The Lord gave us quite a harvest yesterday during the invitation. Yolanda and Samuel Torres came forward to join our fellowship. Yolanda is transferring her membership from a Baptist Church in Oklahoma, and Samuel coming by statement to baptized next Sunday. They have three precious children: Elijah, Isaiah, and Patricia. My nephew P.J. Patrick came forward for salvation and baptism as well as Michelle Smith, and Isaac Litton. I pray that God will help us to be faithful stewards of the people He sends our way. My desire is for all of us to become able soul-winners and committed servants of Jesus.

Then after the awesome services, Chery and I were invited to dinner at Wes and Melissa Danner’s home. They also invited a lot of others as well. It was a great dinner and wonderful time of fellowship together. Wes cooked the roast and Cheryl and I had no idea he was such a good cook!!! Melissa did great as well!

Last night’s service was wonderful too. After a time of uplifting music we continued in our series from the book of first John. Then we had a short meeting regarding the planning of our “Burn the Mortgage” even on November 11th.

I love you all so very much and can hardly wait to see you again in Worship.

As most of you know, I believe in and love Sunday School. And here's an absolute truth---if the Sunday School is vibrant and healthy, the church will be vibrant and healthy. Most teachers should have their class leaders in place for the 07-08 year. These include outreach leaders, care-group leaders, fellowhip leaders, and secretary.

Remember, if you are a teacher or class leader, we will meet the third Sunday afternoon of every month at 2:30 PM. Our first meeting together went great as we laid out our class structure and classroom time allottment.

Our Sunday School motto for this year is "Double Vision." Our goal is to double the size of our Sunday School this year---from 100 average attendance to 200 average attendance by September '08. So get involved in Sunday School and invite someone to come with you. It's in those small groups that you learn to minister and be ministered to.

May I address this post to those in our culture who may believe that religion is not practical, worthwhile or even valid. Perhaps I am speaking to an atheist or an agnostic. Let me start by saying that there are some absolute truths that you obviously do not know, or perhaps you just don’t understand, or maybe just refuse to believe for whatever reason, whether valid or not. Generally speaking generations X, Y and now Z (unless we turn the ship) have abandoned the concept of absolute truths. They’ve bought into this idea that all truth is relative. For instance, what may be considered “right” in one situation may be “wrong” in another situation. This is the modern secular world view—and you can sum up that secular world view very easily. It’s a philosophy that’s been reduced to bumper-sticker mentality. By that I mean that we’ve boiled everything down to quick and easy. We’ve taken the philosophy of the ages and reduced them down to one word: “whatever.” We’re living in the “If it feels good, do it,” or “instant gratification ,” society. Without argument, that is the secular world view. But now we see the harvest that we’re reaping from this bumper-sticker philosophy that we’ve allowed to be sewn over the last two generations. When people live by that philosophy it always results in chaos. When we base our lives, our government and our very culture on doing what feels good, that is, every person doing what’s right in their own eyes, our whole society begins to crumble. Because what’s right to me in a certain situation, may not feel right to you in the same (or another) situation. Crime becomes pandemic and inevitably, as a result, people discover that they can’t live with that. New laws are then enacted that removes more and more of our freedoms and there is outcry from that. Anarchy and tyranny then becomes the normal progression. Now I realize that is a lot to comprehend but I won’t take the time to further prove this point, I want to get to other matters stemming from this. But if you doubt what I’m saying, I challenge you to do a little research into other cultures and societies through history who abandoned a philosophy of absolute truth and began embracing this secular world view. It never, never works.

In other words, in our society today we are finally beginning to see, after at least two generations, that just because something feels good, does not mean that it is right. Intelligent, morally correct (and I didn’t say politically correct) decisions are made when, and only when, they are based on moral and absolute truths. The secular world view has abandoned that concept at the expense of our marriages and families that are being torn apart by drugs, alcohol, divorce and crime. And the greatest victim in all of this is the children in America who are “at risk” of being the next wave of criminals and drunks and drug addicts. That generational curse of a secular world view and a “feel good-do it” society must be broken. And it can only be broken and overcome as we individually embrace a biblical world-view based on moral absolutes and truths that stay true in every situation.

