Church Webs

2009-08-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

How To Know Jesus Christ

I have had people ask me how they can completely give themselves over to God
saying they have prayed about it and repented of their sins but can't seem to
get their flesh and mind in line with it. I know we all have problems with the
flesh from time to time. The main thing is that we repent and not live in
continual sin. When we have been born-again the Holy Spirit will convict us of
our sin. We need to come to know Jesus Christ and not just about Him. It is not
a onetime say a sinners prayer or be baptized and then were in. We need to make
it our business to follow Him the best we can and yes that takes a lot of effort
on our part. The flesh does not want to do it and Satan surely don't want us to
do it.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
~ Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

Diligently seeking Him takes a lot of effort.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye
are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness. ~ Romans 6:16

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your
heart. - Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)

Jesus wants all of us not just part. So the more we study His word, pray and get
to know Him the more we will be able to be lead by the Holy Spirit. The more we
will hear His voice. Again it is a life time commitment and not just something
we think about from time to time. Some people may have the idea that when they
have repented and prayed asking Jesus to forgive them that they will
automatically have the desire to read his word daily, be in constant prayer and
worship. Some people think they should have an overwhelming desire to do so and
think they do not have God or his Holy Spirit living in them. Wonder if it
supposed to be like, ok at 7am I'm going to read the Bible, at 10am I'm going to
pray, etc...

No it is not like that. It is supposed to be a walk with Him all the time. To
get to know His word so good it is in our heart. The Holy Spirit will bring to
mind what you need to know, but you first need to make sure it is in there. That
means to get to know the bible. Don't depend on a Preacher to teach it to you,
read it yourself because today there are not many Preachers that are actually
teaching and preaching the truth. If you don't know the truth you will not know
if they are feeding you a line or not.

The apostle Paul said, I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is
present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see
another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I
am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with
the flesh the law of sin. - Romans 7:21-25

We are to do our best to think on what is good as it says in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things.

Some people wonder why it seems that some people are so "on fire" for God and
hear from God and they don't seem to.

Well a lot of the people you see on TV are fakes. A lot of the people you see in
Church are fakes and most likely are not hearing anything. Like I said you need
to really get to know your bible so you know the truth. The more you read, study
and pray asking God to open your eyes and help you to hear from Him and get to
know Him the more you will come to realize what you have been missing. Believe
me once you get to know Him you will have no doubt you are saved and you will
start hearing from God, not audible but He will put thought in your mind of what
He wants you to do.

If you truly are born-again then you will want to know God better. I know God is
wanting you to know Him better.

Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these
things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes’ —Matthew 11:25

We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step, we either have a
relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more
from sin, "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" ( 1 John
1:7 ). It is a matter of obedience, and once we are in obedience, the
relationship is instantly perfected. But if we stop obeying for one second,
darkness and death are immediately work on us again.

God’s truths are no revealed to us until we are in obedience. You will never
open them through just reading the bible. But when you read and start to obey,
revelation comes right away. Let God’s truth come to you studying the bible for
yourself. The only way you can come to know the truths of God is by getting to
know Him and obeying Him. The more you obey God the more things He will show
you. you. You could read tons of book about God and the Holy Spirit, when in
actuality being obedient would make things as clear as crystal. Don't think you
will just come to know the things of God some day, but get to know them now by
now by obedient now. Know that God will not reveal more truth about Himself to
you, until you obey what you know already. Pray ask Him to help you get to know
Him better and be looking for the Holy Spirit to put things in your mind that He
wants you to do. It may be very, very small things, but do them and see your eye
start opening up to the word of God as you read it. You will surely start to
know Him.

Mark 8:34-38
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto
them, Whosoever (anyone that) will come after me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but
whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save
it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever
therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the
glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Since this is Jesus himself speaking in this passage then we know He is speaking
the truth. He expects us to deny ourselves and follow Him. Which would mean we
place Him first in our life. Not second third or so on.

