Tag: crime

BEFORE AND AFTER

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BEFORE-AFTER

By Rick Mathes

1 Timothy 1:11-12 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service;

The beatitudes of Matthew chapter 5 are a wonderful but unattainable goal for Christians to reach for. I learned real soon in my walk with the Lord that I being Christlike was impossible. But in studying Paul, I found it was possible for me to be Paul like because he and I had so much in common. Let me just touch on a few characteristics of Paul then I will summarize with an overview of the amazing Jesus we will all be like in His Day.

Paul was a blasphemer of Christ which shouldn’t shock you because Peter and Judas were too. The thing that made the differences between a Saint and an ain’t was repentance. Peter restored himself. Judas destroyed himself. Paul was dead to sin the moment Jesus struck him on the way to Damascus. He said, “Lord, what must I do?” Confessing Jesus as Lord saved Him and me.

Paul persecuted Christians by having them beaten, whipped, incarcerated or killed. He was a national figure that was greatly feared for his hatred of what was then called, “The Way.” Isn’t it an interesting play on words when Jesus said, “I am the Way.”

He was a killer of Saints. This was before people invented a Pope who would preside on who was a saint and who should be executed as an infidel. (Study the Inquisition) The Word however clearly teaches that all believers are Saints. It doesn’t take any special anointing from a vicar of Christ to announce you are.

His only excuse for such dastardly behavior was that he was ignorant of the truth. Ignorance is not a bad word that denotes mental instability. Everyone is ignorant or has a lack of knowledge of something. But when you have heard the Gospel according to Jesus Christ, from that point on you are without excuse if you ignore it.

The only unpardonable sin is unbelief. There is no sinner that is worse than someone who refuses to confess Jesus as Lord. God can’t help you if you refuse His grace. You belong to the devil and your eternal home will be in hell watching your skin and flesh blister and smolder in the endless flames of the eternal furnace.

What a contrast that Jesus took Paul, Satan’s trash and turned it into His treasure. Just like you and I and I’m not too sure about you! (Just kidding)

 

BEFORE 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!

 

 

 

 

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 READY

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BE READY

By Rick Mathes

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him,

“Zaccheus hurry and come down for today I must stay at your house.”

Luke 19:5

There’s something special about friends having a dinner with friends. It just feels good to enjoy a good meal with good people. In most cultures, it is a special time that can go for hours. It isn’t fast-food firies, it is a golden moment that remains in your album of memories.

How startling can it be to have Jesus invite Himself to your home for quality time of fun, food and fellowship? Would you be ready to have Him as your house-guest? Something to think about isn’t it? So let’s think about it together.

There might be a spouse or child would object to this. It isn’t too difficult to d a quick inventory of the magazines, CDs, DVDs, favorite TV shows and internet history. These few areas might run a cold chill down your spine thinking Jesus would notice and comment to you His displeasure for the sin you are tolerating in your home under your nose.

So right now, do an inventory of the objectionable items in your household. It is good to do your dirty laundry and to begin a godly home because the Lord would like to be the centerpiece. The Holy Spirit will not live in an immoral garbage can.

What if your objectionable friends should drop by to visit when Jesus is your guest? What would He think about how they dress, what they smoke or drink and the language they use? Think about it.

We must be willing instruments of His. He is the one that orchestrates everything in our lives if we have exchanged all we are for all He is. The question remains; Are you ready for Jesus to move in with you and your family? Is there any reason you might have that this would not be a good idea? If you have a home prepared for your Savior, then invitge Him in right now\

Write this on the tablet of your heart:

I can permit Him in my household,

I will ask Him to live with us,

I must!

 

 

BE PATIENT

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BE PATIENT

By Rick Mathes

Romans 12:12 (NASB77) 12   rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

Come then, affliction, if my Father wills and my frowning friend,

A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.

Our Lord has a perfect and permissive will. His perfect will is when you are “spot on” with your pursuit of holiness and returning to His image and likeness in the sanctification process. Inherent in the exercise of His permissive will whereby He pulls His hand back and allows Satan to sort and sift you with afflictions much like He did Job.

In either case, get this, you are in His perfect will!

The testing comes to work a good in you. Usually the biggest culprit it needs to uncover is pride. Pride is the root of all the other sins most likely to grip and hold you fast.

However, it can also demonstrate fruit and test sincerity. Nothing stripes circumstances down to the bare truth better than adversity. Think about this. You knees are most likely to it the ground when everything is going south. Maybe it has been a long time since you knelt down and had a real heart to heart with Jesus. You can stop reading this right now and take a moment to bear your soul and troubles before the King. (I’ll wait for you…..)

Adversity will refine and purify you if you will only be patient and play the hand that the Lord has dealt you. My favorite verse in the KJV is, “It came to pass.”

Patient perseverance will humble and correct you and make an example of you for others to follow. Remember you may be the only Christ they may see. His love manifest in you will give large rewards to anyone who will go and do likewise.

