Tag: ministry

BLOODY THRONE

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BLOODY THRONE

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness,

Sin had killed God’s Son and Pope Satan was having high mass to celebrate with all the candles, glistening gold, gowns, pomp and ritual he could invent. The fallen angels and counterfeit Christians were ecstatic that there would be no more conviction of sin and no moral authority. As it is today, we are enjoying the undying curse of anything goes, right is wrong and no one should ever be judgmental. It’s all relative.

Oh how wrong the false professors of Rome were when they declared Jesus dead. As a mother in child-birth, after the pain came the glory. His death was the gate that opened life. Does this make sense? Let me elaborate the depth of king Lucifer’s stupidity.

When Jesus said, It is finished!” my translation would have been, “Satan, you a toast!” The blood of Jesus satisfied Father God’s propitiation of sin. Man was reconciled at last with God the moment of our Lord’s last heartbeat. Our journey, as believers, tour first nature had begun. Holiness was now within reach for those who would reach beyond their grasp. It is at that point of thin air where faith begins.

His sacrifice cleanses our record of all offense. “Not guilty, your Honor.” Becomes a true statement in the courts of justice. We are justified and now are able not to sin. (Able not to sin.) We are virgins all over again. The Lord gave us another chance and I believe that our last chance is upon us. All the sin of the world is peaking in it’s intensity and the perfect storm is forming rapidly. Jesus is near and soon to return in wrath for those who reject Him.

Our redemption is upon us in the Cross of Christ. There’s nothing more He can do for our salvation, ever. We will soon hear Him say, “It is done.” And fro hat poin on the great devide will be unrepairable.

We can live as though His will be coming tonight but plan that His return is hundreds of years off. Only the Father knows that day when we will return to the New Jerusalem. I bet my life and soul on this truth and hope because of His death for my sins and resurrection as the first born for me to follow.

AN ANGEL SPOKE

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AN ANGEL SPOKE

By Rick Mathes

Acts 6:15 (NASB77) 15  And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

Stephen was one of our first deacons. He was an honorable disciple of Christ that had no problem letting his fellow Jews know that their sins killed the long awaited Savior. The more popular he got the time of his execution drew closer. In those days the church was primitive and fresh from the personal fellowship of Jesus. Our Lord was very real to them and they expected He would return at any moment. So in the faith of certain martyrdom, this brave young man preached his own funeral sermon with vitality and truth. It was a model message for all the ministers to follow would admire and meditate on.

To keep listeners close attention, the speaker should be courteous and appropriate to the circumstances. Cracking jokes at a somber funeral would be quite out of place.

The audience deserves a certain respect for having went through all the inconveniences associated with them all assembling to be uplifted and edified by the message and music. In our economy, sad to say, most attend church with a “score card” they fill out to rate the service and decide if returning is worth all they went through to attend.

For a discerning member the sermon is the main focus of the whole worship service. It’s only logical to expect a clear brief and Christ-centered Word from the Lord.

We don’t go to church; we are church that takes time to assemble together in our chosen House of Worship. I’m burnt out on “Kentucky Fried Christianity” and I have a personal mission to point all who will listen to the early church that denounced sin and lifted up the Body of Christ in their pursuit of holiness.

All the onlookers needed to hear and see for a powerful sermon could be found in Stephen’s last words and actions. He preached that Jesus rose to glory with his last breath on holy ground and Oh, Lord I pray I go home the same way!

AM I ?

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AM I?

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 11:28 (NASB77) 28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

The actual words of God say, “A man ought to examine himself.” When God speaks, we listen! So, let’s have a go at it. As I quiz myself why don’t you join me and do the same?

Let’s start with the foundation of all sin. Am I self-sufficient? I remember like yesterday how exasperated my wife would become as I paraded through our house singing, “I did it my way!” It’s enough to make you gag. But that’s how it was until I made Him my Lord. Now I’m in the process of exchanging all I am into all He is. I’m becoming lesser so that He can become greater. The question now is, “Do people get to know Him when they get to know you?”

Am I self-serving or self-sacrificing?” As I exchange all I am for all He is, we exchange places. He becomes the hand and I become the glove. This way He can go about His business for the Father in my skin; to be effective though, ghere needs to be an “ouch” to give it value. When you reach beyond your grasp it is painful but that’s where He begins: when there is no pain there is no gain.

How deep is your love? The Bible is deep enough to drown an elephant but shallow enough for a baby to splash in. Am I still a baby? Do I still impress non-believes with Romans 10:9 and Psalm 23? Maybe it’s time to jumpinto the deep end of the pool. What do you think?

How about “spiritual constipation;” are you all bound up in the law? Are you driven by grace or works? I have learned the hard way that I can’t do enough to “wash away my sins.” There is always a residue and more filth and decay on the way. You can’t walk through a coal mineof laws in a white suit without getting dirty from violations.

