(KJV) Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward.
(KJV) Psalms 16:5,6
5 The LORD [is] the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. 6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant [places]; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
(KJV) Lamentations 3:24
24 The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
(KJV) 1 Corinthians 3:22
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
(KJV) Hebrews 13:5,6
5 [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
(KJV) Revelation 21:3,4
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Not Ashamed...
Romans 1:14-17
"14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
When we are sound in God's word, persuaded in his promises, hoping in his gift of salvation, we will not be ashamed of our state before God. We are redeemed! God is not ashamed to be called our God... Why would we be ashamed of his power into salvation?! We ought to be ready to preach!
Is 6:8; Matt 9:38; 1Pt 3:15; Ps 199:46; Jer 26:12-16; Dan 3:16-18; Matt 10:18-20; Lk 21:14-15; Acts 5:29; Col 4:6; 2Tim 2:25
Gen 2:25; Ps 34:5; Ps 119:80; Rom 5:5; 2Tim 1:12; Heb 2:10; Heb 11:16
"14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
When we are sound in God's word, persuaded in his promises, hoping in his gift of salvation, we will not be ashamed of our state before God. We are redeemed! God is not ashamed to be called our God... Why would we be ashamed of his power into salvation?! We ought to be ready to preach!
Is 6:8; Matt 9:38; 1Pt 3:15; Ps 199:46; Jer 26:12-16; Dan 3:16-18; Matt 10:18-20; Lk 21:14-15; Acts 5:29; Col 4:6; 2Tim 2:25
Gen 2:25; Ps 34:5; Ps 119:80; Rom 5:5; 2Tim 1:12; Heb 2:10; Heb 11:16
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Heart of a True Minister (a man of God)
Romans 1:8-15
"8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; 12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also."
"8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; 12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also."
These verses make something very clear about the apostle Paul: Paul loved people... In fact, it's not a stretch to see that Paul's heart and God's heart are the same!
"...without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers" (vs 9)
"I long to see you..." (vs 11)
"...oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,)" (vs 13)
Those three statements show a clear and simple testimony of a heart that is filled with compassion and tender care for the recipients of this letter, and so we are to be as the ambassadors of Christ in this dark and dying world (2Cor 5:17-21).
Jesus Christ freely and willingly chose to love unlovely sinners, and he proved his love by being made sin for all mankind upon the cursed
cross (1Jn 4:10; 2Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13). He took God's wrath for all sin so that all men would have the opportunity to escape the judgment that is to come. What greater love can there be than this love?!?!
As Christ loved us, so we are to love others... No excuses are allowed!!
Eph 4:29-32; 5:1-2; Jn 13:34-35; Rom 12:17-21; Matt 5:44
-Stephen
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
John the Baptist - John 1:6-8
John 1:6-8
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light.
John the Baptist is a man whom many may not relate themselves – he was a preacher that lived in the wilderness, wore camel's hair with a leathern girdle, and ate locusts and wild honey (Matt 3:1-4). On the surface many may consider him to be crazy and radical! …and yet John the Baptist is the perfect picture of what a born-again, blood-bought child of God should be in this dark world.
Separated from the world (1Jn 2:15-17; 2Cor6:14-18; Jn 17:15; Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:1-2)
John was a man that was physically separate from the world – his home was the wilderness, his clothes were made from camel hair, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. Spiritually we are to be just like John – our "home", the place where we comfortably dwell, is in Jesus Christ (Col 3:3; 2:3; 2Pt 1:2-4); our "clothing" is the righteousness of God received through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 3:3:21-22; Eph4:24; Col 3:10); our "diet" is to do the will of God and finish the work he's given us (Jn4:34; Job 23:12; Ps 40:8). Just as John was despised by the "religious elite" of his day that were too proud to acknowledge the truth, so it is with us. Our "home", "clothing", and "diet" are despised by our flesh, the systems of this world (including religious systems), and the enemies of God. There is a natural separation that should exist, and if we find any grey area in this separation, it is because we have chosen to compromise in our relationship with our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Sent from God (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:47; Acts 1:8; Rom 10:14-15; Is 6:8)
John was the messenger sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah (Is: 40:3; Mal 3:1, 4:5-6; Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4; Jn1:23), and we too are messengers sent from God to reconcile the world to Jesus Christ (2Cor 5:18-21). Born-again believers, washed and purchased by the blood of God have a message to declare to the world, and if God be for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?! The Creator of the universe has commissioned his people to be his ambassadors in this dark and dying world... How can we succeed in our mission for God's glory if we do not accomplish what we were sent to do? The sooner we (born-again believers) understand that we are no longer our own and that Jesus Christ died for us so that we would live the rest of our lives for him (2Cor 5:14-15), the easier it is to submit to God's call upon our lives to go and do his work.
