We Know That His testimony is true

We do know that Jesus Lives but do we really know it? John 21:24 Netbible, This is the disciple who testifies about these things and has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

I came to know Jesus as Lord on June 14 1974, during a Nicky Cruz crusade in Madisonville Ky. At that time the kids in the youth group was preparing to spend the night at the Methodist Church in town. The youth director was asking for councilors for the crusade and overnight stay. I was wandering why I was not asked to become a councilor. At this in time my life I was reading the New Testament reach out addition of the Living Bible, I had even prayed the sinner’s prayer in the back. However, I never let other people hear me tell other’s of who Jesus is as Lord. I was riding my bicycle the afternoon of the Crusade and in a loud voice weather audible or in my mind I do not know. The Lord spoke to me and said “My son you have never made a public confession to me”. We meet at a friend’s home to go to Crusade and overnight stay at Church and I told her what happened she said I can pray now and have Jesus in my Heart. I said no, I have to do it in front of people. We went to the Crusade and after Rev Cruz talked about Jesus; I responded to his request for people to come forward and accept Jesus as Lord.

Note - you do not have to hear a voice to be saved,  just respond to the Question do you have the assurance of going to heaven.

Hero's

I just found out that Mom Lindsay passed away Late Thursday night. She was president of Christ for the Nations, a school that I graduated from 1981. Very few people are heroes. Both Ms Lindsay and Gordon Lindsay have played a very important role in my life. From learning how to make “Prayer a business”  developing a 3/5 bible reading plan. In addition, through their books, class room time, developing an added value of Gods existence and presence in my life. I do rejoice in her Home going, sadden for Her family loss. All I can say is thank you for extending yourself outside of family, serving the body of Christ. Both of them are true Hero’s of the faith.

What are we looking too

What are we looking too.

Today I have been praying 1 Kings 13 the story of Iddo and Jeroboam. This speaks to the core of what we dealing with this asks two questions Are we settling for second best. And what are listening too.

Notice how the elderly prophet may be a false prophet in verse 11 was determined to lead Iddo into a place by saying I am like you  and  a Angle spoke to me concerning you. Does this sound familiar, we are dealing with the same type of deception today. Wanting Angelic manifestations rather than settling for obedience to the authority of Gods word. I know Angels speak to day and we deal with them more than  we think, but Angels do not substitute for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives today. Take a look at Lots wife even when (driven pulled out of Sodom), she still looked back.

Two stories

Two stories

This morning I am reminded of two stories Ruth and Esther. Both stories are stories that shows  how God gives favor. We see how this is done by a deep trust in the Lord and trusting the ones around us that are mentors. For such a time as this we find God wanting to use us for this generation.

PS 5:11, 12 Netbible, But may all who take shelter in you be happy! May they continually shout for joy! Shelter them so that those who are loyal to you may rejoice! 5:12 Certainly you reward the godly, Lord. Like a shield you protect them in your good favor.

Is there an offence, no safe place

Trying to paint a picture with words is hard, an example living in a place without light, or place of darkness with no light. At a place of living with the sound of fingers going down a chalk board all the time. In a place of fire without being consumed, always thirsty, a place of contradiction, no joy always weeping - Living in a place without the presence of God or the 4th man. A place with no peace. 

Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offendd thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offende thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another

Now how close is He

Now how close is He.

Romans 10:8 KJV,  But what saith it ? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is , the word of faith, which we preach ; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved . 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith , Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed . 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved .

God rewards, Godly Faith

Hebrews 11 AMP NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].2 For by [faith--[b]trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report.3 By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.4 [Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God], and God bore witness by accepting and acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet [through the incident] he is still speaking.

5 Because of faith Enoch was caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received testimony [still on record] that he had pleased and been satisfactory to God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Thinking about lent

Thinking about lent

When I think about lent. I find myself reflecting on several issues as I have tried to address in this blog looking at the condition of my heart. Asking for the Holy Spirit to bring me to a place of brokenness for the season. True brokenness only comes as we allow both the word of God and His spirit to bring completely dependent upon God in our relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord. Alot of times we do not like to be confrented with issues that the Holy Spirit brings to our attentiion. Yet it is these issues that we need to confrented with and confess as sin. Applying Gods word to them and letting Him Change us. As other's have said before us “prayer does not change the heart of God, nor His promises towards us. Prayer changes our heart before Him”.

