Tag: pastor

One Week After Easter! April 14, 1912

Pastor John Harper was an accomplished Pastor out of Scotland with hundreds of congregation members in his home church! He had been invited by Moody Church in Chicago to participate with this ministry! He was excited and his young daughter and sister accompanied them on a brand new ship on it’s maiden voyage to New York! His wife had been deceased years earlier. The Titanic was promoted as the safest ship to ever sail. On the late night of April 14th the Titanic struck that rock of ice and began taking on water! As the tragedy unfolded Pastor Harper helped load the women and children into the life boats! He gave up his life vest to another who did not have one! A crew member warned him that without the life vest you are going down with the ship! Pastor Harper replied that he was going up and not down! Pastor Harper kept shouting to the crowds, “Do you know Jesus as your Savior?” He continued to shout, “No one can save you tonight but God!” Survivors said that Pastor Harper kept preaching the Gospel to the end especially after Acts 16:31. Are you saved was his continual cry to the people entering the cold icy waters of the North Atlantic! Pastor Harper found himself in the cold frigid waters clinging to a deck chair floating in the water! As people floated by him he would ask them if they were saved? Do you know Christ! Declare His name from your lips and enter into eternal life! You only have one chance tonight! Do not let the love of this world keep you from Christ! Christ loves you but not this world! Trust Christ not your own efforts! Whether here tonight or later we will all perish from this earth! There is only one name under Heaven in where you can be saved! Pastor Harper with over 1500 people perished that night and entered eternity either saved or lost! Are you saved! When we run out of time we run out of choices! The word time means, “To Honor.” Why not honor Him today with the rest of your life here on earth? Pastor John Harpers life can be seen by reading a book called, “The Titanic’s Last Hero”, published by Moody Adams. Do not let Easter slip away from you under the dark waters of death! Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.

Foundation for Ministry? Isaiah 33:6

So what is it? God delivered me off my death bed 45 years ago as a young man! I did not deserve it but He did it! A miracle and my first at the hands of Jesus! After this event I was actively involved in ministry through my local church! I went into prisons! I went down to the skid rows down on Larimer street in Denver Colorado! I went down to the drunks in alleys sleeping and awakening them and telling them Jesus loves you! I held Gospel meetings in the alleys of slum area’s of Denver! Saturday morning I was there among them preaching the Gospel! I was faithful for 10 years in these kind of ministries! I spent time in half-way houses holding prayer meetings! Then visions came to me in the middle of the night! Visions of going to the foreign mission field! I went to my local Pastor and explained these visions to him but he felt I should spend 4 years in Bible school. However the window was open now but for how long? I went back to other churches we had attended over the years in Denver but they all had excuses why they could not help us! Then my wife in Denver heard over the Christian radio station that the pastor of the world’s largest church was coming to Denver for crusades! My wife asked me if we should go see him? I was skeptical? If these Pastor’s here in Denver don’t want us even though we supported them for years who are we to this guy? I told Hamsa we are going to put our house up for sale this week and I am resigning my job! We are selling everything we have except two traveling bags each and buying a one way ticket to India! Sponsor or no sponsor we are going! She told me before you take this big step of faith why not take a small step of faith and go to this crusade! So we took our two little daughters who were 3 and 5 years old and went down to the crusade! It seemed uneventful? We left out to the parking lot after it was over with hundreds of cars leaving the parking lot! We went to our car and then it seemed out of nowhere Pastor Cho surrounded by elder’s was heading to his limo! My wife told me to stay with the children and I will talk to him! She shouted through the ring of elder’s and told Pastor Cho we are going to India as missionaries would you pray for us! He told my wife to bring your husband and we will pray! He took our hands and began to prayer for about 30 seconds. Then he told us we would come to Korea to be commissioned by our church for a 3 year work in India! The rest is history! So what is the bed rock foundation for ministry? I learned later that Cho as a young man was dying of TB! The hospital sent him home to die! He lived in a slum of Seoul. He was coughing up cups of blood! This little teenage girl would come by his cot in the cold winter everyday and pray for him! He would insult her and call her a Christian dog and would spit on her! She kept coming back each day for prayer! As she prayed he began to get better! A miracle walked into his life by the name of Jesus! Cho began a tent ministry in the slum of Seoul that eventually became the world’s largest church with over one million members! Suffering is the foundation for ministry! We do not look for it but God will bring it according to His will and purpose of your life! Pastor Cho looked for 60 years to find this teenage girl but never could find her? She is probably wearing a crown right now! She led Cho to Christ! Never discount who you have led to Christ! Suffering has purpose! Easter is about God suffering for you! Compassion means to suffer with! Are you willing to suffer with and for others? This is the Spirit of Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Transubstantiation! Matthew 26:29

