One Sacrifice

One sacrifice for sins for ever!

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 

                                                                (Heb 10:11-14 KJV)

That one offering was the life of Jesus the Christ. The offerings of sheep or goats or birds no matter how unblemished they appeared to be could never atone for all of our sins. Those sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. But, the sacrifice of the life of the only begotten Son of God could and it did. Jesus willingly sacrificed himself that we might be forgiven our sins and reconciled to our Father. The promise of the Lord as revealed to Isaiah has been fulfilled in the Christ. Our sins are wiped away by faith in his loving sacrifice for us.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa 1:18)

It is good to consider ones sins and to repent of them. But, all too often the devil and the world around us will remind us of our pasts. The devil will cause us to wonder if we have been truly forgiven. Do not let him cause you to doubt what Christ has done for you. 

In Christ you are forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Give Generously

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

                                                                                                                  (2 Cor 8:1-9 KJV)

Because of their faith in Christ who gave himself for all people, the Corinthians gave generously. 

That is the Christian duty. It is not the Christian duty to delegate generosity to others no matter how rich or poor the others might be. It is the individuals and the churches duty to give generously to those in need. It is not our place to decide whether someone is too sinful for us to help. We don't get to question whether they really deserve it or not. We just get to assist the saints in need. However, we must always remember that Jesus did not question whether we deserve his gift of life for us through the giving of his life. He gave his very life even though we most clearly did not deserve it. This, of course does not mean we should send the scam artist on the telephone or internet thousands of dollars. We do need to be careful not to allow them to steal from us so that we have nothing to give to those in genuine need. Be very careful that robbers do not take what should be used to help the poor.

Give generously. The law will, when able, according to the limited abilities of the law will hold those who take advantage of your generosity accountable. Unfortunately, the law is very fallible. The law is not perfect; but, God is. God whose abilities are unlimited will judge and hold accountable those who would lie in order to steal from the mouths of others by abusing your generosity to a point that you have nothing left to give to those in genuine need.

May God help us to love and care for his people. Give generously.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Angels

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 

                                                                                  (Col 2:18-19 NIV)

So what about angels? Every now and then I am jolted by the reality that someone I know depends on angels more than they depend on Jesus. They pray to the angels to protect them. Why ask the angels? Why not ask the Lord to send his angels to protect you. God is in charge of angels. He directs them. He sends them out.

Just because something or someone exists in the spiritual realms does not mean that we should worship them or put our trust in them. Angels are created beings. We do not worship the creature. Rather, we worship and put our trust in the one who has charge over the spiritual realms; the one who created the spiritual realms; the one who created all things.

Angels have many purposes. Some are messengers. Some have been deliverers of God judgment. Some are ministering spirits. Angels ministered to Jesus after his temptations by the devil in the wilderness. Angels are beings created by God to serve according to God's will not our will.

Do I believe that angels exist? Of course, I believe that. But, I do not put my faith in them. We cannot serve two gods. Angels are not creators. They are created beings. Angels did not die for you. Jesus did. By worshipping and honoring angels; by lifting them up and trusting in them more than we do Christ, we lose the connection we have with the head, from whom the whole body grows, who is Jesus the Christ. We are to worship the one who has charge over angels and not the angels.

God's Peace - Pr. J