People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. Source; Mother Teresa, Calcutta, India.
Pastor’s Job Description
Frederick Buechner once wrote, “There are all kinds of pressures on the preacher to be all kinds of other things and speak all kinds of other words.” God has called me (and I would argue all preachers) to be ‘Good News Specialist’—a phrase my grandfather (Billy Graham) taught me while in seminary. The job description of a preacher, in other words, is not to say many different things but to say the same thing over and over again in many different ways. We have one main message to declare: ‘Christ and Him crucified’ (1 Corinthians 2:2). Source; Pastor Tullian Tchividjian, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Easter Message New Life Church 2014
Why should we be excited today? We came out early and dressed our best! Why? Our entire belief system is based on what happened on this day over 2000 years ago. A hundred people made a decision for Christ in our first service this morning! This morning hope is found in an empty tomb! This same resurrection power is available to you this morning! Christ crucified on Friday and an empty tomb this morning! In the Book of John we see all of Jesus disciples and friends abandoning Him during the Crucifixion and after! All abandoned Him except one. Remember Jesus cast 7 demons out of her! If anyone knew about His resurrection power it was Mary! Like on prom night she was up all night tripping over rocks in the dark trying to get to the tomb early in the morning! Mary wanted to see the face of Jesus one more time. The tomb was heavily guarded and sealed because rumors were that someone was going to try to steal His body! In spite of all the facts Mary found hope at the tomb! Do you have a hope beyond the grave? God has given you one! John 20:1-2. Early while it was still dark? Why was this greatest event in all of history staged on the first day of the week while it was still dark? This story began in another Garden! The Garden of Eden. Our sin ruined this Garden! We had it made but we messed up! Sound familiar? Is this the story of your life? Jesus is saying to you this morning you need a fresh start. Like a bankruptcy judge giving you a clean start! The first day of creation will start all over for you! The stone has been rolled away for you and me! Take off your grave clothes and put on His Light! Jesus told Peter, John and the other disciples where He would meet them after Calvary but they did not believe Him? Why would a demon infested and alleged prostitute with infirmities be the first to witness the resurrection? God loves losers! He makes them winners! Mary preceded the sleeping giants of the Church to make history! She awoke Peter, John and the rest with the news then Peter and John ran to the tomb! Paul says that we are in a race! You will win the gold but not a small token around your neck but walking on streets of gold! The prize is Christ! To be with Him forever! You are racing either towards your own tomb or His empty tomb! If you ever win a race it needs to be this one! They found the linen cloth and the face cloth neatly folded in the tomb. The Jewish tradition is the cloth is neatly folded at the meal table. At the Marriage Supper of the Lamb the linen cloth will be neatly folded just for you! Jesus said I must go to prepare a place for you! Reservations have been made for you! It says in verse 8 that the disciples saw the empty tomb and believed but not that He was raised from the dead? Jesus asked Mary at the tomb why she was crying? Do you still cry over loved ones and still believe they are in the tomb? Mary got down on Jesus and told Him not to mess with her and by the way where have you put his body? God has ordained this day for you whether young or old or rich or poor! Jesus knows your name just like He called His disciples by first names! He knew Mary’s name! He is a personal God! He is nearest those who are outcasts from the culture! He defeats culture with life! Peter fails a lot in this story! He seemed the smart one of the bunch. He had courage to walk on water and almost drowned! He confessed to Jesus he would never leave Him but denied Him three times before the rooster turned him in! He seemed bold but left Jesus in His darkest hour? Peter was full of shame, fear and doubt and seemed a coward! Peter ran to the tomb to say I am sorry. Then Peter went back to fishing. Failure often leads us to go back to a place in life where we had some success. Peter saw Jesus on the shore and jumped off his boat never to return to fishing! He began to fish for men! Peter do you love me? Jesus asked him this question 3 times maybe for each time he denied Christ? Feed my sheep Peter! Mary thought all hope was gone! They all viewed the Cross as a failure. The disciples saw His death as a failure. They viewed it as a dead end! Do you feel like an outcast? Do you feel ignored and forgotten this morning? Have people you trusted betrayed you? Have you betrayed people? Family? Do you feel like you have blown your opportunities? Do you feel like a big fake and a fraud? Peter felt this way! There is a reason why you are here today! Jesus was resurrected to bring dead people back to life! He did not come to turn bad people into good people. That is what religion tries to do! God does not try to fix the old man! He raises the old man from the dead! You must be, “Born Again!” You have a Great High Priest this morning that you can tell anything and everything and He will understand! He knows how you feel! You can start over and have a new life! Paul writes some 60 years later in 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22. Christ was the first fruits of them that slept! By one man Adam came death and by one man The Christ resurrected from the dead! All die but in Christ all are made alive! I was a 16 year old kid who abandoned all good and rebelled against all authority! My family thought I would do well in life but I proved them wrong! Then in August of 1988 I surrendered all my failures to Christ! I had come to the altar before but with wrong motives. When I learned He loved me everything changed! On that altar in 1988 I made the decision to follow Christ the rest of the days of my life! If you believe Him this morning and follow Him you will never be the same and will live each day with His Resurrection Power living in your life for the rest of your life here and forever! Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Failure + Success = Humility
