Salvation Wednesday 8/10/16 Where Did They Go?

Dear Father in Heaven: I love You! Please forgive me of my sins. Thank You. I am coming back to the computer to write for You after a long time away from it. Please, Lord, help me with messages as lately my mind is a blank when it comes to writing. Help me, please, and then help me to get it dispatched. Each day people are trying to attach the computer and I need help blocking things. Dear Lord, Dolores and I are so blessed. Thanks for all the untold blessings You send upon us each and every day. Please help us to reach out in the fields of harvest to bring in the lost to be saved by You. Please be with Bob Campbell and help him, Lord, as the doctors say his leg must come off. Please also be with the priest from St. Katherine Drexel as he has a knee replaced today. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, it has been a long time since I felt up to writing. My writing for God to  me has always been a gift from Him, and lately I just cannot get a message in my mind that seems to be coming from Him. Today I feel He is giving me one.

Today my message asks a question, Where Did They Go? When I say they, I am talking about our family and friends who have passed and gone on to their next lives.

Salvation Wednesday: August 10, 2016: Where Did They Go?

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. 15 According to the Lord's own Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. (NIV)

Dear brothers and sisters: you see him when your car needs service and you call on him when it breaks down. He is a great mechanic and has trusted you to pay when you can. He looks sometimes like he needs a bath, and you don't know if he has ever entered a church. His garage is called "Dan's Garage" but most folks call this nice man but not so well-groomed "Dirty Dan" and the garage has picked up the name of "Dirty Dan's Garage." You love how your gets fixed so you go there. Sometimes in church you have even talked about him while getting snacks and coffee between services. One man, whose name was also Dan, gave money to have this snack bar built into the church, so the place was called "Dan's Diner." People at the church did not know much about Dan who paid all the bills on "Dan's Diner" and once in awhile they would think about him. At about the same time both of these men named Dan passed away. Where Did They Go? Lots of times we think of the one who gave so much time to the church they attended surely went to heaven, but did they?

Some who go to church work all the events, they cook meals, donate things and when gathered together talking to each other they talk about everyone in the church. Dirty Dan from the garage did not go to church as he did not have good clothes to wear as so many people and a lot even from the local church never paid him for his work. Dan was however faithful to God and did pray and know and love Jesus with all his heart and had long already confessed his sins over to Christ. But those who went to Dan's Diner and worked hard around the church would even talk about old Dirty Dan, but not one of those goody two-shoes ever invited him to church.

Dirty Dan lived his life loving Jesus and helping others with their cars even when the could not pay. They never heard one thing from Dan about those who stuck  him for their bills. Even Dirty Dan did not bug them. Dan's Diner looked good and when that Dan died people had a plaque put on the wall thanking him for the nice snack area. And on Sundays people would still gather between church and Sunday School and gossip about others, sometimes even about the pastor.

So Where Did They Go? If I were to guess and since it is my story, I will tell you that I believe that Dirty Dan lived to please Jesus and the other Dan who had that diner did not please Him nearly as much and might not even be Born Again.

Recently in a United Methodist Church, the female pastor came out and confessed that she was gay and was going to live with a female from the church. The church board took this up at council and they decided to replace this pastor. However, they gave her a year's salary in advance, saying she was a good pastor. The pastor, in a statement with the news media, stated that over the years the laws have changed and the church needs to catch up with the times. Well, miss pastor, the laws might have changed, however, the Bible, the Word of God, has not and neither has Jesus. So many pastors are not preaching the true Word of God and instead are falling into the old trap of what is happening today. Brothers and sisters, if you are attending a church where the Word of God, the complete and full Word of God, is NOT preached, you need to FIND ANOTHER CHURCH. Get up and run to the nearest exit. If you are putting money into that church, you are supporting what that church does, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

How long has it been since you heard a message about the cross and how Jesus died on the cross for you? How long or has it ever happened where your pastor had an Altar Call, calling people to come to Christ? You should be hearing something about salvation each and every time you hear a message. Brothers and sisters, the death of Jesus on the cross and why He did it is what being a Christian is all about. And to be Born Again you must have faith in it and confess it and believe it and live it.

So as you look at those in the casket at a viewing or funeral service, ask yourself, Where Did They Go? And then ask yourself, if you die, Where Will You Go? To put it to you the only way I know how is to say this: You have TWO choices. You can be Born Again and go to Heaven or regardless of how much you did at your church, if you are not Born Again, you are going to Hell. Heaven or Hell, it is your choice today. I made my choice long ago. Will you pray this with me today and get started?

Dear Father in Heaven: I confess that I am a sinner and I do believe with all my heart that God sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin debt. I accept that gift today and believe in my heart that Jesus die on the cross and was risen from the dead. I believe in heaven and hell and right now, Lord, I want to make my choice to go to heaven. Save me, Jesus, save me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Now go forth, off to war for Jesus. Love ya.

Pastor Dan

Open up your heart and sing this today!

Holy Spirit, Thou Art Welcome (Dottie Rambo, David Huntsinger)

Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place.
Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place.
Omnipotent Father of mercy and grace,
Thou art welcome in this place.

Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place.
Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place.
Omnipotent Father of mercy and grace,
Thou art welcome in this place.