The Wages of Sin....

The downfall of basketball player Lamar Odom is a heart-wrenching saga of the rise and fall of a sports figure. In fact anyone being found lying unconscious in a Las Vegas brothel is indeed unfortunate. Odom however, even with his fame and fortune, is not immune from sin's disbursement. Because the worse part of a man's life is not how one dies or lives but the final paycheck one receives if that individual dies and is not in Christ. In fact, to this day, sin has never changed it's payment- it's wages are always paid in the unchanging currency of death. (Romans 6:23) The focus of the Christian however is not on the sick bodies that lie in hospital beds but the soul of a person who is bound for eternal darkness.(Matthew 8:12). The tragedy of a pro ball player, is no different than the tragedy of a housewife, a wall street banker, an auto mechanic or any individual who has not dealt with sin. The sin of someone living as a celebrity, athlete or high roller in a world of sex, drugs and rock and roll, is no different than the local plumber in suburbia or a shop keeper in the inner city of urban America that is trapped in a cycle of lying, coveting and idolatry. Whenever the horrors of vice happens to someone of stature, we focus on the vice or activity that led to the calamity but the root problem of sin is bypassed. Let us pray that "we enter not into temptation but are delivered from evil". For Jesus Himself said: "...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin." (John 8:34). So the first priority for anyone who is sick is the soul first the body second. " for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul"( Mark 8:36). Because hell is the worse place you can go -not Vegas.

Speaking on everything but the gospel

---- If one is to represent Christ on earth, you would think that this individual would present the only message on earth that will rescue human beings from the wrath of God: and that would be the gospel. However the pontiff spoke on many things- but the gospel message was M.I.A. Helpful hints about helping humanity with it's struggles, and people being nice to one another, are okay at times- but it ain't the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Fruit Of Not Knowing The WORD when choosing a Pastor

---One of the huge problems of the modern church are disqualified men pastoring churches. In the video above, this 103 year old woman knew the difference between Pentecostal ministers and Baptist ministers. When she complains the pastor is not baptist and in fact is pentecostal, this so called pastor kicks her out the church and turns out the lights on her during the service, cancels worship and leaves her in the dark. Let's examine this for a moment. Her church is Baptist and it's leaders installed a Pentecostal minister to pastor the church. This lady knows enough of her word to conclude that this minister is not of the baptist faith. Nothing wrong with each denomination using ministers that share characteristics of the values of their particular church. An Anglican church would not hire a Nazarene minster to pastor it's church or a Catholic church would not hire a Methodist minister. So any church has the right to choose according to the values of it's denomination. However there is a bigger problem in the church today than denominational squabbles- and that is: bringing in men who do not meet biblical qualifications for the office of pastoral ministry. The truth is many churches when choosing leadership, have just ignored scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5 and have put in men who look good, sound good and feel good but completely fall short of God's standards for leading the flock of God.

Persecution has begun! Christians arrested and Jailed in the United States of America for not obeying the government

Kentucky Clerk of Court ‪Kim Davis was jailed by a federal gangster, judge yesterday because she refused to put her name on marriage certificates for same-sex couples. We are now witnessing the inevitable from the Supreme Court's dangerous ruling in June. As Americans, our constitution guarantees religious liberty which means we should be able to live out our faith in our everyday lives. Mike Huckabee called this “The Criminalization of Christianity.” This is just the beginning of persecution for believers in the United States. As more and more Christians stand up for their faith a price will ultimately be paid for practicing Christianity in America. Public displays or announcements of your faith will eventually be very costly for anyone who takes a stand for Jesus Christ in a public forum. We are closer than ever til the return of Christ.

When you look for a Church are you looking for "The Presence of God"?

Here Dr. M.Lloyd Jones in the video brings the true essence of worship. Enjoy!

The Government Wants the Sermons of Pastors that Criticize Homosexuality

---Houston we have a problem---What is happening in Houston is coming to a city near you. As we approach the end of the church age- in post-Christian America-more and more harassment will be happening to believers as time goes on. This is just the tip of the iceberg of a movement that is gaining momentum day by day. There is a rising backlash against anything that resembles orthodox Christianity. And soon an overt hatred of Christians will be actively practiced and tolerated by the masses. But isn't this what Jesus said over 2000 years ago?"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. - (John 15:18,19)

Persecution of Believers For The Sake of Christ

Persecution is real and alive around the world for Christians and it has been for over 2000 years. We in America have never experienced persecution at this level seen in the middle east, Africa, and Asia before, but persecution is coming to our shores. How intense and how frequent only God knows- but suffering and trials are promised to every true believer of Jesus Christ and Americans are not immune. If we are to practice authentic biblical Christianity as opposed to western style Churchianity, we will experience resistance and conflict. In fact, anytime you begin to shine light in darkness it will be met with opposition. However we are now in the United States, slowing seeing a rising hostility to evangelicals that has never been seen before and this been escalating rapidly in the last twenty years and will continue. Christians must begin to arm themselves with the gospel of Jesus Christ, shrouded in prayer and be drenched in the word of God to adequately fight against the coming onslaught of the cultural war that will be waged against those who claim the name of Christ. Politics and Social morality crusades are not the weapons of our warfare because our battle is spiritual not carnal. (2 Corinthians 10:3)

When The Church Loves The World.

When the church loves the world it will try and be like the world and become the world and it will no longer be salt and light in the world. It will instead become dead no matter how many people it attracts.

The hidden plague of the church: IDOLATRY

This is one of the dirty little secrets that goes un-noticed and that plagues the body of Christ that few wish to speak about. Yet it is running rampent in the modern church today: Idolatry

Getting The Word Out On Sin

Abortion is sin and the church needs to get the message out on an evil that society thinks is acceptable, but that God sees as an abomination. We cannot overlook the sins of people as we reach out with the love of Christ through the gospel. Those who have suffered with abortions must know that God's love is for them in the person of Jesus Christ and He has paid the price for those sins. And like all sins they must be addressed, confessed and repented of.