Tag: aftercare

BEFORE THE DAWN

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BEFORE THE DAWN

By Rick Mathes 

John 3:36 (NASB77) 36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

The world is a howling wilderness to those who go recklessly through it, stumbling in their self-made darkness: world gone mad. They have no concept of the consequences of their random and unleashed actions of sinful aggressions. It becomes a merry-go-round of evil, careening before them with a forever of no beginnings or ends of cowardly suicide of integrity and character.

Another night of lurking fear as the streets darken and the shadows flee the sundown and beams of thinning traffic headlights: loneliness no human should ever be asked to endure. Road-rage and taunt nerves cause tempers to flare and fights to spontaneously ignite. The irresistible lure of the taverns and relief of liquid levity is only one swallow away: the devil knows. “Pass that joint my way, bro.” The shakes from last night still linger. I can’t believe there is another day when I prayed last night would be my last: a dog returning to his vomit.

My sorrow is overwhelming me when I revue those shadows that follow me. Skinned knuckles, bloody mouth, vomit and shame: night after night: Can I ever be truly sorry for living the same horrors day after day, after day, after day?

The shroud of death, coffin and hearse are lined up and prepared for my demise: my enemies would rejoice. “Oh look, there’s a big Mack truck!” It’s coming my way and all I need is a sharp turn to the left and this nightmare would end and who would care: no one? They can hold my funeral in a phone booth.

Some would fake tears and regrets but the day would dawn and if the truth be said, my passing into oblivion of the abyss would be secretly celebrated. What hope is there for me for you for that matter?

If ever there was a time for the Holy Spirit to breathe His life into me once again it is now and I pray that it will be for you also! Suck it up and drink it in deeply right now as you read this.

I need the right loving spirit to give me a Son-rise (sunrise) in my soul that will quench my prideful and hardened heart. I don’t even know what “humble” is so I cry out to You Lord, “I can’t!” and I can hear the heavens echo your response, “I CAN!”

I come to your Cross and beg forgiveness and as your Word promises, you forgive me with your atoning blood. Help me to accept it and put the past behind. It keeps rearing its ugliness to destroy the flickering joy within me. I receive the forgiveness and pledge to become a forgiver, forever.

The dawn has come to light and the night drifts slowly into the horizon of defeat. It has not power over the Light of the Word, the only Son of God, and my Savior!

BEFORE THE DAWN

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BEFORE THE DAWN

By Rick Mathes 

John 3:36 (NASB77) 36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

The world is a howling wilderness to those who go recklessly through it, stumbling in their self-made darkness: world gone mad. They have no concept of the consequences of their random and unleashed actions of sinful aggressions. It becomes a merry-go-round of evil, careening before them with a forever of no beginnings or ends of cowardly suicide of integrity and character.

Another night of lurking fear as the streets darken and the shadows flee the sundown and beams of thinning traffic headlights: loneliness no human should ever be asked to endure. Road-rage and taunt nerves cause tempers to flare and fights to spontaneously ignite. The irresistible lure of the taverns and relief of liquid levity is only one swallow away: the devil knows. “Pass that joint my way, bro.” The shakes from last night still linger. I can’t believe there is another day when I prayed last night would be my last: a dog returning to his vomit.

My sorrow is overwhelming me when I revue those shadows that follow me. Skinned knuckles, bloody mouth, vomit and shame: night after night: Can I ever be truly sorry for living the same horrors day after day, after day, after day?

The shroud of death, coffin and hearse are lined up and prepared for my demise: my enemies would rejoice. “Oh look, there’s a big Mack truck!” It’s coming my way and all I need is a sharp turn to the left and this nightmare would end and who would care: no one? They can hold my funeral in a phone booth.

Some would fake tears and regrets but the day would dawn and if the truth be said, my passing into oblivion of the abyss would be secretly celebrated. What hope is there for me for you for that matter?

If ever there was a time for the Holy Spirit to breathe His life into me once again it is now and I pray that it will be for you also! Suck it up and drink it in deeply right now as you read this.

I need the right loving spirit to give me a Son-rise (sunrise) in my soul that will quench my prideful and hardened heart. I don’t even know what “humble” is so I cry out to You Lord, “I can’t!” and I can hear the heavens echo your response, “I CAN!”

I come to your Cross and beg forgiveness and as your Word promises, you forgive me with your atoning blood. Help me to accept it and put the past behind. It keeps rearing its ugliness to destroy the flickering joy within me. I receive the forgiveness and pledge to become a forgiver, forever.

