Tag: church

PAIN IS GAIN

By Rick Mathes

Acts 12:12 (NASB77) ¹²  And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

The root word for temptation or testing in Greek is the same word. In either use, Jesus is showing the resolve of the believer to remain faithful to Christian values. This inevitably will work good in a man even if there is a growing pain “ouch!” in the process.

It’s been my experience that the Lord’s primary target to uncover is the pride of self that needs to humbled. This sin was the demise of Lucifer. Pride, in fact, is the root of most all sins that follow. The death of self demonstrates faith in the promises of the Lord that we will be forgiven, will rise from our graves and be raptured into heaven where He reigns supreme. Oh what a blessed hope to live for!

Everyone has doubted at one time or another so a positive spin on testing is to challenge our sincerity. Are you a Christian for real? I believe there is a hotter place in hell for hypocrites that pose as Christians but live for the devil. The flames of hell torture but the holy fire of the Holy Spirit refines and purifies the soul of dross so that only purity remains as a treasure you store uf for that special day when you return to your first nature.

Affliction can increase your power to resist sin and to humble and correct your perverted thought process an rationalization that makes evil good.

This whole experience of temptation is designed to make an example of you as a typhoon tests the roots of trees it lashes it fury at with full force. The calm that follows this temptest manifests love because it has prevailed against the blow-torch blast of flames from hell.

What reward can be expected as we learn obedience? Joy and the good will of Jesus make the holocaust the devils can throw at us worth surviving for Him. This is truth that pain precedes gain. The last beatitude of persecution will open the gate to the throne room. The Father is waiting for us to fight the good fight and stand before Him in victory.

 

PAID IN FULL

By Rick Mathes

John 19:30 (NASB77) ³⁰  When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, ” It is finished!” And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.

My wife and I had a very large debt from our “before Christ” days that followed us ino full-time ministry. We chose not to bankrupt because of the poor example that would be so we dug in and had pasta without the meatballs for seven years and paid everyone in full. We were so thankful that we paid them all off we celebrated with a very expensive dinner, tuxedoed waiters and all. It was a blessed experience we will never forget.

On my knees in my pastors office I was sobbing “Tetelestai, it is finished!”  All my Roman Catholic punishment in purgatory and hell went right out the window and I was forgiven, my debt was paid-in-full. I have salvation from the punishment of sin, the presence of sin and the future temptations of sin. In the Spirit of the Lord we are able not to sin. Listen carefully to this: the sin you have you want because if you didn’t want it more than you do want it, you wouldn’t have it!

We are at peace with all mankind; Roman Catholics and Muslims included. Our death penalty has been stayed and with so big a forgiveness from Jesus, how can we not forgive our neighbors no matter how heinous the crime to us can be. We have been set free!

Our Lord is the Great Physician and He has a healing for us all. No matter how far you feel yourself from the Cross of atonement you are only one breath away from repentance. When you turn your back on the devil you are face to face with Jesus. One look into His forgiving eyes and your knees will buckle beneath you and your mouth will say “Lord save me!” and He will. You are in for an experience you won’t soon forget.

Once the Holy Spirit is released in you the new covenant contract is sealed with the offer, acceptance and consideration. It is unbearable and not even all the demonic hounds of hell can prevail against you. No one, not even Satan and all his legions or fallen angels can beak this contract with God; covenantal salvation, an offer you can’t refuse.

 

OUR ONLY GUIDE

By Rick Mathes

John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

We can only spend the currency we have and if we haven’t any good sense naturally, we will continue to do dumb things. There needs to be a turn-around but if we don’t have it on the inside we can’t display it on the outside. Satan exploits this deficiency by leading us on the paths that ad is to destruction as Psalm one clearly warns. We need a guide to quiet waters or righteousness because we don’t have a clue apart from Jesus and the tender care of the Holy Spirit, onto pleasant paths.