I guess the bottom line is if you believe you obey regardless of the circumstances. I have often prayed, “Lord, I am not having a good time but your will be done not mine.” You might have to be patient and pray likewise.

BAD SHEPHERD

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BAD SHEPHERD

By Rick Mathes

Luke 4:18 THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDEN,

The biggest assurance I have of being saved from sin is my conviction of sin. Satan would not nag me to repent so it must be the Holy Spirit within me. Only the offended can demand restitution form the offender. And only a sinner who has a Savior can respond and be regenerated and baptized in holiness, not of ourselves but the holiness imputed to us from the final sacrifice of God’s Son and our Savior on the cross that was risen from the dead.

I thank Jesus with all that is within me that He left His Holy Spirit behind to teach and guide me and to intercede when my sinful knees hit the ground and my soul aches for only the salvation Christ can gift us with.

The anointing of the Holy Spirit fills us with His righteousness and cause to rise on behalf of the King. From the top of our head to the soles of our feet we are committed to the cause of Christ. We put on the armor, lift the sword and dig in our cleats to keep the faith, fight the good fight and finally finish the race.

The best analogy of being Spirit-filled is being in love. You can’t see it, you can’t hear it, you can’t taste it, you can’t smell it but you sure can feel it! You start out being the hand and the blood of Jesus becomes the glove that protects the hand: that’s justification. Then you exchange places. You become the glove and your skin covers our Lord who becomes your hand. Then you go about the Father’s business with Him working it out through you.

The witnesses of Father, Son and Holy Spirit agree that you are theirs and sealed until that last day when you will be released: like a caterpillar into a butterfly, from black and white to color. He indwells in you and when people get to know you they get to know Jesus.

Once born-again and exchanged for Him we are endowed with all the blessings of our first nature to walk in the coolness of the evening and have communion with the God of our creation on earth as it is in heaven.

 

ASK, WILL YA?

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ASK WILL YA?

By Rick Mathes

John 16:23-24 (NASB77) 23 “And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. 24 ” Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

There’s a song that has a line, “Oh Lord, Dear Lord, won’t you give me Mercedes Benz?” I’ve sang it a few times and it doesn’t work. Oh how often I have prayed for something or someone and my prayer wasn’t answered. I know, I know, He said, “Yes, no or not yet.” That doesn’t help. I have even felt it was futile to talk to an invisible God in the empty air, no answer. Do I hear an Amen?

Well, the first thing you and I need to learn is to pray in His name. When you use His name, you can only pray for those things He would be blessed by because you arfe coming to God on the coattails of Jesus. When you do this you are praying according to His name and you are praying in faith.

Faith and trust are the keys to heaven while doubt and fear will drop you into the abyss of liquid flames of unlimited intensity and duration. Point a flame-thrower down your throat for a sample.

So what’s holding the Lord back from answering your prayer? Let me enumerate just a few that I’m sure we both are familiar with.

  1. Insincerity: Praying to win a lottery ticket and having the chance to have your prayer answered is the same as winning it. Flippant prayers that are half-hearted and beneath His dignity will go unanswered.
  2. Selfishness: True prayers before the Lord are always selfless. Try praying for 15 minutes without asking Him for anything and see how hard that can be.
  3. Impatience: We live in an instant-presto, just add hot water society and move too fast to often. Blessings that last often take time to seed, plant, water, grow, and then harvest. What’s the hurry? We, as elect, have forever!
  4. Unbelief: This is the real show stopper. It’s the only sin God will not forgive and it’s at the top of Satan’s lust to entice you to sin. How can you run your hands through a cesspool of vile sin and then lift them to God and have the audacity to expect He will answer you.

Believe and obey for there is no other way.

ASHAMED

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ASHAMED

By Rick Mathes

Romans 1:16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The day has finally arrived for you to climb the golden stairway to the summit of the Hill of Zion and approach the throne of God. You were faithful and He was true to His Word. Now is the time to take that first step, trembling in excitement as you slowly pass walking the opposite way into the abyss of endless flames, you son. “Daddy, why didn’t you tell me about Jesus?” he sobs. There goes your daughter, wife, best friend hysterically calling back to you, “How could you have done this to us. You never shared the Gospel with us and now it is too late!” What would you respond to them.

I didn’t want to offend you. I didn’t want to look like a religious fanatic. You would probably ignore me. Religion is a private matter. Right now, get out a piece of paper and write out in a sentence why you aren’t telling souls destined to hell the way to salvation!. Now shot it to the Lord. Ouch? You bet Ouch!

To convince others you need to be convinced. “Evidence Deserves a Verdict” by Josh McDowell will reach your mind intellectually. “The Gospel According to Jesus” by John MacArthur Jr. will have you confessing Jesus as Lord like you never have had before. Once the realization that God became man, died for our sins and rose from the dad for our eternal redemption, you will never look back but you will press on, keep the faith, fight the good fight and finish the course laid before you.

To convict others of sin you must be convicted of sin yourself. Everything I communicate to others as a minister I first minister to myself. I figure that if it worked for me it might work for you. Then I pray that if I misspeak the truth that the Holy Spirit will change it to your hearing.

Lastly, to convert someone you must first be converted. All of these benchmarks convince, convict and convert mean absolutely nothing if the cross is nothing more than a sing or jewelry. How can you possibly be ashamed of Jesus? Then how can Then how can you hold back the good news from those you love when they have the spiritual cancer and you have the cure? What is your excuse and what is the Lord’s response to it?

APRIL FOOL’S DAY

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APRIL FOOL’S DAY

By Rick Mathes

It’s amazing how the years slip by but we are past our 25th anniversary of Mission Gate. It seems just like yesterday when Trish and I were standing in our living room the first day of our new commitment to the Lord and I asked her, “What day is this?” and she replied, “It’s April Fool’s Day!” I couldn’t believe it. I was convinced that I was either daffy, in mid-life crisis, anointed or some combination of the three but I knew the Lord was playing with me our first day I called the Pastor that led me to Christ and I asked him, “What verse do you think of when you think of prisoners and our ministry?” He replied, “John 10:9 where Jesus said, ‘I AM the Gate.” Amen! We knew the name of our ministry would be Mission Gate Prison Ministry and that’s how it started and I continued to be fascinated in that verse. Let’s take a closer look at it.

John 10:7-10 (NIV) 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.

He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

 I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Allow me to make a few points about this revelation of the “I AM.”

First, thank you Jesus there is a gate! Stepping through the gate into and then out of Satan’s mansion called The Department of Corrections (prison) was a nightmare. But now, there is another gate that offers life instead of death.

Second, thank you Jesus there is only one gate! I just know that if there were two gates, with my luck, I would choose the wrong one.

Third, thank you Jesus the gate is a turnstile! We can go through one man at a time. We aren’t herded like the cattle or prisoners in most institutions. We can put our shoulders back, lift our heads and step through the blood of Jesus, one born-again man at a time; each special in His sight.

Fourth, thank you Jesus it’s a strong gate! Jesus assured us that the gates of Hell cannot prevail against us, that He will always provide us a way out, that He will never give us more than we can bear, that no one can take us out of His hand, that He will never leave or forsake us and that where He is we will be.

Fifth, thank you Jesus by stepping thought we pass from failure to victory, sorrow to joy and from earth to heaven. Let me encourage you to step through the Gate for an experience you won’t soon forget!

Dear Lord, some people just don’t know how to step through the gate.  I remember running from you.  It is so amazing that the sinful life we are afraid to give up really amounts to nothing.  And the minute we believe, you offer us everything…everlasting peace and eternal life.

ANOTHER BAPTISM

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ANOTHER BAPTISM

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 28:19 (NASB77) 19  ” Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

There is only one Trinity so when you are baptized in the Name of the Father, the Name of the Son and the Name of the Holy Spirit you are baptized in the fullness of all three in one. Before Jesus was ascended, there was only the baptism of repentance with John the Baptist. This required a second baptism to receive the fullness of the Trinity. It wasn’t second dose of the Holy Spirit, was not intended to be and is not now more Holy Spirit than your original baptism permitted. Implying that you need more is blasphemous! You are saying the first baptism of the fullness of the Trinity was not enough. Jesus said from the Cross, “It is finished!” and He meant it.

How do you know you have the real deal?

First of all it is inside your soul then demonstrated by the outward immersion in front of you family of believers. The thief on the cross only had one opportunity for the first and that was all that was needed. He didn’t speak in tongues and Paul said not everyone has that gift of languages. He wasn’t’ a quart low or less than a full Christian like so many charismatics make you think you are.

Evidence of a genuine repentance is most obvious. The load of sin is lifted and the tears that wash the soul begin. What a wonderful, unforgettable experience for a might sinner to become a mighty saint. A worm turned into a butterfly. Black and white explodes into vivid IMAX color!

Sin killed the Father’s Son! Get a handle on the seriousness of this. Imagine His pain for the souls He created that would have to suffer His righteous judgment of eternal torture in the flames of His created hell. What would you do with the murderer of your child if you could have immunity from being charged with any crime? Think about this.

So sorrow, deep sorrow from sinning must slap you right in the face and kick you in the stomach. How could you have been so low to do those heinous deeds to those you love much less to those you hate? The next step is insanity or life without.

The determination to turn form that sin must be monumental. Let me ask you: Do you love Jesus more than the sin which infuriates the Father? Then walk your talk and stop that sin dead in it’s tracks and never do it again, never! Ever!

Declare your allegiance to Jesus and never turn back. If you kill the Goliath sin the Philistines (lesser sins) will scatter. Salute your King and prepare for duty. There isn’t another baptism.