The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me" Exodus 20:2-3
This alone with the above passage tells us God wants our full attention. He does
not say, "Your Pastor should put me first and deny himself" he says, "Anyone
that will come after me, let him deny himself," So we are each individually to
put God first in our lives. Not just when we are in Church, but the entire day,
every day Church or not. (I know we can't think about Him 24-7 but the more we
get to know Him the more we will communicate with Him.)

If one reads the entire bible, and they should, they will see that the whole
bible points to Jesus Christ and it is all about knowing Him. So if one claims
to be a follower of Jesus Christ and that they know Him, they will do as He
teaches.

Again.... But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

This is not about casual reading of the bible and going to Church. There are
many, many people that go to Church every Sunday that do not know Jesus Christ
and will bust hell wide open. See www.lostinchurch.com for more information
about that. Knowing Jesus Christ is not about going to Church, following a
Pastor, and walking the aisle. It is about seeking Him with all your heart
yourself. If you do this you will find Him and then you will know Him.

There is no push button thing you can do for salvation. The bible says we MUST
be born-again. That is a process and if you are born-again your life will start
changing and you will put Jesus Christ first. Not just know about Him or think
you purchased a ticket to heaven and you have it somewhere in a drawer.

We are to walk and live by faith and endure until the very end (Matt. 10.22). If
you are saved you will love and put Jesus first in your life. That is how you
know if you are born-again. Your life changes its focus and it then becomes
about knowing Jesus.

My life is my example. I knew about Jesus Christ and believe He was real since I
was 12 years old and even walked the aisle at a Church and was baptized. But
that is not what Jesus said to do if you want to know Him. He said one must
"deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." That is not what I did. I
just attended Church for a while and never diligently sought Him (I believe this
happens to a lot of people that have a push button mentality). I soon stopped
going to Church because of the hypocrisy and thought it must just be some sort
of game people like to play.

I don’t think I was saved at that time because of the following:

1 John 2:3-6 states: We know that we have come to know him if we obey his
commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a
liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is
truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to
live in him must walk as Jesus did.

John 14:21 states: He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves
Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and
manifest Myself to him.

And don't forget Revelation 3:16 which says, So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

And everyone should plant this one in their minds and never forget Matthew
7:21-23: Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your
name? and in your name we cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful
works? And then will Jesus profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity.

There are more verses but that is all I will review for now.

But I thank the Lord for a praying Mother at the age of 23 after years of
drinking, parting and things I don’t want to think about anymore. I decided I
really wanted to know if Jesus was real, so I got on my knees and ask Him. Guess
what? He let me know He was very real! I started seeking Him. I did not come to
know Him over night, for me it took some diligent seeking through bible study,
prayer and talking to people that knew Him. It took until I was 26 until I
actually meet became born-again. I was enlightened to know that He was REAL and
not just someone that people wrote about in the bible or people used to get your
money or someone that was locked up in a Church building. He proved to me He was
real and I have never been the same. It changed me and is still changing me at
the age of 50. I no longer look to Pastors or people as the ones who would tell
me what God wanted for my life. If you do this it will not be long before they
use you or let you down. I started looking directly to Jesus Christ who has
never let me down and I am learning to live for Him and not for me. I have
learned it is ALL about Him and not about us.

Until we come to know that, whether we are Pastors, laypersons, Elders, Deacons,
business owners or the President of the United States. We will not be saved. If
we do not know Jesus Christ and deny ourselves and give Him the glory for what
He has done for us. He has given His very life’s blood in our stead so we might
live with Him forever and throughout eternity. So until we come to know Him we
will never know what salvation is. We will then want to tell others of this
salvation and will not rest until He calls us home, as we will know what it
means to know and love Him. There is no mistake about people that know Him, they
always want to talk about Him and no not just at Church but everywhere they go.
Yes like your first love, you would talk about them until people were sick of
hearing it and you wondered what was wrong with them. Jesus wants to be our
first love today and everyday of our life and if you know Him you will want the
same thing. If you don’t then you will just think I am crazy, but I really don’t
care what people think. I care what God thinks and what God thinks will echo
through out eternity.

