What's the Good News?

The "Lost and Found" Bible

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 20:13:00 +0000

The "Lost and Found" Bible
Lynn Camp — AMARILLO, Texas

In July 1961, I boarded the Danube Express at Vienna's West Train Station, traveling to Budapest behind the Iron Curtain. What a contrast between free Austria and Socialist-occupied Hungary—so dark and drab! Businesses were closed. Signs were banned. People hardly dared to speak or smile.

Carefully contacting names accumulated in Vienna, we met Ivan Martos, an officer of the National Bank of Hungary. He traveled to Vienna twice each year for bank conferences. Later, I arranged to meet Ivan at West Train Station. When he arrived, he looked like he had lost a best friend. Indeed, he had. Ivan related his bitter experience. Guards had boarded the train at the next-to-last stop on the Hungarian side. Checking all passengers, they came to Ivan. His ID and travel documents were in order. But one guard made Ivan open his briefcase. Finding Ivan's personal Bible, he held it up for all to see and angrily shouted, "What is a man in your position doing with a Bible?" Before Ivan could respond, the guard threw the Bible out of the window of the moving train.

About two years later, at another Vienna meeting with Ivan, he was as upbeat as he had been downcast before. He had received a postal package in Budapest—it was his Bible! An apologetic note explained:

Our children were playing one day along the railroad tracks. They found your Bible. Not knowing what it was, one of them took it to his grandmother, who immediately recognized it as a Bible. Word spread quickly through the little village on the border. Some of our older people had possessed Bibles before they were banned and remembered the significance and power of the Word of God. We decided to conceal the discovery while those who so desired would make handwritten copies. That joyful task lasted two years. Please forgive our keeping your Bible so long. But you might like to know that we are now a secret band of about 30 who have baptized each other and seek to follow Jesus in our daily lives.

God's Word is powerful and accomplishes His purpose! This conviction has led to Bible distribution ministries like Eastern European Mission and World Bible School.

YOU MUST ALWAYS BE READY… LUKE 12:40

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 17:48:00 +0000

This article is about readiness. To be ready is to be prepared, complete, equipped, organized, arranged or set. Readiness requires humility and a willingness to learn from someone else – not from your own thoughts or perception of what you think readiness is, as the Scriptures teach us in 2 Tim 3:16-17. Only when you are willing to be taught, rebuked, corrected and trained in doing right will you be thoroughly equipped (prepared; ready) for every good work.

My dad taught me this principle as he raised me. He was always ready when it was time to assemble with the saints and encouraged me to be ready, because my mom was usually slow and my sister and I were distracted as well, fixing our hair and our clothes. If we were not ready in time he would leave and we would have to walk to services! Thank God it was close by, only a five minute walk! I learned by having a “readiness attitude”; preparing myself to arrive at any place or event 20 minutes before the appointed time. It took a lot of humility and willingness to be trained for this to happen!

We can learn something from Martha and Mary’s interaction when Jesus was present in their home (Luke 10:38-42). Although Martha had a servant’s heart, the very things she desired to do for people became a distraction for her own needs to sit at Jesus’ feet. Sometimes in our very desire to serve we can turn the things we do into distractions that prevent us from having a readiness attitude. Remember, as Jesus told Martha, “only a few things are needed’. Mary, who may have appeared oblivious to Martha, actually chose what was better for her, and in the end, she was better prepared – she was ready!

There are many distractions that will prevent you from developing a readiness attitude. To-do lists, pressure from others or yourself, being overcommitted, or overwhelmed and just simple laziness. Dad always encouraged me to get my stuff together and in order, so that I wouldn't be late for my appointments, work, school or the Kingdom. If I was busy blow-drying my hair or combing it, he encouraged me to do it even earlier so that I would not have any excuse. Being late or arriving late may show an attitude of carelessness, laziness, or indifference. It doesn't motivate others to be on-time and to have a readiness attitude. God wants us to be ready and waiting and it is with that attitude we will be able to serve (Luke 12:35-40). If we're late or not prepared, that means we don't have a servant’s attitude. As Jesus explains in the passage, servants are always waiting on their master. If we have an “always ready” attitude we will be early at work, with our families, and especially in the Kingdom. It's an attitude that will show across the board. Our readiness for mundane things, the things in this life, is a measure of our preparedness for God’s Kingdom and eventually eternal life. But don’t let the details of the mundane distract you from readiness in the Kingdom of God!

When I was single I always encouraged my sister to try and get herself and her family ready to get to services early. Her justification was that I was single and I didn't know what it was like to have a family. Now that I have a family I know that there is still no justification for lateness of any kind. You know my husband Pedro is a preacher and I have two boys. I cook breakfast, prepare their clothes and encourage them to get to the assembly early. My only problem is language, since I have to sign fast to get us all going!

May you be blessed and a blessing in your readiness attitude!

Claribel Rodriguez

GOD’S DESIGN FOR WOMEN

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:19:00 +0000

God designed woman for a wonderful role. Let us take a look at what God had in mind when He made woman. Genesis 2:18 says, “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” God’s design for woman is that she be a helper suited (a perfect fit) for mankind. To be a helper is a servant position and to human eyes this doesn’t seem very impressive. However, a servant role is one which God highly values. Jesus himself said in Luke 22:27 “But I am among you as one who serves.” Let’s explore further the qualities of a helper so that we can fulfill God’s purpose for us.

A helper is one who assists. She provides others what is useful so that they may achieve a positive result (2 Kings 5:2-3). She seeks to improve her surroundings or the situation in which she finds herself (Esther). She seeks to alleviate a heavy burden by providing support and sometimes a much needed hug or a shoulder to cry on. She provides “salve” for a wound and is a source of relief whether it be from a physical or spiritual wound. She seeks to alleviate another’s burden by lending a listening ear, praying for the person and seeking out wisdom. Recall a time in your life when you felt sad or burdened and a sister provided much love and encouragement, and you will be able to appreciate how special and needed the role of a helper is. What a beautiful, privileged role a woman has! And this is a role we can fulfill no matter what season of life we find ourselves: whether we are single, married (have children), or are widowed and single once again.

A helper is a woman of deference. She promotes others, not herself as it says in Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves”. She contributes to other’s growth and sees that they prosper spiritually. This takes much time and effort (Titus 2:3-5). She does not seek to change other people (that is the Holy Spirit’s job); but what she does do is change herself for the better and therefore the situation she finds herself in is changed for the better (1 Peter 3:1-2). She refrains (holds herself back) from any thoughts or words which will hinder another person’s encouragement. She abstains from any action or practice that may hinder her precious children’s encouragement (Ephesians 4:29). I have found that a correction or rebuke is more effective without an angry scowl. When I purpose to do this, my son is able to focus on the correction and concentrate on the Scripture. In this way my son feels built up and empowered with the Word of God and feels secure in my love for him as well as God’s love for him.

Let’s look at several more qualities of a helper: she prevents Satan from getting the victory in another sister’s life by exposing how she sees Satan working (1 Peter 5:8) or how they are being tricked by their deceitful hearts (Jeremiah 17:9 & Hebrews 4:12-13). Then she labors to ensure that her words are patient and gentle (Ephesians 4:2-3). Another quality of a helper is that she serves others nourishment through food and drink as per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. She cooks (ahem!), also refer to John 12:2.