Some paths lead to self-destruction much to the perverted joy of the hounds of hell. I refuse to lower myself to their level and join them in making my decisions. Yes we have “stinkin thinkin” but it all changes when we have the mind of Christ. Our five senses hone in on Him and we become His skin and He then makes His life-choices through us. This has the perfect effect because of the only perfect cause in His essence but in our mind and actions.

With the care of the Spirit of Truth we walk in paths of good things because our decisions and conformed to the mind of Christ as He intended it to be to the end of time. That’s an interesting thought! What is after the end of time as we perceive it?

I’m convinced that with the wise counsel of our own personal Advocate, the Lord’s number one ambassador, the Holy Spirit. Who but God and His thoughts could contain more wisdom? The Logos became man and walked and talked among His own creation. I can’t get my mind around that concept but He can and did. He healed death and defeated the legions of hell when He stepped from the tomb, ascended into heaven and left His Holy Spirit.

And where do we find this dynamite of the heavens but as a small, sweet and still within us. In the midst of all uncertainties we have the only reliable One at our beck, call and touch. WE cannot lose our way when we follow the Way into all truth. Pilate had the right question but on the Holy Spirit has the right truth until He comes again and He will do that soon. Look upon Him and be saved!

OUR LOVE

By Rick Mathes

John 13:34 (NASB77) ³⁴  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

How deep is your love? Answer: As deep as His, or at least as deep as you will allow yourself to go. Satan is a master at counterfeiting love All his forms of love are self-gratifying and don’t originate from the essence of God: only the form and appearance of selfish, “What’s in it for me?” love. We pick and choose who we will love by what we will get out of it.

Advantage in power or immorality lead us by our nose to love we are partial to. Both are based on temporal self-driven motives found in politics, business prestige, wealth, passion, children, writing a book, receiving an award and most anything that will lift us above others in this life or our being memorialized in death.

Crossing over to our Lord’s glory for our achievements requires an unselfish confidence that as long as we continue to be learner (disciples) the Holy Spirit will continue to use us to win awards, power and not about Him. It’s all and only about Him. You become lesser in your narcissism and grow in Christ’s love.

This takes a sincere commitment that must be myopic an driven like a steam locomotive. No obstacle is too great for the Holy Spirit to overcome with our Lord’s love flowing through you.

It is a love abounding in joy and exciting achievement and accomplishments that we know are beyond our reach. Our Lord’s miracles begin where your feeble efforts end. Jesus’ wll on earth as it is in heaven is just beyond your grasp. The success of his heavenly purposes explodes in Him the moment you cry out “Lord, help me!”

This abounding love and protection He has for you is fearless, genuine and lasting. His commitment never varies or wanders from the course as long as your love for Him is an abandonment of all you are for all His is. This miracle will occur in you and His love will become our love. How deep is His love?

ONLY ONE

By Rick Mathes

Romans 2:10 (NASB77) ¹⁰  but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

There is only one gospel in the only one Bible. Anything added or subtracted from the truth is a lie, taught by the Father of Lies Reverend Lucifer. It has 5 points that all and only believers, believe; Any teaching other that what follows in these five points is a lie no matter what you believe and not matter that it was that lied to you. The truth will prevail and the only truth is what follows here.

Total Depravity: You can’t repent of your sins enough to be without sin. Darkness cannot enter the light. If there is a speck of sin in your life you cannot enter a perfect heaven. It is only Christ’s perfection laid on you that permits you inot the presence of God forever; imputed righteousness.

Unconditional Election: The Word had you in mind and your salvation before He breathes creation into existence. Listen carefully to this hard to believe absolute truth; you have had nothing to do with your salvation. It is only the Lord’s personal choice of you that saved you from the flames of hell.

Limited Atonement: God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever shall believe in Him will be saved. Not get this; those who don’t believe in Him won’t be saved and will have to suffer their own hell. He did not suffer and die for them, it was limited to believers.

