Jesus, Our Redeemer

Jesus is the image and the pattern of who we are. Jesus is our mirror, the true reflection of who we are as born again believers. Acts 17:28 says that "in Him we live and move and have our being." Therefore it is imperative that we know who He is. Jesus is our Redeemer, the one who enables us to return to the God of creation. Therefore we can never know who we are without Jesus living on the inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit. In every man there is a God-shaped vacuum, a void that is reserved only for God. Only He can fill that void in our lives. Nothing is able to satisfy the longing soul except for the presence of the true and the living God. Some of us have tried many things, but to no avail. Come to know Jesus today as your personal Savior and Lord. If you are in the place in your life where you are saying, yes I wanna know Jesus. I've tried to fill that void with many things, but to no avail. Or you may be  a person that says, Minister Novice, I am saved but I have lost something along the way because of the pressures and the circumstances of life. You are a person that is a backslider and God is married to the backslider. A true backslider is one who really loves the Lord because you will never turn your back on God.  A true backslider will always come back. Then again, Jesus may be the Savior and Lord of your life, but you do not have a church home. The Bible says that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. You do need a pastor that will watch over and pray for your soul. Don't let the devil trick you any longer. There is a Hell to shun and there is a Heaven to gain. If you can identify with any of these appeals, please inbox me and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will assist you.  God bless you and I am looking forward to haring from you! Remember to remain in the place of grace. Remain in the place by Jesus.

No Sad Stories/Our Help Comes from the Lord

We do not make light of troubles and calamities. We NEVER minimize anything that people have to go through because the hurts, pains, uncertainties, difficulties, unfavorable, uninvited and unwelcomed circumstances of life (that we all experience) are real. They hurt! However, we must not dwell on and confess our pains. Instead, as the heirs of promise, we confess the promises of God.

Even as we can appreciate that our problems are real, we also know that there is a duality of existence, that which is seen and that which is unseen. The things that are seen are temporary; therefore, they are subject to change. The things that are unseen are eternal and this is where speaking what is written in the Word of God comes in to action. Whose report will we believe and speak? We shall believe and we shall speak the report of the Lord!

The report of the Lord says that we are healed, healthy, made whole and complete in all the will of God for our lives. The report of the Lord says that He will perfect everything that concerns us. The report of the lord says that when we have done all to stand, that we must stand!

Therefore, we must teach our hearts to believe by training our mouths to speak the Word of God. Thus, when those difficult times come around and we do not know what to say, out of the wellsprings of our hearts
will come forth words of light, life and love. Out of the abundance of our hearts, our mouths will speak.

Through speaking the promises of God instead of speaking our problems, in magnifying the bigness of our God instead of magnifying the bigness of our problems, we come to realize that the joy of the Lord is our strength and that joy is an inside job.

The joy of the Lord is an inner contentment that is independent of external circumstances. It produces in us strength and fortitude, which is a conquering attitude. In other words, when not all seems to be well, all is well. When it seems like all the devil is breaking loose in our lives, because we have the joy of the Lord, we can still say that all
is well. If we truly endeavor to remain in the place of grace, which is the place by Jesus, we can always portray that there are no sad stories in our lives, because our help comes from the Lord.

(2 Timothy 4:4),
"And they turn their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into a fable. "
The word fable here in the Greek means a sad story.

*Do not turn from the truth of God's Word and allow your problems to transform your life into a sad story.*

Always remember that as children of the Most High God, we never fight for the victory. We always fight from a position and a posture of victory, because we win. Remember the message of the cross. It is not a message of death and defeat. It is actually a message of how God takes the negatives and transforms them into positives. JESUS GOT UP! Therefore, we can always get back up from every situation in life. We can lose everything, but because we have Jesus, we have enough to start all over again. Jesus has already obtained the victory for us. Therefore, we win!

Allow your lives to be governed by faith in God through Christ. When situations arise, remember that there is another King. His name is Jesus and where the word of the King is, there is power. The testimony of God has already been established. Settle it in your hearts. Believe that you can be who God says you can be. You can do what God says you can do. You can also have what God says you can have. Therefore, never allow circumstances, issues and problems to transform your life into a sad story. Never give up. Never give in. Keep looking up to see that your help comes from the Lord.

Faith Considers Him/He Did it for Me

Praise the Lord, everybody! This is Minister Novice. Apostle Holcomb preached a message this week entitled, Faith Considers Him. The subtitle is "He Did it for Me". The message text is found in Hebrews 12:1-3.

The word consider has a 7 fold meaning.

