Welcome back, brothers & sisters!!!

Thank you for joining us today in supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world  in praying over this week’s prayer requests.   

Here are this week’s prayer requests:

• Please pray for Kevin.  This young man found out the day before Thanksgiving that he has stage 4 lung cancer.  Please pray for him and his loved ones to receive the Lord’s covering & comfort through this time.
• Please pray for Mary’s dad in the Philippines.  He is receiving chemotherapy for stage 2 cancer.  Let’s lift our brother up in prayer and pray the Lord’s covering & comfort over him and his loved ones during this trying time.
• Please continue to pray for a young married couple with children to receive the Lord’s blessings over their lives.  The mother recently lost her job due to lay offs.  The dad works, but the hours available to him are few due to the light workload at his employer.  Furthermore, the dad has a heart condition that is potentially life-threatening.  Please pray for these two to remain steadfast in their faith and to continue trusting completely in the Lord & His blessed promises throughout this trying time.  Furthermore, please pray for this time to be one of joy for this family and for all the extra time they are spending together right now to be precious time that yields much spiritual growth and many fond memories.  Lastly, please pray that the mother’s current pregnancy would be a healthy and uneventful one, culminating in the birth of another precious child several months from now:-)
• Please join with me in praying for a young man in his 30’s that has been physically debilitated by the ravages of MS.  This young man clings to his faith in the Lord fiercely.  Please pray that the Lord would pour out His mercy, grace, and healing on this young man so that he may find some relief from this disease that has been ceaselessly attacking him for over 8 years now.  Furthermore, please pray that his faith would be renewed and that his grip on his faith in the Lord would remain firm at all times.  Also, please pray for this young man’s mother to also receive the Lord’s peace, strength, and comfort as she takes care of him through this ordeal.  Pray for them both to realize that they are in the Lord’s hands, and that is always the best place that any of us can be.
• Please pray for a recently separated couple with two young children to receive the Lord’s intervention in their hearts.  The dad left 3 weeks ago and wants nothing to do with the children.  The mother has just had to let go of a prized position at work so that she can be home for the children.  Please pray that the Lord would comfort all involved and that he would cause the adults to re-examine their choices and their motivations for those choices.  Pray that whether or not they get back together, that they both become active and positive influences in the lives of the children.  Please pray that the healing process would begin immediately, even if just in gradual measure.  Lastly, please pray that any acrimonious feelings between the two adults would begin to fade, and that they would turn to the Lord for guidance during this turbulent time in their lives.
• Please pray for a large group of low-income people that just found out that their jobs will be moving away in the next few months.  Pray that they would trust in the Lord to deliver them and that their fears would be relieved by their faith in Him.  Pray for them to be blessed with open doors to new opportunities, despite the dreadful economic conditions currently in place.
• Please continue to pray for the president of the United States of America to seek the Lord’s guidance and will so that he may better fulfill his leadership role.  Pray that he would turn away from the lies that he frequently perpetuates and from the power plays that he continually makes, opting instead to be a faithful and obedient servant of the Lord God Almighty.  Please also pray for our members of Congress to also seek the Lord’s guidance and will, rather than primarily seeking more backroom deals and re-elections.  The United States was intended to have a government not under the control of man-made religion, but the founding fathers did intend for the United States to have a government that acknowledged and abided by the will of the Lord God Almighty.  Pray that this country would awaken to that truth before it is too late.
• Please continue to pray for a man in his later 30’s that has embraced atheism as a result of the wrongs that people have continually subjected him to for all of his life.  This young man has fallen for Satan’s lie that if there was a God, he would have been spared from all of these things.  Pray for this young man to realize that the only thing that has allowed him to survive all of these trials is the very grace of God.  Pray that he would realize that God has been there with him through every trial, sustaining him and propelling him forward. 
• Please continue to pray for one of our sisters in Christ Jesus.  Her name is Tiffany, and she has been diagnosed with a form of scoliosis.  Let’s pray for the Lord’s healing over our sister and that she would also receive the Lord’s strength, peace, and comfort as He leads her through this tough time.  Pray that she would feel His presence continually and be restored to full health quickly. 
• Please continue to pray for a two year old girl with cancer.  Pray that this little princess would receive healing in the name of Jesus Christ, and please pray that the Lord would comfort her throughout this ordeal.  Furthermore, please pray that the Lord would bless the loved ones of this little princess to be filled with His peace, strength and comfort during this trying time.
• Please continue to pray for a middle-aged woman that is suffering through the affliction of having liver cancer.  This sister loves the Lord with all her heart.  Please pray that the Lord would sustain and strengthen her as she battles this disease.  Please pray in Jesus’ name in faith with thanksgiving and supplication that the Lord would unleash His complete healing power over our sister, healing her mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
• Please continue to pray for the people of Israel to recognize that the long-prophesied Messiah is none other than Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father.  Recognizing this will enable many more Jewish people to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, so that they may be reconciled unto the God that chose them as His people so many thousands of years ago.  Many Jews have converted to Christianity in the last several years.  Let’s pray that a great many more do the same:-)  Furthermore, let’s pray for the Lord’s continued protection and blessings for Israel in the face of the world’s disdain for this nation.  As many of Israel’s enemies will find out the hard way, the Lord will not forget His chosen people:-)  Praise God for His ceaseless faithfulness, perfect and enduring love, abundant mercy, and amazing grace!!!
• Please continue to pray for those churches and Christians that have abandoned Christ by embracing abominations such as homosexuality and humanism to see the error of their ways, repent, and return to the Lord.  There is a rapidly growing movement of churches and people seeking world unity through diversity of faith in order to gain acceptance from the very world that rejected Jesus Christ.  Please pray that they would reverse course and esteem seeking the Lord’s will, rather than giving in to man’s will. 
• Please continue to pray for a young man that is currently lost in homosexuality.  Pray that his heart and his mind would be opened to the Lord’s word, truth and love and that he would see the error of his ways.  We pray that this young man will repent of his sins, accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and be freed permanently from the chains of bondage that this world’s ways have wrapped him with.  Please join with myself and this young man’s parents to pray for him to be awakened to the Lord’s truth and love.
• Please continue to pray that Christians around the world would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would boldy go about proclaiming Jesus Christ and sharing the Lord’s word, truth, and love to all peoples everywhere.  Pray that they would not be intimidated into silence by the ridicule and persecution that this world will meet them with, but rather that they would be energized by knowing that they are being blessed with the honor of sharing in Jesus’ suffering for us.  Jesus told us that all that would follow Him would need to take up their own cross.  Please bless Christians to remember this and to be filled with the strength, courage, and faith to boldly carry their crosses through this world in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ!!!

If you have not yet given your life to Christ Jesus, but you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

If you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you have now been born-again in Jesus Christ.  Your sins of the past have been forgiven, and you now have a clean slate with which to begin living your new life for Jesus Christ.  You will still have trials and challenges in this world, but you will never again face them alone.  Get to know the Lord better by regularly studying His word (the bible) each day, by speaking to Him frequently through prayer, and by seeking fellowship with other Christians.  Welcome to the family, beloved!!! 

As always, if you have a prayer request, please send it along so that we can join you in prayer over your request(s).  You can either submit your prayer request(s) in the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or you can email your prayer request(s) directly to me at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).  We are always happy, thankful & blessed to join you in prayer in looking to the Lord for His blessed support and intervention:-)

Thank you for joining us in supporting our brothers and sisters around the world in this week’s prayer requests.  I hope you will be able to join us for our next message on Monday.

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, and be sure to share Christ Jesus as freely and lovingly with others as you have been blessed to receive Him by the very grace of God!!! 

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Our Father in Heaven is more anxious to bless us than condem us. He’s more anxious to forgive us than to cast us away. But this is no excuse to live a life at odds with His commandments because God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Callahan)

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;” (Revelation 3:7)

Jesus opens the letter to Philadelphia emphasizing again certain characteristics of his character and his authority. Jesus is holy and he is true (see Revelation 1:5) – and he has the right to expect his people to also be holy and true. Jesus is the one with the keys to life and death (see Revelation 1:18). He only has the final say about what is let in, or what is kept out; and no man can do anything to change it. Jesus is King supreme! He is of the lineage of David, a throne that has been established forever…

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:30-32)

Isaiah the prophet prophesied of Jesus as the king with all authority:

“And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” (Isaiah 22:22)

In the Old Testament God had promised David that of his house lineage there would always be a king to rule and govern over Israel. Jesus is that king, and the true spiritual Jews of the house of Israel are his kingdom (see Romans 2:28-29.) As the King of kings, when Jesus shuts, no man can open, and when he opens, no man can shut (see 1 Timothy 6:15 and Revelation 19:16).

