Faith To Go! | Category Archives: Deep Thoughts

Want to be a successful Church?

The successful Church is not successful because of its wealth or has lots of members and programs. The successful church is successful because the members are born-again, studying the Scriptures, surrendered to the Holy Spirit, loving the each other, dedicated to discipleship, and engaged in evangelism.

Want to belong to a successful Church? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the World. Accept him as your Lord and Savior. Be taught and study the Word of God. Pray regularly. Surrender your will daily for Christ’s will. Put off the immoral – lustful – damning deeds of the flesh and allow the Holy Spirit to grow the fruit of the spirit in you. Love the Body of Christ. Accept the path Christ has for you. Serve where you’ve been planted. Remember works are not to earn favor with God, they are to express love and gratitude for his gift of Salvation. Support the gospel ministry at your church and carry the gospel where you go. Encourage believers and not discourage them. Obey and follow biblical leadership. Capitalize on opportunities to witness Christ. Financially support your local church congregation and help the poor.

If you model your life after this template, you will be well on your way to being a member of a successful Church. Remember, Christ is the head of the Church and those who are born again are part of that Church. If you are obedient to Christ then you already a member of a successful Church – the Church of Jesus Christ.

John 3:3, “ 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, ^F7 he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 16:16 – 19, “ 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, ^F32 and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 28:18-20, “ 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach ^F55 all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you there fore brethren by the mercies of God that your present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God, holy and acceptable for such is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may be able to prove what is that good acceptable and perfect will of God.”

John 8:31, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”

1 Thess 4:1-12, “1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6That no man go beyond and defraud ^F8 his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; 11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.”

It isn’t Prosperity if in the End You Lose it All.

My brothers and sisters. Please stop turning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Christian life in to a vain pursuit of materialism, and a false belief system that we are only blessed when we are problem/trouble free. Do you want Christ or a placebo? D.T.F (Deny Yourself – Take Up Your Cross Daily – Follow Christ)

A Strong Appeal for Holy Living.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Paul, the Apostle, Romans 12:1-4, New Testament, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

Are You An Attached or A Detached Believer? John 15:1 – 11

Jesus Christ is the True Vine to which believers (as the branches ) are attached; and through which our nourishment (The Bible)and energy (The Holy Spirit of God) comes in order to provide spiritual growth (Faith)- spiritual stability (Discipleship)- spiritual fruit (Stewardship) in each believer so we may honor God (The Root).

A detached believer tries to live apart from the Lordship of Jesus Christ or tries to portray a Christian lifestyle in the flesh rather than through the Holy Spirit. By not abiding in Christ through faith and obedience we cannot bear fruit and eventually become useless as believers. God will not continue to waste his resources on unfruitful believers. Yes God does give us another chance, however, we must be mindful of the “cursed fig tree” and “the unproductive vineyard”. One was not given another chance because the Lord found no fruit when he came looking for it and the other was given a final opportunity after the Lord allowed the worker another season to cultivate it or it would be destroyed.

Remember busy-ness is not service, emotionalism is not worship, and ritualism is not relationship. Only a life that seeks God through his Word and prayer; seeks to be sanctified daily; and desires to do His will rather than live for self can truly be fed, energized, and productive for Christ.

John 15: 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Don’t Confuse What True Power is and Where it Comes From!

I find it amazing that a speech from a celebrity which calls out human injustice and demands justice and change, is considered powerful, but a Gospel sermon from the pulpit that calls out sin yet urges repentance to receive grace is considered hateful and intolerant?

1 Corinthians 1:18 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:21 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Romans 1:16-17 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.

Do you prefer fact or fiction?

Several years ago I watched the movie The Book of Eli yet, it’s about a man on a mission to protect the last Bible on earth. Eli stops at nothing to keep it out of the hands of those who want to destroy or pervert it. He’s deliberate, fearless, intentional, and moral(ish). (He also takes out bad guys with guns, knives, and swords too).

This movie is filled with violence, profanity, and irreverent behavior. I’m not sure how these Hollywood writers could produce this movie since the main plot is about a man devoted to protecting the Bible. Either way, Eli does protect the Bible and deliver it as he was ‘instructed’ (sorry for the spoiler).

I want to ask YOU a simple question. Which do you prefer, fiction or fact? If you are impressed by the media’s promotion, the critics, or your friends’ review of this movie let me assure you that the real story of the preservation and purpose of the Bible is far more interesting and impacting.

The God of Heaven initiated a plan for man. Devil, Lucifer, Satan has been doing all he can to destroy and pervert God’s plan for man. He does this because he hates God. He wants to be God but he can’t. Since being evicted from Heaven, and while waiting for his final destructive judgment, Satan works every moment of his existence to deceive and distract men from knowing or desiring God’s plan. God has chosen and utilized many people throughout history to record, communicate, and carry out his plan. He used Seth the God-fearing son of Adam, Enoch the man who walked with God and did not die, and Noah the man God used to build an ark and repopulate a destroyed earth. He called men like Moses to lead God’s people out of Egypt, Gideon who battled thousands of soldiers with only 300 men, and David the warrior king called to be a reference point for the Messiah of the world. He used men like Jeremiah who was persecuted by his own people for declaring God’s word, Ezekiel who preached to the dry bones, and Jonah who preached to Nineveh after being spit out of a great fish.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world, came to earth in total obedience to God to preach, practice, and provide all that God’s Word intended. He, Jesus Christ, battled Satan, confronted and condemned corrupt religious leaders, feed the hungry, healed the sick, preached to the believing and unbelieving alike, and finally gave His own life by dying to pay for the sins of mankind. He conquered death, rose from the dead, and returned to Heaven in glorious victory to prepare a place for those who will believe in Him, repent of their sins and receive the free gift of eternal life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He provides those who believe with the ability and stability to walk faithfully, obediently, and lovingly through this life. He gives believers the strength to endure through drought, flood, persecution, and abandonment. He provides comfort in the times of anxiety and crisis. He gives temperance and courage to the faithful warriors of the Word. He supernaturally creates integrity in mortals who are naturally flawed. He takes wounded people and makes them living examples of faith, trust, and victory. He is coming back to judge this world and physically take all believers back to Heaven with him. The person who repents and believes in Jesus Christ as Lord receives the gift of the Holy Spirit to live inside them. He takes people who are spiritually dead and worldly ignorant and transforms them into holy warriors who are godly wise, spiritually rich, and biblically strong followers of Christ.

Having summarized just these few fact from the Bible I will ask the question again. Which do you prefer, the fiction of a Hollywood movie (or any other fictional story) which will eventually be forgotten when the next ‘blockbuster moves’ comes along; or the historically factual, life-changing, salvation offering, God-glorifying, heavenly directed reality of God’s word?

Whether or not you’ve seen the Book of Eli, all of its fictional details are nothing compared to the Book of Books – The Holy Bible in all of God’s Holy truth. (SPOILER ALERT: By the way, at the end of the movie the Bible is displayed with other books from other belief systems. This would suggest that the Bible is just one of many sacred texts to be valued and respected. If you’ve read the Bible then you know that’s never going to happen.)

Choose wisely.