Why do Muslims pray daily and fast during Ramadan? Why do Hindus bow at the feet of millions of statues across the Indian subcontinent? Why do jungle tribes have elaborate religious rituals and ceremonies? Why do astrologers peer skyward to search for meaning and special knowledge? Why is it that we all have preconceived ideas about right and wrong, heaven and hell? Why do we feel guilty over evil, and what makes us feel good when we do positive things? Why do people believe that Mother Teresa was any better of a person than Adolf Hitler? What makes us think that it is right to protect the innocent? Who told us it is cowardly to run away from battle? Why do we think it is right to tell the truth?

Clearly, our Creator has embedded a common denominator in all of us, a sort of spiritual awareness that the Bible calls "conscience." He has whet our appetite for a higher level of existence, for eternity and for assurance in the afterlife.

Now it seems to some that He has left us to grope through the darkness in a desperate search to find Him. Or has He? Will the "emptiness" that we experience ever be filled? I can tell you from personal experience that there is good news--these questions do have an answer. But it is an answer that some people are unwilling to find. The reason: it's too simple, and/or it costs far too much. Jesus mentioned this in the Bible when He said: "...wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in..., and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and just a few find it."

And here’s a valid question. What could it possibly cost? Why should attaining the truth require personal sacrifice? According to the Bible, the one who finds real life is the one willing to forsake all else. Many people don't want to change their lifestyles; they don't want God (or anyone) telling them what to do. So, they'd rather remain in the dark than face the light of truth, but it is still truth regardless. The Bible explains: "Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him." - Eph. 4:18

Could it be that people ignore God because they want to? Because they don't want Him to be a part of their lives? I think so—very definitely. Acknowledging God in any way, shape, fashion or form admits accountability and many aren’t willing to make that admission much less adapt a Godly lifestyle.

And you might even be asking, "Jimmy, why am I supposed to believe that the Bible is different than any other book? Why does it matter what Jesus said? Why not quote someone else?" Well, it's true that I believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible truth of the Living God. I make no apologies for that. But I've spent a good number of hours researching the truth of the Bible and the claims of Jesus, and I've found them to be impressive to say the least. I base my convictions regarding the bible as absolute truth, on the findings of that honest, open-minded research. It’s always amazing to me how skeptics and those who would write the bible off as foolishness, put so little effort of study and research into finding the truth concerning the bible. Those who would say that the bible has no redeeming qualities or has had no definite impact on our culture are being intellectually dishonest and are mentally bankrupt! For instance, when someone proclaims themselves to be an atheist, the secular (world view) crowd, hail him as an intellectual—a thinker—someone of independent thought, while believers are portrayed as weak, mind-numbed robots incapable of intelligent thought. And why? Because he says what that crowd wants to hear, and that is--'there is no God.' (No God = no accountability= no absolute truth = no moral standard and creates a Godless society where anything goes including being legally forced to accept homosexual relationships as an alternative to the biblical, God created institution of marriage, along with a list of other abhorrent and socially destructive lifestyles. And he says that without the slightest bit of study and research into the matter. His only criteria for not believing in a creator God, is because it just doesn’t fit well into his “feel good-do it” lifestyle. Where’s the intellect in that??? But in reality it’s the atheist in his self-proclaimed religion of anti-God (and yes it is a religion), who is the ignorant and unlearned one, not the Christian. There have been many through the ages that have set out to prove that the bible is a hoax, and not the word of God, or that God does not exist. The ones who really research and study to refute the claims of Christianity (particularly the resurrection of Jesus, which is the foundation of Christianity), come to the conclusion that Jesus is who He said He was and that God lives. I’m speaking of, more recently, men like C. S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell. Each set out to disprove the Bible only to become great ambassadors for Christ and great proclaimers of the truth. And here’s the real pragmatic part. Not only does the Bible accurately portray reality (truth), but the things it says actually work in real life—my life, your life, any life, when applied appropriately. To me, this makes the Bible a quotable source that we would do well to take seriously.