As you will recall in the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins (spoken of back in the comments to verse 3 of this 3rd chapter of Revelations), that at the time of the marriage feast of Jesus and the Church, they whose spiritual lamps were burning were allowed in, and then the door was shut!

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 25:10-13)

When the door was shut to the five foolish virgins, it was shut. No man could change that. But to the five wise virgins the door was open, and no man could change that either. But does not the Lord receive anyone who wants to come to him? Absolutely, but you cannot come to him your way, you must come to him his way, according to his plan. Because for any other way, the door is shut! Jesus himself is the door, and his way of truth: deliverance from sin, in holiness and in unity with his one true Church bride, is his way. He does not accept many ways, only HIS way:

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:1-16)

Jesus plainly states: anyone trying to get in without fully coming Jesus’ way, will cause trouble for the true Church, the true sheep. They will only come to eventually “steal, and to kill and to destroy” and they will not care for the true sheep. If a spiritual wolf should come around, they also will flee away and allow that wolf like attitude to catch the sheep and scatter them. Jesus does NOT open the door to these type, but men some times will, especially if those men have spiritually “fallen asleep.”

Jesus is the good shepherd, and his intention is to gather back to himself all those sheep that have been scattered into different “folds” of man’s false religious sect making. Jesus will bring them back by his the voice of his true message. Then there shall be one fold, one Church, and one shepherd: that true shepherd being Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The door is shut to every false way, but Jesus is willing to open to anyone that will seek him his way:

“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:5-13)

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Do you live a life of ministry?  Yes, you do.  We all live lives of ministry, beloved.  All that differs are the types of lives of ministry that we lead.

You see, brothers and sisters, you do not need to be called a priest, reverend, rabbi, pastor, ministor, or any other title in order to actively minister to others.  We all minister continually, whether we intend to or not. 

Beloved, ministering is done only in part through the words that we speak and/or write.  A very significant part of ministry that is rarely considered is the ministry that we spread with the manner in which we live our lives.

Some people live a life that ministers unto others a love and trust of money and material wealth.  Oftentimes, they refer to having/pursuing the “good life”.  In this ministry, the “good life” is defined by your level of financial and material wealth.  Those who champion this particular ministry see things as cars, houses, clothes, enhanced technological devices, financial investments, and currency as the main barometers of the success in one’s life.    People living this ministery do so continually, as there are always new and prestigious items being created.  Therefore, these people are constantly pursuing more and more material and financial wealth accumulation so that they can prove their ability to lead the “good life”.

Other people live ministeries of slothfulness and laziness.  These are people whose ministry shows us that they are content to put forth the least amount of effort possible in order to insure their ability to survive.  Some of the people that have adopted government welfare as their lifelong career actively lead this ministery.  The people that I am specifically speaking of are those that either shun the opportunity for employment, or that shun the opportunity to advance with their employer, because they do not want to compromise their welfare benefit status.  There are many people in unions that also actively champion this ministery.  Where unions were initially created to ensure fair treatment for employers, they morphed over the years and turned into an incredibly expensive and crippling element that tries to get as many extra benefits/pay as possible for those that belong to the union, while de-emphasizing the importance of individual performance. 

Other people live ministeries of domination.  People that belong to this group actively minister a message that evidences a “survival of the fittest” mentality.  Large congregations of this ministery can be found in prisons, gangs, and in any of a number of other groups and locations.  Additional participants in this group are totalitarian regimes, communist dictatorships, etc that repress peoples through brute force displaying a ministery message that those with the most and most dangerous weapons win.  Abusive spouses, rapists, child abusers, and other wicked groups of people spread similar messages of “might makes right” with the perverted ministries that they live.

Yet another group of people live lives of ministry that promote self.  A common denominator among those that participate in this ministery is that the first/primary consideration in any situation is a focus on enhancing themselves.  This includes people who are not hesitant to kill innocent, unborn babies in order to maintain their “right to choose”.  Also, people who are willing to re-write morality in order to feed their own selfish desires (i.e. homosexuality/gay marriage).  There are also larger organizations that take part in this ministry, such as some churches that have no issue creating man-made doctrine to supercede following God’s doctrine, in order to maintain their hold on power and influence over their congregations and others.  In short, this ministry’s main message is exhibited by people and organizations that satisfy their own desires before giving consideration to serving any others.

At the end of the day, beloved, there are too many different types of ministeries to list on this site.  However, we can create two super categories by boiling it all down to two catch all groups of people.  The first group would be those that don’t live a life of ministery that claims Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  This group include all those listed above as well as a great many other groups that we have neither the time nor the space to list individually on this site.  The bottom line is that all who live their lives in such a manner that does not recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that do not recognize Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God the Father would fit into this group.

The second group would be those that live their lives in a manner that evidences Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  People that belong to this group believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father.  People in this group believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and they also believe that all who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will similarly rise to everlasting life.  This is evidenced when a loved one passes.  While people that live this ministry will mourn and shed a tear for a loved one that has passed on, they are also filled with hope and joy at knowing that they will one day be reunited with their loved one.  People in this group live lives that actively display humility, peace, meekness, love, forgiveness, and faith.  People in this group do not fall apart as economies rise and fall, or as different world events unfold.  People in this group display their faith on a daily basis, in both good times and bad.  Why?  They do so as they attempt to live their lives patterned after the object of their ministry, which is the Lord.  The Lord not only told us how we should live;  He also showed us during His time on earth.  A true Christian lives their life in a manner that constantly seeks to serve the will of the Lord and glorify Him.  Even though people in this group occasionally slip up, they display the assurance of knowing that God knows their hearts, and they quickly get back on track in serving and glorifying Him.

So in closing, beloved, which life of ministry do you lead?  If you claim to be a Christian, is your claim evidenced in the manner in which you live your life?  Always remember that the manner in which you live you life ultimately transmits to others as the main ministry that you live.  Remember that we can always tell the kind of tree we are looking at based on the fruits that it brings forth.

If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior today, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just sincerely prayed that prayer, then you are now a spiritually born-again child of the Lord God Almighty.  Welcome to the family!!!  We are blessed to have you join us, and you have made your heavenly Father exceedingly happy:-)  Your life has a much stronger foundation now that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  You will still face many problems in this world, but by the grace of God, you now have the means by which to overcome every single one of those problems:-)  In order to maintain and grow in your relationship with the Lord it is really important for you to get to know Him better.  Set aside a few minutes each day to study the Lord’s word (bible), communicate with Him continually via prayer, and seek fellowship with other Christians.  Your new life in Christ Jesus starts now, and you start with a spiritually clean slate.  Praise God!!!

Thank you all for joining us today.  I hope you will be able to join us again on Friday for our weekly prayer requests.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Got time? I mean, really, do you have some time you can set aside to hear this? If I asked you, why did Jesus come down to this planet, what would u answer?

You may answer He came to die for us… this is part of the answer. Now that Jesus has died for you though, whats next? Does it end there?

Where is your interest? In the things of God? Or, in the things of this world? An honest answer may be in the things of the world for many. I’m not pointing fingers, just giving an honest answer. With that said, I’ll ask something else, generally speaking, not pointing fingers.

Do you want to go to heaven? I’m sure the general answer is going to be yes. But, why? If you love this world and the things and lifestyle and fashion of the world, why do u want to go to heaven? In heaven there will be no theatres with any of the themes you see around now. There won’t be all this crazy unhealthy food, the clubbing, the alcoholic drinks… to get to the point, there won’t be many of the things we have come to like way too much for no important reason. Why not start living accordingly now? Trust me, its not a boring life Try it.

With that said, can I borrow a moment of your time? It may realistically be more time than what u wanted, but, if your  interest is in the only living God, it will seem like a moment. Trust me. If you could, take a bit to check out the link below. See what happened after the resurrection of Jesus, and see what He is doing now.

Revelation’s Sanctuary Pattern

-Stephen Bohr

http://www.audioverse.org/sermons/recordings/632/revelation-s-sanctuary-pattern.html

….. if you listened, and feel something.. I suggest you share this.

God bless.

Are Apostles and Prophets still a part of Christian doctrine? Does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have room for Apostles and Prophets? If we accept the Holy Bible (I use the king James version) as the text for Christianity then the answer to these questions has to be YES.

You cannot claim to be a Christian and not accept the fact that Apostles and Prophets are the mouth piece for Jesus Christ.