The dawn has come to light and the night drifts slowly into the horizon of defeat. It has not power over the Light of the Word, the only Son of God, and my Savior!

10 FAVORITE MESSAGES

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BROADCASTS iTunes

  1. 100 Shirts
  2. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-did-it-to-me/id394124782?i=1199451132&mt=2
  3. A Father’s Discipline
  4. http://traffic.libsyn.com/missiongate/Mission-Gate-Podcast-36.mp3
  5. Agree to Disagree
  6. http://traffic.libsyn..com/missiongate/Mission-Gate-Podcast-18.mp3
  7. At the Well
  8. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/at-the-well/id39424782?i=121885793&mt=2
  9. Backslider Anonymous
  10. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/backslider-anonymous/id394124782?i=158531924&mt=2
  11. Back to Basics Part 1
  12. http://traffic.libsyn.com/missiongate/Mission-Gate-Podcast-14.mp3
  1. Back to Basics Part 2
  2. http://traffic.libsyn.com/missiongate/Mission-Gate-Podcast-15.mp3
  3. Bad Dates
  4. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-dates/id394124782?i=120756349&mt=2
  5. Bless the Lord
  6. http://traffic.libsyn.com/missiongate/Mission-Gate-Podcast-29.mp3
  7. Brother O
  8. http://traffic.libsyn.com/misisongate/Mission-Gate-Podcast-6.mp3

BEARING FRUIT

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BEARING FRUIT

By Rick Mathes

Colossians 1:10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

No one can say for certain if another person is saved or not because even God’s elect will slip and sin from time to time. As a shepherd, I look for the fruit of the Spirit to craft a sermon or Bible study for my sheep. There are definite sign posts along the narrow road to heaven or the wide highway to hell.

One very telling characteristic of a fellow believer is we put away childish things. There was a time when we did some really crazy things and we marvel that we escaped unscathed. So thee was a time when it was fun to say it was fun, then it because fun to say it was crazy but then came the time when it was crazy to say this was fun. That’s when we had to put them away.

Another effort a born again believer will make is to cultivate a good solid understanding of God’s Word. Unless someone has their head in the bible, I really doubt they know Jesus for who He is. If you are His, you read His love letters to you (The Bible).

Striving after Christ’s ideal model of a follower of His is found in Mathew chapter 5 and is called the Beatitudes. These guidelines are in a progression so you need to do the first before you tackle the second and then the third and so on to of all things, persecution. If you do the opposite of each step you have the stairway to hell.

The best signpost of your being on the narrow road is your partaking of deeper things. The Word is shallow enough for an infant to splash in and yet can be deep enough to drown an elephant.

It mainly boils down to overcoming temptation. My surest test of your salvation is when you consider the temptation a testing of the Lord to find out how deep your love for Him is. The most valid assurance of your love for Him is your hate of sin. You hate the sin that killed God’s Son. That despising of evil things means you are bearing good fruit of good things. Sounds like you are saved! AMEN.

BE TOUGH

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BE TOUGH

By Rick Mathes

Acts 26:19 Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

I encourage you to take the blows which came to shape us and to fulfil His vision for us.

There it stood, a deformed, cracked and huge block of useless marble in the quarry. It was discarded to the rubble heap and past over by all the leading artists of the day except one, Michelangelo. He requested that block of discolored and ugly marble and sculpted it into the finest statue of King David in the whole world. He was once asked, “How did you make such a world-class masterpiece out of this useless stone?” He responded, “I just chipped away all that wasn’t David.” And so it is in our lives as the Lord shapes us back into His image and likeness.

Disobedience in an invitation for the hammer blows to begin and boy they sure do!

The first blow you may suffer is the loss of usefulness. When you begin to be disobedient to His will, nothing you touch will be blessed. Those what are walking in the Spirit will see right through you; you can’t be part saved nor obedient, any compromise with either disqualifies your attempt of good works to the trash bin in flames.

Your inner-strength will shrivel and collapse within you. The Word dries up and the Spirit steps back and let’s Satan have a go at you in this weakened condition. You need Father God to take a belt to your butt and He will. God does not approve of you getting yourself into this weakened condition.

There is no substantive reward when you are shaking the bars of your self-imposed jail cell. All you have worked so hard for will slip away and you will wind up with a handful of sawdust and a shadow of what might have been.

