"Opposites That Should NOT Be Together"

“Opposites That Should NOT Be Together”

 

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?  Or what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?  For we are the temple of the Living God.         2 Corinthians 6:14-16

 

The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian believers, about LIVING for Christ.  And in this part of his letter to them, he warns them about being connected with UNBELIEVERS.  Paul says:  “Do NOT be yoked together with UNBELIEVERS.”  It seems that the Corinthian BELIEVERS were MARRYING and having BUSINESS connections with those that were NOT TRUE BELIEVERS of the ONE and ONLY HOLY, RIGHTEOUS GOD nor His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.  They may have been FALSE TEACHERS, and could be a THREAT to the RIGHTEOUS RELATIONSHIP of the TRUE BELIEVER and the Almighty God. 

 

The Apostle Paul, asks them a series of contrasting questions:  “What do RIGHTEOUSNESS and WICKEDNESS have in common?  Or what FELLOWSHIP can LIGHT have with DARKNESS?  What HARMONY is there between CHRIST and BELIAL? (the Old Testament name for Satan) Or what AGREEMENT is there between the Temple of GOD and IDOLS?  For WE are the Temple of the Living God.   What Paul was getting at was that there MUST be a SEPARATION between the TRUE BELIEVER and the WORLD and its SINS.  We are NOT to ISOLATE ourselves from the world, but it DOES MEAN that we KEEP OURSELVES FROM THE DEFILEMENT of the WORLD and its SINS. 

 

We MUST NOT be CONNECTED to those who are OPPOSITE from us in our BELIEFS and our LIFESTYLES.  YET, we SHOULD be a WITNESS for JESUS to this world and those who are LIVING a LIFE that is DESTINED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS.   We MUST be the LIGHT in their DARKNESS, yet NOT participating in their acts of SIN.  Remembering ALWAYS, that we are the TEMPLE of the LIVING GOD.  We are the ABODE of the HOLY SPIRIT, therefore, we MUST STRIVE to LIVE in the SPIRIT and NOT in the FLESH.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you are living in the SINS of the WORLD, and are DESTINED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God has PROVIDED a WAY for you to ESCAPE HELL and to GAIN HEAVEN.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and LIVE a LIFE, SEPARATED from WICKEDNESS and DARKNESS.  Be a LIGHT for others to COME to.  DON’T BE YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Do NOT Receive God's Grace In Vain"

“Do NOT Receive God’s Grace In Vain”

 

As God’s co-workers we urge you NOT to receive God’s grace in vain.  For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.          2 Corinthians 6:1-2

 

This is a very crucial part of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.   There was a problem with FALSE TEACHERS, who could have been Judaizers, who may have denied that Godly RIGHTEOUSNESS, was obtained through FAITH.  The Judaizers would have wanted the message to say that the Mosaic Law was a means of obtaining RIGHTEOUSNESS.  But Paul refused to say anything of the sort, which would NOT have been the TRUTH.

 

Chapter five, verse twenty-one is the basis of Paul’s message:  “God made Him (JESUS) who had NO sin to be sin for US.  So that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.”  PLAIN and TRUTHFUL.  ONLY through the shed blood of JESUS CHRIST, can an individual obtain RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Any other ATTEMPT is receiving God’s grace in VAIN.  You cannot BUY, CHEAT, STEAL, COMPROMISE or use ANY other MEANS to obtain God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

 

Paul quoted the Prophet Isaiah, saying; “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  God has had a PLAN from ETERNITY PAST up to ETERNITY FUTURE, and NOW, is the DAY of SALVATION, which is the present AGE of GRACE.   And His PLAN is the PLAN of SALVATION, coming to God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, who took on the SIN of ALL mankind, in order for them to RECEIVE the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.  Paul says; “NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the DAY of SALVATION!   Don’t put it off!  You may NOT have another opportunity.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT POSSESS His SALVATION or His RIGHTEOUSNESS.  And you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPING.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your old sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and receive His RIGHTEOUSNESS.  And ESCAPE Hell and GAIN Heaven.    Do it NOW, while you still can, because NOW IS THE TIME.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Your Ministry and Your Message"

“Your Ministry and Your Message”

 

Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.   Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, certain that God is appealing through us.  We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”         2 Corinthians 5:18-20

 

In this part of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the TRUE BELIEVERS in Corinth, he states that ALL things are from GOD.   EVERYTHING that was created at the FIRST CREATION and ALL that is created during the NEW creation of a SINNER, when they come to Him for the SALVATION of their souls.  They become a NEW CREATION.  (v 17) 

 

Our scriptures summarizes the Apostle Paul’s MINISTRY and MESSAGE.   The MINISTRY and MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION between GOD and mankind.  The act of RECONCILIATION was initiated by God and carried out by His ONLY SON, Jesus Christ.   This MINISTRY is shared by ALL TRUE BELIEVERS.  It is to bring others to the place of RECONCILIATION between them and the HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, GOD.  In other words it is OUR MINISTRY to be AMBASSADORS of Jesus Christ, and to go out and EVANGELIZE the world. 

 

The MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION is based on the symbol of God’s ABUNDANT MERCY, AMAZING GRACE and His UNFAILING LOVE for ALL mankind, the CROSS of Christ.  The MESSAGE is what Jesus died for; the RECONCILIATION of mankind with the ALMIGHTY GOD.  Paul, on Christ’s behalf says:  “Be RECONCILED to GOD.”   As TRUE BELIEVERS, this is YOUR MINISTRY and MESSAGE, be FAITHFUL to the FATHER and His SON, by being OBEDIENT to YOUR MINISTRY and DELIVERING YOUR MESSAGE. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are in NEED of being RECONCILED to God, through the work of Jesus Christ.  In order to do that and ESCAPE an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and work your MINISTRY by getting the MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION out to a LOST and DYING world.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"Your Righteousness"

“Your Righteousness”

 

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”       Matthew 5:20

Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.         Romans 10:3

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.   I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ---the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”               Philippians 3:8-9

 

In Isaiah 64:6, it tells us that; “our righteousness is like filthy rags,” we cannot PLEASE the RIGHTEOUS, HOLY God with our own RIGHTEOUSNESS.  In Matthew, chapter five and verse twenty, Jesus says:  “Unless your RIGHTEOUSNESS surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  The RIGHTEOUSNESS of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law was that of their own doing.  They thought that as long as they did what the Law said, they were RIGHTEOUS in the sight of God.  That is RIGHTEOUSNESS by WORKS.  And that does NOT give you the RIGHT to enter Heaven.

 

In the book of Romans, chapter ten, verse three, the Apostle Paul says that, since they the Israelites, including the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, did not know the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God and sought to establish their own RIGHTEOUSNESS, they did NOT submit to God’s righteousness, and was lost in their sins.  You see, the Pharisees PROFESSED their RIGHTEOUSNESS, but they did NOT POSSESS the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God, which is ONLY obtained by ACCEPTING the Lord JESUS Christ as your Savior and Lord.   And therefore they were LOST and DOOMED to an ETERNITY in Hell. 

 

Paul, also in his letter to the Philippians, told them, “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, NOT having a RIGHTEOUSNESS of my OWN that comes from the law, but that which is through FAITH in Christ---the RIGHTEOUSNESS that comes from God on the basis of FAITH.”  This is exactly what we ALL NEED, if we are planning to have an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.

 

The ONLY WAY that you can have the SALVATION, which will give you RIGHTEOUSNESS and an ETERNITY in Heaven, is to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive His RIGHTEOUSNESS, which will be by FAITH, and you will be able to TRULY PROFESS what you ACTUALLY POSSESS, and it will bring you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"When Grief Turns To Joy"

“When Grief Turns To Joy”

 

Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.  You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

So with you:  Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

John 16:20, 22

 

These are the words of Jesus to His Disciples, concerning His DEATH and RESURRECTION.  He tells them that He will be leaving them, and they will not be able to see Him, but after a little while they will see Him. 

 

While He’s DEAD and in the GRAVE, they will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice, because of their HATE for Him.  He tells them they will GRIEVE, but their GRIEF will turn to JOY.  He says that “NOW is your time of GRIEF, but I will see you again, (speaking of His RESURRECTION), and you will REJOICE, and NO ONE will take away your JOY. 

 

His Disciples would GRIEVE over the DEATH of their Lord, but in time they would REJOICE because of the work of God’s Holy Spirit’s interpretation, which would enlighten them, to be able to ACCEPT His DEATH, and to cause them to UNDERSTAND that His DEATH would bring them the FORGIVENESS of their sins.  Their seeing Him, after His RESURRECTION, would bring them JOY that would NEVER end.  Jesus Christ DIED ONCE for the SINS of ALL mankind, but He is ALIVE in Heaven, FOREVER.  And because of His RESURRECTION, we have the HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven with Him too. 

 

Just like the DISCIPLES, we are living in times, which brings us much GRIEF, because of the NEGATIVITY and HOSTILITY towards our CHRISTIAN VALUES.  The TRUE BELIEVERS, though, KNOWS that because of the DEATH of Jesus Christ, the OVERCOMER of this sinful world, has brought the GREATEST gift, ever given to mankind, the gift of FORGIVENESS of sins, and an ETERNAL HOME in HEAVEN. 

