What a statement! Yet, it is very true! God IS up to something very big at this time. The question is: "What is He doing?" I believe He is getting His church prepared. Not, prepared for His coming, although I do believe He is coming very soon, but rather for a last great ministry effort of the church. This is to reach those who not heard or accepted Jesus as their Lord. In order to do this, there is coming a genuine revival to the church. The question is: "Is the church ready for revival?"
Genuine revival has very little to do with guest evangelists and big name singers/performers, and more with the heart condition of the Church of Jesus Christ. I genuinely wonder if the Church in the West, especially in America, is ready for the revival that is coming upon our land. I wonder about our readiness because of what I believe it will mandate of us to be part of this revival. Our lives, including or "ministries" are so intricately entwined with our lifestyles that revival for many, may be the last thing they really want to see. Why? Because of change. Change in focus; change in goals; change in values; and perhaps even a change in our very lifestyles.
Our lifestyles demand service. Our homes are big, our schedules are bigger, and the lifestyle we have created demands that we maintain it. The problem is, that leaves very little time for the members of our churches, to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ. We do some church programs that focus on "outreach" and "evangelism" but not a lot of genuine "ministry." The kind of ministry that Jesus told us we would do like Him, only "greater," because of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Truly think about it! When was the last time you saw a news headline that read like this: "This just in.... people being raised from the dead!" Or, "healings and miracles taking place at such and such church!" Not likely! At least not lately anyway. However, on ANY given Saturday you will most likely see in most newspapers church ads for all sorts of dinners, concerts, festivals, and fund-raisers. Not much power nor ministry there! Really, we NEED genuine revival! A "power-encounter!" Most of the Lord's Disciples know that! The REAL question is: "Are we ready?"
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Recorded Sermons
Below is a link to some sermons that I have preached that I submitted through SermonNet. There are 10 sermons that you can listen to at your leisure. Please take a listen and then feel free to comment here under this post.
Here is the link: http://sermon.net/directoryDetail/c/1261
Here is the link: http://sermon.net/directoryDetail/c/1261
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Prosperity Gospel
Below is a video from GodTube.com that I believe is a "must-see" for all Christian's. The Gospel message of Jesus has been so tampered with by the devil. Why? Because he knows his time is short! We must "RECLAIM" the simple truth of the life-transforming truth of Jesus, and the power of that truth...... "FOR GOD SO LOVE THE WORLD!" Give a listen to the video, it's just a few minutes long, and let me know what you think.
Monday, July 6, 2009
What Are You Saying?
How does what we confess when we are coming to Jesus differ from that which we confess once we are a Christian Believer? There are some who have the misunderstanding that if a Christian Believer sins, then he/she must go back through the "formula" to become a Believer again. This is error, for "HOW" we deal with sin after Jesus is our Lord is very different how we deal with it once we have received Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Below is a teaching I recently gave on a Wednesday Night. I was asked by a friend to put it in writing, so here it is:
The "formula" for going from being "lost" to being "saved," or in other words, receiving Jesus as our savior, is found in Romans 10:9-10 which reads:
Romans 10:9-10
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." NLT
Notice that the "confession" we are confessing is a our belief that Jesus is Lord. In other words, it is a total acceptance of His atoning sacrifice for us, and a willingness to receive Him as Lord. Our belief is in the truth that not only did Jesus die in our place, but He also rose from the dead. Hence, the righteous penalty of sin entering humanity was paid in full by Christ, and the result of sin (death) was overcome and defeated by Christ. Therefore, by placing our faith in Jesus, we are accepting in full (in a vicarious fashion) what Jesus, who never sinned, did to meet the righteous requirement of a Holy God. As Paul would say:
"We are in Christ and Christ is in us!" This then is how we are "saved."
However, the truth of the matter is that we are still living in a sinful world, and we are subject to temptation and the possibility of giving into that temptation. When we sin, is it necessary to go back through the "salvation formula" of Romans 10:9-10? Of course not! NOW, we go to what the Word of God reveals to us "HOW" Christians are to deal with sin, when they fall prey to it. That truth is found in John 1:8-10.
"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." NLT
Notice the change in the "formula!" We are NOT re-confessing. We are NOT re-believing. We are NOT re-accepting the Lordship of Jesus, we are simply acknowledging or confessing our sin, and immediately the forgiveness of Jesus is applied! When we as Christians sin, we simply confess that sin. We are not getting "saved" all over again. How do we know this will happen for every Believer? Quite simple! When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to "indwell" us as "proof" that the sacrifice of Jesus has been applied to our life, and also as a "guarantee" that God will finish the redemptive process He began is us, when we are finally with Him. Therefore, since the Holy Spirit indwells us, one of the activities of the Holy Spirit within our life is to convict us of sin. When He does, the "NATURAL" response of a genuine Christian Believer is to feel sorrow for that sin as an offense to God and to "get rid of it." We get rid of it by simply confessing it!
I hope this is helpful and "LIFE-GIVING" to those who desperately need to know how much Jesus has done for them, and how much He has in deed made us a New Creation! Now while this is how we deal with sin once we are Christian Believers, please keep in mind, this is not to be confused with the false doctrine of "unconditional eternal security." We are "CONDITIONALLY SECURE!" The condition is that we remain "IN" Christ! This article is written for those who are genuinely living for Jesus, but need to know who they are in Christ, what He did for them, and how to deal with sin.
The "formula" for going from being "lost" to being "saved," or in other words, receiving Jesus as our savior, is found in Romans 10:9-10 which reads:
Romans 10:9-10
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." NLT
Notice that the "confession" we are confessing is a our belief that Jesus is Lord. In other words, it is a total acceptance of His atoning sacrifice for us, and a willingness to receive Him as Lord. Our belief is in the truth that not only did Jesus die in our place, but He also rose from the dead. Hence, the righteous penalty of sin entering humanity was paid in full by Christ, and the result of sin (death) was overcome and defeated by Christ. Therefore, by placing our faith in Jesus, we are accepting in full (in a vicarious fashion) what Jesus, who never sinned, did to meet the righteous requirement of a Holy God. As Paul would say:
"We are in Christ and Christ is in us!" This then is how we are "saved."
However, the truth of the matter is that we are still living in a sinful world, and we are subject to temptation and the possibility of giving into that temptation. When we sin, is it necessary to go back through the "salvation formula" of Romans 10:9-10? Of course not! NOW, we go to what the Word of God reveals to us "HOW" Christians are to deal with sin, when they fall prey to it. That truth is found in John 1:8-10.
"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." NLT
Notice the change in the "formula!" We are NOT re-confessing. We are NOT re-believing. We are NOT re-accepting the Lordship of Jesus, we are simply acknowledging or confessing our sin, and immediately the forgiveness of Jesus is applied! When we as Christians sin, we simply confess that sin. We are not getting "saved" all over again. How do we know this will happen for every Believer? Quite simple! When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to "indwell" us as "proof" that the sacrifice of Jesus has been applied to our life, and also as a "guarantee" that God will finish the redemptive process He began is us, when we are finally with Him. Therefore, since the Holy Spirit indwells us, one of the activities of the Holy Spirit within our life is to convict us of sin. When He does, the "NATURAL" response of a genuine Christian Believer is to feel sorrow for that sin as an offense to God and to "get rid of it." We get rid of it by simply confessing it!
I hope this is helpful and "LIFE-GIVING" to those who desperately need to know how much Jesus has done for them, and how much He has in deed made us a New Creation! Now while this is how we deal with sin once we are Christian Believers, please keep in mind, this is not to be confused with the false doctrine of "unconditional eternal security." We are "CONDITIONALLY SECURE!" The condition is that we remain "IN" Christ! This article is written for those who are genuinely living for Jesus, but need to know who they are in Christ, what He did for them, and how to deal with sin.
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