Tag: Allah

DUST TO GLORY

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DUST TO GLORY

By Rick Mathes

It’s hard to get into the head of an unbeliever. It just doesn’t make any sense why someone would refuse our Lord’s salvation from eternal dying in flames. It’s even harder to penetrate the souls of those that don’t care nor even want to think about what starts when their heart stops. It’s so frustrating!

The experience of being saved involves three areas: intellectual, volitional and emotional. One might be the entry level for the other three but all must come together for a genuine experience.

God can be recognized in two forms essentially: His form and His essence. His form rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and can now be found in the Holy Spirit He sent to take His place in our lives until His return. The essence is in the Word of God we call our Holy Bible. The Logos explodes off of the pages as the living witness to a living God.

The Bible teaches us about God, our own soul and human destiny. It is a life-raft in a sea of apathy and neglect. Just think of the genius of God in picking out the color of blue for our sky as well as a nose on your face to smell. Did you ever study the optics of just your eyeball? Evolution, phooey! His mind is unknowable except what He had to say to us in His Word.

Jesus walked in the same dust we do. Let’s at least agree that His friends are our friends and His enemies are our enemies. God grant us the wisdom to now the difference. Thank you Bill W. and Dr. Bob!

Look at His way of managing both the good and bad that crossed His paths as they cross ours. How did He handle those difficult circumstances and how did He show His love?

Take a closer look at what He rejected rather than what He accepted. When you know the truth through and through the false stands out like a stubbed toe. It makes you automatically say, “Ouch!” and avoid it.

He commanded that we pick up our cross to be worthy to follow Him and in dying to your  self we walk in His life and make His future ours. Why gaze backwards at the dust when you can look upward to His glory.

DON’T BUG ME

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DON’T BUG ME!

By Rick Mathes

Trish and I were invited to a fellow Christian’s home for an outdoor barbeque and we accepted. It was such a blessing to not worry about my doing a Bible study or preaching a sermon, just relax. And so I did on a chase lounge on the backyard patio.

I couldn’t help but notice that there was a blue bug light to stave off the little critters from annoying us. I drifted into a dreaming mind of imagination and focused on the bugs. This light was such that it attracted the passing bugs to certain death and I wondered what it was that did so. I decided it was the blue that was a counterfeit of the normal illumination that puzzles these little critters.

It didn’t take long for me to notice the differences in their approaches to the light of death. Some bugs dive-bombed into the light and snapped and popped and exploded their bodies to smithereens. And I wondered why they did this when they had seen their friends dive to certain extinction.

Others would circle and circle the blue light watching the dive bomber crash dive and disappear. And yet after a while, their circles would get smaller and smaller until POP they too suffered an early demise, so stupid. Didn’t they see what happened to the bugs that that went into never-never land?

Finally, I focused on the bugs that kept circling a decent distance from the light and watched intently on what was happening before them. After a time, they looked and decided the counterfeit light was not for them. They saw others perish before them and wisely flew off.

What lesson have you learned from these bugs? Do you have more sense than them?

CONDEMNED

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CONDEMNED

By Rick Mathes

Twenty-six weekend revivals in twenty-six prisons over two states simultaneously! It had never been done before. The logistics of this prison invasion boggled my mind, not to mention the trembling of my heart. Over a thousand volunteers would have to be instructed, assigned, security cleared and coordinated with musicians all at the same time. Well, this overwhelming task sure go my soul winning juices going as I sharpened my marketing skills and committed to this undertaking. Direct mail, church meetings and endless phone calls. A blur of apprehensive Christians caught up in the peer group pressure, contagious excitement, invading prisons for Christ. Setting the captives free!

As the December invasion drew nearer, I became disquieted and panicky of possible prison violence and danger. I had recruited these lambs and sent them to the slaughter. The prisoners would chew them up and spit them out. I was walking in fear and doubt. My spirit had weakened and at least I had enough discernment to press on in prayer an fasting in preparation for this spectacular event. While deeply into it, the Lord impressed me on the importance of spiritual combat.

The light turned green and the invasion was a go when I received an eleventh hour call from death row in the state maximum security prison over 100 miles from me. They wanted to participate and not be left out. I volunteered to do a Sunday morning service and the arrangements were made.

I arrived at the penitentiary earlier than the visitors and subsequent to a very meticulous search I was permitted to enter the confined security area clutching my Bible. I entered the walkway with ten thickly screened cages on both sides that were only three feet square and barely tall enough for a man to stand up in. Very comparable to a zoo. Extremely debasing and smothering. I made a stand at the gat and resolved to preach out and down the corridor. I wasn’t sure anyone would show up so I just paced the floor and prayed.