Bore witness of the Light that all men might believe (2Cor 5:17-21; 2Pt 3:18; Acts 13:38-39; Jn 3:16-18, 36)
As John was not that Light, so are we not that Light; and as John was to be a witness of the Light, so we must reflect the glorious light of the gospel to all creatures from every aspect of our lives. The Lord said that he put the treasure of "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ...in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2Cor 4:6-7)." It truly is a wonder that the all-powerful, immutable, transcendent, omnipresent, omniscient, and eternal God decided to use weak, finite, ever-changing, limited human beings to declare his message, help bring our fellow mankind to the Saviour, and assist in the maturing process of born-again brothers and sisters in Christ. God has chosen the weak things of this world to confound the mighty, therefore let us glory in this weakness and shine forth the Light that all men may see, repent, and be converted!
-Stephen
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A question on my mind lately...
Question - When did it become "evil" to take a stance and have an opinion?
I have been noticing a trend over the last several years that seems to be more and more prevalent in the world and our society: If you are willing to speak out and take a stance about something, especially in regards to God, theology, and the Bible, many people label you as narrow-minded, conceited, bigoted, and condemned. Ironically, the people that do the labeling do not consider that they are living out the labels they give to others - immediately writing you off and not even slightly considering your point of view. Without taking a second thought, they conform themselves to the very discriminations they perceive of those they condemn. Maybe if these people would openly and honestly consider what they are condemning, even for a moment, they may find their condemnations unfounded and misplaced... but maybe that is what they fear the most - finding out that what they have always held as their system of truth was never true at all. The Bible is clear on matters such as this:
Proverbs 18:13 - "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him."
(Also see: Esther 3:10-15, 8:5-17; Job 29:16; Daniel 6:9, 14; John 7:51)
1 John 4:1-3 - "1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And 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."
When you feel like writing someone off because of their opinion or beliefs, consider this first... You would be wise to search out the truth of the matter for yourself before forming an opinion and speaking out against them. You may find out that their beliefs are actually rooted and grounded in undeniable truth!
John 8:31-32 - "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
-Stephen
I have been noticing a trend over the last several years that seems to be more and more prevalent in the world and our society: If you are willing to speak out and take a stance about something, especially in regards to God, theology, and the Bible, many people label you as narrow-minded, conceited, bigoted, and condemned. Ironically, the people that do the labeling do not consider that they are living out the labels they give to others - immediately writing you off and not even slightly considering your point of view. Without taking a second thought, they conform themselves to the very discriminations they perceive of those they condemn. Maybe if these people would openly and honestly consider what they are condemning, even for a moment, they may find their condemnations unfounded and misplaced... but maybe that is what they fear the most - finding out that what they have always held as their system of truth was never true at all. The Bible is clear on matters such as this:
Proverbs 18:13 - "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him."
(Also see: Esther 3:10-15, 8:5-17; Job 29:16; Daniel 6:9, 14; John 7:51)
1 John 4:1-3 - "1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And 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."
When you feel like writing someone off because of their opinion or beliefs, consider this first... You would be wise to search out the truth of the matter for yourself before forming an opinion and speaking out against them. You may find out that their beliefs are actually rooted and grounded in undeniable truth!
John 8:31-32 - "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
-Stephen
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