Your health begins to fail as your family abandons you one after another until your very life is at risk. You wealth and reputation become history.

The battering will fall on you like a sledge hammer until you obey your Creator as a creature of His hand is commanded to do so. Understand that God so loved the world that He didn’t send a committee. He sent Jesus and all He wants to hear from you when He speaks to you is, “Yes sir!”

Thank you Jesus that I have been an anvil that has been the cause of many broken hammers: all in your strength for your glory and honor.

BE SAVED

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BE SAVED

By Rick Mathes

Acts 16:30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

What successful words can you ever expect to hear but, “What must I do to be saved?” My heart pounds at the prospect of leading my next soul out of the clutches of Satan into the loving arms of Jesus. Here is a simply plan of salvation:

  • Acknowledgement:     Lk 18:13
  • Repentance:               Lk 13:3
  • Confession:                 Rom 10:9
  • Forsake:                      Isa 55:7
  • Believe:                       Mk 16:16
  • Receive:                      Jn 1:11-12

I had a Roman Catholic mentality and convinced myself that if I could deal with Satan here could deal with him there. I knew I was going to hell and I accepted that as a given. When I learned the word “Tetelestai” (it is finished) I turned startled to my pastor and asked, “Is it really true? Are my sins all forgiven?” He assured me they were and I cried like a baby. I had been saved right on the spot. What is it to be saved, you ask?

My tool-box was emptied. I couldn’t handle my old problems in the old way. Although my sinful past came crushing down on me, I was, so I thought, defenseless and it was painful. In fact the year after this experience with the Holy Spirit was worse that the year I was born again. What I hadn’t learned was that my new Daddy had it all in His hands. He proved His love to me and “It came to pass” became my favorite KJV verse. AMEN?

This blessing continued and I learned the salvation process continues. I had been saved from the punishment of past sins and now I was delivered from present sins. I learned to love the Lord more than the sin. It took and continues to take some spiritual weight lifting but I am having the time of my life pursuing the way, the truth and the life.

So at my advanced age now I look into the future and I can see it holds a life without even a temptation or sin. Rest assured, had there been any way but Christ that I hadn’t taken I would have tried it. Jesus said it best when He said, “No one comes to the Father but through Me.” That says it all: are you reaching out to be saved? Then accept Him as your Lord right now!

BE FILLED

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BE FILLED

By Rick Mathes

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

An unbeliever cannot know what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only we who have experienced being bowed again before Him can ever know, we know. When the Holy Spirit comes over you there is an illumination. It’s like going from black and white to color. You go from being a worm to being a butterfly. Astounding!

A wave of newness sweeps through you with purity, power, passion and prayer; The old dies and the new stgeps from the grave in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the same power tht spoke creation into existence and lifted our Lord’s corpse to life.

The first change that others will notice is that you move from pride to humility. When you know your heart as the Lord does, there is nothing to be prideful about. Oh how Satan and his fallen angels knows this well. Father Lucifer, the bright and morning star of heaven fell from grace because of pride to a smoldering living torch of flames in an endless hell of regret.

The selfishness that permeates with I, me and mine is exchanged for the He, Him and His of perfect love. Simon the Cyrene walked in the bloody footprints of our Savior, looking into His eyes and fell in love so much so, his two sons became the first two bishops of color in Libya! Self will die as Christ lives in you.

Peter was a very vivid example of a coward that became courageous when the Holy Spirit enjoined him in his life and service to the Lord. He made a giant step from earth into the heavenly places and he never looked back.

We live in an advertising blitzkrieg of sin that permeates any media or surface is going to put a camera on a satellite and project ads on the moon for a world audience to see and be moved to buy. Sound farfetched? Stay tuned and you will see!

The temporal or rather temporary toys of this world will join the worms that devour your cadaver in the pit. There is nothing made by man that is anywhere as valuable as man in His image and likness. You and I are His eternal trophies. Nothing else created will survive the holocaust. But don’t despair, we will rise at His call and eternal life will include a new earth and heavens.

BE COMPLETE

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BE COMPLETE

By Rick Mathes

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

I can’t help but think of the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem. What was the donkey thinking? If it was me I would be astonished beyond belief that out of all the donkeys in Israel, God chose me! Seriously, I know from whence I come and I know the wretch I am. If you saw my heart as He see it, you would stop reading and trash this devotional. I might add, if I saw your heart I would run away from you as fast as I could. Let’s get this straight: He chose us. WE had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with it. You and I have been personally closer because of Him.

A pregnant young lady walked into one of my ministry meetings saying that she was going to have an abortion. This was her fourth pregnancy from a variety of men she met at parties. My wife and I persuaded her to keep the baby. In time she was arrested for shoplifting and sent to prison. We helped her out and when she delivered the child in prison, we took it and came home with a two day old baby. When she turned three years old we adopted her as our own. When I go home to Jesus, my children will have to prove in court they are mine while my adopted daughter will already have that record available to the judge. In other words, my adopted child has preference over everyone else. Praise the Lord He adopted us and our family has been made full.

We abide in Him. Apart from Him we wither and dry up without value except to tinder a fire. This means the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives in making us complete. Here we are shattered and scattered in sin but thank you Jesus for my conscience convicting me of sin. We are an empty earthen vessel that is filled to the brim with all our Lord has to offer. That sure is a miracle in our lives that only His unconditional love could provide.

Now you and I need to be sensible enough to reach out to all the Lord has to offer. We can’t be a partial Christian. We can’t be partially saved. It is not an option. We must be complete in Him, period.

Once we surrender all we are for all He is we become compete in Him. This is impossible unless we tap the fullness of faith to be possessed by Him. It is worded that we are His servant to sooth some sensibilities but the word is truly not servant it is slave. It is the opposite of what your flesh craves but with the help of the Helper we can be complete and experience a relationship that can only be understood by someone who has experience in it. Press ON!

BAIT AND SWITCH

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BAIT AND SWITCH

By Rick Mathes

Acts 20:28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

The sheep or our post-Christian era are being sheared by false shepherds that only care about themselves. I have attended enough Baptist minister breakfasts to know that the main topic of their passion is not baptizing new believers. I spoke at a Baptist pastor’s conference and scolded them. I said that they had fifty ministers in the room and collectively hadn’t had fifty baptisms in the last ten years. I even preached on, “Is Judas still treasurer of your church?” Needless to say, they gave me their left hand of friendship and turned their backs on me ever since.

I’ve had it with demons in the pulpit preaching another Christ. They have exchanged the Word of God for the words of men! Emperor Constantine began the smoldering sacraments and rituals of Father Satan and the Roman Catholic Church, cults and the carnal Protestant churches have continued the apostasy. It’s called religion. My unsaved, hell-bound half-brother once said, “All our world’s problems can be traced back to their origin in religion!” He was dead-on right.

Religion is man’s best effort to reach God, faults aplenty. Christianity is Christ’s faultless efforts to reach man. Believers reach back because we are made in His image and likeness. When someone insists on evolution I respond, “If you think your great, great, great grandfather was a monkey, I am inclined to agree with you.” So much depends on you believing that, “In the beginning was the Word, etc.”

Religion provides a manmade Poe or some other such officer that bloats with pomp, power and becomes a despot seeped in tyranny. We are misguided from faith to presumption and that we worship the creature instead of the Creator. It becomes a satanic cult community.

Christianity does not separate and isolate it’s followers. It unifies them in superior splendor far above the hell bound fallen angels. The true salvation of faith and fear can overwhelm trust Christianity has been marketed by bait and switch con-men. They will attract you with enough plausible truth to disguise the lies that are to follow.

AT THE CROSS

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AT THE CROSS

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NASB77) 18  For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Evangelical Christians accept the basis for the truth is:

  • Bible Only
  • Jesus Only
  • Grace Only, and
  • Faith Only

They also believe the Gospel According to Jesus is:

  • Total Depravity
  • Unmerited Salvation
  • Limited Atonement
  • Irresistible Grace
  • Perseverance of the Saints

There follows as an effect of these causes:

  • Reconciliation
  • Justification
  • Redemption, and
  • Propitiation

Now I know I have not made this lesson easier for you. In fact, I have stirred up more questions than answers. That is exactly my intention. Jesus has called us to make disciples that are learners and the best way to do that is to stimulate your intellect, feelings and experiences with an inquisitive mind. Socrates was a master of questioning you in such a way as to have you arrive at the answer he wanted you to and believe the revelation was your own.

The Jews rejected the cross because they knew that those nailed to it were cursed. And the Greeks thought it amusing that God died. It was a challenging of thought that turned both to learners. Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 foretold the Suffering Servant of the cross and an exchange of the innocent death for the forgiveness of the sin reached both the Jew and the Greek.

They learned at the Cross that the Lord they once cursed was their Messiah, their only God!