There's a sad, but growing animosity in our country toward the Christian beliefs our nation was founded upon. The liberal leaders of this great nation have launced all out war on the name of Jesus.
We're right here at the Fourth of July, and we're not the same country we were just a few short years ago. We're on a downhill slope headed for hell, and Satan is busy greasing the slope for us.
The problem, it seems, is that the Great Deceiver has lived up to his name all too well. He's convinced people across our great nation that America was not founded on the Holy Word of God. I assure you, folks, that couldn't be farther from the truth.
This nation was absolutely founded upon God's word, and a study of history proves it. Stop listening to the liberal propaganda machine and start listening instead to the Holy Bible.
There have been two nations in the history of this world that were given to their inhabitants by God Himself: America and Israel. If you study your Bible, you cannot keep from drawing the obvious parallells between Israel of the Old Testament and America today.
Israel, as you will recall, chose not to follow after God. Instead, they followed their own ideas, paths and ideals, and you see where they ended up: without a home of their own until May 1948. Do you remember who cast the deciding vote in the United Nations to allow Israel to have its own country again? The United States, against internal opposition, recognized Israel's right to live freely.
In Biblical times, however, Israel chose to follow a destiny without God. In Judges 21:25 the Bible says --In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Here in America, we've forgotten that our King is still God. We've forgotten the words of George Washington: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible."
Washington also said America has but one King, and his name is Jesus Christ. It's the job of the President to watch over the nation until his return.
“ God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."--Benjamin Franklin, a man considered the least religious of all the Founding Fathers.
As we celebrate the Fourth of July, let us not forget the soldiers who died to defend this nation, which still stands, as one nation under God. At least for now, anyway....
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
America, and the world, is entering a time when we can truly see the signs of the end beginning to be more clear. One only has to open the Bible and begin to study the four Gospels and the words of Christ to know that we are nearing the end.After all, Christ and John the Baptist both warned us before Paul, Peter or any of the apostles that we should repent, for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
We don't have to read Revelation to know that we are drawing ever closer to the return of Christ, and his return is approaching rapidly. Of course, reading Revelation will help to provide more insight.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 give us one of the key signs:3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Now more than ever, false prophets are in this world, folks, and they're telling people what they want to hear. Listen to the politicians on tv. Listen to the liberal news media. Listen to the world around you. More and more, people are listening to the false prophets of this world and less and less to the holy word of God.There are plenty of teachers, and even more willing ears.
Christians must be ever vigilent in these last days, preparing our hearts and making sure we're ready, while continuing to spread the gospel and to try to reach as many lost souls as possible.
We're told in 2 Thessalonians that there will be a great falling away before Christ comes back. Look at the current time, and you don't have to go back very far to see that the falling away has begun in earnest just in the last few years.
2 Thess. 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The time is coming, brethren, when the agents of Satan will rise to power, and the world will quickly change, hastening the arrival of Christ. Be ready, because time is running out.
If you have not already accepted the precious blood of Christ as your savior, now is the time. Tomorrow could be too late.
We don't have to read Revelation to know that we are drawing ever closer to the return of Christ, and his return is approaching rapidly. Of course, reading Revelation will help to provide more insight.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 give us one of the key signs:3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Now more than ever, false prophets are in this world, folks, and they're telling people what they want to hear. Listen to the politicians on tv. Listen to the liberal news media. Listen to the world around you. More and more, people are listening to the false prophets of this world and less and less to the holy word of God.There are plenty of teachers, and even more willing ears.
Christians must be ever vigilent in these last days, preparing our hearts and making sure we're ready, while continuing to spread the gospel and to try to reach as many lost souls as possible.
We're told in 2 Thessalonians that there will be a great falling away before Christ comes back. Look at the current time, and you don't have to go back very far to see that the falling away has begun in earnest just in the last few years.
2 Thess. 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The time is coming, brethren, when the agents of Satan will rise to power, and the world will quickly change, hastening the arrival of Christ. Be ready, because time is running out.
If you have not already accepted the precious blood of Christ as your savior, now is the time. Tomorrow could be too late.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Romans 12:2--And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
How often does the church allow the world to dictate how it should act, instead of setting an example through a relationship with God about how the world should act?
