“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
Jesus’ cry to the Father was to “forgive” our sins so we could be one with He and the Father.
Is this our cry for the lost?
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;” Ephesians 3:8
Just this week, a dear sister in Christ and I both sensed, remembered the many testimonies of our LORD Jesus has in our very day, repeatedly turned the seemingly vilest of militant sinners into saved, born agents of His heavenly kingdom! (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8
May our LORD change our innermost disposition, that when we previously reacted in anger, upon seeing sinner commit crimes, we’d quickly hasten to lift them in prayer (Matthew 5:44).
ALL men are already condemned. Jesus came “to save them”:
“For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” Luke 9:56
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17
If God had excecute His perfect justice upon me, before He was able to save this wretched soul, I’d be burning in hell where I deserved to be. Can you relate?
Let us never forget the most merciful cross of our bless-ed Savior who died for you and I, “while we were yet sinners.”
Let us be ever reminded….. That God is ever so merciful and “READY to forgive” – and otherwise we’d already be justly doomed:
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. … 15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalms 86:5, 15
If God dealt out justice, I’d be the first, the most wicked, depraved sinner slammed to the bottom of hell. Remember that Paul wrote the following words, BEFORE you and I were born and so he didn’t know the even worst sinners were still yet to be born. 😉
Remembering the great mercy of our God, of himself the apostle Paul, who was once Saul of Tarsus referred to himself as “less than the least of all saints” and the very “chief” of all sinners.
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15
There are no organizations supporting this Gospel work. It’s only individuals who are born again disciples of our LORD who support His work. We only have to work with what you choose to give (2 Corinthians 9:6-11).
With very little money to use, we are dropping the Scripture-rich ministry books to both saints and sinners who are presently incarcerated. If you wish to help, your money will be the fuel to make this happen. Nearly daily there are these ministering blessing being sent out. Several more monthly supporters needed. Takes seconds. Support here
The apostle Paul, who was hailing Christians to jail and to their death, now forever changed by Jesus, pens the following words:
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Romans 5:6-11
YOUR own life, my life, is the clear proof that God can change the hardest of hearts, the vilest of sinners. Let this ignite your fire to minister to the seemingly most distant sinners….
Yes, civil authorities are rightly in place by divine ordination “for the punishment of evil doers.” (1 Peter 2:13-14) Yet Jesus gave us, His people, His divine command and authority and Holy Spirit to be His “ambassadors” who call all sinners to repent and be saved into His glorious eternal family (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 2:49; book of Acts; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, etc.).
No one else can or will do our LORD’s work. God has invested this commission in His body. That’s us!
May the Lamb of God be magnified in the hearts and lives of His people today – to rejoice and communicate His great mercy by which we are now saved into His eternal family and commissioned to say “Come” to those who are not yet His.
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17
ALL men, every man and woman, is already condemned in their own sin (John 3:18, 36; Romans 5:6-9).
God has sent us to call them to Him – to repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ.
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2
As evil as we think people are, we should keep in mind that since God is “Holy, holy, holy”, we are no less evil and depraved and separated from Him – outside of being blessed to be in Christ (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Now may God bless us to help others know of His great love!
Jesus died for them and He wants them!
“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Ephesians 2:1-10
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
YOUR PRAYER: Holy Father, please forgive my wicked and evil heart that is at times hardened and full of hatred for the sinners You sent Your only begotten Son to die to save. Please teach me Thy ways and remove the stony places from this depraved heart. Grant that this heart be an heart of flesh, abandoned unto Thee my LORD – walking in the very mission You came to accomplish – to save sinners like me. Let Your divine mercy wash over and fill this heart. Reduce me to love. Please baptize this, Your vessel, with Your Holy Ghost now and use me dear LORD. In Jesus’ name.
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Articles
The Only Way Up is Down [podcast]
Chapter 8 from the book Raised Up (narration)
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
The Down and Up Principle of God’s Kingdom
“And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root DOWNWARD, and bear fruit UPWARD.” Isaiah 37:31
The Scriptures follow a pattern of death and resurrection, a downward death and upward life. See if you can observe such a truth in the following verses:
“The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth UP all those that be bowed DOWN.” Psalms 145:14
Do you possess the blessed desire to be raised up by the Almighty? According to His divine wisdom given us in His precious Precepts, in order to be “raised up” we must first be “bowed down.” The LORD will not raise up any person who is still alive in his own power – He only raises up “those that be bowed down” in sincere humility before His majesty (Ps. 145:14; Jn. 12:23-25; Rom. 8:11).
