May the Force NOT Be With You!

The Holy Spirit in the third part of the Trinity, and is not an it and is not some kind of force in the universe. The Holy Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit speaks, not may the force be with you. We need to understand that and whenever we come across that in the Bible, when it refers to the Spirit, with a capital S, it is referring to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity.

Most people's views in the world are pretty narrow when it comes to death. They simply want to avoid the subject all together, but from a believer in Christ's point of view, the Bible is clear, "to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord. The world's view of their god is limited to this world because they don't want to believe that there is life after death. We are simply a breath away from the arms of God.

If you consider the entire birth process and how comfortable the environment is for a baby awaiting to be born. All of its needs are met and the temperature for the most part is a consistent 98.6 degrees. There is an adjustment that comes through the birthing process as they baby is physically expelled from the womb and the environment now changed drastically for that baby. Bright lights, cold, and the way the baby is handled from birth to being cleaned off is pretty harsh compared to what it has been used to. The baby simply doesn't understand that this harsh awakening offers a better life soon. As believers in Jesus, we are just passing through the doorway at that moment into the eternal presence of God.

Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in the Holy Spirit as an actual person so Revelation 14:13 should keep them up at night.

Revelation 14:13b ~ "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"

The Spirit referred to here is with a capital S, meaning the Holy Spirit. He is speaking. An it or a force can't speak. This is not Jesus, or God the Father speaking either, but the Holy Spirit. There are countless times in the Bible where the Holy Spirit spoke to people. It is here that the Holy Spirit comments! Notice that is in reference to labor (sufferings) and works (deeds).

Most parents with children who work with no time to spare, are the ones who serve the most in church and in ministry opportunities. It is the people with the most time who hardly serve at all. There is a rest coming to the people of God. Single people should be pouring their lives into serving in the church. The Bible commands it. A Spirit-filled life will produce biblical fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is the production of biblical works.

John 15:15-16 ~ "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

Jesus wants to call us friends. Tell all your friends from other religions that!

John 15:8 ~ "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."

John 15:1-2 ~ "I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear much more fruit."

John 15:4-5 ~ "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing."

Galatians 5:22-23,25 ~ "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

Matthew 7:16 ~ "You will recognize them by their fruits."

Colossians 1:4-6 ~ "since we hard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing - as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth"

Ephesians 5:8-10 ~ "for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light  in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true). and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord."

Romans 6:22-23 ~ "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

There is an expert witness regarding our lives that will testify and that is the Holy Spirit! He knows us!

Acts 1:4-8 ~ "And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." So when they had come together, they asked him,"Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Zechariah 4:6 ~ "Then he said to me, This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts."

It is the Holy Spirit that guides us to the work that God has called us to do.

Acts 13:1-4 ~ "Now thee were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out, by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus."

Hebrews 6:10 ~ "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do."

Romans 8:16 ~ "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

Ephesians 2:10 ~ "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Galatians 6:9 ~ "And let us not grow weary for doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

You'll be blessed by well doing in your life, even if no one else notices. God does!

The Invitation is Here, What Will Your Response Be?

Is it possible to pray directly to the Holy Spirit? Since the Holy Spirit speaks to us directly we should remember the pattern. Pray to the Father, in the Spirit, in the name of Jesus. Yes you can pray to the Holy Spirit but keep to the pattern as part of your prayer.

Through Chapter 14 we have been learning that this is a parenthetical insert of snippets of information from God not in chronological order and we have learned the 4 fundamental reasons why God justifies the torment of humans in hell. (1) mankind's rejection of God's rule in their life, (2) mankind's rejection of God's will for their life, (3) mankind's rejection of God's Son, Jesus and (40 mankind's rejection of God's Word. When mankind rejects all these things there is nothing left but judgment. God's judgment is perfect, it is necessary and it is without error.

God is a God of love and does not delight in judgment of any kind.

We read in Matthew 23:37 ~ "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her winds and you would not!" 

Jesus understood the heart of the nation. He wants to gather us together under Him, but the nation of Israel rejected God when He came and America will face the same consequences. We will not escape judgment for rejecting God.

We will learn more about the fate of Babylon mentioned in these verses later, but understand that it is a false church under a strange manifestation of all the worlds religions coming together as one church. An unification of all the world's religions, a global faith. We all worship the same God after all will be their premise.

There is only ONE living God and only ONE way to heaven. The world rejected Him then and they will continue to reject Him now and even in the future. .It will be those differences that separate the real Jesus from the false Jesus'.

Revelation 14:8-11 is all about making choices. Choose to worship the Antichrist, the false prophet and accept his mark , or his security requirement on their right hand or forehead. Those that reject this will be beheaded.

From verse 9 -10 will define the fate of those who make a choice and accept the mark. Remember the verse states "If anyone... doesn't mean that people will have to do it, it will be a personal choice...but those that do, will drink the wrath of God.

