The Love of God

The Love of God

‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoseoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ John 3:16.  

Let us take a deep look into this verse.  Can you imagine someone taking a punch in the face so that you can live a life free of sickness?  Can you imagine someone being kicked in the back of the head so that no weapon formed against you shall prosper?  What about someone having a nail, most likely the size of railroad ties, driven through their wrist so that you may have peace both on the Earth and throughout eternity?

I want you to imagine yourself being this person.  Think about how much you would have to love a person to take this sort of torture for them.  Oh, do not forget that you know for several years leading up to the day of torture what is going to happened.  In addition, you have every opportunity to back out.

Obviously, I am referring to the life of Jesus and his purpose here on Earth.  In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:”  He is asking that he not endure what is coming because he knows how horrible it is going to be.  But then the second part of the prayer is “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”  Despite the knowledge that he has, he will go through with his calling because it is the will of God.  This not only speaks to the love that Jesus has for the world, but it also speaks to the love and trust that he has for God.

In Matthew 4 Jesus was tempted by Satan to not go through with the calling that God had put on his life.  In verse 9, Satan offered Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world.  So, at that very point in history, Jesus made a choice to resist the wiles of the devil and to accept the calling of Jesus.  The world should be thankful that He chose the unselfish path.

Now that you have attempted to relate to Jesus, take it one step further.  Try to imagine the position of God.  Send your only son into a place that will not accept him.  Into a place where he will be ridiculed, persecuted, and eventually tortured and murdered.  Then, he is going to be sent to hell for three days so that the very people that murdered him can have a way to avoid hell.  In addition, throughout time, people attempt to deny that this incredible sacrifice even happened.  Despite knowing all of this, God sent Jesus to the Earth knowing the he would be tempted by Satan, knowing that he would request an alternative, and knowing that there would still be those that rejected Him.

Think about how much God loved us to put His Son through that.  Think about the words of John 3:16 and how true the love of God really is.  Think of how much love God must have for each and every one of us that he will accept us into His Kingdom just for accepting Jesus into our hearts.  He is not asking for us to endure anything close to the sacrifices of His Son.  Instead, He is offering us everlasting life, health, security, and peace.  All of these things were taken from His Son so that we may have them.  The love that God must have for us to do what he did is a love that I want and need a revelation of.  If God will offer up his own son as a sacrifice for my sins so that I may live without lack, without sickness, and without the curse, what would God not do for me?  

Once we get a revelation of the depth of God’s love, we will understand that he has already provided everything we need.  Once we understand this, nothing else will matter except God’s will being done on Earth, and once we are focused on His will, we will stop asking Him for worldly things and start asking what He would have us do for His Kingdom.

God's Kingdom

“Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23).

          

  Being an effective part of God’s Kingdom takes diligence.  

It’s not a once a week commitment. 

                                                                                    It's not even a once a day commitment.  

Being an effective part of the Kingdom of God is a constant thing that you must train yourself to do.

Recently, Pastor Mitch has been talking about being doers of the Word, knowing the names of God, and knowing what the Holy Spirit does.  He has been on these three things for quite some time now.  He talks about drilling himself about the names of God and repeating over and over what the Holy Spirit does when he comes.  Why does he do this?  Because that is the diligence it takes to get to know the things of God.

Think of learning math equations in school.  Did you look at them once and understand them?  Even if you had the rules in front of you, could you pass the tests without practicing them and studying them first?  Of course not.  The rules of algebra had to be explained to all of us before we understood them.  Then we had to be diligent to practice and study them before we felt comfortable enough to apply them during a test.

Well, it is the same thing with the Word of God. 

At church and through teachings are a couple ways we have God’s Word explained to us.  Then it is up to us to take that Word home to study and meditate on.  Once we have meditated on the Word, it is then our responsibility to apply what we have been taught.  Applying the Word is our test, and much like school knowledge, Kingdom knowledge builds upon itself.  You can’t learn algebra without knowing how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.  This is why it is important to constantly apply the Word and to not allow any aspect to be thrown to the way side.

I think that most people will agree that it is not easy to constantly meditate on and apply the Word of God.  This is where diligence comes in.  Diligence is characterized as a steady, earnest, and energetic effort.  Apply that to Proverbs 4:23 and we are instructed to be steady, earnest, and to have an energetic effort to keep our hearts.  This is the complete opposite of a once a week sermon in which most people turn their brains off and are fortunate if they retain the five to seven percent that is expected.  Diligence is not only giving that sermon one’s undivided attention, but then reviewing that sermon throughout the week and meditating on how God would have one apply it to their life.  As one applies the Word, not only does it become the issues of one’s heart, but it pushes out worldly ways.  This is how a person goes about the Father’s business.

When a Word is brought forth there is a transfer of responsibility.  If our pastor fails to teach on something God told him His people needed to hear, then our pastor will have to answer for that, but once he preaches the Word, we are responsible for it.  If we fail to do anything with it, we have allowed God’s Word to return void, and we will have to answer for that.  Don’t allow God’s Word to return void.  Be diligent in the things of God’s Kingdom and apply His Word to your life.

As a young adult pastor....

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19 KJV)

God has been revealing more and more to me as my relationship with Him grows and prospers. This is not unusual seeing as we should be moving from faith to faith

. As a young adult pastor it’s important that I move from faith to faith and glory to glory. I need to prosper in my releationship with God so I have something to give out to others. The lost and dying depend on us to take our relationship with God seriously and to make His name known to them.

Each and everyone of us are called out and set aside to do something for the kingdom of God. You have a purpose, no matter who you are, God wants to use you! I used to ask myself “Is what I’m doing really helping anyone?” “Am I really accomplishing anything for the kingdom?” I can say with assurance now YES! No matter what lies satan tries telling me I can always be assured I’m manifesting God in what I do.