In a sense, the Bible is self-proving. Let's say a boy is looking at an electric heater and sees the glowing red bars. His dad comes over and comments: "Don't touch those--they're hot!" The skeptical boy decides that he wants proof that the heater is hot. He's not interested in some lengthy discourse about how metallic objects retain heat, etc. He just wants to know if Dad is telling the truth. Plus, he's curious. Well, the moment his tiny hand wraps around the glowing bar, his skepticism ceases. Suddenly, he not only believes that the heater bar is hot--he now knows. I've come to know the Bible in much the same fashion. People told me that it is real and powerful and life-changing. They told me that its words are true and its message is relevant. But I only knew that to be true after I grabbed it for myself. Now, you may not be at a point where you're ready to put your faith in the Bible. That's fine. But for the purposes of this discussion, I hope you will be willing to grant that the Bible could be true? And when friends tell you their “opinion” of the bible, I hope you will consider the amount of time and energy they have spent genuinely trying to find the truth and weigh that against "their view" of God’s book.

For those of you who are reading this, I pray that you believe in the God of our bible—the only true and living God—and in the death, burial and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ. But even for some of you who do believe, it’s apparent that you want God to meet you on your own terms. I was like that—many people are like that. They want God to fit into a box. Their box. That is, they want to obey the Creator in their own way, on their own timetable, with their own motives. They want to take Him out of that box when they need Him, and put Him back when they don’t. They aren't particularly interested in the Bible, and actually, they aren't that interested in God. Their interest is personal: "What can God do for me?”—particularly when a crisis hits. Of course, if the Bible is true in presenting God as the Creator, Sustainer and Owner of the Universe, then we cannot pick and choose our own religious preference. God would be in charge of that. He would tell us His preference, and we would gladly submit. I mean just think it through. Does God have to bow down to someone else's standards of morality? Of course not. God has already set up a standard of law and order that was/is perfectly designed to enable His creation to live in harmony. It’s when we reject that standard of law and order (absolute truth) that harmony exits and confusion and chaos enter our lives. The secular world view says.. “if there is a God we can live as we want to, for God’s not going to punish anyone for wrongdoing (let’s call it what it is, sin), He loves us too much.” But listen, God's not obligated to anyone. He does not have to cater to the whims of public opinion. God’s not concerned with what the majority thinks, He is the majority. And not only can the majority of people be wrong, often times they are wrong. As well, what an individual thinks about a subject does not force God to accommodate him. Surely God is free to do as He wills. It is His right as God to determine how He wants to be worshipped and obeyed. Whether we want to accept God’s absolute truth or believe it or not, does not make it any less the truth. And the consequences of rejecting that truth will be devastating for all eternity.

Thus, if we discover that God wants us to come to Him through Jesus, then through Jesus we must come. It may not be politically correct but it is an absolute truth. Mankind was built to live forever, and live forever, somewhere, we all will. If we live in heaven with God it will be because we turn from ours sins and believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus is the only way to get there—not Buddha, not Mohammed, not Confucious, not anyone else. And again, refusing to accept that does not make it any less the truth. But to say you don’t believe that, is to be dishonestly ignorant and mindless when you haven’t researched anything to come to that conclusion or any conclusion. Determining which religion is right is God's prerogative, not ours.

Consider Psalm 24:1:
"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him."
So who has the solution? If you were to get the greatest minds in the world together in a think tank and ask them to agree on the greatest problems that mankind faces, chances are they would agree on these three (or some variation thereof), because mankind really only faces three problems: sin, sorrow, and death. Those problems lead us to questions like, "How can we deal with guilt from sin? How can we find true peace? How can we know anything about an afterlife?" While biblical Christianity differs from "religion" for a variety of reasons, there is one glaring difference. Religions attempt to solve the three problems via human effort. The Bible's answer to these problems is to rely upon God. Religion gives people lists of do's and don'ts, vain rituals to follow, and the so-called right words to say. The Bible calls people to engage in a living relationship with God. I’m not involved in a religion, I’m involved in a relationship with Jesus. And listen—understand this. There is nothing that makes me, or any other Christian, worthy of God's favor. It is not by any works of righteousness I may have done, or baptism or prayer. It's not about church memberships or tithes and donations. While these things are good, and gladly flow from a heart that is grateful to God for sending Jesus to pay the penalty of our sins, they can't solve the three problems of life which again are sin, sorrow and death. But according to the Bible—God’s absolute truth—God sent Jesus Christ to “fix” those problems (to save us from those problems) because we couldn't do the job ourselves.

