Sandyz

Have you ever been falsely accused of something? I know people who have been falsely accused and have spent many years in prison for crimes they did not commit. How would you feel if it were you? You can never recover your good name when you are sentenced for a crime. You are branded and marked for life. It is a good thing that life is temporary and we have a final judgment with the true judge. Once He passes judgment it if forever. But his judgment is perfect and ours isn’t. Jesus was falsely accused. His court proceedings were against every law and custom of the time. He was whisked away in the night, accused by a kangaroo court, beaten, and crucified. All were false accusations and the proceedings were illegal. However, His death on the cross served a higher purpose. His death served to take away the sins of the world. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His Mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.” Isaiah 53:7-8 We very rarely believe people when they tell us they did not commit the crime they were accused of, but I believe these people are in good company because Jesus was crucified for crimes he didn’t commit. Jesus forgave us for the ultimate of sin of crucifying him when he was falsely accused. So why are people in churches today so reluctant to forgive people society calls “felons?” Is it because the world has somehow convinced us that felons are unforgivable sinners or are we forgetting that Jesus died for all? Everyone’s sin can be forgiven and there is no such thing as an unredeemable sinner. We as Christians should be the example and forgive as Jesus did.

He doesn't need us but He created us to join in His special mission to redeem the lost. What a wonderful thing He has done for us.

Why do they need guns? Why do we feel everyone in the country needs a gun? I would not feel safe with the TSA being armed.

How many of you have seen "My Hope America" the new show that Billy Graham airing? He is doing this is honor of his 95th birthday. If you have not seen it you should. It is amazing. I was moved by the message, not only because I miss the man's crusades dearly, but because of his message. It is a simple message. It is the message of the cross. This is the message that he has given us for six decades now. He never talks about politics and his message says nothing about how giving him money will fill your wallet with cash. He doesn't claim to be a great healer or miracle worker. He is a very humble man. A reporter asked him what he wanted to ask Jesus when he got to heaven and he replied, " I want to ask Jesus, why me? I was a better farmer than I was a preacher." Mr. Grahams message has always been about Christ. We are all sinners. None of us want to admit we are sinners, but sin is an offense to the cross. The cross is the only hope that we have as sinners. Our hope and salvation is at the foot of the cross and Jesus shed His blood for us. That is the message that he gave to 220,000 million people on every continent around the world for over six decades. It is a lasting message that has spanned the centuries and will continue until Jesus returns. Maybe we complicate things to much these days. Perhaps we should take our minds off politics and prosperity and put in on the simple message that has lasted for over 2000 years.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into light.” 1 Peter 2:9 Have you ever watched royalty? They live their lives in the public eye. They are required to attend certain events, dress a certain way, and act a certain way in public. They are taught how to act and dress from the time they are born. Sometimes I wonder if they ever have a private moment just to be themselves. They also have certain privileges given to them because of their royal status. They can influence the nation they rule and ultimately the world. They make policy and have the lives of millions of people in their hands. According to 1 Peter 2:9 we are also royalty. We are taught from the Word of God how we should act. We are to be a holy nation, set apart for the work of OUR King Jesus. We are to live blameless before the world. We are not to take our royalty as a chance to over through governments or rule over other people. We are supposed to submit to one another, governments, and masters. Wives are to submit to their husbands and men are to love their wives and care for their needs. Our kingdom is not of this world it is of the other world, the more important one, the spiritual world. We also have power to influence this world. As royal priests to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords we should have tremendous power. This power comes from the spiritual gifts that the Lord has bestowed on us. According to Romans 12 we have diverse gifts. These gifts include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues and interpretation. The Holy Spirit distributes each gift as He wills. Some people believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased because we have no more need for them. Well, the devil hasn’t ceased working so why would the Holy Spirit leave us with no defense against him? When the devil is thrown into the lake of fire forever then we will no longer have a need for the gifts of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:11 says, “We battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.” Earthly royalty has great power in this world, but the real battle is in the heavenly places where WE rule with Christ. So we have the real power if we live a holy life submitted to the Lord, believe in the power God has given us, and use our gifts in service for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I have to admit I’m a bit of a Facebook addict. I have some justification, at least in my mind, for my addiction. My husband and I live way out in the country, our kids are grown, and his business takes him away from home occasionally so I spend a lot of time at home alone. Facebook is the way I connect with the outside world and stay in touch with friends. Sometimes the posts I get really makes me wonder what kind of world we actually live in. I remember one of them was entitled “Are we Smarter than God?” This person’s assumption was that through science man has been able to achieve a status higher than the almighty himself. I found myself thinking “How arrogant! To God the planet is nothing more than a spec of dust and if God wanted to He could send it careening out of orbit and off into space with just the flick of his finger. Man would surely be doomed if He did such a thing!” Thank God His care for us is above our arrogance and pride. He has perfect knowledge of us yet He still loves us. Psalm 139:1-6 says, “Lord, You have searched me and know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord,,, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful me; It is high, I cannot attain it.” Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus cares so much about us? He knows our every intimate detail of our lives. He knows our motives, desires, and words before they are expressed. He knows His servants completely. He even has the hairs on our head counted. (Mat. 10:30) I rejoice every day that even though God is so strong he could literally destroy us with the flick of His finger, He does not. He cares for us so much that He knows everything about us, loves us beyond all human comprehension, and keeps us in His thoughts constantly. “How precious also are Your thoughts to me O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with you. Psalms 139: 17-18

"if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19 I think these churches with 43,000 people in them are way to big. This is just my opinion, but I don't think anyone can handle more than 20 to 25 people at a time. If it gets bigger than that they should form another group. They should come together from time to time for corporate worship but small groups are the best.

