You would think by hearing the prosperity message of the 21st Century from American pulpits that this guy would have the most coveted position on earth! Many spend their entire life pursuing these goals! The rich young ruler wanted to be sure he had all his ducks in a row and right with God! So he asked Jesus a question that we should all ask Him! What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said he should keep the Commandments to love God and people! He told Jesus he had done all these things since his youth! Jesus said you just lack one thing if you want to be perfect! The word perfect used here means reaching one’s goal of Heaven being blameless and righteous before God! Jesus told him he must sell all he has, give to the poor and follow me! This was just too much for this guy and he walked away sorrowful. Jesus only asked him to give up something he loved more than God! Jesus went on to say it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven! The sin was not being rich but loving money more than God! Jesus is telling all of us that we cannot go on a sin diet! We have to forsake it all. The last words that Jesus said somehow echo in my ears! Follow Me! Follow Me! If we hang unto a little sin it will turn into a monster! This is what happened to the Las Vegas shooter! Bill Gates is giving all his money away! The money no longer controls him! This is an important lesson when it comes to our tithes and offerings! It is a statement to God that He owns it all and we are acknowledging His authority! Sin will control us unless we forsake it! When you love God more than your sin and confess your sin to Christ victory is your estate! Jesus is God because only God can forgive sin! The rich young ruler refused to confess his sin! The joy of the Lord is our strength! If we will confess our sin He is Faithful and Just to forgive our sin! Then the bondages and chains of guilt, shame and condemnation are cut loose from our soul. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: young
Too Busy in Ministry?
If we are busy in a hundred good things–even great things, gospel things–but don’t sit at the feet of Jesus, we are busy in the wrong ways! Kevin De Young
The Respectful Are Respected! 1 Timothy 5:1-4
Instructions from God for a good outcome in your life! Respect elders. Encourage elders. Treat the younger as your brothers and sisters. Care for widows. What happens inside our homes counts! Important! The Christian home is the alternative community that is opposite to the dark, broken dysfunctional world that we live in. Politicians just reflect our broken culture. Church should be different. Debt free and living for others! Live more responsible with more to give away! Problem is the world does not see us any different from them. Just reminds them of themselves and what they hate. We must reinvent a new way of living. When the Church lives most unlike the world it has it’s greatest impact of reaching the world for Christ. Honor those in front of us. The older are farther along and have met things we have not. Wisdom comes from God and through time! Remember the word time means “to honor.” Old is gold. American culture spends between 90-100 Billion dollars each year for anti-aging gimmicks. Hopeless and expensive ways to try to stay young. The Bible teaches that grey hair is a gift from God. The elderly have great opportunities to help the younger. Many of the young today do not know how to ask questions. Be responsible to help widows. Seek out widows in need. John 19:25-27. Take care of your mother. With all the suffering and pain of the Cross and near death Jesus thought about his mother. A disciple took her from the execution place to care for her in his home. Why did not James take care of her? Mary was also his mother. If you read Acts Chapter 12 you will see James was killed a short time later. Joseph her husband had already passed away. Mary was vulnerable and Jesus saw it. John was the older disciple. Take care of a widow not related to you. James 1:27. Pure religion is to take care of widows and orphans and to keep your heart pure. Be family for them. Do 3 things. Find a widow. Look for them. Find, love and serve them. If you do you will come back here one year later and be a changed person. Joy and peace will enter into you. Honor your parents. Repay your parents. Practice your religion. Look not at them as a burden. Ask them how you can help them. Problem is not all parents are honorable. You could have had dysfunctional and abusive parents. Romans 12:17-18. Repay evil for evil? No! Do not become who you hate! Live at peace with everyone. Forgive. Break the cycle of family violence. Honor parents who are not honorable. Ephesians 6:2. Honor your Father and Mother and life will go well with you. The peace of God will accompany obedience. As a parent myself I do not always get it right. Neither will you. You get one shot in life at parenting. Parents work hard and then kids are gone. When we forgive we give away what we get back. Parents do the best they can at the time. Would we do differently if we could do over again? Yes. God gives us His Grace! Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday, October 13, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Grandpa Settles For Less!