We’re all familiar (I hope) with many of the Old Testament prophets like Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha and Malachi etc. We could write essays or Books on each one. This little post is just on scripturally proving that the Gospel of Jesus Christ includes Prophets and Apostles. Eventually we will tell you where to find them. Not all Christian religions have them, in fact I know of none that have Prophets and Apostles as part of their doctrine.

In Deuteronomy 18:22 it says “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” You can judge a prophet by what he says. If he prophecies and that thing comes to pass it is proof that he is called of God to be a prophet.

1 Samuel 3:20 read as follows “And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.” This is just one of many verses in the Bible talking about the use of prophets in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Samuel 9:9 refer to the terms of both prophet and seer “(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)”

2 Kings 17:13 is evidence of the Lord using the prophets to communicate with His people. “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” If the Lord used prophets to communicate with his people back then, why doesn’t he do so today?

In Nehemiah 9:30 the Lord testified against his people, trying to get them to repent and he used Prophets to do it “Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.”

2 Chronicles 29:25 specifically refer to Nathan being a prophet “And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.” Do you know of a modern day prophet by name?

Not only did the Lord use prophets to communicate to His people but got upset with His people for ignoring what the Prophets had to say as it implies in 2 Chronicles 36:16 “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.”

Have we not shown enough evidence of the Lords use of Prophets? There is more. Keep in mind that there is even more evidence regarding the Lords use of Prophets than what is present in this post.

Prophets are very special people. Yes they are people. They are not Gods they are men called of God to the office of being a prophet as indicated in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” A prophet is not just a prophet to a group of people but a prophet to the nations of the world.

One of my favorite verses regarding prophets in all of Christian Scripture is found in Amos 3:7 “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” .

Now we move to a few verses found in the New Testament regarding the teaching of the prophets and references to Prophets and Apostles: Matthew 11:13 “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”

This verse found in the Gospel of Luke talks about God using holy prophets since the world began. Did The Lord use Prophets since the world began only to stop when the Twelve Apostles died off? Luke 1:70 “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:”.

As I started this Blog and have had numerous feedback I have come to learn that there are Christians out there that do not consider the Old Testament part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They say that Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses and so the Old Testament is worthless. They err in their assumptions. The truth of the Law of Moses in general is a preparation for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who would dare say that the gospel of the Old Testament has nothing valid for us? Additionally not all the Old Testament was about the Law of Moses. There we the Patriarchs and there teachings before the Prophet Moses.

Having said all that and for the benefit of any who think that way here is New Testament teachings long after the Law of Moses was fulfilled.

One of the first things Jesus did at the start of His ministry was to call twelve Apostles as indicated by Matthew 10:1-4 “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

One of my other favorite scriptures about Prophets and Apostles is found in the Book of Ephesians. Ephesians 2:19-20 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;“

This is a powerful verse regarding Prophets and Apostles. This verse calls the Apostles and Prophets the foundation of the gospel or household of God. With Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone.

The foundation of the Gospel or Christianity is built upon Apostles and Prophets with the Savior being the corner stone. Using this scripture can you be a Christian without believing in Apostles and Prophets?

During the time of the Apostles they used the phrase “as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit in Ephesians 3:5 “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”

Back in the days of the Apostles and in our day they were and we have “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”. The solution is found in Ephesians 4:11-14 where it says “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”

We need Apostles and Prophets as much now as they did in the primitive Church.

Here are three more New Testament passages of scripture testifying of The Lords use of Apostles and Prophets.

Hebrews 1:1 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.”

2 Peter 3:2 “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:”

1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”

Besides what we have already learned of the Prophets, being a mouth piece for the Lord we learn from Matthew 16:19 “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Additional duties of Prophets.

From other Christian Scripture we learn more about Prophets and Apostles. Jacob 4: 4 “For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.”

D&C 1:14 “And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;”

D&C 1:38 “38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”

So is there a living Prophet today? Are there Twelve Apostles alive today to lead Christianity? The answer is a resounding yes!

It started with the prophet Joseph Smith when God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. From that point on, after a long apostacy, the heavens were opened and The Lord once again started speak to men through Prophets and Apostles.

Christmas celebrates the eternal gift of Heavenly Father giving the world the gift of Jesus Christ. The traditional of giving gifts is a grand memorial to the greatest gift ever given in history of the world. But I wonder if, in the hustle and bustle of shopping fever, we forget the meaning of what gift giving is all about?

It is nice to give a gift the receiver will like and it’s important to give a gift you can afford but take time and give the purest gift you can give, a humble and sincere heart to the Lord of Christmas, Jesus Christ. (Callahan)

At Christmas time there are movies that are watched with the theme of believing in the Christmas spirit like we did when we were children. Then the movie reaches its apex with the spirit of Christmas being Santa Claus. Let us teach ourselves and our Children that Santa Claus is a symbol of hope and a symbol of giving but the purest symbol of all Christ like virtues is Jesus Christ himself. (Callahan)

I see nothing wrong with teaching and letting children believe in Santa Claus. But when they learn the truth about Santa let us teach them that Santa Claus is special symbol of  Hope, Peace and Good Will. Those virtues then naturally lead into teaching them the true meaning of Christmas. God The Father giving us His Son, Jesus Christ as an eternal gift to all mankind, Saints and sinner alike. (Callahan)

Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Why celebrate the birth of Jesus? The life and times of Jesus Christ is the great thing to happen to all of humanity. It is therefore natural to celebrate His birth. So why do we confine the celebration of the greatest event to a few short weeks. Let us truley celebrate the spirit of Christmas all year long. Let us truly keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts all year long and reflect on all Christ has done for us. (Callahan)

QUOTES ABOUT CHRISTIANITY

It amazes me that Christians manipulate the Bible to suit there needs. If the Bible is the source of Christian thought then the teaching of the Bible should be adhered to. (Callahan)

You can take prayer out of schools, you can remove monuments of the Ten Commandments out of public places, you can commericalized Christmas and take Christ out of the festive celebrations but to the faithful you cannot take Christ our of their souls.  (Callahan)

It’s ironic that even among some of the non Christian religions they have regard of Jesus Christ. (Callahan)

You can take the name of the Lord in vain if you like but the Lord, Jesus Christ, will never take your name in vain when He pleads your cause to Heavenly Father. (Callahan)

I am eternally grateful that Jesus Christ loves me without reservation. I am eternally grateful that Jesus Christ made it possible for me to repent and I am eternally grateful or the Mercy and Grace that comes to me from Jesus Christ. (Callahan)

If you want a pure example of loving unconditionally look to the Master teacher, look to Jesus Christ. For He loves unconditionally the saint and the sinner alike. He stands ready to bless the saint and forgive the sinner. (Callahan)

When you think all is lost and you cannot take another step think of how Jesus must have felt when on the Cross the Spirit of His Father withdrew from Him for a time and He literally was alone in the greatest agony ever to have occured in the history of the earth. Surely all is not lost and even though it may take all the energy of you mind and body to take another step, the next step may take you to the dawning of a new morning with renewed hope and the sight of spiritual vistas never before seen. (Callahan)

Mind what you say, think and do for the Lambs Book of Life doesn’t make mistakes when it records your life. (Callahan)

Christ is my way to salvation but I often wonder if everyone in the world practiced the pure essence of their faith or religion, how much better off would the world be? (Callahan)

Bei Maria Magdalena aufgegabelt. Zu geil, um es nicht zu bloggen.

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From: heatherbless1969
To: Swellco2000
Date: October 24, 2009 08:15:20 AM
Subject: God loves you

If you love the Lord God with all your heart and soul and Accept the grace that Christ freely gave you, when he paid the price for your sins on the cross and accept him as your savior and become baptised you will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord God, King of Kings

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“The Lord said, ‘I will hasten my work in its time’ (D&C 88:73). Surely anyone observing the recent growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is keenly aware of that hastening process. This should make us humbly grateful for the Lord’s omnipotent hand. Obstacles that seemed insurmountable have proven to be merely challenges for the faithful, for ‘with God nothing shall be impossible’ (Luke 1:37). “Inspiration has prepared the way from the beginning, when the Lord impressed the Prophet Joseph Smith to compose the twelfth article of faith: ‘We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.’ This inspired statement was surely written for our day. The Prophet knew that the gospel was ultimately to be taken to all nations regardless of their governmental differences. He knew that the ordinances of salvation and exaltation could bless the lives of people regardless of their politics. And he knew that people who were taught correct principles and who were loyal to their civil leaders and observing of their local laws would be most able to enjoy the blessings of the gospel.”

Elder Russell M. Nelson

Hello again, brothers and sisters!!!