A famous quote by Mark Twain says, “Failure is never permanent and success is never final!” The most challenging part of our life cycle is not dealing with failure but being able to successfully handle success! If success is only a tool to get above others and control others then we misuse God’s Blessings! A Godly Blessing should help us help others to be successful! Who you give the credit to is an indicator of a right or wrong attitude about success. Excuses cannot be our foundation for failure. When we take responsibility for our actions and repent then a door is opened from God for recovery towards success. When we take the Blessings God has given us and give credit to ourselves and not honor Him and the people He has placed in our lives we set ourselves up for failure. God has a plan for you to prosper you and bring good success! However to try this on your own without Him is like walking across a mine field in a combat zone! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Lawrence Welk Show 1965
This was a joke on his show given in 1965; My wife asked me to take her out to an expensive place! I took her to a gas station! Then in 1965 gas was about 20 cents per gallon! Now today this would no longer be a joke. Today a gas station is about the most expensive place you can visit! Just a reminder to you Obama lovers out there that when George Bush began his second term in January 2005 gas was $1.84 per gallon. When Obama took office in January 2009 gas was $1.85 per gallon. If you voted for Obama I want you to think about what you could have done with all the money you leave at the gas pump and dump into a hole in the ground supporting this novice in the White House! With ObamaCare and all the other disasters pending and looming ahead if you still support this guy you have some mental issues! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Sodom and Gomorrah Act III Romans 1:27-32
Satan throughout history has tried to prevent the “bruising of his head” by the seed of the woman! The latest political ploy by the Democrats is that everyone except them has a war on women? What an oxymoron this is since they promote abortion and homosexuals! The primary sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexual behavior. God does not have a war on women but Satan does! History has shown us that God does have a war on gays! The next major event of God’s judgment on man was at the Flood of Noah! I want to quote a Jewish commentary about the sin in the Days of Noah; “In the new issue of Inside Israel newsletter (vol.13, No.7), Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller is reported as writing in the “Jewish Observer”: The Midrash (Acharei Mos) tells us that the Generation of the Flood was wiped out only because they wrote marriage contracts between males just as they did between conventional couples. We can better understand the cultural expression “only because” as meaning “the singular primary reason” in importance as the cause why God brought the Flood upon the world at that time in antiquity. For many years I have realized that Mr. GTA’s explanation of Matthew 24:38 did not hold water– There is nothing wrong in marriage itself, unless wrong things or wrong people are being married to one another.” Rabbi Keller has provided information from Jewish Midrash (commentary) to help us better comprehend Jesus intended meaning and message. Comment; As we see the continued decline of America we also see cultural perversion endorsed and sanctified by our governments across America. Much of the “Church” is mute on these issues and some even endorsing them! Many Pastors do not want to loose their 501c exemptions and many want to remain popular and sell their books! There is only one “Book” that counts and that is the Holy Bible! God has provided a way out from all sin through His Son Jesus Christ! God will not accept “Gay Christians” which is another oxymoron! Repent means to denounce your sin whatever it might be and stop your sin and let Christ take your Judgment on Calvary! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Happy Easter! 2014
God raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead and gave us a spouse for the wedding of His Bride, “The Church!” If you are a Bride of the Church of Jesus Christ you have a spouse that will never leave you or forsake you from yesterday, today and forever! In Christ’s Love. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Sticks and Stones ! Mark 16:14
The year was 1986. We were living in Yercaud India in our second year of mission work in India. It was a challenge living on this mountain top in South India. Electricity was only on for about 2 hours per day! Scorpions, rats and snakes lived with us in our house! However it was a beautiful place with coffee estates and tropical fruit everywhere! It was truly a village with no gas station and animals roaming the streets. Our house was located on Lady’s Seat Road next to a convent. The slums were all around us with people living in huts with manure dried floors and grass roofs. There are good slums and bad slums so the locals warned us not to go to one particular slum and if you did you may not come out! There was plenty of other work there so we stayed away. One day we took the long way around the village back to our house from the village shops. I do not even remember why? The road went along side this forbidden slum but I thought we were safe in our vehicle. Well a dog ran out in front of our