In heaven, no one will be boasting, "Look how I got here! I prayed 3 times a day and was a moral person! I went to church and gave money to the poor...God is sure lucky to have me on His side!" There is a solution to our three problems, but it isn't within ourselves. After all, we're the ones that messed things up to begin with. God is the only one with the power and willingness to fix our world. Some people are convinced that the right morals or the right rituals will satisfy God's demand of eternal justice. They might even believe in Jesus, but their faith does not rest upon Him. Their faith, sadly, is in themselves.

Now—with these facts in mind, it would be safe to say that in actuality, there are only two world faiths: faith in self (the secular world view of life, existence and purpose), or faith in God (the biblical, Christian, world view of life, existence and purpose). We can choose between trusting in what people do or trusting in what God has already done. If you choose to trust in yourself (or in someone else, like a priest or religious institution), you will never be able to find confidence or peace or assurance of heaven and eternal life. What if you were not quite good enough? What if a person is slightly less than perfect? What if you forget something?

This is one reason why many people don't like the Bible. They want to fulfill a list of duties. They want to think they can work their way out of their guilt, as if good deeds could somehow outweigh sins against a Holy God. They want a religion that rewards them for a job well done. The Muslim Koran teaches this. So do the eastern religions, and even some "Christian" (in name only) denominations. They are attempting to satisfy justice and thus be assured of heaven via ritual, personal commitment, good morals or good deeds.

Yet God's offer as recorded in the Bible is anything but a pat on the back. His call is to trust in Jesus Christ and what He did, and to forsake yourself. The Bible tells us that we must rely on God's work, not our own. No efforts. No charades. No rites. Only Christ.

But the real question is: DO YOU CARE? Assuming you do, here’s a quick recap.

All of us have a sense that there must be something "more" to life. We each face three problems; sin, sorrow, and death. Human efforts can never overcome these difficulties, so we must rely on God for "salvation (solution to the 3 problems—sin, sorrow and death)." According to the Bible, Jesus is the way God has provided for our rescue from a world of evil. And of course God, being the "owner" of the world, has every right to dictate what "one way" we must accept. He is the Creator, after all!

And you may be asking "What makes Christianity different than all other faiths?" That's easy...the difference is in the grace of God. Grace. Grace is something we cannot earn. We certainly don't deserve it. It is simply God's favor toward us. Even while we humans blaspheme, rebel, and disobey, God continues to love us. He gives us chance after chance after chance to turn away from our sinful lifestyles and trust Him. The Bible records in Psalm 103:
"The LORD is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He has not punished us for our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens... He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust."

That's well put, isn't it? God knows we are "dust." That is, He knows we can't save ourselves. That's why He's willing to extend mercy to those who ask Him for it.

The Apostle Paul makes this point in Ephesians 2:3-9:
"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead...God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

And now you may be asking "Come on, now. What's the big deal anyway? Isn't God loving? Won't he overlook my mistakes?" For myself, I've stopped trying to minimize my wrongdoing by calling it a "weakness" or "just a mistake." God gave humanity clear standards to live by, and even those who haven't read the Bible know in their heart what right and wrong looks like, at least generally. So I should just call it what it is -- sin. I've broken God's law and I need God to forgive me. And so have you. The bible says that …“all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard.” And what is His standard—absolute perfection! And here’s our dilemma. There is none of us who are perfect. But nonetheless, God demands perfection if we are to spend eternity in Heaven and have a growing relationship with Him in this life. So what do we do—how do we get there? I’ll address that in a moment.

We know God is more than a good judge the bible says he is a "righteous" judge, which means he won't/can’t let lawbreakers off the hook. He won't ignore the demands of justice. So the real question becomes, "Do I measure up to the perfect standards of the Creator?" Again the answer is no. And we know the answer is no because God summarized his moral laws in ten simple statements, which is great for people like me, who have trouble reading though long articles (like this one). Here are those "Ten Commandments:"

#1 -- You shall have no other gods before Me [God].
This command is simple, but certainly not easy. God is to be the first and most important part of your life. Ask yourself the question: "Do I love God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength?" If your purpose in life is not first and foremost to serve and worship God, then you are guilty of violating the first commandment. You have another god in your life that is more important to you than your Creator.

