Tag: aftercare

I KNOW I KNOW

By Rick Mathes

John 16:15 (NASB77) ¹⁵  ” All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.

You can categorize people you meet four ways:

Those that:

1. Don’t know they don’t know;
2. Know they don’t know;
3. Don’t know they know;
4. Know they know!

The Holy Spirit reveals the fullness of Jesus to you so that you will know you know that you have had a new birth. Others close to you will remark, “Something has happened. I don’t even know you anymore.” Or “You’re not the person you were. There’s something different about you!”

As you grow to reflect the Son to the Father you develop a radiant life that will illuminate the Gospl to those who observe you. Your form, how you look to others, changes from black and white to color. I wish you could join me and see the faces of the Christian inmates light up when I walk into the chapel to preach a sermon!

Your insides, your essence that which human eyes cannot ee is your character; this is all we need to adpt from Jesus is His integrity and character. Look at the love chapter 13 in first Christians and replace the word love with your name: ouch!

The more of our being we exchange for His the more we of like being is drawn together. We meet in our House of Worship like metal drawn to metal. There is nothing more comforting and encouraging than the fellowship of believers. We need each other because we ae the Body of Christ and He needs all His body parts as we physically need ours.

Our knowledge of Jesus grows in our service to the Church. The more we become a positive influence on those around us the more we experience and grow in Him. The Holy Spirit makes all this possible to those who will permit Him.

I know, it’ a real sacrifice but we must fade away as the Word growns in us until all that’s left in Him and our willingness to know him in His fullness as He is. Then we can boast that we know we know!

I KNOW I KNOW

By Rick Mathes

John 16:15 (NASB77) ¹⁵  ” All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.

You can categorize people you meet four ways:

Those that:

1. Don’t know they don’t know;
2. Know they don’t know;
3. Don’t know they know;
4. Know they know!

The Holy Spirit reveals the fullness of Jesus to you so that you will know you know that you have had a new birth. Others close to you will remark, “Something has happened. I don’t even know you anymore.” Or “You’re not the person you were. There’s something different about you!”

As you grow to reflect the Son to the Father you develop a radiant life that will illuminate the Gospl to those who observe you. Your form, how you look to others, changes from black and white to color. I wish you could join me and see the faces of the Christian inmates light up when I walk into the chapel to preach a sermon!

Your insides, your essence that which human eyes cannot see is your character; this is all we need to adapt from Jesus is His integrity and character. Look at the love chapter 13 in first Christians and replace the word love with your name: ouch!

The more of our being we exchange for His the more we of like being is drawn together. We meet in our House of Worship like metal drawn to metal. There is nothing more comforting and encouraging than the fellowship of believers. We need each other because we ae the Body of Christ and He needs all His body parts as we physically need ours.

Our knowledge of Jesus grows in our service to the Church. The more we become a positive influence on those around us the more we experience and grow in Him. The Holy Spirit makes all this possible to those who will permit Him.

I know, it’ a real sacrifice but we must fade away as the Word grows in us until all that’s left in Him and our willingness to know him in His fullness as He is. Then we can boast that we know we know!

I KNOW HIM

By Rick Mathes

Acts 20:31 (NASB) ³¹  “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

Napoleon Bonaparte: “I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I myself have founded empires, but upon what do these creations of one’s genius depend on? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His Empire upon love and to this very day millions would die for Him.”

My over 30 year’s journey in Christianity has had only one goal, one target, one focus: to know Him. I’ve made Christology my major and may I suggest that you do the same.

I got fed up with denominational differences and supposed brothers in Christ pointing their swords at each other so I focused on Him and He crucified for my miserable hide. Let’s survey who Christ really is and what He has done for those the Father gave Him.

Never tire of the Cross. His death for our sins on that Cross was a greater event that creation itself! He went through that hell for you and I. It was a rea death. His eyes rolled back, his tongue swelled, His skin turned grey, rigormortis set in and He passed His bowels: stone cold dead.

I wish I could have seen Satan’s face when Jesus stepped from that tomb and said, “I’m back!” Well, He really didn’t say that but I would have. He’s alive is what’s important. Shout is from the rooftops. The witnesses agree. More people saw His death and resurrection than those that saw the birth and death of George Washington and we have no trouble believing in George.

I know He’s alive because He is alive in me. He redeemed us from the eternal furnace of flames. How can we ever hold back our praises much less our witness to what great things that have been done in heaven, on earth and below because of His resolve to love us and obey the Father.

Just talking or even reading about it as you and I are brings us closer to God. It reinforces all we know to be pure, unadulterated truth. In this we are strengthened to press on! I know Him and He knows me.

Mark Twain once confessed, “It’s not what I don’t know about in the Bible that worries me, It’s what I do know.” Amen.

I CANNOT

By Rick Mathes

Romans 8:8 (NASB77) ⁸  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Remember when you were god and you sand throughout your house, “I did it my way!” Oh how much that mindset changes when you let God be God. It is against our human nature to say, “I can’t.” It is at that precise moment God responds, “I can.” Turning our lives from self-gratification to self-sacrifice can only be an accomplished in the will, power and permission of God the Holy Spirit. You are not able to let go but through the Comforter and what a comfort it is to know He is in control and not you. Take your hands off the wheel for an experience you won’t soon forget. But what can’t you do?

You cannot reverse what God does. Whether you approach if from predestination or forethought, God does only what God desires.

You will not find God by yourself and on your own. He chose you before creation and like a worm on a hook, you can wiggle but you cannot escape. He has you!

No matter it be material or spiritual, no effort on your part will satisfy either. You will always have an insatiable desire for more things and something to fill that God vacuum in you. Only Jesus can satisfy your needs.

You are not going to get past St. Peter at the pearly gates of heaven if you are not 100% the Lord’s. You can’t be part pregnant any more than you can be part Christian. You are either all His or you belong to Lucifer. Take your choice now while you are still alive and have a choice.

Jesus promised, “The gates of hell cannot prevail against you, He will never give you more than you can bear, He will always give you a way out, He will never leave nor forsake you, no one can take you out of His hand, and where He is you will be.

You and I cannot jump the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north any more than we can span the gulf that separates heaven from hell. Only the Cross of Christ can reach from flames to Glory.

And last but not least, we cannot please God without being free from sin. This will never happen until Christ returns. So knowing that “I cannot” now motivates me to what “I can.” I can be humble, pray, seek His face, turn from my sins then He will hear, forgive and heal. AMEN!

 

I CAN DO IT!

By Rick Mathes

Satan’s first thought each day is to throw obstacles to soul-winning in your way. While you sleep at night the devil is doing push-ups and conditioning himself to wreck your day and keep you away from birthing souls into the Kingdom.

His biggest and most successful obstacle is indifference. You might think that God will save souls without you and if they are elect, what’s the rush? Eventually someone will get to them. What you don’t consider is that you are a vital part of that predestined process. That’s why this procrastination is nagging at you. The Holy Spirit is guiding you to join the process and be proactive.

Sad to say but many professing Christians don’t have a burden for lost souls is because they are lost themselves. You’re the one whose major obstacle is our own unbelief. You will burn in hell if you are agnostic.

The devil don’t care how committed you are to soul-winning just don’t start today. You have work to tire you out, family obligations at home and a great football game to watch tonight. Win souls! Go for it! But not now.

Too often our heart is closest to the Lord during hard times when our knees are closest to the foot of the cross. We just plain get spoiled rotten when the Lord blesses us with material wealth and we forget from whence it came. This is the carnal security where things become a god to us. Everyone in hell believes in Jesus and his punishment for carnal Christians a whole lot more than we do.

The real obstacle to winning souls is that we love sin and the fellow sinners who don’t condemn our evil ways. Let me ask you, “Are you friends with the devil’s friends?” Now you know why you are so reticent about sharing your faith. That you love sin confirms you love your lord Lucifer. I use strong language for a reason. This is serious unless you hate your sin you will never love the Lord because it was sin that killed Him. But if you will turn around to Him, you will be shot to the highest point in heaven. “I can do it!” is the word that will become like a fire in your veins. You will start loving those who love Him and really lives as He intended you to.

I AM the I AM

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 16:15 He •said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

How can anyone be mistaken to who Jesus is? From Genesis to Revelation is the autobiography of God, our triune God and God incarnate Jesus Christ. However, we do have sensual limitations. My dog can hear better that I can and an eagle can see as I wish I could. Our human senses are a puddle of ignorance compared to the limitless ocean of who He really is as He is. So, bless his heart, John did the best he could to quote Jesus’ Words that bring the real deal into focus. He said:

• I am the Bread of Life: I know from personal experience that I leak the Holy Spirit and weaken more for each day I am not in the Word feeding on the truth.
• I am the Light of the World: I have read all the books in the Great Books Library and they collectively do not enlighten my understanding anywhere near the Holy Bible.
• I am the Gate: The gates of hell cannot prevail against me, the narrow road leads to glory and that gate has a turn-style. We can only go through it one at a time.
• I am the Good Shepherd: Boy do I know the bad shepherds! They can only lead you to death, insanity or prison. Now I follow Him to peace, love and contentment.
• I am the Way, Truth and Life: I just can’t get my mind around how the person of Christ can be a concept. So I consider that he has the way, the truth and the life.
• I am the True Vine: Where you stand is where you will fall. Where you are planted is where you will grow. We are attached to the life-blood of Israel.

The study discipline that will clearly take you through the 66 books is called Chrsitology. I strongly recommend these three books:

1. “The words and works of Jesus Christ” By Dwight Pentecost
2. “Evidence Demands a Verdict” By Josh McDowell
3. “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ” By John MacArthur Jr

Just like any sport to know Jesus you will need all the energies and attention of the rest of your life just to dip your toe into the infinite ocean of Living Waters.

Now is the time to get with it because while you are fast asleep at night, the devil is doing push-ups and is conditioning himself to take you down. You have been warned!