Let’s quickly look at the opposite of a helper which will give us more clues in fulfilling our role: adversary, antagonist, boss, chief, detractor, enemy, leader, opponent, and superior. Regarding “superior”, it is important to remember that God designed woman to fill a need, not to look down on others for having a need! While we are perceiving another person’s need, we have to be careful to guard our hearts and stay humble. We need to keep in mind that the person we will be ministering to has strengths that we will be unconsciously learning from. God has a beautiful plan where everyone is being ministered to and built up simultaneously. Ruth was a beautiful example of a humble helper. She did not judge or look down on Naomi for her lack of faith and despair. She didn’t think she was superior “since she had a more solid faith” even though Naomi “knew the true God” and Ruth was from a foreign land of pagan worship. Ruth humbly encouraged her mother-in-law every step of the way and took on the role of a servant (helper) and we see that God blessed her tremendously.

Although Ruth’s example was amazing, even more so is our Lord Jesus. I know it seems counterintuitive to be discussing the female role, and then we name Jesus as the perfect example, but He is the perfect example of a helper! (Mark 10:45) He came down from heaven as a man and made himself nothing. He was a servant that was the perfect example of submission (Philippians 2:5-11). He only spoke and acted according to the Father’s will, not His own will (John 16:13). He was always busy perceiving what others needed and filled those needs. May God bless you as you seek to increase in wisdom and practice what you learn.

Bernadette Gomez

Run Your Race

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 18:59:00 +0000

2016 marks an Olympic year where the world will be watching and supporting athletes compete in games later this year. As Christians, the Hebrew writer reminds us that we also have an impressive audience of our own watching and supporting us from afar every day. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2a. Our goal is to compete well and finish our race strong by enduring in faithfulness; however the sinful nature brings many distractions. Galatians 5:19-21; says “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious”, so we try our best to avoid those obvious sins however get entangled at times with more subtle sins that can lead to those obvious sins. These subtleties compete with our ability to fix our eyes on Jesus and prevent us from running our best race. When I go a day or so without reading my Bible and praying I find myself not patient, not always kind and not content with my lot in life just to name a few. It’s not until I nourish myself properly with God’s Word that I am reminded, that the world and all its evil desires are passing away (1 John 2:16-17). Run your race by keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus by being devoted to both reading and praying while reducing the distractions in your life that come from TV, or internet with things like Facebook, Hollywood, fashion, sports news or any other thing not mentioned but competes for your attention. Depending on your number of years in Christ, your stretch of running may vary. Nevertheless the admonishment to us all, is to remove anything that makes it difficult to “run with perseverance” in the face of life’s many challenges. Amen!

Victor Quaye

GOD IS ENOUGH

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 19:39:00 +0000

As Women of God, our call of duty is high, after all, isn’t our role model the “Proverbs 31 Woman”? She wakes up early, goes to bed late, she cooks, she sews, she is business savvy, she is in good physical shape, she is hard working, everyone in her household is well taken care of, she is diligent, her hands produce good fruit, she is generous & kind, she has a good reputation, she is strong and dignified, filled with wisdom, and she even has a sense of humor. As a young woman, I am certain she was obedient to her parents and a help to her family. As a single woman, I am sure she was diligently seeking God’s will, carrying out His plan for her, & helping those in need. As a married woman, I am sure her husband & children lacked nothing good and are blessed. As a grandmother, I believe her children and grandchildren were blessed to have her nearby, longing to be like her in every way. These words in Proverbs 31 were written by a son pertaining to a lesson his mother taught him speaking of the kind of woman who would be a blessing to him & his household… the kind of woman whom he should seek after… the kind of woman God sees fit to be described and noted in His Word. God wants us to know about this woman of noble character who fears Him.
When we look at this woman we may all feel inadequate and ill-equipped, and we may even want to pretend that she doesn’t exist. We may say, “She can’t exist!” I dare say, I think it is worth taking a close look at her simply because God, our Heavenly Father, wrote about her. He knows what it takes to be successful…as a woman, as a wife, as a mother and as a grandmother. He knows how challenging this life can be and He knows what is needed. I trust Him. He knows what He is doing. The Scriptures teach us that He created us for this purpose. When God created man & all the animals, there was not a suitable helper for him, so God created a woman to help him and become one with him (Genesis 2:20). Think about it. He made women with the purpose to provide all that is needed by men. Wow! Can it be? Can we actually fulfill this purpose? It is wearisome to even think about meeting all these needs…but, it is a noble task, it is praise worthy, and it is rewarding. God believes we can do it, otherwise He would have given it to someone or something else. When we live out God’s purpose for us as women, we find love, joy, peace, & happiness. Not only does God know what is needed, He knows what will fulfill us & make us happy. When we labor for others & be the helpmeets God has created us to be whether it is as a young daughter, a co-worker, a member of the Lord’s church, a friend, a wife, a mother or a grandmother, we find peace & satisfaction because we are doing what God made us to do!
When you’re feeling tired or overwhelmed with your role, as I sometimes feel, draw strength from the Lord. Know that your abilities may not be enough, your physical or emotional strength may not be enough, but God is! God is enough! He said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." And I will say what Paul said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” God’s power is sufficient and perfect. I am not sufficient or perfect. BUT HE IS. Psalm 68:35 & Psalm 29:11 say that God gives power and strength to His people. Psalm 18:6; 30:2; 33:20; 34:17; 40:17; 63:7; 115:9, 11; 121:2; 124:8…the list goes on and on…These verses talk about how God is our help in times of need. Our God may be asking us to do a big job, but He has our back. Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped.” We may be the help meet of man, but God is our help! What more can we ask for?

You’ve heard of ARMY STRONG… Well, we are GOD STRONG

There is no one stronger than our God!

He lives in us!

God is aware…God is able…God is enough!

Rebecca G. Young

HOPE FOR LIFE…ONLY IN CHRIST

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 19:30:00 +0000

After being obedient to the Gospel, it took me a while to recognize the hope for life and great gift that was given to me. It wasn’t until a few years later that I noticed my burdens -struggles and heartaches- were much lighter by giving them to Christ. I was finally beginning to understand what I was rescued from: a world of darkness and deceit, with no hope at all (Colossians 1:13-14). Of course my life struggles were not absent but they were not my primary focus. No longer was I letting the flesh guide instead the spirit was leading me. We need to continually pray to God for the removal of any impurities that may still be in our hearts and that we may always dwell in His presence. (Psalm 51:10-11) I’m so thankful for my family in Christ Jesus. That no matter the conflicts and disagreements we may have, there is no doubt we can resolve the issues by being open and transparent. It is by our hope and foundation in Christ that we can forgive and love as Christ has. As Christians, we must be committed to our Lord because of His precious gift when He willingly sacrificed His life for us. Knowing that is because of His mercy and grace that we can take part of this journey to be with Him eternally. The least we can do is submit by being obedient (1Kings 8:61), having integrity in our lives, and following His instructions (Psalms 119:1-2). Brothers and sisters, we know that living and believing in Christ we will not perish (John 11:26). That’s such a reason on making the world aware so they may receive the Good News and live a life pleasing to our Lord and Savior. To do as God commands we need to share the hope that was shared to us and set us free with those in the world that may be thirsty in the hope for life that can only be found in Christ Jesus.
Ray Gomez