#2 -- Don't worship idols or make "images" to honor.
An idol is any object, idea, or pleasure that we hold onto more tightly than God. In addition, idols can also be man-made things we worship in the place of God (as if a statue or icon could actually be worthy of representing the eternal God of the universe!) Some people "worship" (give their highest honor to) money, friends, sports, career, education, relationships, entertainment, food, drugs -- you name it. Anything that people honor more than God (as evidenced by the way they live and give) is an idol.

#3 -- Do not use God's name in vain.
How often is the sacred name of God or Jesus Christ repeated in personal anger or fear? Have you broken this commandment by spitting out God's name in a disrespectful way? (I think some people even break this commandment by saying they are Christian but not acting like Christ.)

#4 -- Keep the Sabbath day holy.
God expects us to reserve one day out of seven exclusively for His use. For most of us, that day is Sunday -- a day when we can (should) set aside our work to do other things: worship God in a local church, rest, spend time with our families, do something to help others, etc. People who say they don't have time for God need to pay special attention to this commandment.

#5 -- Honor your father and mother.
Do you treat your parents with high value? Do you listen to them? Have you always obeyed them? According to God's Word, dishonoring our parents is a sin, just like lying or killing or blasphemy.

#6 -- Do not kill.
The Bible says that if you hate another person or harbor unrighteous anger, you are committing "murder" in your heart. Who of us can say we've never broken this law?

#7 -- Do not commit adultery.
Just like the sixth commandment, this isn't just about the external act of sexual immorality. Jesus said, "Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). God wants us to be pure inside and out.

#8 -- Do not steal.
Have you ever taken something that isn't yours? Have you ever stolen time from an employer, or even little things from a business? God isn't impressed by the value of the thing we steal -- it's the principle. Have I always been completely honest—that’s the real question?

#9 -- Do not lie.
Right. No comment necessary. I'm guilty, we’re all guilty.

#10 -- Do not covet.
Coveting is being jealous of what other people have. It might be someone's spouse, someone's house, job, car, even their looks or abilities. Covetousness is the lust for more, a lack of gratefulness for what we do have that God has given us.

When I look at the heart behind the Ten Commandments, I have to confess that I'm guilty at every point. I haven't lived up to God's standard of perfection. In fact, the Bible assures us that no one ever has. King David of Israel once asked: "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? He that has clean hands and a pure heart." (Psalm 15:1) Wow. I don't know if I'm ready to "ascend" the hill quite yet. The fact is, I've broken God's law countless times and I'm going to have to face him on Judgment Day. I'm not going to kid myself here -- I'll be declared guilty. That's what justice demands. It is said that the word "sin" literally means "missing the mark." Humans could never approach the holiness and perfection of God, which is precisely why our own efforts and rituals could never bring us close to Him. Because He is so perfect, holy and righteous, sin cannot be tolerated in His presence. Lawbreakers will be punished, and rightly so. Somehow, our sin must be dealt with if we are to become friends with God, part of his family, etc. Something has to change if we expect to go to heaven when we die, or even live lives of purpose here on earth. We stand guilty before God. Our own consciences even condemn us. Most people don't even match up to their own standards for themselves...why should we think they would be able to match God's perfect, eternal standard? Biblical Christianity is the only faith-system that can offer real removal of guilt -- true forgiveness. It's not a band-aid—it’s permanent, eternal. It's based upon justice. And it changes people's lives.How has God made forgiveness available? Is it possible to get my sins erased so that when I stand before God, I'll be declared "not guilty?"

Here is the Bible's "Good News":
...the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it.
But now God has shown us a different way of being right and accepted in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins--Jesus, the only one qualified (as a result of His miraculous birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection), to pay the penalty for your sin and my sin. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us (Rom. 3:20-25). The "law" had no ability to rescue us from the curse of sin. It reveals our problem but does nothing to solve it. Being a "good person" can't erase our past. Without some sort of miracle, we'll be left alone to face the pure justice of God on Judgment Day. I for one do not want God's justice---I beg now for His mercy and grace on that day.