Revelation 14:9-10 ~ "And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone, worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."

The rejection of Jesus warrants eternal torment forever because the price Christ paid, because it was holy and pure, and they choose to reject it. We know in every decision, choices must be made and there are those that will have physical consequences, and those that will have spiritual consequences. We need to be sure we are making the right ones because eternal heaven or eternal hell await every single one of us based on what we will choose. Now is the time to make the decision. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow so if you are feeling a nudge to make a decision for Jesus today, jump on that. The invitation is addressed to you, all you have to do is simply except! It's all be paid for in full for you to attend. God is waiting on your RSVP! You can't show up at the door with it in your hand. He needs to know your coming!

Simply tell Jesus Christ, you accept Him. You accept everything about Him. That he came here to die for your sins, that He was buried for three days, but on the third day, He rose again. He now sits in heaven with God the Father. Tell him you repent of all your sins and to help you to go forth and make better choices with His help. Ask him to come into your heart and guide you in the ways you should go and to fill you with His love and Spirit. Thank Him for all He did to get you into heaven and to restore and redeem you today in Jesus Name ~ AMEN!!!

If you prayed that prayer with all sincerity in your heart, God has heard your prayer and you now have a new heavenly and eternal address that awaits you in the future some day. A day and a decision you will NEVER regret. Welcome to the family of Jesus Christ!

Every Single One of Us is Pro-Choice!

Poor atheists! They never really have a happy relaxing day. They always wake up thinking about God, thinking about the God that doesn't exist. Always battling things. They see a sunset and we would say, "Praise God!" They get upset, over everywhere we look, even misery and mishap. The Bible answers that even that comes from man's rebellion against God and demonic powers that are warring against God. Every good thing comes from God above. Atheists have to battle these realities 24 hours a day. It's gotta be tough to do that every single day.

Don't confuse Christianity with church. Jesus Christ is how you get to heaven.

Do you realize that we are God's only creation that He has blessed with the ability to choose our own path? There are only 2 choices. If we do not choose Jesus, we will continue on the path to death, because we rejected God, and therefore will inherit hell.

Revelation 14:8-13 is all about choices.

When people hear the words "Pro-choice," they think abortion, but I will ask you to think outside of that box.

Pro-choice does refer to life, everything about life, from what we eat, to what we wear, every little aspect of your life, it's all about our choice. We have been granted by God, the right and ability of choice. To remove the ability to choose is totalitarianism, but even then you still have the ability to make some choices, from what you wear, what you eat, we are all pro-choice in those matters.

Pro-life is something I am a firm believer in from everything to do with the spiritual and physical matters. God creates all life and woe to the man who tampers with what God has created. Our system in the world today, including in our schools, is to teach " do what feels good to you." "Do what feels right to you."

They want you to be independent thinkers in what you ought to do, but don't stand out, for the good or bad, because there are rewards and ramifications for every decision we make. We will either experience the benefits or deficits from those decisions, do you get that?

There is fall out from every decision we make good or bad, both spiritually and physically. God offers you a parachute or a lane change from the path you are headed on without Jesus. If you consider this, if you're going to jump out of an airplane if you had to, would you choose to do so with a parachute or without one? Seems like a simple question with a clear cut answer, I mean why would anyone choose to jump out of a plane without a parachute? So why do you choose to live your life, without "THE Parachute?"

Some people will simply gamble their life away to wait and see what happens in the end, but the Bible is clear, by that time, it is too late!!!

Choose Jesus Christ and live!! That you can be in heaven forever with Him.

People who go to hell have to work hard every day to get in there. You want to know why people are working so hard to get crosses eliminated on hillsides and everywhere they have been placed? Because when they find out what the cross means, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, they become offended because everytime they see it, it is a reminder that they need a Savior. Removing the cross doesn't change anything.

See I'm going to heaven with or without you. I know that for a fact! I am 100% sure!

So the next time you see someone with a "Pro-Choice" sign, run up to them and tell them how grateful and happy you are that they are pro-choice. Tell them to choose Jesus Christ and live!

It may not be popular, but it is what they need to hear. Eternal life is free, it won't cost you anything, but it cost God every thing!

What will you choose?

Whom will you choose?

As Christians, in this world, we suffer temporary pain and suffering, but one day we will have an eternal life of rewards and blessings. See Jesus did all the work for us. He died in our place.

Will you receive this invitation?

We have to agree to receive, and all of us are responsible for our choices. This isn't about religion, but about a relationship, with Jesus Christ. Choose Him today!

We can't do anything without the power of the Holy Spirit in our life, to guide us, empower us and the commission us. We need to remember to lean on Him, every day for our success.

How Does Someone Qualify for Hell?