So to me this is what it means to know Jesus. Not knowing about Him but knowing
Him personally. And I pray this will help you to know Him better.

Plow on, plow on...
David Campbell

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV)

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him - Psalm 25:14

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God. ~ Luke 9:62

Luke 13:24
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to
enter in, and shall not be able.

Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we
serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a
hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been
interested only in His blessings, instead of in God Himself. ~ Oswald Chambers

Many come to know Jesus as the Way. A few more go on to know Him as the Truth.
But very few go on to know Him as their life. ~ Rick Joyner

Below are some links with articles that may be of help:

What is the Christian life supposed to be like?
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-life.html

How can I overcome sin in my Christian life?
http://www.gotquestions.org/victory-over-sin.html

How can I stay focused on Christ?
http://www.gotquestions.org/focused-on-Christ.html

Are you saved?
http://www.jesusisthelight.net/AREYOUSAVED.htm

2008-07-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sovereign Mercy (Freewill?)

John 10: 14-16 Sheep not of the sheep pen
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father
knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have
other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too
will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

John 10:26-28
but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall
never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

Romans 8:7-8
…the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it
do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

2 Kings 7.4
If we say, 'We'll go into the city'-the famine is there, and we will die. And if
we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and
surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die."

God is not at the mercy of Man’s decision. But in fact man is always at the
mercy of God’s decisions. Yes God has predestined certain people to glory from
the beginning of time because He does have a master plan and it will be
accomplished. But yes He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. He is God.

Good News:

John 6:37
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will
never drive away.

Romans 10: 9-10
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart
that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess
and are saved.

The above is for those who have come to realize they in no way can save
themselves and are in despair knowing there is no hope. They then will turn to
God and ask for mercy. No not a casual raising of one’s hand or saying a sinners
pray. They will come as the leapers in 2 Kings 7:4 knowing God does not have to
save them but they have come to ask for mercy.

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Yes, this is referring to the spiritually and Emotionally Bankrupt people that
are without hope (like me). Yes, people in utter despair of not being able to
save themselves.

This should wake people up that have approached Jesus with merely the motivation
that He has a wonderful plan for everyone’s life. Because Jesus says, those that
come to Him only in utter and total surrender will be blessed by grace and
mercy.

This is the biblical grace the bible offers, not the cheap grace the modern day
institutionalized religious machine preaches today.

The bible does not say that God has predestined people to hell. It says He has
predestined people to eternal life, those He has elected. The people that go to
hell are those that have just been left to do as they please. But the good news
is, God will have mercy on those He chooses to have mercy on. So I for one am
face down before the Supreme God of all begging for mercy. That is how one that
does not know if they are one of the elect should go before our Supreme God. Not
the way it is taught today like you can go be saved like going through the drive
through at McDonnell’s. If you have an doubts go to Jesus, repent of your sins
and beg for mercy. He will know if you mean it. Those that love Him do the below
because they KNOW how destitute they were before Jesus came to give them a new
life. People that are saved don’t have to make themselves want to serve our King
Jesus, they are ecstatic about it.

If you go before God and tell Him he must forgive you, then you better rethink
it before you do so. That is taking God grace for granted. God is not at your
mercy, but you at His. God is not a friend to the unrepentive sinner. Actually
God’s wrath is on the unrepentive sinner.

God is truly and supremely sovereign and we better know this as a fact before we
come to the end of our days.

So with this I am saying there is no freewill for you to decide if you want to
be saved or not. It is totally up to God if He will have mercy on your soul. To
presume He has to have mercy on you, especially if you are not will to repent
and turn from your sins. God is God and you are not.

The church need to be more worried about protecting God’s sovereign right then
they are about protecting men’s.

Those who belong to a Sovereign God are the Happiest, most Blessed creatures on
earth!

We know God is sovereign and no one nor nothing can change His mind because He
is the great I Am, the King of Kings.

Praise to our King Jesus!

Some of these notes were taken from the “Sovereignty of God” series from
crosstv.com (Word Pictures)

Feel Good Gospel

2008-07-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

"BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED..."
Acts 16:31

Believe :
to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

My own personal testimony confirms the necessity of true faith for salvation. I have always believed in the existence of God. I have always believed what the Bible says about Jesus Christ,that He is the virgin born Son of God. He died on the cross to pay our sin debt. He was buried and that He rose from the dead. But I was still lost and on the road to hell until I was twenty-three years old.

Why? Because I had never truely repented of my sin and come to actually know Him. I had never seen myself as God saw me,totally depraved and without any good in me. I had always judged myself in the light of the morality of other people. But one night I saw myself in the light of God's righteousness, I cried out for forgiveness and trusted Jesus to save me.

When one truely believes in Jesus Christ they act on it and it changes their lives. Jesus becomes number one in their lives not just something we believe. Even the devils believe but they are not saved.

James 2:19 says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 1 Peter 1:17 (NIV)

Our fear is not to be slavish or paranoid. We find the proper balance in the fact that God is both our loving Father and our judge, which inspires a fear motivated by reverence. This kind of fear is not opposed to our assurance of God's care and love, but rather to that false kind of security that causes us to take God for granted, to become sloppy in our Christian life and to offend God's holiness.

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Luke 13:24

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)

The is no easy feel good gospel like is preached in a lot of todays churches. This is not a game it is real. I do pray everyone will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and not just come to know about Him.

What is a Counterfeit Christian?

2008-03-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

A counterfeit Christian is someone who looks saved, talks saved, an act saved, but they are not saved. They usually believe they are saved. Some know they are not saved but want to fit in with those who are.

They often say the right things, hang out with the right people, some even read their bible and pray, but they are still lost and on their way to hell for eternity.

Someone can appear to be a Christian and still be lost. They can think they’re a Christian and still be lost. Many hang around and grow up with Christians but they are still be lost.

Sometimes being around “religious things” most of ones life will cause people to think they are saved.

We must realizes the counterfeit modern gospel produces counterfeit Christians who unknowingly have received a different Jesus and a different god, than those of the true gospel. They have been assured by Preachers that they have been born-again. Teaching a gospel that does not include the requirements of repentance and self-denial, is not complete; and the birth that it produces is not of God. Those who preach and teach without including these requirements are as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, deceiving many.

One of the hindrances people face is illiteracy. Most Christians do not read and study the bible for themselves. We need to realize that elements of true and false Christianity will be intermingled in the same world, in the same church, even in the same person. Any attempt to "weed out" the false runs the risk of uprooting the true as well.

Our goal as Christians should not be to weed out all the "tares" in the church, but to do everything possible to teach the truth to the true "wheat" in the church making so strong and healthy that the "tares" are powerless to against it.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23

Jesus teaches that there will be false converts that He never knew and they will be going to Hell. In Jesus' own words, there will be MORE on the broad road (which is a RELIGIOUS road) - "many" - than on the NARROW road - "few".

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and
there are FEW who find it. - Matthew 7:14 (NKJV)

How can counterfeit Christians be identified?

Counterfeit Christians can teach, preach, profess faith, do miracles, and
perform good works (Matthew 7:15, 21-22). In the parable, no one noticed the problem until the wheat began to reproduce, forming heads prior to the harvest (vs. 26). The key difference between wheat and weeds is not in what they do, but in what they are. Wheat reproduces wheat. They are different by nature.

“By their fruit you will recognize them” Jesus compares a fruit-bearing tree to a Christian

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:15-21 (KJV)

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. - 1 John 2:3 through 1 John
2:6 (KJV)

In Mark 3:35, Jesus tells us that "whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother."