Before we get into today’s discussion, I just want to briefly say “thank you” to those of you who have been regularly taking part in these discussions, as well as those of you who visit whenever you are able.  I would also like to thank all of our first-time visitors.  It is a blessing and a genuine pleasure to have you all here:-)

For today’s discussion, we will review the parables of the treasure and the goodly pearl.  While these two parables were a couple of the shorter parables that Jesus shared, they are certainly just as important as all of the other parables.  Jesus was speaking with His disciples when He shared these parables.  The parables are as follows:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;  the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” – Matthew 13:44-46 (KJV)

Both of these parables are making the same point, right?  Let’s break them down, shall we?

The man seeking treasure, and the merchant-man seeking goodly pearls, are played in real life by sinners seeking the truth, redemption, and salvation.  The treasure hiding in the field and the goodly pearl, represent the kingdom of God found through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is also the Living Word of God.  So with that being the case, why would we have to sell all that we have in order to buy our way into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ?  Doesn’t that run contrary to salvation being a gift given freely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?  It sure does.  however, the point of these parables is not that we are “buying” our way into the kingdom of God. 

The point is that once we have discovered the kingdom of heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we should value nothing else as much as this “treasure/goodly pearl”.  Beloved, when we find the kingdom of heaven through Jesus Christ and His word, we should value the Lord, His word, and His kingdom above anything else in our lives.  As obedient and faithful servants, there should be no price we are unwilling to pay in order to serve Him completely.  If we live in complete submission to the Lord’s will, then there is no room for competing interests.  Just as with the Apostle Paul, all former things we held dear we must be willing to count as lost once we are saved.  Why?  Well, once we are saved, serving the Lord is to be the focal point of our lives, and our vision is to be focused like a laser on doing so.

Interestingly, in these two parables that Jesus Christ shared with us we can also Him as the man/merchant-man seeking the treasure/goodly pearls.  Think about it.  Jesus gave up all that He had and suffered death on the cross in order to pay our sin debt.  In so doing, beloved, we were saved and purchased by His blood.  The treasure being “hid” in the field refers to those who live in Christ being granted access to the kingdom of heaven, which is a place that someone who serves sin cannot find or gain access to.  Once we belong to Christ, He protects us from the enemy.  We are effectively “hidden” in His protection, as once we belong to Christ Jesus, we cannot be snatched away from Him.  As Jesus said:

“I told you, and ye believed not:  the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.  But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:  And I give unto them eternal life;  and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all;  and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one.” – John 10:25-30 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let us rejoice that the Lord considers us His “treasure/goodly pearl” and was willing to pay everything in order to save us!!!  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  Furthermore, let’s praise the Lord God Almighty for His lovingkindness and longsuffering, and let’s show Him that He is the only real treasure that matters to us, as well!!!  Beloved, do you know what the word of God, the truth, salvation, entrance to the kingdom of heaven, light, love, peace, life, faith, wisdom, and understanding all have in common?  I’ll tell you what.  We find and receive all these things when we find Christ and turn our lives over to Him.  Jesus is the Truth.  Jesus is the Living Word of God.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Jesus is the Author and Finisher/Perfector of our faith.  He is the Way to the Father and the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus Christ is the Life.  The Lord is the Light of the world.  You get the point, yes?

Beloved, besides the praise we offer to the Lord in the form of prayer, song, and worship, we need to commit ourselves to praise Him through our lives and actions.  That we belong to Christ Jesus should be obvious to all not just by the words we speak, but also by the things we do.  It should not appear to others that we live for money, or for the approval of man;  rather it should be clear to all that we live to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Just as Jesus paid for us by giving up all that He had for our sakes, we ought to esteem our treasure, found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, above any passing “treasure” that this world has to offer.  Remember, beloved, the treasure of this world lasts for a limited amount of time and diminishes.  The treasure of the Lord is forever.  Suffer any necessary hardships, persecutions, or trials in this world in order to serve the Lord obediently and faithfully.  By so doing, your treasure in heaven will be waiting for you, and increasing, and will be with you forever:-)

Beloved, the Lord will always provide for, and take care of, those entrusted to Him.  It is, however, up to each one of us to make the decision to seek the Lord and His kingdom.  If we are willing to walk through the thorns, rats, mice, and bugs, and other treacheries of the field in order to find Him, then we will find that our “treasure” is more than worth the jouney.  Remember, beloved, hidden treasure only has value to us once we find it.  In order to find it, we must seek it.  As Jesus said:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;  and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

Precious one, we cannot claim hidden treasure that is never discovered, because we have no idea where it is.  Once we seek and find our treasure in Christ Jesus, however, we have the greatest treasure of all.  This is real treasure.  Everything other treasure pursued yields only fools gold.  So often we allow the cares of this world to distract us from searching for our hidden treasure.  Jesus was telling us not to get consumed/wrapped up in the concerns of this world.  He was telling us that we should put our whole focus on seeking the Lord and His will.  We can do so while not being overwhelmed with thoughts of what we will eat, where we will live, or what we will clothe ourselves with, because God will see to our needs just as He does with the birds of the air and the grass of the field.

Please pray for all those who have no idea of the hidden treasure available to them.  Let’s pray that they go searching for it, willing to brave the trials of the journey, in order to find the only treasure that really counts.  Furthermore, let’s pray that once they find that treasure, they see Him for who He really is and turn their lives over to Him as their Lord and Savior.  Jesus Christ is our treasure.

If you are ready to discover your hidden treasure, and claim your eternal inheritance from the Lord God Almighty, you can do so by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior today.  If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, and be saved, please pray the following prayer with me:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you just found your hidden treasure.  I would encourage you to find out what’s all in the treasure chest by exploring it through God’s word, through prayer with supplication and thanksgiving to the Lord, and by asking Him to reveal the fullness of the treasure to you.  The treasure you have, precious one, is priceless.  God set aside this treasure just for you through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Welcome to the family:-)  The angels in heaven are rejoicing this very moment at your decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Find out about this and much more by exploring God’s word that He had written just for you:-)  This relationship with Christ is the most precious and important relationship you will ever have.  Invest yourself in growing the relationship as much as possible.  Seek the Lord’s will in all things, and let your will be completely surrendered to Him.

Thank you for joining our discussion today.   I hope you are able to join us on Friday to pray over this week’s prayer requests. 

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!  Walk in faith, knowing that you are loved by the Creator of the heavens, earth, and all life, and knowing that the treasure that you now carry in your heart and soul is priceless:-)

Have a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!  Give a special thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for you and your loved ones.  Without Him, we’d be in a very bad place:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

And I’m back, for another installment of: What a G. This week features Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, the “Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution” of Libya, aka the guy with the longest set of titles (TITLES!) ever.

For more information about our friend the Colonel, see minute 3:16 of the below clip, five of the greatest minutes of television ever made.

However, I have to disagree with Leo (our dear, dear friend), because Gaddafi is definitely a seven letter word for one thing: crazy, plus he really likes silly hats.

What brought this on, you might ask? Thanks for asking. It was the Gawker that reminded me of our friend Muammar’s lunacy, namely, that he named his son Hannibal. That’s right, Hannibal. As in, the Carthaginian general who tried to overthrow the Roman empire, or, if you’re so inclined, a serial killer who likes DBIH favorite Nell too much to eat her.

Would you let your child share a name with this guy? Idk. After the jump, more ways that Muammar Gaddafi is almost as cool as Silvio. Then again, the Gawker is telling me that Hannibal is a probable rapist, so really, nbd what his name is.

1. This one time, he tried to pitch a tent in Central Park. If I tried to do this, I’d be arrested, and not in that really cool I’m just trying to get on Page Six way, but in the you’re probably a child rapist way. Not good.

Why did he think he could get away with this? Well, it worked in Rome, thanks to our dear friend Silvio, who, it turns out, lets crazy African dictators do whatever the fuck they want in his non-country’s capital.

2. His bodyguards are called “Amazons.” Yes, they still have both boobs (thank god), but they are heavily armed and pretty freaking hot if you ask me (a non-lesbian). The Italians (obviously) fell in love with the idea of these women, though I would assume that in practice Italian men would not like women to have guns when they go to grope them on the train.

3. Once the Arabs realized he was a lunatic (the kind of lunatic that names his child Hannibal), he decided to try to fuck with my people, the Africans. Somehow, he got a bunch of traditional chiefs to make him King of Kings. I can only imagine it was one of those situations like when Andrew Jackson’s troops would make the Native Americans sign papers they couldn’t read handing over all of their land forever.

