If we are the body

Sermon (If we are the body)

John 13:34

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus didn’t say to the lame man Hey I see your in need of healing but right now I’m busy, he went and did what Christ knew was right in the sight of his father.

1 Corinthians 12:27
 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it

Wait an minute did that scripture just say that each of you are part of the body? So does that mean that  the Pastor does not have to do it all by himself??? Years ago I was listening to song by Casting Crown Cause if we are body, I thought at first why would they title the song "if we are body". I want to take a moment tell you about a brother who was going through a storm. Daniel found himself in the middle of a storm; this storm brought him and his family to its knees. Now when the church heard about the storm they say lets us pray. Do not be deceived prayer is a power weapon in the arsenal of the believer. Now Daniel neighbors heard about this storm and came to his aid. One lady came over and begin to mow Daniel’s lawn. Another lady came over and left a card of good wishes was left on his door. Another lady prepared and brought a meal so that family would not have to struggle with cooking in the middle of their storm. You might say praise God, that what Jesus wants us to do, you would be correct if that was your cognition, however these ladies that performed these Godly acts were none Christians. Not one Christian brother or sister lifted a hand. Ask yourself this if you came to my house and you were hungry and told me this while I was feeding my family and said I will pray for you that God provide you with food tonight . where is my Christian love how can I claim to be a Christian when I"m unable to reflect simple Christian love how can I can claim to be a part of the body?

If we are body, why weren't the hands preparing the meals believers hands? Why weren't the feet & hand involving in mowing that grass a Christian?  The words written in the card why weren't they written by the body?
When Jesus said to  his followers that their love for one another would become their trademark. by which Christians would be identified by. At the end of the 2nd century, the church father Tertullian described the reputation that the early church had earned:  Tertullian said the world  had uttered “ ‘look how they love one another'” . Now let me ask you how many of you can actually say you know more 7 people at this churches number and talk to them more 2 twice a week????

Tell me how can we claim to love God whom we have never seen but seemly have issues with loving our brothers and sister in the body. Who here is not aware that love is an action verb????
 (John 15:12-13):

12. "This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.(

If I love my brother then I should go check on him, when he is not at church or my sister, not to accuse but let him or her know they are loved and were missed)

13. "Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends. But I’m not asking you to die for your brothers stead how about you offer to cook a meal offer to cut his grass, go visit them and let them know they are not alone. May we be a mirror for Christ to be reflected through us

John 15:17
 These things I command you, that you love one another. Love is a action verb what actions have  you put to loving your brothers and sisters in Christ?

If an unbeliever is aware of how to do good deeds for others how much more should the body do? If we are the body why are there not more hands helping, why aren't more  people ready and wiling to serve others.



When Jesus told his disciples that other people would know them by their love for one another. He was telling them about the main characteristic of a true Christian.    If we have God's Agape love in us, then doing for others in the body should be natural. If we practiced doing this, our mutual love and faith would increase proportionally.

I’m convinced that if we are about our Fathers business God will increase your faith and love for your brothers and sisters in Christ for God’s love has no limits. Doesn't it make you feel better when someone shows you real love that love via good deeds perhaps (hmm? Yes maybe??? Maybe not??)
Such expression of love helps lift us above our problems, and enables us give them to the Lord, that we would have peace?
We should remember the commandment Jesus gave us




So if we are the body? Why aren’t these hands doing more to heal? If we are the body, what are the talents God has given you, why are they not honor and glorify the Father today? If we are body


If Christ could visit the sick, sinner, those in need, what then should we do since we call ourselves  Christians, which is to be Christ like. So if we are body, then let us reflect Christ in our actions which must bra reflections of Christ love for us.  Each of you has been given a talents by God for his glory not your own. How many of you that can cook are ready to prepare for a needy family in the body or assist in a ministry where cooking is needed? How many of you men are gift to  building or mechanical  inclined? Are you using the gift God gave you to bless the body? Yes prayer is our first line of defense, but if a person  says to you  I thirst, do you just pray for them or do you get them a cup or water???

Sermon (Not my will, but yours be done oh Lord)

                                         “Not my will, but yours be done oh Lord

Before I get started tonight I should determine my audience. None Christians right?  Christians oh wait then this discussions going to last more than 10 minutes, if your truly a Christian wife you might want to strap in right about now, however if your not this might be the time you want excuse yourself for a bathroom break. Let's talk about submission in the Christian Marriage not the worldly marriage, I want you to ask yourself which kind of marriage do you have one that honors God or one that operates accord to the standards of the world?

 Did you know Protestant/Christians have 65% percent chance of divorce? Catholics have a 68% well maybe your thinking at least we better than those Catholics, but wait their is more. The divorce rate among Hebrews is only 3%.

This is where I was going hit the audience with a bunch of statistics but I realized two things

1. I hated Statistics in college

2. The Word of God must lead this conversation like Peter said in (Acts 5:29)

 “We ought to obey God rather than men.          

I want to see a show of hands for those who agree with Peter’s statement?

I'm not going to be concerned with how our divorce rates compares to the unbeliever.. Instead I want to speak to Christian wives about having a 100% success rate if your willing to have a Godly marriage, which means God, must be in the center of your marriage and his blue print the Holy Bible must be what your marriage is built with.

What does submission look like to Jesus?  Jesus submitted to the will of His Father in (Matthew 26:39).  A picture of Submission is Jesus in the garden, where Jesus grieves, but chooses to submit to the will of the Father.  Jesus said not my will but thy will be done. These were the words of Christ, Himself, within hours of His betrayal and then His crucifixion.  If ANYONE in the universe had a reason for wanting to find another way for people to be made right with God – it should have been Jesus but Christ submitted to the will of the Father.  Now understand like any Christian wife Jesus could have chosen to not submit to the will of the Father, but Jesus loved His Father and wants to honor His Heavenly Father. My sisters in Christ mimic Jesus in submitting not to men but to Your Heavenly Father. For as you submit to Christ You prove to be Christ like. How does a wife say she honors God whom she has not seen but yet dishonors God’s instruction. The Husband God gave you is meant to be a physical representation of Christ. A Christian woman therefore does not submit because her husband deserves it, she submits because she knows it is pleasing to her Heavenly Father. Christ didn’t wash the feet of his disciples, because they were greater than Him but to show them what submission looked like and to again honor the Father and Christ knew it was not about him but about God. Having a Godly marriage is obeying and living according to how Christ has commanded us to.

Submission takes humility.  It also takes a lot of prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit.  Christian wives must look to Jesus as an example, and reflect His love and Self-sacrifice as they lovingly choose to submit unto the husband.)Sisters you are not slaves but freed from sin both male and female alike must be bondservants to Christ.

     .

Sister I beseech you to lean on and allow God to guide and direct you in how to be the Godly daughter and how to play your part in having a Godly marriage. God does not operate on feelings and as a Christian God wants us to rely on Him and not on our flesh for the flesh is deceitful and is like a wave tossed to and fro.

 So if you’re a Christian wife and you want that 100% success rate for your marriage honor God, put not your trust in mankind but Trust in God and His Holy Word. Perhaps your sitting they’re thinking this guy does not know the kind of man I’m married too. You would be correct I do not know but God does, do you think if you put your marriage in the hands of the one who created the universe that your marriage is to great of issue for him to fix????

For you see the God I serve can do anything but fail. My God is a loving caring Father. Its time you trust God with your marriage instead of trusting women’s magazines, or Oprah, or your none Christian girlfriends or the latest how to fix your husband book. How about you trust the one who established marriage, which would be God??? Are you ready to trust God with your marriage??? For what God has commanded both spouses is action, which means you need to actually do something. Perhaps your that wife who said once he makes me happy then I will submit, Could you be so kind and stand up and tell me where that scripture is that says, ‘First the husband must for fill the desires of his wife’s heart and ensure she truly happy, once he has done then the wife will submit and honor him.  For I know I’m not even close to be a learned man, but I do not believe that is in the bible nor is that what God mean when told the husband to love his wife. Jesus loved the Father and God asked Jesus to die for you and I. I’m sure Jesus was not in the garden jumping for joy but instead Jesus honored the Father just as God expect you my sisters to.  Not my will but thy will be done must become your motto if you truly want to honor God in your marriage.