The book of Revelation in the Bible, a vision of future events, provides us with a terrifying glimpse into the fate of those who stand guilty before God.
"And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done... And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:12-15).

Please don’t deceive yourself into thinking that somehow your good will outweigh your bad and God will forget about your sin. The bible never even hints at that. Listen, God doesn't want people to face wrath and judgment, but he won't deny justice either. That's why Jesus came. He was sent to earth to die as our substitute -- he came to pay our debt of justice for us. We are the ones who sinned, so therefore we are the ones that should pay the penalty for sin. However, because of God's great love, He made it possible for us to be forgiven based on the sacrifice Jesus made. God is the only one with the legal ability to forgive and erase sin. He’s the only one who was ever qualified to conquer sin. And why—because He was sinless! All who come to God in faith can be saved because of what Jesus did.

So the real issue is... If a Savior is necessary, the issue of debate is really "Is Jesus is that Savior? Is Jesus God?" Many religions, such as Islam, merely take Jesus to be a good teacher or an important prophet. However, it is not logically consistent to believe this way, for Jesus himself claimed to be God. He never left us the option to believe that He was just a good man or a good teacher. This means that Jesus was either:

A LIAR. Perhaps He was just a regular man and lied outright hundreds of times as He told people to follow Him and allowed them to believe He was God. Then He was a liar. Such a deception, if true, would certainly be the greatest lie of history. Those who say Jesus was only a good prophet are calling Him a liar--because it was Jesus who said: "The Father and I are one " (John 10:30).

A LUNATIC. It is possible that Jesus was a crazy man under a powerful self-delusion. If you don't believe Jesus was a liar, but you don't believe what he said, then you must think he was self-deceived.

THE LORD. The third and final choice, and the most sensible, is that Jesus was indeed who He claimed to be—God in human flesh. When Jesus stood trial for claiming to be the Messiah, the high priest ordered Him to answer the question: "Are you the Son of God?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is as you say." (On Judgment Day every human being will stand before Jesus, including that high priest, and the tables will be turned. We will be the ones answering the questions then.)

So, as you evaluate what your belief will be about Jesus Christ, keep in mind that these are the only three valid choices: he was a liar, he was a lunatic, or he was the Lord. The Gospel of John (4th book in the New Testament) was written to prove who Jesus is.

There is another glaring difference between effort-based religion and Christianity. Humans have no power over death! We can prolong life a little, but we can't stop death. That's why I'm thankful that we can look beyond ourselves, to Him who conquered death once for all. Think about the great religious and philosophic leaders of long ago. Buddha--he's dead. Mohammad--same deal. Confucius--dead. These guys may have offered good advice or inspired their followers, but they don't have an answer to our biggest concerns—sin, sorrow and death. They, like all other human beings, are dead.

But that's not the case with Jesus Christ. The Bible proclaims and supports with evidence the resurrection of Jesus. He died, and he arose again. Death had been part of the human world since the first sin of Adam and Eve, and Jesus finally stopped the cycle. Because of his resurrection, we can believe in Jesus' promise of eternal life for those who have faith in Him. Here it is from Jesus himself:
"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish" (John 11:25-26).

I like what the Apostle Paul said to the great philosophers of Athens:
"Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it--`To an Unknown God.' You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him.
"He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't serve his needs--for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
"His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him--though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, `We are his offspring.' And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. God overlooked people's former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:22-31).

God is not a piece of silver or gold. God doesn't dwell in a physical man-made temple. Nor is God satisfied with man-invented worship. God has commanded that all men everywhere repent (turn from) such ideas about religion and turn to Jesus Christ. The proof that this is valid is in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. (In the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15 provides an excellent study of the evidence related to this). I believe there are many people that are just like the philosophers of Athens, always searching and wondering who the true "unknown" God really is. But Jesus is the answer. He is the only one who holds the power over sin and death. He is the Creator, the Lawgiver, the Judge, the Savior, and the Master of eternity. There is no one like Him. He is the great "I AM" to whom Moses spoke in the Old Testament. He is the "Light of the World" who came to shine truth upon our darkened hearts and lives. He is the "Lamb of God" who died as a perfect sacrifice for all sin. For those who are lost, He is the WAY; for those who are deceived, He is the TRUTH, and for those who are dead in sin, He is the LIFE (John 14:6).

