Greek Translation: “Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting, comforting and encouraging them to continue or remain with perseverance in the faith going through much pressure, squeezing, breaking, grievous afflictions and heavy burdens enter into the Dominion of God.” Comment: Most people who play the lottery want to get out of tribulation! Get on easy street with no worries! However the lottery winner histories has shown us they after one year are broke! They try to go back to their old job and back to their old wife who they divorced! While they had the millions in cash they caused much tribulation for other people! If you have the peace of God through your tribulation you will be alright! When we experience the love of God then we will have a burden for the lost of this world! Even my tribulations before I met Christ are never wasted! The tribulation Jesus suffered on the Cross bought the redemption of the lost! The tribulation we suffered in India was joyful because we gave people hope who had no hope! People in India would tell us God has sent you here! No greater confirmation than from the people who God sent us to! The Apostle Paul was telling his disciples your tribulation is not wasted but brings hope to a lost and dying world! Once Christ comes in you just have to go out! Preach the Gospel with no prejudice! Whoever will hear the voice of God! Withhold nothing! Give everything! All of you in Christ to all of them! Tribulation is the bridge all must cross to get to heaven! Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world! God will carry you through every tribulation! When Jesus returns to the earth at his second coming at the end of the seven year tribulation period with the Saints from Heaven and his angels he will defeat Satan and bind him for a thousand years! Heaven will be emptied out and all there return to earth! So we will be involved along side of Christ in the last great battle on earth Armageddon! Will you have some tribulation here? How about when Christ releases Satan for a season after the thousand year reign of Christ? In heaven you will not be playing a harp on a cloud! Your faith will grow for the next tribulation to conquer it through faith in Christ! In Christ you can do all things! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: easy
What Did Jesus Say About Following Him? Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus had a radical message! You can only enter in at the narrow way, narrow passage or narrow gate to follow me. A narrow gate would only be about the width of your shoulders. You cannot carry any baggage with you when you go through it. Following Jesus through the narrow gate requires focus with no distractions in the way. The broad road or gate leads to destruction. Jesus does and did not go this path. It is a dead end road. Few people choose the narrow gate. American culture is more Christ resistant than anytime in our history. To follow Christ today is more costly than in previous generations. We are considered radicals by our culture and ridiculed. We are considered on the outer fringes like space cadets. Did you ever notice the on-line surveys always give you a way out. You are never committed to a yes or no answer. Kind of like politics today. Christ gave His disciples no third choice. It was either Heaven or Hell. The same holds true for us today! Yes or no? Easy or difficult. Matthew 5:1-2. Jesus real audience was more than the crowds it was His disciples. They had already made up their minds to follow Him but their trust level was low. It takes time to figure out if you can trust someone. Jesus told them the Kingdom of God is right now! It was not yesterday or tomarrow. Living right now is Monday through Saturday working, school and difficult schedules. Jesus said let Heaven break into your boring day to day world. Jerusalem has 12 gates. The wide gate is the most used gate. Examples today are convenience stores, shopping malls, fast food, ect. We like the best paved roads with the fewest traffic lights. They even have drive through churches today. Just hear a message on the internet or television. Why go to church? Studies have found that women like to shop on the internet after 9:00PM. Why? Convenient! We like to choose the easy way over the difficult. Going through the wide gate we can take along as much baggage as we want. No constraints, no sacrifices, easy choices, no boundaries, no commitment applies to all who travel the wide gate. Taking this path leads to ruin. Jesus took a narrow path from The Judgment Hall to Calvary. It was also a steep climb carrying your Cross! He took your unforgiveness, hurt, pain and all your sin. Jesus was a teacher of virtue. Creativity exits between boundaries. Whether it be inventions, music, poetry, sciences, discoveries or even the work of a humble farmer. All great work is done within constraints and boundaries. Jesus had to be sinless to fix your sin. Because of the discipline of constraints and boundaries we have very few great people. People do not like boundaries. Live together why get married? Why study? Why work? Get on welfare. Pregnant? Get an abortion. Vote for the political party that offers you no constraints or boundaries. Revelation 7:9. Heaven is not sparsely populated but has a great multitude. Salvation belongs to our God! It is a free gift like a Christmas gift under a tree and is easy to find. Jesus is easy to find but very difficult to follow. Weddings are exciting but then the couples have to learn to live together. Marriage goes from easy to difficult. The wide gate is to get a divorce or just live together unmarried. To remain in covenant is a miracle from God and requires His Grace. To stay married is hard work and a challenge. Getting pregnant is easy but raising children is hard work. The family under the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman is God’s only plan and design for relationships and for the security of future generations. Worship even requires constraints and boundaries. All people will make one of the following four choices in their life. 1. Secularism- autonomy, it’s my life, live for yourself, no boundaries, no restraints. Not Jesus way. No! 2. Moralism- Follow the rules and get the life I deserve. Entitlement. Steeped in religion that says it is all about me. I deserve to be rich and famous because I am a moral person. 3. Religion- I owe my life to God. Obligation. Things better go right with me because I am serving God! Bad exchange. Problems come! Death and disease comes to all! 4. Grace- Jesus says your life for my life! Wonderful exchange! Great Exchange! My nothingless for His everything. Give God your life and He gives His life back to you! Stop living for yourself. It is a dead end. Let Christ come in. Welcome the Holy Spirit! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. What needs constraint in your life? Do you eat food for comfort? Do you have a drug or sex addiction? Do you feed your senses to no avail. Let Christ increase and you decrease. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and He will add to your life that will help you to victory. Source: Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday September 1, 2013.
Buy One Get Everything Free!
This is better than buying one and getting one free! If you were the only person on earth God still would have purchased your Sin on the Cross by His Blood to set you free! Christ has given you freedom from Sin, guilt, condemnation, worry, stress, insecurity, fear, doubts, regrets, uncertainty, poverty, regrets, sickness and bondage! Christ has made you free to live in Holiness, peace, joy, love, security, assurance, blessing, richness, health, and freedom! The cost of our freedom came at a great cost to Christ on the Cross! His yoke is easy and His burden is light! Source; Pastor Charles, Bangalore India.