Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 29, 2019 at 03:16AM

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via IFTTT Do you trust God? If so, then whom do you fear? Who is so powerful as to pluck you out of the hands of the Son of God, Jesus, who already conquered death itself. Who can overpower Jesus? Who can sneak past to attack you? Who? Much of life is resolved in this simple fact, either God is God or He is not. If He is not God almighty, then everything is in vain. We do not stand a chance. All is lost. But if He is God, then we have all hope, all promise, and have nothing to fear. There is no in-between. Does God protect His own? Of course! Does He make mistakes? Does He sleep? Of course not. We live our lives forever under His watchful eye and protective hand. The other day I was walking through our pasture with my two year old son. The pasture is littered with dangerous plants, bull nettles, poison oak, thorny vines. Danger and injury lurk at every step if not careful. Yet my son merrily walked along by my side, holding my hand, oblivious to the danger. As his father, I constantly scanned the path ahead to gently guide him to the safest direction. Our path was twists and turns, the purpose of which he knew nothing. He smiled and chatted as he held my hand and followed my lead through dangerous ground. He was in no danger at all. I steered his every step to avoid any problem. Until, seeing a butterfly flirt by, he let go of my hand to chase it! This moment of "I'll go my way and have some fun" put him in danger. Not realizing which plants could hurt him, he could have gotten into real trouble. So, what did I do? Grabbed his hand of course! I regained my place as navigator of his life. He was disappointed, sure. He wanted to chase butterflies! Dad's rules are so boring! But... Dad kept him safe from dangers he could not comprehend. Those rules, which seem to prevent to fun of the moment, actually prevent injury and pain that he couldn't see. He was never in danger as long as he submitted to my lead and held on to my hand. Are you holding the Father's hand? If so, trust him. He will not let anything harm you. He will guide your steps and build a wall of protection around you. In that little walk through the pasture, I would have done anything for my son. A wasp, a snake, a scorpion, all was avoided and even if something came to attack him, that evil would have had to get past me first with my child in my protective arms. God is a loving protective father. He sees the dangers ahead. Sometimes He chases our hand when we spy colorful butterflies, but always He guards and protects us. All we must do is submit to His lead, and hold His hand. Then trust. I would have been saddened deeply if my son were fearful on that walk. Fear would mean that he did not trust me completely to guide and protect him. Anxiety would mean my son felt the need to protect himself from unknown dangers. He didn't think I could. It was his peace and light heartedness that showed me his trust. Do we treat our Father like that? Do we declare trust but live in fear? Do we become anxious, expecting an attack that our father will miss? Is He capable? Is He willing? Is He God? The faith of a child to trust. The obedience of a child to submit. Those two bring peace in this minefield we call life. Just hold Jesus hand and follow His lead. Relax. Trust. Even as you spy that butterfly, His grip tightens.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 25, 2019 at 03:14AM

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via IFTTT Truth. Light. Life. These three go together. But to perceive truth, we must want to find truth over all else. We must deeply desire to know what is true, even if it means that we must change. Our heart must be right. We must desire truth over all else. At first glance we may be tempted to say "everyone desires truth", but this is not true. Many, often most people, want to make their own truth, go their own way, make their own path. They seek the authority to declare their own truth. They are more concerned with "what is true for me" then absolute truth. In fact, these people end up rejecting the very notion of absolute truth. And it is sad to see. Paul is saying here that there is "a" truth. One. Those who spend their lives dedicated to understanding that truth are blessed with finding it. Those who prefer to run their own lives, never discover truth. Instead they walk around blindly, always learning but never understanding. And the amazing point is what Paul says here. "God Himself gives them a deluding spirit". They will not see the truth even if standing right in front of it. They will continue to believe their own lies, and the lies of the voices they hear. Is this cruel? Why would God block someone from find ding truth? Simple... He can not allow them to find truth through their own efforts. If they did, they would "be like God", the promise of satan in the garden. Satan told man it is best to "eat of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil" because doing so would make man "like God" , able to be independent, an authority to himself. And man fell for it. If God then allowed man to succeed in this open rebellion, man would be convinced it was best to betray God and thereby play right into satan's hands. So, God hides truth from those who seek to follow through on that rebellion of the garden. Creating our own truth or denying that there is absolutely truth is the same sin. This sort of rebellious attitude against God will fail. God Himself ensures it. What is the answer then? Seek truth, the truth. Even if truth means we are wrong, even if it means that we must change, seek truth above all else. Strive to lay aside our own thoughts and perceive the wisdom of God. But with a heart of service to the author of truth. Seek to serve God in truth. Not to empower ourselves, but to please our Father, Creator and God. Today we see endless debates on social media, and in person. People seemingly oblivious to truth. They debate not focused on finding truth, but in furthering what they see as truth. An attitude of pride and rebellion. Sin. And this sin brings the deluding influence where we do believe the lie. There is no logic, no argument that can convince such a person otherwise. Only when God lifts the deluding influence will they see the light. And that will only happen when the heart changes from proving truth to finding truth. Do you know the truth? Paul admitted that even he "saw life through a dark glass". He did not understand it all yet he taught millions and authored most of the New testament. Finding truth is a lifetime of peeling back layers of the onion one at a time. Diving deeper and deeper into understanding, led by the Holy Spirit. You see, no man can make you or I see truth. Only God can do that. We speak words, but the Holy Spirit opens the understanding. He is the teacher who will lead us into all truth. Man is words. Spirit is truth. So pray, seek God to open your eyes and heart. Whether it be in politics, health, psychology, science, finances, education, family life, relationships, social issues, whatever... Turn to Him for truth. Pray to understand. Stop turning to man for truth and go straight to the author, God. It starts in prayer. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Start there.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 22, 2019 at 03:15AM

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via IFTTT Who have you "built up" today? This so the job of the church, to stand together as a family and love each other. Not as the world loves, but love from God that is the love of a sibling. A loving sibling is always there to hold your hand, offer a shoulder to cry on, give advice, or stand and declare correction. A loving sibling would never let another go astray and harm themselves without speaking truth. This is the church. Work. Watchful work for each other. Serving. Jesus spent his last evening with the disciples demonstrating this concept in the washing of the disciples feet. Service others unselfishly. He is our example. We are to wash feet. Not literally, but figuratively. Giving ourselves, our resources, our time, our heart to our sibling in Christ. Whatever they need, being the conduit for that. It is work. Being a member of God's church is not about receiving at all, but giving. Selfish people focus on receiving, and Jesus followers are called to put aside all selfishness. Being a member of the local church is about giving. Not just tighing, but giving all that we have in living for our siblings in Christ. Consider nothing to be "yours" but all that you have is given by God so that you can share with those who need. All. Hold nothing back. Do you have a word? An insight? A hug? A warning? Share it! The local church is the hospital or base camp for the war of good and evil. Christians are constantly under attack as well as ever attacking the enemy. The church is where we support each other, encourage each other, correct each other, minister to each other, so that we may return to the battle stronger and purer. This is church membership. Giving. Serving. Set aside the selfish desire to get more than you give. Concentrate on others more than yourself. This is the way to peace and comfort, through giving. It is also the way to obedience. Who have you served today? Who is better off with the Lord because you were there? If a name escapes you... Hurray. Go serve! Serve someone before the day sets, none of us knows if we shall see tomorrow. Serve now while you can. Jesus washed feet. What shall you do today?

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 21, 2019 at 02:58AM

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via IFTTT Work. Good honest hard work. It's a good thing! Our ambition should be to support our own needs, to not rely on others for our existence. But to work for a living. Honest pay for an honest day's work. Life is not about enjoyment, not about recreation. Life is not video games and golfing and socializing with friends. Life is work. The foundation must come first. Caring for our own needs is the foundation. Perhaps we have lost this drive in our society. Perhaps it's just easier to let someone else pay the bills and we enjoy life. Perhaps we even feel as though "they" owe us. But that is not scripture. That is not the gospel. We should never be "comfortable" existing because someone else worked and we didn't. Each of us is called to care for our own needs. This is not new, not at all. Think back to the garden where it all started. Part of the curse on man for sin was, yes, work. "you shall eat of the field by the sweat of your brow". Work. Why? Because it's good and just. Man desired to find his own way in the world, to know good and evil, make our own choices. So, God said ok, but in return you no longer get a free ride. With freedom and autonomy come responsibility and need for work. Originally God had light work intended for man, just to tend His garden. But there were no weeds, no predators, no bad weather, no seasons, no real "work" to it. Sin is what changed everything. Sin is what made the ground cursed and difficult to eat from. And sin is why we work, God ordained it. Satan constantly offers us an alternative to God's plan. In this truth of "hard work" Satan offers all sorts of alternatives. Live off others (welfare), live off the government (socialism), live off chance (gambling), cheat, steal, or even...live off your parents. None of these can be a life choice for the Christian. These are Satan saying "you don't really have to work so hard because of sin...no...be like God!" But it's all a lie. No one owes us anything. God says we must work to provide for ourselves. Period. Sure, there is always times, seasons of life when we have difficulty. The church is called to support those in need. But this is for a season, not a life choice. And even within those seasons, our "ambition" should be to become self supporting. A quiet self supporting life. That is the call Paul gives. Be an example. Give more then you get. Do not buy into the entitlement mentality. No one owes you anything. If you receive help, it is by the grace of one generous to you. We are not entitled to anything. We demanded to make our own path back in the garden. We deserve nothing. All is from Grace, undeserved grace. It's a heart attitude. Receiving welfare is not bad. Living comfortably off welfare and being ok with that, is bad. Feeling like someone owes us bread, is bad. Selfish, sinful. A quiet and self supporting life. Not extravagant, not wealth to outshine the neighbors. Just a quiet self supporting life shining the light of Christ to all we encounter. That is the Christian's ambition.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 20, 2019 at 03:10AM