“Those that be bowed down” will “take root downward” and be raised up in blessed fruitfulness (Isa. 37:31).
In order to “bear fruit upward,” one must first be planted in the house (kingdom) of the LORD and “take root downward” in the rich soil of His truth. The resurrection life of Jesus and ample fruitfulness will be the result.
Going deeper in God necessitates going down deeper into death and burial with Christ! Read Romans 6. There are no shortcuts (Galatians 5:24). Christ’s kingdom is a cross economy – one of utter humility and death to self that He might reign (John 12:23-25; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3, etc.).
“And whosoever shall exalt himself (upward) shall be abased (humbled); and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:12
“He must INCREASE, but I must DECREASE.” John 3:30
“And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat FALL INTO THE GROUND (downward) and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (upward). He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life (downward) in this world shall keep it unto life eternal (upward).” John 12:23-25
“Humble yourselves (downward heart posture) in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” James 4:10
The life of Christ will raise a man upward and this is after that man bows down his life or humbles himself under the mighty hand of God – first at initial salvation then in the consecrated life that brings God glory. Blessed resurrection life is the upward result of the life planted downward and this is the place from which ministry springs. Look at what the apostle Paul wrote in this regard:
“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:10-12
Jesus declared to us that He came to make captives free from sin and Satan – “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (Lk. 4:18; Jn. 8:31-32, 36).There is chain-shattering, freeing power (liberty) in the redeeming blood of Christ and by the power of the Holy Ghost (Lk. 4:18; Jn. 8:36; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:12-14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rev. 12:11). The divine promise is that when one bows down before the LORD, every yoke shall be broken by Him who is above all (Isa. 58). No stronghold or bond of Satan has power when Christ’s blood is applied in sincere repentance and by the power of the Holy Ghost! The saint who is raised up after being bowed down, will glorify God in rich fruitfulness being “changed into the same image (Christ’s) from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
It is the divine Person of the Holy Ghost who raised up the LORD who was bowed down before His Father in death in order to purchase His Church with His own sinless blood (Acts 20:28). In like manner, it is the Holy Spirit with His resurrection power who raises up those who be bowed down before His throne of grace.
“And he (Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God… And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.” Luke 13:10-13, 16-17
There can be no resurrection until there is first a death. A seed is dead or dormant then is planted and then germinates and brings forth bud, then a stalk and ultimately fruit – but first it must be buried downward in order to bear life-giving fruit upward. The life buried with Christ will be lifted up by divine power and bear much fruit to God’s glory (Jn. 15:8).
“But if the Spirit of him that raised UP Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised UP Christ from the dead shall also quicken (make alive upward) your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
Our LORD had to first die and be buried “downward” in order to be raised “upward” by the Father in resurrection life to raise up and justify all those who would call upon Him in repentance (Rom. 1:4; 8:11; 10:13). In order for fruit to be borne “upward,” the disciple must first be planted “downward” in “the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Isa. 37:31; Phil. 3:10).
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” Romans 6:3-5
“Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” Colossians 2:12
He created man with a choice (Josh. 24:15). In the end there will be “the resurrection of life” and also “the resurrection of damnation” (Jn. 5:28-29). Each of us will be in one of these resurrections – either everlasting life or eternal death (conscience separation from God in hell). The entrance into Heaven or termination into hell will hinge upon whom we served – God or self (Rom. 6:16).
Real promotion comes only from the Giver and Sustainer of all life – from the north (Heaven).
“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Psalms 75:6-7
That person who freely chooses to believe God, taking Christ at His Word, bowing under His infinite Majestic glory, will be raised up both now and forever and eternally glorified with the Alpha and Omega (Phil. 2:5-11; 2 Thess. 2:13-14).
“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” Psalms 92:12-14
PRAYER: Please draw me deeper into You LORD Jesus. Father in Heaven, You sent Your only begotten Son to die for me in order that I might be raised up in new life in this brief life and eternally. I love You Jesus and ask You to lead me to that crucified life that you lived when here on earth and as You gave Your life blood on the cross to save Your people. Please quicken me by Your Holy Spirit and fill me afresh O LORD, that this life You gave might be fully one with You and fruitful and pleasing to Thee. Lord, I am watching and praying in light of Your soon return. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
If you truly desire to know more about how to really know the LORD, go here okay: Born Again: What is It?
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Articles
Mother Sings to her Baby [video]
Dare you to try to stop this from playing continually….
If we’ve given our children everything in this world and not JESUS, we’ve failed miserable and clearly prove to be lost souls ourselves.
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Articles
Love in the Body [podcast]
Read 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. King James Bible
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