Notice that it is not just a Christian profession of faith that counts, it is
not their good works, but whether or not they know Jesus Christ as Savior! Is there a personal relationship? Have they trusted Him in faith for their
salvation? Knowing Him?

There are serious people, preachers, very religious people that know who Jesus Christ is, they recognize that He is the Lord, but they never knew Him. No relationship, they never received Him as Savior. They are not family. They had made a profession of faith, but there is no relationship. Read what Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:1-9 NIV

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Paul is saying they are counterfeit Christians. They have a form of godliness. They may look good on the surface, but that is it. On the outside you can barely tell them apart. But on the inside they don’t know Jesus Christ. They have a divided heart. They have not come to know Jesus Christ, but religion.

Matthew 7:16

By their fruit you will know them.

Also read:

http://e-tacklebox.com/counterfeit.html

Watch:

Counterfeit Christians

http://www.jesusclips.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d81f348082ff6c4b2076

http://www.lostinchurch.com/

Faithful Unto Death

2007-12-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Faithful Unto Death

Chip's short devotional below makes one think. Do we plan daily to be an overcomer and be faithful. I was thinking about this and I do believe I am willing. The reason I think anyone would be willing to lay their life down is because they have come to truely know Jesus Christ and He is their first love. You would do anything for your first love.
Plow on, plow on...David

TO HIM THAT OVERCOMES

By Chip Brogden

"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life... he that overcomes will not be hurt by the second death" (Revelation 2:10b,11b).

The Crown of Life comes to those who lose their life daily in order to gain His Life daily. Overcomers cannot be hurt by death because they have already died - not once, but thousands of times: taking up the Cross daily, denying Self, and following the Lord. Thus, the highest call is not to lay down our physical life as a martyr, but to lay down our Self life as a disciple. We can lay down our physical life in an instant, but to take up the Cross daily is the truest test, and much more difficult. It requires us to be "faithful unto death". This is the secret of the Overcomers.

http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/articles/overcomes.html

Losing Focus?

2007-11-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

JesusComments

A friend of mine sent me an email talking about how we are losing our focus.

Have you noticed when driving around that weeks before Thanksgiving more and more houses are already decorated for Christmas.

People have already put the lights up on their homes and decorated their lawns. Some even have their trees up.

He noted that this was a disturbing trend and I must agree. We all must have noticed over recent years that retailers get in a great rush to publicize Christmas. As soon as Halloween is over...the Christmas decorations start going up some times even before.

It sure looks like THANKSGIVING is quickly becoming a forgotten holiday!!
Could this trend to skim-over Thanksgiving just be a reflection of what is happening in our culture - - neglecting an attitude of gratitude as individuals and as a society?
He noted that a spirit of gratitude should be at the very heart of the Christian faith. A thankful spirit is the ONLY response we can have for receiving something that we totally DO NOT deserve. In fact, when all is said and done, Christianity consists of two things: an act of grace and a response of gratitude!
"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God." -Ephesians 2:8
Regardless of your circumstances ... when you comprehend His awesome gift of undeserved grace ... how can we not but give thanks??!!
Let the words of this beautiful song ring in your ears today ...
"Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Give thanks to the Holy One.
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ - His Son!"
Celebrate Thanksgiving with your friends & family by GIVING THANKS to our God, The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. Thanking Jesus for what He has done.
www.christjesus.us

Video Tracts now online.

2007-06-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Church Webs now offer free video tracts for your website. It is very easy to use. You can also use these video tracts if you are not a Church Webs customer. They are for anyone that is wanting to use them to tell people about our Lord and Savior Jesus Chirst.

Just go to www.video-tracts.com to get the code for your website.

We are adding new video tracts all the time.

Video Tracts

2007-04-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am setting up a new website called Video Tracts. www.video-tracts.com

I have not set it up yet but will be doing so very soon.

If there were no holy God...

