Greek Translation: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent! Have a true change of heart towards God understanding that your future is not dependent on your past! Be baptized! That is make a public identification with Jesus Christ through water immersion. Be baptized in the name and character of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your willful and intentional acts against God! Be baptized with the purpose of serving God by the free gifts of God’s character through the Holy Spirit!” Comment: Believe it or not this church doctrine has been controversial for the past two thousand years! You would think it would be a slam dunk but not the case! Some believe infant baptism is enough! However there is no conscious decision on the part of the infant to do this! Some believe there is no need of baptism because the thief on the Cross was not baptized yet he was saved! Baptism is connected to forgiveness but not dependent on it! Baptism is about power for ministry! It is about an effective work here on the earth! Jesus was baptized yet he did not need to be saved! Some say I am saved and therefore do not need to be baptized! If it is good enough for Jesus it is good enough for me! Remember the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus after baptism! The Holy Spirit will empower you for effective ministry here on the earth! Without His love you will be abusive in the ministry! Your human capacity will never be enough! We need the character of God to do the work of God! The thief on the Cross was headed for heaven! No earthly ministry time left for him except to say he was saved without baptism! The Holy Spirit saves us until the rapture or Christ’s return to earth! The Spirit is the down payment or escrow to hold us until his return! Remember Jesus said greater things will you do after I send the Holy Spirit! We have examples of baptism in the Old Testament! The evidence is strong for baptism unless you want to go it alone! Do not try to figure it out just do it! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: holy
Divisional Unity! Acts 2:4-6
Divisional Unity? Sounds like a contradiction or an NFL playoff game where winners move on! What is the Holy Ghost? Ghost translates Spirit of God or the breath of God! God breathed His life into us! We see here at Pentecost or 50 days after His Resurrection and 10 days after His Ascension to Heaven that all the disciples gathered together waiting for the promise! What promise? Remember Jesus told us that He must go to the Father so He could send us the Holy Spirit unto us! To dwell in us! The Holy Spirit is like an escrow or down payment made to us to guarantee our preservation until Jesus second coming back to earth! The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity and was present even at Creation! The Holy Spirit given to His Church at Pentecost is to endue us with power! Power to promote the Kingdom of God here in the earth! When the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples they began to speak in other tongues! The word tongues translated here from the Greek means to speak in a foreign language. Then we see in verse 6 that the disciples were confounded because every man heard them speak in his own language? The disciples were a diverse group gathered representing many languages! They had difficulty understanding why men that did not know their language could speak their language? Remember the Tower of Babel in the Book of Genesis? God divided the one language spoken there into many languages to confuse this civilization from their prideful project of building a tower to heaven! Thousands of years later God by His Holy Spirit brings all the different languages together so they can all understand each other! God brought unity in worship! Man’s efforts at the Tower of Babel brought separation! God’s efforts at Pentecost brought unity of worship to God! The barriers were removed to enable corporate worship! If you go to Heaven your language will be understood by all. If you go to Hell your language will understood by no one! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Jerusalem Capital of Israel! Isaiah 52:10
The Lord has made bare His Holy arm in the eyes of the Gentile Nations, and all the ends of the inhabitants of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Do You Understand? Luke 24:45
Greek Translation: ‘Then Jesus opened up their understanding or mental and intellectual perception. He stirred up and agitated their minds and comprehension. He caused them to hear and perceive God’s thoughts with their thoughts so that they could measure the scriptures against their own thoughts and actions.” Comment: It is interesting that the Greek word for “scriptures”, is the word graphe from which we get our English word graph! So what is a graph for? What purpose? It is used to measure and compare things! We need to measure and compare our life to the Word of God! To be honest when we do this we come up short! Lacking! At a loss! Missing link! So how can we measure up? If we look at a graph of ten motor vehicles comparing gas mileage you might want to buy the one that gets the most gas mileage! However if you look at another graph that shows this vehicle has the highest maintenance repairs and another