“But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Commentary: Notice Jesus said he does not hate the Nicolaitans but hates their deeds! This confirms the entire theme of the Bible that God judges us not by race, gender, economic status, language, cultural popularity, religion but by character alone! However we cannot have the character of God without God! Jesus makes that possible! So who were the Nicolaitans? The name in the Greek means to conquer or subdue people! This is what sin does! This cult group were the descendants of Nicolas of Antioch an ordained deacon! See Acts 6:5. He came from out of paganism into Judaism and then to Christianity! He changed religions many times! He was not afraid to switch religions when he found it convenient! He taught the doctrine of compromise! He believed there was more than one way to God like Christians today who cling to Darwinism and then try to hang on to Christ? Occultism was a major force that warred against the early church! In Ephesus the primary pagan cult was the worship of Diana (Artenis). The Nicolaitans mixed paganism with Christianity. Much like the Hindus do today where every road leads to God including Christianity! Does not matter which road you take all roads lead to the same place! This results with a diluted Christianity with no power and no conviction! It is a worldly kind of Christianity! No borders, no law, no rules anything goes! Homosexuality fine! Gay marriage great! Abortion good! Lawlessness something to be desired! This evil fruit of the Nicolaitans lead to people engaging and approving sin completing Satan’s power over them to conquer and imprison them through the sin that God rejects and died for on a Cross! James & Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: loss
Tyranny! Loss of Freedom!
No country can be called free which is governed by an absolute power; and it matters not whether it be an absolute Royal power or an absolute legislative power, as the consequences will be the same to the people. Thomas Paine (1737-1809), American Revolutionary War Hero.
Elder’s Home Grown Weight Loss Clinic!
Honey the batteries are dead again on our weight scale! Would you please replace the batteries again for me? Why do these batteries die a lot on this scale? Maybe because you drive the numbers so high when you get on it? You do not have to get on your scale three times a day? You should get on the scale too because you are overweight! Are you happy being overweight? No I am not! I will worry about it when I get older! You are already in your seventies so when will you start? When it comes time for my funeral! As long as I can get an extra wide coffin I will not worry about my weight! How can I lose weight? By getting out of your wheel chair once in a while!
Attitude of a Winner!
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm! Winston Churchill
Groaning Inwardly Romans 8:22-24
We groan inwardly at the loss of life recently in Colorado Springs and California! We never solve problems through violence! We groan but yet we are hopeful! We are either consumed by fear or we are pregnant with hope! Our expectations and confidence is in a little baby carried in a pregnant mother named Mary who lived over 2000 years ago! Man’s plan for this baby was also violence! Yet on the 3rd day He rose from the dead! Our hope and faith is in Christ and our future is in Him! He will also raise you from the dead! But He wants to start today! He will never leave you nor forsake you! Your eternity has begun here on earth! Will close out your eternity without Him? If your reality is based on your mortality then you can only groan! Be pregnant with the promises He has made to you both now and forever! Source; Excerpt from message given by Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. His messages can be seen on the podcasts: NewLifeChurch.org
Truth About Loss!
Invite Jesus into the place where you are broken! He has the answer! He is the answer! Jesus speaks life into brokenness! He is the resurrection! He has power! He does miracles! That is what He does! God has treasure for you in the midst of tragedy! God’s plans outweigh your plans! If you lose the truth about Christ you lose everything! Trust God for when you find the truth in the midst of tragedy you have everything! Stephanie Henderson, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Good Grief! Ecclesiastes 7: 2-4
We need healing conversations this morning! Solomon says grief brings joy! American culture tries to pass by death! We want to avoid conversations about it! Solomon says in verse four that the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. John 11: 32-35. Jesus knows how to grieve! In fact we see in this scripture that Jesus gets blamed for Lazarus death! Where have you buried him? Jesus wept! Why did Jesus stop and weep when He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead? We cannot skip over the sad places in our life! Jesus was fully man and fully God and is illustrated so plainly in these events! We cannot celebrate the miracles without paying attention to the process! Psalm 137. Two third’s of the Psalm’s are complaints and lamentations. The Jews were taken captive and taken to Babylon! The Babylonians took the best of the population back to Babylon and left the sick and elderly in Israel. Many of the grandchildren never saw their grandparents again! As the Jews sat by the rivers of Babylon they remembered Zion and wept! How do we grieve properly? First we must admit a new reality! Something is new about my life! Everything has changed about my life! It may be from a loss of a spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, job loss, sickness, financial loss, home or something else. I lost my dad in 2005. I miss dad but now a new reality. Second take time to weep. They wept in Babylon! Jesus wept! Slow down and grieve! Grieve properly! It is decompressing! Third remember the past! I have many good memories of my father! My father developed a barbeque sauce! He always wanted to get a patent on it. What my mother did not tell us for years is that she added some ingredients to the sauce so we could eat it! Tell the stories that make you smile at a funeral! See God’s imprint on our lives! Tell the stories that heal us and carry us on! What happens when we grieve properly? Our pain is confronted! We cannot ignore pain! In fact there is more pain for avoiding pain! Drug addiction is caused by trying to avoid pain! Invite the Holy Spirit into our pain! Jesus invited His Father into the pain in the Garden of Gethsemane! When we grieve properly we become available again! Your story matters! Millions of American’s have lost loved ones in battles of war in American history! Their stories matter! God is not finished with you yet! Your story is not over! Your final chapter is not the last one! God needs you available again! God will heal your heart! Even Jesus own disciples thought it was all over for them as Jesus went to the Cross! They scattered and went back to their old jobs! They could not look forward? God needs you available again! God knows what it is to grieve! Life was never the same when I lost my father! Storms are not forever! As we prepare for Communion let us remember the grieving of our Lord He has gone through for us on the Cross! Because He lives this morning we can live! He suffered so that we could have victory! He conquered death for us! Joy comes in the morning! He has Risen! Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.