1 John 1:9 NRSV If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Our uniqueness in Christ

John 17:20 Netbible, “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, 17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 17:22 The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one – 17:23 I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 17:25 Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men know that you sent me. 17:26 I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”


Have you felt the emotions of this chapter? Jesus finishes up with reacknowledging His relationship with His Father. His completes His wide-ranging praying for not just His disciples but for you and me. Then He talks about His glory and how it should be applied within the context of our relationship with His heavenly Father. This is one of the biggest issues we deal with as Christians, our uniqueness in Christ.

A captivating picture

A Captivating picture

John 17:6 Netbible, “I have revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word. 17:7 Now they understand that everything you have given me comes from you, 17:8 because I have given them the words you have given me. They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 17:9 I am praying on behalf of them. I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you. 17:10 Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, and I have been glorified by them. 17:11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. 17:12 When I was with them I kept them safe and watched over them in your name that you have given me. Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled. 17:13 But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience my joy completed in themselves. 17:14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one. 17:16 They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. 17:17 Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. 17:18 Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. 17:19 And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.

The above passage is captivating, because it shows how or Lord prays for the ones He loves. He does not pray for the world but for the ones that are with Him, how the disciples accepted His father’s word. Think about it, He understood who belong to and how He set himself, His followers, from the world. This is best example of how to pray one for another-outside the stoning of Stephan.

Jesus relationship with His Father

Jesus relationship with His Father

John 17:1 netbible, When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you – 17:2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. 17:3 Now this is eternal life – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. 17:4 I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory I had with you before the world was created.

As a student of prayer John 17 is becoming a greater model than the “Our Father” or the Lord’s prayer in Matt 7.

Part of the reason is John shows us all the elements of prayer through the perfect example of the one who answers prayer. Notice how personal He talked with His Father and He knew who He was in His relationship with His Father. Sharing His emotions in dealing with the crucifixion.

A reminder about who we belong to, testify about

A reminder about who we belong to,  testify about

John 15:18 Netbible, “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first. 15:19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. 15:20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours too. 15:21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. 15:23 The one who hates me hates my Father too. 15:24 If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father. 15:25 Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ 15:26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me, 15:27 and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

A break from lent ????

 Since the middle of last year, I have been praying over Duet 28 & 29.  Asking several questions. One is due to God not consistently answering prayer Heaven seems to be shut?  I am not saying God has not heard our prayer, but an appearance of God not answering prayer. Take a  look at how many people are without work as an example. Also since 1946 the Church has just kept up with population growth? In addition, I am concerned about the lack of relationship development with none Christians, which is hindering the decision/disciple growth rate of the Church.. Another issue is the divorce rate with in the Church All this gives the impression that there is no difference between us and none Christians. A false trust in the American political system rather than the Lord. Yes we use the full rights of citizens, yet our hope is only in the Lord.

 As well as  "Prophets" saying that it is OK to be wrong and creating a debate on who is right for marketing  reasons. An alot of us are dealing with health issues that we should not be dealing with. Note, I understand the American diet issue all to well.

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As we now live.

When I look at the Good news of Jesus Christ, I find the Holy Spirit reminding me of three things during this time of Lent. They are Emanuel God is with us which we see this from the Birth of Christ to the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Another is that there are no limits to the authority we have in Christ. Yet trying to understand seasons and times, dealing with unanswered prayer, understanding Ps 95:8-14 and Acts 28:26 and Hebrews 1, warning us about the hardness of our/my heart. In addition, let’s look at John 13-16. This is important because as the disciples were trying to understand the message of the crucifixion; asking how this message relates to the hope of Israel, along with their personal lives. John explains the need peace, as well as the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. John goes on saying the Holy Spirit will bring things to our awareness, so that we can do greater works than what Jesus did. With Jesus speaking to us not leaving us alone. As well as, the importance of prayer and love for one another, finishing with how we have overcome this world