Tag: confession

COMMUNION

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

Sharing the bread and wine in remembrance of Him is the privilege of the believer. Non-believers or those seeped in willful and unrepentant sin are not welcome at the table. No, we aren’t actually eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Ask the Apostles who were there if they did. No, it’s just a symbol on the outside of what has happened on the inside. We become one with Him when we are born again. It is at this point of communion that we reaffirm that we are not ours anymore. We surrender all as we remember Him and His sacrifice for us: a very special commemoration.

In sharing the elements as fellow Christians in good standing, we confess our sins and our allegiance to the King. When the Body of Christ comes together in corporate worship we declare to the world our unity regardless of denominations. Our doctrinal differences or distinctives melt into thin air as the Holy Spirit blesses all that confess Jesus as Lord equally.

Our being in one accord is clearly communicated to all who will look. The talk is real when the walk confirms it and that is certainly the case as we all remember Him for who He is and who we should be in Him. Our actions speak louder than words. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel and use words when necessary.”

As we commune as one in Him, the Holy Spirit seals us until Jesus returns and breaks the seal. He, only He, the Lamb of God is qualified to break the seal so that the Groom may be united with the Bride (The Church).

This amounts then, in its totality as a consecration of us for Him. Roman Catholic priests have their thumb and two fingers consecrated, declared without sin, so as to touch the host (Body of Christ) they believe is truly His flesh. I suggest that a true biblical communion results in the Holy Spirit consecrating not just our fingers but our whole being so that we will be pure and holy in His sight.

COIN OF VALUES

By Rick Mathes

Romans 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.

Where you stand is where you will fall. If it isn’t worth dying for, it isn’t worth living for and yet most don’t hedge their bets with any semblance of a higher power, humility or restraint of their carnal desires. The old adage, “He who dies with the most toys wins” is a bold-faced lie. UYu will never see a U-Hall trailer behind a hearse on its way to the cemetery.

Man’s values are weighed heavily on appearance and having an impressive resume. It is a bogus and manufactured front to impress others with “How great I am” or “Look at me the epitome of success.” “See what a winner I am!” Well, I suggest that I would rather see the sermon than hear it so if you look long enough, you will see through the façade. You’ll see there is no substance. “Where is the beef?” It’s not on a false front outside of you, it’s on the inside. I’ve often said, “Why should we get to know each other and ruin a perfectly good relationship?” There’s more truth to that than you think.

It’s not in wealth, brains nor talent. It is only Him.

Let’s look at the other side of the coin of values and see a glimpse of God’s integrity and character. Those two pillars are what the holiness of God rests on from which you will fall if you don’t keep your balance.

It’s all a matter of achieving His attitude of justice and mercy. The Good Shepherd has both the rod and the staff. The rod is to rebuke and correct and the staff is for recovery and God used both to shape our attitude and His mold.

He who has the gold makes the rules is so true. We are blessed by our Lord’s generosity. Thank God that he police don’t have the record on you that Jesus does. Earning $8 per hour making hamburgers is better that $12 per month mopping prison cells for the DOC. So rejoice and have an attitude of gratitude that God isn’t giving us what we deserve.

And lastly, note our Lord’s faithfulness. He promised that He would never leave nor forsake us. I believe Him because He has believed in me. I have the coin of values that He blessed me with and you can have it too.

CHAINED

By Rick Mathes

2 Timothy 2:9 ⁾⁾ for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

Prison ministry is a rewarding effort to lead souls from crime to Christ in which I have been a full-time minister in for over three decades. I have led thousands to the throne of grace and many more thousands have passed through our successful aftercare program. I have leaned that there is no difference in prisons for those outside the Department of Corrections and those inside that are convicts. One got caught and the other didn’t which includes me. I have never been convicted of a crime.

At the top of my list of those imprisoned in the “free world” are ministers. They are so beholding to the deacons and elders for their jobs that their knees shake in the pulpit at the thought of offending anyone. They have to have a grand-slam sermon every Sunday and grow the church or they will be selling hardware within 4 years.

I have often thought about how proud the donkey must have been that carried Jesus into Jerusalem. Out of all the donkeys in the world, Jesus chose him. Contrast that to the grumblers the minister asks to help him in the everyday chores of the church. Grunt work has a special reward in glory.

Some I have met who think they are free have concrete between their ears. It’s an understatement that they are unteacheable. Their mouth is going a hundred miles an hour and their ears are folded over and sown shut. Their minds are in bondage to relativity.

When I was growing up I lost all feelings from being abused mentally by a very dysfunctional family or lack thereof. My hero was Dr. Spock from Star Wars. He was without emotion, just stoic and logical. So I grew more hardened to my pain and the pain of others. I became introverted and obsessed with reading and acquiring knowledge: Maybe because I was treated like I was a useless dummy.