And the grace of God is available to you.
"For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right" (Titus 2:11-14).

Jesus can set you free from the bondage and guilt of sin. God's love and mercy can give you grace and power to begin a new kind of life. You see, Jesus isn't just interested in forgiving your sins, he wants to transform you. He wants to change you into the person you were created to be. He wants to have you see the world and every decision you make through His eyes. That’s the biblical world view of absolute truth. But you will never have that view apart from a relationship with Jesus.

I can tell you from personal experience that the process isn't easy. Following Jesus is often difficult. It involves sacrifice. It involves change. It will often involve being misunderstood by family and friends who refuse to know and obey Him. Sometimes it means being totally rejected by family and friends. Following Jesus involves turning away from a self-focused life and beginning to love and obey Jesus first. But being a part of God's "family" is what you and I and all were designed to do. It is our destiny. And it is the greatest experience imaginable. Do you feel like God wants you to take a step of faith towards Him? How will you respond?

The Apostle Peter boldly proclaimed (at great risk of persecution) the reality of Jesus' teaching, miracles, and power. They had seen him rise from the dead, and they were determined to tell the whole world. Here's a statement Peter made:
"All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again [as a part of God's family]. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting Him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad!" (1 Peter 1:3-6).

I pray that you will consider asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior if you have not done so. When you do you will understand why church and ministry is so important. Because when you truly love Jesus, you will love the things that Jesus loves. And the one thing that Jesus loves most is the church. For it was for the church he died on the cross. All who look to the cross to be saved, forgiven and given eternal life in Heaven, is the church of the Lord Jesus. And because He loves the church, I love the church and I make it a priority in my life as anyone else who truly loves Jesus and has been saved will do.

And for all who say I “don’t understand why someone can get so involved in church and with this Jesus thing,” or “they’re too busy with the church to spend time with us.” Let me answer that now once for all. Sometimes we have a tendency to skirt this issue, not wanting to hurt feelings and run family or friends away from God. But then I thought, ‘where am I going to run them—hell number 2 or hell number 3’??? There is only one hell! And in skirting the issue(s) I have kept the truth from them—the absolute truth that sets a person free.

First, we do what we do for God out of a heart overflowing with gratitude for what He has done for us. I can hardly think about how much Jesus loves me without crying. He was willing to, and did, take my place on that cross. He endured the mockery, the beatings, the scourgings, the pulling out of His beard, being spit upon, and all the humiliation that went along with it. They drove 7 inch spikes thru his hands and feet and hung Him on that cross naked and ashamed on a public Roman highway and gambled for the only thing he owned in this world, his coat. It should have been me there and not Him. He didn’t deserve to die—He never sinned. But I did and do. Yet He loved me enough to die in order that I might live eternally with Him. And when I read what the Bible says about Heaven and all that will be mine because of His great love for me, versus what I truly deserve as a sinner, which is hell—I can scarcely take it in. And when some folks hear that, they automatically get defensive and want to talk about the “God of love”, and conclude that God loves us too much to send us to hell—period, end of argument. But the faulty reasoning in that is this; yes that’s true, but they don’t know (or most times, don’t want to know or state) the facts.

Fact # 1—there is a heaven and there is a hell! Fact # 2—the bible says that it is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven. And that’s because of his Holy character and nature. Sin separates us from God. Fact # 3 and where it really hits home for me—the bible also says that man is sinful… “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard,” Romans 3:23.

So I agree, He does love us too much to send us to hell. In fact, He has done everything He could to keep us from going to hell when we die. He sent His son Jesus to pay for our sins on a cruel Roman cross. The reality is that God doesn’t send anyone to hell—we send ourselves by neglecting the provision God made to keep us out of hell. In fact it really is a difficult task to go to hell. You have to climb over the cross that God placed in your path. You have to side-step the gospel that you hear preachers and teachers present in church, radio, tv, etc. You have to brush off the people that God puts in your path to share the life-changing message with you. You have to disregard the prayers that others are praying for you to be saved. Listen, don’t blame God if you go to hell, because you’ll be an intruder there if you wind up in hell, because God never intended you to be there. Hell is a place that God created for satan and the rebellious angels who followed him.