4. According to Wikipedia, he likes to spell his name Muammar Al Gathafi, which is really just retarded if you ask me.

So yes, Silvio is still my love of loves (King of Kings, if you will), but Muammar has a special place in my heart. He likes tents, Roman history, and hats, so I’m really not complaining. He can teach me and my scantily-clad friends about the Koran any time if you ask me.

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!! 

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the ten virgins and the bridegroom.  Jesus was talking to His disciples about be ready for the last day when He shared the following parable:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh;  go ye out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.”

“And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil;  for our lamps are gone out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘Not so;  lest there be not enough for us and you:  but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;  and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage:  and the door was shut.”

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’  But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” – Matthew 25:1-12 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, the message of this parable is very sobering.  Let’s break this parable down and discuss the thrust of the message.

First of all, cast in the role of the bridegroom is the one and only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.  The ten virgins represent us, believers and non-believers.

Okay, so now that we know the cast, what is the tie-in to the oil and the lamps?  That’s simple, actually.  Why do we need lamps?  Lamps help us to see where we are going, right?  We are blinded when we are surrounded by darkness.

The lamps, beloved, represent our spirits/souls.  Why do I say this?  Consider the following scripture:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” – Proverbs 20:27 (KJV)

So if the lamp represents our soul/spirit, what does the oil represent?  The oil represents the Holy Spirit, which is attained through Christ Jesus.  Remember, beloved, that though Jesus is not present with us physically on earth anymore, He lives here in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  This is the same Holy Spirit that God the Father filled Jesus, His only begotten Son, with after He was baptized by John the Baptist.  Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is also known as the Light of the World.  Having His light in us, we can rejoice in knowing that our lamps will be lit and shining brightly at the moment that Jesus comes for us.

You see, beloved, the Holy Spirit is the oil that shines brightly enough that all can see our light, which is the presence of the Lord in our hearts.  How can people see that light?  Well, let’s look at the type of light that the Holy Spirit emanates, as described by the Apostle Paul:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, when we live in Christ, we are to be faithful and obedient servants of that which He blesses and graces us with.  Frankly, the manner in which we live should be a strong witness for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Remember, brothers and sisters, as His servants, our lives should be lived in such a manner as to reflect to others our service to our Lord and Savior.  That means we are to let the Lord’s light shine through us for all to see.  Jesus said the following about this:

“Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;  and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)

Beloved, the 5 virgins that heed the Lord’s word, and live by it, are those that He will find doing His work when He returns for His bride, which is the church.  The church is comprised of all those who have accepted salvation given by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Only those that have Christ in them will be called home to be with the Lord.  Those that do not have Christ in them have souls/spirits filled with darkness instead of light.  Since there will be no light found in such people, they will be passed over when the believers are called home.  Consider the parable of the ten virgins, and listen to what Jesus said would happen when He calls His servants home:

“Then shall two be in the field;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Watch therefore;  for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be ye also ready:  for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming’;  and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 24:40-51 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, no one knows when Jesus will return.  Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows the appointed hour.  The point is that we are supposed to constantly live our lives doing the work of our Lord and Savior so that in that “twinkling of an eye” when Jesus does return, we are found as faithful and obedient servants, diligently doing His work and will.

Unfortunately, beloved, there are many that live without Christ in their hearts.  They do not have the oil of the Holy Spirit burning brightly within them and emanating His light in their lives.  This, brothers and sisters, is all the more reason for us to constantly have our lamps lit with the oil of the Holy Spirit.  By sharing, embracing, and living the Lord’s word and love, we will be more effective in shining His light through the darkness in order to reach those that are presently lost.  Just as we were once lost before being found, we are incredibly blessed with the opportunity to help gather many of our Shepherd’s lost “sheep” by lighting up the path that will lead them home to Him.  This is our mission, beloved, and the time is now to carry it out.

No one should take for granted that the Lord will not come back for “x” amount more time.  We simply do not know the Lord’s return date and time, as only the Father knows.  Jesus could return in 5,000 years, 5 months, 5 weeks, 5 days, or in the next 5 seconds.  Regardless of how long it is until Jesus returns, we need to commit ourselves to doing His work every single day of our lives.  When He returns for us, let’s bless and glorify Him by meeting Him with as many well-oiled lamps as possible!!!

I would like to ask each and every person taking part in today’s discussion a few questions.  If the Lord Jesus Christ were to return in the next few seconds, would you be ready?  Would the Lord find your lamp lit brightly by the oil of the Holy Spirit?  Just as importantly, are you confident and assured that all of your family, friends, and loved ones would be found ready if Jesus were to return in the next few seconds?  Are you confident that hte majority of people in this world are ready to meet the Lord?

Let’s be honest, beloved.  There are a great many people that are not yet ready to meet Jesus Christ.  If Jesus were calling His faithful servants home today, an incredibly large number of people would be among those left behind.  Evidence of this can be found all throughout the world today.  Just turn on the 6 o’clock news, or go for a drive through the city, and you will see that much of humanity is spiritually lost and adrift at sea, without boat or life jacket.  This, brothers and sisters, is the urgency of our mission.  Just as with the 5 foolish virgins, those who are not ready to meet the Lord when He calls His faithful home will find out the harsh reality that the time for making the decision to commit their lives to Him has passed.

Beloved, ask the Lord for the endurance, strength, perseverance, and courage to work tirelessly to share His love and His word with as many people as possible.  The Lord will give you the words and the guidance you need through the Holy Spirit.  The time is now, beloved, for us to increase our staffing levels of faithful and obedient servants to take part in the Lord’s harvest.  Let’s get to work!!!

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer then you can rejoice in knowing that you now have the presence of the Lord in your heart.  While you will still face trials and tribulation in this world, you will never again face it alone.  Nurture your new relationship with the Lord and grow that relationship by getting to know Him better.  You can do this by studying His word (the bible), while also making talking to Him continually through prayer made with thanksgiving and supplication.  All you have to do to find out what the Lord had in mind for your life when He made you is to ask Him to shape your life in manner in which serves His will and then embrace the changes that He makes in you and your life.  Welcome to the family, beloved!!!  You are precious in your Heavenly Father’s eyes, and the angels in heaven are rejoicing in your decision to accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior:-)  We are happy to have you!!!

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next discussion.  Now, go enjoy this day that the Lord has made, and make the most of it.  Be glad, and rejoice in it!!!  Share the Lord, His love, and His word with as many people as possible, doing so just as freely as the Father shared His only begotten Son with us:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the wedding banquet.  This is a parable that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees of the temple.  The parable is as follows:

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, whcih made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding:  and they would not come.  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, ‘Tell them which are bidden, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner:  my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready:  come unto the marriage.”  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:  And the remnant took his servants, and intreated them spitefully, and slew them.”

“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:  and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:  and the wedding was furnished with guests.”

“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there was a man which had not on a wedding garment:  And he saith unto him, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’  And he was speechless.  Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.” – Mattew 22:2-14 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let’s break down the parable, staring with the cast.

The king of the parable represents God the Father.  The son that the king has arranged a marriage for is Jesus Christ.  The bride to be is the church of Christ, which is all who live in the Lord.  The servants that were sent out to invite the guests represent the prophets.  The first group of guests that was repeatedly invited was the Israelites, God’s chosen people.  Remember, that though many prophets were respected and revered for a time, they usually ended up being persecuted/killed by the very people they were trying to reach with God’s message.

The second group of guests are the Gentiles, or the non-Jews.  When the Jewish people repeatedly rejected the Father, His word, and ultimately Jesus Christ and the Gospel He shared, the Gentiles were blessed with the opportunity to receive the Gospel and to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior while also receiving the gift of salvation that is found only in the only begotten Son of God.

Why was the one guest in the parable cast into outer darkness for not having on a wedding garment?  The answer is simple.  Do you know what the wedding garment is that the guests were to be clothed with?  Consider the following scripture:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;  for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” – Isaiah 61:10 (KJV)

You see, beloved, in order to attend the marriage of the Lamb of God, we must be attired appropriately.  We know that the only person we can get the appropriate attire from is Jesus Christ.  Why?  Through Jesus our sins are washed away, our hearts are purified, and we are clothed with the robe of righteousness.  The person in the parable without the robe of righteousness was a person that had not given their life to Jesus Christ, and was subsequently not wearing the necessary robe of righteousness.  Therefore, the inappropriately attired guest offended the king (God the Father). 

