that God doesn’t exist, then society starts to collapse. Where does our morality come from then? What is the purpose for the human race?

The Hebrew word for “Fear” is “Yirah” meaning “Awesomeness” or “Reverence” . When we “Fear God” we don’t react to him like a dictator, we stand back and look at the sky and the ocean, and stand in awe of his Creation. We stand in “Reverence” that even though we were sinners, Christ went to the cross and died for us out of love.

If we want to bring this country and world back, we need to bring us back to “Fear God”, to understand we are created in our Heavenly Fathers image, to know he counts every hair on our head, to know right from wrong, to know Christ has given us eternal life in Jesus Name Amen!

 

Creed of Christianity

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And that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:4
Paul wrote this letter to the Church of Corinth around 54-55 A.D., this was only around 25 years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This letter not only confirmed the authenticity of the crucifixion and resurrection, but became the early  Creed for Christianity.

Paul’s conversion to Christ at the road of Damascus was around 34-35 A.D. only a few years after Christ rose from the grave. That means there was little time for any false stories to be generated about Jesus. The details Paul gave us in the Epistle, was accurate information straight from Jesus Christ.

There were many eye witnesses of Christ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6) that were still alive when Paul made this creed. Therefore if it was incorrect, it would have been rebuked or corrected by fellow Christians and his fellow Apostles.

saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” Luke 9:22

Jesus made this prophecy to his disciples while he was with them, but they didn’t understand what he was saying at the time. This prophecy was not only clearly fulfilled but then accurately documented by Paul in the Creed of Christianity (1 Corinthians 15:4)

Thank you Lord Jesus for taking the wages of our sins and defeating death Amen!

Make Us Clean

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And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Mark 1:40

Why did you come to Jesus? This may sound like an odd question, however when people come to Jesus for the wrong reasons, typically they fall away from their faith. However when we come to Jesus , as the Leper, begging for mercy, then we truly come to Jesus for the right reasons.

Lepers during these times were considered sub human and outcasts. Religious leaders would not even allow Lepers to be part of society, they were banished to deserted places left to die. We are these “spiritual Lepers”, we were dead in our sins, left to die. However Jesus Christ had mercy on us, and he is the only one who can make us “Spiritually Clean”

Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 1:41

What was Jesus motive to heal us? He was moved with compassion, even though we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) Jesus loved us before we knew him, he said “I AM Willing”, he was willing to go to the cross for our sins, he was willing to take the wages of our sins upon himself, he was willing to love a spiritual leper when nobody else was

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Come to Christ for mercy and salvation, he is willing to cleanse you from your sins in Jesus Name Amen

40 Days

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Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. Matthew 4:1-2

Since this week is the beginning of Lent season, today we are taking a look at the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness. This is symbolic of the 40 days before Easter (Lent  Season) originated. During this journey we see that Jesus was tempted with three temptations that all of us face in our daily lives.

And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'” Matthew 4:3-4

The first temptation we see is the lust of the flesh. Jesus , who has been fasting for 40 days, is obviously very hungry and vulnerable at this point. Satan tries to tempt him by enticing him to make stones into bread. Jesus replies with scripture and says “Man shall not live on bread alone” meaning as Christians we deny our physical temptations which are sinful, to live holy and be a true disciple of Christ.

This could apply to many physical temptations in our lives such as drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, gluttony, ect. However by the Holy Spirit we can overcome these temptations and avoid sin

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'” Matthew 4:5-6

The second temptation comes from human pride. Satan tries to challenge Jesus, by saying if you are the Son of God, then prove it. Often times in life when our pride is challenged, we might make a bad decision just to prove that we are the boss or in charge. Jesus however didn’t fall for this trap

Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'” Matthew 4:7

Satan was even quoting scripture to try and lure Jesus into the temptation, but Jesus responded by saying “Don’t test God”.  Jesus demonstrated this humility also later in John 13, Jesus washed the feet of his own disciples. Instead of Jesus being a dictator leader he was leading by example.

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9

The final temptation Satan was trying to tempt Jesus into the lust of the eyes. Look at all these beautiful possessions we can have if we just sell our soul. Jesus didn’t fall for this but sadly we see people do this every day. We see actors and musicians sell all their morals and values just to become rich, what they don’t understand is they are worshipping Satan and his worldly system

Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'” Matthew 4:10

Again Jesus overcame this temptation and told Satan to go away! As the Bible tells us “Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7) Worship God and serve him only!

We need to remember Jesus was in human form, susceptible to Satans temptations and overcame by The Holy Spirit. We can overcome also because Greater is he living inside of me than he that is living in the world (! John 4:4) in Jesus Name Amen!

Love Like Jesus #HappyValentinesDay2018

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Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, Ephesians 5:25

Today as we celebrate Valentine’s Day we reflect on our own marriages, do you love your wife like Jesus loves the church? The first question would be how did Jesus love the Church? Jesus demonstrated his love for us on the cross by willingly giving up his life, even though we didn’t deserve it. Jesus willingly showed us love and mercy, even when we were his enemy. That’s a sacrificial love know as “Agape”

Often as Husbands we talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, true love is a demonstration. We can say whatever we want , for example I can say I’m an amazing musician , however if nobody has ever heard me play, is my claim truthful? This is the same with love, we can claim to love someone, but if we never demonstrate that love, is it truthful?

Again Jesus demonstrated that love for us, by releasing us from the bondages of sin  and death by being the ransom for our sins. Why would Jesus do this? Because he loves us enough to, and we are instructed to love our wives as much as Jesus loves the Church!

Today I celebrate Valentine’s Day with my best friend, my soul mate, and my wife Heidi. As the Bible says when your married “Two Become One Flesh” , she completes me and I couldn’t imagine life without her. Thank you Father God for blessing me with a virtuous wife and wonderful family in Jesus Name Amen!