Resist

by Pastor Bob Rasmussen

There has been a lot of things going on in this body and in some folks that I know. I really feel this is a good time for us, especially me, to remember that one of the things we have in our relationship with Jesus, is authority, authority over the enemy.

Authority over these attacks that seem to be all around us, and I think now is a perfect time to push back against those things that are going on.

In our relationship with Jesus, I am so grateful for His forgiveness. I am so grateful that He has gone to prepare a place not just for me, but for anyone that chooses to accept Him as his Lord and Savior, be baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost

We have so much that we get from God besides his forgiveness, we have His promises, we have His Word, we have relationship. But we also have authority. And there is a responsibility to use that authority.

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Man, o man, am I grateful that I I finally accepted Jesus in my life. That is the team I want to play for. I don’t want to play for that other team! But we were all once on the other team until we came into salvation, amen?

Devil is a pretty loose term that is around in society today. The way that people think about it at times is kind of shocking. It seems the world tries to minimize that there is an actual enemy out there, and that enemy wants nothing more than for them to stay right where they are at

Ephesians 2:2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Again, thank You Lord for making a way.The bible says that the enemy is a” prince of the power of the air”

Ephesians 2:2 You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God].

Not everything that goes on around us isn’t just natural. It’s not the obvious order of things, but there is a spiritual realm where things are happening. Pastor Jeff spoke on some of this last week. And there is an opposition that is occurring.

There is an enemy that is trying to interrupt the purposes of God
There is an enemy trying to distract from the purposes of God
There is an enemy that is trying to intimidate the people of God

Why does He want to intimidate the body of Christ? He wants the body of Christ to not fully realize who they are. He wants to block the light of Christ Jesus by hindering those who believe and can bring that light to others

2 Corinthians 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

But thank God that is not us, amen? We can praise Him that we have a new life, we are a new creation, where the enemy cannot push us around and does not have authority over us.

We have crossed from darkness into the glorious light of Jesus Christ. We are protected, we have authority. We got out of the enemy’s world, out of his ways, into a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of God, and into His ways. Hallelujah! So what is this authority?

Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

I love the way that Jesus handled this, and it is a good reminder for me. I do not have to have a long conversation, or a long debate, I can just exercise my authority like Jesus and just say, “Shut up and get out!” I have had to actually do this, at work one day, I was on a ladder, and I actually said that out loud!

Mark 1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

Jesus silenced the unclean spirit, it HAD to do what He told it to do. Be quiet and get out! The was a clear demonstration of the authority of Jesus and the new way things were going to be. Those that were under attack from the enemy really had no hope, there was no answer, not until Jesus came on the scene. It was new and it was exciting. Not so much for the enemy though.

Mark 3:9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. 11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

The enemy knows who Jesus is. They recognize His authority. They must fall before him.

Colossians 2: 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God]. 10 And in Him you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power]

It is important for me to remember these scriptures. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth. ALL Authority. No matter how dark this world seems to get, and this prince of the power of the air looks to be so tough and strong trying to intimidate the body of Christ, there is no God that is greater, there is no spirit greater, and certainly no demon that is greater than Jesus! All authority is in Jesus, the devil is a liar.

The enemy will try to get you to agree that He has more authority than he does, that’s all he has. He can only roar. And the world is going to do the same. The media, movies, social media, did I say the media? They are all trying to make those of us who believe, to be crazy. They will find fault with what we do, they will find fault with what we believe compared to the norms of society and the world. They will intimidate us not to stand up for Gods church and His body. They will try to be like they have more authority.

But friends, we have the authority through Jesus Christ. We are the salt; we are the light. We are the temple of God and the body of Christ. And what they do not understand is that we knew this would be a bumpy ride. In His Word he told us these days would come and we would have to resist. Resist the morality of the world, resist the morality of the politics we are seeing

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

And that is why I wanted to talk about resisting today. There is a demonic realm and there is spiritual warfare. Not everything that is happening is “normal”. And I need to be aware of this because if I don’t, I will try to battle whatever it is in the flesh. I will forget how to truly battle what is against me and I’ll forget about the authority that is in me through Jesus Christ.