Brothers and sisters, there are people in this world who call themselves Christians, yet Christ is not found anywhere in them.  Such people often assume that going to church, periodically praying, and sometimes reading the bible and quoting chapter and verse is sufficient.  These are usually people that rejoice in sin Monday through Saturday, while attempting to live a Christian life on Sunday.  These are referred to as Sunday Christians, or Convenient Christians, and they do not have a place at the Lord’s table.  Why?  Beloved, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior 365 days/year and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Likewise, we are to be His servants at all times as well, living obediently and faithfully in serving Him.  Unfortunately, some are not sincere in their service to the Lord.  Jesus spoke of such people when He said the following about the day of judgment:

“Not everyone that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;  but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  and in thy name done many wonderful works?’  And then I will profess unto them, ‘I never knew you:  depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, while we can fool our fellow man into believing that we are someone we are not, God always knows who we are.  God knows our hearts and knows all there is to possibly know about us.  A few acts, or a few words, do not make a faithful and obedient servant in Christ.  A faithful and obedient servant of the Lord lives in service to Him at all times, while also having the Lord in his/her heart at all times.  We love His word, regularly study it, and He writes it into our hearts.  We take every opportunity to share the Lord’s love and word with anyone we can reach.  We are never ashamed to confess to others that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and Jesus is not ashamed of presenting us to the Father and speaking on our behalf.  Beloved, let’s live Christ in our lives all day, every single day.  Let’s study His word regularly as diligent students, and let’s do His work always as faithful and obedient servants are to do.  The Lord has already given us everything by blessing us with the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Let’s show Him how much we appreciate His sacrifice, His love, and His forgiveness by doing His work and will unceasingly and with a glad heart.

Beloved, if you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would sincerely like to, then please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

I you just prayed that prayer, honestly seeking the Lord, then you are now saved.  The robe of righteousness is now available unto you, and though you will still face adversity in this world, you now have the Lord with you to face and overcome anything that comes your way.  Nurture your relationship with the Lord by talking to Him often through prayer with thanks and supplication, while also studying His word.  Ask the Lord to guide your every path, and follow the path that He sets before you.  You no longer serve the sins and lusts of this world.  Your chains that tied you to the things of this world have now been broken.  Serve the Lord with all your heart, and always seek His will in all things.  Welcome to the family:-)  Know that the angels in heaven are rejoicing at your decision to give your life to the Lord!!!

I want to thank you all for joining in on today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next message.

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day.  Remember, you are loved by the very Creator of earth, the heavens, and all life with a love that is perfect, complete, and powerful beyond our present ability to fully comprehend.  Precious one, He made you in your mother’s womb, and you are very special to Him:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

I found the greatest thing ever, some of you might already know it, if not check out this link

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Just thought let everyone know in case you are trying to quit or know someone who would like to, it really works.

blu Starter Kit

Welcome back, friends!!!

Today we are going to break down the parable of the talents. At talent, as used in the parable, was a variable unit of weight and money used in ancient Greece, the Middle East, and Rome. Jesus shared the parable of the talents with His disciples. The parable is as follows:

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.”

“Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them another five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.”

“After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee a ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’”

“He also that had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’”

“Then he which had received one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.’ His lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” – Matthew 25:14-30 (KJV)

 So what does this parable mean? Very often you will find people willing to tell you that this parable is all about money. This is not so. While the parable uses talents (money) given to the servants, the example of the money that was given is symbolic of something far greater. Let’s break this down and see what this is all about.

First of all, the lord of the servants symbolizes our Lord, Jesus Christ. The servants are those who claim to serve the Lord, such as Jesus’ apostles at the time, as well as Christians yet to come.

Okay, so now that we know whom the players are, what exactly is the point? The “talents” of the parable symbolize the gifts that the Lord bestows upon us. This includes blessings of ability, knowledge, wealth, hope, faith, etc. Most importantly, this includes the word of God. Why did the lord of the parable commend and reward the first two servants? He rewarded them, because they had been faithful and obedient in their service to Him. Rather than being selfish or lazy, both of the first two servants actively worked to make the most of what their lord had given them. Subsequently, when their lord returned, they were able to return more back to the lord. Beloved, I’m sure you see the parallel here. Just as the lord of the parable returned after having been away for quite some time, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will also return after having been in heaven for quite some time. When the Lord returns, all will have to give account of themselves. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” – Romans 14:12 (KJV)

As we saw in the parable, the third servant did absolutely nothing productive with what his lord had given him. Instead, he just buried it in the ground. Beloved, there are unfortunately many people in this world that do the same with what the Lord has entrusted to them and blessed them with. Rather than use the gifts they have been given to do the Lord’s work, they bury their “treasure”. In so doing, they are unfaithful and disobedient to the Lord. For those that are unfaithful and disobedient to God, there will be severe consequences, including being cast into “outer darkness”. Beloved, are not called to kick back. We are called to serve. If we do not serve the Lord, then we have not really accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.

Brothers and sisters, when we face the Lord don’t we all want to see a pleased look on His face? There are no sweeter words you could imagine Him saying than, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” There’s only one way to do that, beloved. We must use what the Lord has blessed us with in order to prove ourselves as obedient and faithful servants of the Lord and good stewards of His gifts. This includes using any abilities that we have been blessed with to their utmost, and using all of our available resources to constantly spread the Lord’s love and word throughout the world. This is the Lord’s work, and we are all called to do it. While many of us will have different roles to carry out, different blessings/abilities, and different burdens, the things that unite all servants of the Lord are our faithfulness, obedience, and willingness to put serving Him above serving ourselves.

Beloved, Jesus Christ is truly Lord of all. However, each one of us has to decide what type of servant we want to be. I pray that each and every person taking part in this discussion will commit themselves to being a faithful and obedient servant that puts all that God has blessed them with to the utmost use in order to serve and glorify God and His blessed name. This includes using our tangible and intangible assets/blessings. Most importantly, it means sharing His Gospel with others. The Lord will reward us based on our faith and obedience to Him. Don’t look for those rewards in earthly treasures that will fade away with time. Rejoice in knowing that the Lord rewards with heavenly treasures:-) 

Beloved, don’t be timid in sharing the word of God. Just as the Lord’s love and word saved you, sharing the same with someone else may help them to turn their lives over to Christ. The best return we can provide to our Lord Jesus Christ is to show our faithfulness and obedience as we work to bring more laborers (believers) into the harvest. That only happens by making the most of what God gives us and sharing His love and word with all people that we can reach.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to do so, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you are now a citizen of Christ’s eternal kingdom. You are saved, precious one!!! A new creation has been born in you, as Jesus Christ has now taken root in your heart. You will still face problems in this world, but you will never again face those problems alone. Get to know your Savior by studying His perfect word, and share His love freely with all you encounter just as He has unconditionally bless you with His powerful and perfect love. Welcome to the family:-)

If ever I can support you in prayer over any area of your life, please send me your prayer request(s) either through the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or by emailing me directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces). It is always a blessing to join you in prayer.  It is truly a wonderful and blessed thing when we come together to unleash God’s power through prayer.  He is truly greater than anything this world, or the enemy, can throw at us:-)  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Thank you for joining in today’s discussion.  I hope you will join us for tomorrow’s day of prayer for this week’s prayer requests, as well.  Have a wonderful and bless remainder of the day.  Remember, this is the day that the Lord has made.  Let’s rejoice, and be glad in it:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

JP: Interesting read by “The Irish Calvinist”. Comment: This is not about whether President Obama should or should not have bowed before the Japanese Emperor Akihito and his wife!

My King Won’t Bow

Excerpt:

This is a news story that causes me to be reminded and refreshed by my King. Indeed he is all powerful. He has no rivals. He cannot be defeated. He will not fail. He will not bow. In fact, when he comes to reign on earth all people everywhere, indeed even kings & presidents, they will bow down before him (Phil. 2.9-11 ). He alone is worthy (Rev. 5.11-13 ).

Just like the kings in the Bible provoke me to see their lack of Christlikeness so to my president causes me to hunger and long for a King who does not bow. Instead he stands to receive the praise that is due him as the unrivaled King of glory the King of kings.

She nods to the god in her bed,
And then looks back at his son,
Hermes, borne of another.
“I love him,” she says quietly,
Clouds swirling in her soft eyes.
The messenger of the gods nods,
Takes her hand in his and kisses it.
His voice is midnight-soft; “I know.”

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters.

I wanted to take today to discuss the topic of religion vs. Christianity. I think this is a worthwhile discussion, as it can profoundly impact our relationship with God.

