Propagating The Gospel

How Is The Gospel Propagated?

While reading 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

Since Christ’s life, death, resurrection and ascension every attempt of the Church and Christians to evangelize using forced conversion and cultural change has failed! Why?

Christians are not called to forcibly convert the world; after the nation of Israel was freed from bondage in Egypt and led by GOD to land He had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob they were required to destroy the peoples and cultures that then lived in the Promised Land; as we know by history they did a poor job; they then had to defend their land and often take it back. That is the only time in the history of the world that GOD in any way, shape or form has asked or commanded His people to kill and destroy, to conquer and subvert any land or culture by force!

Christ’s command to the Church is to love our neighbor as ourself, to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us, to take up the cross and lay down our life for the Gospel. To turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, to give what is demanded and more, to do the works of His Kingdom; heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, disciple nations and make His enemies His footstool. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, it is against His enemies; principalities, powers and rulers of darkness; the gates of hell cannot stand against the Church when in love and obedience we are fulfilling the Great Commission.

But! He never tells us to conquer peoples or lands for the Gospel. Making a disciple is not done through violence and control it is done through love, teaching and lifestyle.

“And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11 NKJV

A culture is not changed because it is squashed by violence and controlled by laws so that outwardly people live a desired lifestyle. A culture is changed because people hear about Jesus and see His Kingdom being lived by it proclaimers daily.

Peace Presence Power

Peace – Presence – Power

The Peace that passes all understanding!

The Presence of GOD that lives in us!

The Power of the resurrection of Christ!

The Bible teaches us that there is a peace that passes all understanding from GOD and no other source. The Bible teaches that no matter what happens in our life that GOD loves us and no one and nothing can take us away from Him. There is no power on earth or in heave that can separate us from GOD; except ourself! We are the only one that can separate us from GOD! Unbelievers have done it by rejecting GOD’s gift of salvation. Christians do it by sinning in spite of GOD’s call to be holy as He is holy. This is also a gift from GOD because we are righteous in Christ Jesus, we are to stand fast in the liberty which Christ has given us; we are to resist the devil and he will flee; we are to crucify our flesh and serve His Spirit; we are to fulfill the commission Christ gave all believers; we are to do the works of His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven; we are to love one another and be one as Jesus and the Father are one!

The Bible teaches that GOD lives in every born again believer, that His Spirit (Holy Spirit) takes up resident in our body the moment we confess our sin and ask forgiveness by the Blood of Jesus. We are living temples of GOD in the earth; we are to take care of our body; we are to bring our body into submission to our spirit under the direction of Holy Spirit; we are to be conformed to Christ’s image, in the fellowship of His suffering; we are to have the mind of Christ; we are to do GOD’s will even to death!

The Bible teaches that we are to live our life for GOD in the power of Christ’s resurrection. In Christ we are born again; we live a new life our old life being dead and buried with Christ; we no longer live by or for the flesh; we are a new creation in Christ!

The Cross

The Cross

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of GOD.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

Why are atheists so opposed to the cross? They hate to see it anywhere, why? Bear with me as I explain why they hate the cross.

Atheists claim that they do not believe in GOD, for whatever their reason is they do not believe in GOD, Jesus Christ, eternal life, heaven, etc. Some are hard non-believers that do not believe in any super natural power or omnipotent being who is responsible for everything that is. There are some that just do not believe in the Judeo-Christian GOD. Why does not matter but the fact that they hate the cross and what they believe it represents or what they have been told that it represents does not make sense if they do not believe in GOD.

For everyone except atheists things that we do not believe in do not bother us, why should we care if to us it is not real? Why should I be bothered or offended that others believe in something that I do not believe in? I do not believe that there is life on other planets, I don’t care that others do, that governments spend millions of dollars to try to prove and fine them. That people pay money to reserve a seat on flights to Mars. While I think it is a waste of money or even stupid I don’t take offense that they believe it and try to prove it.

So what is the difference? People who call themselves an atheist but are offended at others for believing in GOD are not truly atheists, they are deniers. They deny GOD and seeing a cross or hearing someone talking about Jesus reminds them that they are denying the truth; for whatever their reason is; but they know in their heart that there truly is a GOD and that He is in control of their eternity and that they have rejected His gift of eternal salvation; for whatever reason.

Otherwise why would they say things like ‘god damn it’ or ‘jesus f****** christ’; these are curses and vulgar to most people. If GOD and Jesus do not exist than their names would mean nothing, they would not be vulgar they would have no effect when spoken as a curse. ‘god damn it’ is an actual curse but for it to be effective the speaker must believe in GOD. If those who claim to be atheists do not truly believe in GOD they would not use these or other vulgar curses that use GOD or Jesus Christ. I don’t believe in Odin the Norse god because I know that he is not a god, that he was not even a real person. I don’t go around speaking that name as a curse or as a vulgar term towards someone or something I am mad at. I don’t even think about the name Odin except when it is used in some mythological story. But, there are people today who believe in him and worship and serve him.

So the fact is that most people who claim to be atheists are not, they are deniers and their hatred of GOD and Jesus Christ are signs of that fact.

One more point about the cross specifically that is lost on atheists, non-believers and many Christians. Before Christ was crucified the cross was a curse to the whole world. The Romans perfected the cross as a form of corporal punishment that could take days for the victim to die. The cruelty of the cross was the point of it as Jesus Christ’s form of death as the Lamb of GOD who became sin for sinners and took upon Himself the punishment due every human being since Adam. The Bible teaches that Christ was crucified before the foundation of the world was laid in creation. GOD knew before He formed man in His own image and breathed into him His breath of life that man would sin and need to be saved from himself. Even before He was crucified Christ challenged those who believed in GOD to take up their cross and follow Him.

Since Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross it has become a symbol of hope and salvation and only those who reject GOD reject the cross and despise what it represents. They are deniers and rejecters not atheists!

“For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’” 1Corinthians 1:19 quoting Isaiah 29:14

Also study: Hebrews 12:1-2; Luke 24:13-27; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Peter 2:20-25; Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:23; Revelation 13:8-9; Mathew 10:37-39

Weather Wise

All the “natural” disasters and weather “phenomena” are GOD saying, “If you (humanity) continue to reject Me, to deny Me, to take credit for what I have done and what I am doing, things will only get worse!”

GOD did not create the earth to have holes in the Ozone, or Ozone depletion from global warming from environmental pollution by humanity. But humanities rejection of the Creator of all things and taking responsibility for their care has led to this.

GOD gave us (humanity) dominion over His natural creation to care for it and use it for our benefit through stewardship. This is recognizing that everything belongs to GOD and He calls us to care for it under His direction while using it for our benefit.

Study the creation, the gospels, the prophets and the Revelation in His Word to humanity, the Bible!

I got this word while I was praying this morning.

July 4, 2018

July 4, 2018 Happy Independence Day!

Thank you to all the descendants of those who fought and served to gain the freedom we have today! Thank you to all who have served and all who are serving and their families for protecting the freedom we have today!

Today we celebrate the liberty this nation was founded on: The freedom to worship GOD without government interference, the freedom to live free of government oppression and unreasonable taxation, the freedom to speak one’s mind without fear of imprisonment, the freedom to assemble without government permission, the right of self-defense without fear of punishment. These are the things our fore-fathers fought against the British government for. The things we struggle for today at home and abroad.

No matter our political or religious persuasion we are one nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and just for all. That is the foundation of our nation based on our Declaration and Constitution.

Thoughts on Romans 11 - 12

While reading Romans 11 & 12 this morning I had this thought.

Jesus came to the Jews (GOD’s chosen people) first – some believed but many rejected Him. Those who believed He sent to the Gentiles (the rest of the world) – some believed but many rejected Him.

GOD by His Spirit made the two groups of believers into one people (the Church). The Church is to live and preach the Gospel to the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles so that they will desire salvation through Jesus Christ (to be in GOD).

Christians are to live the Life of GOD in Christ Jesus (the Christian life) so that the unsaved will desire salvation and so that young Christians will learn how to live the Christian life.

Open Borders & Sanctuary Status

I want to thank Governor Brown and all the Californians that want open borders and sanctuary status for illegal aliens for helping us make up our minds to leave this state.

Today while we were packing stuff for our move I was using newspaper I got from a friend. Some of it is the LA Times, as I was wadding up pages an article caught my eye so I stopped to read it. If I remember right it was from the June 3^rd edition, I made a copy so that I could write this but I missed the date. The article was written by Alene Tchekmedyian, <alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com>, titled “Crash suspect a 2012 deportee”

“A man suspected in a deadly street racing crash that killed two young brothers two weeks ago was deported in 2012 after he was caught smuggling 44 packages of marijuana across the border from Mexico, court records show.

Josue Leyve-Gallegos, 30 was headed to Perris through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with a valid U.S. permanent resident card in May 2012 when he was sent for further inspection by a computer-generated referral, according to a probable cause statement filed in federal court.

An x-ray of his car showed anomalies in the gas tank. Authorities requested a drug-sniffing dog, which alerted to the gas cap opening. In the gas tank, a Customs and Border Protection officer found roughly 94 pounds of marijuana. Leyva-Gallegos later told authorities he had been hired to smuggle marijuana into the country for $800.

He pleaded guilty two months later to one count of importing marijuana.

After his conviction, his legal status was revoked and he was ordered removed by an immigration judge in October 2012, said Sarah Rodriguez, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was sent to Mexico the next day.

At some point, Rodriguez said, he returned to the U.S. illegally.

The deadly crash occurred May 15 after Leyva-Gallegos began racing with his cousin, Ricardo Zuniga.

Zuniga told authorities that he pulled up next to his cousin at an intersection in Perris that evening. Leyva-Gallegos looked back at him and asked. ‘You ready?’ before counting to three.

Moments later, the pair hit the gas, Zuniga, on the wrong side of the road, faced an on coming car and was unable to swerve out of the way. His Honda Accord collided heard-on with a Nissan Versa carrying three brothers on their way to pick up their sisters from school. The younger two, Dominick and Antonio ‘Tony’ Gonzales, 6 and 8 were killed.

Leyva-Gallegos fled the scene. A week ago, the U.S. Marshals Service found him more than a thousand miles away in Kent, Wash., where he was trying to register a vehicle at a local DMV office.

On Thursday, ICE filed a detainer with the King County Correctional Facility in Settle.

Leyva-Gallegos is now awaiting extradition to California on two counts of vehicle manslaughter with gross negligence, with a sentencing enhancement for fleeing the scene of a crime, according to Riverside County court records. His bail was set a $10 million.

Zuniga was charged with two counts of murder, along with one count each of driving without a license and failing to carry proof of insurance, records show. He is being held on $2-million bail and has pleaded not guilty.”

While I am not going to comment on the morality, integrity or intelligence of the two criminals and Zuniga’s resident status was not mentioned. Here is another gross example of the open border, sanctuary state failure to protect any citizen of California or its visitors.