Posted by: missionventureministries | December 4, 2010

MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE – Hosea 4:6

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because you have rejected knowledge. I also will reject you from being My priest” – Hosea 4:6

This statement found in Hosea was spoken almost three thousand years ago; however, it reflects a principle that is just as applicable today as when it was written. People are destroyed for lack of knowledge because they have rejected the knowledge that God has made available to them through His Holy Scripture.

We need to make time to study the Bible so we can gain knowledge of the truth. In John 6:37 Jesus says: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Here are two statements from Jesus where we see that believers have been chosen by God, and then drawn to Christ. These are harmonizing truths, that are in agreement in the mind of God, but incapable of full understanding by the human mind. We can praise the Lord both for free salvation available to all who desire it, and also for the comforting assurance that those who come, have been “chosen . . . in him” (Ephesians 1:4) before the world began. Let us remember that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

When people die without being saved, it is not that God did not want them to be saved, for He would “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” – 1 Timothy 2:4. “The Lord is . . . not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.“ – 2 Peter 3:9.

The problem is that when men and women lack the knowledge that would bring them to Christ for salvation, it is because they have already rejected knowledge that would have led them to the understanding they need to be saved. Paul writes that “in the last days” men and women would be “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth“ – 2 Timothy 3:7. And the next verse tells why. It is because they “oppose the truth” (v. 8). A chapter later we read in 4:4, that people “will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

We have seen equal amounts of men and women willingly led away from the truth of  God’s Holy, Inerrant Word; these men and women follow false teachers that have “wormed” their way into homes and destroyed entire families.

God has commanded men to be strong, godly leaders in their homes, churches and communities; most men have disobeyed God – they have refused to be a priest to their wives, children and in their community.

Because these men have embraced false teachers that are teaching “doctrines of  demons” their wives and children have no one to lead them in paths of righteousness.

Most men and women will not surrender their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and humbly receive instruction from God’s Holy Word; the Holy Spirit defined this rebellious situation very clearly in the following scripture.

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3 NIV

Jesus tells us in John 3:16 that: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God has given obtainable knowledge, and He has also given us free will, so that what ever choice we make, that is the one that we will have to live with for eternity.

 

 

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Posted by: missionventureministries | November 28, 2010

GLORY TO GOD – 1 Corinthians 10:31

Giving glory to God and obtaining a new life in Christ.

Believers are called to bring glory to God. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the Apostle Paul exhorts, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Believers are called to give glory to God by what we eat, drink, say and do. This means that we are revealing the glory of God to the world through our words, lifestyle, and behavior. It also means that we are giving God our praise and adoration.
 
How can believers bring glory and praise to our God? We can submit to God’s will in all things, and be willing to suffer for Him.    
  • We are to be content with what God has given us as Paul mentions in his letter to the Philippians in 4:11 . . . I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” We are not to worry, knowing God will take care of us. “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:19.  
  • We can rely on God for strength instead of relying on ourselves because “my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”– Philippians 4:13.  
  • We can help others and give the glory to God by praising Him with our mouths. We are called to be selfless and humble. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” – Philippians 2:3-4.  
  • We are to show: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our lives – Galatians 5:22-23. For many, these actions are not easy to follow, nor do they come naturally, but through faith in Jesus Christ, the transformation in our lives is possible.  
  • When we submit to His will, we bring glory to God. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 

When we talk about “glory to God” – Does our life show or reveal it?

What do others think when they look at your life? Are they likely to give God glory for what they see? This is the heart of the matter: does your heart belong to Jesus Christ? If you have not yet made that step, if you have not asked Jesus to be your Savior, we invite you to do that now.  

Admit – I am a sinner and cannot attain eternal life by myself. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23.

Believe – in Jesus Christ as God’s only Son who was crucified for my sins. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” – Romans 5:8.

Confess – that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. (“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9)

Next, recognize that nothing you have is yours apart from the will of God. All your talents, abilities, even your possessions, are yours because God has allowed them into your life. When you use those resources for HIS kingdom, then God receives all the glory… just as it should be.

