Blog 06-30-2010

Wednesday

PRaP 06-30-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 6

“Mary Visits Elizabeth”

 

Luke 1:39-56

 

³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

 

Mary’s Song:

 ⁴⁶And Mary said:
   ”My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 ⁴⁸for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
   From now on all generations will call me blessed,
    ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
 ⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
 ⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
      he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
 ⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
 ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
 ⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful
 ⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”

 

 ⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

 

The baby in Elizabeth’s womb “LEPT” at the sound of Mary’s voice.  The baby Elizabeth was carrying was John the Baptist and even in the womb John had his marching orders to clear the path for Christ.  Elizabeth had to have been well along in her pregnancy for the baby to have been developed enough for her to feel the baby leap like that.  Mary is blessed to be the humble servant of God, she says so in her song.  She knows her place and it is as a servant, not someone to be worshiped and prayed to for favor.  She has gotten what the Lord wanted her to have and that was the title of Mary Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Only God Himself is worthy to be praised.  Mary was a woman blessed.  Mary was born to give birth to Jesus and this is what she did.  If God wanted us to pray and worship her don’t you think there would be more about her and her miracles in God’s word?  Jesus Christ, God in human form, came to bring glory unto His creation and we did exactly as He had foretold thousands of years before.  Jesus Christ born to die for our sin.  And we have the privilege to carry on His plan for Salvation unto the next generation and the next and the next until He returns to take us home.  Find harmony in the Gospels of Jesus Christ and live.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 06-29-2010

Tuesday

PRaP 06-29-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 5

“An Angel Promises The Birth Of Jesus To Mary”

 

Luke 1:26-38

 

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 ³⁴“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

 ³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For nothing is impossible with God.”

 ³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

 

WOW! Would you have liked to been in ear shot of that conversation?  None the less in the room right after Gabriel had left?  I can imagine Mary was wondering why her and why now?  I mean come on she was engaged to be married to Joseph and had never been with a man before and now she is told that she is with child.  OK, girls how do you tell your soon to be husband that has never laid with you that you are pregnant?  Not an easy thing to do I am sure.  I am sure that the Holy Spirit comforted Joseph in knowing it was of God and not of any man.  Surely there were an amazing amount of emotions going through her mind and body to know that she was chosen over all other women in the world to carry her own salvation in her womb.  But we need to remember this important fact with Mary.  She was the chosen vessel for God’s glory just like you and I.  Yes, she was chosen over all women which is an honor beyond anything there could possibly be for a woman but remember she was born into this world and fulfilled her purpose just like you and me.  We are born of flesh and have a purpose.  Will you follow and take care of that purpose to the glory of our Father in Heaven or will you bend to the world and please it and yourself?  Open the eyes of your heart and seek out the purpose that God has placed you here for.  It isn’t for you that He has done this but for His own Good glory.  Follow the narrow path that leads to Jesus Christ and not the easy road to sin.  Difficult is the path of The Way, The Truth, and The Life, many will try and fail but the Good News is that those who try and fail can try again.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 06-28-2010

Monday

PRaP 06-28-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 4

“An Angel Promises The Birth Of John To Zechariah”

 

Luke 1:5-25

 

⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

 ⁸Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

 ¹¹Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.^{[a] 16}Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

 ¹⁸Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

 ¹⁹The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

 ²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

 ²³When his time of service was completed, he returned home. ²⁴After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ²⁵“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

 

There are some interesting things written here, first that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God from birth.  The Holy Spirit, as in the Holy Spirit of God, is only spoken of 2 times prior to the New Testament. Once in Psalms 51:11 and the other in Isaiah 63:10-11 .  The Holy Spirit is related to Christ because He was conceived of the Holy Spirit of God through Mary.  The other is Elizabeth felt shame that her and her husband had not conceived any children in their life together.  Back in those days it was a status symbol and a sign that the LORD had blessed you when you had children as a man and woman married into Holy matrimony.  Today there are couples who go to great measure to not have children.  I know there are health issues for some but to knowingly be a married man and woman and to never allow the LORD to bless you with children is well kind of wrong in my opinion.  I know everyone has an opinion and I am just one and we all know the old saying opinions are like…  But do not allow yourself to actually block blessings from God.  He likely will stop telling you where they are.  Now there’s something to think about today.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 06-24-2010

Thursday

PRaP 06-24-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 3

“The Ancestors of Jesus”