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via IFTTT Sin. Disobedience to the God who created us. Refusing His instruction by instead creating our own vision of the truth based on the passions of the flesh. Sin. The call of the gospel, cover to cover in the Bible really, is to lay aside the flesh and the desires of the flesh. Yet today, Satan has deceived even those in the church to celebrate the flesh and it's desires. That is directly contrary to the gospel. "But I am made this way" is not a defense of sin in any sense. In fact, it doesn't matter at all whether we are built to desire sin or we choose sin. The remedy is the same, we must turn against sin completely. It is in fact the desire of the flesh, born or built, that Jesus conquered on the cross, so that we may be set free from the power of sin. Being set free means we no longer are compelled to sin! Regardless of why we sinned, we can walk free of sin through the cross. Homosexuality, is a sin, just as promiscuity, adultery, prostitution. Each of these is sexuality immorality. Is one worse than the other? Why even ask? All are punishable by death! One problem we have in America today is, we pick sins to celebrate and others to ignore. While celebrating the open sin of homosexual marriage, we ignore the open sin of sexual relations outside of or before marriage. Sin is sin. Immorality is immorality. All is punishable by the death penality. Paul calls us here to set aside the desire of the flesh. All flesh is evil, sin, abhorrent to a holy God. Any sexual relations outside of the God ordained lifetime commitment of marriage between man and woman is sin. Often we find those celebrating the sin of homosexuality are also enjoying the sin of sex outside of lifetime committed marriage. Sin gives birth to more sin. Lust of any sort, is evil and sinful, and leads to misery. The message of the gospel is, lay aside the flesh, all of it. Any desire of man. All must be brought under the authority of Christ. All. The flesh and it's passions must be submitted to the cross to die. And die it will! We are set free from the desires of the flesh by the forgiveness of the cross followed by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Whether it is drug addiction, gluttony, sexual desire outside of marriage, same sex attraction or any other desire of the flesh. The Gospel sets us free! Free to joyously follow God's plan and law. Celebrating sin is sin. We are called to expose sin, all sin. We are called to die daily to the desires of our flesh and submit to life in Christ. Choosing to hang on to any sin, is sin, and separates us from the blessings and life of God. Homosexuality is sin. Sexual relations outside of marriage is sin. Serial monogamy is sin. Adultery is sin. Prostitution is sin. And sin is death. The cross frees us from the desire for sin. That is the gospel! No lust of the flesh is stronger than the redeeming and cleansing power of Christ. Each of us must submit to Christ the desires of our flesh, whatever those are, and let Christ cleans us and overcome those desires through His might. Stop celebrating sin, and live free of the flesh through Christ.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 18, 2019 at 03:29AM

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via IFTTT Satan hindered us. Wait.... Wasn't Paul preaching a gospel of power over the enemy? How could Paul then say that satan hindered his efforts to minister to the church? Did satan win? What gives? First off, no. Satan did not win. Sure Paul was somehow blocked from personally visiting the church as he wanted, but two positive things came from that. In the next chapter we find that Timothy went instead. Timothy was Paul's right hand man, but younger. It was a deeply valuable training experience for Timothy to be sent in Paul's stead. And then Paul ends up writing the letter that you and millions of others have read since that day. Had Paul gone, we would not have this book in the Bible. Satan didn't win in the long run, he never does. God is still master of the future. God always wins. But Paul's personal wishes? Blocked. We do not read that God "sent" Paul, but that Paul himself wanted to go. What was hindered? Personal desires. Had Paul been so instructed, he would surely have stood firmly against the hindrance and rebuked it as he had several times before. But he didn't. It wasn't God's ultimate plan. Our personal desires are often hindered. Difficulties come, challenge arise. Satan works diligently to hinder all that he can. Why does God allow this? How do you gain strength? Is it not but working against resistance? Lifting weights build muscle. Facing opposition builds faith and perseverance. God allows Satan to challenge our efforts so that we grow strong in facing opposition. Life following Christ is not a vacation, it is a war. We are on the front lines. The more good we do for the kingdom of God, the more satan takes notice and attacks us. He naturally attacks those most committed, in our most vulnerable way. There is an old saying from the airforce, "if your not taking flak, you are not over the target". We are attacked, hindered when satan is threatened, when we are on the right path, when we do God's work effectively. And that is a good thing. It makes us strong in the Lord The takeaway here is, stay diligent. We will be attacked when we do good. Hinderances will come to discourage us, block us, distract us. But God will always win. Don't fear, don't fret. God has a plan.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 17, 2019 at 04:22AM

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via IFTTT Satan is powerless. Powerless to stop a saint. Think.. what can satan do against us? Can he deceive God? Can he circumvent God's ways? Can he slip one in somehow? What can he really do? He can't! Satan is already defeated! Jesus defeated satan fully at the cross. All power and authority was given to Jesus, even the authority over death. That is why Jesus last words on the cross were "it is finished". The battle between good and evil is won. Satan has no more power over us. None. Satan is in fact powerless to stop a saint washed in the blood, filled with the Spirit and following God's lead. There was a missionary who was sent to one of the darker nations of South America. This missionary was alone facing a village deep into witchcraft. Voodoo, black magic were all around. It was a stronghold of Satan. This missionary just kept on preaching in that village, people were seeing the light and finding Jesus. One night, after a profitable service the man awoke in his tent. He awoke aware of a presence in the tent. It was filled with darkness, the air hung with foreboding evil everywhere. It felt as if the very gates of hell had engulfed him. He was laying on his cot facing the outside wall, so couldn't see what was happening. When he turned over in bed he saw an awful sight. At the door of the test, amidst all the enveloping blackness, was satan Himself standing tall with a flaming sword, evil eyes trained on him cutting through to the man's very soul. Sword poised to strike, evil dripping from the fiery image of evil. The man, a true faithful man of God, simply said "oh, it's only you" then rolled over and went back to sleep. Fully confident in God's protective power! Why do we fret? Why do we fear? Why do we walk anxious? We face a defeated foe! The battle is over! Jesus won, Satan lost. Satan can not touch us! Not my words but the words of Jesus. The promise. We are safe in His hands. Paul faced much opposition. Threatened, beaten, jailed, falsely accused, harassed, yet Jesus appears to Paul and says "keep going, do not fear, I have already planted many of my own people here to assist you". God had already orchestrated things so that Paul was safe and could have a break. He spent a year and a half freely walking and preaching Jesus. God had cleared the way. You can walk boldly forward in God's plan for you. Not boasting, not selfishly, not flaunting God's mighty power, but humbly walking in quiet strength without fear. Satan can do nothing to block us, stop us, or harm us. He speaks lies when he threatens. Don't listen! Jesus speaks the truth. Follow me and you shall tread on serpents and scorpions, and they shall Hy no means hurt you

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 16, 2019 at 04:42AM

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via IFTTT Who sent you? Paul makes a point to open this letter to the church at Galatia with a bold statement. "Sent by God". Not by man nor the agency (decision) of man, but but God Himself. That is quite bold! Yes, and that is how we are called to live. Did you decide where to go yesterday? Did you decide who to talk to? Were those minutes you spent under your control, or God's? Be honest when evaluating, honest with yourself. How dare we steal back from God? When we accept Christ as saviour, when we give our lives to God, do we then take back control ? Do we remain the master of our day? Are we in fact free to choose? Well, did you lie? Did you tell Jesus that you give your life but not mean it? How can we claim to be "saved", if we run our own life day to day? How are we back in control of those minutes? How is the choice ours? One of the biggest problems I see in the church today, is it is a numbers game. We count how many "accepted Christ" at the last revival, how many came to the alter. But ... Did their lives truly change? Did those numbers of people wake up the next morning, and every morning thereafter actively yielding control of their day to Jesus? Accepting Christ is not a formula, it is not words we speak, it is not ceremony. That's the old convenant of works. Jesus calls us to "take up your cross and follow", Paul calls us to "die daily to our own desires", Jesus calls us to depend on God for our very breath and food daily as a little child. Simply said, if your salvation is real, you no longer choose your life path. You no longer decide what to do with your minutes. Do you want to go fishing? Is that what Jesus would do? Do you want to watch that TV show? What would Jesus do? Do you want to relax? What would Jesus do? Do you want that drink, that pill, that whatever? What would Jesus do? Do you want that new job? That raise? That car? What would Jesus do ? Yes, extreme! That is who we are called to be... The extreme, the salt, a peculiar people! A Christian should never "fit in", but stand out like a sore thumb. Christians are to be so obvious that there is no doubt who they follow. Paul was sent by God. Powerful words for a powerful life. And you are sent by God in the same way. He has a plan for you. Yield to his plan, daily. Stop thinking that you have choices to make. You truly have only one choice... Follow the Holy Spirit in each moment as you promised, or not. That's it. Every decision we face then becomes simply.. what would Jesus do, our decision making becomes "Lord, what would you have me do here". The beauty of this way of life is... Trust and peace. If you submit to Jesus leadership of your life, if you truly give control of your day to Him, then relax. Rest. Stop fretting. Trust that He will honor that act and actually guide you. That brings perfect peace! Peace is not found in chooseing the right path for yourself, it is found in giving up control to Jesus and letting the Holy Spirit guide you every day on every way as Jesus promised. Trust that if you make a mistake, it's ok too because He can turn mistakes into gold. Just keep following Him. Paul was sent by God.... And so are you.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 15, 2019 at 05:04AM

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via IFTTT To be a humble child of God. What does it mean to be a child? A humble child? Looking at the context of this scripture is wye opening, and heart touching. The disciples were arguing over who would be the greatest in heaven. They were comparing their abilities, their accomplishments, their talents, their strength and using those worthless things to judge who God would reward most in heaven. Jesus comes back and says "you have it all backwards!" A child, a him humble child is dependent, not self sufficient. A child can not even get through a day without parents help. How does he eat? Where does he sleep? How does he protect himself? A child is totally dependent on the parent. Totally. For everything, everyday. And yet that child enjoys that dependency. They do not think of themselves lowly for it. A child feels peace and rest in the father's ability. A child trusts in "my dad if bigger than your dad", not in his own ability. A child does not worry about the future, he plays, free to enjoy his day because he just knows his dad is taking care of him. A child's strength comes from his father. That is the picture of the gospel. Total absolute helplessness bathed in total absolute dependency on Christ for every situation of every day bringing peace in the storm unfathomable in the world. How often have you relied on your own talents to get through the day? How often have you faces a challenge with "I can do this" mustering up self confidence to take on the challenge? How often have you sought to strengthen yourself to overcome the battle ? How often have you thought "I must remain positive"? That is not the life of a child. When a humble child is treatened or hurt, he runs to dad. He cries "Abba Father!". He does not stand and fight on his own, he cries for protection, guidance. Remember, as your thoughts drift back now into the world's wisdom, we are talking about a "little child" not a teenager. Jesus pulled a little child to Himself to demonstrate this. Let's say, a 4 year old. A child. That is what must be to find peace. We are to realize that we can not live life on our own terms. We are NOT to achieve success apart from total dependence on God. We are not to search through self-help books for the answer. We are not to use our own will power. We are not to rely on our strengths at all. Why? Because we will fail. Think of Job. Job was singled out by God to loose everything. Could Job have resisted? Could Job have succeeded on his own? Is Job above God? No. Job became like a child, humble and submissive, after he lost everything. Think of Jonah. He was a capable prophet. He heard from heaven, but decided on his own path. Could Job have escaped the hand of God? Could Job calm the storm? Could Job rescue himself from the belly of the fish? No. In the end Job humbles himself and relied on God. Think of Moses. Could Moses overpower pharaoh? Could Moses persuade him? Could Moses force the release of the Israelites? No. Moses was powerless and humble like a child. Yet today the call of the church, of God's children, seems to be "I don't need God!" Sure was give lip service to "must be saved to get to heaven" but then we spend our days relying on our own strength, abilities, talents. We seek health and peace through professionals, medicines, therapies. We seek to get wiser, stronger, more capable. Through education, practice, work. That is not the gospel! Give up! Become like a child! Rest in "my father is greater than yours, my dad can do anything" and know that he will, when you step out of the way. Radical thinking. Success through dependence. Strength through weakness. But this brings peace. Five up and life today as a child. Depend on your heavenly dad for your very existence. Let Him be the dad He seems to be, and rest, play, enjoy life.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 14, 2019 at 03:10AM