2006-06-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people. (Jeremiah 6:21)If there were no holy God, un-holy people would not stumble. What is the line of my thinking—comfort, prosperity, peace? Then God, the holy God, will be a stumbling-block to me. People are departing, not from religious creeds, but from the moral standard of God. That is what the innate rage is against—that God requires us to be holy as He is holy, perfect as He is perfect, pure as He is pure.† To-day the tendency has got hold of people, and they do not know where it started from, to discard the standards Jesus Christ erected. The great stumbling-block in modern spiritual life is our Lord Himself in His character, and in the demands the Spirit of God makes. If God would only stop being holy, stop demanding personal holiness, bodily and mental chastity, we would be happy. Yes, but on the way to hell. It is God who puts the stumbling-blocks; they are not there by accident, and the stumbling over them awakens us; if we go on perpetually stumbling, we shall ultimately break our necks. The truth of God always brings us face to face with the standard revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Chambers, O. (1999, c1936). Notes on Jeremiah (electronic ed.). London: Oswald Chambers Publication Association, Ltd.

From: The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers

Do not trust in deceptive words

2006-06-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

“‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.“‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel.

Jeremiah 7:4 through Jeremiah 7:12 (NIV)

No observances, professions, or supposed revelations, will profit, if men do not amend their ways and their doings. None can claim an interest in free salvation, who allow themselves in the practice of known sin, or live in the neglect of known duty. They thought that the temple they profaned would be their protection. But all who continue in sin because grace has abounded, or that grace may abound, make Christ the minister of sin; and the cross of Christ, rightly understood, forms the most effectual remedy to such poisonous sentiments. The Son of God gave himself for our transgressions, to show the excellence of the Divine law, and the evil of sin. Never let us think we may do wickedness without suffering for it. - - Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

How can God forgive us if we persist in our sins? If God can save us while we persist in doing those things, He ceases to be a God worth worshipping. Sin must be damned, and if we stand with sin we shall be damned too. Jesus Christ’s salvation is the destruction of the sinner in the man, not of the man. A spiritual indecency is a compromise with a being less than God that we may prosper. If God calls us to recklessly trust Him, do we still lay hold of something that keeps us in with another power as well in case God fails? If we are going on with God we must stand alone. A man who does the thing that is lawful as a natural man prospers, but if he becomes spiritual and does it, God will curse everything he possesses. Apply this individually and collectively. God will make known to us clearly the impossible tracks of conduct, that we may avoid them. - - from Oswald Chambers

...but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their forefathers.’
Jeremiah 7:23 through Jeremiah 7:26 (NIV)

The Emergent Church

2006-04-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. - 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

I was just wondering what eveyone knows or thinks about The Emergent Church and Brian McLaren. I believe we have had a lot of this preached on this message board. I have some good new audio on this and will post the link as soon as I get it online.Just to get this started I found the below:"He that is not zealous against error, is not likely to be zealous for Truth." J.C. Ryle

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The Emerging Church

"The point we need to focus on right now is this: Do we not see the Lord prompting men like Dr. John MacArthur to correctly point out that Evangelical Christianity is fighting for its very life. But for now I wonder, can we afford to almost rule out the spiritual side of our faith while we waste our time arguing about some nebulous concept of essential doctrines as opposed to non-essential ones ? Could it be that while we're caught up in discussions about whether cessationism is true or not true, perhaps we are in danger of forgetting that at least this much is true: Christianity is a supernatural faith and whether or not God is using certain gifts or not is really not the main point at this critical time. Could it actually be possible God the Holy Spirit may be trying to alert our Lord's Church to a pagan cult which has been growing right under our very noses where even their own pastors aren't being told the whole truth by these Emergent leaders they trust? Man can become God; I know I've heard that somewhere before. Ah yes, here it is: Genesis 3:5 - Ye shall be as gods. Where are the voices being raised against this oldest lie in the Book? And why are these men being allowed to teach as Evangelicals at the Zondervan"

Click Here to listen to a very good online audio now.

Click here for more information.

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Biblical Preacher
Online Churches
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Christmas?

2005-12-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

I found the below statement in one of this months Our Daily Bread and it really fits for today's meaning of Christmas.

