Acts 13: 4-12 Would you be as Paul?

  Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time, God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!

  Today I'm going to print the same scripture twice, once in KJV and the other in NIV.  This really struck me today as I do hope the Spirit will move you as well.   Here is the KJV

  Acts 13: 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.  6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:  7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.   8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.    9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.   10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?   11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.  12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

NIV  Acts 13: 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

      

For clarification in verses 6,7; Sergius Paulus served as the governor of the Island. These types of leaders often kept private sorcerers.  Bar-Jesus realized that if Servius Paulus believed in Jesus, he would soon be out of a job.

  Verses 9,10 when Saul first is called Paul- confronts Bar-Jesus -calls him a child of the devil and says when will you quite perverting the ways of the LORD.

  Verse 10 is when the Holy Spirit let Paul to confront Bar-Jesus with his sin.  This is what we need to be aware of as well.  

 THERE IS A TIME TO BE NICE AND A TIME TO CONFRONT. 

   

 We need to ask GOD, the Holy Spirit to show us the difference, give us the courage and words to say in doing what is right.

  Where are you today?  Would you confront Bar-Jesus, or just go off thinking it will be okay? Stand up fellow Christian; stand firm; share the Good News of Jesus Christ our savior. Thank you for reading today. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Are you a Christian Seal or in the Silent Service for Christ

 Good morning all. God is good all the time all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

   In the Armed Forces we have the Rangers, the Green Berets, Navy Seals, and all of these individuals are trained for special services to do for their country.  Black ops, saving individuals from terrorists, and so forth.

  Well, in the Christian world we have Christian seals, AND Christian secret service.  Look in your Bible and see what it says.  Do it say light a candle and hide it under a bushel?  Do it say to keep your lamps out?  So, why don't more of us spread the gospel to the world.

   Here are some ideas why?  First, we may feel we lack the knowledge.  Well, you know, I can't quote scriptures very well and I don't memorize many scriptures.  To this I say Ba-hum-bug.  If God moves you to speak the Holy Spirit will give you the words.

   Second may be Apathy,  we are so caught up in the world around us and our own little world we "don't care about others salvation".  Oh, we may give lip service, but do we step up and step out and say something?  If we don't share the word of Jesus then we are basically saying: "You can go to hell, because I won't share the word". Scary!

   Third may be Fear.  I don't want to be ridiculed, or they may think less of me and my family, or blah-blah-blah.  We should not care what the world thinks of us, only what God thinks and are we in obedience to HIM.  Remember the song - Fear is a liar!!!!

  And last - Lack of Compassion, or the Loss of our First Love (Jesus) - We may have gotten so caught up in our own little world, family, friends, work, that we don't take time to remember what it was like when we did not have HOPE, the hope in Jesus.   Our fire for Jesus has gone luke warm and you know what Jesus said about being luke warm.  Be ye Hot or Cold, but if luke warm He will spit you from His mouth.  Where is your compassion?

   So, are you going to be in the silent service and keep the secret of Jesus as savior to yourself, OR, are you going to be a Christian Seal - train and go forth to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ? 

   Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

New Life

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD; GO FORTH AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!!!

   What is life?  What is death?  Do we enjoy the one and fear the other.  Is death something we should fear?  Or, is death something we should rejoice over?

   Many people now do not have a funeral, but a celebration of life.  Why?  What is the difference.  A person died, is this not a funeral, a time of crying, regret, frustration, a time when family weeps together?

   Death can be what we make it.  From where you stand---what is death?  A time of rejoicing because a loved one is now in no more pain, but in a new body and with the Living GOD.  What is life?  A time to rejoice or a time to mourn?

 Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning

    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.

  So, our destiny is death.  Should we rejoice or be depressed?

That really depends on where you stand.  Are you standing with Jesus, on His promise that if we accept Him we will spend eternity with Him, or a bah-hum-bug, that is a bunch of rubbish  type attitude?

 

1 Corinthians 15:55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

    Where, O death, is your sting?

If you, me, WE believe in Jesus Christ as our savior our physical death is a victory!  There is no sting!!

  I thought about this when I saw a cemetery with the sign next to it last week.  Think about these two photos:

 The dead!

 A cemetery with many headstones, then in front of it was the sign for:  NEW LIFE CHURCH.  I could not help but think, once we die we will experience a NEW LIFE with Jesus Christ.  Once we physically die, we will have a new life, a new body, a new joy, a new everything.

1 Thessalonians 4: 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

    Well, did you read that, the DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST. 

If Jesus does not return in our life it is okay, we have the promise that we, the dead, in Christ, will rise first.  That is a big AMEN and HALLELUJAH! 

