Gen 2:15-17
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
NIV
Ken, I whole heartedly agree with your teaching. I posted the above verse of Scripture only to show the beginning of suffering.
Suffering came to mankind because of sin! Adam and Eve could eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As soon as Eve yeilded to the serpants temptation and ate of the tree of life and knowledge of good and evil, man beganto suffer and die. Thus sufferingbecame a partof our death that man was cursed with. If man had obeyed God's command we wouldhave eternal life like we willwhen we get to heaven (after death). When we were borned we began to die. There were only 2 men that didn't die (Enoch and Elijah). I personally believe they will be the 2 witnesses spoken of in Revelation. The Antichrist will kill them, but God will raise them up again. In the old Testiment forgiveness of sin was obtainedthrough the blood of a sacrificial lamb.When Jesus died on the cross, He became our sacrifice for sin, and by His Grace and Mercy we are saved and our sins are forgiven. Still we will ALL die until Jesus' return. Thus we face suffering. and God can't or won't free us from this, but He will go with us through these trying times.
Rev Zack Martin Sr.
The Church of Ephesus
Introduction: I will divide "The Church of Ephesus" into two parts because of the importance and length of it to the Christian Church.
Revelation chapter 2 comprises 4 of the 7 churches of Asia that Jesus instructed John to write their messages and give to them. Each message begins with some of the attributes of the Savior, and each introduction is followed with the formula, "I Know Thy Works." Then follows advice, admonition, or promise. The admonition is a sloemn one to: "Hear what the Spirit has to say to the church." There is then, either following or preceding that call on all the churches to hear, some promises or assurance designed to encourage the church, and urge it forward in the discharge of duty, or in enduring trial. This is found in each one of the epistles, though not always in the same relativeposition. If we want a PERFECT church then take ALL 7 churches and their attributes and then add the corrections that were suggesred by Jesus for them, and the end result would be a perfect church.
The Epistle To The Church at Ephesus.
The contents of the epistle to the church at Ephesus - the first addressed - are these: (1) The attributes of the Savior reffered to is, that He "holds the stars in His right hand, and walks in the midst of the golden candlestick." Rev 2:1 (2) He commends them for their patients, and for their opposition to those who are evil, and for their zeal and fidelity in carefully examining into the character of some who claimed to be apostles, but who were, in fact, impostors; for their perserance in bearing up under trial, and not fainting in His cause, and for their opposition to the Nicolaitanes, whom, He says, He hates, Rev 2:2-3,6. (3) He reproves them for having left their first love to Him, Rev 2:4 (4) He admonishes them to remember whence they had fallen, to repent, and to do their first works Rev 2:5. (5) He threatens them that, if they do not repent, He will come and remove the candlestick out of its place, Rev 2:5; and (6) He assures them, and all others, that whosoeverovercomes He will "give himto ear of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God," Rev 2:7
Rev 2:1-7
1. To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, "These things says He who holds the 7 stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the 7 golden lampstands: 2. "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3. and you have perservered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 4. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5. Remeber therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamostand from its place - unless you repent. 6. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7. "He who has an ear, let him hear whatthe Spirit says to the churches (plural). The him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."
Rev 2:1 [Unto the angel]The minister; the presiding presbyter; the bisop-in the primitive sense of the word "bishop" - denoting one who had the spiritual charge of a congregation.
Rev 2:1 [of the church] Not of just the church of Ephesus, but of the one church of God. The Church of God, today consist of many denominations, with acceptence of the Grace of Jesus as the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, and the gift of eternal life to those that believe.It is probable that all who were Christians there were regarded as members of one church - though for convenience they may have met to worship in different places. Thus, there was one church.
Rev 2:2 [I know thy works] The common formula with which all the epistles to the 7 churches are introduced. It is designed to impress upon them deeply the conviction that He was intimately acquainted with all that they did, good and bad, and that therefore He was abundantly qualified to dispense rewards or administer punishments according to truth and justice. It may be observed that, as many of the things referred to in these epistles were things pertaining to the heart - the feeling, the state of the mind - it is implied that He who speaks here has an intimate acquainance with the heart of man, a prerogative which is always attributed to the Savior. But no one can do this who is NOT divine; Below are some Bible verse that show proof of the divinity of Christ.