God is in the process of rebuilding our form and life-style but not hyper-sensitive because perfection in this lietie is not possible. We can be too hard on ourselves and not get a real sense of “Who I am?”

AGAINST GOD

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AGAINST GOD

By Rick Mathes

Acts 5:39 (NASB77) 39  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

No matter what your denomination or form of church government may be, we all have a commonality as evangelical Protestants that the liberals and catholic heretics just cannot quench no matter h0w hard they try. I would like to name a few and expand on them a bit.

Take up your Cross: True sermons include somewhere in the message repent, submit or obey. All others are largely ear-tickling stories, pontification, or catchy illustrations designed to hae you return next Sunday. Evangelical services hammer on the soul to pursue holiness.

I know what is from Satan; don’t pray right now. The devil doesn’t want you to do the very thing God created for you: to pray to Him. He loves prayer.

Division divides! How can the Body of Christ function if its body parts are scattered about or in conflict with each other? I’m not really fond of my big toe. It’s really ugley and usually smells but when I stub it, my whole body says ouch! WE must be in one accord: this is from God.

When others have the cancer and you have the cure, you shout it from the roof-tops. And when you know the Savior and His salvation, you become a soul-winner. It’s the natural thing to do.

This will drive ou to the Scriptures to study the Word. When I first became a Christian ghe Bible was a big book with a small, simple message. Now several generations later it is a small book with more big messages than I could ever preach in many lifetimes.

Preach only to the willing and you will have learned a responsible message from God: don’t cat your pearls to the swine. Go only where you are invied and the doors will open for you to eshort and encourage the children of the promise

Remember, Jesus said, “Whatever you have done these my brothers, even the least of them, ou have done it to me!” This is real heavy dude, heavy! Rebuke and correct the saints and the lessons will fall back on hou just when you need them. But if you look into the eyes of God and spit in the wind, you know what will happen.

ABSORBED

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ABSORBED

By Rick Mathes

Ephesians 3:19 (NASB77) 19  and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

I am an evangelical Baptist, conservative, Calvinist, fundamental no nonsense ordained minister. Whew! I am not dazzled by others claims of celestial fireworks, the raising of thousands of the dead in Africa and testimonies of those who died and then went bowled a line or two with Jesus. However, I did have a theophany personally that made a profound change in my attitude toward death.

I was in my bedroom praying at night and repenting of sins back to the day I was born whn my invisible body burst from the darkness into an expanse of sky blue. I knew my body was there but I couldn’t see it. All of a sudden love encompassed me like being under water except it was love. Then like a sponge, I soaked in all that love and I became love. What an unbelievable rush

I believe Jesus gave me a taste of heaven.

Now let’s get back down to earth with you and ask, “What can you hold of the Holy Spirit?” Do you have the will and capacity to soak up love into not just your heart and body but completely including your soul? What would you think then of being filled with the Holy Spirit?

Let me put in the best words I can. Father God is the lover, the Son is the loved and the Holy Spirit is the love between them. It really is because I personally experienced this infilling of the Holy Spirit that I understand this on a new level.

Can you even imagine the works of God you could accomplish if this happened to you? I have now continued in Him by turning lives from crime to Christ for over 30 years. What would happen to you? God only knows!

What is the fullness of the Holy Spirit? How much Holy Spirit is there and how much room do you have for Him in your life? And what would happen if you received all the fullness of God? Wow!

When you were drinking and drugging to the max you weren’t afraid to die so why are you afraid to mainline Jesus and live? Try it you will like it and life will never be the same again.

A SPECIAL BAPTISM

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A SPECIAL BAPTISM

By Rick Mathes

Luke 3:21 (NASB77) 21 Now it came about when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,

Let’s join for a moment and take in the wonder of why our Savior would willingly experience the outward manifestation of baptism by immersion. Jesus was sinless, so what was the significance of this unique event?

First of all it was to equip, anoint and strengthen the manhood He has clothed Himself with and secondly to demonstrate obedience, humility and prayer to all generations that would follow.

What an astounding set of circumstances that clearly brought together the visible and audible Trinity of the gospels. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all sharing truth in a single verse. How blessed is the Word of God to us as it shares this precious and golden moment, never to repeat itself in the infinity of time.

What a wonderful seal of approval for our God-man to launch His ministry of salvation and begin His death walk to the Cross, one firm step following another. From this point forward, He never looked back. Oh, how I wish we could do the same and not ever be ashamed Him with our doubts and fears. Just to put on the armor of God, lift up the sword of the Word and firmly place my feet on holy ground is my fervent prayer!