Many people today make the mistake when they hear the word Christmas. They don't think of Jesus and His miraculous birth. Instead, they think of family gatherings, festive meals, decorations, and gifts. To them, Christmas brings nostalgia and memories of childhood.

Now, all this celebration isn't wrong. But if that's all that Christmas means to us, we are missing its true significance. The real meaning of this special day is summed up in the words of the angel to the shepherds on that night long ago: "I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

Christmas surely should not be good if you don't know Jesus Christ as your hope.

Don't celebrate Christmas without inviting the Guest of honor.

Rate It All

2005-12-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

I found the following website this morning. It seems to be very interesting. I have commented on several things and plan to do so more when I get time.

http://www.rateitall.com/topic.aspx?OrderBy=&gender=B&Age=0&TopicID=782&show=all

My username on this site is knowhim add me to your trusted list. :)

Praying people will put Christ back in Christmas!

Peace Doves

2005-12-12T04:58:00.000-08:00

We raise solid white Doves to display at weddings, funerals, etc... and we also raise solid white Rock Doves which are homing pigeons we release at wedding, funerals, etc... they will return home to their loft after we release them.

I let our Rock Doves out the other day and as I opened the loft to let the birds fly free I had a young bird that had never flown before going out for it's first flight of freedom. As it took off into the air a hawk swoop down and grabbed it and carried it off.

What a site. The anger boiled out of me before I could stop it. The hawk did not get a good grip and had to land with the dove about 100 yards away. I ran to help the dove and scared the hawk away. The dove seemed to be OK as I did not see any apparent injuries. I put the dove back in the loft and checked on it each day.

But about a week later while feeding the birds I found the bird dead on the loft floor.

This gave me a peek as to what sin could look like. It swoops down on the young and innocent leaving it's unnoticeable damage. Then if one does nothing to stop it, it will quickly leave you dead.

Dead to the things of God, also it would leave you physically dead such as AID does.

Well just a my thoughts after this event in my life this past week.

True freedom is found in serving Christ.

The sting of death is sin . . . . But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. —1 Corinthians 15:56-57

Our Dove Release Website: www.whitedoveevent.com

Christmas Countdown Banner

2005-12-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

If you would like a Christmas countdown banner you are more then welcom to go to the below link and add this to your website.

http://www.church-webs.com/ChristmasCountdown-banner.htm

We hope to be adding more banner graphics soon!

By the way Merry Christmas! May Jesus always be honored on the day we celebrate his birth.

Praise you Lord Jesus Christ! \o/

New Church Webs Template

2005-12-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

We added a new template to Church Webs. You can download the images and then go by the online instructions to make your website look like this one.

You can then tweek it to look just like you want it to.

Also if you need help just let us know and we will help you with this layout. It is layout #1.

Tiki

2005-12-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

We we bought Black-capped Conure yesterday and named it Tiki. We are getting use to him and he is getting use to us.

It is very comical and likes to roll on the bottom of the cage like a puppy.

I am now in my late 40’s and am just not starting to appreciate all the wonderful animals God has given us to enjoy. I had always taken them for granted and did not pay much, if any attention to them.

I am also starting to plant trees and gardens. I think God is just changing me. I thank you Father God for showing me all the beautiful things you have given us.

I am looking forward to when the earth will be like it was before the fall of man.
Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ for providing us the way of salvation!

Going To Like This!

2005-12-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

I think I am going to like blogging. It will help me keep track of some of the Church Webs projects and may be get some comments from our Church Webs member. So Church Webs members feel free to comment and let me know what you would like to see added to Church Webs.

I know for sure I want Church Webs to bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ and to be a great tool for Churches to use as they continue to take the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the World.

Don't forget you can get great free Christian photos at www.ministryclipart.com

Getting started

2005-12-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

We I just wanted to get started in blogging. I am new to this so I will learn as I go. I think this will be a good addition to a Church website in help others keep up with what is going on.