Ps 7:9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. NKJV
Jer 11:20 But, O Lord of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see your vengeance on them, For to You I have revealed my cause. NKJV
Jer 17:10 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. NKJV
1 Sam 16:7 But the LORD said to Sammuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD look at the heart." NKJV
1 Kings 8:39-40 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), NKJV
Rev 2:2 [And thy labor] The word used here kopos means properly "a beating," hence wailing, grief,with beating the breast; and then it means excessive labor or toil adapted to produce grief or sadness, and is commonly employed in the New Testament in the latter sense. It is commonly understood, as in our translation, in the sense of labor, though it would seem that the other signication, that of trouble, would not be inappropriate. If it means labor, it refers to their faithful service in His cause, and especially in opposing error. It seems to me, however, that the word "trouble" would better suit the connection.
Rev 2:2 [And thy patience] Under these trials; to wit, in relation to the efforts which had been made by the advocates of error to corrupt them, and to turn them away from the truth. They had patiently borne the opposition made to the truth, they had manifested a spirit of firm endurance amidst many arts of those opposed to them to draw them off from simple faith in Christ.
Rev 2:2 [And how thou canst not bear them which are evil] Canst not "endure" or "tolerate" them. They had no sympathy with their doctrines or their practices, they were utterly opposed to them. They had lent them no countenance, but had in every way shown that they had no fellowship with them. The evil persons here referred to were, doubtless, those mentioned in this verse as claiming that "they were apostles," and those mentioned in Rev 2:6 as the Nicolaitanes.
Rev 2:2 [And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles] Thos hast thoroughly examined their claims. It is not said in what way they had done this, but it was probably by considering attentively and candidly the evidence on which they relied, whatever that may have been. Nor is it certainly known who these persons were, or on what grounds they advanced their pretensions to the apostolic office. It cannot be supposed that they claimed to have been of the number of apostles selected by the Savior, for that would have been absurd, and the only solution would seem to be that they claimed either;
(1) that they had been called to that office after the Savior ascended, as Paul was; or (2) that they claimed the honor due to this name or office, in virtue of some elections to it, or (3) that they claimed to be successors of the apostles, and to possess and transmit their authority. If the first of these, it would seem that the only ground of claim would be that they had been called in some miraculous way to the rank of apostles, and, of course, of the evidence on which they would rely that they had such a call. If the second, then the claim must have been founded on some such plea as that the apostles office was designed to be elective, as in the case of Matthias (Acts 1:23-26), and that they maintained that this arrangement was to be continued in the church; and then an examination of their claims would involve an investigation of the question, whether it was contemplated that the aostolic office was designed to be perpetuated in thar manner, or whether the election of Mayyhias was only a temporary arrangement, designed to answer a particular purpose. If designed to be perpetuated by a regular succession, and that they, by ordination, were in a line of that succession, and then the examination and refutation of the claim must have consisted in showing, from the nature of the office, and the necessary qualifications for the successors of the apostles, as such. On either of these suooositions, such a line of arguement would be fatal to all claims to any succession in the apostolic office now. If each of these points should, of course their claims to the rank of apostles would cease; just as all claims to the dignity and rank of the apostles must fail now. The passage becomes thus a strong arguement against the claims of any persons to be "apostles," or to be the "successors" of the apostles, in the uniqueness of their office.
Rev 2:2 [And are not] There were NEVER any apostles of Jesus Christ but the original twelve whom he chose, Matthias, who was chosen in the place of Judas (Acts 1:26), and Paul, who was specially called to the office by the Savior after His resurrection.
Rev 2:2 [And hast found them liars] Hast discovered their pretensions to be unfounded and false In 2 Cor 11:13, "false apostles" are mentioned, and, in an office of so much honor as this, it is probable that there would be not a few claimers to it in the world. To set up a claim to what they knew they were not entitled to would be a falsehood, and as this seems to have been the character of these people, the Savior, in the passage before us, does not hesitate to designate them by an appropriate term, and to call them liars. The point here commended in the Ephesus church is, that they had sought to have a "pure ministry," a ministry whose claims were well founded. They had felt the importance of this, had carefully examined the claims of the pretenders, and had refused to recognize those who could not show, in a proper manner, that they had been designated to their work by the Lord Jesus. The same zeal, in the same cause, would be mommended by the Savior now.