Three hours had passed before all the C. P. (capital punishment) inmates were positioned in these cramped cubicles. Each C.P. had to be brought out one man at a time, cuffed from behind and leg-shackled. A further obstacle was caused by the “No Physical Contact” rule in effect. The unbroken pathway caused much complaining and inconvenience for the other prisoners. One by on they stepped into these disgraceful cages and the cuffs and chains were removed. No physical contact whatsoever. They were phlegmatic and sulky and then it really hit me!

I was in an arena of death row prisoners that had committed crimes that were so unforgivable that civilized society required their lives as retribution. They had all been sentenced to die by lethal injection. Not competent to live. They would all eventually walk that last mile and return in a box. The awesome responsibility for their souls overwhelmed me and it was at that instant that I experienced a tremendous illustration from the Lord that has influenced my ministry to this day.

I opened us up in prayer and began turning to Psalm 51 when I noticed that I couldn’t see the print very well. I searched myself and realized that my glasses were missing and I would be helpless to read the text without them. Why would God do this to me? Didn’t he know how significant this service was? What did he expect me to do now? On my left was a murderous looking convict with a sneer across his disfigured and pock-marked face. Impulsively, I asked him if he could read this for me. He said he would.

I remembered a television service I had watched where the minister had someone read each line, and the preacher would preach. Seemed like a good idea to me, so I put the open Bible against the screen for him to read. And he began to read slowly and reverently, not however pausing for me to preach. Everyone hung on every word and the Spirit of God settled down on them in an incredible way.

When he was through, I couldn’t believe my eyes! One by one they dropped to their knees and began weeping. I hadn’t preached a singe word. Instinctively, I did a call to repentance and they responded as one. We then sang some praise songs to Jesus and the sentry ushered me out and on to the street. My head began to clear and the lesson sunk in.

Jesus Christ had done the service and what could I have possible have added to Psalm 51 but a death row convict to read it? My lesson? The Lord was with them before I got there and that He had remained after I left, still setting captives free 2,000 years later!

CHOOSING A MINISTER

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CHOSING A MINISTER

By Rick Mathes

Lucifer was an angel of light. He was the superstar of heaven until his narcissism consumed him in pride and he challenged God for heaven. Well you know what happened, he dropped like a rock to earth and began his war on Christendom

Be honest with me. When did you meet privately with your pastor and quiz him on his doctrine? Let’s go a little deeper. Do you even know what doctrine you believe and can prove from the Word that it is true? There’s two serious considerations you need to make.

Just because you park your body in a church doesn’t make you a believing Christian. And that Preacher in your pulpit might be a devil with a mask on. You don’t know and probably don’t care. As long as he’s entertaining and you get “holy ghost bumps” from the music, the rest is ok with you.

Honestly, most people choose their church like they pick out their favorite hamburger: this one has cheese, the other has catsup but this one has a sesame bun and that one didn’t have a pickle. Oh, please spare me this mindless nonsense.

If your preacher is a counterfeit you will never or very rarely hear the words: sin, death, hell, believe, repent or obey He will say those things that will sooth your checkbook into a generous donation.

The next time you sit under him and his sermon take a steno-pad with you. On the left side do a stick count every time he says: He, Him or His. On the right side do a stick count when you hear I, me or mine. Look at the bottom totals and you will know who he was lifting us to worship.

True evangelical Christianity is Bible only, Jesus only, grace only and faith only: nothing added. The true gospel according to Jesus is commonly called Calvinism. All other faiths are “doing” but the real deal in “done.” Jesus really meant it from the cross when He said, “It is finished!” So I strongly suggest that you trust your soul to the real ambassador of Jesus. You only have one soul, one life, and once chance to get it right!

Go to www.missiongateministry.org or www.RickMathes.org for further “good stuff.”

 

CAUSE AND EFFECT

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CAUSE – EFFECT

By Rick Mathes

(Author of “Allah or Jesus”)

Every cause has as effect, every action has a reaction, and every effort has a consequence and so on. You can always tell the value of the tree by the fruit it will produce. Truth may be obscured by a lie but it will truth will prevails, it will emerge.

J.I. Packer: “Justification is the truly dramatic transition from the status of a condemned criminal awaiting a terrible sentence to that of an heir awaiting a fabulous inheritance.”

Repentance is God’s answer to Satan’s sin. John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, and Peter all began their ministry with an altar (alter) call. This is an acknowledgement of an upward call to holiness. To be holy we must first be wholly His. You can’t be part pregnant nay more than you can be part saved. Jesus wants all of you or none of you: it’s that simple.