There are distractions that will come, there are strategies that the enemy is putting in place to try to trip us up. And if I try to plan, and that’s not a bad thing, but sometimes it is spiritual battle. Maybe there is some prayer, some fasting that we need to do. Maybe we need to get some brothers and sisters to pray with us and stand in agreement and speak some authority in that situation.

I have had a couple people in my life say well all that authority was Jesus, and it is no longer around. Listen, I believe the Word of God, not what you or I feel.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

When we have given our life to Christ, we are one with Him. When the enemy sees me, he sees the blood of Christ. When he sees me, he sees the body of Christ. It’s not about me and what I can do, it’s about and what He did and continues to do. And in the bible, there is something that Jesus has done – He has delegated authority to His believers. In Luke we see Jesus send 70 individuals out, two and two.

Luke 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Hallelujah and amen. He gave authority to the 70. But that same person that says, well, that authority is just in Jesus and maybe those 70 were special somehow. I never cease to be amazed at how some folks want to talk themselves out of what God paid so a high price for.

There was nothing special about those 70 human beings that were sent. We do not even know their names, but we do know the name that allowed them to go out – and that name is Jesus. They were not in worldly terms, superheroes, they were people who had a job to do. And Jesus delegated his authority on them to do the job that He called them to do, not by their own might, but in His holy name. They had authority for the Kingdom of God. In the book of Mark, we see Jesus appear to the 11 after conquering the grave and has this to say:

Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

That’s the authority of a believer, amen. The authority of the believer does not come from the believer, it comes from Jesus, who is IN the believer.

And I said there has been things going on in some of our lives where the enemy has been messing things up, in our relationships, in our businesses, in our bodies, our marriages, and our families. I just want to discern that if that is the case, I am reminding myself that I can put my foot on the devil’s head and crush it, resist, and say, “Stop! I can say enough! Get your hands off my kids! Get your hands off my business. Get your hands off my body or a loved one’s body. In the mighty name of Jesus, flee!”

I love to solve problems, I love fixing things, it is a lot of what I do in my job. It is part of who I am. But not every situation can be solved with logic. Not every situation can be solved with experience, or technology, or education. Sometimes the situation is there because there is an adversary working against me.

There is an adversary, and he is a defeated enemy, but there will still be struggles. And the reminder for me is that just like the 70, it is Christ who is living in me, that gives me the authority over that enemy, but I must use it. Like the 70 I must exercise my authority. I must understand that the situation may require me to get out of my comfort zone of what I can see, what I can feel, and what I can touch and step into a spiritual battle.

Here is another inconvenient truth. Yes, we fight a defeated enemy, but he is not gone yet. You know how some people are poor losers, how much more do you think the devil is a poor loser? Because we believe the Word, because we know the Word, because we praise God for who He is, because we are not conformed to the world, because we try to live out our lives based on the Word – that’s the kind of people the enemy hates.

There are plenty of churches who have watered down the Word, there are churches who have changed the focus of their worship to the stage and lights to fill seats, there are churches who have conformed to the world contradicting the very Word of God – I don’t think the enemy is concerned with them as much. It is the people of God who have and want to have a relationship with Jesus he hates.

Look, recently we had a situation with someone we love deeply. This person had a lot of life things going on and it seemed that everyday there was another burden put on them. Well, we got a phone call very early in the morning, and another thing had happened. It was causing, obviously, a lot of stress. What I thought this person needed was a physical thing to happen, and that is what I prayed. Nothing happened, other than the enemy causing even more stress, creating confusion and fear for this person.

I prayed again, and what was revealed to me in the spirit was I was praying for the wrong thing. It was not a simple chain of events, it was the enemy absolutely attacking this person, and the last thing that happened might push them too far, and THAT was what the enemy wanted. I needed to pray with authority to tell the enemy, “No, your plan will not take place, get your stinking hands off of this person, and in the Name of Jesus, just stop!” The physical thing happened the very next morning, which still was good. But the greatest thing that happened is that the authority of Jesus brought the situation under control. Praise the Lord!

That is a good reminder that when we are firm in our identity with Jesus, when we remember the authority that is in us, when we walk into a room or a situation, there is a presence of God that we bring with. There is that authority and the sphere of influence that we bring with us. We don’t have to walk into those situations with our held low or intimidated. We are the salt, we are the light, we are the body of Christ. We are the children of God. All power and authority, all of it has been given to Jesus, and in that moment in whatever situation it is, we represent the body of Christ.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

I can use His name. There is power to resist the enemy. Yes, we have the authority to cast him out, but we also have the authority to resist.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Notice it does not say, be strong in yourself. It says to be strong in the Lord! This is not our human strength, it is not our effort, it is not our will, it is strength in Him, in Jesus. Receive His strength, say yes to his might and power. You may not feel strong like the incredible hulk, it’s not that kind of power.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

To stand, to resist, to stop against the wiles of the devil. Sometimes it is our responsibility to resist and stand against the something that the enemy is doing and to stop it. It may be the enemy’s strategy against our schools. It might be the enemy’s strategy against our family. The devil may have strategized against your physical health, your personal finances, or your marriage. But in the strength of the Lord, we have the ability to stand against those strategies and plans that are against us.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

That is what I have to remember. There is an unseen world, it is not something that is just made up, it is in the Word of God. It goes all the way back to the beginning in Genesis. The reality is that there is an unseen world, and we have an adversary and like it or not, there are plans and strategies I may not see. That is why we must resist. And that is one reason we pray.

I want to be a person of prayer, amen. Pray over our kids, our soon to be 5 grandchildren, for our family, for our jobs and businesses, for whatever God has us doing, for this body of believers.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you

James 4:7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you

Submitting to God means submitting to be holy. Not going out in the world and doing whatever you want, but rather, living out the character of God in our lives. We cannot resist the devil with one foot and then open the door with the other. How we live our life matters and I do not want to push the door closed with one hand and then open another door with the other to let the enemy in. It does not matter what it is, bitterness, unforgiveness, lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, I am opening that door whenever I am not submitted to God.

1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, 7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 8 Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him,

There it is again, RESIST him

be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.]

We can say no and resist the enemy, because we are rooted in His Word, we can resist because we are established in our identity, and we can stand immovable because of our faith in Jesus!

We have the ability to resist the devil through Christ Jesus. He does not get to boss us around, he does not get to bully us, he does not get to kill, he does not get to destroy from us, he must flee, in the name of Jesus, praise the Lord.

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Anger is a foothold for the enemy. The enemy will use that anger to do all the things we are trying to stand against. And Paul is not talking to the lost people of the world, he is talking to the church of Ephesus. He is talking to you and me. He is saying that anger is not OK, that unforgiveness is not in the will of God. But since we can resist the devil, and we have the ability to put on that “new man”, the nature we have in Jesus, we can resist that temptation to be angry.Just like Jesus freed us from other things, he can free us from anger, and we can close the door on anger and resist the enemy.

Another scheme of the enemy is to try to get people to be unforgiving. Unforgiveness is another way the enemy will try to creep in. Once again, the apostle Paul is writing a letter to another church:

2 Corinthians 2: 10 If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive [that one]; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of [and with the approval of] Christ, 11 to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Paul knows of Satan’s design to destroy the unity of this church. Forgiveness is a weapon against Satan’s plan to see an unforgiving spirit spread like a disease through the body, the church. Lord, help us all forgive.

I have one final thought that I did want to share with you. Sometimes, the enemy will move quickly. It happens so very quickly. In a moment of a loss, in a moment of bad news, when you get that not-so-great health report – that is when the enemy will most definitely strike.

He will whisper, “Well, you know you haven’t been as good as you could be.”
He will whisper, “Remember when you were in that life of sin, remember that, yeah, you probably deserve this.”
He will whisper, “Maybe Jesus doesn’t really care about you, if He did, He would not let this happen, would He?”
In those moments when you are alone and dealing whatever the issue is, He might say, “See, nobody cares, nobody loves you, why do you even want to be with Jesus, he is failing you!”

Anybody been there? I have, but then I remember, We can say no and resist the enemy, because we are rooted in His Word, we can resist because we are established in our identity, and we can stand immovable because of our faith in Jesus

I can say to the enemy, “You know what, I haven’t been good as I could be, but I am trying, and Jesus knows that. And yes, I remember that life of sin, but because of the blood of Jesus, that sin debt is paid in full, it’s gone in the eyes of God. And I don’t know why this happened, and I may feel alone, but I believe His word, sometimes it might be all I have.”

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

And with that I can say, “In the name of Jesus, shut up and get out. Today I choose to stand on the Word and the love of Jesus, I choose to resist, I may be tired, but I will be strong in the Lord. Today I choose to resist the enemy, so “Flee, in Jesus’ name!”

Upon This Rock

Upon-this-Rock

By Pastor Jeff,

Matthew 16:13-19, “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

When you hear the word Rock, what do you think of?

Verse 18 from the amplified says this, “And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros–a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra–a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].”

What in your mind is the most firm, unmovable, undisputable doctrine in the word of God? 1Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

The Revelation of who Jesus is, “God in Flesh!” This doctrine is what separates the nominal church from the church built upon the rock!

So how is this associated with the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Once we understand who Jesus is, we can bind evil Acts 16:18, “And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” What Name?
Is it enough to use the name of Jesus? Acts 19:13-16, “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”

It was clear form the beginning of Jesus ministry that he offended the religious of the day and was accused of using the power of the devil to cast out devils…
Matthew 12:28-30, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”

After we bind evil, we have power to let loose the power of God which leads to deliverance from sin, Roman 6:22-23, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The keys we have been given are powerful, but without the knowledge of who Jesus is, they don’t have the eternal effect for it is not built upon the Rock!
John 14:8-14, “Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

We often say when we meet others of different religious beliefs that there is no denying who Jesus Christ is, right! Then why do they fall on men’s traditions in baptizing in the titles “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?” The earliest reliable source of using the Father, Son, and Holy ghost is in the second century; so did they suddenly become smarter that the original Apostles?
Did they get a better understanding of scripture?

No they jumped off the “Rock”!

Picture care of: voiceoftruthblog.com

Seven Words to Change Your Life

By Pastor Mike

Romans 1: 16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

A lot of people don’t like change. People will fight change, but change is good sometimes. You can’t become OR you can’t be a Christian without change. From the moment we become a Christian, we begin to change – we should change because we become new creatures in CHRIST. The good news is that it’s JESUS that gives us the ability and strength to change. We are HIS workmanship, HIS creation, created for HIS purpose. We need to change. The old man is washed away and ALL things are made new.

We are here to spread the gospel and not be ashamed of it. When the opportunity comes up, we need to jump in and tell people about JESUS.

I remember when Dee and I were in Menards and I started talking to this young worker gal. I asked how she was doing and she said she would be better if I was a chiropractor because she had shoulder pain and discomfort when she moved it a certain way. I told her I’m not a doctor but I am a believer and I will pray for a healing. She smiled and I prayed a healing touch in her in JESUS name. She had tears in her eyes and thanked me. I said give GOD the Glory. She told me she just got back with the LORD a few weeks ago because her boyfriend is a believer. I invited her to church and gave her some testimonies from JAM. She was excited and still had tears in her eyes. It’s all about JESUS and don’t be ashamed of the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”:

This passage was written when Rome was in power. Rome was an Empire filled with pride. They were in power for over 200 years. Pride came from what a person owned or their social status. The Pride was everywhere. Pride is a destructive thing. Too many people hold onto their pride and live their lives like they’re better than others.

We need to let people know that there is a much stronger Hope in JESUS than anything the world has to offer.

Consider what Paul went through. He was imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Berea, laughed at in Athens and in Corinth his message was considered foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling-block to the Jews. But Paul stands firm in his commitment, tall in his faith and says “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”

At school, work, or play can people look at you and they know you made a commitment to JESUS, or is it something you try to hide?

Do people know the stand you have taken for JESUS? Your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or are you keeping that a secret?

The Gospel is the force behind salvation. “For it is the power of GOD for salvation”

“Power” —- is Force!!!

Picture care of: Living Hope Baptist Church

Still the Season

By Pastor Mike

Today is still the season to celebrate JESUS and all HE has done for everyone. HE still loves us the same. HE ‘s still pouring out HIS SPIRIT to anyone who wants to receive it. We should always be celebrating JESUS and all that HE’S done for us. HE will never stop on HIS promises because HE is the same yesterday, today and forever. JESUS never changes.

Never confess or focus on “I can’t,” because the Word says: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Never confess or focus on fear, because the Word says: “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Never confess or focus on weakness, because the Word says: “The Lord is the strength of My life” (Psalm 27:1) and “The people that know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)

Never confess or focus on sickness, because the Word says: “With His stripes I am healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) and Jesus “Himself took my infirmities and bore my sickness.” (Matthew 8:17)

Mat 28:18 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth

Luke 9:1 Then he called his 12 disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases.

If you have the Holy Ghost you have the ability to Generate Power. While you’re sitting around waiting for GOD to send the power HE’s waiting for you to KICK up the power that’s already inside you.
When you pray you generate power. When you fast you generate power. When you praise and worship God you generate power. When you speak in tongues you generate power. When you sow seeds you generate power. When you dance for JESUS you generate power. When you show the love of JESUS you generate power.

With this JESUS power we need people who are serious about seeing our children saved and serving GOD. People that are serious about seeing the drug addict, the alcoholic, any addiction get that desire removed out of their lives, delivered and set free. See the cripples walk and the blind eyes opened and the deaf to hear and marriages healed and broken families restored.

Let’s start praising GOD for our children, praise HIM for deliverance for those addicted, praise HIM for restoration and healing of marriages. Lift up your voice and start pulling down strongholds, you’ve got the power, greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world.

You’ve got the greatest power company inside of you, let it out let those rivers of healing and deliverance flow, let those rivers of miracles flow. You’ve got the power.

JESUS is still the reason for this season and every second of our lives. Let’s celebrate JESUS.

Picture care of: Sharefaith

Forgiveness

power-of-forgiveness_t

By Pastor Jeff,

Forgiveness! It’s one of the most significant expressions of love that I can think of, Jesus over and over tells us the importance of it. In the Lords prayer He tells us in Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Then to further emphasis it he follows up in verses 14-15, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” As we see here, it can be positive if you are willing to forgive, and negative if you chose not to forgive.

Joseph (Genesis 37-45) is a great example of someone who chose to forgive his brothers who should distain to him and even came to the point of almost killing him but sold him to slavery. Eventually Joseph had the opportunity to exact revenge on his brothers but instead showed grace. The story if Ahitophel is the opposite, a one time friend and council to David, he became an enemy as result of David’s sin with Bathsheba whom was his granddaughter. We find him at the end of the story hung from tree after his betrayal was not heeded by Absalom (2Samuel 17:23).

Recently I had the opportunity to see the story of one Eva Moses Kor who had a twin sister named Miriam. These two sisters as well as the rest of their family were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944 where the entire family except for the twins were killed immediately. A doctor Josef Mengele “the angel of death” began experiments on Eva, Miriam and many other twins which had lasting affects on they bodies and may of contributed to Miriam’s’ death in 1993. Eva later was put into contact with another “Nazi” doctor who was at the camp, a Dr. Munch. She was soon confronted with the idea to write a letter of forgiveness to this doctor but was challenged to also to forgive Dr. Mengele. Eva decided that she would and then realized that she and she alone had any power to forgive, not the others who were at the camp, not any church, or any other organization. It was hers alone as we also have the same power to or not to forgive, it’s our power!

Ephesians 4:30-32, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Forgiveness is not always easy, but it is necessary, even if the person who is the recipient does not or cannot accept it we still need to forgive not once, not twice, but as Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:22, “seventy times seven”, really what Jesus was saying is there is no limit on our ability to forgive others except the limit we put on it.

Our greatest example is found in Jesus Christ, even after the beatings, mocking, and bing nailed to a wooden cross he declared in Luke 23:35, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…” If we want to be Christ-like we need to be able to do the same!

picture care of: hellemanworld.blogspot.com

Pentecost Sunday 2017

By Pastor Jeff,

Acts 2:1-4, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The feast of Pentecost is the middle of three feast in which all the adult males were required to go to Jerusalem and occurs exactly 50 days after the Passover. This feast was to celebrate the first wheat harvest and the feast of Tabernacles which occurs 50 days after is the celebration of the harvest that the Lord had blessed them with. Up to this day the nation of Israel was still living under the law instituted by God through Moses. This was the true birth of the church in which the new covenant was given unto all mankind. This day was also predicted by Joel in which the Apostle Peter repeats on this day in Acts 2:16-21, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

We notice that we had a partial fulfillment on that day for we have yet to see the signs in the heavens. Some people believe this event of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues was just for that day, but why haven’t we seen the rest of it fulfilled? Peter answers that in Acts 2:39, “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” This promise was not just for that day but for all! Many millions of people are receiving this outpouring even today and I hope you are one of them. Jesus is coming soon, He has spoken to us through prophecy many times and even tells us that He is coming “Very Soon”. With the nation of Israel returning to it’s homeland in 1948 the sand in the hourglass is emptying quickly.

Many of us believe Jesus will return in our lifetimes but even if He doesn’t there are so many benefits with receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues, why would anyone not desire it. Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” Romans 8:26-27, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” These are just a few of the benefits.

We are what I think is the most blessed generation in history, not because of the advances in technology, but because we are the ones that are going to see “all things fulfilled” There is only one thing holding our Lord form returning and that is found in James 5:7-8, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

If you have not received, let this be the day!

Picture care of: churchofgod.org

Do You go to Church or are You the Church?

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By Pastor Jeff,

When I say the word “church”, do you think of the building or the people?

I’m not claiming the building as being something that should be ignored, we know the early church did meet in buildings, Acts 2:46-47, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” The Apostle Paul also met in synagogues to preach Jesus, Acts 13:5, “And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.” and 13:14-15,”But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.” The first building that we know of that was built or used for the express purpose for holding Christian services is found in Syria called Dura-europis, the first one in Israel was from the late 3rd century called the Meggido. Interestingly the early churches only carried the name of the city or town that it resided in, not fancy names as some of the church buildings of today.

But as we look at some of Paul’s writings, I think we can notice one important fact, 1Corinthians 16:19, “The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.” Romans 16:5, “Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.” Did you notice? the church was in the house! the church was not the house! The church is far more than the building we gather together in, we are the church that gather together in the building.

There is a danger of looking at the building as the church, one is that it can easily become just a check list, you make your weekly visit to the church building and that’s it, the rest of your week is yours to do as you please! It also diminishes the power that the church really has, for we do our praying, worshipping, bible reading, and so on at the building. Matthew 16:18-19, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” If you have the Holy Spirit residing in you, the power is in you not the building.

The message of Jesus Christ should never be restricted to a building, we are to carry the message of the cross wherever we are. So are You going to Church or Are YOU the Church?

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Has the Church lost it’s Power?

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By Pastor Jeff,

Matthew 16:19-19, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

I used to have the opinion that the church of today has become considerably less powerful than the first century church, but recently after pondering upon it and searching the word of God I must admit my thoughts have changed. One of the problems I think that affects our opinion of the “church” is that we look at the denominations, the buildings, those that call themselves the church that really are not and use that as our measuring stick. When many think of the church the picture that comes to mind is the building which is far from the truth. The Greek word “Church” in the bible is the word “ekklesia” which means “called out”, we have been called out of darkness into the glorious light of Jesus Christ. The church is made up of born again believers and it really doesn’t matter if you gather in a building, a home, a restaurant, or in no building at all. When you come together you are having church!

When we established Janesville Apostolic Ministries we found that is not really too difficult to begin to start a church. The government is not concerned what you believe or even who you believe, but as long as you claim you believe you can become a church. So I see the problem not that so many churches are compromising, adopting worldly positions on creation, sexuality, marriage, eternal judgement, and so on. The problem is that they haven’t been truly Born-Again the bible way so really have no right calling themselves the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. If the presence of God is not in your services, you are not having church, you just gathering together with no real purpose.

I also feel, at least I have, that we glamorize the first century way too much, we can easily look in the Book of the Acts of Apostles and see the church definitely had great power, they had great numbers becoming converted, we see healings, people raise from the dead, demons cast out, miracles upon miracles and assume it was a perfect church. We look at church of today and see compromise, people suffering financially, spiritually, and physically and say to ourselves, why, the early church didn’t experience that, right? Wrong!

A majority of the epistles were written as result of problems that the writers had to address. We have letters addressing, homosexuality, bigotry, incest, fornication, lawsuits, false teaching, jealousy, and the list goes on. I once heard if you could ever find the perfect church, do not join it, for it would no longer be perfect! No problem, because you can never find the perfect church because it is made up of imperfect people. Does that mean that the church is not powerful, absolutely not! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, when He said the church is so powerful that not even the gates of hell stand a chance against it, it was not just for the first century church, but for us today!

Mark 16:16-18, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Sometimes I’m very happy to be wrong and am so looking forward to what God has ordained for the church of today! We are powerful and will never stop believing and proclaiming it to every creature!

Picture care of; yahwehishisname.blogspot

Commit to JESUS

By Pastor Mike

We should commit our lives to JESUS because you will never go wrong. You will benefit in this relationship. It’s like a marriage.

Ephesians 5:22-31

²²Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

²³For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

²⁴Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

²⁹For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

³⁰For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

³¹For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Just like in a marriage you need:

TRUST. We have to have complete trust in JESUS that HE will stand on HIS Word and do everything HE says HE will do. HE will. Sometimes we are the ones who don’t have enough faith to trust HIM. Because everything HE says HE will do should be the normal in our lives every day.

COMMUNICATION. This is ginormous in every relationship. We need to be talking with JESUS all the time. And don’t forget to listen to what HE’S telling you. Communication is a 2 way street. It’s so awesome to spend time with JESUS.

LOVE. How huge is the LOVE that JESUS has for us. HE suffered and died for us. ALL of us because every life matters.

We should be burning with a passion to serve JESUS and other people and not serve ourselves.

Have you ever really gone hard after something in your life? Was there ever something you wanted in life that you thought was the most important thing in your life? There was no stopping you from getting it. You would do whatever it took to get it. What if we gave that same kind of effort to going hard after JESUS? What would happen to us as individuals, as families, as a church if we made this kind of effort to pursue GOD until we really found HIM?

We need to make the miraculous the normal in our lives. We have the blessings and presence of GOD in our services. GOD has met with us in a powerful way. I can’t help but feel that there is still something more, something deeper, higher, stronger that JESUS has for us as a church.

The hungrier you get – stay that way. Watch out world, aint no stopping us now. There will be a stronger display of HIS Glory and HIS Power. There will be a more freedom in Praise and Worship because we will respond to JESUS.

Stay excited as the Word is preached. Learn to worship like the little ones do. And please don’t worry about the time. Let’s be led by the Holy Spirit and let our worship flow through this building and out to the streets like a mighty river.

Are you ready to go hard after GOD or are you satisfied with your level of commitment? What will it take for you to move to a new level of commitment? Maybe you’ve never made a commitment of any kind to JESUS. That would be the place for you to start in following after Him today.

Picture care of: www.tphd.org

Mustard Seed Faith

By Pastor Jeff,

Matthew 17:20,“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you”. Have you ever wondered if there is a difference between “Little Faith” and “Mustard Seed Faith?” I have, it seems to me that a mustard seed would qualify as being “little” right?

Jesus didn’t speak to favourably to those who He attributed had “little faith”, but He said the opposite if we had faith of a mustard seed. More than once we see Him condemn the disciples when confronted in various situations as having “little faith”. Matthew 8:25-26, “And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

So what is little faith? the word “little” means “incredulous (unwilling to believe) or lacking confidence”, it’s a faith that is stagnant, weak, not trusting or believing in someone or something. It’s a do nothing faith as spoken by James in chapter 2 verse 17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone”.

This is the opposite of mustard seed faith, Mark 4:30-32, “And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.” The mustard seed though having a very small beginning, it measures about 1/64th of an inch, when it is planted into the soil grows to a rather large tree, about 20 feet high and 20 feet wide. It can grow in the worst of soils and all different climates, just as we as Christians must do.

It’s a faith that will take chances, maybe because of its smallness it must rely on its creator much more than the larger seeds in this world, the largest seed is the “Coco der mer” measuring up to 12 inches and weighing 40 pounds. Little faith puts limits on God, mustard seed faith says all things are possible, little faith does not allow for healings, mustard seed faith expects it, little faith does not believe in miracles, mustard seed faith cries out for it. Little faith cannot stand up to the pressures of this word, mustard seed faith pushes back, little faith affects no one for the kingdom, mustard seed faith turns the world upside down for Jesus Christ.

So if you would describe your faith, would it be “little faith” or “mustard seed faith”?

picture care of darrellcreswell.wordpress