Christ tells us in John 3:15 that we are to be examples to the world, as he has been an example to us. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Christ loved everyone, and he tried to teach everyone how to live a peaceful, Godly, humble, honest life before God. He took the time to show his love and his compassion to all, even those who rejected him. He showed everyone who listened the path to heaven and what it takes to follow that path.
Never did we see Christ fail to show love to those who lived in this world. Never did he fail to tell the lost souls how to inherit heaven. Never did he fail to feed the hungry, to heal the sick, to teach the unlearned, to tell everyone of the love that he and God have for them. Jesus never failed to spread the Gospel and to encourage the downtrodden, to remind the rich to be thankful, and to himself give thanks for the blessings God bestowed upon him.
Christ told us to go out into the world, and to be his examples not only in our towns, but in our states, our country and the world. Now, all of us may not go on a mission trip out of state or out of country, but we can set an example and testify of Jesus and his love and teachings on a local level. We can come together as a group, a family, and study his word. The Bible tells us not to forsake the assembly. This may make some people angry, but I do not believe you have to meet in a church to attend church, to attend the assembly. Christ taught plenty of people before buildings became known as churches. In olden times, people met wherever they could, often in homes, and they studied the word and heard sermons and learned how to live Godly lives.
The church isn’t the building. The church is the body of the believers.
Ephesians 5:23 says that Christ is the head of the church, and following in Ephesians 5:25, Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
Christ didn’t give himself for the church building. He didn’t give himself for First Baptist’s building, or Sacred Heart Catholic’s building. He gave himself for the members of the church, each one of us who sit in the pews. He gave himself for all those on earth, if they choose to accept him. When you choose to accept him, you become his church, regardless of what denomination you belong to. If you become a Methodist, that’s part of his church. If you want to be a Baptist, non-denominational, etc, that doesn’t matter. You’re still part of God’s church. You’re part of the church that Christ died for.
Ephesians 5:27 says That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Christ doesn’t care what this building looks like. He’s concerned with what the people in the building are like.
Are the people committing adultery? Are they worshipping idols? Are they more concerned with the opinions of everyone else than with the opinion of God? Are they hypocrites? Do they bear false witness against their neighbors? Do they come to worship God, or to eat and socialize? Do they come to church to see God, or to be seen by men? Do they put on false appearances on Sunday morning while showing their true colors Monday through Saturday? Are they part of the world, or part of Christ’s church?When church ceases to be about fellowshipping with other Christians, about studying God’s word, about spending time growing closer to God, it’s not church. It’s not what Christ designed to be his church.
See, man didn’t invent church. Christ did. But not all churches are what Christ wanted them to be. Christ wanted the churches to be centered around him, not around the things of this world. When you decide that you’re happy with the current members, and you don’t want to go out and tell others about Christ and invite them to church, that’s not what church is about.
When you wear your new suit so everyone can see it, you’re going to church for the wrong reason. When you make a showing of how much money you contribute to the church, that’s not honoring God. When you worry about whether the guy in the pew next to you likes you for who you are, you’re worried about the wrong things.
You should be worried about whether the guy next to youis saved. When making money is more important than being in church and fellowshipping with God, you’re worshipping an idol, not Christ. When you go to church because it’s time to eat, you’re going to church for the wrong reason. When you go to church to repent for everything you did the rest of the week, knowing you shouldn’t have done it, that’s not a real relationship with God. That’s not what church is for. Don’t get me wrong. Repent for what you’ve done.
But don’t think that you can do what you feel like all week, repent on Sunday morning, and be honoring the Lord the way you should. The world will tell you it’s okay to drink when you want to. The world will tell you it’s okay to have sex outside of marriage. The world will tell you that stealing is okay, if you don’t get caught. The world will tell you lieing is fine, if it means you get what you want, or prevents someone’s feelings from getting hurt. The world will tell you it’s okay to get drunk on Saturday night, sleep with the woman you met at the bar, and then lie to your wife so her feelings don’t get hurt.
We have Christians who are doing this and they can’t understand that just because they repent, that doesn’t make it okay. We have pastors that are homosexuals, with drinking and drug problems, and they preach against those very things on Sunday morning after living that lifestyle all week! Churches get caught up in the money aspect. Maybe your church is poor. Ours is. Maybe your church is a wealthy church. Stop worrying about how much money you have in the bank account and start worrying about whether you’re spending the money God blessed you with to honor him! Are you buying food for the needy? Are you willing to give to the poor family in your congregation? Are you trying to promote the church? Be very attentive of where you spend the money in relation to how you honor God. You use the money to honor God, and he’ll make sure the money supply is adequate.
Some pastors feel they have to water down their sermons to get people to attend. If you have to water down a sermon for people to listen, you might as well throw the thing in the garbage and not bring it to God’s house. Show me one time in the Bible where Christ watered down his sermon.
Some pastors don’t want to speak out against homosexuality because they’re afraid they’ll offend someone. They don’t want to speak out against abortion because it’s controversial. They don’t want to tell someone to go vote because they’re afraid of the separation of church and state. Let me tell you this: homosexuality is wrong, abortion is wrong, and the separation of church and state has been warped by the liberal media to mean something totally different than what’s intended meaning is. I can imagine how badly Christ’s feelings were hurt when prayer was taken out of school. I can imagine how badly his feelings were hurt when the government decided that the Ten Commandments shouldn’t be displayed in government buildings and schools. How dare we slap him in the face after he died for our sins! The world thinks we as Christians should act differently. We’re too strict. We’re bigots. We’re cold hearted. We don’t teach our kids safe sex. We’re prudes. God didn’t give us license to sin. I’m not a bigot, and neither is a real Christian. I love the people of this world, and I want to see them saved. God said casual sex is wrong. I’m no prude, I just believe in dignity and humility. Until the churches in America stop letting the world tell them how to worship, how to act, how to live their lives, and how to run the church, you won’t see a real revival in America. You won’t see a return to real Christian, Godly lifestyles. You won’t see a government that respects God and prays before making a decision.
We as churches are supposed to set the example for the rest of the world. We’re supposed to help the world to find Christ. They certainly can’t find him on their own. That’s what we’re here for. To love one another, to help one another, and to finish the work Christ started. The church should permeate the world, not the other way around.
Senior Pastor Bro. Charlie Kincaid of Cornerstone Ministries Church cordially invites you to attend services at Cornerstone Ministries Church or visit online at www.cornerstoneministrieschurch.net
How often does the church allow the world to dictate how it should act, instead of setting an example through a relationship with God about how the world should act?
Christ tells us in John 3:15 that we are to be examples to the world, as he has been an example to us. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Christ loved everyone, and he tried to teach everyone how to live a peaceful, Godly, humble, honest life before God. He took the time to show his love and his compassion to all, even those who rejected him. He showed everyone who listened the path to heaven and what it takes to follow that path.
Never did we see Christ fail to show love to those who lived in this world. Never did he fail to tell the lost souls how to inherit heaven. Never did he fail to feed the hungry, to heal the sick, to teach the unlearned, to tell everyone of the love that he and God have for them. Jesus never failed to spread the Gospel and to encourage the downtrodden, to remind the rich to be thankful, and to himself give thanks for the blessings God bestowed upon him.
Christ told us to go out into the world, and to be his examples not only in our towns, but in our states, our country and the world. Now, all of us may not go on a mission trip out of state or out of country, but we can set an example and testify of Jesus and his love and teachings on a local level. We can come together as a group, a family, and study his word. The Bible tells us not to forsake the assembly. This may make some people angry, but I do not believe you have to meet in a church to attend church, to attend the assembly. Christ taught plenty of people before buildings became known as churches. In olden times, people met wherever they could, often in homes, and they studied the word and heard sermons and learned how to live Godly lives.
The church isn’t the building. The church is the body of the believers.
Ephesians 5:23 says that Christ is the head of the church, and following in Ephesians 5:25, Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
Christ didn’t give himself for the church building. He didn’t give himself for First Baptist’s building, or Sacred Heart Catholic’s building. He gave himself for the members of the church, each one of us who sit in the pews. He gave himself for all those on earth, if they choose to accept him. When you choose to accept him, you become his church, regardless of what denomination you belong to. If you become a Methodist, that’s part of his church. If you want to be a Baptist, non-denominational, etc, that doesn’t matter. You’re still part of God’s church. You’re part of the church that Christ died for.
Ephesians 5:27 says That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Christ doesn’t care what this building looks like. He’s concerned with what the people in the building are like.