vehicle and got one of his feet under a tire. A mob of people surrounded our car from this village. They picked up rocks and brought bamboo poles from their huts. They swarmed over our vehicle like ants so thick we could not see out any window glass! They were screaming they need to kill us because I drove over their dog and next it will be our children! We offered to pay for the dog and his injury but did not help! Even our daughter Sandra who was 4 years old then says she was so scared because the car was so dark inside with people covering the window glass! In the midst of all this chaos a man comes walking down the road and stops next to our vehicle. This man looked like an escaped criminal with knife scars on his face and arms. I thought it was surely over for us now! My wife Hamsa translated for me what he was telling the mob. In Tamil he told the crowd the following! He said, “You bunch of dogs! This man has a feeding program in your village and is feeding your children everyday! They have rented a building for a day care center and medical clinic! So is this how you return thanks to him? He did not have to come all the way from America to feed you dogs! If any of you touch this man or harm him me and my gang members will take care of you! The mob melted away back into their huts. As I was driving back to our house just over the hill drops of sweat were still dripping off my forehead! Then the most beautiful thought came to me! Now I have a free pass to go into this slum! So the next day at the crack of dawn I entered into this slum with pockets full of candy for the children and Gospel tracts for the adults! So the stones were rolled away and life entered death! I gained a lot of important lessons with my years in India. One important lesson is that you cannot really change a culture! If you do it is like trying to stop a tidal wave with your hands! Our Pastor Brady Boyd in his Sunday message at New Life Church here in Colorado Springs made a very important point! He said, ” Christianity historically is strongest when giving, loving and serving those who live in the margins of the culture!” Why the political and cultural battles rage sow seeds of love to the disenfranchised of our community! The widows, orphans, single moms and homeless! Roll that stone away and bring life to the hopeless! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Good Friday! Mark 8: 27-38
As we reflect on our life we can conclude that many responsible people have paved the way for our success and Blessings! Think of the millions of American’s who have laid down their lives in war to defend our freedom and way of life we benefit from here in America today! The foundations we enjoy have come at a very great price! Think of the church congregation members that took up arms against the British Army at Concord in the Revolutionary War! Think of the 600000 men who died in our civil war to free the slaves! Think of the thousands of men and women in our VA hospitals across America from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Also our Vietnam, Korean and World War II veterans! How about our great science inventors and business people who have made our lives more comfortable here in America. How about our great spiritual leaders that have set an important foundation for our understanding of God over the generations! As important as all these American’s are we have to go back to a greater foundation that has established the true meaning and purpose of life! A price paid by God Himself that would give us a hope in this life and beyond! No one represents humanity better than a disciple of Jesus named Peter. Jesus asked Peter who do men say that I am? Peter replied some say Elias and some say a prophet. Then Jesus asked them who do you say that I am? Peter got it right and seemed to be the smart one when he said you are the Christ! Then Jesus went on and said that he would be rejected, persecuted and would be killed but would rise on the 3rd day! Peter immediately took Jesus off to the side and rebuked him? At this time Peter was in remedial training and Jesus rebuked Peter and called him Satan! Peter at this time could not see from an eternal perspective but from a flesh viewpoint. Jesus went on to explain to them that they must deny themselves take up His Cross and follow Him! Peter eventually got it and became the leader of the Jerusalem Church and later martyred in Rome hung upside down on a cross. Good Friday is not good without the Resurrection on Sunday! We have no future unless we understand God has made a way for us and then accept the eternal foundation that all history has shown us is hopeless without the Cross! Happy Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Barack Obama in Islamic Prophecy?
Is Barack Obama the “promised warrior” coming to help the Hidden Imam of Shiite Muslims conquer the world? The question has made the rounds since last month, when a pro-government web site (Iran), published a Hadith (or tradition) from the Shiite text of the 17th century. The tradition comes from Bahar al-Anvar (meaning Oceans of Light) by Mullah Majlisis, a magnum opus in 132 volumes and the basis for modern Shiite Islam. According to the tradition, Imama Ali Ibn Abi-Talib (the prophets cousin and son-in-law) prophesied that at the End of Times and just before the return of the Mahdi, the Ultimate savior, “a tall black man will assume the reins of government in the west.” Commanding the strongest army on the earth, the new ruler in the west will carry “a clear sign” from the third imam, whose name is Hussein Ibn Ali. The tradition concludes: “Shiites should have no doubt that he is with us.” In a curious coincidence Obama’s first and second names- Barack Hussein- mean “the blessing of Hussein” in Arabic and Persian. His family name, Obama, written in the Persian alphabet, reads O Ba Ma, which means “he is with us”, the magic formula in Majlisi’s tradition! Source; Amir Taheri, Published Forbes Magazine Article, October 26, 2008.