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via IFTTT Authority. The authority to command others. Authority to command things unseen. How does this work? Paul spoke with authority and when he did, things happened. But why? Can anyone say anything and it "is done" as in this example? Jesus did say we would speak and those words would carry power. Are there limits? Can we speak anything and it instantly happens? Let's take a look at something closer to home. Human authority. Let's say as a everyday normal citizen, I see someone do something illegal. Do I have the authority to run up to that person and declare "you are under arrest!" ? I can certainly confront them, attempt to detain them, but I do not have the personally authority to arrest and jail them pending trial. I do not have the authority to "try" them and declare judgement. My personal involvement in the entire system of Justice is limited. In fact, most people when they see something illegal take place.... They call the authorities. How does one gain authority to act with authority against lawbreakers? Simple, they are granted that authority from some source of authority. Someone with authority must use that authority to grant authority. Perhaps it comes in the form of a badge, a title, a certificate, but it is granted by one already possessing authority. In other words, we can not give ourselves authority. That is what lawbreakers do, that is what dictators do. Self proclaiming authority over others is evil. As a follower of Christ then, our authority to command things comes from Jesus Himself. We do things in His name only because He has granted that authority upon meeting some conditions. One is that we do things according to God's will, not ours. Another is that we submit to the full leadership of Christ. Another is that we do not use authority for any sort of personal gain. There are several conditions that must be met laid out in scripture. Another analogy here is a bank account. I can not write checks out of your bank account unless first you authorize me with to do so at the bank. My name must be written down as an authorized agent. That grants me authority to spend money from your account as per any agreement between you and I. So, Paul's name was written down as one who could speak in Jesus name. Jesus granted that authority as long as Paul adhered to the conditions. The demons knew Paul. They knew he spoke in Jesus name, that Paul wrote checks from the bank of heaven. Paul was an authorized agent. Are you? Is your name written down as an authorized agent of Jesus? Do you have legal right to speak in His name? You do if you are truly repentant, washed clean of sin by the blood of Jesus, and filled with the Holy Spirit. But, you must still adhere to the conditions. Just because I can write checks off your account as an authorized agent does not mean I can do so to pay for my new million dollar home. Each individual expenditure must still be approved by you, the account owner. Each expenditure must adhere to your wishes. It is still, after all, your money and I am only authorized to spend it according to your wishes. So it is with Jesus authority. Being a child of God, washed in the blood, filled with the Holy Spirit gives us legal authority to speak in Jesus name. But each time we do so we must be led of the Spirit to do so. We must adhere to the conditions of scripture or suffer the wrath of God for misusing the great riches of heaven. So, yes, we can command spirits, we can declare things that come to pass. We have authority to act in Jesus name. But, we had better be praying without ceasing, daily repenting, dead to personal desires, and in constant communication with the Holy Spirit that guides us minute by minute. Jesus name is powerful. He is the creator of the universe. His word spoke all into being. He is the king of all Kings. And He grants us authority to speak in His name as Gods children washed in His blood. Be careful to use that authority wisely.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 13, 2019 at 03:21AM

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via IFTTT The spirit of God forbade them to go into Asia. Why? The apostles were on a great missionary journey to spread the good news around the world. The great commission! Why not Asia? Is there some grand reason that God forsook Asia? No. It turns out... God was answering a prayer. In the next verses, Paul sees a vision of a man crying out for help. God redirected them because there was an urgent need, somewhere else. There is a deep lesson here. God is in charge of His church and the actions of the church, always. We make plans. Long term plans. Set on a vision given by God. Good things, worthy things. Truly hearing from heaven we embark out to succeed. But... We must always remember we are not in charge. This is God's work, not ours. We have no right to decide where we go or what we do. it is not our strategy. Or is it? Have you ever chosen a path in life and then worked feverishly to accomplish a goal down that path? Have you fought against opposition to make your goal come about? Sounds commendable, but we must be careful. At any point we could be redirected, the goal could be postponed or cancelled by God working through current events. Are we listening enough to hear? Are we willing to follow? Or shall we forget ahead on our own, forcing what we think to be right to happen? Here the missionaries had the right goal, but God redirected them. Several years later they did go to Asia, but after a new mission was accomplished in Macedonia. But... The point is... Paul didn't know WHERE they were to go or why they were being redirected until AFTER they had obeyed by not going to Asia. Think about that. First God says "no" to their plan. Stopped them dead in their tracks. Only when they didn't resist the block did Paul receive the vision of going to Macedonia. For a time, a long time, these men were lost, wondering where they should turn. All they had was closed doors before them. Often when God directs our path, it is only one step at a time, and that means that "no" to the expected path must be obeyed before "yes" to a new path. What if Paul had not listened to the no? What if he had boldly forced his way to Asia to complete his plans and mission? Yes, what if? Following Jesus day by day means not having a long term plan that sets our future. That would put us back in control instead of the Holy Spirit. That would eventually be disobedience and sin! Even when God says to "go do this" we must always be listening and willing to hear "wait.. go here instead". It doesn't mean the first was wrong... It simply means something new came up. Our lives are a battle. We live in a war zone, soldiers of a mighty king. In battle things can change on a dime. No warning, no explanation. New orders. Our job is to listen, hear, follow Bottom line? Pray without ceasing. Always stay available and led by God's Spirit, not our own understanding. Never assume we know the whole story. Never assume the story is forever. Life following Jesus is full of twists, turns, changes, excitement, surprises. If we are set on truly following Him, we can embrace the "following" part and live at peace as plans change. Do with today what He leads to do and see what tomorrow might bring.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 11, 2019 at 06:23AM