Isaiah 46:9-10 ~ "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still t come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

We need to know history or His-story, God's dealings with the world if we are ever to have any hope of understanding that God is a God of love. We need to understand that God knows the future. He is not wringing His hands with worry when something happens in the world. He knows everything. Nothing surprises Him. So why do we worry?

When we worry, we are assuming a responsibility that God has never intended to be ours!

As we continue our study into the Book of Revelation, we need to remember that Chapter 14, is a parenthetical insert. God's giving us snippets of things that will happen during the Tribulation period but not in chronological order.

Revelation 14:8-13 ~ "A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice in the heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

The final verse in Revelation 14:13 is the most exciting thing in these study of the Scriptures and we will learn more about that in our future study. Today we will study and answer the questions, "Will people really be tormented in fire for rejecting God? How can God, who is a God of love, send people to hell?

We need to understand that God doesn't want anyone to go to hell, but there are those who will inherit hell based on their own choice. 

How does God justify hell and eternal torment regarding humans? How does a person go to hell? There are 4 ways.

1. Mankind's rejection of God's rule in his life. It's saying you don't want God in your life. Every human will at least have one prayer answered by God before they die. That one prayer is to those who say, "Get out of here Jesus. I don't want anything to do with God, Jesus or the Bible." Guess what? God will answer their prayer, tragically.

Understand this. God is no terrorist. He doesn't force His way into your life. He will never force Himself on someone. You have to chose.

2. By mankind's rejection of God's will for our life. God's has engineered our lives for a purpose. Some find it early in life. Some find it late in life. Some find it just before they die. But all of us have been uniquely created for a purpose.

3. By mankind's rejection of God's Son, Jesus. Jesus is no joking matter. Neither should His name be a cuss word. He is a living person. He is real. He lived the life that we can all read about in history. Even ancient Rome does not deny that Jesus existed.

4. By mankind's rejection of God's Word. It includes all of the above... when you hear the gospel, if you reject it, you are rejecting God and all He offers.

How can God, therefore, justify sending someone to hell?

John 3:16 ~ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

Insert your name in the place of world and whosoever. Even if no one else existed in this world, God loved You!

So what is wrong with accepting that invitation of accepting Jesus into your life?

Nothing, it's perfect! It came from the mouth of God. We apparently don't understand the price that was paid for our sins. Why?

Because we have a very low view of our offenses. Whenever we do something wrong, we don't see it as so bad. We can simply apologize for it and it's over. Never under-estimate man's own ability to justify his sins. It just doesn't look so bad in our own eyes. But if we see someone else do it, it looks really bad. Our own sin just doesn't look so bad to us, until someone else does it.

Sin, put Jesus on the cross. That's how bad our sins are. We have a thought, no one heard it but God, yet it still put Jesus on the cross. Even if you were the only person created by God, your sin put Jesus on the cross. We can't escape it. People fail to understand, what price Jesus had to do. Because it is free, we think it's cheap.

It took God to the brink, Jesus Christ died for us as God in human flesh. Every single one of us is sinners. No one is perfect except for Jesus. He lived a perfect life and it cost God everything. That is how hideous the debt to sin is, and only God could pay it.

Jesus Christ's offering was so precious. He was like a Lamb, innocent, but He never defended Himself, because He has nothing to defend Himself for. That is why He said nothing. He had to pay the price in His own blood to set us free from sin. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Without Jesus' sacrifice as payment for those sins, all of us would die forever. Jesus set us free!

By faith, sin is so bad, that He sent the perfect offering in my place, that I have to accept this offering in faith alone. The offering of Jesus cancelled the debt, but we all have to make a choice. No one can do it for us.

Most people misunderstand God. They picture Him as a God of wrath, angry all the time, but He is a just and holy God. When man rejects God, there are consequences for our actions. He wants to save you. He doesn't wish that any should perish but all should have eternal life, but we have to be the ones to chose that. Why would anyone give that up?

You have to qualify for hell, by rejecting God every single day. It is harder to qualify for hell than it is to qualify for heaven. We must accept what Jesus has done for you and asking His forgiveness of your sins. That is a whole lot easier, than waking up every single day and pushing and kicking God away.

But more on that tomorrow. Today I hope and pray that you will choose Jesus and eternal life. If you want Jesus as Lord and Savior in your life today, simply pray this prayer and believe it with all your heart.

Lord Jesus, 

I know I am a sinner, and without Your sacrifice and payment on the cross I would have no hope. You came to save me from my sin and from death and I ask for forgiveness of my sins. I believe that You came to earth, died on the cross for my sins, was buried and was raised again to life on the third day and I surrender my life to You. In Jesus Name ~ AMEN!!

That is all you need to do. Your life has been redeemed by the only one who could save you. Welcome to the first day of your new life in Jesus. If you have prayed this prayer, I would love to chat with you and welcome you into the family. Please email me at Stevenkat27@gmail.com.