GOD IS OUR COMFORT ZONE

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 19:12:00 +0000

We all want to feel safe. As a matter of fact, we live in a world that is obsessed with safety. As a result of the dangers that surround us, everything that we possess must be insured, locked and alarmed. Although there is nothing wrong with that, it is easy to follow the same thread and trust in the flesh when it comes to the safety and comfort of our soul. When the circumstances around us dictate the level of our spiritual comfort and encouragement, it might be a sign that we are not taking refuge in the Lord. It says in Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Why is it so difficult sometimes to run to God immediately? Why wait until all of our efforts have been exhausted to take refuge in God? First, we had been doing that all of our lives before giving ourselves Christ so mentally we are accustomed to that. Second, it is uncomfortable to the flesh. We were used to measure our safety and comfort according to our circumstances. We felt comfortable and safe if our finances are in order, if everything was going well at our jobs and our possessions were safe, if we were healthy and our family and household are running smoothly. We didn’t know it, but in reality it was all a false sense of security. What happens when one of those things doesn’t go according to our plan and the rug is pulled from under our feet? God calls us to find true comfort and security in Him in Psalm 91:1-2 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” As it says in this passage, the shelter of the Most High is to be the dwelling place of our soul not a place we visit when we have no answer for our troubles. God invites us to get out of our “pretend” comfort zone and into the only comfort zone there is: the shelter of the Most High. He himself is our comfort. We can trust Him because He is faithful. Only then can we identify with Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you
alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
What I do immediately when trouble, doubt or stress come to me reveals if “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” I had to examine myself to find out if this was the case when God put in my heart over a year ago to go to El Salvador to edify and encourage a small congregation that we have been helping for some time. At first I ignored it. It is an extremely poor area where I could get sick (finances, health). It is dangerous and they are warning Americans not to travel there (physical safety). My family needs me and two weeks might be too long without them (family, household), etc. Can you see what my sense of security depended on? God was inviting me to get out of the “comfort zone” I had built on the sand of my circumstances and a false sense of security. As a result of spending serious time in the shelter of the Most High I have decided to go to El Salvador with our brother Leandro Hernández from June 29th to July 10th on a mission to spread the gospel among the poor and edify the saints in El Salvador. Jesus left the comfort of heaven to come to earth, but he never left the shelter of the Most High. The Father led him down a path that wasn’t safe, but it resulted in our salvation for the glory of God. No matter what is in store for me down this path, I trust that God is faithful and will also hear your prayers for me.
Charlie Gomez

The Noise in Your Life Will Harden Your Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:26:00 +0000

Hebrews 3:13-19 NIV But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (14) We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. (15) As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (16) Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? (17) And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? (18) And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? (19) So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
As the Israelites were wandering in the desert, they were probably envious of the other neighboring tribes/groups of people they came across. Seeing their possessions and the supposed things they were enjoying made them probably think they were missing out on something while they were wandering around for 40 years. This made many of them turn their hearts back on God and question Moses and his leadership. They probably thought Moses or God or both were holding them back and preventing them from being the nation they were supposed to be in their own minds! While God wanted to make them holy so they could worship Him they thought they needed to be something else. That discrepancy is what generates so much noise in our lives.
Other who didn’t have much vision to begin with, just kept daydreaming about what they left behind in Egypt, not believing God was going to take them someplace better; that He wanted to make them something better. While their minds were flirting with fantasy they were not able to worship God, so this is why they had to be purified in the wilderness – taught to rely on God and to trust God in everything. Some of us are in a sort of wilderness now, in an exodus, following Jesus, but with wandering minds, still not bringing ourselves to fully trust God on this journey we’re on. Some of you secretly desire to be back in Egypt, or are allowing your pride to dictate your steps. If your heart is wandering you won’t enter God’s rest. His oath has said so (Heb 3:11). You won’t be people who are worshiping God with that mindset and so you will be denied Heaven!
Have you ever thought that maybe God is holding you back from what you really want to do/be? That the church or your mentors or your brothers/family are holding you back from your “dreams” (the desires of your heart)? I often thought about that while I was a young Christian, full of verve and illusions about what I wanted to do with my life. I saw my mentors as “getting in my way” of what I really wanted to do, especially if it was concerning who I wanted to court and what career/job I wanted to have or what possession I wanted to buy. It was really God I was blaming for “getting in my way”! Perhaps that is what was going through Achan’s mind as well when he stole those gold bars that were supposed to be devoted to the Lord (Joshua 7)! “Whose gonna tell me what to do!” is what the proud heart yells. You know Achan’s end – him and his whole family paid the price for his noise (Joshua 7:25). God in his oath, declared that none of those who have unbelieving hearts will enter His rest (Heb 3:19). Let your noisy soul be a warning that you are in danger of forgoing God’s rest as well!
That hard and unbelieving heart, manifested as pride, is the reason you have to be broken – that pride is the cause of the disintegration of your soul – and not just that, your marriage, your family and your salvation. If peace is something that is still fleeting to you, something unattainable and imaginary because you just have to much noise, is it because God is unable to fulfill His promise of allowing you to find peace, or because you are choosing unbelief? To not fear God and obey His commands is unbelief. It’s not that you’re not believing, is who/what you are believing. If you’re rejecting God’s word you are believing something else – something that’s not what God said, and your fantasy is what is generating all that noise in your life. It is keeping you from hearing God’s voice and finding His peace – which is not like the peace the world gives (John 14:27; 16:33). You try to protect yourself by hiding, pretending or simply getting disconnected from reality, but none of that will work. You’re just digging yourself deeper into the noisy pit. Come to Jesus, take His yoke upon you and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul!
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Seek First the Kingdom of God

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Wed, 06 May 2015 19:59:00 +0000

Robert Young Sr.

When I became a Christian, one of the first passages of scripture shared with me was Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God…” And in the beginning for me that meant to be fully committed to the attendance of mentorship, Wednesday night bible class, Devotional, and Sunday services. As I continue to grow in Christ I have become aware of the fact that church attendance is only beginning to scratch the surface of what it means to “Seek first the kingdom of God.” What I have grown to understand is that seeking first the kingdom means that I am called to put the Church and her interests above my own interests. Although it seems we have a built in compass that only points to "me", our true purpose in Christ is to serve others. When I focus on my needs, it only causes me to worry which leads to stress, anxiety and a quick death (Matthew 6:27). My true blessing on this side of heaven is that I do not have to be stressed out about my life, about what I shall eat or what I shall drink; or about my body, what clothes I shall wear. We can continue this list of possible worries with where I will live, what school I will attend, who I will marry, etc. Life or should I say the purpose of life is much more important than these things. Instead of being focused on myself, God has taught me that He will take care of me and my needs as I seek first His kingdom. So as I decide where to live it should be a place in which the church will benefit. The school that I attend, and the schedule I choose should be a blessing to the church. The person I choose to marry should be my partner in building God's kingdom. I have decided that everything I do I want it to be done while seeking first the kingdom of God. Knowing that He is taking care of me frees my mind and gives me peace so that I can fulfill His purpose for me and take care of His Church. Amen?