How can I be sure of this? Simple, being successful in kingdom work is not based on what you do. It’s based on your willingness to listen and obey the Holy Spirit. it’s not based on works it’s based on obedience. So no matter what God has called you to don’t lightly esteem it, or think its not important! Don’t compare it to what other people are doing. But instead measure your success on if you are listening and being obedient.

What Is It That You Seek?

Pastor Mitch has been mentioning Matthew 6:31 a lot, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”  

We have learned that this verse is a commandment from God instructing us not to concern ourselves with these things.  We know that this is instruction from God because Jesus said it, and Jesus says what he hears his Father say.  

Not only is this verse instruction to the believer, but it is also comfort.  Without reading any further, Matthew 6:31 is comfort because by telling us to not concern ourselves with food, drink, and clothes, He is telling us that he will take care of them.  We don’t have to do anything other than believe that God’s word is true.  Think about it, there is no way that our God, who loves us more than we could ever know, would ever allow us to go without these things, especially after telling us not to concern ourselves with them.

Matthew 6:32 reads “(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”  

This confirms what the believer should take away from the previous verse.  Jesus is confirming to us that our Father is aware of our needs, and if this was not enough, the second half of verse 33 says “and all these things shall be added unto you.”  So even though the believer should be able to deduct from verse 31 that God will take care of these things, Jesus goes on to spell it out for us in verse 33.

There are a couple of additional points to take away from verses 32 and 33.  

Verse 32 starts out with “(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)”.  

Here, Jesus is pointing out that there should be a difference between believers and non-believers.  If we are seeking the same things that gentiles are seeking, then there are no differences between us.  If there is no difference between the believer and the gentiles, God will not be seen in His people.  

In the beginning of verse 33 Jesus tells the believer how they should be different and what they should be seeking.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”  So here, Jesus tells us what should consume our thoughts.  Not only do we believe God to provide those things that we need, but we seek our God’s kingdom and righteousness in place of those other Earthly needs.

The second, but equally as important point to take away from verses 32 and 33 is that there is a cause/effect relationship between what a person seeks and what God will provide.  The second half of verse 33 is conditional upon obeying his command in the first half of the same verse.

 If you seek His kingdom and righteousness, these things (that the gentiles seek) will be added unto you.  Meaning, if you are seeking anything other than His kingdom and righteousness, you do not qualify for God to add food, drink and clothes to you.  Why would He add things to you when He will not get the credit for it because you were trying to achieve it yourself? 

Matthew 6:31 – 33 separates the believer from the non-believer.  The difference between the two can be found in what they seek.  The non-believer seeks food, drink, and clothes.  The believer seeks God’s kingdom and His righteousness.  What is it that you seek?

By Chris Carlisle

God Will Save His People

Olivia Meadows is 11 years old and when I (Christena) asked her if she would like to write something for our church blog, she was a little hesitant but agreed. I told her she could take up to 4 weeks, just wait and listen to the Lord.

I am so proud of her, she came to me this past Sunday with what the Lord had spoken to her. And I want to share it now.

"God will save His people from the wicked devil.

God will bless His people.

So I say right now, repent for the kingdom of heaven is near."

No One In The World Is Good

No one in the world is good.

Making such a statement does not imply that one is bitter or jaded. It simply means that the only good thing that exists does not dwell in this physical world but rather in the spirit world.

He is a spirit, and his name is God.

He is an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent being that can be challenged by none other. He is a loving God that has no limitations. In fact, God's goodness is more than t

he mind can understand and is only limited by one's capacity to receive.

God is not a Greek mythical creature that is out-dated and out-of-touch. He loves everyone very much and calls everyone his friend and heir.

God wants to bless everyone in all aspects of a life, just as He has so powerfully blessed my family.

My father has always been a very healthy individual who never had a need for a doctor. However, when he began to experience symptoms of immense bleeding, he took one of his first trips to the emergency room. The doctors diagnosed him with an incurable, fatal disease. Its name was terminal colon cancer. My family went to war not with the vicious illness that has taken an innumerable number of lives; but rather, we fought Satan.

Ephesians 6:12 states, "For we wrestle not against flesh an

d blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

We did precisely this. However, we did not fight alone. We had the most powerful spiritual warfare weapon that a Christian has at his disposal-God's goodness. God was good throughout the entire experience. When my father was diagnosed, God was good. We all had more peace in our lives than ever before. When my father underwent chemotherapy treatment, he did not experience one negative side-affect that so often plagues this form of treatment. When my father was healed, God was good. He healed my father of that wicked illness, leaving the medical staff at the hospital befuddled. We grew spiritually to a point that we h

ad not previously been.

What Satan meant for bad, God made good.

God provides mental growth and restoration for everyone that receives it.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, the Bible informs, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

So many people live miserable lives filled with fear and depression. When this verse uses the word "us", it is referring simply to those that are believers in God.

Bipolar disease, schizophrenia, and depression are not in the vocabulary of Christians unless it involves a testimony. We are freed from such entrapments by the goodness of God. People are also gifted with supreme cognitive abilities if they simply believe in God's promise.

This verse also entirely extinguishes fear of anything, anything at all. This includes but is never limited to the fear of heights, dark, rejection, failure, or anything that is not in God's kingdom.

Most of all, God loves you.

This is the single best thing that could ever be done for humanity. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for everyone's sins.

Now, if one accepts Jesus into his heart, that person may enjoy all the benefits of God's kingdom.

Trade your carnal life for eternal life and the citizenship of the kingdom of pain and darkness for the Kingdom of life and love.

This is a simple decision that Romans 10:9-10 explains very clearly by stating, "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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

God loves you and wants you to be part of His kingdom.

Nick Mosier