Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Good Salvation Wednesday, my dear brothers and sisters. Oh, how I just love Salvation Wednesdays when we all get together to pray for the souls of the unsaved and for God to use those who are born again to help bring in the lost. We need to harvest the fields for the glory of the Lord, and to also follow His command to take the good news to all creation. I want to ask you two questions right now. Please don't get upset with me.
First question, are you born again? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Do you really love Jesus? And do you work for Him? Wow, like an old teacher, one question, four parts.
Second question, are you working for Jesus by talking to people about salvation? If your answer is no to working for Jesus by talking to others about their salvation, please go back to the First question and ask them to yourself again. And then try and remember who talked to you about being born again. Who laid it out for you that you must be born again?
I want to make this very bold statement, when you become "Born Again" I mean really born again, you will be changed from your old ways. People will come to you and see a difference, and those who don't understand what happened to you will try and "rub your nose in your past". You know, each and everyone but Jesus has or had a closet they do not want emptied. Let me tell you that when you come to Jesus and HE CLEANS YOUR CLOSET IT IS CLEANED. If someone wants to bring out your past stand right up to them and say, THAT WAS THE OLD ME, THAT HAS BEEN WASHED AWAY, for anyone who wants to "rub your nose in your past" has no clue about being born again... And that is not judging them, that is just stating facts. Listen, I am starting to preach and that is not the message for today, we are still working on "Never Alone."
Never Alone: Day 3: Ephesians 4:2 - Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit though the bond of peace. (NIV)
Let me pick up on the "Rub Your Nose in your past thing." When this happens pull on the Lord, and follow scriptures like this one for today. Be completely humble about it when talking to the people. Yes, I have a past, but God and God alone has taken it from me, you might say. Be gentle, don't shove it to them by screaming and yelling at them. And be patient with those, for as I say, they more than likely are not born again and still want to do the old gossip thing, and gossip can destroy people, including and most often those who pass it along. You have been born again and your past has been taken care of by Jesus when He died on the cross for all of us. So as you talk to the one who wants to do some nose rubbing (no you cannot rub on his nose), put in the name of Jesus you can tell them how you lost your past and remind them you can help them get rid of theirs.
Folks, as I talk to you about never being alone, I know that some will differ with me. In fact some of you might be like I once was, "alone in a crowd." In fact I have been in crowds where I felt more alone than when it was just me and maybe one other dear, dear friend. I have said to myself in the past, "self, what the heck am I doing here?" Have you ever done that? You know, this is why you need a good church, and it might surprise you when I say it might take some hunting for you to find a "good church", and when you go hunting for a church, go where you can receive good fuel (get the word) and also you may get involved. You want to be sure that the Body of Christ is at that church and that the pastor/s and their staff follow the true and complete teachings of God as found in the Bible. If a Pastor tells you that they do not believe in this or that out of the Bible, FIND ANOTHER CHURCH. A lot of churches have changed, to be correct with today's junk, they say that gay marriage is ok, and as for an abortion, it is ok, cause it is the woman's body. I find no place in the Bible where it says the Bible should change with the times, I do find that in Hebrews 13:8 it tells us that Jesus never changes. SAME PERSON, SAME RULES... Someone say Amen...
You should be going to or looking for a church where when you have a problem or are just feeling alone that you can call someone and they will have time to talk with you, and while maybe not help you, but can point you in the right direction. If you find a church with a loving pastor that lets Jesus head up the church, and you find a pastor that shares and teaches that love, you will find it flowing down and find other loving people there to help you. You see, you need not be alone. Lots of time family is busy, and folks, as much as we love our families, we also remember sometimes it is nice to just be loved on by others our own age and our family. You see, we all need to belong to the family of God... In the family of God, well, let me give you an example, in the family of God, my kids, let's take my daughters Danelle and Leanne, are also my sisters in Christ.
I want to just leave this to you today and I want you to think about it... It is "love" God said we are to love Him and to love our neighbors... If you are indeed feeling alone, it is because you are "Blocking the love of others out." I am not telling you to "fall in love". Except to "fall in love with Jesus." And when you do this (He already loves you), if you fall deeply in love with Jesus, love for everyone else will come along. Love never fails, real, true love never fails... AMEN.
Dear Father in Heaven, I want to fall deeper and deeper in Love with You, and with Jesus, and I want to wrap myself up in the Holy Spirit with each breath I take in, and I want to share that love with others, I want to be excited about my "love affair with Jesus" and I ask this day that You cause this love to grow and to grow, and may others see that love of Jesus in me, and may I set the example for them to follow as Jesus did, but Lord, I confess as a sinner I need Your help. Help me, please, so I can work the fields of harvest for Jesus... I ask in the name of the one who loved me even before I was born... Jesus... Amen.
Now folks, fall in love again, fall in love with Jesus and let it grow, and share His blessings and share that love... and when you see me, give me a JESUS HUG... for I love ya, Pastor Dan.
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