The act of communion is done everyday around the world in every culture, tribe and tongue! Everyone on the earth identifies with Christ by this sacred act! I have had the privilege of taking communion in a variety of places around the world! I have seen people take communion and have had their prayers answered! Please don’t take this moment lightly! This reminds you for who He is! Engage Him for who He is! Jesus unleashes the Supernatural within your space! Again do not take this moment lightly! As we take the bread we remember His body was broken for us! He destroyed every power of darkness over us! Because of Him we live free fully committed to Him! That He is a Holy God! He has all authority over every principality and power of darkness! We don’t take this bread just because we remember a day on the Cross! We take this bread because it is designed from the foundation of the earth that the redemption of mankind would come and He was broken for us! So take this in the weight of it as it sets you free! Take this bread together! In the same way when He took the cup He said this is my blood shed for you! It is finished! Done! I don’t know what your challenges or what your struggles are this morning but it is finished! It is done! He did it all! So invoke the presence of Christ in your situation and in your life. Trust Him and I am going to believe with you! As we drink this cup there is no magic in this cup! We are reminded and assured there is a good and protective God watching over us! As we drink this cup we are going to believe for a break through! Whatever that looks like as we take the cup and thank Jesus! Lord as we partake of you! In real time God! Right here right now! As the body of Christ and your body! God I pray you will open up the Heavens over us! Over our families! Once again I pray with gratitude because you answered our prayer! I pray for those families desiring children! I pray for members of New Life Church that those desiring children will receive them! God bring life into our bodies! God for every prayer and every desire we lift up to You! Let our cries and our desires be incense unto you God! I pray you meet us in a miraculous way! We love you! Lord Jesus it is because of your love we are Holy! We are Holy only because you are Holy! You are kind and merciful! You are just! Thankyou for calling us Beloved! In whom you are well pleased! For your Kingdom come! Your will be done! In our hearts and in our lives as it is in Heaven! In Jesus Name we pray! Amen! Pastor Riaan Heynes, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Tag: church
Rag Doll Election Cycle?
Remember the 1960’s era song by the Four Season’s? Remember the lyrics? She wore hand-me-downs. They laughed when she came into town. Called her “Rag Doll.” Such a pretty face she should have been dressed in lace. If I could change her sad rags into glad rags I would. My folk’s won’t let me because they say she is no good. I love you just the way you are. Though I love her so I can’t let her know. She is a ‘Rag Doll.” Comment: Every election cycle the politicians drag their rag doll out of the closet! Jesus name gets thrown around like a rag doll. Donald Trump went to church last week! Congregation members said it has been years since they have seen him? Remember when Obama said he was a Christian? After November Jesus will be thrown back under the bed for another four years! The Democratic contender’s are really mute on Jesus this election cycle mostly because they are pagan’s! In America we have to learn to endure the election process! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Holy Spirit Dwelling
All church power arises from the indwelling of the Spirit, therefore those in who the Spirit dwells are the seat of Church power. But the Spirit dwells in the whole Church, and therefore the whole Church is the seat of Church power! Charles Hodge (1797-1878) Comment: The question remains what do you do with His power? Do you use it to build His Kingdom or your own? Do you use Him to enrich others or to enrich ourselves? To give expecting nothing else in return? Do we sacrifice for others or do we sacrifice others for our own gain? To abuse His power results in a vacating of His Spirit in your life! Then you will try to fill that void with religion. Before you were saved self was on the throne. After you were saved Christ replaced you on the throne. However self will continually try to retake the throne! This is a constant battle! If others are more important than you then Christ is still on the throne in your life! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Church Government
It is a thoroughly anti-Christian doctrine that the Spirit of God, and therefore the life and governing power of the church, resides in the ministry, to the exclusion of the people! Charles Hodges (1797-1878) Comment; True but I have seen a church board vote and send a good Pastor down the road! I have seen elder’s gang up on a Pastor! I have seen congregation members rebel and split the church taking half the congregation away to begin a new church! We also got the Reformation through a church split! Not all bad! Church by-laws are different! I limit myself to making suggestions to the Pastor to improve effectiveness. However, it is still up to the Pastor if he wants to do it? If he doesn’t then that is alright! The only reason I can see a reason to leave a church is doctrinal error! If so then leave the right way in peace with the Pastor and congregation! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
King James Version of Bible 1611 A.D.
How did the King James version come about? The official language of the Medieval church was Latin. This was the language of the Roman Empire which adopted Christianity in the 4th Century. The Pope ruled from Rome and all services across the Empire were in Latin. Translations of the Bible into other languages was forbidden. By the 1500’s vernacular Bible’s were available in certain parts of Europe. This added fuel to the fire about religious authority as Martin Luther and the Reformation was growing! In England the Constitution of Oxford written in 1408 forbid translation of the Bible into a native tongue! This was done to prevent Lutheranism. The only authorized version was Saint Jerome’s Vulgate Bible which was only understood by England’s educated elite. The English translation by William Tyndale was published in 1525 and was the first Bible circulated in print form. Only 3 copies survived and William was executed! By Shakespeare’s time England and Rome had split and politics changed dramatically! King James the 1st, also known as King James the 6th of Scotland, abolished the death penalty for printing English Bible translations. Interestingly, 80 percent of William Tyndale’s was used to do the King James version! King James also employed 50 scholars to oversee the translation work. Comment: History repeats itself! Our Bible has come to us through the hands of the martyrs! If the Bible is one day banned in America what could you do to assure it would survive for the next generations to follow you? Do not let your Bible collect dust! Read it! Study it! It is the most valuable possession you have! Everything else will perish! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Religion Versus Grace! Mark 1:1
Jesus did not come to correct behavior! Jesus came to give us a new identity! We are all adopted into a family where we learn a new and better way to live! Religion tries to change us from the outside in! Religious Zealots only reward performance! God said this is my beloved Son who I am well pleased! Remember Jesus had not done any miracles yet! Do you love your son or daughter because they are a gift to you from God or will you only love them based on an expected performance? The Holy Spirit will empower you to live a better way! Real change is an inside job! You must be born again! Jesus said we must repent and believe! This if done will change everything! Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. For the complete message go to: NewLifeChurch.org View his Podcast.
Rulers in Church and Government!
Ruling elders are declared to be the representatives of the people! Charles Hodge (1797-1878) Comment: Sorry Charles but 137 years later we are far removed for our American Constitution! In the church today the congregation does not elect the elders! Just as in politics today our representatives in Washington no longer represent the people! They represent themselves and the quest for power! So goes the church today! Then we wonder why people are turned off to the church? Thankyou. 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
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