Irresistible Grace: When Jesus wants you to be His, there is nothing you can do to resist His calling. In fact you cannot “un-save” yourself. I can’t remove my birth-father’s blood from my veins and you cannot remove His Holy Spirit from flowing through your soul. Once save means always saved.

Perseverance of the Saints: Christians don’t give up. We fight the good fight, keep the faith and finish the race. We always get up and press on!

Now I have studied the Word and comparative religions for over three decades and I have two doctorate degrees. I cannot dispute logically the five points of Calvinism. I’m not too fond of them because I want to be the god of my decisions but when the dust settles TULIP is the rock of faith I have built my faith on. I report and you decide!

ONE WAY ONLY

By Rick Mathes

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB77) ¹⁵  Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

When God spoke His love letter, the Bible, the Holy Spirit was he editor who made certain that every word was exactly the purosed message of god: nothing more, nor nothing less. Exact! That dust collecting book on your fireplace mantle needs to be taken seriously. There is, was nor ever will be another approaching more importance than God’s Word. Why do you thnkk this is the last thing the devil wants you to not read? Notice how all the things of hour busy day was reduced your study of the Scriptures to ju be a few minute a week and usually just in the Sunday service.

It takes a firmness of purpose to turn from hells wa to havens way. No one can make you do ths but you.. We enjoy freedom but it can turn on us; if we freely chose to ignore our Creator and His words to us, His loved ones; Systematic study taken and earnestness of purpose that only the serious believers can accomplish.

You have got to be anxious to get into the Word or your knees will quickly buckle and you will stumble into the arms of our guardian demon. There is at least one hell-hound assigned to you and hat can grow to leions if you stand above the rest and do a might work for our Lod. Satan doesn’t care what you resolve and promise to do for God just don’t do it today!

This run for the prize of your upward calling is continuous action. There con’t be fits and starts and tops and pauses. There must be a regular rhythm and it must be continued. Making your study of the Word a regular day to day activity is like exercising. You will continue to sharpen your sword but if you become lax and lazy, your sword will rusts and loose it’s edge.

I might caution you however to make hour adventure in the Word a careful effort to adhere to the canon (Word of God). A twelve inch ruler can only be 12 inches long and no longer or shorter. The Word is Truth and the law of non-contradiction is rock-solid and unchangeable.

So approach the only way to heaven humbly recalling how unworthy you are for God even to notice you much less save you from the eternal dying in the mansion Lucifer offers. There is only one way and one Word of God go guide your there. What are you waiting for?

 

 

ONE LOOK

By Rick Mathes

Luke 19:41 And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it,

Who can even imagine what was going through His mind as His group approached the Jerusalem gate? He knew all the sin that was, is and is to come that He would be punished for. I can’t get my mind around that horror show that was playing out before His vision. The sins of Jerusalem were enough for me to go on disconnect but what about the sins to this day that are flaunted by an unbelieving Israel? This can make any believer cry and so it did our Lord He cried an Eastern wail that would make the hair on your neck stand up and your skin crawl. Oh, how Jesus loved us!

From the moment Adam sinned all mankind has been on a skid row of degradation and shame. It tears up my heart how professing Christians can treat the sin that killed God’s only Son so lightly. It would be better if they never heard the Gospel than to have heard it then give Jesus the finger which is exactly what they do if their open carnality.

Not only is there a temporal punishment but more importantly the nightmare of the flaming furnace is forever. Imagine that, snapping and crackling of your body as a blow-torch of blue flame sears every nerve you have 24-7 without one second of relief for all of eternity!

It all begins with your unwillingness to be saved. Oh, you might call yourself a Christian and go through all the moves to convince others that you are but you and Jesus know the truth. You can’t ever be 90% saved. He wants all of you not just part of you.

Jesus is weeping for you right now because you won’t give Him your all. He gave you His all and even His life yet you refuse Him and turn to Satan. Change your ways Christian or change your name!