Perhaps you will say, I see something else, how is it that you assert that I receive the Body of Christ?…Let us prove that this is not what nature made, but what the blessing consecrated, and the power of blessing is greater than that of nature, because by blessing nature itself is changed… For that sacrament which you receive is made what it is by the Word of Christ. But if the Word of Elijah had such power as to bring down fire from Heaven, shall not the Word of Christ have power to change the nature of the elements?… Why do you seek the order of nature is the Body of Christ, seeing that the Lord Jesus Himself was born of a virgin, not according to nature? It is the true Flesh of Christ which was crucified and buried, this is seen truly the Sacrament of His Body. Before the blessing of the heavenly words another nature is spoken of, after the consecration the Body is signified. He Himself speaks of His Blood. Before the consecration it has another name, after it is called Blood. And you say Amen, that is, it is true. Let the heart within confess what the mouth utters, let the soul feel what the voice speaks. Saint Abrose of Milan (340-397 A.D.) Comment: This doctrine has been a Catholic doctrine for hundreds of years! We have to look at two words used in verse 29. The word kingdom in the Greek can include both Heaven and earth! That is it can mean God’s rule over the earth and His rule over the Spiritual eternal Kingdom in Heaven! Remember part of the Lord’s prayer is on earth as it is in Heaven! The other word used in this verse is the word new! The word means qualitatively new! That is the old man has become a new man! The Old Testament has a new quality! It has become the New Testament! The old Heaven has a new quality! It has become the new Heaven! The old earth has a new quality! It has become a new earth! Everything changed at the Cross! A change took place in me when I came to the Cross! The changes are still taking place in me some 45 years later! It is a continual work! A daily reformation! Are we going to take Communion in Heaven? How about at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? Some say well we will not because we will be with Jesus! Is Jesus not with you right now? Jesus said this do in remembrance of me! Do we need to remember what He has done for us in Heaven? When I take Communion here on earth what do I remember? I remember how bad I am and how good God is! I remember the price He paid for my sin! I remember I deserved death and He gave me life! I remember how hopeless and lost I was and He rescued me! Will I forget these things in Heaven? No way my friend! You see His love for me changed everything! His love for me caused me to love others! If I am that valuable then others must to valuable too! My same motivation to worship Him on earth will be the same motivation in Heaven! Ever Communion Service renews my relationship to Him! It is like being born again again! Paul warned us not to crucify Him again! We are to examine ourselves before Communion! Paul meant we are not to continue sinning after Communion! Whether the elements of the Communion are the actual Blood and Body of Jesus is not the issue with me! We can reject Christ even while taking Communion! Our heart can be somewhere else! Away from Him! So how can we test any Theology? Does the Theology move us closer to Christ or farther away from Him? If Communion causes me to feel free to sin because my slate will be clean at the next Communion Service then we have a license to sin! Does your love for Christ want you to please God and forsake your sin? Why did Lucifer rebel against God? Lucifer a created being like us that was the Praise Leader of Heaven and forsook his position and was cast out of Heaven with 1/3 of the Angels who became Satan? Lucifer looked at his job as a position only not in relationship to God! It was just a job and love was absent from his relationship to God! So self moved on the throne of his heart and rebellion followed! We attended a large church in Colorado Springs for 3 years. Pastor Brady Boyd had the congregation take Communion every week! This was a lot of work for there were about 5 thousand members! So what did this do for me? It brought to my remembrance more often what Christ had done for me and what He is doing for me today! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Prepare You a Way! Isaiah 40:3

“Prepare a physical pathway for the Lord, make upright and just in a wilderness a highway for our God.” Comment: This Old Testament prophecy was also quoted in the New Testament in several places! In (John 1:23), John the Baptist quoted this scripture to the religious and political leaders explaining what he was doing and why! The word “way”, used in the New Testament means a road in which one travels. Here is the real deal. We as believers had a way prepared for us to find God! The message you received about Christ may have come from a Evangelist, Pastor, teacher, Priest, prophet, elder, parent, grandparent or a missionary! They prepared a way for you to find Christ! We are to return the favor! You are preparing the way for others as you preach His Word! You may be doing a Bible study, prayer group, web site, Blog, audio or video tracts, prison ministry or a Pastor of a local church. You may be a missionary in a foreign land! You may distribute Bibles, Gospel tracts or do hospital and nursing home ministries. You may be doing a food kitchen or clothing distribution for the poor. Just like John the Baptist you are preparing the way for people to find Christ! At Jesus first coming John the Baptist prepared people to receive Christ! However today Christ’s second coming is even more important to prepare people’s hearts because His second coming will not be as Savior but as Judge of all. This makes our mission very important! John sacrificed his life for his mission but today the stakes are even higher! Even more is on the line today! At Christ’s second coming there will be no more choices available to you! Your eternity will be locked in forever! We cannot afford to play church! We must play for keeps! No business as usual. Each day that slips by begs the question what did I do today to prepare the way for others? Will we be able to answer Christ at the Judgment Seat with confidence and assurance that we did all we could to reach the lost? Was our heart in the world or in Heaven? If our destination is Heaven then think about Heaven! We cannot work our way to Heaven but we can prepare a way for others! Go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel. At marriage we say, “I do.” When we join the military we say, “I do.” Then the sacrifices begin! Jesus on the Cross said, “It is finished.” May the God of Heaven give us the grace to finish the highway to Heaven for others and receive the rewards Christ has promised us! Nothing could be more rewarding than to be in Heaven and witness others coming in after us who we have helped to prepare the way for them! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Virgin Birth! John 1:1

This is the key to understanding the virgin birth! God’s Word is full of Faith and Spiritual Power! God spoke it! God transmitted His image to Mary. She received  the image created inside of her…the embryo that was in Mary’s womb was nothing more than the Word of God! Pastor Charles Capps (1934-2014)  Comment: The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among men! In the beginning was the Word of God…………..

The God Dilution! Romans 1:26-27

There is not a theologian in the world who can argue with me on this! God has no gender! If that’s the case everything needs to be rewritten! Susan Powter (Radical Feminist Lesbian). Comment: Has she ever talked to a Pastor, Priest or Theologian? Evidently not! Susan did you know God produced a Son through a woman and His name is Jesus Christ! God created the man first then the woman from the man! When Jesus gave us the prayer when people asked Him how to pray He said, “Our Father who art in Heaven——–“. Same sex partners cannot produce children! To have it your way would stop the continuation of the human races! Soon the surface of the earth would look like the moon with no life! The suicide rate among trans-genders, homosexuals and lesbians is many times higher than the rest of the populations! Your plan is not God’s plan! Turn to Christ and repent of your sin and God will establish you in His Kingdom! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Think Verticle!

Do not think left or right! The political environment is so toxic that people cannot hold a civil conversation! Think of the Cross and the vertical member that through Christ has connected us to the Father through His Son Jesus Christ! Think of the horizontal wood plank of the Cross where Christ died and rose again for the sin of those both on the left and the right! Pastor Mike Huckabee

Stand Up! Stand Up for America!

Stand Up Stand Up for Jesus was a song written by a dying Pastor from Philadelphia in 1858! His name was Dudley Atkins Tyng. His father had also been the Pastor of the Episcopal Church of Philadelphia. His congregation members were unhappy for Dudley’s stance against slavery! In 1856 he resigned his church and started the Church of the Covenant! In 1858 he got too close to a moving machine and lost his arm! As he lay dying he told his father to “Stand Up for Jesus!” Pastor George Duffield was stirred at the funeral and preached the next Sunday from Ephesians 6 about standing firm and wrote a poem about Standing Up for Jesus which became the great American Christian Hymn! We need to stand up for America! Those that will not we need to turn our backs on! Boycott any sports team and Hollywood and any company that supports them in advertising! We have to make it clear that anyone who does not respect our Nation and Flag we cannot support! We have to make sacrifices as this Pastor did against slavery and even a stand against our own congregations if they support Anti-Christian values! Stand Up for Jesus and America! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com