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via IFTTT Paul? Which way is it? Here we see Paul following the law, but he just made such a point of the law not being necessary and in fact later refuses to circumcise a new believer. What wrong with Paul? Nothing is wrong, Paul is demonstrating freedom! Just because we don't HAVE to follow the law does not mean that we CANT follow the law. That would be legalism to say that we can't follow the law, just like saying we must. As followers of Christ we are free, free to follow the Holy Spirit daily in every situation. Here Paul was about to embark on missonaru journey to mostly Jews. Timothy was half Jew but never before circumcised. That presented a challenge, a roadblock to the mission to Jews. To remove that roadblock Paul allowed Timothy to be circumcised. It wasn't done in relation to legalism, but to further to gospel. This is how we are to walk, not by law but by spirit. Don't become legalistic about following or not following the law. Stop the endless debate. The law is nothing to salvation. Our heart is what matters. Pray without ceasing, that you might know the path, for it is not a written map, but spoken directions.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 09, 2019 at 03:05AM

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via IFTTT Here is the simple answer to a debate still raging today. Why do we still argue over something settled so long ago? Because the attraction to legalism is strong, very strong. In fact, legalism is connected to the original sin of desiring to be like God by seeking for ourselves the knowledge of good and evil so that we can decide. So that we can choose our own path. The apostles here struggled with the common question, "do those who believe today need to follow the law of Moses"? Are we bound by regulations around food, ceremony, etc? In a word, no. After much debate and seeking the Holy Spirit, they agree on 4 and only 4 things new believers are bound to: 1. Avoid things sacrificed to idols 2. Avoid drinking blood 3. Avoid meat that did not have blood drained 4. Avoid fornication Interestingly, these are the top 4 actions performed in satanic rituals, and the top 4 things pushed by the world today. But, these are not actually things originating in the law of Moses. When God told Noah it was good to eat meat for the first time in human history, He gave a restriction of no blood, no strangling. Blood from animals was to be poured on the ground before consuming the meat. This was a law of how to properly eat meat for all humans. Things knowingly sacrificed to idols, represent the products of things done in obvious rebellion to God. Universal law. One can not participate in open rebellion to God on any level and claim righteousness. Fornication, a word used to describe sexual sin of any nature, violates the basic structure of the family created by God. It is a base perversion from "what is good" to "what feels good", putting man back in control instead of God. These four things, rebellion to God directly through idol worship, rebellion to the natural order of the circle of life, and rebellion to the structure of the family, are at the core of human existence. Universal law. The rest of the law of Moses, the apostles proclaim to be not an obligation to new believers. Their reasons are well documented in this chapter. Why do we continue to argue about things settled so long ago? Why is there still a question today of "can I eat pork?" Or "must I circumcise my son?" ? Because the heart of man is evil. The heart of man constantly wants to rule over others through laws, guidelines, restrictions, whatever he can. "You can't do this" or "you must do that" is a common element of religion. And it is wrong. We are to live day by day, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit in each moment in every detail of life. To ensure we do not go astray we check our paths against the written word that is consistent in the entirety of scripture and we pray without ceasing. A humble heart constantly seeking "what would Jesus do" will not betray God. But it's not that the law is done away with. That's the wrong way to think of this. Instead it is that now, through the Holy Spirit living within us , we can finally fulfil the spirit of law daily. We will keep the law, in spirit, when we seek to follow God. But we do not rely on the specific actions of the law to make us acceptable to God. Following the letter of the law does not make us better than anyone else. Laws necessarily describe the intent of the lawgiver and set the minimum bar to achieve. But we are called to live beyond the minimum, living in the will and heart of God. And we can, by following the Holy Spirit instead of the letter of the law. The law is an education. It shows us God's heart and the way of happiness in this life. It is good. But it does not cleanse the heart. It is powerless to save us. Nevertheless we seek to know it because all true believer desire to know God, their creator. True believers want to follow God's laws. It is not a burden, but a joy. But we do not follow the written law, rather the living law of the Holy Spirit speaking to us within. The written law just serves as an introduction and a double check against error. Can we eat pork? Sure. Must we be circumcised? No. Must we weigh each of those actions against the witness they give others? Yes. Sound complex? It isn't really. Just do this.... Always ask in every situation, "what would Jesus do" and trust that your daily reading of scripture, and constant prayer without ceasing will allow you to hear that still small voice guiding you into all truth.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 07, 2019 at 03:05AM