 

When He comes and calls His TRUE CHILDREN home (the Rapture), we will be able to experience JOY UNSPEAKABLE, that NO ONE or NOTHING can take away from us.  Do you have JOY in your HEART because of the FORGIVENESS of your sins, and the Hope of HEAVEN?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you cannot experience the JOY I am talking about, and your destiny is HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.  In order to ESCAPE HELL, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, and GAIN an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with NO MORE GRIEF, just JOY UNSPEAKABLE.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"The Flesh Versus the Spirit"

“The Flesh Versus the Spirit”

 

Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.   At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.  It is the same now.   Galatians 4:28-29

 

The Children of Promise are those who have been REDEEMED by the BLOOD of Christ Jesus and ADOPTED into God’s Holy Family.  They are the ones who are born by the power of the Spirit, like Isaac, they are the Children of Promise. 

 

Those who are living by the FLESH are likened to Ishmael.  Ishmael was NOT the child of promise, he was NOT the one God promised to Abraham and Sarah, Isaac was.  But Abraham and Sarah sinned against God, by moving ahead of Him and taking matters into their own hands.  And by doing that they set the TENSIONS between Ishmael and Isaac into motion, and from the days of Abraham and Sarah, the descendants of Ishmael, which are the Arabs, and the descendants of Isaac, the Jews, STILL live with TENSIONS and WARRING among themselves. 

 

Ephesians 6:12, tells us:  Our struggle is not against FLESH and BLOOD, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Two brothers, Ishmael, born NOT of the PROMISE from God, but by the SINFUL plans of SARAH and ABRAHAM.  Ishmael, born to Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah, and Abraham.  Ishmael, born according to the FLESH.  Isaac, born of the PROMISE, from God, the son of ABRAHAM and SARAH and born by the power of the SPIRIT of God, to this VERY DAY  are STILL FIGHTING with each other, and ALL because of ABRAHAM and SARAH’S sin.  The sin of NOT TRUSTING the PERFECT WILL of the LIVING GOD in their life.  They tried to USURP the will of God, and look what SIN has done to the relationship between the ARABS and the JEWS. 

 

When we move on our OWN without the LEADERSHIP of God’s HOLY SPIRIT, we are vulnerable to the POWERS of this DARK WORLD and the SPIRITUAL FORCES of EVIL, and we MUST PAY the CONSEQUENCES for our OWN SINFUL  DOINGS.  Just like ABRAHAM and SARAH, with two sons who were and STILL are at each other’s throats.  Are you going down the SAME road as ABRAHAM and SARAH, by NOT TRUSTING GOD’S leadership in YOUR LIFE?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LIVING by the FLESH and NOT by the Spirit.  You are destined for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, that is NOT God’s plan for YOU.  He is offering you the opportunity NOW, to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and to TURN TO Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be ADOPTED into His Family, by the POWER of His Holy Spirit, and TRUST His WILL and LEADERSHIP in your life.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON   

 

 

 

"Wailing Into Dancing

“Wailing Into Dancing”

 

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.  Lord my God, I will praise you forever.        Psalm 30:11-12

 

Have you ever been in situations that seem HOPELESS, and there seems to be NO WAY of changing the things that have put you into those situations?  Have you sinned against God, and felt like He has given up on you?  That maybe His LOVE, MERCY and FORGIVENESS has dissipated from you?  Well, PRAISE GOD, His LOVE is UNFAILING, His MERCY is ABUNDANT, and His FORGIVENESS is ETERNAL.

 

King David had sinned against God, on more than one occasion and this Psalm is a song for the dedication of the temple.  It describes how God DELIVERED David from situations that seemed HOPELESS and with NO WAY to make things better.   BUT, God gave David HOPE and A WAY to make CHANGES in his bleak situations.  David says:  “For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

 

God CHANGED David’s WAILING into DANCING, David was JUMPING with JOY, because God REMOVED his SACKCLOTH (a garment worn, when in mourning), and CLOTHED him with JOY. So much so that David could NOT be SILENT, but is INTENT on PRAISING GOD FOREVER.    Sometimes when God DELIVERS us from HOPELESS situations that seems to provide NO WAY out, we FORGET to OFFER up THANKSGIVING and PRAISES to Him for ALL He has done.   

 

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, you SHOULD have PRAISES in your HEART and on your LIPS CONTINUALLY, because He has made a WAY for us to be DELIVERED from our sins and from an ETERNITY in Hell, with all its HORRORS.  A HOPELESS situation with NO WAY of ESCAPE. 

 

However, if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are DOOMED to an ETERNITY in Hell with NO WAY of ESCAPE, unless you TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be DELIVERED from a HOPELESS SITUATION by letting God make a WAY for YOU to ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!