Conclusion of Rev Chapter 2, part 1: The church of Ephesus was faced with the problem of false apostles and untruths, and they labored, with great patience to stave off the false people who were trying to take over for the honor of the office instead of pure service to the Lord. They could NOT bear these that were evil. They tested them and found them to be liars. There stand for the Lord was an admirable act. Through all of this we will see in the second part of The Church of Ephesus their DEADLY sin.
In comparison today, we see churches that are commendable and honorable, and yet they have a flaw that must be corrected if they are to become the witness that Christ wants them to be. We can learn much from these messages to the 7 churches of Asia. After all we are of THE CHURCH AGE!
Rev 1:1-3
(1) The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants - things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, (2) who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. (3) Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. NKJV
Introduction: I understand why people are afraid of the interpretation of Revelation, because it really isn't easily understood. However, it can be understood with some reasoning. What is being revealed? Verse 1 states it clearly that it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ! He gave it to John on Isle of Patmos, and instructed John to write everything down on scrolls to give to the seven churches of Asia. The word rendered is "apokalupsis" which is where we derive the word "Apocalypse" which means - properly an that is, nakedness; from apocalyptic, to UNCOVER. It applies to anything covered up, to be hidden from view, as by a viel, a darkness, in an ark or chest, ie. "The Ark Of The Covenant," and then made manifest by removing the covering. It comes then to be used in sense of disclosing or manifesting of anyting which was before obscure or un known.
The phrase "The Revelation of Jesus," might refer either to Jesus, as the subject or object. It probably means that Jesus is the object revealed in this book, that being so, the purpoase is to make Him known. It means that this is a revelation which Christ makes to mankind, that is, it is His in the sense that He communicates it to the world. That this latter is the meaning here is clear:
Jesus gave it to John to show to His servants the things which must shortly come to pass. Ps. 90:4 "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." KJV
This puts a day into different perspective, and we cannot put time on eternity, for you see Jesus in heaven has no concept of time. The important fact is that there are Revelations to be given to mankind before the return of Christ, and Jesus made these Revelations to John, instructing him to write them down. This is what Revelation is about, and so wth this we begin "The Church Age."
REV 1:9 - REV 1:11
(9) John, both your brother and companion in tribulations and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. (10) I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, (11) saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
Rev 1:9 "Vision of the Son of Man!"
When John said, "Your brother and companion," he was speaking of a relationship we all share as Christians. He was talking to all of his Christian brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.
Rev 1:9 "Companion in tribulations" Partners in afflictions, he and they were suffering substantially in the same kind of trials on account of their religion.
Rev 1:9 "And in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ" This means that he was speaking to those who werenot only companions in affliction, but were fellow partners in the kingdom of the Redeemer, and they shared the honor and privileges pertaining, and they were fellow partners in the "patience" of Jesus Christ. The general idea is, that alike in privileges and sufferings, they were UNITED. They shared alike in the results of their of their attachment to the Savior.
"Was in the Isle that is called Patmos" is where John was. John was banished to this Isle by Domitian in 94 AD. John was there and could NOT get away to anywhere else, so here is where Jesus came to him in a vision.
"For the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ" John didn't go there to bear testimony to Jesus Christ on that Isle, either by preaching or recording the visions in this book, he went there because he preached the DOCTRINE which testify of Christ!
Jesus comes to him and instructs him to write the things He shows John for the seven churches of Asia (a parable of sorts to ALL CHRISTIAN CHURHES) in this the beginning of the CHURCH AGE!
REV 1:17-20
(17) And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead, but He laid His right hand on me saying to me, " Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last. (18) I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen! and I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (19) Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. (20) The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. NKJV
Conclusion of Chapter 1: S0then beganthe Church Age. Next I will share the messages and meanings of those messages to the seven churches,
Introduction: In all of the years of my ministry most of the churches I served held two revivals a year. I had some reservations about trying to schedule revival for the church because it is NOT man that brings revival, but God that gives it to us. A lot of those scheduled revival services turned out to be just that, scheduled services. It was only on the occasions that the Spirit of God spoke to His children that real revival broke out, and people had changed lives. There are sixsteps that I believe God tells us that bring true revival to Gods people.
1. The first thing is TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER! John 13:34 says: 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. NKJV
The first power that we feel as Children of God is His Love, and Jesus gave us a new commandment here in verse 34. We are told to LOVE ONE ANOTHER! 1 John 4:8 says: 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love NKJV
Gods love is a powerful Agape Love. Mankind has put so many different meanings for love that often we are confused about what real love is. Real love is GODS LOVE, and when we accept Jesus as our Savior this Agape Love is indwelled within us. The most amazing part of my salvation wasthe new love that filled my soul.So the first thing we need for true revival is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
2. The secondstepis that we, PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER, and is found in
James 5:15-16: 15 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. 16 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. NKJV
No Christian can make it without prayer, and praying for one another. We pray for the sick, and the sin-sick. Verse 16 tells us to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other, we can be healed, and the last part of verse is Gods promise to us when it says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. So second, we need to PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER!
3. The thirdstep that we need to do to experience revival is to FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER! Eph 4:32 says 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. NKJV
Sin is what separates us from God and if we CANNOT FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER, we cant expect God to forgive us. The thing that makes a church cold and ungodly is unforgiving sin. So thirdly, we need to FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER!
4. The fourth thing we need for revival is to FOREBEAR ONE ANOTHER!
Col 3:12-13 says: Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. NKJV
Did you know that if you, as a Christian, sins, it effects the whole congregation of the church? We have to Bear (or Forebear) one another, and as we have already said forgive one another. So the fourth thing we need for revival is to FOREBEAR ONE ANOTHER!
5. The filthstepneeded for revival is to BEAR ONE ANOTHERS BURDENS! Gal 6:2 says: 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. NKJV
It is so hard to be burdened down by ourselves, but when our brothers and sisters in Christ share in our burdens, it is NOT as heavy as when we were alone facing this burden. So Filth, we need to BEAR ONE ANOTHERS BURDENS!
6. Sixth and last, we are to REJOICE AND CRY WITH ONE ANOTHER!
Rom 12:15 tells us : 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. NKJV So the sixth step is REJOICE AND CRY WITH ONE ANOTHER!
Conclusion: Now with all of these STEPS, a Christian is as close to God as is possible and revival is ALREADY IN HIS LIFE. Now the Holy Spirit can interact with us, and we can interact with the Godhead, as well as our brothers and sisters is Christ Jesus.
Rev. Zack Martin
Rom 13:11-14
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
NKJV
Introduction: In the hum-drum days of our faith, we get lackadaisical about our work for the Lord. We become caught in the usual way we attend Church, sing our hymns, pray when called upon, and then get up and go home to go to our jobs that week. We do nothing to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world that needs His forgiveness and Grace. Know this, Jesus second coming is far closer now than it was when we first accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.
The Devil is NOT LACKADAISICAL in his fight against our faith. We have to hear what God is saying here in Romans chapter 13.
1. First it tells us to AWAKE out of our lackadaisicalness. However we can do it. The first thing I do when I wake up is get a shower and put on clean clothes to face the world in. Get rid of the dirty, dark things that hold us back.
Have you ever been so sick that you didnt feel like getting a bath and cleaning up? What is the first thing you notice after not getting that bath? I, personally, notice the smells of dirtiness, and I want to get that uncleanness off as fast as I can.
2. When we allow sin and ungodliness to become a part of our daily life, it is being sin-sick and we have to make ourselves well again by getting rid of the dirt and darkness that lie between us and God by asking for His forgiveness.
The last part of verse 11 and verse 12 says:
for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
3. Get DRESSED! Not in dirty clothes, but as Paul says here: Let us put on the armor of light,
Our attire is armor and strength given to us by God. Where do we get this attire? We get it through the promises of Gods Word, reading Gods Word and then having PRAYER and SUPPLICATION, communicating with God. This is VERY important in Christian living. Dont be a Saint of God in a DIRTY SHEET! AMEN!!!!
