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Shelter in a Time of Storm

Psalm 91:1-6 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surley he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and the noisome pestilence. He shall cover the with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

Each of us will at some point of out life experience those “dark hours.” These are the times when we feel that no one cares; no one is listening. It is at these times when we feel all alone against the raging storms of life and there is no hope for ever being happy again. We feel like giving up and allowing the destroyer to have his way with us. But, friend, these are also the times when the saints have God protecting and shielding us from the rages of the storms of life. We have a shelter in a time of storm.

God is always our protector, but He does not only do that by soaring in the lofty heavens, looking down like the ever watchful eagle, He also is very near to us. When the “noisome pestilence” of life finally drives us mad with desire to give up, He is there, covering us with the feathers of His wings. In this way He takes the brunt of the storm upon Himself; He is our shelter and warmth until the storm passes over. He holds us steady so we won’t fall to certain destruction. Why then do we not feel His ever presence? This happens all too often and we don’t “feel” Him there because we are too busy looking on the storm instead of snuggling into His loving embrace. Like the young, we too are disappointed that there is a storm so we cannot go out into the radiant sunshine an frolic for a little while. We are looking at our circumstances instead of our situation.

No one likes to go through a trial—a storm of life. They are not fun because we can’t go out and do what we want to do. Instead, we must stay inside under shelter. And here is the key—we cannot do what we want to do! The storms interrupt our plans. They always come at the most inconvenient times. They are never on our schedule of the day; our things-to-do-list. They are most troublesome by nature. But, it is only from the place of protection that we can be delivered from the storm; that we can be shielded from the trial. AND, whether we know it or not, it is in these times that we get closer to God.

Almost always, when a trial comes in our life, do we run to God for our help. Amazingly, the unsaved, unrepentant, atheist will do so as well. They are always willing to accept prayer for them in their time of trial or despair. They want to have the protection and hope that comes from a loving relationship with God, but don’t want to stay under His wing. Like a child on a playground who wants to climb the monkey bars on his own falls off and gets an owey, when the hurt comes, when there is pain, he immediately runs to mommy. Why is that? They want protection, warmth, shelter and security.

So friends, if you are going through a trial today, if you have been going through some despairing times, the very best thing for you to do is to run to God, get under His wing, snuggle up to Him, and wait out the storm.

“Nice words preacher, but can you be a little more practical?”

Yes! Go to the word of God. Open your Bibles and read some comforting words. Passages that will often meet the needs in times of trouble are mostly in the Psalms. There is much healing and relief in these passages. But that is not all. Pray! If you cannot find your way to God, ask Him to find you. If you seek Him, He will find you. And, when He does, He will protect you, love you, warm you and shelter you from all of the storms of life.

~Pastor

Pansy Christians

One of the reason that we have so many pansy Christians is because people neglect the terror of the Lord. Pansy Christians are those who are too afraid to witness for Him. They are the cowards who give up at the first sign of difficulty and run for cover. In a practical sense, they can always be identified as “church shoppers.” They look for what they want instead of what God wants. God wants us to remember sin. He wants us to always have it on our mind because it is the thought of sin that brings us to God in humility; ready to accept His way, and give up the reigns of our life to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:11 says, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” It is interesting that Paul said, “knowing.” What is it that Paul knew. Well, many things I am sure, but here he is focusing on the TERROR OF THE LORD! The knowledge of that is what drove Paul to witness for God. It is that unabated terrifying side of God that caused Paul to get out of his “comfort shell” and be made “manifest” to the world as a real Christian (one who would die for the Lord Jesus Christ). He was afraid of what God could do, (and would do), when He was addressing man’s sin. Where are the Christians like that today? Are they waving their hands back and forth in a “gathering” of tee-totaling” academics? Are they standing firm? NO! They are too busy “feeling” God instead of “knowing” God. They have conveniently forgot that they will one day have to give account of their Christian life to God (Rom. 14:12). They are too busy having a “great life” while all the time they are surrounded by people who are dying and going to hell. That is no laughing matter my friend. Not at all!

Acts of compassion should be motivated by the terror of the Lord. Knowing what He can and will do if we are not obedient to Him.

Christian Addicts

1 Corinthians 16:15 “…they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,”

In our society, the word “addiction” has an extremely bad connotation. It is usually related to alcohol, drugs, food, cigarettes, etc. But, there are some things that are good to be addicted to. It is good to be addicted to your marriage, raising your children right, telling the truth, etc. But the best addiction of all, is to be addicted to God and the ministering of His saints.

In the Christian world, we have what is known as “dabblers.” They dabble a little here and dabble a little there; and when something becomes boring to them, they aren’t interested in it anymore. As long as they are getting something out of it, then they are interested in it, but as soon as they aren’t getting anything out of it, then they give up and move on to something else they can dabble in for awhile. What they need to do is become: addicted!

Herein is a great problem. There are not enough addicts to the ministry of God. Think about it! You can’t get anything from a ministry, if there isn’t someone who first gives to it. I don’t mean just money. I mean everything. Their treasures, talents, and most importantly–their time. I am talking about: dedicated, out of their minds in love with Jesus, addicts. Where are those people? Where are those preachers? Where are those deacons and elders? Where are those parishioners? That’s what our churches, country, and world needs–people who are addicted to Christ!

Here We Go With The Atheist Again

Here we go with the Atheist again. Recently they have taken out a huge billboard add proclaiming that Christianity is a myth. In Times Square their add has Santa Claus on the top with the caption “Keep the Merry!” A photo of Jesus on the cross at the bottom with the caption “Dump the myth!” David Silverman, head of the American Atheist said a private donor paid more than $25,000 to post the billboard sign for one month.

They spend huge amounts of money trying to convince people that there is no God. It simply is not enough that they don’t believe in God, they have to convince others to join their cause. Why can they not let people believe as they wish? Why do they attempt to steer people’s minds to their cause?

They are zealots. They are not only non-believers in God, but they are fanatically against God. They are haters of God and will not be satisfied unless others hate God as well. I guess you could say they love their sin (Jer. 14:10; 2 Tim. 3:2). They Love it so much that they don’t want to be accountable to anything that offends their love for it.

With that in mind, I am really quite amazed that their primary tactic in the war against God is to boldly proclaim that he is a fairy tale. It’s amazing they are afraid of a fairy tale. I mean really, if God and the Bible were really just a fairy tale, then why be afraid at all? Why spend tremendous amounts of money just to make that statement. It seems quite foolish to me and I wonder if there is a flaw in their thought process (1 Cor. 8:2). After all, most of the leaders of their fastidious movement were educated in the finest universities our great nation had to offer.

Atheists would not be so bad if they didn’t try to so vehemently attack Biblical Christianity. It doesn’t seem as if they are as much for the promotion of Atheism as they are for the undermining of Christianity. They are negative people; haters of Christ. That seems what they exist for as an organization. I mean, why don’t you see more billboards explaining or promoting their belief as opposed to signs attacking Biblical Christianity? Why do they turn so quickly to “hate speech”? I think we see a patter to their actions.

One of the men who ordained me to the ministry, Dr. Ken Blue, recently wrote, “How come you never see atheist attacking the Muslim religion?” I think this is a very good question indeed. Why is it that you never see signs or T.V. adds attempting to defunct other religions? Of course, as a Christian I know why, and I am sure you do as well. They are filled with hatred for their creator and are in a total and organized rebellion from Him. This explains why they are so quick to use “hate speech.”

Curious, I went to the website of the American Atheist to see what all the hub-bub was about. I found that there was not one thing mentioned about any other religion than Biblical Christianity. There were articles about how an atheist can deal with, and argue apologetically with, a Christian apologetically. Most of their arguments revolved around two things: asking the Christian how he can prove what he believes and the pointing out “supposed” contradictions in the Bible. The premise was: if you can get the Christian cornered to the point of saying “God said it! I believe it! Case closed!” then they could dismiss Christianity as a simple “belief” and nothing of substance. Of course, the first and foremost attack of their argument was the inconsistencies of various bibles.   Since there were so many different Bibles, and no one still living has ever seen the original manuscripts, then how could you even know you have God’s word at all? Very tricky! An attack on the word of God itself. If the Christian would defend their position by saying God promised to preserve His word (Ps. 12:6-7), they were to immediately classify that as the “God said it! I believe it! Case closed!” argument and dismiss your reply.

To them, this might seem very good indeed but they neglect to realize that God’s very creation bears witness to the truth of His word, and day and night validate His message. For example: Creation is the only logical explanation for the existence of all things. It is certainly not an illusion, nor is it evolution. Any kind of “big bang” would not produce all of the order that is revealed before us. So, the burden is really on them to explain how they can so confidently prove there is no God. This they cannot do. Any attempt to try requires them to abandon truth and rely upon what they believe, and when they do, it is similar to them stating: “I believe it! Case closed!”

Suffice it to say that there is no logically functioning mind that could deny the existence of God. Therefore, they have a problem with their minds. They don’t think right. They don’t know how to think properly and logically. Most likely because they are blinded by their rebellious hatred for God.