Grandpa owned a small fishing boat. So he took it to the lake one Sunday afternoon and rowed to the center of this small lake. He let his line down in the water when he heard a voice? Pick me up the voice spoke! Grandpa looked around but saw no one? Again the voice sounded pick me up! Grandpa looked over the bow of his small boat and saw a small frog sitting on a lilly pad? The frog again said pick me up! So grandpa picked up the frog and put him in his pocket. Then the small frog said, ” If you give me a kiss I will turn into a beautiful young princess” ! Grandpa thought a minute then he said, “At my age I would rather have a talking frog” ! Source: Joel Osteen
Hindu Temple
The year was 1987. We were nearing the completion of our 3 year commission to India by the Korean Church. We needed to sell our vehicle in preparation for returning to the United States. The way you sell things in India is just put the word out amoung the local villagers! News travels fast in these remote areas. A young man named Benny told me this Hindu Priest was wanting to purchase my vehicle and if I would come up to the Temple he would pay me. Local Pastor’s in India warned me never to accept invitations to Hindu Temples! So I refused many invites by these Hindu Priests. So I told Benny no! Benny told me this is different. He only wants to buy your vehicle. It is simply buisness. So I decided to go. So Benny got in my vehicle with me and we made the steep pull up the mountain into the remote tribal area. As we approached the front entrance of this big Hindu Temple I could smell the sweet fragrance of incense sticks burning in the Temple. We were greeted at the front entrance by two beautiful young girls! They could have even been teen agers. One girl went to my left side and the other to my right side. They put one hand into my hand and the other on my forearm and escorted me into the Temple. I felt like the chosen King on prom night back in high school! With their collective beauty,perfumes and incense burning in the Temple I began to feel sedated! I began to feel sorry for the folks back home in America! Then the thought hit me. Where is Benny? As I was escoted deeper into this Temple some things began to trouble me? The doors into the rooms and halls had iron gates on them much like a jail cell? There seemed to be alot of girls in this Temple? Some not modestly dressed? Then I walked by this European looking guy sitting on the floor with his head shaved! This young man was like staring into space. His eyes were glassy and his soul looked empty? I glanced into one room as I walked by and there were these 3 iron stakes anchored into the cement with leather straps tied on them? I asked one of my escorts where we were going? I cannot completely descibe the foreboding feelings I had at this time? The girls told me they were taking me to the guest room where the Hindu Priest will give me the money for the vehicle. Even though I wanted to pull away and get out of there I was like mesmerized by the spiritual atmosphere there! It was like something was taking control of me? Much like the cobra spitting his venom into the air in a room to disable his victims! The girls finally took me into this room and asked me to sit down in the chair. The girls pulled the curtain over the door and left the room. This room only had one chair in the middle of the room and I was sitting on it? No pictures on the walls and only one door to exit the room. No windows either? I began to have more concerns! I got up out of my chair moved the curtain back but the iron gate was locked behind the curtain! No time to panic but I did begin to sweat! I went back to my chair. Where was Benny? Suddenly two different girls came from behind the curtain! They were as pretty and young as the first two but were not modestly dressed? They wore short grass skirts with their tops adequately displayed chanting and dancing around me in my chair? They had ankle chains on their legs with bells attached so when they danced the bells would jingle! They had tambourines they were beating. My natural defences began to further abate. My thoughts were now who cares where Benny is! As the girls would dance, chant and sway their bodies around me with the beat to the music they began to make eye contact with me. They would fix their eyes on my eyes and then shift their eyes rapidly left to right and then right to left. I began to feel dizzy! This went on for about 10 or 15 minutes. I really lost track of time? I was now moving into a deeper hypnotic state! Then the girls abruptly left the room! I wanted to get out but now unable to even get out of my chair? I was like unable to respond to my natural senses? I would later learn the European looking guy was made a eunuch in the Temple along with some other fellows there. Now there was an ominous quiet period while