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via IFTTT What a far cry from the message of today! Why such harsh words against the wealthy? We all know the scripture "the love of money is the root of all evil", but there is something even deeper goin on here with this scripture in James. Let's take a deeper look . Who is wealthy in this world? I present to you that it is not a measure of the bank account, but of the attitude. We do not actually own anything. Nothing. Not after we turn our lives over to Jesus. How can we? We are then dead. The old man is dead and we are a new creature. Dead men can not own anything! Once we turn our lives over to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we own nothing Let that sink in. A Christian owns nothing! It all belongs to God ! He owns all that we have, we are just managing it for Him! It is not for us to decide what to do with any wealth in our control. Doesn't matter if your bank account is $10 or a million dollars, it's God's, not yours. So, logically speaking ,if a man claims to be wealthy, says he is wealthy, he is not a follower of Christ! How can we be following Christ and claim to have things not given to God completely? It is a matter of attitude, not numbers. Anyone that boasts in their riches, whether small or large, has declared themselves rebellious against God. They have admitted to withholding from God what is His. They have claimed to usurp God's authority over all that is in the earth. It is sin! On the other hand, a man with a large bank account can count himself poor. He can take the proper view that none of it is his. He does not spend $10 without taking that expense to God. "Is it His plan to spend that this way?" The righteous man, the follower of Christ makes no decision devoid of prayer because he understands the he himself is poor. It is all God's to do with what He pleases. If it all disappears one day, he takes no worry because it wasn't His anyway! He is only managing a part of God's riches for Him. He has to say over the riches autonomously. But America, oh America. We priase those who steal from God. We praise and admire those who claim to be wealthy and successful. We assume those boasting in riches and success are somehow better, we give them honor and power and authority. Woe to America! It all sin, rotting and rusting until judgement say! At the end of days we will forsake the rich who withheld and rejected God because we will see their filth and poverty. By boasting in riches they rejected Christ! And that left them dirty and filthy in sin. But in that last day, it will be too late. We will see that our praise of the wealthy and successful has left us rejecting Christ also! America is poor and filthy, praising others who are poor and filthy. It is all sin! Don't fall into the trap. Know that anyone who counts themselves wealthy has rejected Christ for their wealth. Only by giving all to Jesus do we become a follower of Christ. This doesn't mean zero in the bank balance, it means an attitude of zero bank balance. It's all in the heart, not the numbers. Honor and respect those who reject the riches of the world, who use those riches to help the needy. Who walk in worldly poverty with heavenly wealth. Those who understand and speak the truth that it is all God's wealth, not ours. Those who never spend a dollar on their own lusts and desires Be wary of preachers and politicians who portray riches, who glory in their riches, who spend much on themselves. Preachers because they are to exemplify living as Christ, with no place to lay his head. And politicians because if their heart is so evil as to live lavishly, they will steal from you just as they have stolen from God. Remember, it is the humble, the meek who will inherit the world, not the rich and powerful. If you see a man boasting on himself, his abilities, his success, his riches, know that that man can not know Christ. Know that that man has evil in his heart. Know they they will drag you down into hell with them, by glorying in their riches, power, and authority. Yes, hard words indeed. Woe to the rich! It is an awful state to be in. To consider oneself rich is to consider oneself to be a god. How sad. We should look on them not with praise, but with pity. Woe to them. Scripture is scripture. We can't ignore the parts that we don't like. We must see truth! And the truth is, all that we have is not ours. For if we claim it to be and act as if it is, we are very very guilty of sin and hardness of heart. Have you walked in this sin? Most of us have. It is the American way to praise and honor wealth, just like Babylon. We have recreated Babylon of old, by praising, electing, honoring those who oppose God by claiming their own wealth and success. God will not overlook this sin. Judgement is coming. America will face it So repent! Repent of considering what He has given you to be yours. Repent of walking as if you own anything. Repent of honoring those whom scripture pitys. Repent of holding back from God what is rightfully His and repent of praising others who so oppose God. Repent, give it all to Jesus. The balance won't change, but the heart will.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 06, 2019 at 03:16AM

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via IFTTT Have you ever made plans? Consider this: in those plans, who was in charge? Did you consider yourself in charge, doing what you think is best? What you desire? Arrogance! We are not in charge of our life. If we were, would we not each choose to live forever? If you do not choose the day your die, how do we think we choose what our future holds? Such arrogance to consider that we are in control. Reality is, none of us know what tomorrow will bring. We may know what we choose to do tomorrow, assuming nothing else happens, but we do not know what will be at the end of the day. Even in this world of modern medicine, science, man's greatest collection of knowledge, we do not know what happens next. Not the next day, not the next minute. It is still all in God's hands. Some would say random chance. Some would say that the impossibility of knowing the future means there is no plan at all, that life is no more than one random event after another. But that is as errant as saying that you yourself are in control. There is a plan, and total control, but it is not in our hands, it it in God's hands. All through scripture we see God raising up a nation, a king. Prospering them exceedingly. It's easy to see the purpose from the pages of scripture, but put yourself in their shoes. Everything is going well. Everything you do works. Prosperity, success, it's in your hands, your ideas. The success enjoyed proves that, or so you think. But then a page of scripture is turned and we see that the prosperity was brought by God, not because the king was doing it right, not because he was smart or wise or capable, but because God needed a strong nation for a purpose. When that purpose was complete the nation failed and diminished to nothing. It wasn't the king after all, but the people assumed it was! The king assumed it was him! How often have you done something and it succeeded? Did you feel proud of your own ability? Or did you thank God for His grace? Was it you, or Him? Arrogance tells us we are something, that we succeeded, that we are special, good at something. And it is all a lie. Everything in our life is in God's hands. He prospers and He destroys as He sees fit. We, actually have little to do with it. So wait... If we don't bring success or failure through our talents, if success is all in God's hands, what of all the training, education, self help books? Yes, what of them. If God is picking and choosing blessing, how can one person's approach be valuable? Will following that approach bring success to another? Is this to not in God's hands? You see, the point of all this is, it's all Jesus. We do what we do, but He grants success or failure. We actually play little of any part of it. So it is pointless to look to the successful and try to emulate their methods. It's pointless to praise one man over his success. It's a lie to think that one is greater than another. It's a lie to think that any man "did" something. Arrogance. It manifests itself in or making of plans without attributing the future to God. It manifests in our praising any man as successful of himself. It manifests in our seeking "the way to do it" apart from God's will. It manifests in our copying the successful hoping to find the same success by doing what they did. And all of that, is evil. It is the very sin that bright death and suffering until our world, seeking the knowledge of good and evil so that we can be like God and do things or own way. No, give it all to Jesus. Follow His specific will for your life day by day. Enjoy His success by merely following, seeking the wisdom of scripture, and spending time listening to the Holy Spirit. He is our guide, our teacher. He brings success. Seek Him first. It's all Jesus, never man.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 04, 2019 at 03:03AM