  I do hope this makes sense to you.  Thank you for reading. Would enjoy your feedback. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

A different twist today - Balaam and Balak (Balac) Numbers 22-24

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

  Today I am taking a little different turn and talk to you about Balaam and Balak (or Balac).  This comes from Numbers 22 to 24.  Who was Balaam?  Balaam was a gifted and eloquent prophet but not a Jew or Hebrew.   Okay, so who was Balac?  Balac was the king of Moab.

  So, why the mystery of these two.  Well, the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan River before crossing into the promised land.  As you read in Numbers Balac was scared of the Israelites and wanted the prophet Balaam to curse them.

  Let's back up slightly and speak of their names.  Balaam, in Hebrew means "destroyer of people'.  Balac or Balak in Hebrew means "devastator", "empty", or "wasting".

   So what is happening here?  Balak has hired Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites so he could defeat them and fear them no more.  At first Balaam did not do this, and if you read the story this is where Balaam's donkey sees the angel of the LORD and then talks to Balaam.  The reason for this interaction was because Balaam had angered God and went against what God had told him.

  In Numbers 233-24:9 Balaam obeys God and blesses Israel.  However, in the end Balaam told Balak, King of Moab, how to get to the Isarelites.  Okay, and how was this?  By getting them to commit sin through sex with foreign women and to worship idols. 

  Unfortunately, the Israelites fell into these traps and God turned loose a deadly plague upon them as a consequence (Numbers 31:16).  Take a moment to realize what the Isarelites did!!

    They were following God, then, the lure of sin came forth and they COMPROMISED THEIR BELIEFS.  This is what we have to be aware of and fight against---compromising what God wants us to do.  The Israelites were weakened by sin;  look around my friend---in what ways are you weakened by sin?  Envy, lust, sexual immorality, thievery, lying, idol worship, or what?

  Here is Numbers 22-24 audio if you care to listen.  Thank you for reading and I do hope this made sense to you today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Do you hear....or listen but fail to hear? Mark 4:9-20

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

  God does not ask much of us. HE does want us to be obedient, hear and do HIS word, spread HIS word, and be disciples unto the world, the whole world.

   So, what have you done?  Don't tell me you can't speak to people.  There are ways to share the gospel without speaking.  Your actions and how you speak to and about others; you can leave Christian tracks, crosses, or words of encouragement around different places; just speak a simple word such as Blessings, God bless, May your day be blessed.

 Jesus in Mark 4:1-8 Tells the parable of the farmer who scatters seed on four types of soil; footpath or hard soil, shallow soil over rock, soil with thorns, and fertile soil.   We, as christians are like the 4 soils.  Here in Mark 4 is what Jesus says about this.

Mark 4: 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

14 The sower soweth the word.

15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Take time to read each verse carefully.  Notice that in verse 15- wayside ground satan comes and takes away the word or joy. Verse 16- stony ground joyfully receives the word but it does not take root; verse 18- thorny ground - receives the word but the cares of the world, riches, lusts of other things chokes out the word and it produces no fruit.  Verse 20- this is where we all need to be - good soil where we hear the word, receive it, perceive it, and go forth bearing much fruit for the LORD.

  Where are you today?  Does satan have you in his grip? Are you on stony or thorny ground?  Or have you regenerated and are fertile ground sharing the word with others about the LORD? Again from Jesus: Mark 4: 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Do you really hear?

Thank you for reading with me today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Deuteronomy 28: 1-7

 Hello all, God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

  Are we blessed?  As a Christian you are definitely blessed.  Whatever may happen, good, bad, or ugly, you are A CHILD OF GOD.

  In Deuteronomy 28 we are told of obedience.  Please read the lines below and let them be absorbed into your soul with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

  Deuteronomy 28:  If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. Think about where America has been until the last few years.

      2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:  We are/were a country based on God

3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

  All of the above has been true for America until 9/11 and since then other countries/nations fear us no more.  What can we do?  Take a knee my friend in prayer; speak up boldly for Jesus Christ (Christianity)  and did the beer drinkers did against Budweiser/Anheuser -Busch.  YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 

Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Obedience to God again - Deuteronomy 28: 43-45

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!

  I am not trying to beat a dead horse, but once again OBEDIENCE is heavy on my heart.  God does not ask much of us.  What must we, as Christians, do?  First, we must accept Jesus Christ as our LORD and savior.  Then,  God simply asks that we be faithful- no other gods before HIM, don't lie, cheat, steal, covet, but be good Shepherds of the WORD.

  Yet, here we are in 21st century America and what is our concern. Oh, let's take a selfie and show the world how cute or awesome I am.  Or maybe, we resort to the old cliche of  "the boy with the most toys wins" or "the boy with the most money wins".  

  In all this I am saying in America we have become very self centered and don't care about anything except me and my family.  Americans are soft. If we went to war today I would fear for the USA.

  Look at Deuteronomy 28: 43 The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. 44 They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, but you will be the tail.  