graph that shows this vehicle also has the highest fatality rate then you might change your mind? I can measure my life against other men and I may look good but by other men I look like a failure! The Apostle Paul said it is unwise to compare among men! If I have a compass I can find north and find my way by the standard for direction! How does my life rank against the standard of God? If honest I can only fall at His feet asking for forgiveness and mercy! Then Jesus said we must forgive others as He has forgiven us! If you do not do this you block your own forgiveness! So how do we meet the standard set by God? We cannot in and of ourselves! Our standard was provided to us by God Himself! Through His Son Jesus Christ! God paid the penalty for our sin at the Cross! When we accept His standard in His Son’s sacrifice for our sin then we are forgiven! If we reject the standard of the sinless Savior then we stand naked before God with no covering! We will one day stand before a Holy God Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead! If we look at a graph and compare the life of Jesus to ourselves all we can do is bow our knee and confess with our tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord! If you have not do so right now before it is too late! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Just One Unpardonable Sin! Mark 3:29
On previous posts we have discussed this important topic! We have discussed what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Remember these are the words of Jesus speaking in Mark 3:29! Jesus can forgive every sin except one! Would it not be wise to know what this sin is? The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity! To offend one person of the Trinity is to offend all for they are one! Jesus is the only one who can forgive sin because He is God! God’s sacrifice for our sin! When it comes to the virgin birth of Jesus by Mary who came over her to conceive Jesus in the flesh? The Holy Spirit! To reject Jesus Christ is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit! Jesus will be your Savior or your Judge! Which is it for you depends on your choice about Christ! It depends on your choice! Morality is a choice! The outcome of your eternity depends on what you do with Jesus Christ while here on earth! Choose this day who you will serve! God or Satan? Heaven or Hell? As for me and my house we will serve the Lord! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
No Ghost’s but the Holy One! John 20:21-23
After Jesus Resurrection Mary Magdalene finally recognized Jesus at the tomb! But Jesus warned Mary not to touch Him for He had not ascended to His Father and your Father! A few verses later we see why Jesus said this! Jesus found His other disciples hiding out in fear from the Jews! Jesus instructed His disciples that they must go out into the world the same way my Father has sent me! Jesus told them they must receive the Holy Ghost! Must receive the Holy Spirit! Jesus breathed on them and His breath transmitted the Holy Ghost into them! Then Jesus told them as they went out into the world to preach the Gospel that whoever accepts my atonement for their sin will be released from their sin but whoever rejects me will retain their sin with judgment! After Jesus ascended to the Father He sent the Holy Spirit to His Church for power and authority over Satan! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Your Best Friend Should Not Be You!
John 12:25 Greek Translation “He that has his best friend as his physical body shall be killed and destroyed eternally: and he that hateth his physical body in this world shall preserve it from danger unto life of the spirit and the soul apart from the physical body inheriting God’s life with eternal value and time.” Comment: Did you notice most of the advertising industry is based around your physical body? It is all about weight loss, hair loss, teeth loss, skin loss, ect. The cosmetic industry is a multi-billion dollar industry! Yet we will all physically die! Does that mean we do not care for our physical body? It means as Jesus said before the Cross do not let you physical body be your best friend! It will forsake you! It will be a corpse sooner or later with no value! We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit! God does not want us to pollute our bodies with sin and corruption! Love God and not your physical body! Jesus was saying death is the incubator for life! The eternal part of us is the spirit and the soul. We need to nourish this as the most valuable! Develop your soul as on a treadmill. Exercise your spirit and your soul! Practice Holiness! Use the time you have as a gift from God to lead other’s to Christ! Read and study your Bible daily! Pray daily! Spent time and money to reach the lost! Use your God given resources to support your local church! For those that make it to Heaven you will not be alone! Neither will those in Hell. Would you like to meet other’s in Heaven you had a part in reaching here on earth? Billy Graham is doing that right now and forever! There was a poem written in 1855 and later became a song titled, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus!” Who is your best friend? James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Darkness in 21st Century! Genesis 1:2
Hebrew Translation: “The earth was without breath, desolated, confused without purpose in obscurity, falsehood and ignorance was upon the face of the deep. And the breath of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Comment: Could this Bible verse at creation describe the 21st Century? All of these conditions manifest today in the 21st Century from no knowledge of God! No perception and understanding of His presence! No acceptance of His existence trying to run the planet without Him! Trying to run your life without Him! Like having all your modern appliances without electricity? Even though Christ exists today we try to live without Him? Living in deception! The lack of Christ is the source of ignorance that runs our world today! Same problem in all previous Centuries! Trying to exist before creation will not work! It did not work then and will not work today! Trying to live before creation is history repeating itself! Darkness upon the face of the deep! Many men of the 21st century are trying to live without God in the Garden of Eden! There are many fruits around but give me the one I should not eat! The results are the same! Separation from God! Separation from God is a voluntary choice! Getting back to Genesis is getting back with God! History has proven that we cannot live without God yet we still try? To chose the Light of Christ is also a voluntary choice! When will we get fed up with self and choose the light? Fools still say there is no God! Why not be a wise man for a change? Come Holy Spirit we need thee! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Hour of Temptation! Revelation 3:10
Greek Translation: “Because thou has kept the spoken word of my cheerful endurance, I will also keep thee from the hour, time and season of one’s virtues which shall come to pass upon all the world specifically the Roman Empire, to try them that dwell on the whole earth.” Comment: The Greek word for our English word “world”, used here refers to the Roman Empire. From the Roman Empire the temptation is spread into the whole earth. So what temptation is Jesus keeping you from that is spread to the whole earth from the Roman Empire? The temptation to deny Christ! The world at this time in history was the Roman Empire! They had conquered most of the known world! Jesus and all the disciples except John and many of the early church Father’s were martyred by the Roman Empire! The Apostle John at the time of the writing of this Book of Revelation was exiled on the Isle of Patmos working as a slave in a stone quarry because of Caesar’s sentencing of John! Christian persecution of the Church began in 64 A.D. with Nero and the great fire of Rome. The persecution of the Church ceased in 313 A.D. with the Edict of Milan with Emperor Constatine. It has been estimated that there were at least 100 thousand martyrs during this period. Remember in previous postings we talked about the unpardonable sin? What was blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Remember to mock one part of the Trinity is to mock all. The unpardonable sin was to deny Jesus! God can forgive every sin except denying Jesus because He is the only one who can forgive sin! Remember the 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by ISIS last year? In their hour of temptation they did not deny Jesus! Rome became Christian under Emperor Constatine and became the Holy Roman Empire! Jesus knew what the believers were going to face under Roman Rule for 200 years! He was preparing them for the hour of temptation! So how did the preparation come about for the hour of temptation for the whole earth? When Roman Empire became Christian all the roads they had built throughout their entire Empire were used to take the Gospel to all the known world! I will give you a historical quote on the Roman Empire from Wikipedia: “By means of European Colonialism following the Renaissance, and the descendant states, Greco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian culture was exported on a world wide scale, playing a crucial role in the development of the modern world.” Now where are we at 21 Centuries later today? The pressure upon Christian culture today is to deny Christ! The popular culture, Hollywood, liberal media, atheistic teachings such as evolution, abortion promoters, white supremacy haters, anti-colonialism, gays, lesbian, and transgender promoters all apply pressure against us to deny Christ! Even in the church the denial of Christ exists! Many believers do not tithe their income! Many make a 7 day work week and skip Sunday services! Worship of money over God! The list goes on but we can either deny Christ one small step at a time but when push comes to shove and you have to make a choice between your life or Christ God’s grace will not be their to confess His name! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
First & Last! Isaiah 44:6
Hebrew Translation: “Thus saith the Lord the Divine Authority of Israel, who was not elected by men but created men has ransomed and released you the Lord of the Armies of Heaven and His Angels. I am the first in place, time and rank, and I am the last following behind my creation with redemption and judgment; beside me there is no Holy, Righteous and True God.”