Are the people committing adultery? Are they worshipping idols? Are they more concerned with the opinions of everyone else than with the opinion of God? Are they hypocrites? Do they bear false witness against their neighbors? Do they come to worship God, or to eat and socialize? Do they come to church to see God, or to be seen by men? Do they put on false appearances on Sunday morning while showing their true colors Monday through Saturday? Are they part of the world, or part of Christ’s church?When church ceases to be about fellowshipping with other Christians, about studying God’s word, about spending time growing closer to God, it’s not church. It’s not what Christ designed to be his church.
See, man didn’t invent church. Christ did. But not all churches are what Christ wanted them to be. Christ wanted the churches to be centered around him, not around the things of this world. When you decide that you’re happy with the current members, and you don’t want to go out and tell others about Christ and invite them to church, that’s not what church is about.
When you wear your new suit so everyone can see it, you’re going to church for the wrong reason. When you make a showing of how much money you contribute to the church, that’s not honoring God. When you worry about whether the guy in the pew next to you likes you for who you are, you’re worried about the wrong things.
You should be worried about whether the guy next to youis saved. When making money is more important than being in church and fellowshipping with God, you’re worshipping an idol, not Christ. When you go to church because it’s time to eat, you’re going to church for the wrong reason. When you go to church to repent for everything you did the rest of the week, knowing you shouldn’t have done it, that’s not a real relationship with God. That’s not what church is for. Don’t get me wrong. Repent for what you’ve done.
But don’t think that you can do what you feel like all week, repent on Sunday morning, and be honoring the Lord the way you should. The world will tell you it’s okay to drink when you want to. The world will tell you it’s okay to have sex outside of marriage. The world will tell you that stealing is okay, if you don’t get caught. The world will tell you lieing is fine, if it means you get what you want, or prevents someone’s feelings from getting hurt. The world will tell you it’s okay to get drunk on Saturday night, sleep with the woman you met at the bar, and then lie to your wife so her feelings don’t get hurt.
We have Christians who are doing this and they can’t understand that just because they repent, that doesn’t make it okay. We have pastors that are homosexuals, with drinking and drug problems, and they preach against those very things on Sunday morning after living that lifestyle all week! Churches get caught up in the money aspect. Maybe your church is poor. Ours is. Maybe your church is a wealthy church. Stop worrying about how much money you have in the bank account and start worrying about whether you’re spending the money God blessed you with to honor him! Are you buying food for the needy? Are you willing to give to the poor family in your congregation? Are you trying to promote the church? Be very attentive of where you spend the money in relation to how you honor God. You use the money to honor God, and he’ll make sure the money supply is adequate.
Some pastors feel they have to water down their sermons to get people to attend. If you have to water down a sermon for people to listen, you might as well throw the thing in the garbage and not bring it to God’s house. Show me one time in the Bible where Christ watered down his sermon.
Some pastors don’t want to speak out against homosexuality because they’re afraid they’ll offend someone. They don’t want to speak out against abortion because it’s controversial. They don’t want to tell someone to go vote because they’re afraid of the separation of church and state. Let me tell you this: homosexuality is wrong, abortion is wrong, and the separation of church and state has been warped by the liberal media to mean something totally different than what’s intended meaning is. I can imagine how badly Christ’s feelings were hurt when prayer was taken out of school. I can imagine how badly his feelings were hurt when the government decided that the Ten Commandments shouldn’t be displayed in government buildings and schools. How dare we slap him in the face after he died for our sins! The world thinks we as Christians should act differently. We’re too strict. We’re bigots. We’re cold hearted. We don’t teach our kids safe sex. We’re prudes. God didn’t give us license to sin. I’m not a bigot, and neither is a real Christian. I love the people of this world, and I want to see them saved. God said casual sex is wrong. I’m no prude, I just believe in dignity and humility. Until the churches in America stop letting the world tell them how to worship, how to act, how to live their lives, and how to run the church, you won’t see a real revival in America. You won’t see a return to real Christian, Godly lifestyles. You won’t see a government that respects God and prays before making a decision.
We as churches are supposed to set the example for the rest of the world. We’re supposed to help the world to find Christ. They certainly can’t find him on their own. That’s what we’re here for. To love one another, to help one another, and to finish the work Christ started. The church should permeate the world, not the other way around.
Senior Pastor Bro. Charlie Kincaid of Cornerstone Ministries Church cordially invites you to attend services at Cornerstone Ministries Church or visit online at www.cornerstoneministrieschurch.net
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