Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be engulfed and consumed in the fires of this life and suffered for the sake of saving souls. He allowed Himself to be baptized with a godly zeal because He was determined to help mankind. Are we willing to meet Jesus in the fire and allow the same zeal for His house to consume us for the sake of the lost? God is concerned with drawing men and women out of the fire and He invites us to join Him.
How can people go to church for years and experience the presence of God only to remain in a state where their sin isn't covered? These are Christians who focus on material provision for the satisfying of their own desires. They are masters of their own destiny, choosing their own course, thus becoming their own god. Embracing the truth is about eternity and when we don't embrace truth we become imposters in the house of God. The imposter will create his own covering and create his own righteousness. The Holy Spirit is calling His church out of the sin of compromise and to come under the covering of the blood of Jesus. God is calling you out today to cover you and to take away your shame. Don't hide from His love!
God never forces us to do anything. He gently leads us and gives us the choice to say yes or no to His will. We are all on a journey and often times this journey is not without difficult days and wilderness experiences. There is another traveler on this journey with us, it is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has the goods of God and supplies what we need to get us through the winding roads. The Holy Spirit will lift our hearts and cause us to focus on Christ, His love and His faithfulness. Staying on course with God and making right choices are where true joy is found.
When we come to the end of our life would we have given our heavenly Father joy because we received the gift of His Son and then passed it on to others? Do we recognize that the Fathers greatest joy is to give us the life of His Son so that we can be given for others. God's life is transferred to us through Jesus Christ's death on the Cross. Because of the Cross we are given new life and new hope for all of eternity. God is calling us to reign with Him and to bring His joy to others.
Ephesians 4:17–32 – Christ’s Holiness – Churches today tend to fall toward opposite ends of the spectrum on the subject of sin. Some overemphasize it, giving more power to Satan and sin than to Christ and the cross. While on the other end it is ignored or treated like a psychological issue, where the only sin is low self-esteem — sin is dealt with in a self-help manner, as if we can make ourselves holy. Just as Adam could not create himself from the dust, we cannot make ourselves a new creation. It is only by putting on the new man, created in Christ, and walking in His holiness that we overcome sin.
The highest form of love that God could ever express is found in Jesus Christ. There is a day coming when everyone will stand face to face with Jesus. The Bible says every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Many will look for an opportunity to be saved, only to find it is too late. That is why Hell will be so tormenting. Many who refuse Christ now will come face to face with Jesus later only to find their opportunity for has passed them by! We are living in an amazing day of grace and the greatest news you can hear is that you can reach out and touch God for yourself. The condemned, cast out and defiled can press through and touch Christ. We live on the threshold of eternity every day. Bend your knee NOW. Confess Jesus as Lord NOW! Tomorrow is not promised to us.
This message is for those who are struggling with something that is threatening to captivate you and for those whom Satan is desiring to lock in a prison of fear. The question we ask is, "Do you trust in the midst of the storm?" We must be gripped with the knowledge that God is in TOTAL CONTROL of everything that is going on around us. In times of calamity it is our human tendency to focus on ourselves and withdraw our hand from the needy around us. As children of God we are admonished not to withdraw our hands in self preservation, but rather to stretch out our hand to the poor and needy. There is power in our hand to do good because Christ's hands stretch forth through us to offer comfort and consolation to those who don't know Him!
Ephesians 4:1–17 - Christ's Works - Jesus won the grand victory over all things in heaven, earth and things below. He is now exalted and is giving gifts to the church. These gifts function in a way that causes the body of Christ to arise to fulfill its destiny. The equipping of the saints it to enable a great release of the works of Jesus on the earth in our generation.
Ephesians 4:11–12 – Prophecy is one of several gifts given by God for the edification of the body. It is the prophet’s role to warn. It is the role of the pastor to address the issues that arise following a prophetic warning. They should let their flock know that it is not a good time to be on the fence — living in a way that opens your life to the devourer. Don’t be found partying in the house of an Egyptian, but find refuge in the house with blood on the doorpost. A pastor should urge his congregation to call to those outside the fence. Finally, the pastor is to encourage his people that if the blood of Christ is applied to their life then they cannot receive the wrath of God.