1. Ponder

2. Pay attention to

3. Think about

4. Look at

5. See

6. Say who He is

7. Obey what He says

As we are looking unto Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith, God will develop our faith and trust in Him. It is of the essence that we begin and end with Jesus and allowing Him to be everything in between. We learned that there are four operations of faith as follows:

1. Saving Faith is the faith that we are saved by.

2. Sufficient Faith is the faith that we live by. Faith receives what grace gives.

3. Strong Faith is being able to believe God on behalf of others.

4. The Spirit's Faith is Sovereign Faith that God releases on our behalf.

We learned to consider the Lord in every aspect of life. We must trust in the truthfulness of God's Word, which He places above His name. As we step out of the boat of security, we step out on the water of God's Word without doubt, fear and unbelief. Doubt questions the veracity of God's integrity and fidelity. As always, please remember to remain in the place of grace. Remain in the place by Jesus.

The Significance of Baptism

Praise the Lord everybody! This is Minister Novice. The message that Apostle Holcomb preached in our 10:30 worship service on Sunday is entitled, "The Significance of Baptism." The scripture text is found in Mark 16:17-20. Along with Holy Communion, Baby Dedication, and The Right Hand of Fellowship, Water Baptism is one of the ordinances and rights of the church of the living God. Romans 10:9-10, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." These verses of scripture convey the heart of God concerning salvation. In thus saying, water baptism is not essential to salvation. However, it is an act of obedience. It is sequential to accepting Jesus as personal Savior and Lord. We participate in the church ordinance of water baptism to:

1. Identify with Christ

2. Receive the validation of the Spirit

3. Demonstrate the affirmation of the Father

The Greek word for baptism is (baptize). It means to dip into, emerge and submerge. When one is emerged under the water, it signifies the death and burial of Jesus. Moreover, when we are brought up from the water, it demonstrates the resurrection of the Lord. In so doing, our message to the world is that the old man is buried and that we rise in the newness of life. We are demonstrating outwardly an inward grace that has taken place in our hearts. Therefore, we do not receive water baptism to obtain salvation. We actually partake of water baptism because we are already saved. According to the scriptures, we are fulfilling all righteousness. In essence, we are declaring to the world that we are right with God!

Matthew 3:15-17, "And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." As always, remember to remain in the place of grace. Remain in the place by Jesus! God bless you.

 

 

 

 

 

The Truth VS Facts

Truth can be described as the true state of a certain matter. It is what a person has come to believe. It also answers the questions of what is really happening. The Bible is the Truth. It is not based on some thing. Moreover, it is based on the Truth, which is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 4:16, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Fact is basically something that exists, or is present in reality. Hence, these are things that can be seen visually. These are the things that can be verified according to man's standard of authentication. Facts do not require belief. Rather these are more or less the things that can be observed empirically, or by the senses. Therefore, facts can be seen and heard, as well as proven by the other senses. I am reminded of the difference between ethics and laws. Laws are rules of conduct or procedure recognized by a community as binding or enforceable by authority. Ethics deals with a system of moral standards or principles that will be carried out even in the absence of of authority. My point is that ethics are higher than laws. Ethics require a person to have a certain belief system. The same is true with the truth and facts. Yes, the Bible is factual. Moreover, the Bible is the Truth. It is the book about the Truth from Genesis to Revelations. It is an account of someone, not some thing. It is a Him book, speaking of the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, the Truth is higher than facts. For example, a person has a sickness. This is factual. However, the Truth has the higher and final authority. According to Isaiah 53:5, Jesus was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed! A person may be experiencing lack in finances. This is factual. the truth of the matter is that God makes all grace abound towards us that we have all sufficiency in all things. He also supplies all our needs according to his riches in glory by, in and through Christ Jesus. It does not stop there because not only does he supply all our needs, but he supplies them exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that works in us. This power is the blessed ministry and help of the Holy Spirit. Facts are facts and we do not deny them. However, as children of the King we live by the higher and final authority of the word of God.

The Blessedness of Happiness: Lost, Precious and Loved

 

Praise the Lord, everybody! The message that Apostle Holcomb preached this Sunday, 17 October 2010 at our 10:30 worship service is in the series, The Blessedness of Happiness. It is entitled, Lost, Precious and Loved. (Matthew 5:1-4) is the scripture text.

"And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Last week we spoke about being poor in spirit, which equates to being rich toward God, realizing that we all need Jesus. When we are rich toward God, we see people the way God sees them as we view the world through the dove eyes of the Father. This enables us to look beyond the faults of others as we see and address the needs of those who are less fortunate. The emphasis today is on verse 4, "blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." The Greek word for mourn is pentheo. It carries the connotation of lamenting, which is crying with God. There are times of rejoicing in our lives and there are times when we will mourn. It is of the essence that we are balanced individuals. (Romans 12:15) says, "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." There will be times that we experience the lost of loved ones and things that we hold dear to our hearts. It is important that we never suppress emotions that need to be expressed because in doing so, it could lead to depression. God gave us emotions and they serve needed purposes. Our emotions function as outlets and safety valves because we have an innate need to respond to given situations. The Bible speaks to us about occasions when even Jesus wept. Therefore, we realize that God cries with us. Even as we cry over the lost of loved ones that have passed on, we must also cry over loved ones that are lost. Souls are important and precious in the sight of God. He will always leave the 99, to go after one lost soul. The questions become, why are souls so important to God? What makes a soul valuable to God? What is a soul worth? The Bible teaches that our souls are worth more than the gain of the whole world. Our souls are of much value because they are desirable and they are durable. God desires our souls and so does satan. In (Luke 22:31), Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." 
Our souls are also durable which means that they are eternal. We will exist eternally somewhere. We must not allow the devil to fool us by causing us to believe a lie. There are consequences associated with our decisions in this life. The devil is going to hell and he desires to take as many of us with him as he can. Please realize that there is a Heaven to gain and there is a hell to shun. In essence, Heaven is a real place and hell is a real place. We do not come back and get to try again as something different. We do not come back! The truth is that we all have an appointment with death. The question becomes, where will we spend eternity? God loves us and He has made provisions for us by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. If we accept His Son, we receive everlasting life. Every sheep needs a shepherd. Every sinner needs a Savior and every soul needs the Sovereign God. Remember to remain in the place of grace. Remain in the place by Jesus!

 

The Metamorphosis of the Mind: Change Into Something Different

Praise the Lord everybody! This is Minister Novice. The message that Apostle Holcomb preached this Sunday is entitled The Metamorphosis of the Mind: "Change and Become Something Different." The scripture text is found in Romans 12:1-3. Our mantra for this year is 2010, We're in. We are getting into what we're into. It is written in Acts 17:28, "For in Him we live and move and have our being." This means that our dependency is not on the world. Our dependency is on the Lord, the Kingdom of our God and the Power of His Christ which is the blessed ministry of the Holy Spirit. Also in Acts: 1-7, the scriptures tell us of how the people of that day were making an impact on society. They turned the world in a different direction. It was actually the right direction. As they did, so must we declare and proclaim with our lives that there is another King, one Jesus. In this particular message, we are being taught in reference to having the Kingdom mindset.

The question becomes, how can we change ourselves into something different? We cannot. Only God can change a man and transform him into a new creature. The Greek word for transform is (metamorphoo). It means to become something different. The example given is that of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. The dimensions and altitudes of the butterfly are different from that of the caterpillar. Once the transformation has taken place, it can never return to what it previously was. So it is with us, once we have accepted Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. Bishop also talked about the word, repent. He has been teaching us God's Theology of "Re." The Greek word for repent is (metanoia). It means to modify or change the mind by association. Repentance carries the connotation of changing the mind by renewing the mind to the mind of Christ. In essence, when we repent, we turn from our old lives and turn to Jesus. He makes us into another vessel. The Bible teaches that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away and all things become new. Be not conformed to the world or the world's way of thinking and living. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In essence, do not allow yourself to be modeled, molded and fashioned into the pattern of the world's way of doing things. We must repent and change according to the likeness of God. Remember that in order to repent, we must think differently about sin. We must feel differently about sin. We must also choose to live differently as a direct result of the Holy Spirit's conviction that Jesus is Lord and King. Remember to remain in the place of grace. Remain
in the place by Jesus.

 

From the message "The Bill of Rights of the Christian Faith"

 

The Manacarta

 

Repentance

1. Regeneration 6. Reformation
   
2. Redemption 7. Revived
   
3. Reconciliation 8. Reproved
   
4. Rejoice 9. Reasonable
   
5. Restoration 10. Remember
   

   
    

   Repentance begins with regeneration. We become regened because of redemption. We have been bought with a price by the finished work of Calvary through our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He brought us back and reconciled us to the favor, which is the grace of God. We can therefore rejoice! This is good news!
   

   God has restored us by fixing us. He has reformed us by changing and transforming us into a better state. God locates us where we are, but He doesn't leave us the way He finds us. He has revived us by bringing us back to life, back to the high point with Him.
   

God rebukes those that He loves. Therefore we should never despise the reproving of the Lord. Because of all that was previously stated, it is only reasonable that we would serve Him. It is only the appropriate, respectable and proper response that we would always remember the Lord as we continue in communion with Him. Therefore we must repent from what has kept us from considering Jesus.