FAITH AND FAITH ALONE

Faith and Faith alone can save

In the book of Romans Ch. 1 verses 16 & 17, the Bible says, ” For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the Power of God unto Salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the Just shall live by Faith.”
If a person is too proud to bend their spirit before God, then that person will never get to heaven. They may be a kind, gentle, loving person; they may even give to charity. But if pride keeps them from admitting their need for Christ, then they are not accepting His gift of salvation.

Many people are in hell today because their heart was too hard and they really believed that their mind was too smart for the God who created them. There is only one to make it to heaven. Holy God can not tolerate sin in His presence, and God decreed that the penalty for sin is death. ” For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 declares… And Romans 3:23 is clear that ALL men are sinners. So, God has provided a bridge between Himself and mankind. Merciful God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die in man’s place. Jesus sacrifice is all that is necessary for a person to enter into a relationship with God.

A person does not work or reason their way into heaven. The bridge that spans the gap between each person and God is crossed only through an acts of faith. By acknowledging the need for a savior and by accepting Christ;s death on the Cross as the payment for their sins. The truly wise people of this world are the ones who have accepted this truth and have bowed at the feet of the worlds redeemer; Jesus Christ

THE MOTHER WITH A BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE

Lester Sumrall tells of the time he was in England before WW2; He often stayed in the homes of church members rather than hotels. At one home in which he stayed, he noticed that the mother only had one ear. Dr. Sumrall asked her if she was born with just one ear and the mother replied,” no, it was my daughter who was born with only one ear.”

The mother continued, “The other children at school tormented her terribly because she had just a single ear. She could hardly wait until her hair grew long enough so the other children could not see that one ear was missing.”

This loving mother told Lester Sumrall that she waited until her daughter had physically matured to the point where their ears were the same size, then they entered a hospital. When they were discharged from the hospital, the  girl  had two beautiful ears. The mother now had just one ear.

ONCE TO DIE; THEN THE JUDGMENT

Hebrews 9:27 states ” And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment .”

One of the strange aspects of modern life is the way that so many wish to ignore the fact that death is the inescapable lot of every human being. People close their minds and do everything possible to forget the sure coming of the grim reaper.

Only the Christian, washed in the Blood of Jesus, can face the inevitable with the serenity of Dr. F. B. Meyer, one of the great saints of a bygone time. Just hours before his death, Dr. Meyer wrote to a friend: “ I have just heard, to my surprise, that  I  have only a few days to live.  It may be that before this reaches you I shall have entered the palace. Don’t trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning. With much love, yours affectionately, F. B. Meyer.

One reason men fear to face the fact of death is that we all instinctively realize that death is not the end. Death strips away all disguises and reveals us as we really are. Death does not change eternal destiny; it confirms it.

Please see our section on first steps.

A MESSAGE ON HEALING BY PASTOR SCOTT CORBIN

The question, I suppose, has been asked by many, does God heal today? Sadly, some are even unaware that they should at least ask the question. They assume that miracles are not for today, and sadder still, some of these people are Christians. 

To answer the question simply, Yes, God certainly does heal today. How do I know this? I don’t have to personally witness one single miracle or even see one on television or read about one in a book. I know God heals today because the Bible says so. Anyone who tells you differently is, frankly, not telling you the truth.

We see throughout Scripture that God is a God of Healing. In the earthly ministry of Jesus, He healed. He said He came to destroy the works of the devil and do the will of the Father. So what does that say about sickness? Sickness is from Satan. Actually, sickness and all else that plagues mankind is the result of the fall in the Garden of Eden, i.e., sin. But Jesus’ death on Calvary paid the penalty for our sin, and we’re told that by the beating he took, He paid the price for our healing of sickness. The Bible also tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So the question should not be raised concerning a “day of miracles.” Instead we should realize that we, if we are saved, serve a God of the miraculous.

If this is true, you many ask, why are so many people sick? One might also ask the question, why are so many people dying lost and going to Hell? It’s certainly not because that’s what God wants; He wants everyone to be saved. People either die lost because they never heard the Gospel or else they heard and rejected it. 

So why are some people not healed? Some have never heard that God is a Healer. Unfortunately it is not preached from the pulpits today as it should be. Some have heard the message and rejected. What about those who have heard, are believing, and still haven’t been healed? I don’t think anyone who is as humble and honest as he should be can answer that question completely. But the fact is many have been healed, are being healed today, and more importantly, God’s Word says that healing is ours. 

The important point is that we should start believing God to work out our physical problems, just as you would believe Him to work out anything else that’s wrong in your life. If you’ve already been believing for a miracle and it hasn’t come yet, don’t give up! God has not forgotten you. And He will give you the grace you need to get where He wants you to go.

So often we short change God and don’t allow Him to be the God He has promised that He is. Our unbelief stops God. He is moved by our faith. Ask God to increase your faith. Make sure that you have given your life as totally to Him as you know how to do at this point in your life.

Remember, in the Atonement, there is not only Salvation, which, of course, is the most important thing, since it’s eternal, but there is also Healing provided for the physical body. God may heal you by medicine and by working through a doctor, He may not be able to heal some until they take the proper care of themselves. But where medical science has to stop and say “There’s nothing else we can do,” that’s when God step in and provide for His own.

Please believe Him for your miracle today. Again, He’s only limited by our faith. He’s a big God, so believe big. He’s conquered cancer, AIDS, heart disease, and any other disease you can name. Start to praise the Lord Jesus Christ right now for buying the gift of healing at Calvary. All that’s left for us to do is to receive it.

NO TURNING BACK

“And Jesus said unto him, No man,having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God”. [Luke 9:62]

By the grace of God, I started out living for Jesus many years ago. Along the way I have stumbled and made many mistakes and missteps. Always and without exception, when I reached out for the Lord to pick me up, He did.
Never has there been a time when He left me to my own devices or to wallow in my defeat. Because of the finished work of Christ upon the Cross, I am saved today and preaching this glorious gospel. Whether on the mountaintop or down low in the valley, the object of faith has always remained the same; Christ and Him Crucified. There is no other solution for any of us nor do we need any other.

We live in a world today that is very, very different from the world at the time I received Christ. Today, political correctness is all the rage and tolerance is demanded. Compromise is on the lips of many top christian leaders these days. Nowadays, so many in the church are trying to mix Jesus in with the rest of their “stuff”. In the world of seeker-sensitive evangelism it is a crime to mention the word sin or to call men sinners. I never would have gotten saved had not a true man of God told me that I was a sinner that needed a savior. I did not receive Christ for life enhancement; I received Christ to escape the wrath to come. I have broken the laws of God, as we all have, and can do nothing myself to set it right. I need and in fact must have, a savior.
I did not receive Christ to merely “enjoy the trip”, I want to be saved from the judgement at the end of the trail. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way that man-kind can become right with God again and though that is not popular today, I will never quit preaching it. It is the truth!

No power in this world [or in the church for that matter] can compel me to change my convictions just because a mob wills it.
Our enemy, satan, would love for us to stop preaching the true gospel and the message of the Cross. Because the moment the preaching of the Cross stops, people stop getting saved.[ 1 Cor. 1:18, 21-23]
When a preacher like Joel Osteen states that he never mentions the Cross or sin, how can people truly be saved?When we allow a man like Rick Warren to try and bring all religions together in our christian churches, what does that say about the significance of our faith in the Lamb of God? And by the way, isn’t Jesus enough purpose? Did not Jesus provide us with the real “Purpose Driven Life” when He went to the Cross?
Why do we seem to think we need some fad to take the place of what Jesus did for us at Calvary?

Just like David did, you and I need to stop hiding from the things we fear and go after them face-to-face. Shake no hands with the enemy. If you are a true gospel preacher, then do not negotiate with the powers of hell. Don’t flirt with your enemies and do not let them flirt with you. The enemy and his demons are not in charge of me. Refuse to allow anything or anyone to conform you to the spirit or the ways of the world. Do not be conformed, but be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.[Rom.12:1-2] We need to boldly march into these last days and follow the path least chosen instead of following the path of least resistance.

The world and the modern liberal, seeker-sensitive church can do as it desires; But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. [Joshua 24:15]. Its high time to cease halting between two opinions and choose this day whom you will serve.
As for me, I will take the way of Calvary.

A CONFESSION IN TIMES OF TRIAL

Through my trials and testings I am: 1- going to reaffirm my position in Christ.
2- I will profit from them.
3- My faith will be tested and proven.
4- In times of testing and trial, I will learn what is valuable in my life.
5- My faith will mature.
6- I will be purified by the Lord.
7- My faith throughout the trial will bring glory and honor to God.
8- I will learn to love God even more.
9- I will learn of the faithfulness of God.
10- As a result, my life will become more useful to God.
This confession of faith is based upon 1 Peter 1:3-11

THE TRIALS WE FACE

Sometimes it is very difficult to maintain our courage during times of trial. Satan loves to discourage us and to put fear on us. Let none of us imagine that we will have smooth sailing merely because we follow Christ. Trials will come to each believer.God allows us to go through so that we can get to.

We must often go through something in order to get to something.

We grow spiritually as we encounter trials and learn to trust the Lord through them.

Allow me to share some things that I have learned about trials.
1-Trials and hardships can be used by God to build our character and purify our faith. [1Peter 1:3-7]
2-The trials that we go through can be used of God to help us have compassion on others and comfort them in their times of trial. [2 Cor. 1:3-7]
3-If we keep our eyes on Jesus and look for the eternal perspective, trials and tough times are survivable. [2 Cor. 4:7-18]
4- Our trials often cause us to examine ourselves and allows our foundation to be tested. If we are grounded firmly in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can make it through with our faith intact. [ Luke 6:47-49]
5-No matter what we are called upon to go through, no matter how hard or difficult: Jesus is always with us in the storms of life. We are never outside His watchful eye, His caring and compassionate embrace, and His holy, awesome, abiding presence. [Mark 4:35-41] and [ Matt. 28:20b]
6-God gives us hope right at the time when our heart is so very, very troubled. We can have the peace of Jesus in the midst of our greatest trials. [ John 14:1-7]
7- We must endure and persevere through our trials.

Read the following verses of Scripture.
Luke 8:15
James 1:2-4
Hebrews 12: 1-3
2 Timothy 4:7-8

In the times we are living in I believe that trials are going to increase, but so will our peace. Calamity is coming but so is our Lord. Dark days are truly ahead, but so is the finish line. As Christians, we should not fear what lies ahead but we must put our trust in the Lord.

Len Paxton

WHO WAS IT THAT REALLY CRUCIFIED OUR LORD ?

From scripture, we know who it was that cried for His Blood. We also know who nailed Him to the tree.  The Jews will say “it was the Roman soldiers that drove the nails into His hands.”   The Roman soldiers will say ” it was the Jews that cried out for His Blood.”  Pilate will say that he is innocent of this mans blood.  Who was it, then,  who crucified  our  Lord  ?

Isaiah gives us the answer: ” Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  Isaiah 53:4-6

We are all guilty and we can all be saved; but only because Jesus died. We must receive His sacrifice Personally.

The Wages Of Sin Are Not Pleasant To Behold.

“The way of  transgressors is hard” Proverbs 13:15

No heart can rejoice in the sight of a man destroyed, even though it is by his own doings.  Sin is the fountainhead of all sorrow, and it is the mother of all tears. Sin is a mighty destructive force. Sin is never satisfied until a life is ruined, disgraced, and brought into shame.

Go through the Bible and look at the payday of sinning.  See Cain walking down the road, driven from the presence of God, saying, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” [Genesis 4:13]

Then look at mighty Samson, champion of Israel, “grinding in the prison house” with his hair cut and his eyesight gone, having become the laughing stock of Gaza.  

Look at David, the sweet singer of Israel. No one could play the melodious tones of the golden harp like David could. See him, this great warrior of Israel, as he stands over the lifeless body of his ill-gotten son, unshaven, unkept, brought into open shame for his sin.

There is only one way to avoid the tragic consequences of sin, and that way is CHRIST.  

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” [Romans 6:23] 

by Len Paxton

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY; May 11

Mother, you mean the world to me. Thank you for all you have given to make my life succeed. You are a truly special person. I do not often tell you how proud I am when all of your friends talk highly of you. You have blessed people wherever you have gone in life and most of all, you have been a blessing in my life. I love you Mom. You will always be with me in my heart,forever.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers in the world.