Tag Archives: God

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Don’t Stop Believing…

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

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Don’t Stop Believing….

WCFN Ministries goes to people from around the globe.  Many people in other lands do not share the freedoms that we enjoy here in the United States of America, but they share our faith in the God of the Bible,  and our Lord Jesus Christ.  WCFN wants to let them know that they are not forgotten for their sacrifice, and many times putting their lives on the line for their Christian beliefs.  Our message to them is that no matter how hard it gets and whatever that sacrifice, it is worth whatever they go through to stand firm on their belief in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seen Him, and whatever happens, “Don’t Stop Believing”……

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Reach Beyond Yourself…

24 Friday Jul 2015

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You call me out upon the waters... In oceans deep... But are always with me... I'm forever yours...

You call me out upon the waters… In oceans deep… But are always with me…
I’m forever yours…

We are all called out upon the water…  Peter was called out upon the water when he was crossing the Sea of Galilee with the other disciples to meet with Jesus on the other shore.  As they neared the middle of the sea a storm began to rage and they saw a figure from afar off coming toward them.   They became frightened, but as the figure came closer, they realized that it was Jesus walking on the water toward them.  When Jesus came near to the boat he told Peter to come meet him out on the water.  Peter stepped out of the boat and was on the water when he looked back and sank, because he had taken his eyes off Jesus….  But this is exactly what the disciples needed to see, Christ doing a miracle to help their doubting minds…  God gives us opportunity to reach beyond what we think we can do…  So he sets the goal out a little further than we think we can reach…  And in doing so he teaches us to be more productive in him than we could ever be in ourselves…  It is then that we are blessed and he is glorified…  God can take just plain old me and make me more than I could ever be alone…  Alone I am nothing, but in him, I am a new creäture and he gives me strength and guides me on to his perfect plan…  “For I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me”…

As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus and our mind on the tasks he gives us to do we can reach beyond our mortal boundaries and succeed where we should have failed.  It doesn’t mean we will succeed the first time always, but we must be persistent in our search for answers.  We must “labor to produce” and that doesn’t always come easy.  God sometimes treats us like the spiritual children that we are and lets us scrape our knees and get a few bruises  in order to learn a lesson but he doesn’t leave us hanging.  He promises “seek and ye shall find” …  As a loving father, he is there to help us but we must seek…  We have to put out the effort and do our part.  He has sent us a help mate who is the Holy Spirit …  And our King and Savior Jesus Christ who talks to the Father in our behalf.  God has given Jesus all power and we cannot come to God except thru him…  We get strength thru Jesus who is our example and our leader…  He will help us as we weather the trials and minister unto others  of his truth and righteousness…  He is the Son of God…  Therefor, Jesus, I am and always will be, forever yours…  Amen…

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I Am One…

05 Sunday Jul 2015

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I am one, a voice crying in the wilderness...

I am one, a voice crying in the wilderness…

By John Armes

I am one…  I am one man..  I am one man, a voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.  Make His paths straight.  For there is one who comes after me that I am unworthy to unlatch His shoes.  “I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”  The gospel message is that the people should repent (change their minds and forsake their sins) in order to receive the remission of sins. Otherwise they would be in no position to receive the Lord. Only holy people are able to appreciate the Holy Son of God.  Repent and be holy and you will see the glory of God.  Jesus came to earth over 2000 years ago in love and peace, and gave His life a ransom for many.  He is coming again, but this time He will set on the judgment seat and will separate the righteous from the unrighteous.  He will send the righteous on to their reward and the unrighteous on to eternal damnation. And Jesus spoke to his disciples and the multitudes in Matthew 23:33…  “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”  So, in this day and age is this considered “hate speech”, or is it just a warning of impending doom for those who reject the one true Christ, the Son of God.  Do we hate our fellow man by telling him that there is a large open pit which he cannot see and he is walking right into it, and he will be consumed in it.  That he is heading to a place of pain and torment and there will be “wailing and gnashing of teeth” it is so terrible.  Or, do we tell him he is doing ok and there is no problem…  Everything is fine.  You will have great riches, good health, miracles and never have to worry about anything ever again.  What happens when he falls in that pit.  When he looks at us and screams “why didn’t you tell me that pit was there”?…  The gospel tells us that it is because we have sinned against God and we are heading for hell that we need to accept Christ as savior.  It is because of our wicked fallen state, our blatant disregard of Gods law, and an uncontrollable urge to sin that we need redemption.  That is the time old message, not promises of wealth and prosperity.

Our world is slowly deteriorating into a world where good is becoming bad and bad is becoming good.  To be “politically correct” simply means to be incorrect and act as though it is correct.  Where it is easier to do evil than good.  Are these not signs of the end times.  Christ will come back and judge man when man is no longer redeemable.  When man no longer tolerates the gospel of Christ.  When man revels in his sin and wants to cease the words of truth that condemn him.  We Christians are a reminder of that truth and the world will grow to hate us because of it.  But I am one man crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.  One man with a message for the world.  Not a new message, but the same old message that was presented to my father, and his father, and his father before him.  Give me that old time religion, it’s good enough for me.  Make straight the way of the Lord.  Repent and be baptized.  The message has not changed, yet in churches today it is watered down, made more “tolerable” , changed “according to our liking”, into something less than it was originally intended. Today in some churches, there is more emphasis on entertainment than learning, evangelism, and salvation, and we think that we have to look and act like the world to convince the world of their need for a savior.  The way we dress, our words, and even our music has been formed in such a way that it mimics the world.  It even seems like the church has lost it’s way.  We went from “black and white” to simply “shades of gray”.  What was wrong in our parents generation is still wrong today, because God, His truth, and His law never changes.  It always stays the same.

No wonder the world is confused.  When they look at us do they see a people “set apart” or are we just a mirror image of them and not any different than what they are.  How can you convince someone of a change if they see no change in you.  It is true we have all sinned and no man is better than the other, we have all sinned in Gods eyes, but when the world sees us Christians they should see a repentant sinner, no better than them, but redeemed by the blood of the lamb and saved only because of the grace of God.  Someone that God has reached down and picked up out of the miry clay, brushed off and set on the rock.  Someone who God has drastically changed, cleaned up their lives, and set them on a new journey, shaping them into the person that God intended us to be.  Someone who will go back and stand outside the pit and help pull others out so they too can experience the awesome grace and salvation that our risen savior has offered to mankind for the past 2000 years.  We don’t need a new gospel, we just have to follow the original message.  Anything different than Christ’s original gospel and his true message, becomes a false gospel.  To follow the true Christ you have to know who He is.  If you are following anything other than the Jesus of the Bible, you are following a false God.

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“Study to show thy self approved.”  If you don’t have a Bible, get one and read it.  If you do have a Bible, take it off the shelf, dust it off and begin reading.  Don’t let someone else tell you, let God speak to you thru His word.  When you read your Bible, God talks to you.  When you pray, you talk to God.  Keep the communication lines open.  Stay connected with God, He wants to connect with you.  And when you have read and learned the Bible you will begin to see the error of false doctrine and be able to tell the true from false.  You will be able to see when someone is trying to lead you astray.  For there will be many false teachers and false religions in the last days and you need to be able to spot them.   The Bible may be your only guide to keep you from falling in this pit.  “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  Do not be led astray.  “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Trust in the Lord and He will guide all your paths. 

   God will lead you and work with you but you must take that first step.  You must put your trust in the Lord and have faith that he will deliver.  How many times do we pray about something and ask God to “make it happen”, and than continuously worry about it.  It’s like God is saying “I will take care of it”, and we keep worrying and doubting and than when he does do something about our request we act surprised that everything worked out.  What does that tell God about our faith?  Could God be saying to us “oh thou of little faith” as Jesus said to Peter.  Do we have the faith of a mustard seed, the smallest seed there is?  Jesus said that if we had just a little faith we could move mountains.  How much faith do we really have?

God is so wonderful that if someone could see where God has worked in my life they would think that there is a lot of “coincidences” where things worked out for me, but I know better.  I can see the hand of God working with me as I look back on my life as I am sure some of you can.  It doesn’t mean that everything goes my way all the time. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have any rough spots in my life.  It just means that when the storms rage, and the heartaches come, that Jesus is there with me, beside me, leading me out of the storm, but sometimes I have to go thru the storm to see God better.  To see where he is working in my life and reminding me that he is still there…  He wants us to go to him with all our needs.  You see, we fail him…  He doesn’t fail us.  He is always there to pick us up when we fall, and to brush us off and set us on our feet.  But, just as we do with our kids when they are growing up, he has to let us fall so he can pick us up.  He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, which means that he is all knowing, all seeing, and able to be everywhere at the same time.  So when we think we know better than him, that is when we fall.  But when he picks us up he shows us that he knows better than us.  As a patient and loving father to his kids.  Not saying “I told you so”, or pointing an accusing finger at us, but holding us in his arms of love.  Someone who is great doesn’t have to tell anyone they are great, they don’t have to prove anything or defend themselves because people already know they are great.  And often great people have a respect and compassion for all people.  Christ did, and as we become more mature Christians than God changes us over time to be more like Christ.

OXYGEN VOLUME 13

“So I tell you to make straight the way of the Lord.  Believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, for we are in the business of saving men’s souls, and we should be about our fathers business.  God’s kingdom is at hand.  Repent and be baptized, for now is the season of harvest, now is the day of salvation, and the fields are plenteous, but the laborers are few.    Brothers and sisters, now is the time to take up your cross and follow Him.  The end time is drawing nigh, this day will never pass this way again and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.  Yes, you are only one, but you are not alone.  You and God make a majority.      What you have to do for the Lord, do now.  Be that one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.  Be set apart from the world, for we are in this world but not of this world.  Lean on God’s understanding and not your own because he can do far better than we can.  I am one, but we are one in the spirit, together redeemed by the blood of Christ, and saved by the grace of God.  So now there is you, me, and God and together we can be strong.   Together we have true purpose.  Together we can help change lives.  And together, me you and God can change the world.  The world is waiting..   Now is the time, today is that day…  What are we waiting for?……..

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Castaway…

13 Saturday Jun 2015

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MP900178698

By John Armes

Sometimes I feel like John on the Island of Patmos…  Alone, abandoned and mostly on my own.   It seems like the whole world is moving one way and I am moving in the opposite direction.  I no longer join in on the worldly amusements, the concerts, the libations, or the distractions that the world has to offer, but live out my life in a different way than I used to.  I can be in a crowd of people and still feel alone.  Alone in ideas, alone in purpose and just alone.  My doctor even put me on a diet so I can’t have some of the indulgences that I used to have to brighten my day so even my diet of food is limited now.  I used to have ice cream, and pies, but no more.  I go to a job every day where I see lots of people and say “hello” and they say “hello” back.  I am there 8+ hours a day for 5 days a week.  While not at work or taking my parents to places where they need to go, I am at home here in my “castle”.  I spend a lot of time in these walls that surround me.   Television, computer and radio seem to be my only friends.  Oh, I have lots to do so I am not short on work and I do have a mission that fills my head with ideas and tasks.  My television and my dvd player provide access to learning thru the learning dvd’s that I have purchased.  My radio gives me access to Moody Bible Radio which I listen to religiously (no pun intended).  My computer gives me access to you, my website, my Facebook page, my email, and many other learning experiences thru software and the internet.  My library provides reading materials to ponder over and things to learn.  It is my intent to live out the rest of my life on this Island of Patmos doing the work of the Lord to the best of my ability.  I am resigned to that.  Just like John in the Bible I mean to be a faithful follower of the one who made me and to give my life back to the one who gave me life many years ago when my parents were starting their own family.  I am alone, but for a reason.

Yes, I am alone, but not alone.  I am alone to spend time with God, which I do more and more each day.  My thoughts are on Him most of the time.  He speaks to me thru radio programs on Moody, and things I read in the Bible and also thru other people.  Being alone He gives me time to compose these stories for my readers and new friends who might read this print and gain an insight on who God is and how to get closer to Him.  If my readers take away a more clear idea of God,  His Christ, and the Holy Spirit, than I have done my job.   I haven’t got the direct distractions that most have because my kids are grown and even though I make contact with them whenever I can, they are raising their own families.  I love my parents, kids and my grand kids very deeply and appreciate every one of them.  I spend time with them every chance I get.  But I must stay on topic here, because when I get started talking about my kids, and grand kids, well that is another book entirely. I know my work mates have herd from time to time about how wonderful my mom and dad,  kids and grand kids are and how blessed I am because of it.  But,  I am alone so God can speak to me thru my Bible as I read it again.  I don’t know why I don’t have holes in my knees as often as I neal to pray for my own impending problems and situations as well as for family, friends, this ministry, my homeland and to thank God for the life and opportunities that He has given me.  Opportunities that I would not have if I were caught up in the things of this world.  Opportunities I have because I am alone and not distracted.  We must all seek to be good stewards of what God has given us and find ways to spread Him to others who may not know of Him.  We all must take up our crosses and follow Him, no matter what burdens we are given to bare.  We should go about as lights in a dark and dying world, praying for those who do not know Christ or can’t see him because they are blinded by the things of this world and are distracted by it’s follies.  Grasping the opportunities that God sends us to be a light in someone’s dark world of despair, and there are people we know who are in despair, though we might now know all the details.  We must always remember that Christ came to save those who are lost, and to find that one who has wondered away and not the one who is found.  Christ came for the drug addict, the one lost in pornography, those lost in a sinful and adulterous lifestyles, the drunk at the bar, the widow alone and afraid, the young child with abusive parents, the mistreated, the shunned and neglected, the hated and despised, the afflicted and oppressed.  He came to set the captive free and to heal the sick.  In the Bible, when Christ was here on earth, these were the type of people that were drawn to Christ because he was their only hope and He healed them and set them free.  He is still doing the same today.  God never slumbers nor does he sleep, but He is on the job 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  He is so moved with compassion by those who are downtrodden that He wants to help them.  He wants to help us…

So, if we are the eyes and ears of God here on earth, than we should let Him work thru us.  My heart goes out the those churches that have missions to help those in addictions and chains as well as those who are helpless, poor and homeless.  If that was Christ’s ministry when He was here on earth, than shouldn’t that be our mission too?  As we get closer and closer to God we become more like Christ.  Have you ever noticed people distancing themselves from you when they find out that you are Christian or because of something you said that is close to the word of God.  We are supposed to be a peculiar people.  Our ideas and world view is not the same as others who do not share our appreciation of God and the Bible.  If I tell everyone how I talk to God every day and He answers me thru the Christian radio and thru his word the Bible and how I am trying to be a good steward with what God has given me and how I am an ambassador for Christ, don’t you think they would think I am peculiar.  I am peculiar because I am not spending my time at the bar, or trying to seduce every female that walks by.  Peculiar because I don’t cuss or tell dirty stories like the rest of the guys.  Perhaps I am a little more humble because I realize that Gods grace extends to me and others who don’t deserve it.  Perhaps I remember that I came out of the same slimy hole that they are in now, and I did the same things they are doing before Christ changed my life.  We have to realize that sinners sin, but God loves the sinner and hates the sin…  Why, because sin robs us of our rightful place that God intended for us to be.  Adam and Eve,  in the Garden of Eden were sinless until they did what God told them not to do.  When Adam ate of the apple from the tree of good and evil, the curse of sin entered the world.  If Adam had chosen to obey God, than we would be enjoying a closer relationship with God.  But because Adam sinned, than Christ, God’s only Son had to come to earth to right that wrong that Adam did, by giving His life as a sacrifice.  Christ became the second Adam and made it possible for us to be saved thru Gods grace.  Christ was Gods gift of love and righteousness to us, a world cursed and dying in sin.  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes on Him should not parish but have everlasting life.  That is our promise that we can hold on to…

Wide is the way to destruction and narrow is the gate to salvation and there are very few that find it.  So if we look around and are alone, perhaps that doesn’t mean we are on the wrong road.  The Christian life is often called the road less traveled and we must toil to find it.  We must be actively searching to find it and studying (the Bible) to show ourselves approved.  When we enter thru the gate and onto that road we have to leave everything behind.  God may take us in a direction altogether different from the one we think we should be on and others may not understand.  We have to take up our cross and follow Jesus wherever he leads us.  We must not lean onto our own understanding but take up the cause of the word of God and follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  As we read the Bible and pray to God we develop a mindset more like that of Christ and closer to the will of God.  We also develop a thirst for righteousness and realize the need to win souls for God’s kingdom.  Sin begins to bother us more and more and we begin to realize just how sinful a state this world is in and how black our own sin is.  Like Paul said, “that which I should do, I do not, and that which I do, I should not “and  ” I am the chief of sinners”.    Jesus was preaching in a nearby city when a man caught up with Him and asked to follow Him, Jesus replied “the foxes have holes, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head”…  I don’t necessarily think we should give everything we have to the poor, but I do think we should give to the poor and use everything that God has given us for His advantage and to further His kingdom.

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Taking that road less traveled is not easy, but it is more fulfilling and rewarding.  It takes sacrifice and courage but the rewards are many.  It may seem like you are alone, but Jesus is right there with you.  You are actually never alone because Christ sticks to you closer than a brother, and He intercedes for us before Heaven and His Father God.  And there seems to be a satisfaction in doing things right.  There is just something right and Godly about it.  After all, we have a righteous God.  But He is also a loving and graceful God.  We all fall short of God’s expectations, so God gives us grace where we fail.  Just as a father wants a son or daughter to make it thru life and find the right way, He wants us to succeed too, and we can thru His grace.  God’s grace stretches out to those who do not deserve it and who otherwise would not make it in this world.  But we have to accept what Christ did on the cross and that He died for our sins.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on should not parish, but have everlasting life with Him…

So here on the Island of Patmos, I live out my life.  Alone but not alone.  And from this island I send out my stories, the stories God has entrusted me with.  I will plant the seeds of how He has changed my life and the lives of countless others who have found Him while walking on that road less traveled.  Although I may not see the results of this work, it is up to Him to send water so the seeds may grow.  There are many dangerous obstacles to overcome along the way, but if I keep my eyes and mind on Jesus than perhaps I won’t be dashed against the rocks or fall into a pit.  His rod and staff protects and comforts me along the way as He can see things that I can’t.  When I am weary He leads me besides the still waters, replenishes my spirit and there is rest for my soul.  When I am walking along the path and grow tired as though I can’t take another step, He picks me up and carries me along the way.  He gives me strength to make it thru another day.  And when life seems to overwhelm me to the point where I seem like I can’t go on, my Lord and King that died for me in my place will never let me down and He will take up my battle for me when I cannot fight it.  And though I am alone here on this Island of Patmos, and about my Fathers business, I am alone but not alone.  I know He is with me and I know that victory is mine thru Christ who selflessly gave Himself for me.  Though I am alone on this Island of Patmos, I’m right where I need to be.  And if this is the lot that God intends for me, I will live it to the fullest, never looking back, and always looking ahead.  And when I am at the end of my journey and all is said and done, I will ask Him one more time “Lord, what do you wish me to do” and after that, I will be with Him…

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The God I serve…

23 Sunday Nov 2014

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"I can see him in the mystery..."

“I can see him in the mystery…”

By John Armes

We are all born the same way no matter when or where we are in the world.  We all come out naked, screaming, selfish, hungry, and craving attention and affection and not able to take care of ourselves, even before we know what these feelings mean.   At that time in our lives, a warm blanket, warm milk, and being clean and dry make all the difference in the world to us.   We cost our parents a lot of money and grief as we are growing up and we hope that they will always love us even when we are at our worst.  Sometimes we keep them up late at night worrying because they don’t know where we are or if we are all right.  So, why do people have kids anyway since they are so much trouble and cost so much money?  Because we are not only beings that crave love and attention, but we also want to give love and attention and kids can also be a blessing.  Not much different from God.  We are all made in God’s image…  But we as people of the world reject, ignore, and sin against God in spite of all that he has done for us.  God was lonely and that is why he created man (and woman)…  His love for us is like your love for your son or daughter.  He loves us like a father.  Not only that, but he wants to be loved, just like us…  He also has a unbeatable, gigantic, unmatchable, never changing capacity to love, and he is looking for those to whom he can direct that love.  God is concerned about the path we take, the condition of our soul, our attitude and outlook we have on life, as well as how we treat our families…  Yes, he is concerned very deeply with us and in every way, patiently watching and waiting for us to do  the right thing so he can bless us.  Kind of sounds like a father doesn’t he.  Perhaps that is why he is called our Heavenly Father.  And, oh what a great love he has.  Nothing outreaches the love of God.  Even when God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross, and he was beaten, despised,  rejected, and finally put to death, God still loves us.  “He stands at the door and waits…”  God wishes that every man come to him so he can meet all our needs…  Even after we continuously sin, and God hates sin, but he still loves us.  Did you catch that…  God hates the sin, but loves the sinner…  So, we should do the same.  We all should hate sin, but love the sinner.  We are all sinner’s and bound for hell, but God loved us so much that by his grace, we are saved thru Christ Jesus.  Since Jesus died on the cross, God now sees us thru the blood of his Son so that we who have accepted Christ as our savior, are seen by God as pardoned.  My friend, it is only by the grace of God that we are saved.  And because of God’s grace to us, we should show grace and love to our fellow man.  It is really hard to show someone God’s love and grace, when they can’t see it in you.  We are his eyes, ears, and mouth, if we let God speak thru us.