Repentance is a full pardon from the King. If ever you have even did time in a prison you really understand a retrial that provides you with an acquittal from all charges and a release from the prison cell. “Bunk your junk.” I have picked up more than one who when we got through the prison gate fell to the ground outside the fence and kissed it. I’m sure we’ll do the same when we sets foot in glory.

Repentance is a new lease on life. You were one a dead man looking for a place to be buried. It’s a personal renaissance to a better level of existence and a new life in Christ like you have never imagined. If you really have the Lord it is quite comfortable and He fits like an old shoe, so to speak. The tail doesn’t wag the dog anymore.

Remember though, the sin you have is the sin you want more than Jesus. Because if you didn’t want it more than you do want it you would have it! The devil didn’t make you do it.

Repentance is a gift of love from God. It’s the key that opens your heart to believe and obey the Lord of your salvation. You can accept it as the Holy Spirit’s labor of love, AMEN?

Go to www.RickMathes.org for more.

Go to www.MissionGateMinistry.org for an experience you won’t soon forget!

Go to www.lordshipsalvation.net for my blogs.

BEFORE AND AFTER

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BEFORE – AFTER

By Rick Mathes

The following is a good overview of an unbeliever. I know it describes my thinking until I received my Lord’s invitation to be saved and accepted it. It might sound like you.

  1. I will not give up my sins.
  2. I will not worship an invisible God.
  3. I will not attend a place of phony worship.
  4. I really have no love for the man Jesus,
  5. I will not pray in public.
  6. I will not do a morning-evening devotional.
  7. I will not pray in the air to an invisible God.
  8. I really don’t believe anyone is really saved.
  9. I will not tithe or make donations to this nonsense.
  10. I don’t believe He rose from the dead.
  11. I will not be a hypocrite and fake it.
  12. I don’t believe in sin, death and the devil.
  13. I don’t believe the Bible, it was just written by men.

The downside of our pilgrimage on planet earth is that Satan’s kingdom is thriving and for all intents and purposes succeeding to twist the Christian truths with alternative thinking contrary to God’s purposes. The history channel’s Ancient Aliens, UFO’s, visitors from other planets, Nostradamus, the list goes on and one to prove every celestial appearance by provable and repeatable science.

Christianity is not a blind leap of faith nor man’s invention to explain the unexplainable. But unbelief is the easy, most comfortable way out. Jesus was spot-on when He published in His Word, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.”

God blessed me to my earliest remembrance as a youth to question “Why?” and “What is truth?” Those two questions have hounded me all of my life even to this moment. I can tell you before God and man, with all the honesty, logic and secular investigation I am capable of, Jesus rose from the dean of His own volition and in His perfect timing!

This is the hinge that will take you from the before to the after if ony you will make it a priority in your studies. You won’t have a second chance. We only pass this way once. There is no room for error!

Before or after, it’s your decision!

ARE YOU CHOSEN?

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ARE YOU CHOSEN?

By Rick Mathes

When you take that first step for the Lord, believe me, there’s no turning back. You have declared war on Father Lucifer and his national headquarters in Rome. He knows his time is limited so he and his priests are working themselves up into a frenzy to take you down no matter what they have to do within the Lord’s permitted bounds. Now or never, you must do spiritual push-ups and be ever alert to the unceasing barrage of flaming arrows from that bogus nation of demons.

Your first fortification or live of defense is your state of mind. You need to abandon all the plans you had for yourself and your family to be available for whatever He wants and wherever He wants you. This takes a tough discipline to be an anvil that is the cause of many broken hammers because Satan will hammer your efforts even with professing Christians. It’s a commitment that cannot be broken, no matter what, even death, you must press on!

You must have excellent principles of faith so tight there isn’t any crack in your integrity or character for the devil to slip on through. Just imagine a rabid, junk-yard dog gnashing his teeth a hairs-breath away from your carotid artery! He just needs you to blink with your defense and it’s all over. Think of yourself soaked in lighter-fluid and the devil is just a little lit match. It doesn’t take but one mistake to destroy a lifetime of achievement. Strengthen your courage to preach the truth and be totally convicted that there isn’t any plan B: Bible only, Jesus only, Grace only and Faith only. Calvinism is the gospel according to Jesus.

Now brace yourself for good results. Don’t let His successes go to your head. Remember it was pride that dropped Lucifer into hell like a rock and it is pride that you didn’t fail. You tried and the Lord said, “Not now.” Keep your armor on and your sword (The Word) up and ready at all times in season and out of season: when you expect combat an even when you expect peace.

Remember, father Lucifer is the father of lies and his home office in Rome will do all they can to coerce your obedience to them not Jesus. Nothing less than obedience to Jesus will do. Are you ready togie out the gospel no matter what? Are you ready to die for it!

WHY NOT?

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WHY NOT?

By Rick Mathes

There are two questions that have nagged me from as far back as I can remember: Why and what is Truth? Apart from Jesus and the constant teaching of the Apostles, neither question can ever be objectively answered. To this day my mind goes haywire when I hear people philosophize in a relative and often circular manner of reasoning. To them, truth is whatever they believe to be true. They cross their eyes when I remind them of the law of non-contradiction: A cannot be both A and B at the same time or A and B cannot both be true.

Socrates drove everyone nuts with his incessant questioning of “Why?” His dialectic method of questioning made fools out of those who lived without constants, nothing objectively secure.

My parents would say, “You need to be in by 10PM!” I’d ask, “Why?” and they would say, “Because we said so!” Made no sense to me the difference between 9PM and 11PM so I would stay out until midnight which made more sense to me.

And my second nagging question was, “What is truth?” I read almost every word in the Great Books Library, had a I Q of 140 and still didn’t know what truth was. I didn’t learn until I read the Bible Jesus say, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

I still can’t understand how Jesus can be the truth. I can understand how he has the truth, or he knows the truth, or he teaches the truth but how can a man be a concept, and why?

There I go again, I’m right back to where I started!

YOU WILL SEE

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YOU WILL SEE

By Rick Mathes

John 1:39 He •said to them, “Come, and you will see.” They came therefore and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

How can anyone resist His central command, “Come.” When the King issues a demand, all he wants to hear from you is, “Yes Sir!” Yet, with just a gentle invitation, one of the greatest Apostles, John and his brother stepped forward and spent the afternoon with Him.

I don’t know what Jesus discussed with the two teenagers but they never left His side until James was martyred and John lived out his old age in Ephesus.

Here are more notable requests:

  • Follow Me:
  • John 1:43 The next day He purposed to go forth into Galilee, and He •found Philippians And Jesus •said to him, “Follow Me.”
  • Come to Me:
  • Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
  • Learn of Me:
  • Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
  • Abide in Me:
  • John 15:14 “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.

I can’t tell you how many times I have taught my sheep to hear, listen, learn, apply and evaluate. We are the sum total of all our choices and for the life of me I will never understand why anyone would have a problem with the Lord’s good news.

He lays out for us to follow, come, learn and abide.

Many shallow, carnal Christians will put on a wonderful show of following Him. They are dot-to-dot perfect in the church attendance, Bible studies, good works and fellowship. But when things don’t go their way the turn inward to self and lose themselves in their own feeble and failing efforts.

Others only come to Him in time of need. They believe that Jesus is their servant not the other way around. Our mentors, those we learn from, are found often by chance instead of choice. We all need to hold on to Paul and drag along a Timothy. It is then that when you follow His steps the Holy Spirit will make His dwelling in you like your father’s blood runs through your veins; He will abide in you and you in Him.

NOW WHAT?

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NOW WHAT?

By Rick Mathes

Acts 1:6-8 (NASB77) 6  And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8  but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

We never forget the first time we dropped to our knees to confess Jesus as our Lord and we look forward to the last: the moment after our last heartbeat when we meet him eye to eye,

Let’s go through a here and not quiz first:

  1. What do you think about Jesus?
  2. Is His name an important matter to you?
  3. Do you sense He tests your condition?
  4. Have you seriously considered His Word lately?
  5. Was He sent from God to you?
  6. Is He your all in all?
  7. Have you deliberately picked up His Cross?
  8. Will you repent of your sins right now?
  9. Are you a faithful disciple of His every circumstance, Does your future only include Him?
  10. The future is not for us to know and I wouldn’t want to know it if I could. Like to me is a continuous adventure with fun and challenges behind every door in my fun house of salvation.
  11. When the Spirit of Go comes upon you:
  • You have courage you never know you had.
  • Your confidence level soars to a high but calm level.
  • You have a fresh and pure affection for all that affects you?
  • Your zeal for Jesus flames up and consumes you.
  • Your patience becomes that of Job’s.
  • Your perseverance through anything for the saints that are His.So now what you ask?Be a witness for what Jesus has done in your life. When people get to know you they should get to know Jesus. Witness what He has revealed to you through your faith and obedience. Your experience with Jesus should always be uppermost in your thoughts, words and actions. And most of all, persever. Fight the good fight, keep the faith and finish the race. Press ON!