21. submitting to one another in the fear of God  (Ephesians 5:21)

Verse [21] tells the husband and the wife to submit one to the other in reverence of God..  Notice in Ephesian 5 Paul doesn't say, "Husbands, tell your wife to submit" or, "Wives, tell your husband to step up and be spiritual head of the home." Instead, he speaks to us and asks each of us to work on his or her obedience to God.

In Ephesians, Paul actually introduces something radical to the culture: that people with more power have greater responsibilities, Paul says to husbands, "Yes, you've got authority, but you've also got responsibility." In fact, Christian teachers from the earliest centuries have pointed out that what Paul asks the husband to do is actually harder than what he ask of the wife to do. He asks the wife to show respect and submit; he asks the husband to die.

Christian husbands are called to daily dying to the desires of their flesh, instead focus on the loving his wife as Christ demands she be love?"

 Sister it must be not your will but thy will be done I would say we ought to obey God rather than our feelings or the women’s lib movement. “Submission” in the sense that God uses it in the Bible is a concept that began in the Trinity in a relationship of Equals.  Jesus is not inferior in any way to God the Father.  They are one.  The Father has the position of authority, the Son honors His Father’s authority.  He is not a second-class citizen, a slave or of less value than the Father.  In fact, His willingness to submit to and honor His Father demonstrates perfect love. Eve was taken from the rib of Adam in no way did God see her as lessor creation, but she was to be Adam’s equal to be his helpmate.

What does submission look like for the modern day Christian wife? I’m not asking what it looks like to the modern day women’s movement but the woman who has decided to follow Christ, the true Christian wife.

Today, one of the most difficult concepts in God’s Word is biblical submission.  The word submission is not limited to wives alone. For example: Christians are told to submit to the government (Romans 13:1), Christians are told to submit directly to God (James 4:7). Another word for submission is Self-sacrifice, which is required in each circumstance.  Submission is neither easy nor is always convenient.  Instead, it should be viewed as service unto God.  A Godly wife attitude toward Christ, must be “Not my will, but yours be done oh Lord.”    The Godly wife desires God’s will above her own.  Her intimacy and relationship with Christ and her husband are MUCH more valuable to her than getting her way about a certain decision.

 The Godly wife knows She can express her feelings, desires, concerns and thoughts to God and her husband.  Once she has expressed herself, she trusts that God will direct her and her husband. {X]The Greek word for submission is hupotasso, “to subordinate…put under…” God exhorts women to voluntarily follow their husband’s leadership.  

22. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

23. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

24. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything (Ephesians 5:22-24).  

Submission should not be confused with a person being weak. When a Christian wives honors God and obeys what is being asked of her in Ephesians 5:22-24, she assures herself of blessing coming and going both in her marriage and with her children.

18.Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord (Colossians 3:18). 

Ultimately, each of us will answer to God for our obedience to Him.  Be VERY SURE you are operating in obedience to Christ.  Wives, God holds Christian husbands accountable for their leadership, love, gentleness and selflessness and God holds the wife accountable for demonstrating respect, biblical submission and obedience to the commands of God.  We will each stand accountable to God, so tread very carefully and reverently to God’s Word,. My Christians sister  lean not unto your own understand for human beings we are Only God can see the whole picture, which is when we obey God’s word we can expect victory in our marriages. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding  (Proverbs 3:5). Sisters submit to God not to the will of the flesh, if you are a true follower of Christ do as Christ Did “not my will but Thy will be done” If the God of universe could come as man and submit to the will of the Father who are you to refuse or decide that you will submit once your requirement are met!!! Christians we got stop playing with God’s word!!!

Sermon on (Distrations)

Distractions

What is your distraction??? The enemy uses distractions as method to take our eyes off of Jesus. When we become distracted we become separated from Jesus plan for our lives. The enemy wants to make us ineffective for the gospel. The same way we have to pay attention to road signs when driving on the freeway to ensure we exit at the right place.  A definition of distraction is drawing away, or diverting attention away. Distracting believers from the truth, from following Christ agenda for your life. Paul warned the brethren at Rome against some who would “by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:18) and lead them astray; he also warned the elders at Ephesus of some who would come from among them and “draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:30). In each of these cases, there is a distraction, or drawing away, of men from the truth and into error.