The dove quietly settled in peacefulness, not known to mankind until that moment. The gentleness of the flight, the landing and the harmlessness of the message of affirmation: the Holy Spirit had arrived to anoint Christ the man for the timeless message of the ancients who spoke of Him in times past.

The voice rang out to a startled universe of angels and every devil shook in mortal terror. God became man on a mission that only the Triune god could ever accomplish. In an eye-blink, salvation arrived with healing and deliverance in the wings of a dove. The provision of love for His elect and eternal doom to those who would reject and murder His Son as your sin does to this very moment.

Submit to the reality that you are owned by the Father, saved by the Son and anointed by the Holy Spirit and you too will have that once in a lifetime special baptism a was demonstrated by our Lord Himself. A moment that will change a lifetime of eternities if only you will accept and savor the fullness of the Trinity of which you were made in Their likeness: body, spirit and soul.

 

BLACK AND WHITE

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solitary

BLACK AND WHITE

By Rick Mathes

Two years of preaching and teaching every Friday night at this prison had developed a dependable and capable fellowship of believers. A small turnout was seventy attending, out of an inmate population of several hundred prisoners. Any praise band or female volunteers would swell the chapel attendance but I resisted that because I was resolved to disciple these inmates and solidly ground them in the Gospel according to Jesus Christ, without distraction.

I have memories of many exhilarating services where the altar was frequently flooded with repenting sinners. However, one particular evening stands out above the rest.

It was a chilly nightfall and more prisoners than usual had shown up. It seemed that they were up, positive and ready to worship and praise the Lord.

We began with a thoughtful prayer, sang a few old time hymns and as usual asked for testimonies before I got into God’s Word. It was at this time in the service that a big muscular inmate with a callous expression stood straight up. He was one of those athletes who pumps iron all day long and everyone fears his strength. He got up in the center of the men and spoke is a coarse gravel voice, “Hey Mr. Preacher man! I got something to say!” I relied in humor, “Anyone your size can say anything he wants! And take your time sir.”

Everyone had a good laugh at my feigned timidity and when the clamor had died down he continued, “I’m a two time loser. If I mess up again they are going to give me a life sentence. I’ve been a violent man all my life and it’s my fists and uncontrollable anger that has put me in the joint every time. I want to thank you for leading me to Christ last week but I’ve got to tell you about this crazy thing that happened to me the day after I gave my heart to Jesus for real.”

“Remember, you said that the Holy Spirit would come upon me, that I was a new creation? Well, the very next day I was in the day-room, just killing time and this big black dude come in and gets right in my face with an attitude. He was making fun of me being a Christian. He was doing this right in front of everyone. Well, Rick, to tell you the truth, I have killed men with my bare hands for less than that!”

“He kept on and on and all of a sudden, Bam! I was knocked to the floor. He blindsided me with a great left hook sucker punch. Down I went but I jumped right back up on my feet. It was then that something real strange happened to me.”

“My arms dropped to my sides, my hands went limp and ice water flowed through my veins and my mouth said, ‘Forgive me brother if I have offended you.’ I couldn’t believe it! He couldn’t either. He was all set to go at it but this took the fight out of him. He turned around and walked off real fast.”

“About four hours later, he came to my cell and said he was sorry that he had picked a fight. We talked for a while and I told him that I was born again and that Jesus now lived through me. We got on our knees and he gave his heart to Jesus.”

At that moment, the black guy got to his feet. They both walked toward each other, hugged and wept for joy in front of everyone. A hush went over the inmates and one by one they headed for the altar. I led them all in the sinners prayer and I hadn’t even preached yet!

Jesus had become Saviour and Lord to these two brand new evangelists and the witness of their salvation was winning souls to Christ. I learned from this experience that men would rather see a sermon than hear one.

 

SEND ME!

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Light

Greetings in the Spirit of our Lord!

Mission Gate has been turning lives from crime to Christ in your community since 1985. I received Chuck Colson’s blessing, Dr. Holcomb ordained me at Mid-Rivers Baptist Church in St. Charles MO and Sen. Talent and his wife incorporated us April 1st.

Since then 10’s of thousands of families have been restored before the throne of grace. Over 140 churches are involved with our prison ministry or Christmas Angel Mission.

I would like to speak to you fellowship with 9 minutes of introduction, 9 minutes of a video and the 9 minutes of Q & A. My goal is to recruit one ambassador from your church to keep informed about what we have in resources to your church should you need us. And of course we need prayers, volunteer time and financial support.

Please contact me on my cell 314-602-0117 or go to www.MissionGateMinistry.org.

Press ON

Rick Mathes

Turning lives from crime to Christ!

HANNAH’S RANCH

http://youtu.be/4mzv6XXHPPU

FORT GOOD SHEPHERD RANCH

http://youtu.be/YssMbfS6CIo

 

For further information go to:

www.MissionGateMinistry.org

www.RickMathes.org