Must Christians struggle against them? Must we fight back? This is an interesting question and I feel that there is no need to strive with an atheist. We are to witness and never be ashamed of our Lord Jesus Christ, but they are truly acting like children throwing a fit to get attention. The more you ignore them, the less they have to throw a fit about. The more they keep getting put on the front page of news papers, the more they are encouraged in their ridiculous cause. If people today could just leave God to His business and get busy doing what they were told to do, there would be less rebellion from God in the world.

God told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He did not tell us to wrestle with atheist over illogical premises. If Christians had been doing, wholeheartedly, what they should have been doing, there would be more people saved and less atheists to deal with in the first place.

Parenting God’s Way

SPANKING IS A PART OF PARENTING

Researchers say there is never a good reason for spanking your child. This is because social scientists decided many years ago to stamp out the evil of spanking. Unfortunately, their zealousness to remove God from society and the family will continue until spanking is outlawed or until it completely goes out of style. For them, truth does not matter when you have an agenda.

Man has been convinced of things that simply are not true. He has serious misconceptions about spanking children for disobedience. Unfortunately, most Christian parents today do not get their understanding of discipline from the Bible. They get it from the world. Here, we will show the scriptures that correct these parenting misconceptions.

Nothing God says in His Word and nothing said in this article makes allowance for true child abuse. Jesus was a protector of little children and we should be as well. Anyone who truly abuses a child deserves everything the law can throw at them. To permanently injure a child for any reason is a wicked act and it deserves swift and exact punishment.

Spanking can be misused in many ways. Love must still be the primary factor in parenting any child. Spanking can be too harsh, too inconsistent, too late, too hasty and too much. The fact that you spank your children does not make you a godly or righteous parent. You must use God’s wisdom and always deal with the child for his own good. There will be no lawsuits where the pastor or GBC will be used as an excuse for abusing or mistreating your children.

The only absolute authority for how to raise children is to be found in God’s word—the Bible. Preachers and teachers may make mistakes and teach things incorrectly. They are not the final authority. However, God’s word is always true. Raise your children according to the Bible and God will honor His word.

What are the misconceptions people have about spanking. You may be surprised to see them, one by one, dealt with in the book of Proverbs.   We must all be ready to obey the Lord in these matters of parenting.

Spanking is an Act of Hatred:

There are parents who would not spank their children until they were so mad that they felt like spanking them. This is wrong and dangerous. You do not spank your children because you are mad at them. Spanking is not an act of hatred. God says that it is an act of love.

Proverbs 3:11 – “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”

Notice that God corrects (spanks) those He loves. His chastening hand is proof that He loves us. If he hated us, He would let us go our own way and head for destruction.

In fact, the Bible teaches that you show hatred toward your children by not correcting them. Proverbs 13:24 – “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” To withhold the rod of correction is to demonstrate hatred for your child. In a sense, if you do not correct your children, you are saying, “Go on; head for ruin and destruction; I don’t care.”

Of course you really love your children. That is why you must show it by correcting them when they disobey. Correct them by spanking them. Show them how much you love them.

In love, there will probably be times when you actually cry with your children before you spank them. This is where it is said, “this will hurt me more than it will hurt you.” Then you explain that statement by telling them that you must punish them because you love them too much to let them go the way they were going.

When you spank your children for the right reasons, it is an act of love. Do you see it as an act of love? Do you express your love in your time of correction?

What is the Purpose of the Church

The Purpose of the church-EXAMINED.

The purpose of the church is multi-faceted, but it revolves around one—only one—activity. That activity is the winning of souls. In short, it is telling others how to be saved, encouraging them to get saved, and leading them in the process of being saved. We are very plainly told in the Bible that, “…he that winneth souls is wise.” (Pro. 11:30). The activity of winning souls stands over every endeavor a Bible believing church is involved in. It is paramount, un-negotiable and vital. If you do not think so, then you are sadly mistaken.

Today, the church has evolved into some kind of conglomerate, some kind of multi-functional business venture (emphasis on “business venture). Like some Good Samaritan club, people come together to escape the harsh attacks of evil that they withstand throughout their week. It takes the place of some good, wholesome fun that can be found no place else in the world. And, it becomes an educational source where people can go and have their morals sharpened by the word of God. Of course, all of these are not wrong, but they have somehow upset the cart; the scales have become out of balance. Where at one time soul winning was the most important thing, now it has been replaced by all of the rest. Instead of being slightly off, the church has now become grossly out of balance in the area of winning souls.

In what areas do many churches weigh heaviest? In what areas do they invest the bulk of their resources? They are vast and range from small group encouragement sessions to being the vassals of the distributors of Christian books and programs. I have been to churches where they canceled meetings so they could show the super bowl. I have preached in churches that were divided right down the middle. On each side of the aisle sat the two prominent families of the church along with their supporting families. The poor pastor was stuck right in the middle of the feud. I preached at one church where I actually did no preaching at all. The auditorium was exactly like a movie theater auditorium and the “stage” was full of rock band equipment. All they did was play Christian rock music and there was no mention of Jesus, salvation or the Bible anywhere. My preaching was the privileged task of being the guest of honor in the very front row center. This is only a small sample of what some churches now call “preaching the gospel.” It is what they have replaced for winning souls. No one in any of those churches even thinks of winning someone to Christ, let alone actually trying to do it. Yet they are all “busy about the Lord’s work.” In fact, there have been some people who have left churches where I pastored who said, “I can’t grow. In everything you say, you always say something about winning souls. Could you please stop telling me that?”

Now, to have support groups, encouragement and structure for Christian growth is truly important. It is good to have classes to teach how to rear children the Biblical way. Classes of marriage and handling of finances are necessary and the Bible speaks of these subjects and many more like them. It is necessary for Christians to, “Bear one another’s burdens…” (Gal. 6:2). It is good to be glad in the house of the Lord (Acts 2:46) and to be encouraged by the singing and worship (Col. 3:16). Not every moment of the Christians life must be winning a soul. Every soldier needs time to regroup and rearm. He even needs time away from the battle to resort. The problem is, that most churches have remained stuck in the regroup, rearm and resort area and no one is actually in the battle. They have forgotten that you cannot win a war with only the rear echelon. You must have the fighters. And, in the army, every soldier is a soldier first and foremost.

One day Jesus approached Peter and Andrew while they were fishing, He did not ask them to join a fellowship. He did not offer to them a support group. He didn’t even offer them an answer to their personal problems. What He told them was, “…Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt. 4:19). He wanted to make them into soul winners. He intended to teach them how to tell others about the gospel (good news) of salvation. He wanted them to be equipped to carry that gospel to others throughout their entire life. And, that is exactly what they did, and they did it at the hazard of their own lives. They never lost sight of the main goal. They never got their number one main order out of sight. They always had their “prime directive” before them. The Jews of old would carry God’s word in little boxes strapped to their foreheads called–frontlets (Deu. 11:18). This was in command to God’s directive to have no other Gods but Him (Exo. 20:3). It was their main mission to teach this to their children and this is how they would remember. Too bad the churches of today do not have spiritual “frontlets”. Too bad they keep forgetting their number one mission.

The apostle Paul said, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Cor. 9:22). Though he taught many of God’s principles of help to the church, he still never lost sight of this first command given by Jesus (Acts 1:8). He was committed to even going to the uttermost parts of the earth, and he was pretty successful about it. Even though he had all the cares and concerns of helping the different churches, making a living and dealing with the little concerns of life, he still found time to win souls.

We all know the gravity of the situation; the importance in winning a soul (James 5:20). It is a life and death matter for the one who is won. But in a certain sense, it too is a life and death matter for a church. Where the members of a church are not actively trying to win souls, the church, like a dried up piece of fruit, will die on the vine. It does so because the Christians within dry up and die on the vine. You can always tell those who are drying up because they present reasons why they cannot do it. Listen! People can do anything they want to do if they want to do it bad enough. Churches (dead churches) are filled with people who side-step the command to win souls by replacing it with a little program and then soothe their guilty souls by convincing themselves that they are really serving the Lord. It is really amazing how many churches spend more energy and resources in humanitarian aide rather than Godly aide.

So, let us end on a good note. Let us end on the assumption that you have determined you are going to do something about pleasing God in this area of winning souls. John 4:36 says, “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” I hope that you will receive wages abundantly for your eternal work. I pray that you both reap and sow. I look forward to that for you personally and for the church as well. It would be fantastic to have a church full of those who can rejoice together—rejoicing that can only come from laboring in the field.   The church does not ever need to be a dry, dead place. The only way to keep it alive and vibrant is to win souls. This is our purpose—to win souls. There is no other way around it. Nothing can replace this God given formula for joy.

Pastor Coale

14 “Dont’s” in Raising Children

So many today have been successful at raising brats. Here’s some of the finest advice you’ll ever receive on how to keep from doing so:

1. Don’t pick them up every time they cry. If you run to his aid as soon as he cries, he’ll soon know how to control you, rather than you being in control. You don’t want them to expect to be pampered all of their lives.

2. Don’t let them defiantly tell you “NO!” It’s not cute. It’s rebellion verbalized. Although, he should be allowed to have a mind of his own.

3. Give them responsibilities. Don’t do everything for them. They will grow up thinking this world owes them a living, joining the crowd of grown up babies shouting, “I’ve got my rights,” rather than those who are men and women enough to fulfill their responsibilities.

4. Don’t neglect discipline. Don’t wait until there in trouble and let the penal system discipline them. Don’t go to Dr. Spock (who never raised a child in his life) and the other child psychologists for help and advice. Why not go to the old timers who raised 5 or 10 children successfully! Remember that a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame (Pro 29:15). You can truly develop a true brat if you won’t properly discipline them.

5. Don’t always take the child’s side. Understand that your child can do wrong. If they are wrong, they need to learn to accept responsibility for their actions.

6. Don’t criticize the Preacher or leaders. If you tear down authority in front of your child, they’ll live in insecurity not knowing who to trust. They will be totally prepared for a life of rebellion.

7. Don’t forget to tell them: “I LOVE YOU” They need to hear you say it even if you’ve given them everything they’ve ever wanted.

8. Don’t give them everything they want. There is no need to buy something for them every time you go into a store. You can say “no” to them. You don’t want them to grow up being used to having every appetite of theirs fulfilled immediately.

9. Don’t neglect to teach them the Bible. It makes no sense to them to have to go to school for 5 days a week, but not take them to church for 1 hour on Sunday.

10. Don’t always trust your child. He’s not a little angel. He does do things behind your back. Did you ever ask a young person whom you catch smoking, “Do you smoke at home?” Usually the answer is, “You’ve got to be kidding my parents would kill me.” Your child has the same fears.

11. Don’t scream at your children. This is not the only type of communication that reaches them. Time spent answering their questions and instructing them is not wasted time. Although it may not seem like it, they are listening. Constantly screaming at them will alienate them and the relationship will be devalued. This doesn’t mean that you can never talk loudly to them. There is a time and a place for everything.

12. Don’t let your child come and go as he pleases. It is good to set boundaries. Boundaries can be looked at as types of restriction, but if you look at them another way, they are types of security. Children need security and they are found in guidelines.

13. Don’t make your child the most popular in the crowd. They don’t always need to be “up” with their peers. They can be an oddball at times. If they follow the crowd, then the crowd will become the greatest influence in their lives.

14. Don’t let them constantly watch T.V.   It is not good to keep them from reality. They don’t need to live in a fantasy world. They need to learn to entertain themselves. This exercises the brain and teaches creativity.

Children are not born brats. They gravitate that way because of their training and environment. Because we take the easy road in raising our children, they suffer. Putting these principles in place, along with love and fellowship, your child can grow to be a healthy member of society for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Coale

What Do You Hear?

Ron Coale, Rev.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Listen! What do you hear? I mean, what do you hear about Jesus? Is it something YOU don’t agree with? Or, is it something from the Bible that you just don’t like? This is the case with most people. They don’t like the way a preacher preaches or they don’t like the message God has given him. Perhaps it “steps on their toes” a little bit and they think, “He’s preaching at me.” These kind of people do not love truth, and they are greatly mistaken on the power of God. Like Lucifer, they lift themselves up with pride and deny the presence of God by pawning it off on a man. Huh? They think the preacher is preaching instead of God preaching through him. In other words, they have lost faith in the power of God.

So, because they don’t want to humble themselves, they start shopping for another teacher to tell them what they want to hear. They would rather turn their ears away from the truth than search their hearts to see if God is speaking to them? They are so “right with God” they never have a reason to go to the prayer bench.

Listen! What do you hear? Do you hear God, or do you hear your own self?

Rev. Ron Coale, Pastor

I Am Crucified With Christ

Date Created: 11/8/11

Text: Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

INTRODUCTION:

There are stories upon stories about people who were addicts, got victory over their addiction and then returned to it once again. Usually, each time when they return to their addiction, they fall deeper and deeper into it, until they feel so hopesly lost, that it is no longer an addiction, but life for them.

Christians too are such addicts, but they are addicted to something else. They can have victory over it, if they learn one simple principle: TO BE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. They must crucify the root cause of these addictions. They are…

1.       The Crucifixion of Death to Self.

Each Christian must come to the point of giving in. Not just for salvation, but to defeat self and allow Him to lead us through this journey of life. We must realize the cross is continually calling. As it took the death of the Lord Jesus Christ to allow us eternal life, so it takes dying to self for us to come alive. Being alive to Christ can only come by death to the world, self and sin.

A)   Self wants to Control.[1]

Self is continually struggling to dominate control of our life. When you get control of one area, self dominates another. It is like the elephant trying to stomp out the hordes of bothersome ants.

B)    Self wants to Conceal.

(Isa. 29:15; Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:11)

The evil works of man are done under the cover of darkness. Self wants to dominate your night. It wants to bring you into the dark areas of your life and if it can’t bring you there, it will create them. The way to combat self is to put on the armour of light–the word of God. Then to stay away from them, therefore getting a bigger picture and being able to identify what is wrong with them. Stay in the light.

C)   Self wants to Condemn.

Job 9:20   John 3:18 Titus 3:10-11

Self wants to condemn a person so they will live a defeated life; always feeling like they are good for nothing. People convince themselves that there is really nothing wrong with them. But, the greatest condemnation in the world is to not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your saviour. The good news is—all you have to do is just DO IT!. Self can be ignored for a little while. Once you have the Lord in you, you will begin the long series of battles for domination of self, not self domination.

ILLUSTRATION:

2.       The Crucifixion of Death to this world.

Galatians 6:14

The saviour calls for daily dying because we live in the world day by day. If we do not surrender our hands to the piercing nails which hold us to the cross, then we cannot be set free from the world. We must ignore the world and abide in the suffering eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is possible to live in this world yet abide in the power of his resurrection. Instead of living in a hopeless death, we do have the power to come alive.

A)   World wants to Influence.

James 4:4

The world wants us to befriend it. A little compromise here, a little there, then later a little more; and more and more, until it has completely influenced us to live as an enemy of God. It’s influence is so subtle, that we don’t even realize it is happening to us.

B)    World wants to Infiltrate.

1 Timothy 6:17

The more the world can infiltrate our life, the more control it has upon us. Practically speaking, this can be seen in worldly peer pressure: hair cuts, clothes, make up, music, talk, etc. Why is it that Christians are not as submissive to Christianly peer pressure as they are to worldly pressure? Because the world is infiltrating our lives in a much greater way. We can turn that around by seeking more time with Christians and less time with the world.

C)   World wants to Inhabit.

2 Timothy 4:10

When the Christian finally allows the world to “set up camp” in their lives (to inhabit), there is no desire at all for Christian influence. THere may be token attempts to go to church once in awhile when times are bad, but their zeal and love seem to be gone. When the world inhabits the life of a Christian, it is hard to begin living for the Lord again.

ILLUSTRATION:

3.       The Crucifixion of Death to Sin.

Sin’s influence on a Christian is not nearly the same as the world’s or that of self. Sin is worst of all, yet for the Christian who has read his Bible, is the easiest to identify. Simply put, sin is the bad things we do that we know God does not like; it is the things we do that make God angry. We do not need sin in our life. We must nail our sinful nature to the cross. This is where it belongs.

A)   Sin wants to Separate.

Isaiah 59:2

God can abide much, but He cannot abide sin. Sin is too much for a perfect God to accept. It is beyond His principles to accept it. It must all be dealt with harshly. Because of its corrupting nature, sin must all be separated from Him; every single bit of it. Thank God for the Lord Jesus Christ who paid for our sin.

B)    Sin wants to Shackle.

Hebrews 12:1

Sin ties us down so we cannot run the race for God that we ought. It holds us back as we drag it around like so many spiritual anchors, trying to hold us in one place. We must crucify it to the cross. We must die to it to unshackel its weighty influence.

C)   Sin wants to Shame.

1 Corinthians 15:34

The greatest shame that sin causes in the life of the christian is in not telling others how to be saved. If the blasphmy of the Holy Ghost is not accepting Christ and getting saved, how much are Christians adding to this sin by not telling others how to be saved?

ILLUSTRATION:

4.       The Crucifixion of LIFE to Christ.

Romans 6:4-6

I Live By God’s Faith

I Live By God’s Love

I Live By God’s Sacrafice.

A)   Life wants to Lighten.

John 1:4

Living a crucified life allows you to see things like you never did before. His wisdom shines through the muck and mire of the world, sin and self. there are new discoveries and revelations of old things known. all things become new by the light given from a crucified life.

B)    Life wants to Liken.

1 John 3:1-2

We will be called the sons of God. We are likened to Him by our crucifixion of Sin, self and the world.

C)   Life wants to Live.

Romans 6:23

Life is eternal and you can have it. A defeated Christian can have it right now. An unsaved person can have it right now. all you have to do is to accept it.

ILLUSTRATION:

CONCLUSION:

There is no greater sacrifice, than to be crucified with Christ. Yet it brings life.

INVITATION:

Why Don’t You Fly?

A. J. Gordon was the great Baptist pastor of the Clarendon Church in Boston, Massachusetts. One day he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, “Son, where did you get those birds?”

“I trapped them out in the field.”

“What are you going to do with them?”

“I’m going to play with them, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.”

When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, “Mister, you don’t want them, they’re just little old wild birds and can’t sing very well.”

“I’ll give you $2 for the cage and the birds.”

“Okay, it’s a deal, but you’re making a bad bargain.” The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost — paying for them with His own precious blood. “That boy told me the birds were not songsters,” said Gordon, “but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!'”

This is what Jesus did for each saved saint of God. He set us free from the cage of sin in which we are trapped. It is only by His precious blood that the door of sin is open and freedom is at hand. Jesus paid for our sin. He is the only one who could ever pay for it, because His blood is pure and sinless. Ours is not. No matter how much we may cry out that we don’t belong in the cage of sin, our blood is still sinful. What binds us, what holds us is the sinful blood contained within our veins. As it bleeds out, more is produced in it’s place, and it is just as sinful as that which it replaces.

Our problem is a blood problem. Let me simply say it like this, “we have bad blood.” Yes, there is bad blood between us and God, and it can never be purified. We can only have an advocate who will accept us, and then present us to the Father based on the pure blood coursing His veins—That is what Jesus Christ did.

The door is now open. The way is made clear. There is nothing standing in the way that would hinder us from leaving the cage of death. But, sadly, there are many who will not venture into the open air of the heavens. With fear or pride they huddle in the back of the cage, making excuse after excuse about why it cannot be real. At the same time, they witness (over and over again), another one step to the edge and soar with open wings, into the open free air. How terrible life must be for those who live in fear. How hopeless life must seem for those who will do anything but stretch their wings and fly.

If you are not saved today, I hope you will come to your senses and get right with God now. ~Pastor Coale
IS GAMBLING A SIN?
People often try to justify their desire to gamble by saying, “after all, life itself is risky.” Investing in the stock market, crossing the street, riding in an airplane, falling in love, getting married, even doing church work all carry with them an element of risk. People also try to justify gambling by pointing to the element of chance that was involved in the Old Testament use of lots or the Urim and Thummim, and in the New Testament method of choosing Judas’ successor. However, there is no legitimate point of comparison between the type of chance involved in these Scriptural practices and the type of chance involved in gambling. The Old Testament lots were specifically sanctioned and commanded by God (Lev. 1:8, Josh. 14:2, Ex. 28:30, Num. 27:21, Dt. 33:8). Gamblers today cannot produce such commands of God for the lots they cast! Likewise, in the choice of Matthias to succeed Judas no real risk was involved, Both candidates, Justus and Matthias, were fully qualified for the position, so the final choice was entrusted to the Lord in prayer.

The real crux of the problem of gambling is not the element of risk or chance, but the question of motivation. This is the real heart of the problem, for if the motivation involved is wrong, gambling is wrong even when the element of skill predominates over simple chance.

The basic purpose of most gambling is not to help and serve others, but to help ourselves at their expense. Luther observed: No one gambles with another in order to give away to the other what is his own (for he could do that without gambling), nor in order to lose what is his own, nor in order to seek the gain of the other man as though it were his own. This is why gambling is always contrary to love and is motivated by greed because a man seeks, to the harm of another, what does not belong to him.

The basic Christian objection to gambling is that it is an attempt to gain something from our neighbor without giving a fair service in return. If we really love our neighbor, will we wish to win at his expense? In gambling are we heeding the admonition of Scripture, Philippians 2:4 ‘Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.’ Christians must keep two facts in mind when seeking gain or profit from their activities. They must give fair labor in exchange for what they receive. They seek to earn for themselves, not from selfish motivation, but in order to be of service to others. Ephesians 4:28 “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”

A Christian’s life is to be devoted to serving others, not to serving self. In most games of gambling, part of the enjoyment is taking advantage of someone else’s loss. Gambling is nonproductive, and can be justified only by arguing its entertainment value or the good use made of a portion of the revenue. Since the end never justifies the means, gambling cannot be justified on these grounds if greed is involved. The fact that dishonesty and selfish motivation can be practiced in any form of business cannot be used as an excuse to justify gambling, if gain at the expense of another is part of the very nature of gambling. The common consent involved in gambling does not excuse the stealing involved in gambling anymore than common consent excuses the murder involved in dueling.

The Bible does not specifically forbid gambling, but there are several biblical principles that should make Christians hesitate to participate:

God presents work as the normal way to get the money we need (Eph. 4:28; 2 Thess. 3:12).

When a person cannot work, the second choice is prayer (Phil. 4:6, 19).

All my income belongs to God, not me (Psalms 24:1), and I am not free to use it as I wish. I am a steward, who should use it for God’s purposes. Christians are called on to meet the needs of their family (1 Tim. 5:8), and share with others, particularly Christians who have needs (2 Cor 8-9; Gal. 6:6-10; 3 John).

Does God want me to use His money to buy a lottery ticket? God uses money to accomplish important purposes in my life:

Meet basic needs (Matt. 6:11; I Tim. 6:8).

Build character (Phil 4:10-13)

Give direction, by providing or withholding resources.

Helping others through me.

Show His power by providing miraculously.

Gambling does not accomplish any of these things. In fact, it hinders these things being accomplished in my life. So, a person must ask themselves, “Am I looking to God or to the lottery for my needs?”

The Bible says that it is required of a steward that a man be found faithful 1 Cor 4:3). Since we are to be stewards of everything we have, (not just our money), and we are to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7), gambling that which we have stewardship over is directly opposite of a life of faith.

Greed and covetousness are sin (Exo. 20:18; I Tim. 6:9; Heb. 13:5), and these are motives in most gambling. The book of Proverbs warns of disaster for people who want to get rich quickly (28:20, 22). Not only that, wealth that comes easily goes just as easily (Pro. 13:11). AND, if it is gained the wrong way it can even break up families (Pro. 15:27).
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Christian Community Organizers

There is a big move in the Christian world to build communities rather than churches. In this they are following the former example of President Barak Obama. They try to organize a community into a viable force to work with, then they can fix themselves up as leaders (or rulers) of that community.

In the roots of the word “community” can be seen the word “common.” From this word also comes the word “communism.” An “ism” is a belief of practice of a religious sort. You can see that community building is done not much differently than communism is done: do things for the people that they deem helpful to themselves in the immediate, so you can control them later down the road. For Biblical example to this, Christian Community Organizers turn to the Book of Acts where it says the believers had, “…all things common.” (Acts 2:44; 4:32). What they had in common was a result of loving God. It was not community of people having a great time together.

If you were to build a community, you could be able to accomplish this task by simply being an investor. You could buy up some land and build some houses on it for people to live in, hence–community. The people would be unified in where they lived, but not necessarily in heart or belief. It is easy to build a community by having a bunch of fun activities for people to do. Therefore, Christian community building is doing anything fun so people will come to your community activity. It is accomplished by not doing or saying anything that may be offensive to another, even at the expense of truth. Christian communities therefore side-step the job of evangelism and go straight to the fellowship aspect of a church; they are a “partial church” heavily stressing fellowship and overlooking obedience and truth. Paul warned of such deceitful activities when he said, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ear from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim. 4:2-4) Today, that equates to having Christian communities who have fun getting together, but could care less about enduring sound doctrine. Their ears itch to have some teacher teach them how to have fun, food and fellowship only.

Jesus gave himself for the church as a husband is supposed to do for his wife (Eph. 5:25). He did not give himself for a “common unity.” Jesus plans to present the “common unity of believers”–church; to himself holy and without blemish (Eph 5:27). Not any old community. He will not present a community of non-believers without spot or wrinkle to himself. It is the church that He is working on to perfect. It is the church that makes up the body of Christ.

God called us to start churches. Churches not only encompass a “common unity of believers,” but first and foremost prepare the individual for presentation to the Lord. Churches seek to carry out the great commission first and fellowship second. Herein lies the great problem–People would rather have the fun, but not do the work of the Lord. Or, they call their service to the community “fun stuff”, their work for the Lord when it is not. Before ascending into heaven, He only gave us one job to do–win souls.

Jesus loves the church as a whole, not just when believers get together to “feel good” about themselves as some sort of modern day “AA” support group. The Christian community organizers would have you to think that the word “church” is some sort of archaic word that has negative or bad connotations. That is a lie. How can Jesus ever use a word that would go out of date? He is eternal and therefore His words are eternal, else one could easily believe that the gospel is archaic. The church does not go out of date. It is contemporary. People are easily deceived because the Devil has worked very hard to dilute and discredit the true church with alternatives (like “communities”). What has happened, is God’s people have given up on God because they are selfish. They don’t want to do anything but be entertained, unless it is something THEY want to do and not something GOD wants them to do.

Beast mode vs. God

Rev. 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six.

Many Bible readers over the centuries have been puzzled, wondering just how such a system could ever be established, but it’s no longer a puzzle. Advanced technology has brought the world closer to the Mark of the Beast than any time in history. We know that the coming Mark of the Beast will somehow be connected with the economy, for the Bible says that no one may buy or sell without it. It may very well be that cash, checks, and credit cards are soon to become a thing of the past, because electronic money is becoming more popular all the time.

One form of electronic money is the use of smart cards. A smart card looks like a credit or debit card, except it contains a small computer chip with all sorts of information about the card holder, including bank account numbers and balances. When a smart card is used, the card holder’s bank account is immediately debited at the point of sale by computer transaction. This means more profits to retailers and banks alike, because bad checks and credit card abuse would be eliminated. Many banks and credit card companies believe that electronic money will eventually usher in a cashless society where everyone will buy and sell electronically. Terry Galanoy, former director of communications for what is now Visa International has made this bold remark: “Protesting too loudly about it isn’t going to help either, because the disturbance you kick up is going to end up in one of your files. And on that come-and-get-it day when we’re all totally and completely dependent upon our card–or whatever security device might replace it–you might be left all alone without one!”

In promotional literature from the Danyl Corporation of Moorestown, New Jersey, Robert J. Merkert, Sr., senior vice president, says: “One day in the near future, we’ll be able to pay for almost everything with just one ‘prepaid stored value’ or ‘smart card.'”

Though many industry leaders are very much in favor of a cashless society where buying and selling is done electronically, there is a problem. How can it be guaranteed that the individual using a Smart Card is the authorized card holder? Some believe that this problem can be solved by combining Smart Card technology with Biometric Technology. After all, a Smart “Card” is only a piece of plastic. It’s the computer chip inside the card that stores the needed information. As unbelievable as it may sound, biometric technology has now made it possible to implant small computer chips under the skin of animals and people. The European Community’s Executive Commission has already passed legislation which REQUIRES farmers in the European Community to have their livestock implanted with microchips! In many cities across the U.S., the Humane Society is selling such implants for pets, as a replacement for dog tags.

You say, “Well, that’s just for animals. No one would ever try this technology on people.” I wouldn’t be too sure about that. According to the Bible, The Mark of the Beast, by Paul and Peter Lalond, a plastic surgeon in Florida has hit upon the idea of implanting microchips in people. This would be helpful in locating missing people, such as run away children, kidnapped children, wandering victims of Alzheimer’s disease, and parolees.

Just for a moment, use your imagination and think about the convenience of implanted microchips. You wouldn’t need any cash or checks for making purchases, for your bank account would be automatically debited every time you went through a check-out stand. You wouldn’t need to keep up with a social security card, a driver’s license, a Medicare card, a credit card, or even a smart card, because all of this information could be stored in the implanted chip. You wouldn’t have to worry about getting mugged on the street, because there would be no demand for cash in a cashless society. Now doesn’t the mark of the beast sound wonderful?

We are not saying that the government is going to make you receive a microchip implant, and we aren’t sure how the number “666” can be integrated into all this. We are simply pointing out the fact that THE TECHNOLOGY IS HERE. We do not know exactly what the Mark of the Beast will be in it’s final form, but it is obvious that the possibilities are greater today than ever before.

Only by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior can you be saved from the wrath to come (1 Thes. 1:10; 5:9). The Lord Jesus Christ will soon return to call His church out of this world (1 Thess. 4:16-18), and only those who are saved will leave. Everyone else will enter into the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21), and they will be required to take the Mark of the Beast. Those who do will burn in Hell forever (Rev. 14:11).

When you are ready to accept the fact that you are a lost and dying sinner and that your “good works” are unacceptable to God (Rom. 3:10, 23; 4:5; 10:3), then you can begin to see your need for Jesus Christ. He came into this world to lay down His sinless life for YOU–to pay for your sins, because you couldn’t. Jesus is your only hope for salvation. Only by receiving Him as your Savior can you enter the gates of Heaven. There is no other way.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

The Lord Jesus Christ has come and PAID for your sins by shedding His own Blood on Calvary. By receiving Him as your Savior, you can be WASHED from all your sins in His precious Blood (Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:14; Acts 20:28; I Pet. 1:18-19). Notice these important words from Romans 5:8-9:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

Jesus PAID your way to Heaven for you! By receiving Him as your Savior, you will be receiving God’s ONLY means of Salvation for you. Are you willing to forsake YOUR righteousness and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, your ONLY HOPE for Salvation? Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9 says, “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.” Are you willing to forsake your own righteousness, and trust Jesus Christ alone? He will save you just as He promised. Why not receive Him today? Tomorrow could be too late. Tomorrow you could face being implanted with “the mark of the beast.”

What The World Needs Now

1 John 4:1-3 says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

The world seems to be going to hell in a handbasket. As we talk to those who are older than us and they tell us how the world used to be, it seems that things really couldn’t get much worse. In the last year it seems that things have been accelerating, like the gas pedal for progress has been stuck and we can’t get the transmission back in neutral. It seems like we are bound head long for disaster.

As the economoy falls down around us with prices rising, hours being cut back, jobs being lost, despair takes over and hope waines. The proud steps of advancement are turning into so many stumbles. How did this come about? It is a wholesale turning away from the Creator. It has been a change that has slowly crept up upon society which seems to have suddenly sprung wide open, but this is not so, it has been steadly changing all along.

Change is a good thing if it is in the right direction, but no change that moves away from the Lord Jesus Christ is good. Any change in that direction is doomed to failure. Now, more than ever, the world needs change, but that change is not a political change; it is not a social change; it is not an economic change: it is a spiritual change. It is a change of direction beginning at the personal level and then growing through the family level to the associates level which will affect the community and sift up to affect the nation.

The Nation needs change! The World needs Change! And it needs change now—change in the right direction! Change that no man can promise us. It is a subtle lie to think that change lies within us if we pool our collective talents together. It is a lie to think that shareing our wealth can bring about the change that we need. My friends—NO WE CAN’T do it, but THE LORD JESUS CHRIST CAN! And, any change outside of Him is just man trying to elevate Himself to the point of godhood, when mans record over the annals of time shows that he can do nothing for himself. Now, more than ever, the world needs change; change in three parts:

First we need physical change. We need to go back to where we used to be when we were receiving the great blessings of God. If we stayed with God in the first place, we would have been better off. The Bible says that we should “…meddle not with them that are given to change:” (Pro 24:21). If its good and you change it, it can only get better or worse. These are the only direction change can take. Where are we now as a nation? Better off or worse off? What are some physical things we can do to affect the positive change that we really need?

I believe that we, as a nation, need more Churches. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” Churches are folding up at an alarming rate. More men are quitting the ministry than there are who are getting into it. Without churches, there is no place for people to go to get instruction and training in the Lord. Not only that, the church provides a place of fellowship with like minded believers. Without churches, there is no training up the next generation for the Lord; there is an absence of morality being taught to our posteriety. There is no use worring about them having money to spend if there is no morality governing their actions.

Churches are the only place that people can go to learn about right and wrong, truth and lies, morality and immorality, hope and disparity, life and death, from the right perspective and without interference from the government and political cronies. Without churches, our society would quickly fall into anarchy and that’s why the Devil would like to close all churches.

We also need more Bibles. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” We don’t need more different versions of the Bible, we need more access and availability of the Pure word of God—The King James Bible (Psalm 12:6-7). Even though the text is not copywritten, so-called “Christian Book Stores” have very few King James Bibles available. They push the NIV or the ASV or any other version except the Bible version that pioneered this country; the one that is promised to be preserved by God; the one that is named after a King with a Jewish name; the only one that boldly proclaims the word: “AUTHORIZED;” the one that clearly proclaims a trinity; the one that preaches the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ; the one that was not translated from Catholic manuscripts; the one that the martyrs died for. Should I go on? We need more doctrince being preached from this monarch of Books—the King James Bible.

We need more Displays of the Ten Commandments in our schools and public fascilities. Deuteronomy 6:9 commands us: “And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Taking the Ten Commandments out of our schools and public buildings is the beginning of forgetting about God. It is like putting your head in the sand regarding the presence of God in our society. It shows the world that this nation is not serious about their thankfulness to God for it’s birth.

The atheist may think they are cool for all of their innovative ways of getting attention, but there is a reckoning coming. God’s standard does not change. If you take them out of society, that does not get rid of God; it only deprives the younger generation of the knowledge that you were privileged to have. Taking a speeding ticket that you received and tearing it up and putting it in the fire does not negate your responsibility for paying the fine.

We need more Witnesses. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The more witnesses we have, the easier it is to run the race. The easier it is to live for the Lord. When there are few witnesses to how you are living your life, there is little accountability and it is easier to sin. That is why social networking is so popular; you can say things to people that you would otherwise not say face to face.

We need more witnesses for the Lord. Society wants us to think that they have the upper hand; they want us to think that we are outnumbered, but the battle is already won. Our captian has won the victory and has been a burr in their saddle ever since He proved it with His resurrection. They can’t stand it. It just makes them so mad they could spit. We need the saints to realize that there is a great message to proclaim. Pull out all of the stops. Go on the offensive. Put Jesus in every aspect of society. Call people randomly and tell them about Jesus. Mail them a letter, hold up a sign, hand out a tract, go door to door, give a word of encouragement. Tell them the good news. Excersize our rights as Christians.

We need more dedication to family. Try as they may, the family unit is not dead. Those who pervert it would have us to believe that it has changed and no longer exists, but it is thriving. There are not as many perverts as they would have us to believe. We need to stick together as families. That is a father, mother and children. It is not a father-father or mother-mother. The definition of family can never change no matter what is done to the dictionary. Family was established by GOD and that history can never be erased. That makes them mad. It makes them so angry they lose their minds. That is why they are so violent, aggressive and looney. They don’t think right; they don’t think straight. They even proclaim themselves to be crooked/perverted every time they call us “straight”. Well the Bible says to “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt 7:13-14). Martin Luther King Jr. said that, “the church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.”

As long as we have freedom, we need to take advantage of it. More Christians need to take advantage of their liberty in Christ. John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” The Devil would have us believe that being a Child of God means living under the crushing weight of the thumb of God. Oh, on the contrary, to come to the Lord Jesus Christ is to have freedom like none other. It is freedom from the claws of the Devil and His crowd and it was purchased for us by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. He bought you with a price (1 Cor. 6:20) and then set you free. You are owned by Him but not enslaved by Him. You are set free!

Of their free will and volition, Christians happily serve Him out of love and a deep sense of gratitude. The world cannot understand that. They are kicking and scratching, lying and deceiving, maneuvering and influencing each other to get higher and higher in society when Christians have already arrived. They are the happy children of the King—the creator of all things.

We need more application of God’s word. James 1:25 tells us, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” Its not enough to just hear God’s word preached; its not enough to read God’s word, it must be put into practice. God wants us to love the world in spite of all of its wickedness; in spite of all of it’s stupidity; in spite of all of it’s ignorance, we were once there. Now, we have an education that answers all of the questions of life; answers that the world just does not have.

The first application of God’s word is to get saved. Then to grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The reason that the world thinks that Christians are supposed to be these “lovey-dovey,” “tip-toe through the tulip” kind of “sickening sweet” Christians is because they have never read the Book. They are just ignorant and foolish, prejudice and biased. Apply God’s word. Tell them how to get saved and then read the Book and live by it. Love your God in Heaven first and then your neighbor as you love yourself and don’t ever get it out of order.

“We teach what we know; we reproduce what we are.” Robert Schmidgall. Romans 8:6 tells us, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

We need more growth in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 says, “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisionsa, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” Spiritual change can only be affected by growing up in the Lord. There are too many spiritual babies in society today. They are full of fluff. They live off of the milk of God’s word while ignoring the meat. They have not developed or grown and when they are fed meat of God’s word, they choke on it. They are critical and selfish. If there is going to be any spiritual change or maybe even revival, we need to have more spiritual soldiers for the Lord. That can only be done by feeding them a stronger and stronger diet of spiritual food and get away from the milk of God’s word. What the world needs now is more growth in the Lord.

We need more people saved. In 1 Timothy 2:4 we read, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” God wants everybody to be saved. Saved from a life of eternal separation from Him. He created man to have fellowship with Him. It is not just: “Your God” or “My God,” He is everyone’s God and just because people don’t accept Him, does not change that fact. If there is going to be any real change in this world, we need more people saved.

There needs to be more exalting of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “And I, if I be lifted up, from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). The world is bent on lifting itself up. They lift up their intelligence, beauty, position, health, and anything else they can to make themselves powerful. But the Lord Jesus Christ has all of the power that there is. He is already above all people but they just don’t reckon it. We need national leadership who is not afraid to pray. Someone with a lilttle guts; a little grit. Someone with a little experience. Someone who is not ashamed to reckognize that this country was founded out of a deep commitment for the Lord Jesus Christ and His word.

We need preachers and churches who are not afraid to stand for the principles of God’s word and not keep searching for a Bible what appeases the masses so they can build their spiritual empire. We need Christians who are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and know that it is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). What the world needs now is a healthy exhaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Winston Churchill said, “a fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”

What the world needs now is more prayer to God. We don’t need to get all lined up and bow down in a “line-dancing” specticale. We need true praying to the true God. Not “whatever you perceive God to be.” He is a true God. A real God. There should be NO restrictions to who can pray to Him or where they can pray to Him or when they can pray to Him. He is real and we have access to Him anytime we want if we sincerely seek Him and not the admiration of any man. If there is to be any real change in the world, we need to be able to pray to God. Don’t speak to us hypocritically about “open and transparency” or “freedom of speech” while trying to stifle open and free communication with the Creator of the Universe and all things contained therein. It just doesn’t make sense unless, “open and transparent” or “freedom of speech” means, “I get to say what I want and the rest of you SHUT UP!”

We certainly need more of Christ in the nation! 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 says, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

What the world needs now is not love, it is Jesus. The world has had it’s chance and it is not going to change. It needs the Lord Jesus Christ to come back. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8) There is no change that this world needs other than to go back to living under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. If this change is not made, then there is no hope. ~Pastor Coale

a divisions: or, factions
Making Friends God’s Way
What is a friend? The world has its idea of what a friend is. They usually count a friend as being a resource; someone who can help you or give you things when you have needs. This kind of approach usually goes like this: “Oh good, they have a tractor. That will be good for me when I need one.” Some people, like the Chinese, take this one step farther with their principle called Guang Xi. This means that you keep trying to expand your “friend” base so you have access to as much resources as possible. Even though you may not like the person at all, if they have something you might need in the future, you call them friend so you can get access to it. In the world of politics, we call this corruption.

Even though Christians are in the world but not of the world, they still make friends; it is just that their basis for friendship has changed. For the Christian, a friend is a trusted confidant to whom you are drawn, or who is drawn to you. They are a companion and an ally, whose love for you is not dependent on your performance or what you can provide for them. Finally, and most importantly, a friend to the Christian is someone whose influence draws you closer to God.

Philippians 3:18-19 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Paul experienced people who called him a friend but they were not. His sorrow over this was they were the enemies of Jesus Christ. This left no or little basis upon which to build a friendship. These “friends” were those who served fleshly appetites. They found humor in their shame and they had no concern for eternity. They were interested in the three greatest foes to the Christian: the World, the Flesh and the Devil.

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

If you develop friendships where you don’t have the fundamental basic foundation in common, you are doing a disservice to that person and to yourself. That friendship is doomed to failure. If you find yourself in this situation, you should ask yourself, “Why am I even interest in this friendship? Is my motive so that it will benefit me? Or, is God putting us together?”

Developing the right kind of friendships can be difficult. It takes understanding of how friendships are established. The Child of God should approach making friends with the determination of “if you reject Christ then you must also reject me, for He is my greatest friend.” When asked to compromise or violate the Scriptures: smile and say, “No thank you. I’ve committed my life to Jesus and I don’t want to displease Him by doing that.” It is important to let God choose your friends, based on their needs and desire for God’s help and not worldly ambitions or desires.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

Everyone has a limited capacity for friendship; you can’t be friends with everyone. Still, some people have more friends than others. This does not mean that some people don’t have any friends at all; each person has a different capacity for numbers of friendships and everyone has the capacity to develop intimate friends.

There are four levels of friendships:

Acquaintances: With acquaintances, there is occasional contact and general conversation. Information is shared, but it is that which would be public anyway. For acquaintances, you are determining the spiritual basis for a friendship. People might have from 100-1500 acquaintances in their life. They are not friends—they are acquaintances.

Casual Friends: Unsaved friends can only be casual friends. Some specific information is shared usually regarding goals, plans, etc., For casual friends you are usually trying to identify any positive qualities for the basis of a closer friendship (i.e. Is there a basis for fellowship?). People might have from 25-100 casual friends in their life.

Close Friends: Close friends are those whom there is a basis for fellowship. This means they share with you common beliefs, standards and goals. Close friends can become mentors or mentored. They are those whom you become involved with projects together. People might have from 7-25 close friends in their life.

Intimate Friends: These are those who are commonly called: “Best friends.” They are always available. Not only do they provide encouragement, but they are close enough to be able to tell you of blind spots in your life. It is the sharing of Godly standards and common goals that allows this deep level of friendship. People might have from 4-6 intimate friends in their life.

There is the Biblical basis for making friends. Now that there is a little more understanding of how friendships are established, lets make friends the right way: God’s way.
HOW TO MEMORIZE SO YOU DON’T FORGET A VERSE

Attitude makes the difference. You CAN memorize. You have memorized names, dates, addresses and phone numbers. In learning verses you have the help of the Holy Spirit to “guide you into all truth.” You “can do all things through Christ, which strengthens you” (Phil 4:13). He will empower you to learn as you ask Him

Now begin in this manner. After a verse is selected, read it in the Bible in context. Reading the chapter around the verse is best. It helps you understand the verse meaning. Read the verse thoughtfully several times aloud. Then begin learning the verse in this order: say the topic, then the verse reference, then the first phrase of the verse. Stop at the first punctuation mark if you like; repeat the verse reference again. Then start over; topic, reference, phrase, reference. ALWAYS beginning at the first, then adding a few more words, ending with the reference; “bit by bit” until you have the whole verse learned.

REVIEW it during the day; use spare moments. Say it at meals, when traveling, before you sleep; ask someone to check you. Visualize yourself in the verse. Repeat it daily with reference for 60 days. Use it in the ministry, or review weekly thereafter.

Pray the verse back to God. Then meditate on each verse you learn. Ask God for an experience with the verse in your life. Each verse contains something for you to know, stop doing, begin doing or share with others. The ultimate purpose through the verse is to identify with Christ in His will, know Him better and multiply His glory.
Christian Vocation
Ephesians 4:1-3 1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Every Christian has a vocation; a job given to them from God Himself. In this passage of Scripture God very clearly tells us what it is and gives a Job Description so we will not be confused about anything. It is broken down into three parts:

Walk with lowliness, meekness and longsuffering.

Forebear one another in love.

Keep the unity of the Spirit.

If every Christian were to concentrate on living this way, there would be happy, productive churches for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Since this is a personal vocation, it does not require, nor does it suggest that every Christian should help their brother or sister to fulfill their assigned role. Indeed! These three things are something each Christian must do on their own; they don’t depend on the reaction of the brethren to suggest success.

Each and every Christian must work on these things alone. Therefore, I ask you: Are you walking a lowly, meek and longsuffering life? Are you forbearing one another in love? Are you doing what you can to keep the unity of the Spirit? Perhaps, perhaps not. Possibly, you don’t understand what these three things mean.

Lowliness, meekness and longsuffering.

Walking in lowliness means that you put others first. This is a direct attack on the pride that tries to rule every man’s life. To put others first, you must first swallow you pride and put others first. If you like to talk, then you be quiet and let others talk instead. If you like to be the center of attention, then you give the attention to others instead. If you think in your heart that you can do better than the teacher, then you give that up and reckon the teacher is better than you. If you think about another person, “you just don’t know what I am going through”, then you think, they understand something about what I am going though. It means to put yourself down. I don’t mean to talk bad about yourself in the presence of others (like saying, “I’m so fat.”). I mean–put others first and brag on them. There is nothing like bragging on others to keep your pride in check. You can always tell a lowly church member because they are bragging on their preacher and bragging on their church.

Walking in meekness means to be mild or gentle; to be soft tempered. This speaks directly to submission. Pride thinks, “I’m better”. Meekness says, “I give up.” Not in the sense that you throw up your hands in the air and discontinue trying to do better, but in the sense that you quit striving with others. You cannot have a fight if one person just gives up. It would look silly because one person would just be swinging at the air (1 Cor. 9:26). When trying to have a conversation with someone, and another person keeps butting in overriding everything you say, just give up. Stop competing with them to get your word in. When thinking, “the pastor is just preaching that because he knows I’m…”, just give up and reckon God is working through him. When people are saying something bad about your church, and you feel tempted to say bad things too, just give up and realize that no church is perfect and you are going to do your very best to make things better. Stop waiting for the others to do it–submit to your heart’s complaint.

To walk in a longsuffering manner means to be patient. Here is where many Christians fail the most; they don’t give God a chance to answer their prayers concerning the state of their church, brethren or pastor. They want something to happen now, or at least pretty quickly. They tend to forget about the patience of God. At times they may even be giving God ultimatums without realizing it. When God doesn’t answer the way they want, or when God’s answer is NO, they think there is no answer so they need to make some change on their own–usually leaving the church for something else. Instead of telling God, “If you don’t answer my prayer by next month, then I will know you are saying leave this church,” exercise longsuffering and tell God, “You will have to take me out of this church so I will know it is you doing it instead of self.” Instead of saying, “I am going to spend my summer fishing on Sundays,” say “God, if you want me to miss church and go fishing on Sundays, you’re going to have to stop me. Be longsuffering in your walk and realize that God is doing something in your life because of it.

Forbearing one another in Love

Two things to consider in this one statement: Forebear and Love. The two go hand in hand. It is almost impossible to have one without the other. This speaks directly about how a Christian is to relate to other Christians. They are to love each other and at times that means you have to “hold them up.” Really, to love someone you have to put up with allot, but it doesn’t seem that way because you love them. To get an idea of the concept “forebear” you should think about a soldier carrying a wounded comrade off the battlefield. It is not easy to pick them up and sling them over your shoulder while the bullets are flying all around you. It is not easy to bear his weight along with the weight of your own pack, ammo and weapon. It’s not easy to feel his blood running down your back and arm. But, he rescues his buddy, putting his own life at risk, because he loves him. This is how Christians should treat the brethren of their own church. They should put their own life at risk to do the difficult thing for the brethren because they are wounded and incapable of functioning at the moment. They need to be restored. What we need in the church are “spiritual medic’s” instead of selfish back stabbers. Churches need not be full of “feel good, muckey muck, goody two shoes” Christians. They look and feel good on the surface, but underneath they have no guts. We need the “medics” who can rescue and restore their brothers in Christ. Instead of saying, “That’s a great idea, but don’t ask me to do it”, why not say, “Let me think of some ways that I can help out.” Instead of saying, “Sounds good! I’ll pray for you.” Say, “Let’s pray together about this right now.” Instead of thinking, “He should have done it this way or that way,” think, “I wonder if there is anything I can do to help him improve it. I don’t want him to think is all alone and abandoned on the battlefield. I’ll ask him as soon as he is done speaking.” Bearing the burdens of others doesn’t mean taking them away from them. It means to help them as a team would do.

Keep the Unity of the Spirit

This speaks of a common cause. the USA is full of people from diverse cultures and race. Each have their individuality, yet are united as well. On certain things, a Californian will never be able to understand a New Yorker. Still there are other things that the two will fully understand each other. I don’t like to say these are things of “common ground” as much as I would say that these are the things that make them both the same; the things that they choose to unite them–their nationality.

In the case of a Christian, and more importantly a church, these “things” are one: the Spirit of God. Corporately, all Christians have the Holy Spirit that unites us all, but there is a spirit in each church as well. I am talking about the body of Christ being comprised of individuals, all having the Holy Spirit, congregating in the same location because they are all similar. Eyes being where eyes should be; toes being where toes should be, etc. In this sense they are all of the same body, but in the right location in that broader body and God is the one who places you where He wants you (1 Cor. 12:18-20). To keep the Unity of the Spirit means to stay where God placed you in His body and not attempt to fulfill a role that you were not designed for. When being an eye, and trying to hear like an ear, you become a rogue cell and that is called cancer. The body (or church) does not need cancerous Christians. It needs Christians who are Unifying the body by fulfilling their purpose; doing what they were designed to do.

These are the jobs that God gives to every Christian. Unfortunately, many Christians are not fulfilling their designed purpose. They have either dislodged themselves and are floating around freely in the body, or they have become cancerous (not dislodged, but fulfilling some other purpose not intended for the part of the body where the Lord placed them.) Oh that churches had Christians who would fulfill their job description. We then would have strong, exciting and vibrant churches. Not places where you go to “feel good” about yourselves, but places that were strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
When was Jesus Crucified and when was the Resurrection?

I believe there is great Biblical justification for Thursday being the day of the crucifixion. It is the fifth day of the week (a number often associated with death in the Bible). It would satisfy Sunday being called “the third day since these things were done” (as in Luke 24:21). It would also allow for three days and three nights, although not necessarily 72 hours (something not necessarily is required by the statement in Matthew 12:40). The nights would be a partial day on Thursday, then all day Friday and Saturday. The nights would be Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night. I think Thursday would satisfy the statements of all the scriptures involved.

There are those who argue that Jesus was crucified on Friday by citing that the Jews were determined that Jesus be buried before the Sabbath that followed the day of preparation (Luke 23:53-54; Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; John 19:31). Since the Sabbath is on Saturday, then He must have been crucified on Friday. However, two things need to be carefully noted. First, this Sabbath was after the day of preparation. This linked it to the annual feast of the Passover. The fourteenth day of the first month at even was the Lord’s Passover (Leviticus 23:5) and was a day of preparation. The next day, the fifteenth day, was the first day of the feast of unleavened bread. It was an annual Sabbath. It was called an high day–“for that Sabbath day was an high day” (John 19:31). It was not a normal Sabbath; it was one of the annual Sabbaths.

Most Bible teachers make this annual Sabbath also the weekly Sabbath, but this is not necessary. A weekly Sabbath was always on Saturday. However, an annual Sabbath could be on any day of the week. This was because an annual Sabbath was connected to a date of the year. And, just as anyone’s birthday is not always on the same day of the week, so these annual Sabbaths occurred on different days.

Where do we get the concept of annual Sabbaths? We get it from Leviticus 23, the chapter that gives the original feast days for Israel, we see some special days being called Sabbaths. “In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:24). Leviticus 23:39 says of the first and last days of the feast of tabernacles: “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.” Therefore, the feast of trumpets and the first and last days of the eight-day feast of tabernacles are all called Sabbaths. However, these days are connected to calendar days of the year. Therefore, they will vary as to what day of the week they occur. So, they are annual and not necessarily weekly Sabbaths.

The requirement for an annual Sabbath seems to be that it is called an holy convocation and no work (“servile work”) is to be done on this days (just like the weekly Sabbath). This brings us back to the day of Passover (the 14th) and the first day of firstfruits (the 15th). The fourteenth day of the first month is not called a holy convocation. Therefore, work can be done on that day (we suppose work like crucifixion). However, though the fifteenth day of the first month is not specifically called a Sabbath, it meets the qualifications and therefore is an annual Sabbath. Of this first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the law says, “In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein” (Leviticus 23:7). No doubt, this is the Sabbath that so troubled the Jews concerning the burial of Jesus. This leaves the door open for the weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbath to be on different days. And, since there is no possible way to get Jesus in the grave for three days and three nights between Friday and Sunday, that is clearly the correct answer.