Many people who reject God will cite the hypocrisy, and/or other various shortcomings, of religion(s) as being the reason(s) that they have turned away from the Lord. Many people that feel that their religion has betrayed them, or that their religion was just built on empty lies, often turn to alternatives such as atheism, or some other set of beliefs (Mormonism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witness, Christian Science, Humanists, Buddhists, etc.). Some of these people will oftentimes speak ill of God and profane or belittle the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as they felt that the beliefs of their religion let them down.

I will tell you right now that people who reason this way are both completely correct and totally wrong. While it is true that their religion may have let them down, it is idiocy to blame God. What? How can I say that? Well, let’s start off by establishing the truth. The truth is that God did not author religion. Religions are man-made. Simply stated, religion is man’s self-made attempt to reach God. As with anything man-made, religion is flawed in many different ways. Why should this surprise us when we know that we ourselves are far from perfect? If we imperfect people create a religion, then how reasonably can we expect that the religion we have created will not be flawed as well? Of course it will be flawed!!! It was made by man. Beloved, if we were able to create a religion that was sufficient for establishing a strong relationship with God then Christ would have never had to suffer the cross for us. It is exactly because of man’s inadequacy to reach and serve God faithfully on his own that the Father had to send the Son to suffer the cross for us in the first place!!!

Doctrines of the various religions represent man’s way of trying to reach God through his or her idea of faithful service. Since the human race has an extensive track record about being wrong about so many things, it would be silly to think that the doctrines created by man would be without blemish. Do you remember what Jesus told the Pharisees that questioned him about the doctrinal laws that they adhered to regarding marriage that Moses had given them? The Pharisees just asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason. Jesus responded by saying:

“Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh?’ Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” – Matthew 19:4-6 (KJV)

When Jesus responded this way, the Pharisees thought they could now prove him wrong. Showing that their faith was in the doctrine of their religion (Judaism) and in the author of that doctrine (Moses), the Pharisees then asked Jesus why their Moses told them that they could divorce for any cause. In Jesus’ response, we see Him clearly point out the flaw with this man-made doctrine. Jesus said:

“Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and who so marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” – Matthew 19:8-9 (KJV)

You see, beloved, the problem with the flawed doctrine of the Pharisees in this case is quite clear. Their religion was supposed to serve God. However, this doctrine was allowed to be incorporated into their religion not because it served God; rather it was allowed to be incorporated so that it could serve man’s wishes. Do you see the issue with that? Can we all see how religions that are supposed to serve and worship God become flawed when they incorporate doctrines that are meant to pacify the people that follow them?

Beloved, read the Scriptures, and you will see a great many more examples of how man’s religions fail to serve or glorify God. Beloved, every single thing of man will be flawed!!! Why? Because man has been severely flawed from the time that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The only thing that man has built that has lasted over the 6,000+ year history of humanity is a consistent record of inadequacy. For crying out loud, brothers and sisters, there have been (and still are in some circles) people whose religious beliefs lead them to worship golden calves and other graven images!!! Remember the tower of Babel? That was the idea of Nimrod, the ruler of the area at the time, to build a tower that would reach to heaven. The idea would have worked, except for that it incredibly stupid, doomed to fail, and a sin against God. The root problem with the idea is that it was meant to serve man and lift him up, rather than serving God. I believe we now understand why oftentimes people who tend to slip on the banana peel of stupidity are referred to as a “nimrod”.

Beloved, while religion represents man’s flawed attempt to reach God, Christ Jesus represents God’s perfect attempt to reach us. This is the primary difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is made by man, but Christ is given by God. Brothers and sisters, which do you think is more reliable? I will choose Christ Jesus, as He and the Father are perfect in all things. Furthermore, religion’s source of strength is in the men and women that serve it. Beloved, that strength wanes over time. However, trusting the Lord God Almighty means a decision to trust the only One that does not waver, wane, or change over the course of time. You see, beloved, when we trust and believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then our trust and belief will never be misplaced. The words Jesus spoke during His time on the earth, and the promises He uttered, are as valid today as they were then. If the world is still here in 5,000, His words will be just as valid then. You see, beloved, Jesus Christ is forever, as are His words and promises. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

Beloved, never let the inadequacies of man drive you away from the Lord. Why would you turn away the Lord’s love and the gift of eternal salvation that He offers you, just because of flawed doctrines of men? When we witness hypocrisy and other flaws in our religions and religious doctrines, we need to open our eyes and our hearts to understand that the inadequacies and injustices that we see are a reflection of man and not a reflection of God.

If you feel compelled to leave the religion that you have been following due to the shortcomings of the religion, or its adherents, then do so. However, when you do so, understand that though you may be walking away from that religion, you need not turn away from the Lord.

You see, beloved, you can receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and serve Him faithfully, without accepting a religion. Religion is not the path to salvation; only Jesus is. As Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” – John 14:6 (KJV)

In short, brothers and sisters, you must have Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior in order to receive forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, and a future home in heaven. While religion is not necessary to reach God, you simply cannot be reconciled to God without Christ Jesus.

Can religion be helpful? Sure it can as long as it recognizes Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of the Father and as our Lord and Savior. Religion can be a great way to congregate with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Religion can also be a great way to encourage spiritual growth, providing that the teaching and practicing that is taking place truly glorifies God. Unfortunately, we have also seen countless occasions of religion being twisted to commit all manners of atrocities and sinful acts. This causes many people to turn away.

If you are someone who has turned away from the Lord because of the evil deeds of men/women, or because of flawed church doctrine, I would ask today that you please reconsider your decision. I’m not encouraging you to return to your former religion. I am, however, pleading with you to return to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He already paid the price for all of man’s sins once for all times by suffering the cross for all of us. Don’t try to put Him on the cross again to pay for someone else’s wrongs a second time. It’s not going to happen. The only thing you achieve by blaming the Lord for man’s shortcomings is to distance yourself from God and move much closer to an eternity separated from the Lord with eternal torment in the lake of fire.

No matter how much you feel betrayed by other people, your religion, or your religion’s doctrines, what sense does it make to let go of the most important relationship you will ever have? Man acting of his own free will betrays you. The Lord will never forsake nor abandon you. You may ask how God could allow something to happen. The answer can be summed up in two words: free will. God gives us free will. Unfortunately, man has shown an incredible propensity for abusing that free will and making incredibly poor decision after incredibly poor decision. God promises that all who trust in Him, however, will be ultimately delivered. You see, beloved, if receive the Lord into your heart as your Lord and Savior, He will protect and nourish your soul. No matter what trials we go through in this life, we can have assurance and peace in knowing that we will be delivered to everlasting life by Jesus Christ.

Remember, brothers and sisters, it is okay to belong to a religion that recognizes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and as the only begotten Son of God the Father. Any religion that does not accept Jesus as Christ also does not accept the Father that sent Him. I don’t say this to pass judgement on anyone, as I have no right to do so. I say this only, because I care about you. I want you to enjoy everlasting life, and that can only be found in Jesus. Jesus is all sufficient, beloved. It is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that we are saved.

In summary, beloved, you need not be Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian in order to be saved. Belonging to any of these religions does not save you. Only Christ saves you. Any other path leads to destruction and an unhappy ending.

In closing, beloved, remember that you were not made to serve religion. You were made to serve and glorify God. He will always stand by you and give you what you need when you need it. He is faithful, just, and willing and able to save everyone that calls on His name sincerely. He loves us unconditionally, and He wants to bless us with the fruits of His love. He will not force us to come to Him, however. It is up to each one of us to exercise our own free will. Choose wisely, brothers and sisters, as the ramifications of this choice are eternal.

I hope you choose the blameless Lord Jesus Christ who has given all in order to provide you with the gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting life. Furthermore, I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive all those who have offended you. Don’t say that they don’t deserve to be forgiven. Beloved, none of us deserves forgiveness, yet that did not stop Christ from paying a great price to forgive us of our sins. Carrying on resentment, hurt, and grudges only takes up space, and that space is found right between God and us. Let go of it, beloved, so that there is nothing between our Creator and us. In order to receive Christ’s gift of forgiveness, we must not be hypocrites. This means that we also must forgive. As Christ Jesus tells us:

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” – Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)

Beloved, whether you claim a religion/denomination or not, your faith and trust will only be justified if they are in Christ Jesus. Choosing Christ is truly the best decision you can ever make, and it’s the most important.  If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Precious one, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you can rejoice in knowing that you are now a born-again servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:-)  The blood of Christ has washed away the stains of your past sins, and you now have a clean spiritual slate to begin your new life with!!!  Praise God!!!  Get to know the Lord better, and commit yourself to growing in your relationship with Him.  Spend a few minutes every day studying His word (the bible), communicating with Him in prayer (speaking & listening), and seek fellowship with other Christians.  Doing these things will help you grow in your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ and will strengthen your faith.  Welcome to the family!!!  We are very happy to have you:-)  Let us know whenever we can support you in any way by emailing us directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).  You will find that you now have many brothers & sisters ready to support you through prayer & encouragement!!!  You will still have problems and troubles in this world, but with Jesus Christ in your heart, you will be able to overcome them all:-) 

I want to thank you for joining our discussion today. I hope you will be able to join us again tomorrow.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

This post contains a few quotes from the Prophet Joseph Smith. I invite you to read them with a honest and humble heart. Then afterwords ask yourself how did you feel when reading them? Pray about what is being said. These are words direct from the first modern day Prophet. I humbly ask that you treat them with respect.