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to    

    Jesus.

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous,[a] he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out,

     saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why

    did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:28-31)

The devil is a pro at hindering brothers and sisters from the work God has called them to. Distractions appears almost from the moment we awaken in the morning, until we go to bed at night. The enemy knows he can’t affect your salvation but he wants to hinder you from being apart of the great commission.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).

The best way to prevent distractions from having authority over our lives is to Seek God first and move closer to our ultimate goal of total surrender to Christ.  Peter endeavored to do this when step out of the boat and walking toward Jesus, however a distraction took his eyes off of Christ and Peter began to sink. A disciple was someone who had chosen to be with his rabbi as much as possible in order to learn everything he could from him so he could one day be like him. In ancient times, disciples tried to be around the rabbi everywhere not just during formal teaching times.

Paul refused to allow distracted to stoop him from completed the race, though Paul was stoned, shipped wrecked, and in prisoned.  Paul was convinced that nothing was more important than preaching Jesus.

There are many types of distractions that the enemy uses to redirect our attention.

1.     Money: It can become our god

²⁴“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6: 24).

³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 1. Job: ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”  ⁴¹ And Jesus  answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-41) 

2.     Electronic media: Internet, TV, movies, music, video games, newspapers, magazine all can become distractions

3. Family:  For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.( Matthew 10:^A35-36)

4. Ministry: Yes you heard me correctly when you get so caught up in doing what you feel God has called you to, and you forget its not your ministry but God’s and that he does not need you but allows you to be apart of it. Our very best is filthy rags.

What are the distractions in your life??? What have you allowed to become your gods? Ours is a jealous God and He will not share his glory with anyone. Do not let distraction blind you to the fact we need God and we need to be about our Father’s will while it is dark

Keep Your Hands on That Plow

Keep plowing that field that God gave you to plow

Maybe it's the church that you are shepherding

Could be the Sunday school class you are teaching

Discipling that young christian who's new to the faith

Raising your children in the ways of the Lord and praying over them daily

Praying for that lost relative or friend to come to Christ

We've got to keep doing the works of our Father in Heaven

Those of us who realize that we've been purchased with a price

The precious blood of Christ

We need to keep our focus on Him

The world's getting crazier

It makes less sense today than it did yesterday

We know it's falling apart

It's near the end

When Jesus returns....

I pray that He finds each one of us....

Doing the works of Him who sends us

Letting Christ reach out through us

To a world hemorrhaging

From the wounds of the Enemy

And self-inflicted wounds.

So...

Keep your hand on that Plow!

You'll be rewarded by your Father in Heaven.

In Christ our Lord,

Don 

Sin leads to death

Sin is not just a list of things God has arbitrarily determined to be against. Sin is bad. Even if there was no God, sin would still be bad. God is against sin because it hurts people. The Word of God is clear that sin is deadly. All sin eventually brings forth death.  Sin brings forth death, when it is fully grown. Sin is also deceptive. It can sometimes tantalize by offering pleasure for a season.

 "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey,either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness"  ( ROMANS 6:16) ?

But wait there is good news if we are quick to confess our sins and turn from our ways God is faithful to forgive us of our sins. Sin separates us from God and without God the price of Sin is eternal death. God created heaven for mankind but if we can confess our sins and turn from sin and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  God is against sin because it hurts people.

Whose first in your life

Christians can lose perspective and put other things before God, such as wealth, success, pleasure, or even family. A wise man/woman will always put God first. God is worthy. He deserves first place in our lives. God says He will honor those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30). When you put God first you will be blessed.   Making  God first priority in your daily life, let every decision you make be directed by the Holly Spirit. Seek God's for He tells us that we will find Him. Let us give thanks to God for every blessing that we receive daily from waking up and  get you safely through your day, for each bite of food your able to digest, to being able to earn a salary. Take time and read the Word of God.

 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you" ( MATTHEW 6:33).



In the computer world we often say "garbage in garbage out",  mean what you put into machine your going to get that out, So as Christians what are we  putting into our hearts and into our lives???

Follow Me and I Will Make You Fishers of Men

Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Scriptures to read: Matthew 4:19; II Peter 3:9; John 3:16

Follow Me...Like the disciples who were called, Jesus calls us to follow Him. He doesn't tell the disciples to go start fishing for men. He tells them to follow Him, and as result of following Him, they would become fishers of men.

Following Jesus, the disciples would begin to take on the characteristics of their Lord. Begin to love as He loves. Begin to have the heart for the lost that He has.

So what is God's heart towards the lost? I believe that one of the original 12 captures God's heart towards the lost in his writings. Peter writes “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Then of course, there's one of the most well known statements about God written by John...”For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

So, what does it look like when we “fish for men”? Maybe it's handing a piece of bread to a poor or homeless person in Jesus' name. Or it could be the thrill of actually leading someone to Christ.

Maybe you are praying for a person to be saved. You know that he or she needs Jesus, but they don't know it, or even care. Your heart aches for that person. You cry out to God for His spirit to convict them. Reveal Himself to them.

Guess that's what a follower of Christ looks like. Taking on God's heart towards the lost.

In Christ our Lord,

Don 

Love Your Enemies

Friday my son Yordon walked into the house looking tired and complaining about his foot hurting, as a parent I have learned to read my children's faces and their body language. I stopped my counseling session with a client and asked my son to come forward. I informed him that he hadn't told me everything. Yordon took a deep breath and said it was nothing. I ask Yordon to tell me what was the nothing. Yordon said on his way from home another schoolmate  called him Nigga, my heart fell my client was speechless. I asked my son what did he do when this kid said it to him. He said he smiled and walked on, I asked Yordon why, he said you told us Dad years ago that a Nigga had nothing to do with pigmentation but is a person who has no self respect or dignity for self or others. I smiled and said  yes I did. He said he already forgave the kid because knew this kid was ignorant didn't understand what he was saying.


43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:43-44).  Love your neighbor the word does not say love them only when they say things that I can bare, love them only if they are kind to me first. No when people do harm to you,  say harmful things against you, give it God for is able to bear it. Please remember that our Savior was spit upon punched and hated and murdered, he told us that the world would hate us too. We are told that if we are to be worthy of the death we must take up our crosses and follow Jesus. Love your enemies, for we remember we were once an enemy of Christ.

An Imaginary Pre-Christmas Conversation between the Father and the Son.

An Imaginary Pre-Christmas Conversation between the Father and the Son.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Scriptures to read: John 3:16-17,  John 14:6,  Isaiah 53:2-12

Well Son, are you ready?

Yes Father, I am ready.

You know it won't be easy Son.

You will have to set aside your royalty.

They will reject you.

Mistreat you.

Abuse you.

Finally, they will kill you.

And when all of their sins have laid upon you, I'll have to turn away.

Father, we've discussed this...We both know that there is no other way.

If there was...but there isn't.

This is the only way to take back what is ours from the Fallen One.

And there's just too much at stake...

Not to do this.

I love the fallen ones too much...

To leave them in their fallen state.

You are my Son...

And I am well pleased with You.

Go forth and do My will.

I am pleased do this.

For I love the fallen ones too much also....

To leave them in their fallen state.

In Christ our Lord,

Don 

Keep your eyes on God

Stop listening to lies of the devil, when he tell you that God does not care about you and that he does not love you. That what is happening because God is punishing you. Many people are convinced they are too bad for God to help, or they have problems that are too big for God to handle. They seem to have more faith in their inability than they do in God's ability. They seem to have more faith in the problem than they do in God. This happens when we focus on the problem, instead of looking to God who is the solution. As long as we focus on the problem and let it consume our attention, we will have faith in it to defeat us. Ask Peter what happen when he took his eyes off of Jesus,  its take you step out on faith and walked toward Jesus. Do you really think you got here by yourself, remember foot prints in the sand, that one set of foot prints was Jesus carrying you, and Jesus would not bring you this far to leave you, so don't you give up on Jesus when he didn't give up on you.

18. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).