Do Whatever You Want!

How we admire the obedience a dog shows to its master! Archibald Rutledge wrote that one day he met a man whose dog had just been killed in a forest fire. Heartbroken, the man explained to Rutledge how it happened. Because he worked out-of-doors, he often took his dog with him. That morning, he left the animal in a clearing and gave him a command to stay and watch his lunch bucket while he went into the forest. His faithful friend understood, for that’s exactly what he did. Then a fire started in the woods, and soon the blaze spread to the spot where the dog had been left. But he didn’t move. He stayed right where he was, in perfect obedience to his master’s word. With tearful eyes, the dog’s owner said, “I always had to be careful what I told him to do, because I knew he would do it.”

Every conscientious parent recognizes how difficult it is to exercise his God-given authority over his children. The delicate balance of being tough yet tender is not easy to maintain. Many parents intensify a rebellious spirit by being dictatorial and harsh. Others yield when their authority is tested. When a strong-willed child resists, the pressure to give in for the sake of peace and harmony can become overpowering.

I am reminded of the mother who wanted to have the last word but couldn’t handle the hassle that resulted whenever she said no to her young son. After an especially trying day, she finally flung up her hands and shouted, “All right, Billy, do whatever you want! Now let me see you disobey THAT!”

Where our Captain bids us go,

‘Tis not ours to murmur no;

He that gives the sword and shield

Chooses too the battlefield

Where we are to fight the foe.

One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it.
Six important Strategies for Handling Ridicule
Point People to Jesus. (The God of heaven, he will prosper us. Neh 2:20)

Don’t Quit (We his servants will arise and build Neh 2:20)

Realize Ridicule Never Stops (…they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Neh 2:19)

Pray (Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. Neh. 4:9)

Don’t be Afraid (Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. Neh. 4:14)

Remember the Importance of the Work. (I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down Neh. 6:3)
I Can’t Pray?

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: “Let me see if I’ve got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning?”

“You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride?”

“You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job?”

“You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams?”

“You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card?”

“You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps?”

“You want me to do all this, and then you tell me……

I CAN’T PRAY?”

Church Fellowship

Church Fellowship helps meet man’s need for companionship. God uses fellowship and the church to strengthen the Christian and to accomplish His work in the world. From the time of Adam’s creation, God saw, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen.2:18). God’s initial solution was to establish the institution of marriage. However, man’s need for fellowship goes beyond marriage. He needs others with whom to grow in Christ and to serve. Every Christian needs church and fellowship.

Our fellowship in the church is much more valuable than fellowship for other purposes because God’s presence makes it different. Christ established the principle that where two or three are gathered together in His name, there He would be in the midst of them. This makes our time with God’s people very special. Fellowshipping with the saints around the things of God is actually a way for us to fellowship with God Himself because He also meets with us when we come together.

When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch to report all that God had done with them, the Bible says that they gathered the church together. This means that the church was not a building or an organization but the people themselves. The people are the church. God established the church so that we could meet together, worship Him together, grow together, fellowship together, work together and pray together. God could have just let us do these things on our own or in our separate families, but He didn’t. He knew that we would need the fellowship of other saints to live healthy spiritual lives.

Do You Need God?

There was a famous American pastor who went to Africa to preach for a summer. He preached in many countries while there. The crowds who came to listen were various, but always large in numbers. After finishing with a crowd of over ten thousand souls, he and his hosts were headed to a town where there was expected to be three thousand. But the country that he was in did not have a very stable government. That particular day, the government ceased the sale of gasoline that morning. On the way to the church, there were cars lined up all over the sides of the road. Some were left abandoned; others had frustrated owners camping out in them. It was a dreary and ominous sight for the American pastor, especially when earlier a tremendous storm blew in. There was lightning and thunder all around the area. On the way to the church that morning, the American pastor thought to himself, “There probably won’t be very many people in church today. In a church of three thousand, if half of the people come, it is going to look pretty skimpy today.”

When they arrived at the building, it was about half full of people milling around preparing for the service. But it didn’t stop there! People continued to trickle in all throughout the morning until the building was “bursting at the seams.”

First they prayed. They prayed for a good hour. He thought it would never end. He had never experienced anything like this before. Then there was singing and praising. It bubbled over into exuberant exaltation of the Lord in dance (proper dance) and joy. There was such an atmosphere of love and praise for the Lord that the pastor was even able to “get his ‘jam’ on.” He then preached for about an hour, but when he finished, as the storm raged outside, the faces of the people looked surprised. The song leader stepped up and the singing began again. Then there was prayer and more testimonies of praise. There was such praise for the Lord that the shouting and elevating of Jesus spilled over once again to jubilant song and dance. Some were standing with outstretched arms; some were kneeling at the altar. Some were smiling and shouting; others were crying and shaking their heads in sorrow and deep conviction. He sheepishly, but willingly joined in praising Jesus right along with everyone else. An announcement was made and the people began sitting, still shouting with joy. Eyes turned to the pastor and he quickly deduced that they expected more from the word of God.

He preached yet another full sermon. At the invitation, the altar was full. Then prayer broke out in the building once again. Five hours had passed. First it seemed like the church would be empty, but it filled. Then it seemed like you couldn’t pry the people away. Amazed by this display, he asked the national pastor, “Why aren’t these people leaving?”

“Things are different between Africa and America. The people here, THEY NEED GOD. You see, the people here have nothing. Some of these people have walked 2 and 3 hours to get here. They don’t even know if they will eat tomorrow, let alone have a job. These people are a devastated people without God. They live one day at a time. There is such a desperate need for God over here, that every time there is an opportunity to come face to face with God, and be in His presence, they take advantage of it. They can’t afford excuses, or compete with television shows or radio. They NEED to be in God’s presence.”

As I listened to this story, I began to wonder about that very simple, yet convicting phrase: “We need God here.” It was a shocking and unexpected answer from that simple African pastor: “WE NEED GOD HERE!” He was not saying that Americans don’t need God as well. Nor was he criticizing American churches. He was stating a simple and plain fact. It was truly how the African pastor saw things from his position. Having been in several third world countries myself, I can relate to that statement. Having lived in third world countries for a big chunk of my life, I can see that statement formulate into a vision. At no fault of the general American, there are just too many choices, especially in the way of “religions” competing over their interest. At no fault of their own, the general citizen of this country has an abundance of food, water, health care and shelter available to him. In short, there are very, very few instances in our great land that cause our citizens to be driven to their knees, yearning for an opportunity to be in the presence of God because they have no food, water, shelter or food, just to make it another day. There is not much real NEED of GOD HERE in our great land.

Friends, because we don’t have that situation here, does not mean that we don’t NEED God. Everyone needs God. We all need God. I need God, and so do you. So far, God has not driven us to this realization. So far, God has granted us a reprieve from such a destitute situation; a situation where there is no other place to turn to but Him. For now, He has left us to ourselves. We can turn to our government, families, and charities for help. The lines at the food banks are not full of starving people so far.

For now, God has given us the “choice” to need Him or not, but it might not be that way for long. I know that this is something that most of my fellow countrymen cannot “relate to” because they have never seen anything like that with their own eyes. They have only heard stories about such situations, or seen it on T.V. I assure you that there is a big difference between seeing it on T.V. and seeing it in person. Let me go even farther than that. There is a big difference between seeing it for your self, and living it in person, but when you do, when you have absolutely no other place to turn to but God, you will crave the presence of God. I don’t mean coming to the end of your rope in such a sense that you can’t figure out any other way to fix your problem except asking someone to pray for you. You know, the kind of problem where you have already solved it, but you just can’t grasp the resolution because it lies just outside of your reach. I am talking about the kind of problem that has no resolution. These are the kind of problem where you absolutely NEED GOD to live another day. These are the real big problems. These are those that drive you to God and keep you there. The kind of problems where you not only welcome an opportunity to be in His presence, but are disappointed if you cannot be there.

So I ask, “Do you need God?” Do you need Him so much that you would not so much as lift up your eyes unto heaven, but smite your breast saying, “God, be merciful to me—a sinner.” (ref. Luke 18:13). How poor are you?

I am not saying you need to be poor. I am asking, How much do you Need God? It shows in your desire to be in His presence.

~Pastor Coale

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Spanking is an Act of Hatred:

The Purpose of the church-EXAMINED.

1. The Crucifixion of Death to Self.

A) Self wants to Control.[1]

B) Self wants to Conceal.

C) Self wants to Condemn.

2. The Crucifixion of Death to this world.

A) World wants to Influence.

B) World wants to Infiltrate.

C) World wants to Inhabit.

3. The Crucifixion of Death to Sin.

A) Sin wants to Separate.

B) Sin wants to Shackle.

C) Sin wants to Shame.

4. The Crucifixion of LIFE to Christ.

A) Life wants to Lighten.

B) Life wants to Liken.

C) Life wants to Live.

Ephesians 4:1-3 1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Lowliness, meekness and longsuffering.

Forbearing one another in Love

Keep the Unity of the Spirit

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