I do what I do for Him because I am so grateful for what He has done and is doing for me. And I have given the rest of my life to telling all who will listen that He did that same thing for them too. Some will receive it and live forever in Heaven with Jesus and some will not and live separated from Jesus for eternity in hell (remember that broad and narrow thing). It’s that truth that drives me to my knees praying for family and friends that need to ask Jesus to forgive them and save them. I can’t imagine being in Heaven without without my family and friends I love so dearly. But where they spend eternity is not my decision to make, it’s theirs.

So let me tie this all together. When I finally quit running from Jesus and fully gave my heart to Him, I determined to live my life in such a way that it would bring honor and not shame to Him. I am by no means perfect, but neither am I, by any means, what I used to be. It was a decision that I intentionally made. God desires for us as Christ followers to live clean, sober lives that are examples of Jesus to others so that they may see Jesus in us and desire to have Him in their heart as well. The unfortunate truth is, however, when we live for Jesus the folks that don’t want anything to do with Jesus will not want to have anything to do with me either, sometimes including family and friends. And though it grieves me, it doesn’t take me by surprise because Jesus himself said it would happen that way.

If you are not a Christian, why wait to become one? Please let me know your thoughts on this post.

Because He Lives,
Pastor Jimmy
Harbour Lake Baptist Church

I hope that you will come to the prayer meeting to ask our great God to bless that day with a harvest of souls added to the kingdom. Karen and I think that this is such a high priority that she will be taking our ladies to Pittman Street Baptist for the first hour of their Women’s Prayer Meeting. After the prayer meeting at Pittman Street, our ladies will return to our Worship center for the rest of their prayer time.

Several Baptist churches in the area will be participating in this effort to reach the lost for Jesus. I hope that you will come and be a part of the process. On the morning of March 10th, we will be going out to knock on doors to share Jesus with as many people as we can. If you have not signed up for that please see me or Cheryl.

I’ll meet you this Friday evening, March 2nd, at Harbour Lake and we’ll go together to Pittman Street. Please plan to arrive around 6:30 PM. In order to be there on time, we will leave our parking lot promptly at 6:40 PM.

If you would rather meet us there, the driving directions to Pittman Street Baptist is as follows:

From Bayshore turn right onto Redbank then right on to North Rhett Avenue. Stay on North Rhett Avenue and cross Remount Road. Turn Left onto Sherwood Street at the last red light before you get to Park Circle. Sherwood Street becomes Pittman Street. Church is a couple of blocks on the left at 5105 Pittman Street.

I hope that many of you will attend. I’ll see you Friday evening.

In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno, Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Feast of Lupercalia started the next day.

During these times boys and girls were segregated. However, the young people had a custom that began on the eve of the Festival of Lupercalia. The girl’s names were written on pieces of paper and inserted into jars. Each boy then drew a girl’s name from the jar and they were partners throughout the Festival. After being paired, the children would often continue to see each other throughout the year and on occasion even fell in love and got married. Emperor Claudius II of Rome, also known as Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time recruiting men as soldiers. He believed that the men did not want to leave their sweethearts and cancelled all engagements and marriages throughout Rome. St. Valentine, a priest of Rome at the time, secretly married couples. He was eventually caught, arrested and condemned. He was beaten to death and beheaded on February 14th, around the year 270.
Lupercalia was a feast to a heathen God. Pastors and priests of the early Christian church did away with the pagan custom by replacing the names of the girls with the names of saints. They chose St. Valentine’s Day as the day of celebration for the new feast.
Valentine Day greetings became popular during the middles ages. During that time period, lovers sang or spoke their sentiments. Paper and written Valentines became popular at the end of the 15th Century. The oldest Valentine that exists today was made during this era and is on display in the British Museum.

Well enough of the history. Be sure to let your your loved ones know that you love them today. And here's a great idea; don't wait until Valentines Day to let them know of your love, tell them every day. I can't remember a single day since Cheryl and I have been married (21 years) that we have not expressed how much we love each other. I still get googley--eyed when I see her walk into a room. God has blessed me so very much to have a wife who is also my best friend. And I let her know every day that I love her with all my heart.