 

Matthew 1:1-17

 

¹A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
    ²Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, ³Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, ⁴Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, ⁵Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, ⁷Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, ⁸Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, ⁹Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz,  Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, ¹⁰Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, ¹¹and Josiah the father of Jeconiah^[a] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
¹²After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, ¹³Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, ¹⁴Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, ¹⁵Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, ¹⁶and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

 ¹⁷Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

 

Yes I know it is a dry read but when we try to get to know someone really well we study the family history, right?  I challenge you to read about the people listed above and see the triumphs and failures of the lineage of Christ.  All had sinned before Him.  Who are your ancestors?  Do any of them stand out?  Did any of them leave a Christ centered legacy for you and your family to follow?  If not that means you have the opportunity to leave a legacy of living a Christ centered life to hand down to your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren for generations to come.  Do you journal your readings or your prayer time with God?  Have you recorded or written down the testimony of how Christ saved you from yourself?  Today is the first day of the rest of your life why not start your legacy today?  It’s never too late and you’re not too old and you’re not too young.  When I die I hope that this legacy will live on.  I pray God bless it that He be glorified through it for generations to come.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

 

Blog 06-23-2010

Wednesday

PRaP 06-23-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 2

“God Became A Human Being”

John 1:1-18

 

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

 ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood^[a] it.

 ⁶There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.^[b]

 ¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent,^[c] nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

 ¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,^[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 ¹⁵John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ” ¹⁶From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,^[e][f]who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

 

Jesus is God!  He is The Father the Son and Holy Spirit.  He who was and is and forever will be, came to earth to show Himself to everyone but was shunned, beaten, hung to die, but came back alive to show the world who He is yet many still do not acknowledge or believe in His existence.  The Holy Bible was written to attest to the coming of the Lord yet people still refuse Him.  I personally do not understand their thinking nor do I need explanation of it.  I too was in the world and desired the things of the world and worshipped those things that I got on my own accord but something happened and all of those things were stripped from me and I was left hung out to dry by the very things I worshiped and then there was Jesus.  God Himself, come to rescue me from my sin through His Holy Spirit.  He told me He has big plans for me.  Therefore I must give up my worldly existence and follow Him.  You my brothers and sisters and future brothers and sisters are witness to the new life that is who God made me to be.  Passionate about the future of His Kingdom, always seeking His Kingdom, always working towards the expansion of His Kingdom, never tiring of the walk, never desiring the things of man but always seeking the will of God in EVERYTHING.  In this harmony we seek in the Gospels of Jesus Christ seek too your existence and your place in the world.  Do you walk with Jesus or do you walk with the world?

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 06-22-2010

Tuesday

PRaP 06-22-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 1

“Luke’s Purpose In Writing”

 

Luke 1:1-4

 

¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled^[a] among us, ²just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

 

Now Luke was a doctor and Theophilus was a ruler and Luke wanted to be sure that this ruler knew what Jesus Christ was all about so he wrote the book of Luke as a doctor would write.  Very precise, detailed, and lacking nothing for explanation that this government official would understand each detail about whom Christ is.  Luke obviously was a trusted man in his community that leadership would give him the time of day much less allow this document to be written and published as a public document of the life of Jesus Christ.  Luke made very clear right off the bat that he carefully investigated this from the beginning so you know he put in a lot of forethought and work to prove that what he has so painstakingly written is the absolute truth.  Would you be willing to dig in deep and investigate Jesus Christ that you could write an account of Him?  Are you willing to put yourself in His shoes to feel and understand every breath?  It is difficult enough to get someone to memorize a single verse much less do an in depth investigation of the life of Christ.  I challenge you in this series to get in deep and investigate this harmony of the Gospels and ask questions and journal what you have discovered each day.  Stay tuned God has a message for you.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 06-21-2010

Monday

PRaP 06-21-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels

“Introduction”

 

All four books in the Bible that tell the story of Jesus Christ – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John- stand alone, emphasizing a unique aspect of Jesus’ life.  But when these are blended into one complete account, or harmonized, we gain new insights about the life of Christ.  This is another opportunity for us to ask seek and knock so that the door to living a Christ like existence is possible.  How better to learn to walk as Christ walked and live as Christ lived then to study and learn about His life through the harmony of His Truth.

The first 22 of these events will be focused on the birth and preparation of Jesus Christ and the remainder will be focused upon His message and ministry.  I pray that you will enjoy following these PRaP’s and feel free to ask questions.  You can send them to prap@c2cministry.org and we will answer them live on the air on Saturday nights during the “Ask the Pastor” program on c2C Ministry radio and TV, which will begin again September 4th.  All questions will be answered via return email before the September 4^th program.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 06-17-2010

Thursday

PRaP 06-17-2010

 

“Feed Or Be Fed?”

 

John 21:15-19

 

¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
      ”Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
      Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

 ¹⁶Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
      He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
      Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

 ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
      Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

    Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

 

Jesus wasn’t just submitting these questions to Simon, He was asking these questions to you as well.  In every question above replace “Simon son of John” with your own name and then follow Him.  All of the words above go with the Great Commission.  We are to die to self and live as Christ lives, spreading the Truth and loving one another.  Everything has gotten so backwards today.  We live in a “what’s in it for me” generation, a generation of I, me, my, and no love and no morals to speak of.  We have leaders that won’t lead but are in the place of leadership for pride and status and money.  Feed His lambs, take care of His sheep, feed His sheep, and follow Him.  Is this such a difficult task?  Do you truly love Jesus more than these?  I do and this is one of the main reasons I am here.  This is why c2C Ministry is still on the air and the PRaP still gets written and why the TV stations are still on the air and why new ministry partnerships are being made and the list can go on and on and on.  But I love Jesus enough to say His name in public without fear and I am not afraid to say JESUS BLESS YOU to someone I know doesn’t follow Him.  To be a shepherd is to seek out the lost lamb and to feed the sheep and to tend the sheep.  Sometimes it is so lonely and when the sheep stray it is so hard to continue on and look and search for them so that they can be safe and warm and well fed in Daddy’s arms.  But I will continue as God sees fit for me to have a breath of life in me.  So I say to you, do you truly love Jesus more than these?

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 06-16-2010

Wednesday

PRaP 06-16-2010

 

The Miracles of Jesus Part 35 of 35

“The Second Miraculous Catch Of Fish”

 

From:

John 21:1-14

 

¹Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias.^[a] It happened this way: ²Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

 ⁴Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

 ⁵He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
      ”No,” they answered.

 ⁶He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

 ⁷Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.^{[b] 9}When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

 ¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

 ¹¹Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

 

Jesus at this point had already been crucified and risen from the dead and was in His resurrected body.  Now Peter was so excited to find out it is the Lord he wrapped himself and jumped into the water.  Are you that excited about Christ that you would just jump out of the boat to get to shore to see Him and speak with Him?  I think at that point I would have been moving so fast my feet wouldn’t get wet.  Some of my favorite scripture follows this and many of you who know me know that I try and model ministry and life by it.  We will discuss it tomorrow.  Now this concludes the Miracles of Jesus series.  There were so many more miracles that Jesus did but I think you guys understand that it is by faith alone that we are healed and are Saved only by the Grace given through Jesus Christ.  Next we will begin to go through the 250 Events In The Life of Christ, “A Harmony Of The Gospels”

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

 

Blog 06-15-2010

Tuesday

PRaP 06-15-2010

 

The Miracles of Jesus Part 34 of 35

“Lazarus Is Raised From The Dead”

 

From:

John 11:1-45

²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 ²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ,^[b] the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

 ²⁸And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” ²⁹When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

 ³²When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴“Where have you laid him?” he asked.
      ”Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

 ³⁵Jesus wept.

 ³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

 ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

 ³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said.
      ”But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

 ⁴⁰Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

 ⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

 ⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
      Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

 ⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.

 

Was there any doubt that Lazarus was dead?  Nope they were concerned about the odor that would be coming out of that cave when they rolled away the stone.  Was there some doubt there?  Maybe a little but many who were there already knew Jesus and the things He could do.  His words: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  Well do you believe?  If you believe and walk His path and follow His ways you will live eternally and abundantly in Him.  Maybe this is a tough thing for you to swallow but I need to ask is there anything that this world offers that would keep you from testing this?  Are there any kings of this earth that would give their very life for you?  I tell you the truth there are none that would allow themselves to be killed for you.  They may say fancy things to make you think they will but when it comes right down to the brass tacks of the thing they will cower.  Jesus Christ is the only One that was willing to give His life for you and no one else.  He freely gives therefore He freely is given.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve