Walking Toward Jesus - Colossians 3:1-11

Based on Colossians 3:1-11 (New King James Version)

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”

I believe that all of us that have come to Christ have the desire to get to heaven to be with Him, right? And if that is the case, we should then understand the implications of that. The issue is that, to be able to get there, we need to then have our eyes placed on Him and look for what belongs to Him. But, if there is indecision, if there are doubts, if there isn’t a true desire, then how will a person get there? And this is the big problem that exists within God’s people, with those that say that believe, that say that they follow Christ, but that what is being said and what is being done are two completely different things. What is being said does not agree with what is being done, and in the end, what matters are the actions. And an even greater problem, a gospel that is intermingled with worldliness is preached many times which feeds that indecision that some people have. Many times, a worldly gospel is taught so the masses that desire this and the other can be attracted. But, there can be no second guessing when following Christ, no lukewarm feelings or flirting with one and the other. The doctrine that many times is communicated helps to foster a spiritually fornicating and adulterous people, and if we understood what we read today, we simply cannot live life in this manner. In the end, whether it is preached or followed, both the one that teaches to take advantage of people just like the person that likes this lifestyle, if they like garbage, then garbage is what they will have. But, in order for this ministry to fulfill God’s purpose, we need to give God’s counsel with the same hope God has, that if there are those that do not know simply know the truth of Christ, or those that desire to repent from their evil ways, that they both can be able to find themselves with that Truth and that they may live it so that they can really get to what is hoped for.

The first point is that it is necessary to leave behind the desire for what is material, because the material is precisely just that: material. And because it is material, sooner or later, it will go. And, how can we put our trust and our desire on something superficial and temporary? The Bible teaches us this: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21. “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.” Proverbs 23:1-5. “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:6-11. There is no need for a great theological discussion with the issue. The Word is very clear. We need to be careful with putting forth more effort than necessary for material things. Do we need to work? Of course, we do! The Gospel of Christ does not teach laziness or irresponsibility. But we must simply fight, with the Lord’s guidance, for what is necessary, not for what is desired, because they are two completely different things.

Aside from the material, we need to leave behind everything else that consists of the works of the flesh or sinful desires. Because again, if we truly desire to get to the kingdom of God, then why should we continue desiring what is here? Why have our eyes set on the things of the world? The Word also teaches us this: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21. If we do not leave the works of the flesh behind, we will simply not inherent the kingdom of God. No matter how much a person says that they want to be with the Lord, if their actions, if their lifestyle shows something else, then there is no way that they will get to heaven. This is the grave danger with the wrong that is being taught, with a gospel that justifies sin and that uses wrongly God’s Word to teach how to acquire earthly things. The focus of all wholesome teaching must always, 100% of the time, lead towards Christ, towards His kingdom, it must agree with the fullness of God’s Word. You cannot use God’s things to achieve earthly goals, because no matter how much they may be Biblical concepts, if the goal is another, then that neither glorifies God, and least of all, benefits the soul and spirit of a person. If you fight for what is earthly, if the goal is temporal, then that is what you are going to receive; no more, no less. For it is written: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” Matthew 16:25-27.

If we desire to get to the eternal goal, to Jesus, then we need to walk towards Him, and our lifestyle should be His things, and that they be implemented while being focused on Him, as it is also written: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25. No one can defy what is universally established; that what is sown is what shall be reaped. So then, are you walking towards Jesus or something else? Lord bless! John

Believing Something We Are Not - Ezekiel 28:1-19

Based on Ezekiel 28:1-19 (New King James Version)

“The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ‘Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas,’ yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches),’ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendor. They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas. ‘Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I am a god’? But you shall be a man, and not a god, in the hand of him who slays you. You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of aliens; for I have spoken,’ says the Lord God.’’ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. ‘You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. ‘By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. ‘Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. ‘You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.’’”

In today’s passage, we not only see God’s dealings with a person, with the prince of Tyre, but we also see the revelation of what happened with Satan. The Lord reveals this event through a person so that we can understand what happened with the enemy, what happened in the past with a person that had similar attributes, and what will happen with those that follow the same path. To be able to understand better the issue, the Word speaks to us in a multifaceted manner to help us understand that we have no escape if we decide to sin in such a way before God, because the same way that Satan fell is the same way every person will fall if they follow the same steps, no matter who it is, no matter what they have, no matter what they do; no one will escape God’s justice that will inevitably come upon everyone sooner or later.

The Word opens another window for us that reveals even more of what was in Satan’s heart, before turning into the Satan we know today. It tells us this: “How you are fallen from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15.

This is what we need to understand. The enemy is a being that was created, made by God. So then, starting from there, he already has his limitations because he is simply not God. God is God, and the God that the Bible explains is a Deity that is composed of Three Persons, as it is written: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” 1 John 5:7. God was not created, but rather, He has always been. This is something that just needs to be accepted, because if this reality is not accepted, then that is where the way to perdition starts. As it is written: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” Deuteronomy 6:4. This is the beginning of everything. There is only one God and there is none other like Him, or rather, like Them. You do not need to understand something in order for it to be true. There are things that simply are, and they need to be accepted, and this is what is most important, the all of life, the all of man. If this reality is not accepted, then there is no salvation, no eternal life; there can only be the expectation of eternal punishment, whether a person wants to believe it or not. Satan did not believe it and look how things turned out for him.

What was and is Satan’s problem? He fell into believing the greatest foolishness anyone could ever believe, in believing that he could be God; he fell in the foolishness of pride. He chose to become proud with the very attributes the Lord gave him. Instead of simply acknowledging the reality that God is God, and that everything he had was given to him by God, and that he owed Him only service and subjection as the God that created him and made him great, he became proud in his foolishness, and believed something that simply could not be. The Word teaches us the following: “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19. What heads up the list is a proud look. When there is a proud look, then everything inside a person is wrong, without exception, because the Word also teaches us this: “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23.

So then, can we be proud? If we desire God’s blessing and salvation, there cannot be any pride. How do we show pride? By not acknowledging God for who He is, by not obeying Him, by looking to fulfill our own will and focusing on our own wishes and vanities instead of looking to fulfill God’s will. And finally, when there is no faith, no surrender, no submitting to God, a person is believing that they are like God, because they believe that God cannot do anything to them, or that God will serve their desires, or that simply God does not exist. That is how hardened a heart has become when there is pride, and that is the same way the reality of eternal punishment will occur, whether they want to believe it or not. God is God and He needs to be treated as such. So then, are you believing yourself to be something you are not? Lord bless! John

Valuing God’s Love - Malachi 1

Based on Malachi 1 (New King James Version)

“The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. ‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. ‘Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ says the Lord. ‘Yet Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness.’ Even though Edom has said, ‘We have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places,’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘They may build, but I will throw down; they shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever. Your eyes shall see, and you shall say, ‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’ ‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?’ says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ ‘You offer defiled food on My altar, but say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ by saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’ And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘But now entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, will He accept you favorably?’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘But you profane it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; and its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ and you sneer at it,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?’ says the Lord. ‘But cursed be the deceiver who has in his flock a male, and takes a vow, but sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—for I am a great King,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and My name is to be feared among the nations.’”

I believe that many will not like what will be said today, but my hope, or rather, God’s desire is that it can understood, but not for His good (because if we decide to follow Him or not, that does not make God more or less God), but rather, for the good of each one of us. Because in the end, there will always be those that want to understand; and others, no matter what is said, will not want to accept the truth, as it is written: “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” Daniel 12:10. Each one of us will choose how to react to God’s Word.

For starters, I believe we can all agree that this world is not perfect. Many times, especially those of us that say that are believers or followers of the Lord, think that people that do wrong things here come out winning. And yes, it is possible for it seem that way now. And many times, doing what is right may seem like a burden. And if we are sincere, I believe that all of us have felt that at one moment or another, right? The issue is that this world has severe problems, not because God wanted it that way, but rather, sin has corrupted it; and let us be more exact, the sin that entered at the beginning, the sin of those that preceded us, the sin of those that surround us, and our own personal sin. The issue of sin is a team effort, and each one of us has a part in it. This is part of what is difficult to accept as truth because we always want to think that someone else broke all of this, and that we are victims. And this is the first problem of the issue, of not doing what pleases the Lord, not because we do something good for Him, but rather, to be able to do good for ourselves and for others. That is the issue with sin. Sin does not damage God. Sin damages us. This universal truth always applies: “For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23. So then, do you want to know who your true enemy is? It is sin. And this enemy is very close, within your own being, and even though you may have come to the Lord, it is still living within your members, and it will try to make you fall until the day that this body is transformed before the Lord. God is not your enemy, so you should not treat Him like that.

Now then, will things get better in this world? And here is the other thing that is difficult to accept. What is here and now will not get better, but rather, worse. I wish I had better news on that end, but that is what the Bible teaches. The Lord Himself told us this: “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:32-33. We were warned that we would have affliction, but we were also told that we would have peace in the middle of the affliction, and also, because there are better things prepared for those that love the Lord and await for His return, because He has overcome the world. And on this is what we should focus on. Meanwhile, we do need to accept what is here now and know how to deal with this issue, for it is also written: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. My counsel would be for you to live looking for God’s purpose within whatever time you are living, and that you do not try to avoid the reality of this world, trying to bury your head in the sand like the ostrich, per se, and of course, clinging on to the things that this world offers to avoid reality like pills, alcohol, and so many other things; the distractions of Satan. Because despite how difficult this world can be, God is so powerful that He can and desires to bring about good out of evil, triumph from defeat, life from death, freedom from what is imprisoned, and peace out of the midst of affliction, for it is also written: For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Mark 8:36.

And so, maybe things here may not be fine, even if you are doing what is right (although, let’s be sincere, we many times have created our own problems). But, always remember what is to come. Do not focus on the here and now, and fulfill what is necessary with the Lord so that you can do good to yourself and to others while here because the Lord’s rewards are for those that overcome the world with Christ in this life, by valuing God’s great love. So, are you valuing God’s love, that He has given you a way out towards incredible and eternal things through the sacrifice of His Son? Lord bless! John

Remembering Jesus Helps Overcome Temptation - Luke 22:14-23

Based on Luke 22:14-23 (New King James Version)

“When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!’ Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.”

Memory is a very valuable ability, and it is essential for everything in life. There is voluntary and involuntary memory, the kind that has to do with things that are done either by conditioning or naturally. For example, do you know what kind of problem we would have if our mind forgot to send signals to our body so we could breathe or so our heart could beat? Would it not be a big problem if our mind forgot to interpret the signals that it receives at every instant from our senses, that at a given moment we could be looking at something, and at another moment, we could not see anything; or if we were unable to listen, to feel, to smell, or to taste something at any given moment? And related to all of that, what would happen if our body forgot to do so many other things that happen involuntarily, like our digestion, the reparation of cells, etc.? Nothing of what we mentioned is done by voluntary memory. There is never a moment where someone says: “I need to remember to breathe today”, right?

Now then, let us see God’s side, and the great and immeasurable dimension of the Almighty’s memory. What would happen if God forgot to do everything He does, the innumerable things that happen involuntarily, per se, because they simply happen as part of His being, very similar to what happens with our involuntary human memory? And in this, we also need to understand that God is behind all of the involuntary human memory we spoke about before also. Because if we live and do all of those involuntary things, it’s only because God allows them. Absolutely everything in the universe subsists and is because the person of God is involved, as it is written: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. So, here we should not only understand the greatness of God, but also, His immense goodness. And by understanding things even more clearly, the dimensions of everything in which God is involved with in comparison to us, beings that are far smaller and insignificant, we should be able to see even more the greatness of His love, as it is written: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” Psalm 8:3-4. Blessed be the Lord for His memory.

And now, let us come back to our level, to our human voluntary memory. We, in general, have been allowed to have some sort of voluntary memory, and we use it for different things. If you are reading this very message, you are using your memory in different ways. You are using your memory to remember what each word means, because that is how comprehension occurs, by interpreting all of the words that are written. And more over, to be able to read this, all of you need to remember how a computer or smart phone works (because this is seen through those two means). You need to remember how to turn on a computer or telephone to be able to get this. You need to remember how to work the software or application to be able read this. All of this simple operation (simple for some of you) needs memory use. In summary, you use your memory for all kinds of things.

And so, this takes us to our main point: “What do we decide to use our voluntary memory for?” Daily and at every moment, we need to use our memory for different things like for obligations (e.g. for work and school), for things related to loved ones, and also, for things that are not so necessary like for fun, entertainment, hobbies, etc. The point is that we decide to use our memory for many things, and that is the way life is. But, do we decide to use our memory to remember something so important like the Lord, to remember what He did for us? Many people’s memory fails in this respect. Many at some given moment might remember superficially what He did, and it is not something they keep very present. Moreover, they treat God like this, “I know you died for me, but what have you done for me lately?” And that is a huge memory lapse, especially for the person that calls themselves a believer or a Christ follower. Many might say that they could not even imagine saying something like that, but that is what they are demonstrating with their actions, and even more, they demonstrate it with huge memory loss, forgetting that God is God, that God died for them, and that everything truly depends on God, at every moment, at every instant; that if they breathe, it’s because God allows it; that if the sun rises, it’s because God allows it, and so on. Many people’s memory fails in an incredible way in how much they owe God, and everything they depend on God for, without knowing it. What would happen if God’s memory failed in the way that our memory fails so frequently? I don’t even want to think about it, but it would change the existence of mankind in an instant.

This is the counsel that the Lord left us as a remembrance, as a symbol to remember what He did for us. We should remember at every moment, (which would not consist of continually eating bread and drinking grape juice), what He did for us, and especially during our weakest moments, because we are all susceptible and weak, just like the Apostles were. They, although imperfectly, loved the Lord. So then, they did not start questioning themselves on who was going to betray Him because they didn’t care about Him, but rather, because they understood that they were fallible people, and that in one way or another, what He had spoken would be fulfilled, and that all of them, despite their good intentions, could fall. Therefore, since we are just like them (imperfect and sinful human beings, with a terrible memory), we should always try to remember what the Lord did for us, which is what demonstrates His love for us all: His love sacrifice. So then, do you constantly remember the sacrifice of the Lord so you could avoid giving into the temptation of falling away or yielding to sin that tries to lay siege and dominate us at every moment? Lord bless! John

The Example of the I AM’s Love - John 18:1-4

Based on John 18:1-14 (New King James Version)

“When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am He.’ And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground. Then He asked them again, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,’ that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, ‘Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.’ Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’ Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.”

There are many people, including many that say that believe in God, that take the person of Jesus Christ as someone weak, secondary, and without power, in terms of strength or fortitude. There are many that have maintained only in their mind the image seen in so many paintings, sculptures, pictures, or even movies, as Jesus on the cross. But, the issue is that Jesus was (and is) much more than that, and in the affair of importance, the Holy Trinity does not have any variations or grades of power, just different functions. In other words, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the same in importance and in power. They just do different things. And also, the Three are One in every way. As it is written: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” 1 John 5:7. To be able to understand this, it is necessary to get more into the detail of who Jesus was (and is) and as seen in this passage, because this is the only place where it shows more His greatness as the God He is, and also, the incredible fortitude He had to be able to fulfill what needed to be fulfilled. And of course, if we are able to understand this passage a little better, then it will be understood a little better (because our very finite mind can only understand up to a certain point) the dimensions of the Lord’s love.

To be able to understand things more clearly, we need to focus on the detail of verses 5 and 6, when the Lord said: “I am He”. John is the only one that talks about this detail, and of course, because John was always the one closest to Him. And this is a very great detail. In this solitary moment is that the Lord gives us a small glimpse of His Power, in the sense of His supernatural force. When He said, “I am He”, it was not just a mere saying, “Here I am”, or something like that. He mentioned His person as He was known in times past, as He presented Himself to Moses, and as it is written: “Then Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ’ Moreover God said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’” Exodus 3:13-15.

And so, we should realize that this Jesus was also the I AM, the Lord of Hosts, and we could see that by what happened when He said His name, when all that were looking for Him drew back and fell to the ground. This event was mentioned very quickly, but some time passed here, because at the very least, some time may have passed when falling to the ground and standing up again. And also, here is where we see the Lord’s greatest power, and may He be blessed for forever and ever for what He decided to do. At this moment, He could have easily just kept going His way while here on earth. He could have said, “I am only going so far.” He could have changed what was written because you also need to remember Who He is; the Word, as it is written: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-3. This Jesus is the only one in the existence of the universe that in fact can change the course of all things. He has the power that Satan desires so much to have but can simply never be able to because it is a power that is part of the Lord’s Person. The Lord did not need angels, nor far less, Peter’s meager efforts to free Himself. The Lord only needed to just utter the words for something to happen, and everything would have changed in an instant. That is power! But, instead of doing that, He moved forward with what was written, and demonstrated an even greater fortitude, even while being in His human form, and that was to surrender Himself willfully to the horror that was going to happen to Him knowing exactly what was going to happen.

It is truly very difficult to understand how He being who He was and is could have had the such self-control, such fortitude, such love, to have fulfilled what He did for us, for those of us who were His enemies, for the same people that persecuted Him and treated Him the way they did. Because if we follow what is written after, the same soldiers that crucified Him were the same ones that came to believe in Him after He had died. The limits of the Lord’s love and mercy are truly incomprehensible. As it is also written: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55:8-9. This is the thought that will follow me all the days of my life, and the reason for why I look for Him and look to be faithful to Him: God died for me, and He did it without having any obligation. I have been able to study many other religions and beliefs, and have been in different places of the world, but none of that has the foundation of which I preach, that Jesus (God) died and was raised so that I, and everyone who decides to believe and follow Him can have eternal life. With all due respect, neither Muhammad, nor Buddha, nor anyone else did what the Lord did while here on earth, and even far less, died for us all. And of course, because He is God, His tomb is empty, and now He sits at the Right Hand of the Father, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, as He always was, is, and will always be forever and ever, amen.

And so, do you understand Who is Jesus and what He has done for you, the example of His great love? Lord bless! John

The Evidence of a True Conversion - 1 Thessalonians 1

Based on 1 Thessalonians 1 (New King James Version)

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

In today’s passage, we see what happens when a person truly has converted to the Lord. We see a change in life that is totally visible to everyone that surrounds them. Not much discerning or meditating is needed when someone has truly been born again in Christ. We see in these Thessalonians that they did not need to explain or say what happened in their lives, but rather, we see a Paul, a Silvanus, a Timothy, people in Macedonia and Achaia tell about the change in their lives, and what is happening as a result of this change. There were irrefutable evidences. In summary, the fruits of the Spirit were more than visible in their lives, and everything that they did (their actions) announced that the True and Living God lived in their lives. How does this happen?

To start, it is necessary to understand that when a person has truly been born again in Christ, that there are tangible evidences of that experience; things that can be seen, and they are not religious things. It’s not necessarily about going to church continually, or about giving money to a church, or about trying to be a good person (and that opinion varies from person to person, depending on what is convenient for them), or memorizing the Bible, or following the things of God like if it were a list of rules that need to be followed, or becoming a moral person, per se. There is a change of life and irrefutable actions that proclaim what has happened in a person, what the person has decided to be with all of their heart at a given moment. What has person that has been born again decided? A person that truly comes to Christ has decided the following: first, to repent and convert completely from all of their sins, as one of the conditions that need to be fulfilled so that the Lord can come into them; and second, to effectively make Jesus the Lord of their life, not just in words, but with all of their heart. When these two conditions are fulfilled, a miracle happens; the God and Lord of the Universe enters their heart by faith, into the center of a person. That is why the experience of being born again, of surrendering our life to Christ becomes an event that transforms our life, not because it is forced, but because of the fact that God came in. It is something, that when it really happens, it is not possible for it to go unnoticed. Crucial moments like these were what changed so many before, having a personal encounter with God. That is what happens when a person truly converts. That is what happened with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, with Moses, with David, with the prophets, con the apostles, and also, with these Thessalonians. That is what happened in my own life, which is now more than ever in force; that God is real, and that it is necessary to follow Him and serve Him, because one day, I know that I will see Him with my own eyes in eternity, when all of this world passes. I know that by the Lord’s grace, if I continue and abide in the Lord, I will get to what God has for those that love Him.

This is what the Bible says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. What this passage means is that when a person has surrendered their life to the Lord, if they are in Christ, which is not about believing only, but also abiding in Him, obeying Him, they are made a new creation with a new beginning. There is a line drawn between what they used to be and what they now are by the grace of God, and everything in their past life is left in the past, not because they have brainwashed themselves, per se, but rather, because they have stopped being who they were before, they have stopped doing what they used to do, they have converted from their evil ways. That is why they are a new creation. And they don’t need to put a sign on themselves that says that they have been transformed. It will be visible. This is what the Word also says: “But God forbid that I [Paul speaking] should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” Galatians 6:14-16.

But, what happens when a person cannot break with their past, when they cannot stop being dominated by sin, but they continue falling time and after time? This is also written: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-13. So then, if a person is spending more energy fighting against the sin in their life, or thinking more on fulfilling their own will rather than being focused on serving the Lord, then at the very least, there is a severe problem. We may not be perfect, but we can never come under the power of sin, nor under the power of our own will, because from the moment that we are looking to fulfill our will, we are not effectively letting the Lord be the Lord of our life. We can say all we want, if the Lord is guiding your life, it will be visible, our actions will proclaim that the Almighty truly lives in our life. In summary, our body will be at the Lord’s disposition. It is as simple as that.

So then, can irrefutable evidences be seen in your life that testify that you have truly converted to the Lord? Lord bless! John

Patiently Working, Looking Forward - James 5:7-10

Based on James 5:7-10 (New King James Version)

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.”

This is not an easy message to accept, but it is necessary, so we can continue moving forward towards the goal. If just look around us, we will understand that we are getting closer to the coming of the Lord. We are living during a time where many written prophecies have been fulfilled. Everything points to His coming happening at any moment now, and if we are not awake and attentive to the times we are living, we will be found unprepared, just like our enemy wants us to be. This is what the Scriptures say: “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. ‘Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.’” Matthew 24:1-14. The precise moment when a person falls is when they are confident and distracted, and the devil has put a lot of false trust and messages of peace and prosperity, and there are also many distractions within our own churches. What are we doing to be ready?

One of the false teachings that is very common within churches is that, when we come to Christ, that all is done, and that we do not have anything more to worry about. And from a certain point of view, that is true, but we also have to see the practical side of what the Scriptures teach. It is true that Christ made everything possible, and that He has triumphed over death. But now, it is each of our turns to fulfill God’s will in our lives. We need to carry out God’s will, not fall asleep spiritually, or just sit and wait for the Lord to come. That is not God’s will, but rather, that is Satan’s desire. The Lord’s will needs to be fulfilled in our lives, and not our will. True faith in Christ consists of doing good work, in doing what God commands us to do, in fulfilling the Lord’s will in our lives. But, if we allow ourselves to be submerged in our business, in our problems and worries, or in our desires and entertainment, how shall God’s will then be fulfilled in our lives? How will the Gospel of Christ continue being spread if we do not move forward? And how will people that need God’s salvation so much will come to believe if they do not see Christ move in our lives? Can you imagine if Peter would not have left everything for the Lord, or if Matthew wouldn’t have followed Jesus when called, or if John would have ignored the things he saw, or if Paul would have just dedicated himself to recovering from his moment with the Lord on the way to Damascus? We would not have much of the Bible we have today, and so many other things would be missing. It is the Lord’s work, but there were people that understood God’s purpose for their lives and let themselves be guided by the work of the Holy Spirit. They fulfilled God’s purpose during the time the Lord gave them to fulfill it. The opportunity we get to fulfill His will is the time the Lord gives us while here on earth.

Now then, many people speak of faith like if it has to do with being positive, or a way to fulfill your wishes, but that is not what the Bible teaches. And the greatest error and falling away is when a person tries to use faith as something that can make God do what they want Him to do for them. This is what we read concerning faith: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:32-40. True faith consists in believing in the Lord, and in doing what He commands, no matter what the cost, with our eyes placed on Jesus, knowing that what is truly worth fighting for comes after all of this, not during the here and now. This world is an illusion, a moment in the grand scheme of eternity, something that is here today but gone tomorrow. And if we only concentrate on the here and now, then our reward will only be here and now, and there will be no eternity for us. That is the truth. That is what the Word of God teaches, and that is what those giants of the faith we read about in God’s Word believed. This is what the Apostle Paul said shortly before coming to his end here, or rather, before starting his eternity: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

We read about a farmer at the beginning, one who waits for the precious fruit of the earth. However, in order for a farmer to receive anything from the earth, he has to work hard, under the sun’s heat, breaking the earth with a plow, and sowing the seed. If they don’t work, there is nothing to wait for. So then, are you patiently working, despite the circumstances of the here and now, awaiting our Lord’s coming, so you can receive what He was prepared for those that love His coming? Lord bless! John

True Faith Brings True Freedom - John 8:21-36

Based on John 8:21-36 (New King James Version)

“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.’ So the Jews said, ‘Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?’ And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Who are You?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.’ They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.’ As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Faith is something that eludes too many people, at least, what it means to have true faith, and that brings about many problems for them, problems here and now, and of course, in eternity also. In today’s passage, we see that the Lord is speaking to a group of Jews of the faith problem they had, and that they will die in their sins if they are not able to believe as they need to. Now, many might say, “Of course, and those Jews deserved what they were told because how can they not believe in the Lord by seeing everything He had done?” And there might be people that might say, “If I would have lived at that time, I would have not been like those bad people.” Let us see the issue a little more and see if we really have a true faith that makes us truly free.

Let us see the first issue, the view that they had and the one we have today of the Lord. There were irrefutable and overwhelming evidences that would bring them to believe that Jesus was (and is) the Messiah. To start, they should have seen that dozens of prophecies that were fulfilled in the Lord’s life, and the probabilities of things like that happening in the life of a person. It would be something impossible for prophecies that were written at least over 700 years ago to have been fulfilled. All of the prophecies pointed to His person. Secondly, no one in the past had been involved with such obvious and incredible declarations of God Himself audibly declaring from heaven that this was His beloved Son, and this happened twice, when He was baptized and when He was transfigured (and there was a third time when He announced His death), as it is written: “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16-17. “Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.” Matthew 17:4-6. Thirdly, everything He taught was according to the Scriptures, although many did not see it that way. Nothing that He taught went against the foundation of them, and or course, giving glory to the Father. And fourthly, the things He did had never happened before and so repeatedly. The Bible only records some of the miracles, as it is written: “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:24-25. Nonetheless, and during His ministry before being crucified, we read that He healed countless sick people, cast out demons, turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish, walked on water, and of course, the most fascinating, raising the dead. No one in history (nor after) has been able to do what the Lord did. And so, they had much to consider, and as we do also.

Now then, what was (and is) the problem? Why were they (and many still) cannot be truly free? And this has a two-part answer. The first is that many do not understand the issue of sin, and the condition that sin brings. Even though a person may be living in their flesh, breathing, walking, etc., their soul is dead in their sins, if they have not come to have a true faith in Christ, as is necessary. If a person dies in their sins, they die eternally, and there is where their true condition will become tangible and real to them. And second, if there is no a true faith, then nothing of significance can occur, for it is written: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. So then, no matter how much they thought that they were descendants of Abraham, and that they were alive physically (just like many people think today), if there is not a true faith in the Lord, then they are dead inside, and they will die eternally when they leave this world.

So, what is true faith, the kind that makes us truly free from eternal death? And here is where the greatest problem these people had, and many people today have is revealed. There are many people that say that they believe, and that they have even surrendered themselves to the Lord, but they do not obey the Lord. Abiding in His Word means doing what He commands us to do. We need to do good works that happen as a result from the faith we profess to have. As it is written: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23. It is necessary to live out faith daily, following the commands of the Lord we proclaim to have in our lives. It’s not about doing your own thing, or fulfilling your will, and even far less, thinking that God exists to serve you. This is the grave problem that the majority of Christians have, and how it becomes evident that doctrines of demons and the falling away has infiltrated the Church, and lies and fables are preached from the pulpits, and of course, through all of the media that exists today. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. When the Lord taught us to pray, He said: “…Thy will be done…”  And whatever does not subject itself can only lead to perdition, and that is what Satan wants, not God. So then, are you living a true faith that makes you truly free now and for all eternity? Lord bless! John

Why Does Hardship Sometimes Happen? - Proverbs 29:1

Based on Proverbs 29:1 (New King James Version)

“He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

Many have contemplated the issue of whether or not God punishes. And with that, many have developed their own opinions regarding this. But, in order to answer this issue even more clearly, we need to make a more precise question, and that is: Why does hardship happen? And as an answer to this question, we need to go to the Bible to be able to see God’s point of view, which is the only one that really matters because our opinions vary and they really don’t have any impact on the present, and even less, in the world that is to come. We need to guide ourselves by something stable and lasting, not by something unstable and temporal; that today is here but is gone tomorrow. And since we are referring to God, and if we believe in God as the Almighty Judge of the universe, then we need to assume that He is behind everything, both what is good, as well as He allows for bad things to happen, the things that we see as difficult. If we read the Scriptures, it shows in every place that He is the One that allows everything.

Now then, if God is behind everything, and He is Righteous, then we need to try to understand the “why”, for our own good. Because if we also understand who the God of the Bible is, then we understand that He is the wisest and Supreme Being of the universe. There is an answer for everything when it has to do with a being like God. So, the answer has two parts, because in general, the issue deals with two types of people: the people that have yet to know the Lord personally, and the people that belong to the Lord, because both of them experience difficulty, and for reasons related to sin, in one way or another.

The first type has to do with the unconverted. The Lord allows for difficult things to happen in the unbeliever’s life because unfortunately, that’s the only recourse that is left for the person to see that they need God, since the obvious is not working, like the magnificence of creation, the universe, the stars, the planets, and even their own person, for it is written: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” Psalm 139:13-15. And also, as it is written: “I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” Hosea 5:15. Almost no one surrenders to the Lord the easy way, not even because of His sacrifice. Almost all of us have come to Him because of some sort of difficulty or pain. And so, difficulty has a good purpose for the unbeliever, and it is related to their salvation. And if they surrender before it’s too late, they will find eternal salvation through Christ Jesus. The Lord wants for all of us to be saved.

The second type of person has to do with the person that has accepted the Lord, or at least, the person that thinks that they have done so. And this is the most controversial because many believers do not want to accept the truth, that God does discipline, punish, and even judges, which is what determines both a person’s temporary and eternal state. Let’s see first what God taught in the law of Moses (which is in the Bible) about what needed to happen with children that were rebellious, as it is written: “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.” Deuteronomy 21:18-21. So then, if God’s grace would not have come through Jesus Christ, there would be many dead children today, because there is too much disorder.

Now then, if we are believers, and we have accepted the Lord in our lives, we have been made children of God, and He treats us as such. And this is what the Word teaches: “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:31-32. And it also teaches us this: “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” Hebrews 12:5-9. Therefore, if God treats us like children, He will then allow for many things to happen, whether they are associated with the consequences of our own actions, or in a different manner, but something will happen, but with the end to correct and establish again a person on the right path. God desires our good here and in eternity.

And we need to elaborate even further, “why is it necessary that a believer be corrected when on the wrong path?” And the answer is: “Because if they insist on practicing sin, nothing good awaits them, and they can suffer even far worse consequences in eternity.” As it is written: “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.” Romans 2:5-11. And it is also written: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21. And so, if a child of God persists in living a sinful lifestyle, and they harden their neck, they will not inherit the kingdom of God.

In summary, the Lord makes this calling to both the unbeliever and the believer: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19. So, do not harden yourself because sooner or later, you will be broke—irreparably. Does it not make better sense to change, before it is too late? Lord bless! John

What God did for us Through Jesus Christ - Hebrews 9:16-10:10

Based on Hebrews 9:16-10:10 (New King James Version)

“For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.’ Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.’’ Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, o God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

It is very difficult to keep something at the forefront of our minds many times, especially when it is something that you cannot see or touch, per se, the value of what was done. And this happens frequently because we are not spiritual beings, but rather, we only know how to stay focused on what we can see or feel, on the physical. Because of our nature, we allow ourselves to be guided more by our senses, and that is what we use to assign value to things. And if we see things very clearly (not with the purpose to offend, but rather, to bring awareness), we usually act more irrationally, like beings that are governed more by our instincts and not by reason or thought. This is what happens when we allow ourselves to be governed by our carnal instincts. But don’t worry, everyone (even me) have those moments of forgetfulness. And that is why we need to be guided by the Word of God, so that we don’t forget what really matters and has value.

Now then, just as the Lord did, we will try to explain the value of the concept through something earthly so that we can understand better spiritual things. Some years ago, I had a big problem with my home. I live in New England, and it’s located in Northeastern United States where winters can be cold (of course, not as cold as the ones that our friends that follow us in Canada have, but nonetheless, they can be cold). And well, I was away from home on one week where temperatures dropped considerably, and a couple of water pipes burst because they froze at different locations inside the house. It was a disaster. The whole house flooded, and there was damage to walls, floors, furniture, clothes, etc. Many personal and irreplaceable items were lost. Nonetheless, and thank God, I paid for homeowner’s insurance every year, precisely for events like these, and the insurance company did take care of things. If they would not have helped, I would have wound up with a completely damaged property, with considerable losses, and would have had to continue paying a mortgage for a place that was uninhabitable. This event would have left me bankrupt. God provided for something that was extremely useful at the right time. But, before this incident, it was difficult to see the value of something that I would just pay for year after year until something catastrophic happened.  

Something similar to this is what happens with the salvation the Lord grants us, but of course, it is something much more superior and immeasurable. At the moment, you may not see salvation in Christ as something tangible or visible, or as something of much value in the here and now. But, the uncertainty of life teaches us that our carnal end can come at any moment, and if our lives do not belong to the Lord, even though we may have everything a person may want now, none of that will help you before the presence of the Almighty. There will be no conversation, nor nothing you can offer the Judge of the universe to let you in, and least of all, be able to impose your will. The only way that a person can have eternal life and belong to God is by being born again in Christ. Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Now then, we can talk about the way to salvation very easily, but it was only made possible because of what the Lord did, and nothing else. Blessed be God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for what they did for us through the power of the Holy Spirit, because without the Lord’s sacrifice and resurrection, we would not have any salvation or hope, only living for the here and now, and nothing more. But, we have this hope, the great opportunity of being redeemed only through everything God did, and He did things without any kind of obligation, as it is written: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. And this love that God demonstrated should compel us to serve the Lord, because the greatest injustice that could be done to God is taking salvation for granted, and not returning that great love of Christ in service. And we know that this wrong will be repaid undoubtedly, as it is written: “Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.” Colossians 3:24-25. And as it is also written: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26.

So then, we can never forget the magnitude of what God did for us, something that no one nor nothing could have ever done for us. God’s grace is a gift, but it should produce actions that demonstrate that God lives within you. So, have you understood and appreciate what the Lord did for you, and do you live your life in a way that demonstrates that gratefulness, serving both Him and your neighbor? Lord bless! John

God’s Wisdom Revealed through Christ Crucified - 1 Corinthians 2

Based on 1 Corinthians 2 (New King James Version)

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

There may be some of you that may not understand what will be shared today, but my prayer, or even more importantly, God’s desire is for everyone to come to understand what God has really done for humanity, as it is written: “Who [God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:4-5. And we also see God’s desire through the following passage that practically the entire world has either read or heard: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. So then, God desires for everyone to understand, but of course, that all depends on how it is received, and what dictates that is what a person desires, what they truly value. And for that, a certain level of intellect is required, not the type that comes from a university or a special course, or anything like that, but rather, enough intellect to understand the reality we live day-by-day, the ability to be able to see beyond the distractions and vanities of this world that Satan uses to deviate our attention from the Truth.

Let us start by asking: “What is the Truth?” And here is where we need some amount of the intelligence we were talking about. What is irrefutable is that we live in a temporary world, starting with our own lives. No one can physically live forever. This should be obvious, but many times, the simple or obvious eludes even the most intellectual of people, because it all depends on what is in the heart of a person. As the saying goes: “There is no worse blind man than the one that doesn’t want to see.” And so, if everything that we see will end, and our end will come sooner or later, then we should, at minimum, ask ourselves this, “What happens after?”

The second thing we will see of what is true is that not only do we know (or should know) that everything in this world is temporary, but also, that everything in this world is unstable and unpredictable. In other words, not only will all of us leave this world at some point, but also, that anything can happen to anyone at any moment, without exception. The poor, the middle class, the rich, the powerful, the famous; they all die. And what we all have in common is that we don’t know when nor how the end will be, and that there is nothing we can do about it. If you watch the news or read some history, or just look around, you will realize that no one has been able to control this aspect of reality. The most foolish and senseless people erroneously think that they have all of the time in the world, and that nothing will ever happen to them. But this life is very uncertain, and right now, we are being taught a very good lesson, right? But, let’s think yet a little more. Who is in a worse situation, the person that thinks that nothing will ever happen to them, or the person that knows that something will happen, but chooses not to worry about it? The race is very close, and many compete to obtain the prize (per se) of being the most foolish. That’s why I say that, to able to understand what we are seeing today, some level of intelligence is required, like that of a child.

But, in summary, if we understand that we all have a sure end here on earth, and we don’t know when, or how, and that there is no way to avoid it, then what should we do about it? This is what the Word teaches regarding these realities: “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.’” Mark 8:34-38. So, you need to ask yourself, “What worth do you give to your soul? If you are more concerned about the here and now then about what is to come, then do you truly value your soul?” You can say whatever you want, but everything can be seen in the way you live your life, where you put forth your efforts. As it is written: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21.

So then, the wisdom of God is revealed through Christ crucified. God saw our condition, and that our soul was dead in its sins. And if we die physically in that fallen state, our soul dies forever also. And the only way that a soul can have eternal life is that an eternal being [God] lay down His life for us and pay for all of our sins. There is no greater wisdom, nor anything else has greater value, nor has greater love for us, that He took care of our greatest and most urgent need, something no one nor nothing else, not even ourselves, could have done for us. God died for all humanity so that all humanity could have access to eternal life which is only possible through Jesus Christ. And so, it doesn’t matter anymore when our moment comes. If our faith and life is set on Christ (completely) and we live our lives according to that faith, we will be ready for whatever comes our way, no matter when and how it happens. I hope you understand your reality and that Christ is the only way we have to eternal life. Have you understood God’s wisdom through His crucified and resurrected Christ so that you can have the hope of eternal life? Lord bless! John

A True Conversion Inspires Everyone - 1 Thessalonians 1

Based on 1 Thessalonians 1 (New King James Version)

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

What is a true conversion? A true conversion does not consist of religiousness or even of morality, but rather, it is about something unique when we talk about a true conversion to Christ. Many become confused and never come to experience something like that because, quite frankly, they allow for themselves to be overpowered by the sin that is within them. So then, a person does not come to convert as they need to not because it is God’s fault, nor the devil’s fault, not even because of the sin that lives within them, but rather, through their own power to reason, in not wanting to convert, because everything that we do consists on our own free will. That’s why there will be a judgment, because in the end, every human being will either be absolved through their conversion in Christ or eternally condemned because of their choice of not wanting to convert to Christ, as it is written: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36. This is the great debate that exists within certain parts of God’s people; the issue that involves predestination (that everything and everyone is predetermined to be something, and that it is out of our control) vs. free will, or having the ability to choose (or that the things of God and the universe are predetermined, but personal decision is what determines what will happen with a person, depending solely on their personal choice for the Lord). And well, it would be a very unfair judge who judges a person for the evil deeds they commit without having any control over themselves. But our God is not only Righteous, but also, He is very good and merciful. So, the question still stands: What is a true conversion?

The Lord Himself explained it this way when He told Nicodemus, as it is written in John’s gospel: “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:1-7. So then, something very definitive in the most inner part of a human being needs to happen, an action that unites totally and completely all of the soul, the heart, the mind, and strength of a person. And this act consists of being born again of water and the Spirit, or in other words, a real, complete, 100% repentance and conversion from all of your sins (born of water), and being born of the Spirit, which is the next step within the same moment that is done, by acknowledging and accepting Jesus as the Lord of your life. And this acknowledging and accepting Jesus as the Lord also needs to be something real, complete, and 100% within you, effectively making Him the Master and Lord of your life, that you are not the one in charge any more, but rather, that the Lord is in charge, to Whom you submit to completely. To be able to belong to God, you need to truly give Him your life. It is so obvious that it even eludes the most expert of people in the Scriptures, not because it is difficult to understand, but because they allow for themselves to be governed by the sin that dwells within. This is what produces eternal life within a human being. This is what transforms even the most sinful people, like I used to be so many years ago, walking down a twisted path, directly going towards an infernal destination, to spend an eternity without this Marvelous and Good Lord that now governs my life. And what determined that great change in direction was that I precisely chose to repent and convert from all of my sins, and effectively make Jesus the Lord and God of my life. This same concept was explained to me, and I realized that I was empty, alone, lost, and without hope, and I chose to believe with all of my heart, without any reservations, despite the sin that was still within me that was trying not to let me believe. But finally, I was able to understand and was willing to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit that was speaking to me through this person that allowed for themselves to be used to communicate to me the most important message of my life. I was able to be born again in Christ, and my life change.

In summary, a true conversion produces a product, a change in life, an immovable faith, things that come from and through the Holy Spirit, as it is written: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23. That is why truly following Christ is much more than a religion. It goes way beyond morality, traditions, or even trying to be a good person. None of that saves you. The only thing that saves you is your decision for Christ, and remaining firm in that faith, and that is what produces a change in a human being, where the transforming power of God is revealed in the life of a person, something that everyone can see, if it truly happened. This conversion was visible in the life of the Apostles, and this was also what could be seen in these Thessalonians. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy wrote precisely about the evidence of this conversion in this group of people, of the way they received the Truth of God, and how they turned from the idols to God, and how they served the True and Living God, with their eyes set on heaven, demonstrating with actions that they were focused on Jesus, in the resurrection of the dead, and that they would be delivered from the coming wrath, rather than on earthly and carnal things. A person’s faith can be seen in the way they live their life. And this is what inspired the laborers of Christ to carry on, and inspired others to believe in the Lord, and it even inspires us today as we read about them, and it will inspire everyone else that will come after us, and towards eternity. Everything that is done and lived for Christ remains in eternity. So then, have you been able to truly convert to the Lord? Lord bless! John

God’s Rights - Romans 12

Based on Romans 12 (New King James Version)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

In today’s passage, we see many indications, many things that we are being taught we should do. We see that we should present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, and acceptable to God. We see that we should not be conformed to the times we are living in, or rather, to the world we live in, and that we should be transformed. We see that we should look for the will of God. We read also how we should treat our fellow man, and even our enemies. We are being commanded many things here. And one could ask, “Why is so much being requested from us, that we practically have to abandon our lives to live for God and for our neighbor?” And it is a valid question. In all reality, we should ask ourselves this question so that we can then understand the reason for all of this. After all, God did create us with reasoning, with the ability to be able to absorb, understand, process, and like that, make decisions. In summary, before things can get to the heart, they have to first cross through our intellect, by our reasoning. So then, we will argue for the simple fact that God has the right to direct us, for us to do His will, and we have extremely irrefutable arguments that should take us to a complete conviction on why it is fair what God is asking us to do.

For starters, there is the argument that God is God. There is no greater authority in the universe. There is no one else like Him. He is Supreme, the Most High, the Almighty. There is truly no way possible to explain with words this reality. The Word opens for us very small windows (per se) so that we can at least be able to have an idea of Who is this God, and His position in the immovable and eternal world. For it is written: “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” Revelation 5:11-13. So then, the simple fact that God is God, and that there is none higher than Him should motivate us.

The second argument has to do with the issue that God made everything, including, human beings. Nothing that we see, not even yourself would exist if it were not for God. You wouldn’t even have an idea of what life is without the Lord. As it is written: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4. And so, He not only created everything, and allowed for you to live, but also, we are taught that everything subsists because of Him. In other words, He not only created, and just left it all running on its own, but also, absolutely nothing in the universe can continue existing if it were not for the Lord. As it is also written: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. And so, if you came to have life, it’s because He allowed it to happen. And if you continue to live and do everything you are able to do now, from the small and insignificant, even to the most critical in your life, even what your body does involuntarily (per se), the beating of your heart and the breathing of your lungs, it’s because God wills it. Even if a person does not want to believe in God, that person anyways exists because God allows them to exist.

And the third argument, and the one that should be the most convincing of all, is that the Lord gave Himself for all of us, even when we were His enemies, and far away from everything He is, as it is written: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:10. And He gave Himself without any kind of obligation. He did it all for love. God came to this world and dedicated all of His being while He walked in our likeness to do good for us, and even to die for us, giving Himself as the Holy and Pure sacrifice for all sinners, paying the price for all of His enemies on the cross. And there never was any complaining, as it is written: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7. There is no being that is as good and merciful like God.

And so, we owe everything to the Lord. We owe honoring Him as the Supreme Authority, as the Creator of everything, as the Sustainer of everything, the One that even allows for us to live, and the One that gives us the possibility of having eternal life. And so, do you understand the right God has, by just how much you depend on Him? Lord bless! John

Doing God’s Will - 1 Corinthians 16

Based on 1 Corinthians 16 (New King James Version)

“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me. Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren. Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time. Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints—that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us. I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men. The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

If we clearly focus on this passage, on what we are being taught, we would be able to see the principal theme of the entire Bible, the all of man: that we should love God and love our neighbor. And when we talk about love, it is something that has to do with actions that demonstrate love, because love needs to be witnessed. We see this through the personal care the Apostle Paul put in what he was indicating. Very practical ways of helping are taught here that should happen with those that call themselves followers of Christ. But if we objectively observe what happens today, we will notice that what needs to be seen in us as a group cannot be seen anymore. We as church have become lost within ourselves, in selfishness, in lack of love, in looking for our own interests rather than looking for the interests of God, and in forgetting the holy principles God our Heavenly Father gave us through the Lord. But, if there are failures or forgetfulness, then we need to remind and encourage that which really is God’s will, because God does not desire for us to be lost, but rather, that we turn from our evil ways, that there be repentance and conversion, so that His purpose can be fulfilled, and that is: to rescue as many people as possible from the way of perdition. And so, we will explain the Truth.

For starters, the Word indicates this to us, when the religious (which is very applicable to the problem we have today—to much religiousness) were precisely trying to test God (which many still do today as well): “Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:35-40. The Bible and the Cross, in their fulness teach us about a vertical relationship, our relationship with God; and they also teach us about a horizontal relationship, demonstrating our relationship with men. And this is what God’s will is all about, about loving both, and that, in that love towards God is that love towards others needs to be manifested. In other words, love for God is fundamental. It’s what should generate our love for our neighbor. The order cannot be altered. The Lord always needs to be first, and the reason for why we do things, and then comes the love for others, as a result of that love for the Lord, as it is written: “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” 1 John 3:16-19. But if we do not love God, and He is not the principal motive for why we do things, then there is nothing of value. It’s tough saying this, but all is garbage and it should be burned in eternal fire. And it is clear, if this principal foundation is not in our lives, there is no salvation, as it was also left written: “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.” So then, it should be very clear that loving God through actions that demonstrate love towards God should generate love towards our neighbor and the corresponding actions that are associated with that love. It’s as simple as that. There is no great theology to it, nor are years in seminary needed to be able to understand these very simple concepts. Sin and rebellion are what make the simple complicated, things that even children can understand. And because of these “complications” that many people create in their lives is that there will be many surprises before the throne of God in the day of judgment, because we will all be judged according to our actions, whether you believe it or not. As it is written: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23. So, you should aim to understand what you are doing, for your own good.

So then, what should we do with our neighbor? The Bible teaches us the following: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10. And the Lord also taught us this: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 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, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:43-45. So, do good to everyone. Help in what you can help, and in very practical ways. Pray, but also act. Basically, treat others as God has treated you. That is what God teaches. Do you understand what is the will of God, so that you can put it into action, so that you can have eternal life? Lord bless! John

The Disposition of the Heart - Acts 28:17-31

Based on Acts 28:17-31 (New King James Version)

“And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: ‘Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death. But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.’ Then they said to him, ‘We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you. But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.’ So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: ‘The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say: ‘Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’’’ ‘Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!’ And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

What is it that determines the course of a person’s life and defines their eternity? God made us in His likeness and image. And like that, we have similarities with Him. One of the greatest similarities that a human being has with the Lord is the ability to reason and choose, those of which come within the soul and the heart of a person, or the center of a being. In that intangible location (physically speaking) is where everything of importance can be found in a person. We can’t see it with our human eyes, but everything that it generates is quite visible in a person’s actions. So then, it is not necessarily God the One that decides what should happen with a person, but rather, it is the person that finally decides their outcome.  God simply allows for natural consequences to follow. However, there are instances that when a person is too rebellious, and their heart is too obstinate, that God finally makes the decision to push them into complete deviation, because the person has taken God beyond His limits.

To see this issue more clearly, what does the Word say about the heart of a person? It is written: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10. God knows everything, even the deepest part within a person. There is nothing that can be hidden from Him. It’s impossible. He knows our true feelings, our thoughts, everything that is most intimate within our being.

Now then, one of the clearest examples where we can see everything we have mentioned so far is in Pharaoh. Pharaoh, to his disgrace, is an example of what happens when a person is obstinate with God, and that God knows everything they are thinking, and that the Lord is the One that finally rejects someone that is of a hard and rebellious heart. We see in Exodus when God desires to free His people from the hands of Egypt, and that He had to deal with Pharaoh’s rebellion. Pharaoh was given many opportunities to do things right, but his rebellious hard had no limits. God revealed to Moses Pharaoh’s heart, and He knew that it was hard, and foretold that Pharaoh would harden his heart even more, not necessarily because God designed this from the beginning, but because Pharaoh would decide to do it. This is what we read: “And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. So the Lord said to Moses: ‘Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go.’” Exodus 7:13-14.  “Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.” Exodus 7:22. “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.” Exodus 8:15. “Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.” Exodus 8:19. “But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.” Exodus 8:32. “Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.” Exodus 9:7. Pharaoh hardened his heart on six different occasions, even when the magicians had realized that they were fighting against God. But after all of those opportunities, God then acted in Pharaoh’s heart, and it was God that hardened him, as it is written: “But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.” Exodus 9:12. Pharaoh could have repented, but he did not while it was still time, and he pushed God beyond His limits. And because God is a supremely worthy Being, even though He is love and full of mercy, He cannot forget that He is God as well, and that He cannot lower Himself.

This is what the Word advises: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:6-9. “While it is said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:15-19. The people that God took out of Egypt also angered the Lord and they went through what Pharaoh did as well.

God undisputedly has His limits. He is a God of mercy, goodness, grace, and love, but we cannot abuse Him, under any circumstances. What is God’s limit? We don’t know, but why take Him there? If you have problems with rebellion and hardness of heart, use your reasoning to look for the Lord, and let Him work in your life, because otherwise, either you will come to experience much pain, or you will be rejected forever. All of this is your decision. So then, what will you do with your heart’s disposition? Lord bless! John

The Problem that Happens When God is not First - Mark 6:14-28

Based on Mark 6:14-28 (New King James Version)

“Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, ‘John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and there-fore these powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.’ But when Herod heard, he said, ‘This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!’ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.’ He also swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’ So she went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist!’ Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.”

When a person does not have God in first place in their life, they commit great and fatal errors. And unfortunately, this is a very common problem. The issue that God needs to be first is not about fulfilling God’s whim. If we understand how things were really made, and how they work in the universe, we can then understand that it is not a whim or something like that. The issue is that everything was created and made a certain way, and everything works as it is established. That is why Truth is not relative or dependent on the perspective of a person. The universe is much larger than we are, and the universe does not adjust to our way of thinking. And of course, the argument that I will always make (with God’s grace) as long as I live is that the only One that knows how things work, and Who we need to pay attention to is God and His instruction can only be found within the Holy Bible, the Word of God. And that is why He needs to be first, if we truly desire what is best here, but more importantly, what is best for eternity. And a sane and logical person understands that. So, it is not even something that has to do with feelings, although we have an overabundance of reasons if we understand God’s love and what He has done for us.

So then, God’s counsel, what is written, explains to us what needs to happen so things can work for our good in our lives. The Bible teaches us this: “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:3-6. The commandment was given for our wellbeing, so that we can avoid the disasters that come as a result of disobedience. And of course, God explains it with reasons that have to do with love and consequences because He is the Heavenly Father and God Almighty. God has to use the concept of a commandment so that it can be understood that it is something urgent, essential, and critical; that it is not something that should be taken lightly, because again, doing the opposite would be disastrous; not for God though, but rather, for man. So, we cannot put anything neither as a priority before God, nor anything else around us that can disturb our direct relationship with Him.

Now then, what else can we understand of why it is so critical to have God in first place? The issue is that as much as God exists, Satan exists as well, and Satan will not rest in his effort to deviate us. If we don’t understand that, then we will fail miserably, and we will not even notice when we are completely off the Lord’s path, and on our way to death. The Bible tells us this: “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:1-5. Satan continually tries to deviate us, at every moment, and through different things, through very subtle things, things that may even seem good. That’s why we need to be very careful. If Adam and Eve would have had God in first place, they would not have paid attention to Satan, and we would not be in the situation we are in today. But, let’s not be too harsh on them, because all of us would have done just as bad or worse. That’s why we are having this discussion.

What is the prime concern we should have? If we do not have God in first place in our life, then we will be obeying sin and Satan himself, and this is happening way too often. This is what we see in the Word: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” Matthew 16:21-23. When we don’t put God in first place, we will accomplish Satan’s will. That’s the grave danger, and that is why it is so disastrous, because Satan will never ever take you to do something that is good for you. There is no room for grays because there is no in between. And that is why God also counsels us in the following manner: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16. Herod got involved with someone evil (Herodias). So, we need to surround ourselves with people that help us to keep the Lord first.

So then, do you understand that it is imperative to put the Lord in first place, for your own good? Lord bless! John

A Promised Eternity - Joshua 15:13-19

Based on Joshua 15:13-19 (New King James Version)

“Now to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a share among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. Then he went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir (formerly the name of Debir was Kirjath Sepher). And Caleb said, ‘He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.’ So Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. Now it was so, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She answered, ‘Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.’ So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.”

Who was Caleb? If we see the beginning of his story (which can be found in Numbers 13 and 14), we see that Caleb was one of the twelve spies that Moses sent (at God’s command) to spy the promised land. The mission that was given to Caleb (and the twelve) had to do with observing the following: “‘…Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.’ Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.” Numbers 13:17b-20. The twelve returned from their mission, but ten of them spoke more about the giants and the problems they could face, and that incited people to be fearful, and for them to not only turn against Moses, but more importantly, to turn against God. But Caleb and Joshua made their report with faith, and they spoke about the great things of the land, and that if the people found favor before God, that He would give it to them. Caleb and Joshua tried to persuade the people to not rebel against God, and to not fear the giants nor anything else they would have to face. And well, if we follow the story, even up to what we read today, because of God’s mercy (because God was going to reject the people after so much complaining against Him), the people did get to the promised land, and Caleb received his rewards because of having faith in God, by justifying the Almighty and defending His cause.

Now then, was it easy for Caleb to receive the reward for his faith? No. Nothing in this life that is worth fighting for is easy. Everything takes sacrifice and work. It can be read very easily, for example, that: “Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai”, but it was not a lie that there were powerful giants in the land. The giants of which the ten spies spoke of were like what was described of Goliath, for example, a man that was of very great stature (Goliath was about 9.5 feet, 2,9 meters), and very strong. So then, even though God worked in everything, there was much effort employed by Caleb and the people who fought to obtain the promised land. It wasn’t like in the movies, that in approximately two hours, you can see the beginning and the victorious end, where everyone winds up happy and content. Life is not a movie. Caleb had to endure days, months, and years of effort, of fighting, of physical wear and tear, and sacrifice.

So, what makes Caleb so special, and what can we learn from all of this? There were three fundamental things in the life of Caleb that we need to take into account, if we really want a successful and triumphant end. First, Caleb believed in God, not by words, but with all of his being, because he even confronted an entire rebellious group of people because of God, without thinking about the consequences, that he could have even lost his life. He took on the entire world (per se) without any reservation, for His God. Second, he believed His God. God spoke of a promised land. God sent them to see the promised land. Caleb believed God, that if he would find favor before God, that He would give it to him. And third, he did the work and was diligent and hardworking in fulfilling his part, in obeying God. He did not fight for his ideas or because of what came to him on his own, but rather, for what God commanded him to do. And he strove for it, and his faith and effort encouraged others to do the same. If we apply the same things, but with even greater things (because the promised land for which Caleb fought for was a good land, but it was a physical and temporary one, and one that now is, and tomorrow, it’s something else, like everything in this world). Nothing in this world lasts forever. But Christ is forever, and if we put our faith in Him, we can live forever. Death will have no power over us, if we simply do the three things Caleb did. We read this in the Word: “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Is it hard to follow Christ? Yes, because we are fighting against the entire world, against Satan and his kingdom, and against sin and death; all of which are hard and great adversaries—giants really. But, our faith in Christ can conquer all of that.

Now then, let us spy (per se) for a moment the eternity that the Lord promises us: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’ And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.’” Revelation 21:1-7. But, in order to receive this reward, the Bible teaches us what we cannot be, as it is written: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8. The eternal triumph is not for the cowardly nor the unbelieving, because it is necessary to face giants and to work hard, with our eyes placed on Christ and on His goal. But, is it not worth facing whatever we need to face, whether we are alone or with others, for a “promised eternity”? Lord bless! John

Who is Jesus? - Luke 5:17-26

Based on Luke 5:17-26 (New King James Version)

“Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you.’ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today!’”

It is hard for many people to understand who Jesus is. Unfortunately for them, they see the Lord as a man only, and not for who He was and is: He was and is God. The problem that many simply have is pride and arrogance, and because of that pride and arrogance, instead of acknowledging His incredible sacrifice, that He lowered Himself to that condition so that He could go through what was necessary for us, for our sin, people actually penalize Him and count that against Him. There is no greater injustice in the universe, and as such, that’s why it is fairly punishable as the Scriptures say: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36. This is the grave problem that many of the religious had, and it’s the same problem that many have today, that they see the Lord as an equal or even as someone lower than themselves, and that they are not going to lower themselves to accept someone like that as their God. This was the same problem that Satan had. The enemy did not want (nor does he now) accept that God is God and that it is necessary to submit to Him. In the end, if there is something that has no limit neither in Satan nor in people that refuse to believe and submit themselves to God is stupidity (there is no other word to better describe it). Acknowledging Christ as who He is, as God, is simply acknowledging a fact, and nothing more than that. There are certain things in life that we just need to simply accept and acknowledge, and this is the most important one.

Now then, maybe some people might defend themselves, the people that maybe don’t believe not out of stupidity, but rather, because of ignorance. And God does not have a problem with ignorance. Ignorance is totally justifiable, because if you don’t know something, then you don’t believe not because you don’t want to believe, but rather, because you lack the information. That’s the big difference. Now, for the person that lacks the information, but desires to understand, it is necessary to see the things He did. The Lord, although He took on a humble form, even as a man, He did things that no one else before Him were able to do, nor can anyone do ever. It is necessary to see the facts and accept them as facts. That’s why these things were left written. We see in today’s main passage that He demonstrated that He could both forgive sin and heal. He was and is able to do both things without any problem because He is God. And He did these things countless times, even on the sabbath (for what the religious criticized Him also). So then, He demonstrated countless times that He was God.

What we can also observe here is that sickness has something to do with sin, and we need to try to explain this well because it can be easily misunderstood, especially since there are certain bad doctrines out there. What we need to understand is that sin is in the world and that sin is what causes all of the bad things to be present, both the sin that is outside of us as well as the sin that lives within us. What we see in this passage is that there was sin in the person that was healed. The Word shows us the relationship between sin and sickness through the following passage: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:13-16. So then, sin is always linked with sickness, in one way or another. They go hand in hand. So, what was this man’s sin? We don’t know, but he was sick because of it. That we can see clearly. The other thing we need to understand is that the Lord, as the God He is, knows everything that is inside of us, even what others don’t see, and what is deep inside, intimately within us. For it is written: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10. We cannot deceive the Lord, no matter how much we try. He knows everything.

Now, is sickness a punishment. Not necessarily. The Apostle Paul is one of our main examples in the Bible, especially so we are able to understand what can happen to even the most faithful people to the Lord. Paul had to deal with a thorn, with a sickness. He explained this: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. The thorn that Paul was allowed to have was there so his pride could be dealt with, because that is the only thing that can make a person feel like exalting themselves. And of course, pride does not allow for a person to submit to God, nor to God’s purposes, and that they feel they are better than the rest. What is the purpose for sickness? God allows for certain things to happen in our lives because He is more interested in our formation and preparation for eternity than our temporary comfort in this world. Eternity is much more important than the temporal world. So, if God allows for certain things to happen in your life, whether it be sickness or some other circumstance, it’s simply because He desires to accomplish greater things in your life. The most important thing out of all of this is for you to be always able to see more clearly who is Jesus and what He desires to do in your life. What glorifies God the most is the process of human transformation, because that is the main reason for why He died for us all; not just to save us, but also, to prepare us for what is coming. So then, do you understand exactly who Jesus is and what He really did for you? Lord bless! John

God’s Faithfulness - Matthew 1

Based on Matthew 1 (New King James Version)

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

We should realize quite clearly that we need some sort of refuge or security superior to us by seeing that we are in a world where lies are the rule, and where we cannot trust in very much, where there is so much deceit and taking advantage of. Every person, by virtue of being human (a limited being with many vulnerabilities), needs to put their trust on something or on someone so they can literally be able to survive.

It is hard for many people to trust in things or in people outside of themselves because important things and people in the past failed them at some point. And to explain better, we are not talking about a failure from a parent that involved saying something inappropriate or painful, because it would be illogical or unfair to punish them, per se, because a person said something wrong or committed a mistake in a given moment, and to dismiss all of their sacrifice over something like that. Some sons and daughters try to punish their mother or father when something does not come out right, or a mistake is committed. The duty of a father or mother with their child, before God (which goes beyond what society teaches) is to give them what is necessary like: love, shelter, food, clothes, care, advice, and protection, while they become adults (and Biblically, a person is an adult when they are 20, because they were able to go to war, although many were kings of Israel and Judah much sooner than that; so, it really varies). But, nonetheless, after becoming an adult, a parent does not owe their children absolutely nothing else. They don’t owe them at any point of their life designer clothes, or cars, or entertainment, or trips, or college careers, or help after they get married, or anything else. And if a parent has given you what is necessary, within their limits, and they commit a mistake, and you despise them, it is punishable before the eyes of God, and the only thing that you are doing is shortening your lifespan, as it is written: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12. So then, what we are talking about has to do with real faults and failures, with deep and harsh wounds, not superficial stuff. And that’s why it is very difficult for many people to trust, and they turn their faith towards themselves, or to other people, or to things that they cling on to along the way that can also fail just as much or even more than their parents.

Now then, if we are wise and logical, we should realize that we need to trust in something or someone that is immovable, in something or someone firm, stable, and lasting. If we observe everything that surrounds us, and even ourselves for a moment, we should realize that it would not be very wise to put our trust on something temporary, because everything here is temporal and fallible. Money can leave quite easily. Power is an illusion. Fame can last but an instant. Our health can change in a moment. Our loved ones can fail us even by accident, without any ill intention, because they are just as fallible and imperfect as we are. So then, where can we put our trust? What or Who has demonstrated qualities of faithfulness and security? And here is where our God comes in.

God is faithful. How do we know this? Do you have anything to do with the world’s rotation? Is it man that causes the sun to rise and to set every day? Do you have any control over your lungs and the beating of your heart? Who allows for you to live at this very moment? These are only a few examples of things that you or others have no control over. God is in all of them. In today’s passage, we saw God’s faithfulness throughout the generations, by fulfilling His promise. For starters, God does not lie, as it is written: “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that He should repent.” 1 Samuel 15:29. And He has the power to do impossible things, as it is also written: “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11. And He promised this centuries before it happened: “So the Lord God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.’” Genesis 3:14-15. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14. And finally, God does not change, as it is written: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.

If God does things for us that no one else can, at every moment, things that are out of the control of man, and He has even made a way for salvation by fulfilling His promise, through Jesus Christ, then, you can trust Him. He is unlike everyone else, even us; He is faithful. So, have you been able to understand and appreciate God’s faithfulness which transcends time, and that it lasts for all eternity? Lord bless! John

When We Align Ourselves with the Lord - Joshua 10:1-15

Based on Joshua 10:1-15 (New King James Version)

“Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, ‘Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.’ Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, ‘Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.’ So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.’ Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel. Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.”

One of the many great values of the Word of God is that it gives us examples of what happens when a person obeys the Lord, and also, when a person does not obey the Lord. The only way that faith can grow in a person is by seeing the Word and the experience that is written in it. For it is written: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. When a person reads believing what they are reading, then faith starts to grow and become stronger. And a person also needs to believe this, as it is written: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. God does not change. So, He was able to do great things before. He is able to do great things today. And also, He will be able to do them tomorrow.

Now then, when is God able to work miraculously in our lives? For this to happen, we need to get into the compliment of things that need to be present in a person so that God’s miracles can be seen, because this does not just happen. Can God heed the voice of a man, as it is written, like He did for Joshua? Yes, but not in the manner that many people think erroneously.

For starters, if a prayer is answered (as a person desires), but outside of God’s order, it is not God that is answering that prayer. So, we need to be very careful because the enemy is also listening to what we are asking for, and he could give us the illusion of an answer, or give us what we are looking for that goes against the will of the Lord. If we understand just who Satan is, that he is all evil, then we can understand that he is capable of many things, everything that is within his reach to help us deviate, especially if we are walking down an erroneous path. The enemy will always try to encourage deviation, that we feel confident in our sin. And if he can keep us under the illusion that God is the One that is fulfilling our desires (to make us think that we are ok), he is very happy to do so. Satan will do everything that is possible for him that can help get us off the path, to go against God’s will, to support disobedience, and finally, to help bring about our destruction.

How can we avoid having our prayers answered by the wrong person? By understanding and making God the Lord of our lives in a very practical and literal way is how we do it. Christ needs to become the center of our lives, just like Joshua did. Joshua was completely submitted to God, and he sustained an unconditional faithfulness towards the Almighty, not really caring about what others were doing, as it is written: “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15. This is the foundation that should be in every Christ follower; belonging to God.

The second thing that should be in a person is what Joshua precisely did which was to serve the Lord, not looking for his own will. Joshua didn’t do things because they seemed right to him, or because it was his idea to go to the promised land. Joshua submitted to God’s will, and he looked to do what God wanted him to do. He was a man that was obedient to God. God will prosper what we intend to do when it is what He wants, not our will, and even far less, when we are doing things wrong or walking in sin. God will not do any miracles if you are going down the path of error by practicing sin. Now, this does not mean or imply that you have to do things to get God to work, but rather, you have to be aligned with God so that God can manifest his greatness. These are two very different things.

So then, here is the recipe (if you will) that can help us see God’s miracles in our lives: belonging to the Lord, putting our faith on Him, looking for His Word daily so that our faith can continue growing, submitting to Him as the Lord He needs to be in our lives, putting His Word into works, obeying and serving Him, and aligning ourselves with His will. Do these things imply perfection? Absolutely not. Joshua wasn’t perfect. There is only one that is good and that is God. But, if we try to obey Him with fear and trembling, just as the Scriptures tell us how we need to take care of our salvation (because we need to take our salvation seriously and not for granted), and we look to fulfill His purposes, we will then see great things. Our prayers will arrive before the Throne of Grace. But the question is: “Is your life aligned with the Lord, by looking to fulfill His purposes?” Lord bless! John