I was waiting for the next act! Suddenly these huge drums began to beat? Then I began to hear this male voice chanting in the distance. This voice began to get louder as this man got closer to me! I could also hear a tambourine beating. Suddenly this huge man broke through the door curtain! He must have weighed 300 pounds and looked like a sumo wrestler! He was bare chested with bright colors were painted all over him! He like the girls were dancing,chanting, banging his tambourine and trying to focus his eyes on mine. He had a full beard and long hair. He looked like a bat out of hell! The girls softened me up and this guy was going to take me down! Then about a dozen girls entered the room and joined the high priest in their chants and dances! Yes the choir was now in place! His cheer leaders! Then behind the girls stood Benny! Betrayal at its best! I cried out to Jesus and called on His Blood to break this demonic spell! Suddenly this spirit of control over me was broken! Yes in the twinkling of an eye satan’s spell over me was broken! The priest with his harem stopped and left the room! I got up out of my chair left the room and temple and drove my vehicle back to Yercaud. I sold my vehicle in Madras and we left India for the United States! These Hindu Priests make prostitutes out of the women and eunuches out of the men! Stay out of the Hindu Temples! James Sasse. GodWgoisGod.com
Which Kingdom do you want?
The year was 1985. We had been in India one year then. We had just moved from Madras(Chennai), to a hill station named Yercaud. The name Yercaud in the Tamil Language means the village of the lake and the forest. It is a beautiful place with coffee estates, mango trees and assortment of fruits! This village was so remote that there was no gas station there. The problem for us was finding suitable housing for my family. My daughters at that time were 4 and 5 years old. My concern was for their safety. A friend of ours from Salem had been searchin for us and through another friend located this Hindu man who owned coffee estates in Yercaud and also had a English hotel converted for his summer home. Rich people there would escape the summer heat and live in the cool hill stations for the season. This man owned a car manufacturing and boat manufacturing company. He was also an M.D. educated in the United States. Having lived in the U.S. he could not understand why we came to India? This mansion was remote and beautiful! It was nested on the edge of a cliff with a panoramic view of Salem Valley below! Also a clear view of Metur Dam. The clouds would hit you in the face! Yes due to low cloud elevation across south india any mountain would be covered in clouds. Yes I was walking in clouds! As I would sit in this old english chair with extended arms for your legs and view the valley below I used to feel sorry for the folks back in America. They had to get up every morning and go to work everyday! Fight the traffic, bosses and all else! What really bugged me about this Hindu man was he never asked for rent? I offered him but he declined? After we had lived there for about 3 months the owner approached me and told me he would like to make an offer to me. He asked me if I would like to live in his mansion for the rest of my life! He told me he would pay for my daughters tuition and living expenses through college in the United States. To sweeten the deal he told me he would find me alot of young girls for me down in Salem valley! He told me to think it over for about two weeks. He had to go to America on buisness and would get back with me. I thought the girls are out but the rest? What is the motive? I again began to feel sorry for the folks back home! Well, this Hindu man returned to Yercaud and asked me if I would take his offer? However he said there was only one condition? I must stop preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the people on Yercaud mountain! I politely told him this is the reason we came to India! He told me we have 3 days to vacate mansion! The hardest thing I ever had to tell my family was we had to move in 3 days! I did not tell my wife Hamsa the real reason we had to move until 25 years later! Well we ended up in a scorpion, rat and snake infested house for the next two years! I thought about those fortunate people back in America! About two weeks before leaving Yercaud and India for the United States the rich man pulled his Mercedes Benz convertible up along side me while I was walking. He asked me again why I had come to India? I told him for the last time because God has sent me here! Satan will offer you all the Kingdoms of this world if you just bow down and worship him! It gets down to two Kingdom’s! The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan! Everyday for the rest of your life you will have to make a choice what Kingdom you want? Choose this day who you will serve! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Yom Kippur-Day of Atonement
The door to Holiness is in you! It is the one marked mistakes. The Holiness of Yom Kippur exists in the space we make through our mistakes. We do not study our defeat to learn from it, we study our defeat to love from it! Source; Rabbi Stephen Baars. Comment; This Rabbi has some good insight here. The year was 1973. I was a young man on my death bed. I had some defeats in my life. I knew it was my last night on earth! I had made one good choice. I received Christ a few days before! I closed my eyes in death. Christ entered the room and told me God Loves You! I am now 62 years old and no experience in my entire life has ever matched Christ coming into my life! Christ’s Love has been healing me ever since 1973. As the Rabbi said His Love flowed out of my defeat! The next 10 years was street ministry to drunks, prostitutes and every other person I met down on Larimer street in Denver, Colorado. Larimer Street was skid row where the worst of the worst hung out! The drunks would be asleep on the side walk and I would awaken them and tell them that Jesus Loves You! It was prison ministry every week. His Love poured out of me and then on to India in 1983. The rest is history. No, His Love continues to flow out of me in 2011. Please see; IndiaJesusLovesyou.com
Western Civilization
James Ussher (1581-1656) Prolific Christian Scholar. This man fixed the date of creation at the night preceding Sunday, October 23, 4004 B.C. If there were 6 literal days of creation then the next day would be Sunday. Why was creation completed in the fall of the year? Perhaps so Adam and Eve would have fruit to eat! It is interesting that the Jewish New Year is on September 29th which is about 3 weeks from Ussher’s prediction! Western Civilization is really about Christian Heritage and contributions made by so many people. Many evil forces are trying to destroy Western Civilization. Evolutionist do not like the Biblical young earth theory because it eliminates the millions of years they need to support their theory! Islam determined to kill Christians and Jews? Public education trying to remove prayer from our young people? The irony is the very one they are trying to destroy is the only one who can save them! Yes Christ Himself the God-Man who was and is and is to come! God Bless! James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Go Green!
I was a young man then back in the early 1970’s. We had just gone through the Arab oil embargo and energy conservation was on every mind of America! I was in a barber shop in Denver reading a Popular Mechanics magazine. In this magazine was an ad for a solar clothes dryer! Ad said was compatible to any electric clothes dryer! It was only five dollars and just mail in to a P. O. Box Number address. I wanted to do my part so i sent in my five dollars. It was about two weeks before i received my package in the mail. I imagined solar panels attached to a complex computer network! I took the package and unwrapped it right on top of the clothes dryer! There in the center of the box was about 6 feet of clothes line? I wanted to strangle the guy that mailed me this with my new clothes line! I do not like deception especially in hard times as we are in today! Americans today in our economic trouble need honesty and encouragement in these difficult times! Do your best to help others even if it costs you something! Jesus said he who is greatest in the Kingdom of God is servant of all! God Bless! James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Good Intentions at Windsor Castle
A young man had a deep desire to find God! A friend suggested to him to join a monastery. So he went to Windsor Castle and spoke to the Head Monk. This monk encouraged him to sign up for the 30 year program. The monk explained to him the hard work and discipline involved with this program! Long hours working around the castle in the crop fields! Strict rules about talking to others! In fact the Head Monk told this young recruit that he can only say 2 words every 10 years! This young man felt he was up to the challenge! First 10 years came up so Head Monk send a written message to this young man asking him to take the Light House stairway up to his office in Ivory Tower number three. While in his office Head monk asked young man to say his two words. Young man said, “Bad Food !” Another 10 years pass by and 20 years concluded. Monk asks middle age man to say two words. He tells the Monk, ” Hard Beds !” This now old man at Windsor Castle completes his 30 years. Head Monk presents him his 30 year pin and gives him permission to say his two words. His two words are I quit! Head Monk says that this does not surprise us because you have been complaining ever since you have been here!