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it. But in connection with these, we believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost, the power of faith, the enjoyment of the spiritual gifts according to the will of God, the restoration of the house of Israel, and the final triumph of truth” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 2007, 45-50).

“We deem it a just principle, and it is one the force of which we believe ought to be duly considered by every individual, that all men are created equal, and that all have the privilege of thinking for themselves upon all matters relative to conscience. Consequently, then, we are not disposed, had we the power, to deprive any one of exercising that free independence of mind which heaven has so graciously bestowed upon the human family as one of its choicest gifts” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 2007, 344-345).

“God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make Himself visible,—I say, if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 2007, 40).

“We take the sacred writings into our hands, and admit that they were given by direct inspiration for the good of man. We believe that God condescended to speak from the heavens and declare His will concerning the human family, to give them just and holy laws, to regulate their conduct, and guide them in a direct way, that in due time He might take them to Himself, and make them joint heirs with His Son” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 2007, 66).

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon see Christ and testify that He lives:

“And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness;…

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:20,22–24).

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Book of Mormon, Introduction).

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

I thought today we would take a brief, light-hearted look at history.  Are you familier with the “rope a dope”?  George Foreman and Muhammad Ali met in the boxing ring on October 30, 1974 for a heavyweight title fight staged in Kinshasa, Zaire.  The fight was dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle.”

Coming into the fight, George Foreman was the younger fighter.  He had already established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the ring by devastating Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.  The significance of those two wins, andthe lopsided manner in which he achieved them, was that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton were the only two people at that time that had beaten Muhammad Ali.  Foreman was 40-0 with 37 knockouts, and his last 8 fights had all ended inside of 6 minutes.  Foreman was a very angry man in his life at the time (only later in life did he mellow out), and he took that anger out on his opponents in the ring.  Ali was an incredibly heavy underdog, as he was 32 years old (old for a boxer) and was considered to be on the downside of his career.

What was Ali’s strategy for trying to pull off the win against such a younger and stronger opponent?  He used the “rope a dope” strategy:-)  Everytime Foreman would get Ali on the ropes;  Foreman would unload with some huge punches…..and miss.  You see, each time Foreman would throw a punch, Ali would lean waaaayyyyyy back on the ropes which would cause the punch to fly harmlessly over his head.

For all his strength, all his rage, all his ability, and all his talent, Foreman could not land the knockout blow against Ali.  By the 8th round, Foreman had expended all of his energy in the hot and humid ring in Zaire.  After Foreman missed with a lunging punch, Ali countered more than effectively sending Foreman to the canvas and to the loss that would put him into retirement (until he was ready to start selling hamburger grills).

You see, Ali was getting “trapped” on the ropes repeatedly throughout the fight on purpose.  Foreman didn’t realize that this was Ali’s purposeful choice and plan.  As Foreman would attack Ali in a blind rage each time he had him on the ropes, he would expend a great deal of energy throwing really hard punches that either didn’t land, or that only glanced off of Ali.  Though Ali used this tactic all throughout the fight, Foreman never once realized that he was playing right into Ali’s hands.  He just continued to attack, attack, and attack.  Foreman’s attacks were definitely vicious, but he was never in any danger of winning the fight by knocking Ali out.  Since he expended all of his energy so recklessly, he could not get up by the count of 10 when Ali knocked him down in the 8th round.

Afterwards, Ali was cited as a genious for coming up with the “rope a dope” strategy to defeat Foreman.  This is a flawed perception, however, since Ali was not the originator of the “rope a dope.”

The “rope a dope” was originated almost 2,000 years earlier by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  You see, Satan constantly attacked Jesus looking for some way to knock him out.  His attacks were vicious, and his rage was legendary.  Satan was beside himself with pride when he successfully filled the heart and mind of Judas Iscariot with evil and convinced him to betray the Lord.  I imagine Satan was jumping up and down in excited anticipation as Judas led the solders and temple priests to “capture” Jesus at Gethsemane.  As Christ was taunted, tortured, and flogged you know that Satan was smiling from eare to ear as he was filling the hearts and minds of those attacking Jesus.  By the time Christ was crucified, Satan would have felt like a king.  Satan was undoubtedly having grand illusions of ascending above the Most High.

What happened next was what we celebrate every Easter.  For Satan, it proved to be the buzz kill of an eternity.  Christ rose in victory on the 3rd day, making it clear to Satan who the real winner was and is.  Satan suddenly had to engage reality.  When Jesus was “caught” in the garden of Gethsemane, it was because He allowed Himself to be caught.  When Satan attacked Christ through the torture, taunting, and flogging, each strike only served to magnify Jesus’ eventual victory and the enormous extent of Satan’s defeat.  Why?  Beloved, each strike against Jesus served to help the Son of God achieve the mission for which He was sent.  As the prophet Isaiah wrote:

“He is despised and rejected of men;  a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:  and we hid as it were our faces from Him:  and He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.  Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:  yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded fo our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon Him;  and with His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:3-5 (KJV)

You see, beloved, Jesus took on that torment, suffering, and death, because He knew we could not.  Jesus knew He would rise in victory over sin and death, and with each ounce of suffering He took, we were brought closer to being reconciled to our Father in heaven.  Brothers and sisters, sin cannot enter heaven.  Since we were filled with sin, only by Jesus removing that sin from us by taking it on Himself were we able to come to our Father for eternity. 

When Jesus rose from the grave, Satan saw very clearly the banana peels of stupidity, pride, and envy that he had condemned himself to slip on by daring to think he could overcome the only begotten Son of God.  What made Satan a permanent sourpuss was not just the fact that he was having a very bad day.  It was the fact that when Jesus rose from the grave, Satan knew that his own bad day was going to be just the beginning of an even much worse eternity.  And so well before television was available, the biblical version of “The Biggest Loser” was revealed, and will be played for eternity, in the form of Satan.  His “prize” was truly the moldy can of spam behind the infamous door number two.

Meanwhile, the real victor, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, moved on to bigger and better things at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  For all of eternity Jesus will be known to truly be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The cool thing is that even though we don’t deserve to be seen with Him, He’ll let us roll with Him anytime:-)  In fact, He’d like nothing more.  As a matter of fact, He paid for us to have the chance to join Him.

So the next time you hear about the “Rumble in the Jungle” and the infamous “rope a dope”, hopefully you can smile knowing that the original version was even so much better:-)

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would sincerely like to, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost. I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself. Lord, I know that only You can save me. I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross. I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You. Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You. From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You. I open my heart to You, Lord. Please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child. From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You. In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

Beloved, if you sincerely prayed that prayer, then you are now reconciled unto God.  Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, and He wants you to get to know Him even better.  You can do this by reading His word, praying, meditating, and seeking His will instead of your own.  Precious one, you have now joined the everlasting family of the Lord God Almighty and your future residence will be in the Lord’s kingdom and presence when your time on this earth is done.  You will still have trials and face much adversity in this live, but you will never again face them alone.  Just remember, precious one, that Jesus has overcome the power and challenges of this world.  Through Jesus Christ, you can, too:-)  Trust Him, seek Him, and serve Him.  Jesus Christ is all you will ever need, and He is more than you can ever imagine.  You belong to Him, and now He belongs to you, as well:-)  Welcome to the family!!!

I want to thank you for taking the time to join in today’s discussion.  It is always such a blessing to have you stop in:-)  Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day, and be sure that you seek the Lord’s will in every part of your life.  Remember, we were made to glorify Him and His blessed name.  What better way to know exactly how to do that than to seek His guidance?  The Lord God Almighty will always be with you, and He will never abandon nor forsake you:-)  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with Your all-sufficiency to overcome all of our insufficiencies!!!

Share Jesus Christ with others just as freely and lovingly as God the Father has shared Jesus Christ with each of us.  Go forth and be bountifully blessed!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger