May19

Have we made salvation to easy? By Bob

by admin on May 19th, 2012 at 3:03 am
Posted In: How We Should Live

This question came to mind as I watched a video on TBN.  The event was “Harvest”, similar to a Billy Graham event.  The preacher talked about the need to get saved and then gave the altar call.  “Repeat this prayer after me”.  The people prayed, many very sincere, and then went home, many to resume their old life.  “Nothing really changes, everything remains the same, we are what we are till the day that we die”.  This is played over and over, event after event.  Do they really get saved?  Some do, most don’t.

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  Phil 2:12 (KJV)

What is Paul saying to us today from this exhalation, “to work out you own salvation”?    Have we made it to easy to get saved and the result is like the seed planted on hard soil?  Salvation needs to be internalized and then lived out in everyday situations.  We do not save people, Jesus saves people.  We need to talk about Jesus and let the people decide if they want what He offers or not.  Leading someone in the sins prayer after a salvation sermon may not be the best way.  Telling them about Jesus, who He is, what He has done, that will stir the heart and salvation will happen when the Holy Spirit is ready.

I have spent a lifetime confused about why so many Christians are weak and can not be distinguished from those who are not saved.   We quote the scripture:

“because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 (ASV)

Confession of Jesus Christ is made unto salvation.  Confession is a public expression, not a one time prayer.  To confess Jesus publicly you need to know Him, personally, in your heart, made righteous by faith.  This is hard when you think about it.  That’s why Paul says, “work”.  Salvation needs to be worked at, not just spoken once then return to our daily lives.

If you are sincere in your desire to be saved, learn about Jesus.  Study about His life!  Let the Word get into your heart so you can believe and it becomes righteousness.

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May01

Are You Paying Tithes For The Wrong Reason? By Bob

by admin on May 1st, 2012 at 1:40 am
Posted In: How We Should Live

Sunday the pastor talked about idols. He gave several definitions of what made something an idol so we could avoid making that mistake. One of the definitions of an idol was greed. Greed becomes an idol because it makes the love of money the priority in our life. When we have greed we do everything with the thought of making more money every moment of the day. The question I discovered was, if we do things with the idea that by doing so God would have to ‘bless us’, are we not more concerned in the results then in God? Are we not trying to manipulate God into doing something because we have done something? Let me explain my dilemma.

When we speak of tithing we tend to explain it in terms of fear “if you don’t tithe you will not be blessed”, or the opposite,  “if you tithe God will bless you”.   This seems strange because that is what we say about superstitions.  An horseshoe turn up will hold the blessings in, or a broken mirror will bring 7 years of bad luck.  As Christians we do not believe in superstitions but we do believe that tithing will either bring you blessings or bring you sorrow.  What is the difference?  I think we need to look deeper into the reasons we tithe to make sure we are of a pure heart when we do.

Tithing was under the law.  That being said, we need to ask ourselves why do we still tithe?  The answer is, we need to be open handed when it comes to money.  Like the Chinese saying ” hold a bird to tight and you will kill it, hold it to loose and it will fly away”.   We need to view money the same way, hold it to tight and it will kill you spiritually, hold it to loose and it will disappear.   Money is a tool that God can use to achieve His desires.  Money is a commodity that is needed to make life livable.  But what about tithing, giving away a certain percentage to a ministry? Tithing turns into giving when it is done correctly with a pure heart.  Jesus had a way of taking a law (tithing) and turn it into a higher form of worship.

Remember the widow lady that gave all that she had, Jesus did not tell us she would never have a need after that, but he did say she gave more then them all.  That is what we should be after, a higher form of worship by giving with the right attitude, one of complete devotion to God.  This widow must of struggled with the act of giving all that she had.  It was not done with a flippant attitude, it was done with tremendous self sacrifice.  She gave all that she had and did not know, nor did she expect, that God would bless her.  She gave because she loved God with all her heart.  She gave because she was willing to die for her God if need be.  Can we say that when we give?  I have struggled for many years with the idea of tithing.  I have written many articles against the tithe because it was of the law.  But I missed the the opportunity to worship God with a sacrificial heart and a willingness to give all.  Tithing to receive a blessing or to avoid losing a blessing is wrong.  Giving with a sacrificial attitude is a better way to live.

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May01

What Does Tomorrow Hold For The USA? By Donald Mehl

by admin on May 1st, 2012 at 12:25 am
Posted In: Guest

Not all will agree with me, but I believe we are essentially done as a nation…whether President Obama has a second term or not. The USA has become financially bankrupt, morally bankrupt, and spiritually bankrupt. It is our time to be finished. The so called “American dream” is gone…it is history…never to return. We have had a good run…it has been a long run…234 years to date…but it is about over. There will be no turning back. I also believe that God is lifting His hand of protection from the USA. In my opinion, the next year or two will in many ways be the years proving that belief.

There’s something about our current President…his personality…his demeanor…his confidence…his ability to communicate…his ability to spew believable lies…his evil actions…his determination to force his agenda in the face of opposition…and his ability to generate a huge following of people.

He is as a formless shadow…with no verifiable history concerning his background and accomplishments. The man has gone to great expense to legally hide his true identity, as well as to seal all records that might provide clues as to who he is, and where he came from. Those actions are not normal, and are unprecedented for anyone seeking or holding the office of President. He just seemed to have emerged from out of nowhere, and then, successfully came to power in the highest office of our land.

In my opinion, it almost appears as if he was supernaturally appointed and driven for such a time as this…to fulfill the specific mission of bringing the USA down from its status as a world power, using whatever means necessary for the collapse of our social, financial, governmental, military, and religious institutions…as well as our freedoms and society as we know it. Also, his positive support for Islam is both obvious and alarming.

The world is on the verge of establishing a one world government…a one world financial system…a one world religious system…all controlled by New World Order and a one world leader. However, none of that can be accomplished as long as the USA enjoys world power status. We must be taken down, and Obama is playing his role toward that end very well. After we fall, and it must happen, the rest of the world will forced to follow like tumbling dominos – and it will all take place quickly.

This is only speculation on my part, but I believe the USA’s demise could happen due to a total collapse of our economy and financial system. If that should occur, the country would very quickly become powerless and unable to function with no hope for recovery. At that point the USA would likely be absorbed into and controlled by a World Order system…a system already waiting in the wings. The USA’s identity as a world power would then disappear…a possible answer for why the USA is not mentioned in end-time prophecy.

Much of God’s end-time scenario is quickly falling into place and becoming more obvious with each passing day. He is positioning nations, situations, and events according to His perfect plan. Of course, most people do not have a clueand many do not care.

Today we are clearly in that end-time period. Scripture explains that near the final days of the end-time, Israel and Jerusalem will be a stumbling block for the nations – all devising ways to divide the land and/or destroy the Jewish nation. Wake up, people…and look around! That is exactly what is happening today as never before in history. The entire Middle East is exploding in turmoil…and it is all about Israel, precisely as the Scriptures have foretold. Get ready…Jesus is coming very soon!

Watch, pray, and keep looking up!

During retirement, my prayer is that I might serve the Lord by sharing the Gospel through my writing. As the Lord leads, my work will inform, challenge and encourage. I also enjoy Biblical theme woodcarving, Bible studies and Christian music. Watch, pray and keep looking up!

Donald Mehl

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITER – MAKE YOUR OWN WEBSITE

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Jan25

What’s Next? What You Do Will Determine That! by Bob

by admin on January 25th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Posted In: How We Should Live

I was watching the State of The Union speech last night and what I heard was the same old story of “It’s not my fault, it’s the congresses fault”. “The republican’s made me do it”! One excuse after another. The real fault can be found in Obama’s background.
Obama’s spiritual guidance was given by Rev. Wright. This ‘minister’ hates America, blames the rich for all the problems, and wants goverment handouts on every corner. Obama heard this story every time he went to ‘church’. It is no wonder that he does not know what to do. How do you improve something you hate? You get rid of it. That is what Obama is doing. Getting rid of ‘it’.
Here is a question: Why do all of the ‘rich’ sports figures get a free ride? Why are we not complaning about their huge salaries? Why is it that we are only hearing about the ‘rich’ business man? I guess we see them as different.
We need to readjust our thinking and stop this train wreck we are on.

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Jan05

Prophecies Concerning Christ and There Importance

by admin on January 5th, 2012 at 1:25 am
Posted In: Prophecy

Old Testament prophecies foretold the life and mission of Jesus Christ hundreds of years before He was born. But few are aware of the sheer number of prophecies and the astonishingly precise details foretold thousands of years in advance. Depending on whom you ask the exact number of prophecies relating to the Messiah varies widely. The mathematical probability that a person could fulfill even the prophecies listed here is astronomical, yet Jesus did it. An author and speaker named Josh McDowell calculated the odds of Jesus fulfilling only eight of the Messianic prophecies as 1 out of 1017 (a one followed by 17 zeros).

Contrary to what some might claim, there are very specific prophecies concerning the messiah, each of which Jesus fulfilled. Piercing of hands, feet and side (Psalm 22, Zechariah 12:10) People mocking (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22) Burial (Isaiah 53:9) Prophecies are beyond his fulfillment. He couldn’t work it out to be born of the seed of the woman, the lineage of Shem, the descendants of Abraham, etc.
Why did god go to all this trouble? He wanted Jesus Christ to have all the testimonials he needed when he came into the world. Yet the most exciting thing about Jesus Christ is that he came to change lives. Jesus Christ fulfilled the hundreds of old testament prophecies that described his coming and showed them to be correctly fulfilled in Him. “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

While prophecy seems to be a forbidden word to modern scholars, the messianic prophecies demonstrate the remarkable accuracy of Scripture. In fact these Bible prophecies reveal a specific plan made by the God of the Bible for the redemption and salvation of mankind. Prophecies are meant to be understood by God’s true children. The Apostle John wrote in the Book of Revelations, “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things which must shortly take place… blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy” (revelation 1:1–3). In the book of Amos the prophet states, “surely the Lord God does nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to you what will be in the latter days”… The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure”. The apostle Peter stated plainly that the church has “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 peter 1:19, KJV). God has given us a unique understanding of prophecy so that we can warn this generation about the truth of end-time events that are occurring and what lies ahead. Those that believe in the truth of the Bible recognize that fulfilled prophecy is one of the most dramatic proofs of scripture’s divine inspiration, and that God “has revealed in prophecy his sovereign plan for history, a plan that has been unfolding for thousands of years”. In fact, no other supposed Holy Scriptures contains anywhere near the quantity or quality of prophecies found throughout the Bible. Prophesied “end-time” events were meant to serve as signposts that will indicate the soon-coming end of this present age, and the return of Jesus Christ to set up the kingdom of god on this earth.
He alone can fulfill the greatest prophecy of all for those who will accept it -the promise of new life: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

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