Confidence in the Flesh

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 19:55:00 +0000

When I was in the world, I always thought that who I was, or what I was able to accomplish in life would make me a better person. So things, like how I looked, the type of clothes that I wore, or how smart or educated I was, what type of car I drove, or the house that I lived in was very important. I thought that the type of career I had, or how much money I made, or the neighborhood that I lived in would define me. Consequently when I seemed to be doing good in life I was confident but when things did not go well I would get down.

When I first came to Christ I continued in that attitude. I thought that when I was preaching the gospel, or baptizing someone, or because I knew the Word very well that God was pleased with me but when I sinned that God was angry with me.

Perhaps at times, brothers and sisters, you too have put confidence in your flesh in a similar way. The reality, however, is that the only thing our flesh can earn for us is condemnation! (Rom 3:23) Although the flesh can appear to bring us good things in this life, such as prestige or material wealth, these things are only temporary and they give us a false sense of security. Furthermore, the lack of fleshly success can take away all confidence as well, resulting in depression.

In Phil 3:3-9 Paul states, “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh-- though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—“

Paul was speaking to those who claimed to be Christians but wanted to justify themselves by their actions or who they were.

Whenever we think that we are better people because of what we’ve done, our talents and abilities, or who we are, we are putting confidence in the flesh. Whether it is our material wealth, intelligence, the family or culture we grew up in, our schooling or career, the home or car that we own, how many people we preached to or baptized, how good of a bible teacher we are, or how many scriptures we’ve memorized, the bottom line is that our flesh cannot justify us!

Paul understood and makes it clear that we can only be justified by faith in Christ Jesus! So let us remember that our righteousness comes not from ourselves or anything that we have done, but rather by Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross, sacrificing his body and shedding his blood to take away our sin and completely cleanse us!

(2Co 5:21) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

- Kevin Booker

Forgiveness

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 19:48:00 +0000

by Carolyn Shlesinger

I am so grateful for the recent sermons on persistent love and forgiveness. Even after all these years of discipleship, I have so much growing to do in this area. It is the key to having good relationships, and being useful to God. Only the Lord can teach us these truths! Only in Christ can you learn these truths!

Just a few of the verses from recent sermons that I am focusing on, trying to memorize, and are making a difference for me are the following:

Matthew 6:14-15 basically says if you forgive you will be forgiven; don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven. Self-preservation is good motivation to make the choice to forgive! In fact you cannot be a disciple and not be forgiving. We all desperately need love and forgiveness. Jesus forgave me and I am called to have that same mind.

James 2:12-13 Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! We need to let mercy rule in our homes first, then in all our relationships.

Proverbs 10:12 Love covers all offenses. I want the Lord to look at me and be able to say, she has covered a multitude of sins with her love and forgiveness.

Proverbs 17:9 We ought to cover one another’s wrongs, not hide it, but not display it either (Satan wants to display it).

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Love forgives again and again.

Over 20 years ago I went to a preacher to complain about one of my relationships (ok, you guessed it, my husband—spouses are easy targets). The preacher told me to memorize Matthew 18:21-35--to internalize it, and that my success in forgiving would be directly proportionate to my diligence in this. Notice he didn’t sit there and go over all the presumed offenses of my husband, what good would that do? Rather he instructed me to learn to forgive, practice it, and to work at it. Praise God for useful counsel! I’ve had to re-memorize this verse from time to time. As we recently heard preached, “it is absurd to resent your spouse (or anyone) because they are a sinner.”

I want to quote something Debi Pearl wrote in her “Helpmeet” book. It says a lot about the need for forgiveness in marriage—and in all of our relationships. She writes, “The difference between a good marriage and a lousy one is not found in good husbands and good wives verses bad husbands and bad wives, for all marriages are made up of two sinners with lots of faults. A good marriage is good because one or both of them have learned to overlook the other’s faults, to love the other as he or she is and to not attempt to change the other or bring him or her to repentance. A bad marriage is not one that contains more faults between the two of them; it is a marriage where one or both of them gets worked up over issues that good marriage partners let slide and cover up with love and forgiveness.” Forgiveness is key to having the relationships God wants us to have!

A final thought that helps sober me up when I’m having trouble forgiving is taken from “The Marriage Builder” book. He writes something like “if there is no joy in honoring the marriage commitment, the fault does not lie in one’s spouse, no matter how disagreeable he or she may be; the reason for lack of joy can be traced to a deficient awareness of the goodness of God.” This is a statement I have referred back to many times. Being able to forgive goes back to looking at myself and my relationship with God. Every time I reflect on that thought--the goodness of God--forgiving others becomes instant. Remembering the goodness of God helps me instantly forgive in my marriage, in my parenting, and all my relationships and helps me get back to training myself in persistent love.

TRIALS, TRAINING & TRANSFORMATION

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 18:33:00 +0000

by Bernadette Gomez

As I reflect over the years, I’m in awe of God’s grace and mercy and how God transformed my heart helping me to understand lessons I never thought possible. I had no problem believing in God. But having an intimate relationship with my Father, and trusting Him with my life, well that was another story altogether. In my spirit there was this struggle: my mind knew God is faithful, but my heart struggled to trust God and stop treating Him like a “divorced Daddy” who is “far away”. My heart also struggled with feelings like: “He’s too busy to notice me.” or “I’m so small, why is my business important to Him?” I logically knew these were all lies, but fighting against my evil heart, I knew I wasn’t making much headway. So I prayed for God to perform a miracle in my heart: to not just believe Him, but to trust Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

The way God answered my prayer was remarkable. God didn’t use some “magic salve” to heal my deep wounds. Instead He used trials of the most painful kind – trials that involved my precious son. I confess to you that sometimes my heart not only deeply resented the trials, but at times my heart was even tempted to question God’s judgment because the trials were so bitter. But I persevered and reminded myself of Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” When you are going through your most painful trial, remember that God loves you deeply and has a purpose in all of your pain and suffering. The key is in allowing ourselves to be trained by the trials He gives us.

How do we allow ourselves to be trained by our trials? Remember that a disciple or student is trainable. In Matthew 10:37-39 and Luke 14:26-27 it talks about the things and influences which make it impossible for a disciple to be trained. As I examined each list I knew that I didn’t struggle with putting the relationships of family and loved ones before the Lord. But then I examined my life and thought to myself, “What does my life consist of?” Our lives consist of our hopes, dreams, desires – our agenda. What occupies your thoughts? How do you spend your time? In your conversations with others, what do you find yourself talking about? This is your “life” that Matthew 10 and Luke 14 are discussing. God is reminding us that He is MASTER and that it is His agenda and His will for our life that matters now.

God exposed in me that I resented my trials because I felt they were getting in the way of my agenda: to be the best Proverb 31 woman I could be for the Lord. (I can now see it was really for my ego.) God’s agenda, to transform me into the image of His Son, was clearly clashing with my agenda. I had to remind myself of the following scripture: John 12:25-26, “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” Doesn’t this remind you of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet versus Martha serving according to her “agenda” of what she thought was best? What keeps you from being trainable? Is it a certain relationship? Or perhaps you need to surrender your agenda (your hopes and dreams) to God’s will for your life?

I don’t resent trials anymore. They are what we need to BE faithful, GROW faithful, and STAY faithful. In hindsight, I can see that the trial ran deep, but so did the healing. He healed that very deep wound completely. No longer is there a hole in my soul. I’m humbled and amazed at how He not only healed me, but grew qualities in me that weren’t there before: faith, hope and peace. Remember, when we are going through our most painful trial is when God is performing His deepest surgery on our souls. Trust Him through the trials and allow yourself to be trained by them. Let Him transform your heart and your life. You will be amazed as He performs miracles and heals parts of your heart that you didn’t think were possible. Praise God for His wisdom that surpasses understanding. Praise God for His love and
healing! 

ONENESS

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 18:13:00 +0000

by Victor Quaye

As we look ahead to 2015, let’s fulfill the vision of oneness Jesus desired. John 17 records Jesus’ longest prayer and reveals His dying wish that the church would all be one! In John 17:20b-21 Jesus says “…I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”(ESV) Oneness or unity is something that can easily elude us. However, oneness is what will point the world to Jesus. Accomplishing oneness requires understanding what first unites us. The fact that we’ve all been forgiven by the blood of Christ unites us. With the help of the Holy Spirit, a proactive effort is required by each individual member to accomplish this great feat. We can fulfill the vision Jesus had for us to be ONE by forgiving each other the way He has forgiven us, by practicing love as listed in 1Corinthians 13, by telling the lost about Jesus and by proclaiming His death until he comes. As we look ahead to 2015, let’s fulfill Jesus’ vision and strive for oneness. Amen!

THE AUTUMN OF LIFE

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 17:48:00 +0000

This season, the fall, or what I preferable like to call autumn, makes me think about growing older – not in the sense of aging per se, but in the sense of maturing; of becoming wiser and therefore prepared. Autumn is about preparation – all those in this season are getting ready – getting ready for winter.

If you prepare during the autumn of your life you will enjoy a great winter, a winter in expectation of the new life that will come in the spring of your meeting up with Jesus on the other side. Notice how in the autumn we see a beauty of a different sort than in the springtime. Autumn is beautiful – it is my favorite season! It reminds me that in my autumn years I have a beauty of my own – the beauty that comes from being mature and wise in Jesus. Autumn is not about knowing things but about living in obedience and having the clear conscience to truly enjoy this walk with our Lord and Master without guilt or insecurity, no matter what difficulties may be present at this stage. I no longer derive my security from the flesh. I am becoming aware that the flesh counts for nothing in the long run. The fact that my body is aging and becoming even weaker is a reminder that I am preparing for an eternal spring with Jesus on the other side.

Yes, autumn is a sign that life will continue to go on, but in a very different way than you may imagine. Many see autumn as a time of preparation for death (as in winter all seems dead), i.e., the falling of leaves; but in Christ it is a preparation for the real life to come:

1 Peter 1:23 NIV “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”.

I also see something in this wonderful world God created. I see that it stands out particularly in the autumn and throughout the winter: the evergreen tree. Even though all the other trees are showing external signs of preparation for winter the evergreen tree boldly shows is perpetual endurance of youth and vigor. I like to think of this as a representation of those who are in Christ. Even though we are aging on the outside we are perpetually young and vigorous on the inside through the Spirit of Jesus! The evergreen tree shows that life goes on. It continues vigorous, vibrant and full of life!

God desires for life to continue, but not just to continue – to be renewed. That’s what the seasons tell me. That’s what the Gospel aims to do. The Gospel is what prepares us for the spring of a lifetime. In the autumn of my life I am feeling more alive than ever before! It gives me reason to hope that amidst all the shortcomings I have in the flesh, my brilliant Christian colors can continue to make a difference as I carry the saving information to everyone around me.

“BORN THAT MAN NO MORE MAY DIE

BORN TO RAISE THE SONS OF EARTH

BORN TO GIVE THEM SECOND BIRTH.

HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING

GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING!”

Real Miracles Give Real Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 20:19:00 +0000

Mark 7:32-35 NIV There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. (33) After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. (34) He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means "Be opened!"). (35) At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Going through the experience of seeing my loved ones implanted with human technology to assist some physical limitations has made me think of the miracles Jesus performed and how incredible they really were. The miracles themselves are astonishing, like making the blind see and curing people of their deafness and their lameness, not to mention raising people from the dead! I mean, Jesus proved Himself to be indeed the Son of God without a doubt! In addition to that awe and wonder, I am even more amazed and dumbfounded when I realize the depth of the miracles. Sure, on the surface the miracles are what they are, miracles! You don’t have to really examine them deeply to understand them:

The deaf man was able to hear instantly! That was amazing! There is no technology that can enable a person to do that! Some will say, well, what about the cochlear implant? Doesn’t that enable a person to hear? And with that we now we will examine the true phenomenon behind the miracles of Jesus.

The cochlear implant is a prosthesis. If a person is missing a leg or an arm, the use of the prosthesis doesn’t make the disabled person’s ability or dexterity equal to that of someone who is physically whole. With much therapy and practice the person with a prosthesis is able to do a lot, but it comes nowhere near to the fully and complete restorations Jesus did 2000 years ago. We marvel at the wisdom and technology man is able to use and produce to be able to make someone deaf, hear; and yes, that is wonderful and amazing – truly a glory to God! However, the technology doesn’t provide the years of therapy and practice it takes for the deaf person to be able to use the technology adequately. That’s where Jesus’ miracles truly shine and truly show His divinity.

How about the deaf man? Well, I can tell you firsthand that even if we have the technology that can restore a person’s ability to hear, and we do somewhat; that person is not able to understand what he hears upon activation of such technology! He is like a baby when he is born, who can probably hear something and see something, but has no experience and therefore cannot understand any stimulus he receives from the environment. All this stimulus needs to be taken in and the brain begins to learn to process such stimulus and make sense of it. It takes a baby years to be able to use his eyes, ears and limbs to navigate through this world.

The same goes for the blind man. Here we had a blind man from birth, and yet when Jesus heals him he is able to see. Not just to sense light and distinguish colors, mind you, but able to understand what he sees! Jesus gave him years of experience of seeing things so that the man was able to navigate without help through his world, relying on his newfound sense. That is a miracle far beyond anything we could ever do with our technology! We may be able to give a person the ability to sense sounds with a cochlear implant and the ability to sense light and darkness with an optical implant (that one has been in development for some time), but how would we give these people the experience to understand what they see and hear in an instant? No can do! Even what technology may be able to is a far cry from the perfection Jesus was able to accomplish in repairing bodily functions. Only He is the True and Good Physician! Only He knows the exquisite details of how fearfully and wonderfully we are made!

My faith in Jesus has grown so much deeper as a result of being exposed to these experiences with my beloved bride and wonderful son. Some would say, “Man is great! He has enabled the deaf to hear!” I add, “Sure, after many years of therapy and then some! But greater is our God Who made us and makes us fully whole in His Son Jesus!”

GENERATIONS OF FAITH

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000

by Claribel Rodriguez

By the grace of God I come from generations of faith: my grandfather was an elder of the church and my father, who used to be a deacon, was named one of the elders of his congregation when his dad passed on to life. I want to thank my grandfather and father for teaching me how to obey God and have the kind of faith that will be passed on through the generations. Colossians 1:4 ERV “We thank him because we have heard about the faith you have in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all of God's people.”

I learned a lot from my parents as they encouraged me and reprimanded me using the Bible. It was not their idea to teach me about The Word, but God taught them righteousness so that they can teach me righteousness, so that I can teach my sons righteousness; all the way through the time Jesus returns – producing faith-filled generations! I see that Pedro and I together need to do the same thing my parents did for me – for my sons, Enoch and Josiah. The Bible says in Joel 1:3 ERV “You will tell these things to your children, and your children will tell their children, and your grandchildren will tell the people of the next generation.”

My husband and I, by God’s grace, will be able to stay together and help our sons have faith in Christ. But the devil might try to cause us to be led astray and be separated, but by paying attention to God's teachings we won’t be easily fooled by the devil! Romans 1:12 ERV “...I want us to help each other with the faith that we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” If we don’t have faith, then the generations that come may get disconnected from God and fail their purpose. 1 Timothy 1:19 ERV “Continue to trust in God and do what you know is right. Some people have not done this, and their faith is now in ruins.”

To keep the generations of faith going on, I need to make sure my children know everything my parents taught me and what I have learned from the Scriptures. I don’t want to be like some who become proud and selfish, avoiding the instructions of elderly, wise, and mature Christians. These in turn teach others by bad example and go from bad to worse. You see, without Jesus it is not possible to be right with God and pass along faith. Romans 3:22 ERV “God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same.”

For our single sisters: Improvise on the time you have with nothing else to do, and go out there and preach the gospel! You don’t know how many generations you may be affecting when those seeds germinate!

For our married sisters: Remember to submit to your husband. It will be hard, but faith will help you understand that it is perfect. If it seems you can’t do it, confess your attitude to your mentor and she will help you by prayer and wisdom.

For our mothers: Moms can get distracted with their kids, cleaning the house, serving her husband, etc. Remember to have a good attitude so that your children may see you and follow your good example.

If you make a mistake and your kids imitate it, then just confess it to them and let them know it was a mistake. Thank God we can alter our pattern and behavior to produce generations of faith!

ATTITUDE COUNTS

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 15:00:00 +0000

by Don Strittmatter

One of the most revealing passages in the Bible is in Hebrews 4:12 where God lets us know what He will be examining when our judgment occurs. It says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”. God wants us to know it is not just our actions that matter, but His judgment goes to our very thoughts and attitudes that reside in and spring from our heart. Many times we settle with doing the right thing in our life but not having a good attitude about it. We justify ourselves by thinking ‘well at least I did the right thing’…. I submitted to the Lord…. but we overlook and excuse our bad attitude in doing so. This is one of those deceitful traits of our hearts that God’s Word warns us about. We wrongly comply with, “The end justifies or makes up for the means that gets us there” philosophy. This is one of those times in our walk that is a true test of whether we are allowing the Holy Spirit to change our inner selves. Through the fruit of self-control the mind of Christ is developed in us. God’s Word strongly encourages us in many passages to change our attitude. In Ephesians 4, we are instructed with, 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. This passage reminds us that God’s true righteousness and holiness is being created in us when we allow the Holy Spirit through God’ Word to teach us to have the right attitude in our mind and heart.

I LIVED FOR YOU

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 23:47:00 +0000

by Ladi A. Davies

“Ask the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?" (Zechariah 7:5-6)

What convicting words these should have been to the people and priests of the LORD, who sacrificed much in a supposed devotion to the Almighty. After all, they had spent much time “mourning” and “fasting” to the LORD over their captivity in Babylon (seventy years!), which continued into the time of the Medo-Persian Empire. Yet the LORD was not impressed or moved by their sacrifices or devotion – why? Well verse 6 tells us that God saw them as doing it all for themselves.

Passages like this truly help provide me with a platform for sober reflection. This reflection is very necessary in helping to insure that the intentions of my mind and heart are about pleasing the LORD, not myself. There is always so much to do within the Kingdom while we are here on earth and we should indeed jump at any opportunity given us to serve. Yet ultimately we need to set our minds and hearts on meeting Jesus; and with that comes the admonition to be ‘pure’. Recall Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. Well, the opposite is true i.e. the impure in heart, no matter how much time or effort they ‘appeared’ to have exerted here within the church will not see God. Powerful truth yet should be seen more as words of encouragement on how much the LORD LOVES us and WANTS us so dearly to be with Him in the new heavens and new earth to come!

Brothers and sisters, the day of the LORD is fast approaching; hence let us stay excited yet alert and truly strive for inward purity before our God. How does this happen? Well in addition to the daily renewal we should all be undergoing by abiding in the Word of God, I suggest the following: frequently taking some ‘time out’ from the busyness of it all (perhaps a long walk, etc.) to reflect on and soberly examine oneself (2 Corinthians 13:5 & Galatians 6:4); it might be helpful to ask questions such as: Why do you enjoy serving, giving lessons, song leading, etc.? Why are you part of that ministry, committee, etc.? The great ‘why’ questions. We then need to be sincerely honest about our responses. If your sole reason is not to bring God/our Lord Jesus Christ glory, then you know you have a problem; some indeed have left the church when such roles were removed from them. Perhaps you have begun to enjoy the attention or recognition such roles afford you? Perhaps it has helped you feel important in your own eyes? And so are you becoming a legend in your own mind? Challenge yourself not to deny the truth so you can then confess ‘whatever’ is revealed before the LORD and in a small group or mentorship setting (James 5:16) i.e. learn to be truly transparent before God and your brothers/sisters about what the LORD is revealing to you. This will allow God to use His people to hold you accountable, advise you, etc., and provide the best recourse to prevent your heart from deceiving you in justifying yourself to yourself.

Remember God’s goal for you and I while on earth above all the service we do, is for us to be truly “sanctified” - made purer, more holy within (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Our seriousness about pleasing the LORD will show by how much we embrace such principals. My prayer is that if our LORD should indeed inquire of us on that great day “was it really for Me?’ There’ll be no need for concern, as He’ll know that it was.

Don't Skimp on Prayer and Meditation Times!

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:20:00 +0000

Hello family!

Just wanted to share what I sometimes do when I get very busy and still want to spend time in prayer and meditation with the Lord.

I know some of you already download the audio from lessons and sermon to hear in your car, as well as acappella music. Amen! Good call! But what can we do about our prayer list and your own list?

If you’re an Android user I found an app for your mobile phone called @Voice Aloud Reader-Read Aloud by Hyperionics Technology.

This app can read aloud my prayer list and the website’s prayer list. It is very easy to use and set up and when you want to hear your prayers and pray along (while driving, etc.) you can just call up the app and have it start going through whatever you want to read. It will even read lesson outlines, articles or anything else you can throw at it.

Google Play Store link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hyperionics.avar

Is Evolution a question of Science?

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 21:39:00 +0000

In reasoning whether or not The General Theory of Evolution is a fact of science we need to get to the basic question of what can we observe occurring in nature. Do changes in living things cross phylogenetic boundaries? (i.e.: can one "kind" of animal or plant become another "kind" of animal or plant)? The Special Theory of Evolution (microevolution) is an observable fact of nature. We see small changes occur within a species, i.e.; variation between dogs and within cats, etc. This is what Darwin's predictive Theory of General Evolution (macroevolution) is based on in his book "The Origin of Species". This General Theory of Evolution states that changes occur which allow one kind of animal or plant to become another. This is not an observable fact of nature and can neither be proven nor falsified since it deals with questions of origins beyond the realm of science. No hypothesis can be formed or stated that is able to be falsified and no experiment can be conducted to reproduce or repeat it. At best, the General Theory of Evolution can be called an idea, since it doesn't even qualify to be a scientific hypothesis.

Dr. WR Thompson, in his “Introduction” to the 1956 edition of Darwin's origin of species, made the following observation, "As we know, there is a great divergence of opinion among biologists, not only about the causes of evolution, but even about the actual process. This divergence exists because the evidence is unsatisfactory and does not permit any certain conclusion. It is therefore right and proper to draw the attention of the non-scientific public to the disagreements about evolution. But some recent remarks of evolutionists show that they think this unreasonable. This situation, where scientific men rally to the defense of a doctrine they are unable to define scientifically, much less demonstrate with scientific rigor, attempting to maintain its credit with the public by suppression of criticism and the elimination of difficulties, is abnormal and undesirable in science" (J.M Dent, Co. London. 1956. p xxii). It is time that people knew that general evolution is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, a “fact” of science. The limitations of science strictly forbid it!

Evolutionists claim that genetics has given them the mechanism to make evolution a credible scientific hypothesis. The field and study of Genetics has shown us quite the opposite. In fact, we don't have any instance of cross-phyla happening in the past, or present. There is variation between species, (special evolution) but no cross-speciation that would suggest or allow for falsification of the prediction of the general idea of evolution's ape-to-man proposition. In absence of this genetic proof we still stand with no scientific evidence that general evolution meets any condition of a true scientific hypothesis. Understand the difference I am highlighting here between "general" and "special" evolution. All that genetics has given us is quantifiable evidence for being able to predict outcomes for variation between species. General evolution does not fit a scientific model since it cannot predict future events of organism mutation nor is able to be tested for proof - certainly not even with genetics. Evolutionists claim their scientific mechanism is natural selection PLUS mutations. This is important to understand since natural selection by itself is not an adequate mechanism. Organisms would not change from one species to another unless the genetic material was changed. If “mutations are the ultimate raw materials for evolution” and therefore provide the only known mechanism for evolution, there are some very serious problems indeed. For example, even evolutionists admit that mutations are “errors” in DNA replication. And these “errors” almost always are harmful. We know today that there are at least three possible kinds of mutations: (1) bad; (2) good; and (3) neutral. Of the remainder of all mutations (after neutral ones have been eliminated), 99% are harmful, leading to a faulty mechanism to predict future outcomes, thus, a "null" hypothesis.

“KNIT TOGETHER IN LOVE”

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 17:21:00 +0000

by Rebecca G. Young

Togetherness is something that can be unappreciated and even taken for granted. As women, we may feel like we need a break from all the people in our lives or maybe feel a little weary from all the church gatherings. There is a worldly phrase that says “familiarity breeds contempt”. This phrase implies that the more we know someone & the closer we get in association with them, the potential for losing respect for them greatly increases. I am not sure why this is so, but one thing I do know is that this dynamic in relationships is worldly and unspiritual. God uses togetherness to build us up and strengthen us as a church family as well as individual families or households.

Throughout the Scriptures of the NT, especially in the book of Acts, we read examples of how the First Century Christians gathered together often. In Acts 2:1, “all the believers were together in one place.” In Acts 2:44, “All the believers kept meeting together, and they shared everything with each other.” In Acts 2:46, “The believers had a single purpose and went to the temple every day. They were joyful and humble as they ate at each other's homes and shared their food.” God brings His people together with the purpose to be strengthened. In Acts 14:22, Paul and Barnabas traveled around “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith.” In Acts 16:5 it says that the churches were “strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily” because of the great work done by the disciples. All this work happened in a certain place where the believers were gathered together. And yes, ladies, these gatherings were often in the Christian’s homes and when it says they “ate at each other’s homes” it did mean more work for the women. Opening our homes regularly for Saints to gather & be strengthened may not be an easy task, but it is an honorable one. In this we have an opportunity to be used by God to fulfill His good plan and purpose! It is an opportunity to help further the gospel & grow disciples.

Jesus came to this earth and sacrificed Himself for us with the purpose of bringing His people together, unifying us & joining us to His Father & to one another. In Colossians 1:16-17 it says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Jesus holds us together! He holds everything together! From the beginning of time God had a plan, and we, the church, were always a part of that plan. Praise God! God’s plan and purpose is to bring us together & build us up, strengthening us to carry out His will on earth. As He brings us together, He binds us together with love, & knits us together like a strong garment.

As women, we play a big part in this plan. Committing to church gatherings and being hospitable provide opportunities for hearts to be knitted together in love. In Colossians 2:2, Paul’s hope is for the believers “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love”. Colossians 3:14 encourages us to “above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” God brings us together so we can give and experience love knowing that love is what will nourish our faith and bind us together with Him and one another. Colossians 2:19 says that we are nourished from the Head, Christ, and “knit together through” the body’s (the Church’s) joints and ligaments, producing growth “that is from God”. Instead of allowing familiarity to breed contempt in us as it does in the world, let’s appreciate this perfect plan God has established to unify us and strengthen us. Let’s grow in our respect for God’s plan & respect for one another. Let’s be eager to continually gather together with the Saints & open up our homes for fellowships knowing that it is God’s will & good purpose we are fulfilling. The more time we spend together, the stronger our faith will be, the tighter our bonds will be, thus giving Satan less opportunity to divide us. Think of how you can impact the church by just being among the believers consistently and using your home as a place for encouragement and strengthening. Togetherness…Let’s not take it for granted. God bless!

DEPENDING ON GOD

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 17:05:00 +0000

by Charlie Gomez

When we fill out our taxes every year we have to tell the IRS how may dependents we have. They want to know how many people depend on us for their physical needs. Our dependents are supposed to be the people who need us and rely on us for aid and whose sustenance and livelihood would be impossible without us. Basically, they can’t get by without us.

Shouldn't this describe our relationship with God? Jesus said this much in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If he is the vine then that means he is the source of our sustenance. It means that we are to totally depend on Him for everything. He is so essential to our sustenance that apart from Him we can do nothing. Your level of conviction of this truth will determine how much you depend on God.

Even Jesus, who was equal to God (Philippians 2:6), would not do anything without his Father. It says in John 5:19, Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” He goes on to say in verse 30, “By myself I can do nothing…” He even depended on the Father to give him the words he was to say: “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” (John 12:49-50).

If Jesus depended on the Father for everything he did and said, shouldn't we also depend on God for everything we do in our daily life? Yet, we often rely on ourselves and show more confidence in our flesh without even knowing it. That’s because we are so used to being self-sufficient in our everyday life that we do not even think about asking God to help us and sustain us with things that we are accustomed to handling at home, at work or at school. As it says in Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Those chariots and horses can take the form of other people, our own wisdom or our own abilities.

However, we need Him even more than we think. He is the one who gives us the ability to do what we do well and He is the one who perfects us with His grace in areas of weakness. It says in Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” We simply can’t get by without Him. We truly are dependent upon God for everything. His word completely equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

If Jesus needed the Father and relied on Him for everything, we too have to rely on Him completely. Apart from Him we can do nothing, but in Christ we can overcome.

CHOOSING THE GOOD PORTION

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Mon, 12 May 2014 21:52:00 +0000

Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

I love this small window the Lord gives us into the life of these two sisters when Jesus came to their house that day. The passage is only 5 verses long, but an excellent lesson on devotion. I can see myself in both sisters--at times I am like Martha--when I’m distracted and not focused--that makes me whiny! I’m like Mary when I’m putting God first, focused, and devoted. Jesus said ONE thing is necessary, or needed, only ONE thing is eternal—the good portion, a relationship with God, devotion to God. He commended Mary for her devotion, and called Martha out on her excessive worry, and reminded her that the one thing she neglected was needed.

The busyness of life can easily distract us from what is really needed. Jesus wasn’t saying not to keep our homes and serve in them! But at that moment in time Mary chose the best thing to do. He is saying that choosing Him above all else is most important, and not to neglect that—in fact to train ourselves in it (1 Timothy 4:7). When we put God first, He always gives us everything else that we need. (Matthew 6:33)

We are learning in our Bible class about the different offerings taught in Leviticus. One of the most beautiful is the Burnt Offering. It was an offering expressing devotion to God. It was voluntary, and represented everything that you are, a voluntary act of worship and surrender to God. In chapter 6, v9, 12 and 13 it talks about the fires that must never go out. Fires represent devotion here. God wants our devotion and fellowship with Him to be constant, and growing, not sporadic or seasonal. Every Sunday service you attend, every Bible class, every devotional—you are pursuing devotion to God. Every time you open your Bible to read, you are sitting at the Lord’s feet. As you do these things your desire for God grows--you want more! Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The words hunger and thirst are like our words “addicted to”. Once you begin to know God, you want to know Him more and more. It really is addicting! I’m also learning that working at my ministry as wife and mother is my worship. I am the burnt offering, a sweet smelling aroma to God as I continually devote myself to Him in obedience to His word.

This Scripture is so encouraging to me because despite the many ways I fall short, my aim in life, and my goal each day, is to choose “the good part”, and sit at the Lord’s feet, like Mary. Let us all continue to choose the good part each day, seeking a deeper devotion to our God. As the song we sing says, “love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Carolyn Shlesinger

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Fri, 09 May 2014 16:07:00 +0000

One of the most important character traits that we must possess as Christians is transparency. Transparency is actually the best indicator of how good our relationships with one another and our Heavenly Father are. The phrase ‘‘walk in the light’’ (1 John 1:5-7) refers to living open and honest lives, sharing what is in our hearts and on our minds with one another, whether good or bad. The phrase “walk in darkness” refers to the practice of concealing what is in our hearts and minds, and not being honest about what is going on in our lives. (John 3:19-21) Why do we struggle with being transparent? I can say that the times I justified a lack of transparency in my life was because
1) I was afraid of being criticized or judged
2) I didn't think I would be understood
3) I was afraid of being embarrassed or humiliated and
4) I thought it would affect my ability to serve in the body.

In the end this scripture taught me two things: 1) that my lack of transparency was due to pride and 2) that there was no excuse for walking in darkness. If we want to have confidence in being transparent then we have to first understand that the Lord God Almighty sees and knows everything about us already! Hebrews 4:13 – “And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” And although he sees the impurity and wickedness that can be found in our hearts he still loves us, accepts us, lavishes his mercy and grace upon us, and wants to use us for His good purposes! (Ephesians 3:17-19, Romans 5:2, Ephesians
2:10)
Kevin Booker

LIVE FAITHFULLY TO THE LORD

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdomsaint) — Wed, 07 May 2014 19:28:00 +0000

As I read the Old Testament I am amazed at the workings of God. From Genesis to Malachi the Old Testament is filled with great stories of triumph running right alongside stories of disobedience and defeat. Two characters that have always stood out to me in the Old Testament are Saul, the first king of Israel and David, the second king of Israel. I like to look at these men in comparison to one another. What interests me is that each man received the anointing of God based on their uprightness and although they both sinned (and we know there is not a man alive who has not sinned) God chose to reject one and call another a man after His own heart. God chose to reject Saul and remove the kingdom from his descendants for what seemed to be a mistake that any man or woman might make. When it comes to David we could probably make a movie out of his mistakes – in fact, they have! David, whose story we know very well, was caught up in lies, sex, and murder and yet God would never fully remove the kingdom of Israel from David even till today (Jesus being the descendant of David still reigns from heaven today, Amen!). But the reason why God chooses one man over another is simple and plain as was explained to Samuel the Prophet in 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature (I could take offense but I choose to overlook the height thing), because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’” This passage of scripture is very familiar to us, but do we get the point? God is not concerned with our attempt to look like a follower of Christ, God is concerned with a heart that is faithful to His will. The word faithful simply means loyal, constant, and steadfast to God. David was willing to trust God with his very life proving his loyalty. Throughout David’s whole life, being chased by his enemy, falling into some very serious sin, trying to be killed by his own son he kept an unswerving loyalty to God despite his circumstances. He says in Psalms 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” and again in Psalms 86:2 He says, “Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you--you are my God.” And again in Psalms 54:4, “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.” Wow! What great faith and steadfast devotion to the Lord. You see, unlike Saul who broke the Lord’s command because he wanted to please the people, David never wavered from his constant commitment to the Lord. The question for you and I is where do we stand in our loyalty to the Lord? Are you somebody that is swayed by what people think, like Saul, or are you someone who is willing to stand for what is right in the eyes of the Lord? In most cases we are not faced with life and death ultimatums when standing up for biblical truths but it can sure feel that way. We are faced with having to explain our stance on schooling our children, biblical marriage, homosexuality, abortion and the like. It is easy to feel like everyone is against us, because typically, they are. You may feel that if you speak the truth (John 17:17) that your job is on the line. These are a few examples, but our faithfulness is being observed every day by the LORD! Let us follow David’s example from Psalms 54:4, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” And with this attitude, let us remain loyal, steadfast, constant and faithful to our God remembering “the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17)

Robert Young