Consider then, O Men! Whether there can be anything more wretched and poor, more naked and miserable, than man when he dies, if he not be clothed with Christ’s righteousness, and enriched in his God! Johann Arndt (1555-1621)
Month: September 2015
We Believe In!
This has and is a series of messages we will continue today. Church history is important because He is the same yesterday, today and forever! We need to understand the foundation of our Faith! When we begin a journey to a specific destination we must stay on a tested proven path! The Nicene Creed does not replace the Bible but it condenses the most important elements of our Faith! The Creed is a guardrail that keeps us on the right road and helps prevent detours that could get us lost! It is hard to get upset with this Creed! If you lose a football game you cannot blame the playbook! You have to execute the play! Sometimes the church has petty differences but all can agree on this Creed! The part of the Creed we are studying this morning is, “We believe in one Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church.” Just as the Creed professes one God, one Christ and one Holy Spirit so the Creed professes one Church! Sometimes the church can be a disappointment! Our expectations are very high! The hardest people to council and encourage are those who have been abused by the church! Jesus understands this! My father when I was a young lad did not attend church! My mother took us to church and he went fishing! He always took me fishing after we got back from church. My father believed the church was full of hypocrites! He recognized later in life all were sinners and we all need a Savior! My wife Pam went through surgery last week! There is no greater comfort than the people of God! His church surrounds you in love and prayer! Nothing is sweeter! Nothing is greater than taking God’s love to people and then it is returned to you in your time of need! That my friend is Heaven! Why belong to a local church? First it is God’s plan! Do not forsake your assembling together! The local church is a non-negotiable. We need the community of the local church! A medical doctor cannot mature unless he has patients! We need someone to practice love on! Yes, you can find Jesus outside the church but you can only mature inside the church! Yes, we need our private devotions but congregational worship cannot be replaced! We will not be in Heaven by ourselves! You will have to cooperate with other Saints! God’s presence is magnified when we worship together! There is only one church on planet earth! There is only one church in Heaven! In church you worship with people who do not look like you! Hey, it is your lucky day! You have to worship with republicans, democrats, immigrants both legal and illegal! America is more divided today than anytime in my lifetime! Yes, we had our Revolutionary and Civil War but today has a cultural war like none I have seen before! The Bible says that God created all of us in His Image! If you believe that the racism, sexism, rich and poor has to go! The church breaks down the stereotypes! The world tries to separate us and the church unites us! What does Apostolic mean? When my son Abram was small he could not pronounce that word and when he tried it sounded like alcoholic! We get our word apostles from apostolic. The Apostles lived with Jesus and recorded what He did and said! The twelve disciples had first hand knowledge of Jesus life! The teachings of Jesus were handed down to us! In the 1st century there were a few thousand followers. Today 1/3 of the earth’s population is Christian! Jesus revealed to us how to live! Matthew 16:15-18 Peter denied Christ then repented and Jesus told him upon this rock I will build my church! Peter became the leader of the Jerusalem church and the first Pope of Rome! We have community in one Holy, Universal Apostolic Church! Acts 2:42 What this verse says is that they continued to have church! Again we come into the church with certain expectations! Remember marriage is not always romantic! We sometimes have exaggerated idea’s about things! Remember the church is a community of imperfect people! Why give up on the church? The church is full of saved sinners! The church is full of frail people! In church we take off our masks and are transparent before God! We openly testify of God’s redemptive work in our lives! Philippians 2:12 The church is where we work out our salvation! We cannot do it in private! We have to love people we do not agree with! The world looks into the church and tries to figure it out? It’s growth and influence exceeds any corporation in history! The world needs the church example with it’s unity in Christ! The church is a colony of life in a country of death! Our Mary’s Home and other facilities in Colorado Springs are a beacon of light in a dark world! We take people in who are on the margins of our culture and give them hope! We show the world what can happen when Christ’s followers come together in unity! We cannot do these things by ourselves! We just do what Jesus does and the world wonders in awe! Miracles! In church we meet people we would not choose! The church chose you and me! You can choose your friends but not your family! We love people who are not like us! The Holy Spirit confirms us! We are under the same tent with new and different people! John Chrysostom a famous theologian who lived from 347-407 A.D. said, “The church is an angelic commonwealth where the poor man knows no shame and the rich man knows no haughtiness!” Jesus is the head of the church! Remember Paul persecuted the church and then became an Apostle of the church! Ephesians 1: 22-23 Jesus is the head of His Body the Church! The Holy Spirit shapes the church into His Image! His Holy family looks like Jesus! Thankyou. Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Blood Moon and Signs!
Scriptures: Joel 2:31, Matthew 24:29, Luke 21:25 and Revelation 6:12-13. A Blood Moon is a total lunar eclipse. The lunar tetrad is where four lunar eclipses happen six months apart. For example they have happened on April 15, 2014, October 8, 2014, April 4, 2015 and September 28, 2015. The two April eclipses have coincided with important Jewish Festivals. They occurred on Passover! The October and September eclipses occurred during the Festival of Tabernacles. Eight of the tetrads since the 1st century have coincided on Jewish Holidays! The word sign means to reveal the character and the truth of any person or thing. It is a mark or token. It is a memorial, monument or proof. Simply the signs in the sun, moon and stars is a reminder and confirmation of Jesus promises to us! It is a confirmation that His return is on schedule! His promises to us are revealed in the Heavens and on the earth! Whether the star over Bethlehem or the earth growing dark over Calvary His signs are everywhere! Look up for your redemption draweth nigh! Take comfort and trust your yesterday, today and forever with your Christ! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Got it Figured Out?
A comprehended God is no God! John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.)
Socialism
In Europe first and now in America, elected men have taken it upon themselves to indebt their people to create an atmosphere of dependency! And why? For their own selfish need to increase their own personal power! Pope Francis
Do We See Events The Same Way?
Faith is a deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time! Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)
Are We On Replacement Therapy?
Man cannot live without joy! Therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joy it becomes necessary to become addicted to carnal pleasures! Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 A.D.)
Who is The Greatest Terrorist on Planet Earth?
The greatest terrorist is the God of the Quran! I know this is dangerous and will offend many people. The more you follow the steps of the Prophet of Islam and the God of Islam, the more you get closer and closer to becoming a terrorist! Mosab Hassan Yousef. Mosab converted from Islam to Christianity in 1999. He was a Palestinian who worked for Israel’s Shin Bet from 1997-2007. The information he supplied to Israel prevented dozens of suicide attacks and assassinations! He exposed dozens of Hamas cells who are financed and supplied arms by Iran. He moved to the United States in 2007.
What is Political Correctness? John 14:6
Political correct speech is speech that is intended to hide the truth! What is truth? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.” The word truth here translated from the Greek means what is not concealed but open and known! God’s truth embodied in His Son Jesus Christ reveals our sin rather than conceal it through political correctness! Christ exposes our sin so that we can confess it to Him and be reconciled to God and come into relationship with Him! Political correctness is the modern day version Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden of Eden! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Should We Build The Wall? Revelation 21:12-19
There are about 190 scriptures in your Bible about walls! This should be enough Theology to help you make up your mind! Nehemiah was a great wall builder! Did you know that Heaven has walls and gates? Really? I thought God was a Democrat? Read Revelation 21:12-19. When did illegal immigration start in Heaven? There is no illegal immigration in Heaven! If your Visa is stamped with the Blood of Jesus God will let you through one of those twelve gates and you will become a legal immigrant! Lucifer and 1/3 of Heaven emigrated out of Heaven! Rebellion in the ranks! Lucifer became Satan and these immigrants flooded the earth by the millions! They will eventually immigrate to Hell but they will try to take as many of us with them as possible! The Blood of Jesus will secure you from this plight! Nothing else will secure you! Nothing! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse GodWhoisGod.com