I'm not really woried about what my body will do when He returns. I just want to see Jesus face to face. That's all that matters to me.

If you are like me you are so ready for the Lord’s return. All my Christian life I have been waiting patiently for Him to come back and clean up the mess that we humans have made of this planet. But are we really ready for His return? Matthew 25 gives us an overview of how to be ready for Christ’s return. Number one. We must be always diligent and always looking for His return. The parable of the 10 wise and 10 foolish virgins is in Matthew 25:1-13. We must be “faithful and wise.” The parable of the ten virgins explains the need for wisdom. The ten wise virgins were prepared but the 10 foolish virgins were not. We need to study and be wise to the signs of His return. Number two. We need to be faithful. It is interesting that the Lord uses the word “talent” here to explain this parable. I know that a talent in His time was a denomination of money just like a dollar is now, but we could use this parable also to refer to the talents that He gives us. What is your talent and are you using it to give glory to God? What is your anointing and your vision for your life? You need to know what you vision is and use if for the glory of the Lord. Number three. You need to use your talents and vision to help the least of the least. Who can you think of in your society that is poor, underprivileged, and persecuted? Have you ever visited anyone in prison or do you feel they are “those people” and you would not visit them? How about the sick? Are you doing anything to help the sick? We have so many needs in society that I am sure you can find someone that to help. The Lord’s return is eminent. I wish He would have come yesterday, but until he does we are commanded by Him to be wise, faithful, and giving to the poor.

Can't kids have fun without turning it into something political? It's fun. They get candy. They get bad teeth, but I don't believe they become socialists from it.

How do you have true fellowship with the Lord and with one another? The Bible says, “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word in not in us.” 1 John 1:6-10 Verses six through ten of 1 John contain three contrasts between words and works, or saying on thing and doing another. Following each contrast is the result of the action. The first false claim is having fellowship with God while failing to reflect His moral character. The way we walk is a daily practice. If we walk in darkness we live a life contrary to the moral character of God and we live a sinful life. We cannot live a lie since God cannot compromise His holiness to accommodate sin. When a Christian’s conduct reflects God’s moral character, then real fellowship is possible with other Christians. The second false claim is that we have no sin. The idea would be that our sin nature is completely gone. We deceive ourselves if we believe we have not sinned. The truth tells us the opposite. To have no sin means we have no need of a Savior. That would make Jesus coming unnecessary. We must acknowledge that we sin and confess our sins to be in right relationship with God. He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness and restore us. The third false claim is that we have not sinned. We must personally believe that we have sinned. The Greek verb translates to “we have not sinned,” indicates that a denial in the past that continues to the present. Verse ten speaks of a specific sin that we have committed. To deny our personal sins is to call God a liar and therefore we have no fellowship with Him. How do we restore our relationship with Jesus? The Word says, “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” If we confess our sins and turn around, “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness.”

Well, you would not have to get out of the car when the weather is bad.

When I read the book of Romans I get confused sometimes because it is a very difficult book to read. It is packed full of theology. In fact if any book defines Christianity it is the book of Romans. I was just reading Romans Six. It is about going from being a slave to sin to being a slave to God. According to Paul we are all slaves to something or someone. Either we are slaves to sin or slaves to God. Slavery means that someone owns us. We must obey that master. If we are in slavery to sin we obey that master. We can’t help it. How many times do you see people that have addictions? We wonder why they can’t just stop taking drugs, drinking, gambling, shopping, or etc., etc., etc. There are so many things that can catch us in today’s world. It is because they are owned by the addiction. They are slaves to it. These addictions and sins eventually destroy us. Some people will see their slavery to an addiction and become rehabilitated. However, some people never see it and they die a sad and horrible death at the hands of the addiction that owns them. What happens when we turn from our sins and are a slave to God? According to Romans 6:23 “you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We rarely think that we are slaves to God. We have accepted the doctrine of cheap grace today. Some live in blatant sin but still claim that Jesus is their Savior. We believe that we are in charge of our own destiny today. We are to an extent. We have a choice as to whom and what we serve, but once we decide we change masters. Jesus owns us. He is in charge of our lives. Paul says many times he is a “bondservant of Christ.” That means you obey and He takes care of you. Are you a bondservant of Christ or do you feel like you are in charge of your own destiny and Jesus is just “along for the ride?” Allowing Jesus to be your master means you have eternal life and His provision and protection.

It is said that Christians are the only ones that "kick thier wounded." Seriously, I don't se a whole lot of love in the church these days. I see lots a gossip, back bitting, church splits, and other wonderful things. I was just invovled in the church split where a really great annionted couple started a church and their decons tried to take it our from under them. We seem to be just as angry as everyone else. We use politics to divide us. I doubt this is the church Jesus had in mind.

You should go to church for the right reasons. If you are going to learn, have fellowship, and contribute to the Body of Christ you are going for the right reasons. Any other reason why bother, you can to to any social club for that.