Author: whoisgod

To Know or be Known? Genesis 3:5

Which is it? What drives people to want to be known? Social media and technology is reaping billions of dollars off this trait of human nature! Facebook, this book, that book and every kind of platform to become known! What drives people to want to become famous? The foundation of what we do is more important that what we do! I have to examine my motives everyday! Does God want to be known? Does Satan want to be known? My best friends were not people who were driven by fame and fortune but just wanted to be my friend! Do you know how rare these people are? Like finding a needle in the haystack! We face the same challenges in ministry! If you want to know your Pastor in a large congregation you can forget it! If the Pastor wants to be known by the world but not to know you he will not take time with you! Jesus had 12 disciples and He was God! One betrayed Him! Effective ministry requires one on one! Is there a connection between knowing and wanting to be known? Why do people want to become President? To know or to be known? I cannot read motives but if you think they are running to personally know you could you be crazy? Why do I do a web site? Why do I do a Blog? God wants to be known! Believe me He does not need social media to find you! God wants to save us! Satan wants to destroy us! Satan wants to be unknown while destroying us! He wants to hide his motives through deception while destroying us! Hitler hid his motives by proclaiming he was a Christian to the German people. The Islamist claim they know God yet destroy each other and others! We live in a world where there is tension between good and evil! We all understand evil but do we understand the God who loves us and knows us better than ourselves? To understand there is one who loves us and yet completely knows our evil but has sacrificed Himself to deliver us from evil! Redemption is an overwhelming experience! To know His love and experience His love establishes a desire and commitment to live for Him and live for others! If you really want to know Him you will understand yourself better because He created you! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Do Your Feet Sweat?

After retirement in 1994 I needed something to do? So we bought 30 rental properties! I became very busy! We purchased these in low rental area’s and I also made the renter’s a ministry! One of these properties was a shell duplex that was not completed. The walls were up and the roof but nothing else. We bought it for about $5K so I thought I could complete it by myself! Each day I would spend time working at the sight. All the neighbors would come over and visit me and what a neighborhood! Young children, drunks, criminals and even a Pastor ministering in that area. Next door was a young man named Gary. He was a nice man and a distraction because he would hang around and talk while I was working. I tried to focus on my work and would reply yes to everything Gary said not really listening to his talk. Then he caught me by surprise and said, “Jimmy do your feet sweat?” Without thinking I said yes and Gary asked me if he could sniff my feet? No Gary you cannot smell my feet! Gary left and I realized I could not complete this duplex myself because I was so busy with the other 29 units. I hired a plumber to help me. Jake the plumber showed up at the site so I left to attend to the other units. When I came back the next day Jake was very upset and used some very bad words! He told me he did not want to work in this neighborhood anymore! I assured him I would talk to Gary and the others! So I went to Gary and asked him about Jake? Gary told me Jake really used some bad words on me yesterday! He did not want to repeat the words but said Jimmy Jake called me a female dog! Gary did you talk to Jake about sweaty feet? Jimmy do your feet sweat? Jimmy does Jake’s feet sweat? Jake explained to me he was not going to turn his back on this neighborhood while on his knee’s soldering pipes together with a blow torch! Jake told me that if that queer ball comes over here again I will put my blow torch to his feet and then his feet will really sweat! Jake quit the next day and I hired another plumber. I thought how am I going to get people to stay in this unit? I finally figured out what to do with Gary! If you say no to his first question he will not ask the second question. I explained to the new plumber and things went better! Next episode I will talk about the drunk next door and the prostitute I invited to church! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Church Politics!

If all church power vests in the clergy, then the people are practically bound to passive obedience in all matters of faith and practice; for all right of private judgment is then denied!  Charles Hodges (1797-1878)  Charles was an American Theologian. His father Hugh was a military surgeon during the Revolutionary War! Charles married Sarah Bache the great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin. Comment: No organization ever saved anyone! Only Christ saves! Organizations are as imperfect as the people who make them up! Sadly politics is alive and well in the church! Many denomination and church splits are due to politics! On the other side of the issue people who do not want to submit to authority go out and start their own church. Abuse by the clergy and rebellion by the congregation are both destructive! Theology interpretations are also basis for divisions! However the Reformation came out of this! So it can be positive! Suggestion here is whatever your gifting is try to find a leader with the same gifting! Iron sharpens iron! If you are an Evangelist you may be uncomfortable with a leader who is a teacher? However you will still benefit from that gifting! Also find a leader who is open and transparent and not a politician who is manipulating people for his own gain! When I sense a leader is deceptive, manipulative and hides his real intensions I run like Hell! The Holy Spirit will give you discernment to be in the right place where you belong in the Body of Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Israel Saved by a Prostitute! Joshua 2:1-3

This is one of the most fascinating stories in the Old Testament and carries over into the New Testament! This is a lesson for Christian’s to never write off a sinner! If we do that becomes a greater sin! Pride and self-righteousness! Rahab was a Amorite. The first part of her name, “RA”, is the name of an Egyptian God. The rest of her name means insolence, fierceness or broad and spacious! She was spacious and took everyone in! Rahab married Salmon one of the two spies she took in. She became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth from whose son Obed, Jessie the father of David came, through whose lineage Jesus was born! In the New Testament Rahab is in the Hall of Fame when it comes to Faith! As Christian’s we need to remember God can use anyone and He does! The Bible says we are to confess our sin to one another! Mark Twain said if you do you will have no friends! He is right for I tried that once! If they were true friends they would still be my friend! What a friend we have in Jesus! Politics is the dirtiest occupation on earth! It got Jesus put on a Cross! However God is smarter than sin and nailed all our sin to the Cross! As we close out 2015 think about how we can think like God and look at the world through the heart of God! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Christmas Eve Withdrawal!

I went over to our bank to get some cash. In the outer lobby there is an enclosure with an ATM machine. Then the inner glass door leads to the main lobby. In the outer lobby a young man was standing there as i walked in. I was wearing my camouflaged military fatigue shirt under my jacket. This young man asked me if I were a veteran? I replied yes and then he saluted me! I saluted him back. He thanked me for serving and then I gave him a Gospel tract. He then told me he was a Pastor. He also told me he was running for President of the United States! He told me he had until March 31st to file. Then I began to wonder if he was smoking something? A lot of that goes on out here in Colorado! Then he pointed to the Walmart across the street from the bank and told me after I leave the bank to go over there and see the manager and wait in his office and I will bring a U.S. Flag in and present it to you! I thanked him and went into the main lobby to get some cash. The young lady behind the counter smiled and I wished her a Merry Christmas! I mentioned to her that sometimes we live in a strange world? She told me you mean the guy running for President? He came in here and told everyone of us he is running! I told her this is as good a place as any to begin announcing! I told her she could be his running mate! As I was leaving the bank I saw our President walking across the Walmart parking lot towards the front door! My next stop was to be Walmart but I changed my mind and went home! Christmas always brings out the best in us! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Ways to Grow Your Blog!

  1. Share a resource! Be like Google!  2. Report someone else’s post! Serve others!  3. Make announcements!  4. Reveal something personal!  5. Ask a question?  6. Provide discounts if selling stuff!  7. Reply to questions!  8. Report on what you are doing now!  9. Offer Praise! Spotlight others! Make it about your audience!  10. Wish someone well! Call attention to people important to you!  Source: Michael Hyatt  MichaelHyatt.com  Comment: Make your Blog about others! Serve others!

Wonderful Councilor! Isaiah 9:6

God chose to make His dwelling place with men! A councilor is one who fixes problems! My dad was my best councilor growing up as an adolescent! He rescued me many times! Kids should learn important lessons in life from their parents!  With all those close calls I had growing up God never took His eyes off me! Today many youth are exposed to a flawed view of God! There are four basic views how people view God. 1. God is a troubleshooter! We do not bother Him unless we get in a crisis! 2. God is a distant power! God is not really interested in us. This pro-active disengagement leads to many problems in marriages and home life. 3. God is a grandparent. God wants what I want! God is an ATM machine to give me my every desire! 4. God is Lord and center of my life! God is the source of all wisdom and I submit to His rule over my life! Is God a wonderful councilor to you? Are you busy and distracted by the cares of this life? I will ask God council over every area of my life! We live in cultural chaos! There are competing voices for your life! Slow down! Take time to be Holy! Pay attention to Christ! A sheep only responds to the voice of his shepherd! He will ignore all other voices! Take time to listen to the Master’s voice! People that hear from God wait on Him! John 14:26 The councilor, the Holy Spirit will teach you all things! He will remind you of everything He has taught you in His Word! Jesus was the original home schooler! Teaching requires patience, diligence, and staying with it everyday! Teaching is not a lucrative occupation! Jesus disciples were slow and rebellious! Teaching requires kindness and being intentional! The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of all things! We as a church recite the Nicene Creed because it teaches us and reminds us of very important things! What do good parents do for us from the cradle to the grave? They teach us and remind us! As we take communion this morning Jesus taught us and reminded us to do this in remembrance of Him! God is personal and interested in you! That is why He came to earth! God came from Heaven wrapped in flesh! Fully God and fully man! He told us He would be born of a virgin, die on a Cross, be raised from the dead and ascend back to Heaven! He taught His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit! The original Passover meals took hours to prepare! It was not fast food! God has taken great preparations for us! All we do is just receive the gift! Christ was broken for you yet His brokenness heals the world! At Passover in Jewish tradition the Messiah’s cup was always displayed meaning one day He would drink with us! At the Passover Jesus took the ceremonial cup and drank from it saying I am the long awaited Messiah! Jesus invites you to His table this morning! Jesus asked the Father if He could take this cup away from Him! Let thy will be done! God’s will was very costly to deliver us from our sin! Drink with Him this morning. He is a wonderful councilor and much more! No one can crash this party because everyone is invited! Source; Excerpt from Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. His complete messages can be seen on his Podcasts. Go to NewLifeChurch.org