Here is the hypocrite with two mouths. The apostate that is enjoying his walk down the wide road to hell and the heretic that goes to church but lives for the devil. There is no fear of God in any of them. Satan’s battleground is your local church that for many is a prison with stained glass windows. Well let me tell you, you can park your hose in a garage but that doesn’t make it a car. The House of God has become the synagogue of Satan. Shame on us!

 

BY GRACE?

By Rick Mathes

Ephesians 2:5 (NASB77)              ⁵  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved),

I went through all of grade school and high school in the Roman Catholic education system. I can remember like yesterday asking the Marist Brother, “What is grace?” many times and I couldn’t understand what he said. Also, I never understood that I deserved anything. I was on my own from age 13. My life was like endlessly swimming against the current of black ink: dark and ugly.

Then at the age of 38 a Presbyterian minister told me that it was by grace that I was saved. “What is grace?” He responded, “Unmerited favor.” All of a sudden “Tetelestai” became crystal clear, “Paid in full!” I dropped to my knees and sobbed, “Thank you Jesus” and I have never turned back since. His saving grace was all I needed and for His reasons alone He chose me to be His. Talk about a lucky draw? I had 5 aces!

I soon learned that His grace didn’t end there. Time after time temptations would have overtaken me had it not been for His sustaining grace. I can’t walk on water without His empowerment. When we surrender and step out of the boat, saving grace is the ability to stand on the surface of the deep. Sanctifying grace is walking on the water. Our need for grace continues to the grave.

We can’t walk through that dirty world without getting some dirt on us. It’s like walking through a coal mine in a white suit. It is inevitable that we will soil ourselves from time to time. That’s why “Repent” was the first sermon of John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, me and many other evangelists. We must repent, submit and obey!

“I don’t get no satisfaction” from any counterfeit the Devil may invent. My only peace and contentment is in His satisfying grace of love and eternal security in Him. It’s by grace we are saved and I thank God He chose me so that I might respond by choosing Him! But if you choose sin of the Savior, Satan doesn’t have any grace. You will drop like a rock into the eternal abyss of flames?

 

BLOODY FOOTPRINTS

By Rick Mathes

(Author of “Allah or Jesus”)

Luke 23:26 And when they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

What was going through the thoughts of Simon as he stepped into the bloody footprints of Jesus? He couldn’t help but wonder why this innocent man was being put through this torturous execution. There must have been a look or a word from our Lord because in time, both of Simon’s sons became the first Bishops of color in this new world conquering religion.

Let’s put ourselves into Simon’s sandals and carry our Lord’s Cross. How can we do this? Pick up and continue His love for His brethren. We don’t necessarily need to like each other but we must love each other. Love is not an emotion, it is a decision. The emotion may or may not follow. The last beatitude is persecution so let’s get used to it and carry His Cross, the weight of Hell’s effort to trash His atonement.

Don’t forget that He walks before us. He is leading us to quiet waters through the reconciliation with the Father through His death; His final sacrifice. The Lord, the real Lord is our Shepherd. We don’t follow Father Lucifer anymore. Our old shepherd only let us to death, insanity or incarceration.

It’s by His grace, will and strength that we can carry His cross, keep the faith, fight the good fight and finish the course. We press on because we know where He is leading us to. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is our partner and the burden is light yoked to Him.

It is only for a short time of three-score and ten that this burden is ours so let’s give it our best shot. The consequences of our sin is truly a heavy load but we did it to ourselves and the least we can do is pick up our cross and follow Him. The reward, like childbirth, is well worth the pain. What a privilege it is to take it to the Lord in prayer.

BLIND

By Rick Mathes

(Author of “Allah or Jesus”)

Romans 3:11 (NASB) ¹¹  THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

AUGUSTINE

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that thou mayest believe but believe that thou mayest understand.

The ignorant man always adores

What he cannot understand.

Our condition before God is so bad we get into denial to hide our real self. If you saw my heart as God sees it you would run from me and yours would be terrifying if exposed. We have an underlying and an ulterior motive. The underlying motive is in plain sight but the ulterior motive is under the table and driven by self and sin.

When we walk in willful sin we cannot really see the beauty of Christ’s countenance. It’s blurred with the smoke from hell. You lose the presence of His grace because you have yielded to Satan’s lordship; Satan has become your lord. It’s like running your hands through the filth and decay of a cesspool and then lifting them to God for mercy. You are only making God gag.

Keep focused on the things of God by seeing through His eyes. It’s like moving from black and white to color; a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. This can be a wonderful adventure as His world, sin-free opens up to you.

I have controlled glaucoma in both eyes. My mom and grandfather both went blind from it. I am so grateful for the gift of sight and I dedicate this medical miracle to the Great Physician. Of all the terrible things that could happen to me physically, I fear going blind most.

The pressure of Jesus points out the need of a new birth. The evil of this world is smothering us body and soul with the filth of sin. This sin killed God’s Son. This is very serious. In your blindness you will have the penalty of sin fade into the wide road that leads to eternal flames. So get your spiritual eyes checked as I did and don’t allow yourself to go blind to the grace and goodness of our Savior, Jesus.