Let Gods Word tell us what the armor is. Look here >
Eph 6:14-20
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
NKJV
1. Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness
2. Shod your feet with The Preparation of the gospel of peace
3. Taking up The Shield of Faith with which we will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
4. The Helmet of Salvation. And,
5. The Sword of The Spirit, which the Word of God.
6. Prayer > prayer and supplication in the Spirit - This more than lip service by the way!
8. Watchful to this end - with all perseverance and supplication for ALL the Saints.
After we have our attire on we can fight the battle that we are called to do, more effectively.
4. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Start walking for Christ, and thats a DAILY walk for Him. A Walk in Righteousness, Love, Grace. And Forgiveness. Now we are ready for Service!!
By: Rev. Zack Martin
Hello Hanna, so good to hear from again. I am doing better the last couple of days, but I am still low in energy and I have to pace myself. Yes, God does allow us to go through trials and temptations, and it's the choices we make through these that make us strong in faith or weakens our faith. Remember in Job where God asked Satan,: "Have you considered my servant Job?" He allowed Satan (Not God) to but Job through trials and temptations, and Job (having Faith in God) chose not to yield to the temptations of Satan. He did question God (as do most of us have) about what he (Job) had done for these sufferings to come upon him, but he NEVER CURSED God. In the end His Faith was stronger than at the beginning.
My thoughts on this is still that Job had a choice, but chose GOD'S WAY!! In my case I had made bad decisions that made it necessary for God to teach me a lesson. I don't think it would have been necessary without my bad decisionss. One lesson that I have earned lately is that my Christian friends are not my enemies and they are NOT to blame for anything that happens. God, Himself, never temps us, but Satan is the one that does the tempting and just as it was the case with Jesus, we have to depend upon God's Word to get us through them.
I feel I am doing better and that I will alright for as long as God will's me to serve Him. Thanks so much for your prayers. They are always coveted. God Bless!
Rev Zack Martin
I apologize for the 2 different colors of type. I tried to change the black to white, and then after only changing part of the type, I tried to change it all back, but it wouldn't so that's why there are 2 different colors of type. My fault, but I can't correct it.
Zack Martin
GOD'S WAY!
Having served as a minister for God for over 35 years, I have found out that there are 2 paths to follow: 1. God's Way, & 2. My Way. In 1975 (only a couple of years after feeling the call of God into the ministry) I decided that this successful new minister of God needed a New Customize van to travel in. I had taken a church as minister of music and youth pastor, and that church had grown from 18 (the first Sunday I was there) to well over 100 in just one year. I patted myself on the back, and praised myself for all that (I) had accomplished. Taking credit for what God had done through me was my first mistake and I had a lesson coming from God to straighten me out. As I stated, I needed (wanted) a new customizes van, so, I went out and purchase a new customized Dodge van. With my head swollen in pride, I began my travels. Early (before daylight) one morning I was traveling on a road to a destination of service, and I had just passed a car, when I came upon 3 Black Angus cows in the middle of the road. I swerved to miss them, but hit the largest cow in the side door of the van, turning it over sideways first and then it flipped end over end, throwing me out of the van.
Even in this God was there. This was the first year that they came out with the pop-out wind-shields, and I slid across that payment on top of that windshield sparing me the agony and pain of losing my skin to the pavement. The last thing I remembered was leaving the seat of the van. When I came to, there was a lady standing over me praying for me. She was in the car I had just passed, and told me she was an Assembly of God Preacher. It was first and last time I ever saw her. Whether real or an angel, I believe God put her there for me. I was broken up so bad that I was laid up for the next 8 months. Lying flat on your back for 8 months gives you time to reflect on things, and God showed me how my selfish pride had placed me in this position. He also showed me who really deserved the credit for the successes I had at that church. MY WAY led to disaster and pain, while GOD'S WAY led to victory and Good.
Remember, even if you are a minister or servant of God, if you don't let God lead, and follow YOUR WAY, you are NOT in God's WILL. There is only ONE WAY to victory and that is GOD'S WAY. Just like there is only one way to SALVATION, and that is through Jesus Christ. For good or bad, when God made He gave us a free will, and WE choose what we do. For salvation, we have to choose Jesus. In Romans Chapter 10, the apostle Paul tells us:
Rom 10:9-10
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Then in verse 13 of this same chapter it says:
Rom 10:13
13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
THAT'S GOD'S WAY!!!
Please feel free to discuss (NOT Argue) this, and comment.
Zack Martin