We must be “reborn” in God’s world, which is to be in this world, but not of this world.  We must repent of our sin, and follow his commandments.  The Bible calls us a “peculiar people”, meaning that we are not motivated by the “normal”  things that worldly people are concerned with.  We are more concerned with God, and heavenly things.  The Bible says that faith without works is dead.  That means that if we are “authentic” Christians and true followers of Christ, it will show by the things we do, and in our lives.  When we go thru life, we should ask ourselves “what would Jesus do?”  It is my sincere hope that all of you that read my stories will acquire a true, “authentic” Christian walk with God and Christ so we can all meet with God and Christ in heaven one day.   Wherever you are in the world, it is Gods will that you become a follower of Jesus of the Bible.  Put all your cares on him and he will guide all your paths.  Lean not unto your own understanding but have faith in God and who he is and what he can do.  We can never understand the full concept of God or his capabilities.  Our minds are just too small, but God is more than we could ever imagine.  We could never understand all there is about God, so we have to rely on faith.  God promises you that if you seek him, you will find him, and that he will never leave or forsake you.  You seek him thru praying to him for all your needs, and reading the Bible.  He has preserved his word, the Bible for over 2000 years to give you a roadmap leading to him.  If you want to have a glimpse of the mind of God, than read your Bible.  It has been the same for over 2000 years and has not changed.  When someone comes to you with a “new” religion, I would suggest that you not give into it.  There will be many false religions in the end days, so you need to be familiar with the Bible so you can tell truth from the false.   God has preserved his Bible thru the ages so you can have knowledge of him, and your mission here on earth.  Do yourself a favor, read it.  And when you do find him, and he reveals himself to you, you will never be the same again…  I promise you…  You will begin a journey that will change your life for the better.  Who knows better about you than the God that made you.  And, he wants to communicate with you…

I spent a lot of time in my life asking over and over “God, what do you want me to do”, and all the time it was staring me in the face.  My friend, the gospel has not changed…  Christ was sent to give hope to a lost and dying world.  He gave us our orders when he said “go and preach and teach the gospel to all people”.  We need to pass that on to others.  There are people in this world who are suffering and starving physically and spiritually and we need to help provide relief to both.  Don’t ask for a sign or a miracle, because the word has already been given.  When you get to know God and study Gods word, than you don’t need a sign or a miracle.  You begin to see him in everything.  When I walk out my front door, I see him in the green grass, and the tall trees.  Look at this world that God has given us to live in.  mountains, valley’s, rivers, seas, and streams, and all of it’s colors and wonders.  God has provided us a wonderland to live in.   Without God, we wouldn’t have cars to drive, houses to live in, work to go to, kids, or us…  God made everything.  And you of my friends out there that claim to be “scientific” and therefor cannot believe in God, than you can ask God all about any questions you have about science (about 1 minute after you die), since he is the author of science too, but I would guess that when you meet him, the question of where you will spend eternity will overshadow any scientific questions you may have.  Science is just one more way that validates God’s existence, because we haven’t even touched the surface of God’s magnificent science yet.  We as man think we are so smart, and have advanced so much, and God says (paraphrased) “you ain’t seen nothing yet”…

Yes my friend, God is more than anything you could ever imagine.   He wants to know you.  He wants you to come to him thru prayer and the Bible.  He stands at your door and knocks, waiting patiently for you to open the door of your heart so he can come in and change your life for the better.  He has come for those that suffer, thirst, and are hungry.  He provides hope for a lost and dying world.  He has promised to love and never forsake you.  He is there in your good times and your pain.  Cast all your cares on him and he will supply all your needs.   And as you search for him, and find him, may his love shine down on you in a way that supersedes all your expectations.  May your glass of your life be full, running over, and abundant.  May you find the one true God.  And when we all get to heaven I can say “welcome home brothers and sisters” and we can live together forever, with God…  And truly, what a wonderful God we serve…

 

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It’s Not About Us !

20 Thursday Nov 2014

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By John Armes

When God sought out Moses to go to Egypt and talk to the Pharaoh about “letting his people go”, he was somewhat reluctant.  Moses gave all kinds of excuses about how he was not an eloquent speaker and how Aaron was a much better speaker than he was.  Furthermore, Moses said “what shall I say ?”.  He told God that the Pharaoh would not listen to him, because he had been thrown our of Egypt for killing a Egyptian guard and would not be well received.     He was in exile from Egypt, forbidden to reenter Egyptian land.  But God said, “Moses, I want you to go, and I will tell you what to say”.   Moses finally consented to do what God had asked him to do.   God told him what to do, and Moses did exactly what God said for him to do.

How many times do we say, “But God, I am not capable to do what you want me to do”.  “There  are others that can do it much better than I can.  I have had no training, I didn’t finish college, I have too much to do with my family.”  “I just can’t do the job justice”…  But no, God says “I want you to do the job”…  So, why did God choose me ?

The same reason he chose Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, and the list goes on.  See, if you were well trained in something and were a pro at it, than people would expect you to be able to preform the task.  If you had a degree in that subject, than expectations would be high as far as the end product you would produce.  Then you would receive the glory for your works.  But, we that do not have a degree in the subject, or no training in this task that God is asking us to do, and we succeed than people would wonder how it is that we succeeded at something that we should have failed at.  As Christians, it is obvious that we couldn’t have done the task without God working thru us.  God receives the glory for being the true resource that has produced this outstanding achievement, and we must remember to give God the glory.  “For, I am all things thru Christ which strengthens me”.  When we allow Christ or God to work thru us, we glorify God.   Without God, I am nothing, but with God, I am everything…  The same goes for you.  The Bible says that “whosoever gives up his life will find it”.  So, whenever we give up our lives to Christ, than Christ working in us makes us all that we can be.  We have divine guidance.  Whereas, if we “keep our lives” intending to be the master of our own destiny, than we screw up our lives because we become the center of our own thoughts, and we make the wrong decisions  based on what we want instead of what God wants.  By nature we are born into sin and are a selfish lot.  Christ is our only redeeming salvation.  Fellowship with God is our intended destiny, and when we veer off course because of our own whim’s and desires, than we set our self up to fail.   God can change all that.

Sometimes we begin thinking about our busy lives and how we need to make more money for this and that, and making money to take care of your family is biblical, but it shouldn’t be the soul reason for our existence.  The worldly man who just thinks about himself and how he can manipulate someone to get what he wants, and the only time he is happy is when he is getting what he wants, then he has no regard for God.  Chances are he is a unhappy man.  It makes him an unthankful, manipulative, selfish, uncaring, person that hasn’t got a kind word to say to anyone.   Real Christians realize that it is all about God, and not about us.  They realize that when you put your life in God’s hands that he can do far more with it than we can do ourselves.  As Christians, we must think about God and than others.  We must take care of our families, sure but we must always put God and what he wants first.  Than all other things will fall into place.  If you are doing God’s will, than you will be taking care of your family, and God will receive the glory.  Being a Christian is not just a one day a week thing.  Christianity is a way of life.  You live it 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  That doesn’t mean that we won’t make mistakes.  I know I have made plenty.  But, when you fall, you have to pick yourself up, brush off your clothes, and keep on going.  And when you can’t pick yourself up, than God will reach down and pick you up.

One of my favorite stories is about “footprints on the sand”.  It goes…  There was a Christian walking along the beach, and everywhere he went, he could see where his footprints were and he could see Jesus footprints right beside him.  He went  on for a ways and as he went, he noticed that in some places there were only one set of footprints.  So, he said to Jesus, “I noticed that sometimes in my life there were only one set of footprints in the sand.  Lord, why did you forsake me ?”  And the Lord said “as we went along together, there were times when you grew weak and were unable to walk, so when you see one set of footprints, that was where I was carrying you.”   It is the same for us.  Christ promises that he will “never leave us or forsake us”, but will be with us “always even till the end of the world”…  Reach out and embrace your destiny…  Seek God and you will find him…  And, when he reveals himself to you in a way which you cannot deny, than you will receive renewed strength, and you will understand that it is all about God and his Son, and not about you, but it is for you…   “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on him shall not parish but have everlasting life”-( John 3:16)…   Amen…

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Peace Like A River…

04 Tuesday Nov 2014

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By John Armes

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”  – The Hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”

We sang this song in church for as long as I can remember.  Little did I know the true story of the circumstances surrounding the life of it’s author until just lately.  Horatio G. Spafford , a lawyer, his wife Anna, four daughters and one son lived in Chicago Illinois in 1860 and were supporters of the pastor D.L. Moody.   In 1870, the first of several tragedies struck the Spafford family, beginning with the death of their 4 year old son who died of scarlet fever.   One year later Spafford lost his life savings due to the Great Chicago Fire.   In 1873, the Spafford family was going to join D.L. Moody and help him on a evangelistic crusade in Great Britain, but before the ship sailed out of New York, Horatio was called back to Chicago to attend a last minute business development so the family sailed without him.  The ship they were on collided with another ship, and the ship sank in 12 minutes and only Anna was saved.  All four daughters died.  Horatio boarded the next ship out of New York to join Anna, and when they neared the spot where his four daughters had perished the captain called Horatio to the bridge and told him.  Than Horatio returned to his cabin and wrote “It Is Well With My Soul”…  

  1. “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
    When sorrows like sea billows roll;
    Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
    It is well, it is well, with my soul.

    • Refrain:
      It is well, with my soul,
      It is well, it is well, with my soul.
  2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
    Let this blest assurance control,
    That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
    And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
  3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
    My sin, not in part but the whole,
    Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
  4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
    If Jordan above me shall roll,
    No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
    Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
  5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
    The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
    Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
    Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
  6. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
    The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
    The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
    Even so, it is well with my soul.”

Horatio Spafford went thru tragedy after tragedy, life altering events, but he was given “peace like a river”, from God at the time he needed it the most.  Peace enough to write the words to this great song after suffering catastrophic hardships.  But he kept his eyes on Jesus, his mind on Gods word, and his heart true to what God had taught him.  And, that made all the difference!

Sometimes when we go thru different events in our lives God doesn’t always take the tragedy away from us, but allows us to go thru it.  He never promised that we wouldn’t have tragedies in our lives, but he promised that he will be there with us, and sometimes he gives us “peace like a river”…  Also known as “the peace that passes all understanding”, or “the peace of God”.

Another example of this peace is when Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane and he prayed to his Father (God), asking him to “take this cup from me”.  Actually, Christ was not asking that God not make him to go thru the awful punishment that was ahead of him, or even save him from dying on the cross.  He was already resigned to the task that was before him.    He knew well from the beginning what he was here on earth for and how terrible his situation was going to become, but he also knew how important it was to finish the task to the very end.  What Christ was concerned with in the hour before he was going to be betrayed and taken captive by his accusers was that when he would be nailed to the cross and lifted in the air, he was literally going to take on the sins of the world (including yours and mine) and God, his Father was going to turn his back on him, his son, because God cannot look on sin.   So, Christ who had not sinned, was going to take on our sin, who from the beginning of time had always felt his Fathers presence with him, would have to experience the cold shoulder of God while he was rejected by all.  Then we hear him saying while on the cross “Father, why hast thou forsaken me”, and before he died, “it is finished”.  God cannot look on sin.  So, where is the “peace like a river”?  After praying this prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and after praying so earnestly, sweating drops of blood, when he was finished, he rose up a stronger, bolder, more determined vessel to do the task God had given him.  He was riddled with purpose, because his Father had given him “peace like a river”.  God did not take the “cup from him”, but he gave Jesus the extra strength he needed to finish his task as well as the peace he needed.  And God does the same for us in our hour of need.  He doesn’t always take away the problem, but he does give us the courage and the strength to get thru it, and Christ, well, he is right there with us.  Christ was the “man of sorrows”, so he is no stranger to pain and sorrow.  He didn’t just tell us what we should do, he became our example.  And the song goes “… that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and hath shed his own blood for my soul”.  When I am going thru a trial or a tragedy, I just think about what he went thru for me.  He went thru rejection, agonizing torture, death on the cross, being hated and despised but he didn’t go thru it for himself.  He took all of this because of us.  Oh, what a wonderful and glorious God we serve.  And Christ is really the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and he is coming back.  Then “every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that he is Christ the Lord”.  May God give you strength to complete the task that is ahead of you.  May he make you a new creature, riddled with purpose strong, willing to finish the task he has given you in his perfect plan to further his Kingdom.  May you have God’s speed as you go along life’s way with Heaven in mind and God’s Word on your heart, and may God impart to you “peace like a river” when you need it the most.  Never give up, never quit !!!

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Blessed Assurance

27 Monday Oct 2014

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What will heaven be like... Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine...

What will heaven be like… Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine…

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine…  I am not my own, but I am bought with a price…  That price is the precious blood of Jesus…  Now I belong to a loving God who alone deserves my praise…  Therefor I must submit myself to his will…  And as a result he will rain down his grace and his love…  Grace because I cannot remedy my own sinful situation because I fall short every time…  But he loves me so much that he made a way for  me to enjoy the splendor of his glory and to be able to join him at his home for an eternity of blessing and fulfillment…  It is this blessed assurance that gives me purpose in life and fulfillment that exceeds all my expectations…  Truly what a wonderful God we serve…  I’m filled with his goodness and lost in his love…

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Amazing Grace

18 Saturday Oct 2014

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It's Amazing Grace that an Almighty God would send his son to die for me...

It’s Amazing Grace that an Almighty God would send his son to die for me…

It is truly amazing grace that an almighty God would send his only son to die on a cross that we may have a way to live with him in heaven.  Jesus said that there is no greater love than for you to lay down your life for someone else and yet he did it for the whole world.  He could have called 10,000 angels to come and take him away to heaven at any time, yet he endured painful persecution and gave up his own life, a ransom for many…  Putting his deity and glory aside, submitting to the will of God, and taking on a cruel cross he loved me before he knew me…  And now I am found when I once was lost and my chains are gone…  He has given me the victory thru him and changed the course of history…  He is my shield against the storms of life and relieves my fears thru his amazing grace…  Amazing grace how sweet the sound…   I once was lost but now I am saved….

 

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The Greatest Superhero That Ever Lives…

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

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Once upon a time, In a land far away...

Once upon a time, In a land far away…

A story by John Armes

I was wondering if any of you out there are like me.  I have been watching superhero’s since I was a kid.  First it was superman, and than batman.  They all have superpowers from some kind of experience or from some place where they came from.  Superman came from Krypton, and inherited superpowers from the people that lived there.  He was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall building, etc.  Batman became a superhero to avenge his parents death, fight the bad guys and save Gotham.  Their purpose was to uphold good and vanquish evil.  Why do we like superhero’s?  Perhaps they show man at his best.  Always the good guy.  Someone to take up for the “little guy’s”.  Someone for the kids to look up to.  A role model.  But we know that they are just fantasy.  But what about the real one.  You know…  The one who came to earth from a place far above that came not just to save a city, but to save the whole world.  One who is more than just a man, and he can do miracles too…  Would you like to hear that story…  Ok…

Once upon a time, in a land far away and long ago a baby was born.  His parents didn’t have a lot of money and he wasn’t born into a royal family, but people came from miles around just to greet him.  They were told a King was coming and he was the chosen one.  He ate what everyone else ate and drank what everyone else drank and grew up as a normal boy of that time.  He loved his mother and father and was a good boy.  As he got older he began to learn the customs and the teachings of that time to prepare him for the journey ahead of him.  He learned and applied himself and became a teacher himself and than later a preacher.  He became very popular among many people.  His preaching’s became very powerful to the point that the rulers of that day became frightened of his power and the religious rulers became jealous of his knowledge.  He was more different than anyone they had ever seen and the people would come for miles just to hear him speak.   It was said that he was the “messiah” and he would be the savior of his people.  At this point he had done a number of miracles.  He had even brought a man back to life after he had been dead for three days.  He had a small group of men that went with him everywhere.  These were his closest friends.  But one of them betrayed him.  When he was turned over to the religious rulers of that day, they falsely accused him of blasphemy and sentenced him to death.  But he didn’t lift a hand to defend himself.  He had all the power of his father’s kingdom at his command, and yet he did not use it.  He had miracles he could have used in his defense, but did not use them.    He could have called 10,000 angels at his command to save him, but he didn’t.  Even when they hit him and abused him, and beat him  mercilessly, he said nothing, and never raised a hand in his own defense.  When they nailed him to a cross the only thing he said was “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.  His name was Christ, and he was the Son of God…

But I digress…  When Christ was born here on earth, that was not the beginning of his existence.  He was there in Heaven when God created the heavens and the earth.  He was also there when God created man.  The Bible says “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”.  Obviously, the Word was Jesus Christ, and he was there since the beginning of time.  So, he came down from his kingly throne in  the wonderful splendor of this heavenly paradise where there is no hunger or thirst, where he had multitudes of angles to do his every bidding, a place that never gets dirty or dusty, a place where you don’t have to breathe and never get tired or out of breath. So, he came to earth.  A place where we get dirty, have to breathe to live, get hungry and thirsty every day, and being a carpenters son sometimes he probably got splinters.  Even worse, he was born in a smelly old stable.  All to come down here to visit his Fathers creation, and grow up as a poor boy and die on a cross so God’s manly creatures will have a way to spend eternity with him.  Well, do you think God loves us?  When Pilate called for Jesus to be brought before him, do you think he knew he was addressing his maker.  These men who were flogging him were also in the presence of their creator.  Yet, Christ still did nothing in his own defense.  When Christ was on the cross, or any time, God or Christ could have sent an army to fight for him.  God could have laid out Christ’s persecutors, and the whole Roman army with the back of his mighty hand and whisked Christ up into heaven.    But he didn’t…

So, why didn’t he do something to save his own life, you say?  Because he had “bigger fish to fry”…  He saw them as puppets and he was waiting for the puppeteer.  These people who were mistreating him were the ones he came to save.  He had to go thru this for them and us, because man is in such a fallen state and we cannot help ourselves so that God had to send down Christ to die on a cross and pay the price for our sin which would give us a chance to live with him in heaven.  The Bible says “there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood”…  That is why he took all that punishment, it was for you and me because with all our sin, we deserve death and hell…  But he loved us so much and wants us to come and live with him when we die that he sent his own son to die on a cross, which made a way for us to join him in heaven.  If there was another way where man would be saved from himself, God would have found it, but there was and is only one way, and that is his son, Jesus.  As far as “bigger fish to fry”, Jesus died and went and had it out with the most ruthless villain that ever was and ever will be…  The villain to top all villains…  He gave Satan the boot.  To paraphrase,  I think the conversation might have gone something like this.  Satan – “now Jesus, you know our bargain, John has been a bad boy and I want his soul…”, and Jesus says “no, Satan, I have paid the price and John has accepted my gift…  You can’t have him…  He is mine…  I have purchased him with my blood”…

Oh, but it doesn’t end there…  Christ, when he was thru with Satan, came back to earth and rose out of the tomb.  That’s right, he brought himself back to life.  I have never seen a superhero do that, have you?  Not only that, he appeared to over 500 people over the period of a few months before he went back to heaven where he lives with God today.  Here it is important to point out that when Christ was on the cross that the Roman soldier pierced his side with a spear making sure he was dead.  Also, Christ had been dead for three days which according to custom of that time was essential in declaring his official death, so God orchestrated this task so no one could deny that Christ really died, and since he was viewed by over 500 people after he rose from the tomb, no one could deny that he had risen from the dead.  If Christ would not have risen from the tomb, we wouldn’t be following him today.  The death and resurrection of Christ validated him and proved that he was who he said he was.  As Peter said” (Jesus) you are the Son of God”.

God has always tried to make a place down here on earth where he could be with us.  First, in the garden of Eden when God talked to Adam just as you and I would talk.  When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God had them to build a temple among their tents where he could dwell.  Could you imagine, someone comes up and asks where can I find God…  And someone else says, yes you just go down there about 5 tents and turn to your left.  He lives in the big temple just ahead.  Also, God sends his son down here on earth to dwell with us.  That is more proof that God wants to live among us…

In all reality, God doesn’t need us.   He can do fine without us.   But, he wants to be with us.  He created us and since we couldn’t live up to what we are supposed to be, he sent his Son down here to save us.  And he stands at our door and knocks, waiting patiently to communicate with us.  God is so big that he holds the universe in his hands and yet he knows us so well, that he knows the number of hairs on our head.   God is so big that looking down on the earth, it must be a little speck compared to the universe, and we must be a speck on a speck, yet he knows us better than we know ourselves.  What an amazing  love God has for us.  We need to tell everyone.

Superman came to save Metropolis, and Batman came to save Gotham, but Christ came to save the World and all people for all time.  That is why I love him, and why Jesus Christ is the greatest superhero of all time, and He lives…

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