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via IFTTT Nearly the whole city! People are hungry, hungry for truth, for deliverance, for Jesus. Churches can offer a lot of fancy frills, or much ritual, but what people seek is still just Jesus. In this scripture, the apostles showed up at church one Sabbath and were asked to speak. They were visitors, so it was customary. They spoke the story of the old testament, the scriptures pointing to Jesus. Then they spoke of their own personal witness of the resurrection. Jesus was declared the Messiah because of the resurrection and they witnessed it. That was their testimony and message to the crowd. And that attracted nearly the entire city to the next Sabbath. The talk of the Town for the week was " the saviour has come!". Have you seen the resurrected Jesus? Have you met with the risen saviour? Do you have a testimony? Well... If you do... SPEAK! People are hungry to hear the truth, reality, a personal witness of Jesus. They seek hope, healing, rescue, forgiveness. The apostles proclaimed "Jesus is Alive!". The saviour has come, sins can be forgiven, scripture is fulfilled. What a message! And it is our core message today. All else can wait. All else is meaningless without this foundation. If Jesus be not raised, our lives and churches are useless. The Bible is useless to mankind without the resurrection of Jesus proving that He is the Messiah spoken of, the promise of the ages. You have a message! Jesus is alive! He came, He lived,He died, and He rose! It is finished! Forgiveness for sin, life with our God! You, yes you are to witness to those around you if you have seen Jesus. You are the voice to today. Those you work with, those you live with, Those you meet at the store. You don't need theology, you don't need credentials, you don't need anything but Jesus! Take Him with you and let the Holy Spirit speak! You are the voice, He has the message. Let us not discount this simple truth. Preaching, evangelism, witnessing all starts with Jesus and Him crucified. Don't get caught in endless debates over theology. There is one simple truth to share... Jesus came as promised Jess's lived with us Jesus died unjustly as promised Jesus rose as promised Jesus can therefore forgive your sins And you are a personal witness! Take that message, the gospel, to the world. Wherever you may go, whomever you may meet, and share the news! Don't let anyone escape your presence without knowing that you have been with Jesus! He lives today! Now! Have you been with Jesus today? Felt His presence, Heard his words? If not... Do! Get alone with Him to gain a witness! He lives!

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church May 03, 2019 at 03:19AM

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via IFTTT Darkness. There are many types of darkness. This man, this false prophet, lived in darkness. He was spiritually blind. He spent his life profiting from walking with others in this darkness. His heart and mind were dark. Feeling, direction, and understanding were clouded by this darkness. You see, without God, without Jesus, there is no light. Those who refuse Jesus as the saviour are in darkness. Though they may be educated, trained, practice, there is no light without Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world, there is no other light. All else is darkness. We often fool ourselves into thinking that we or someone else has some shade of light, some useful understanding in some areas. But without Christ, it is darkness. And darkness can not enlighten. How can it? Today we live in a strange world. So many proclaim light, but deny Christ. If Christ is the light, the only light, all else is dark. What they proclaim is not light, but death. It may look appealing, feel appealing, may even make sense, but wisdom says that what they say can not be light if they deny Christ. The path they lead others down, is dark and dreary. Examples are everywhere today. In education, in medical care, in science, in psychology, in child raising. You name it, there is a professional there who proclaims light in their field. But without Christ, yes, it is still darkness! Here this man that was dark inside, was touched by God to become physically blind in order to show himself as well as others the extent of his darkness. He was struck blind and could not find his way home. Just as he was spiritually blindd, God gave him physical blindness. He let the man and others see the extent of the blindness by bringing the blindness from the inside to the outside. Was that cruel? No! God taught this man and those around him a powerful lesson that stands to this day. If we proclaim light while denying Christ, we are truly blind. It is merciful for God to clearly show this truth while this man was alive instead of letting him live in darkness and die in darkness. God gave him a chance through a dose of reality. God showed this man great mercy. Darkness is evil, and all that is built in darkness is suspect. What does this mean for us? Be careful! Be cautious who we trust. If anyone in authority denies Christ (i.e. believes evolution instead of creation) that person is not to be trusted! They are building in darkness. One can not believe in evolution and Jesus. Since Jesus preached creation as a physical event as described in Genesis, those who deny biblical creation make Jesus to be a liar or at least mistaken. Either way, Jesus could not be the Christ. Therefore they deny Christ and are devoid of wisdom. Be careful who you trust. Wisdom starts with a healthy fear of God. Wisdom starts with the fact that God is as written in scripture. Anyone, regardless of credentials, training, education, practice, is but a fool if they deny Jesus or deny biblical creation. This is a tough truth to swallow, especially in today's world so centered on praising man's wisdom while compartmentalizing God and church. To accept this truth means a life change. It means trusting God in every aspect of life: health, finances, employment, education, politics, etc. Nothing is apart from God and scripture. Nothing. Blind Faith in any other source is... Well.. blindness. We are called to walk and live in the light. To spread the light. We can only do that once we rely on the light completely in every aspect of life. Trust God, find wisdom by standing on a firm foundation of scripture. God is faithful when we trust Him first