Why should we praise and worship God?

God alone is worthy of our devotion, praise and worship. He is God, our Creator, and we are commanded to praise and worship Him. Psalm 96:9 says, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.” Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
 
A life of praise and worship fills our deepest needs, and amazingly, it also brings great joy to God. Zephaniah 3:17 states: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
 
How do we praise and worship God?
 
God tells us how to praise and worship him in His Word. John 4:23 says, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” In order to worship God in truth, we need to know that Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So, before you can worship in the way that God desires, you have to develop a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus, His Son.
 
The best way that we can praise and worship God is with our every thought and action. Romans 12:1-2 states, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
 
Praise and Worship – Love from the Heart
 
Many people think that praise and worship is only singing songs at church, but it is so much more! It is also a condition of your heart — a willingness to exalt God and yield to his will. Worship is an expression of love and awe to the God who gives us more than we deserve. Whether you express your worship by singing, playing music or in some other way that honors the Lord, remember that you are called to worship God with your every action, every day of your life. God is holy, loving, and worthy of all our worship and devotion.
 
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” – Deuteronomy 6:5.   

 

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Posted by: missionventureministries | November 20, 2010

Thanksgiving – Living Life with Gratitude in Our Hearts – Colossians 3:16-17

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” – Colossians 3:16-17. 

Thanksgiving grows as the word of Christ dwells in us richly and as we endeavor to live our lives under the banner of Jesus Christ.

Every Christian believer has a tremendous amount to be thankful for. Paul reminds us: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

A key evidence that a Christian is truly “filled with the Spirit” is that this person is habitually “giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” – Ephesians 5:20.

Paul was a man with a lot of gratitude. As the word of Christ dwells in us more and more, we too will be people with overflowing gratitude. We should make it a daily matter of prayer to be thankful to the Father. If we make thankfulness a priority we will be amazed at how often we can find ourselves pausing to thank God throughout the course of the day.

Living life with gratitude in our hearts is a response to what God has done and is doing in and through our lives and the lives of others that we pray for. When we live lives of gratitude, we will increase our worship time, we will grow in our ability to encourage others, and we will be more effective in evangelism. In other words, we will in effect be living our lives for the glory of God and the good of others 

The Bible gives many reasons why every day should be “Thanksgiving” for Christians. Here are some of them:

  • “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:8-9
  • “Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?” Psalm 106:1-2
  • “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30
  • “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
  • “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” Psalm 100:4
  • “Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.” Psalm 105:1-3

Note the connection in this last psalm of thanksgiving between giving thanks and calling on God, singing to God, telling others about God, and a heart that rejoices in God. 

This “Thanksgiving” and always:

Let us sing for joy to the LORD,

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods.

PSALM 95:1-3

 

 

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Posted by: missionventureministries | November 13, 2010

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN – 1 John 2:3-11

First John 2:3-11 tells us how we can know we are Christians. The basic definition is one who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The one who does not believe is not a Christian. Jesus stated that definition very simply when He said, “He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John 3:18

Determining who is a Christian becomes difficult when considering people who claim to believe. Many who profess to believe in Christ may act like Christians to a certain degree, but turn out to be impostors or are simply misinformed about the nature of salvation. Either way, it becomes obvious that they did not really know the truth. For example, 1 John 2:19 identifies some people who claimed to be Christians but eventually left the fellowship: “They were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” One way you can identify false Christians (who are called “tares” in Matthew 13:38) is when they abandon Christianity. But while they are interacting with true believers, it is difficult to tell them apart.

Some Christians have wrongly been told that their superficial beliefs are sufficient to save them, so they assume that they are Christians when they really are NOT.

How do you know you are really a Christian? That is a crucial question. The Scriptures give several basics of assurance that can show us we are truly saved.

1.      2 Corinthians 1:12 – Paul says, “Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, we have behaved ourselves in the world.” Paul was saying, “I know what is going on in my life because of the testimony of my conscience. Something tells me in my conscience that my behavior is pleasing to God.”

2.      1 John 5:10 – “The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.” That indwelling witness who bears testimony to Christ is the Holy Spirit. He attests to the validity of a believer’s salvation.

3.      Romans 8:14-16 – “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (vs. 14-15). “Abba” is the equivalent to daddy, a very endearing term. It implies that we can relate to God like a child talks to his loving father. Verse 16 tells us that the indwelling Spirit gives us the confidence to enter God’s presence: “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”

The visible proof to yourself, the church, and the world that you are a Christian is the attitudes and actions that are produced by the Holy Spirit in your life. If you still have doubts, here are some of the questions you should ask yourself:

  • Have you applied yourself to godliness?
  • Are you reading the Word?
  • Are you spending time in prayer?
  • Are you learning the Word of God?
  • Do you desire to draw near to God and to obediently follow the Holy Spirit?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you will have confirmation that you are a believer because the fruits of salvation are visible in your life. That is the theme of 1 John 2:3-11. He provides some tests by which we can evaluate the claims of a person who professes to be a Christian.

1. Do you confess Christ?

Do you say the same thing about Christ that God says in the Bible? If you say, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t believe Christ is God,” then you are not saying the same thing about Christ that God said.

  • 1 John 2:22-23 – “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”
  • 1 John 4:2 – “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”
  • 1 John 5:1 – “Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.”

Being truly saved is a matter of confessing or agreeing that Jesus is the Christ. Do you confess your sin?

If someone comes along and tells us he or she is a Christian but does not acknowledge his sin, we do not believe them.

  • 1 John 1:6, 8 – “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie …. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

2.  Do you obey God’s Word?

  • First John 2:3 says, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.”

3.  Do you love others?

  • First John 2:10 says, “He that loves his brother abides in the light.”

The issue in 1 John 2:3-11 is the objective moral test of true Christianity: obedience and love. The Christians John wrote to were being influenced by false teachers or “antichrists,” according to 1 John 2:18. Therefore, John exhorts his readers to “test the spirits” (4:1), rather than naively believe their claims. If they could see obedience and love in the lives of the teachers, those qualities would attest to their spiritual life.

Obedience is one way of knowing you are a Christian. If a person claims to be a Christian, but is disobedient to God throughout his life, the apostle John says he is “a liar, and the truth is not in him” (v. 4). The way to be assured that we truly know Him as a child knows his father is by keeping His commandments. Obedience results in assurance. Christians who have doubts usually are involved in sin because sin produces doubt.

John encouraged his readers to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” – 1 John 4:1. Don’t be naively misled by someone who claims to know the truth but really doesn’t.

Do you love God? Do you love the children of God? These questions demand a soul-searching examination because it is easy to assume the answer is yes. Meditate on 1 John 3:14-18; 4:7-11, 19-21; and 5:1-3. What proof is there in your life that you love God and His children?

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Posted by: missionventureministries | November 6, 2010

WARNING FOR TRUE CHRISTIANS – 2 Peter 2:1-3

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.” – 2 Peter 2:1-3 

Peter is warning people about false teachers just as Jesus warns us: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” – Matthew 7:15

When Paul wrote to Timothy he warns him – “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” – 1 Timothy 4:1.

This is a very explicit warning by the Spirit, spoken very clearly for those living in the last days. The Holy Spirit lets us know ahead of time that there will be an unusual outbreak of seductive demonism. The Bible tells us that this will occur not only in pagan and idol worshipping, but that it will occur in “Christian” churches also.

Many will be lead to “depart from the faith”. This already started to happen a few years after Jesus had ascended to heaven, and would increase as His return draws nearer. We have been warned of this for close to two thousands year; even so, it is disturbing to see these prophecies taking place right in front of our eyes.

True born again believers, therefore, should not be taken by surprise at the vast eruption of witchcraft, New-Age mysticism, Eastern occultism, demonic rock-music, drug-induced fantasies, altered states of consciousness, the up and coming Emergent Church and even open Satan-worshipping cults that have suddenly proliferated in our society.

If we are familiar with the word of God we realize that behind it all, are the “seducing spirits” and “the rulers of the darkness of this world” – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12

It should be clear that Christians must completely avoid all such beliefs and practices as Paul states: “. . . but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.” – 1 Corinthians 10:20 

“Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6:17 

Even, what the uninformed call “innocent” fun, i.e. Ouija boards, tarot cards, horoscopes, dungeons-and-dragons games, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc., leads to dangerous demonic influences in their lives. This is also the case in the lives of those that call themselves “Christian”, because true born again Christians realize the danger, and stay far away from these evil practices.

For many that are questioning these remarks, be aware that for anyone that even touches on occultism or demonic influence, the advice of Peter is extremely relevant. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” – 1 Peter 5:8-9

We have a “church growth movement” led by those who refuse to distinguish between biblical truth and error and who join in partnership with those who proclaim a false gospel. No wonder the statistics reveal a growing counterfeit Christianity.

Let us then, by the power of God, resist the pressure to conform to today’s “Christianity,” and stand firmly for sound biblical doctrine. The destiny of SOULS depends upon it, and each one of us is going to be accountable for what we have done in this life.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” – 2 Corinthians 5:10

 

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Posted by: missionventureministries | November 4, 2010

THE PASTOR AND HIS SON – Matthew 10:32

The Pastor and his son –

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring down rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, ‘OK, dad, I’m ready.’

His Pastor dad asked, ‘Ready for what?’

‘Dad, it’s time we gather our tracts together and go out.’

Dad responds, ‘Son, it’s very cold outside and it’s pouring down rain.’

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, ‘But Dad, aren’t people still going to Hell, even though it’s raining?’

Dad answers, ‘Son, I am not going out in this weather.’

Despondently, the boy asks, ‘Dad, can I go? Please?’

His father hesitated for a moment then said, ‘Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son.’

‘Thanks Dad!’

And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract.

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered.

He rang it again and again, but still no one answered… He waited but still no answer.

Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him.

Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!

He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.

Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady… She softly asked, ‘What can I do for you, son?’ With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, ‘Ma’am, I’m sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that * JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU * and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE.’

With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave.

She called to him as he departed. ‘Thank you, son! And God Bless You!’

Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit.  As the service began, he asked, ‘Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything?’

Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet.

As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, ‘No one in this church knows me. I’ve never been here before.  You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.

So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, ‘I’ll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.’

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly…

I thought to myself again, ‘Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.’ I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.

When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!

The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, ‘Ma’am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU .’ Then he gave me this
Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.

As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn’t be needing them anymore.

You see– -I am now a Happy Child of the KING… Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God’s little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.’

There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated.

He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son… Except for One.

Our Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world. He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted praises and honor to The King, the Father sat His beloved Son on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that is named.

Remember, God’s message CAN make the difference in the life of someone close to you.
Please share this wonderful message….

Spread His word, and share His goodness and faithfulness.

Matthew 10:32 says:
‘Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father

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Posted by: missionventureministries | October 30, 2010

WILL I LIVE FOREVER? – John 11:26

And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11:26.

If we believe in Jesus Christ, we will never die. Our soul may be one day separated from our body, which in a sense is death, but our soul will never be separated from God. If we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, this equates to real death and to being separated from God for eternity in the lake of fire. This death penalty would be the worst thing that can happen to anyone.

I believe without a doubt that I am secure, for who shall separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord? If we are members of the body of Christ, will Jesus ever lose some of its members? If we are united to Jesus, can He lose us? No way – “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.“ John 10:28

Within us is a life that can not be separated from God “for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39. This is because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and is sent from Him, so how can we die?

Jesus Himself is our life, so we cannot die, because He cannot die. In Him we are dead to sin once, and the death sentence can not be executed again. Now that we are born again, we live and live forever.

Living in fellowship with Him today, we believe that we shall live and always enjoy being with our Lord. So, go ahead with the firm belief that your life is secured in Jesus Christ. Today, the assurance of eternity is becoming clearer; because He lives we shall live also.

Lord, thank you because you have saved me from sin and have assured me eternity, I want to always be faithful to you. Amen.

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Posted by: missionventureministries | October 24, 2010

IS GOD’S WILL MY WILL? – 1 Thessalonians 4:3

 

“This is the will of God, your sanctification . . .” 1 Thessalonians 4:3

Sanctification is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me – is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me everything that has been made possible through the atonement of the Cross of Christ? Am I willing to let Jesus become sanctification for me, and to let His life be exhibited in my human flesh? “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption”    1 Corinthians 1:30.

Beware of saying, “Oh I long to be sanctifies.” No, you are not. Recognize your need, but stop longing and make it a matter of action. Receive Jesus Christ to become sanctification for you by absolute, unquestioning faith, and the great miracle of the atonement of Jesus will become real in you.

All that Jesus made possible becomes mine through the free and loving gift of God on the basis of what Christ accomplished on the cross. And my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound, humble holiness, there is no such thing as proud holiness. It is a holiness based on agonizing repentance, a sense of inexpressible shame and degradation and also on the amazing realization that the love of God demonstrated itself to me while I cared nothing about Him – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification. No wonder Paul said that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 3:39

Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God and it is accomplished only through the magnificent atonement of Christ. Never confuse the effect with the cause. The effect in me is obedience, service, and prayer, and is the outcome of inexpressible thanks and adoration for the miraculous sanctification that has been brought about in me because of the atonement through the Cross of Christ.

From His Upmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

 

 

 

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Posted by: missionventureministries | October 18, 2010

GOD’S WORD REGARDING PRAYER

John 15:7 – If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Matthew 7:7-8 – Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 21:22 – “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

1 John 5:14-15 – This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Jeremiah 29:12 – Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

John 16:23-24 – In that day you will not question Me about anything Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

John 14:13-14 – Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Matthew 6:6 – But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Psalm 145:18-19 – The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

Jeremiah 33:3 – Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

Psalm 34:17 – The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

 

 

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Posted by: missionventureministries | October 11, 2010

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Romans 5:12

When Adam and Eve sinned, their sinful nature became our inheritance as stated in Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin. However, the sin of pride, entered into the human race by one man, and another Man took on Him the sin of the human race and “now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself” Hebrews 9:26.

What produces sin in people is the claim of “I have a right to self”. If we stop to think we see that pride and auto-sufficiency leads humanity to act as “gods”.

Sin is something a person is born with and cannot change; only God can, and He touches sin through salvation. God is so merciful, that he does not hold us responsible for having the heredity of sin. The condemnation is not that we are born with the inheritance of sin, but that when we realize Jesus Christ came to deliver us from it, and we refuse to let Him do so. From that moment on, we begin to get the seal of damnation. This is the critical moment when we realize “that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light.” John 3:19

If Jesus Christ is going to restore us, what is the problem He is up against? We have a heredity that we are born with; if we choose to live in this inheritance we will be damned for eternity.  However, if we believe that Jesus Christ is a Regenerator, one Who can put into us His own heredity of holiness, then, we begin to see what He is driving at when He says that we have to turn from sin and be holy. Redemption means that Jesus can put into any person the inherited nature that was in Christ, and all the standards He gives us are based on that character.

The New Testament teaching about rebirth is that when a person senses a need to change, God will put the Holy Spirit into their spirit. When this happens their personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God, “until Christ is formed in you.”

The miracle of Redemption is that God can put into a person a new nature whereby he or she can live a totally new life. When we reach that point, Jesus says – “Blessed are you.” But we have to take the initiative to get there. God gave us free will and He will not force us to do anything unless we are conscious of the need of a Savior.

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you have not, please access our Salvation page and write us with any questions you might have.

 

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