    45 All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you

  Take note and see how these verses relate today.  1)foreigners reside among us and rise up above us; 2) they will lend to you, they will be the head, us the tail (look at our debt); 3) pursue and overtake us - why? 4) BECAUSE WE DID NOT OBEY THE LORD OUR GOD AND OBSERVE THE COMMANDS AND DECREES HE GAVE US!

  Food for thought my dear friend and fellow Christian.  I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but just hope and pray that Christians will stop taking the world in, stand up on Biblical principles and take our land back, reinstate Prayer in schools, teach moral values instead of ideologies from the far left.

   God bless each and every one of you. May your path be bright and your steps sure. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Obedience to God - Leviticus 26:1-10

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!!

   For sake of round numbers, let's say America has been a strong and admired nation for 200 years - 1800-2000.  In the year 2000 Things started really changing.  Bill Clinton was president, then Bush, then Obama, Trump, and now Biden.

  In my opinion, starting with Bill Clinton was when we started putting Democrat against Republican and forgot this is all for the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA1!

   If you look back to the year 2000 forward and note the changes you will see some slow, some not so slow ideologies pushed on Americans.

  For over 200 years America was blessed, yes we saw wars, droughts, floods, and such; BUT, we, Americans were blessed.

  Take time to read these verses from Leviticus 26 (also Deu 28).  Read, absorb, and don't just look at words but see the meaning.  This is what God has revealed as a reward for obedience.

Leviticus 26 “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.   

  2 “‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.    

3 “‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

     6 “‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

     9 “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.

     We will reap the rewards of being obedient.  However, look around America, the world today.  Where is God?  He is where HE has always been--faithful and true.   Where are we in relationship to God?  Far, far away.  Letting the loud minority scream over the top of the silent majority.

     Think about this topsy turvy theology.  An 18 year old is not mature enough to purchase a gun and critics want to raise the minimum age to 21.  YET,  a FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, grade student is old enough to determine his/her sex.  HUH????

   People, as Christians, we need to stand up, be vocal, and stand firmly on the BIBLICAL WORD OF GOD.   Be obedient, humble and reverent to the LORD, but speak up again evil.  Thank you for reading today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the end times- Matthew 24:1-14

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  You are blessed, yes, indeed, YOU ARE BLESSED as a CHILD OF GOD!!!

    We look around the world and see wars, rumors of wars,  evil made good and good made evil. Our Christian beliefs under attack and we wonder, or become fearful, frustrated, and angry that the world seems to be topsy turvy.  People have lost their minds, no common sense in the world.

   What does Jesus say?  Read here in Matthew  24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Take your time and re-read these verses outloud and really listen to them.  The end times is coming but not here yet.  When?  In God's timing and, verse 14, when this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

  Thank you for reading with me today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace,

Johnny

Yep, we worry, give it to God, then pick it up and worry again! Philippians 4:6

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!!

  Where is God when you need Him?  He just doesn't answer my prayers?  Why does God let this happen?

   Have these thoughts or questions ever crossed your mind?  God, I do what you want, but ...............   Yes, too many times it is more about us than trusting God.  As the statement just above:  I do what you want-----  is it really what GOD wants, OR, is it what "I" want, AND, I am working to get it done.

   We lay it at the foot of Jesus, let's say in morning prayer about 7 a.m.  Then later the same day we say, "well, guess God is busy and can't take care of this so I'll just pick it up and do it myself".  OOPS!!!!

   Philippians 4:6 Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving.

   We must hand it over to God (never worry).  Pray to God--giving Him our prayers and requests.   Then, we need to do so with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving being a formal expression of gratefulness or thanks to God.

   What are you worried about today?  Send me a prayer request and let's pray about it together.   My prayer request is that I be more humble, share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and let my pride diminish, yet be strong in speaking of salvation.

    In summary, Give your worries to God now, and don't pick them back up later today, tomorrow, or whenever.  Place them at the feet of Jesus and BELIEVE!!!

   Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all. 

In Christ's Love and Grace,

Johnny

p.s. I would enjoy hearing from you!

What about your first love? Rev 2:1-4

 Good morning all.  Well, here I am back- helter skelter.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  HE is risen, indeed, HE IS RISEN!!

  Well, as I reflect back I do have a relationship with Jesus Christ, but so often, and specially lately, HE is a friend that I only call on once in a while.

   So what stops me from calling on HIM and visiting with HIM?  Oh, depressing NEWS; computer games, outside attractions, laziness.  But the biggest cause is procrastination, aka LAZINESS!!!

   It is easy to be distracted-- hey, look at the squirrel.  My intent and ask for your prayers to have a better relationship with Jesus Christ, my LORD and Savior.

  Here is Revelations 2 -- if this fits your life as well.  It hit me between the eyes!! 

Revelation 2 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

I have not forgotten my first love, however, I placed my first love (Jesus) on the back shelf.  And you?????

Thank you for reading. Love you all. 

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny