They Will Not Repent!

 

In this post I want to talk a bit about the depravity of human beings. It's very sad to see what some human beings do to others, for whatever the reason. Take Isis for instance, the radical Islamist group who cut people's throat's on video and beheaded many others. Their killings struck fear in the world as they made threats of global domination and multitudes of men and women flocked to join them and aid them financially, or to help them in their sadistic murders and espouse their erroneous ideology.

Which brings me to the judgments of God that are upon the face of this earth at this very moment and the great judgments to come. It's almost inconceivable to me how even the supernatural judgments of a holy and righteous God won't be enough to cause His own creation to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness of their sins and the salvation of their souls.

Revelation 9:3-6, 18-21

"Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them."

"By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm".

"But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts."

Mankind will become so depraved and hard of heart that not even supernatural plagues coming from the hand of God Himself will stop them from committing sinful acts, worshipping idols and practicing witchcraft.

All you have to do is look around and you will see the evil spirit of rebellion and anti-christ everywhere in this world. In young and old alike, not wanting to hear anybody tell them that what they are doing is wrong or a sin. Even a popular song, with some of the lyrics saying, "can't nobody tell me nothing", this is exactly why God has to judge the whole world, so that at least some will wake up and realize what's really going on in this world and turn their hearts to Him while there is still time!

Revelation 16:4, 8-9, 10-11, 

Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.  And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

ALL OF GOD'S JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS!

"Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory."

Again! Even with the sun scorching them, people on this earth will know it's God who is sending these plagues and will blaspheme His name and still NOT repent!

People who take the mark will be tormented by the bowls of God's wrath being poured out upon them in what I believe is the not-so-distant future.

"Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds."

Even with plagues like the ones God poured out on Pharoah and the Egyptians, many will not repent of their sinful acts. 

This is exactly why Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 6:17-18

Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”

Revelation 18:4-5

"And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."

Come out from among them while there is still time, the King is getting ready to return!

The choice is yours!

Sheltering Under His Wings!

Tyrone

Back To The First Century Church Part 2!

 

Genesis 6:11-14

"The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch."

The Lord God is a patient and loving God! I wonder how long it took for the earth to be filled with violence? But eventually God does see the sins of His creation, the corruption of mankind  and the violence that they do come before Him up in Heaven and God makes a decision to judge the people on the earth.

Because of the fallen nature of man, he keeps going back to the same old routine of violence and thinking evil continually. Even when we think we're okay we need to be judging our thoughts by the word of God. Because we know the scripture say's "there is a way that SEEMS right to a man, but it's end is the way of  death!"

This is why mankind need's the intervention of a loving and just God because without His laws and His word and His Son Jesus we would be left without any hope of  salvation for our souls!

This is also why God raises up people like Noah, the prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, and His apostles to warn people, to preach the truth and bring people back to the right ways of God. If we break man's laws there is a consequence, we have to go to jail, if we break God's laws there is a consequence, if we don't repent (change our minds and think differently) and believe on His Son Jesus Christ, when we die, when our immortal soul leaves our body we will go to Hell, until the day of Judgment and then we will stand before the Creator of all things and we will be judged according to what we have done on this earth, while in our bodies.

We must get back to the right ways of God, to the simplicity of the Gospel, to true fellowship and openness, to accountability, to admonishing one another and building one another up in the Lord. We need revival, a true revival! Not some emotion filled screaming and hollering or dropping on the floor and rolling around or barking like a dog as we have seen in those false revivals, but a genuine move of God, an outpouring of His Spirit with supernatural signs and wonders that cannot be faked or copied.

What we have today is man corrupting himself again, violence worldwide, no regard for human life and many who claim to be Pastor's are making merchandise of the gospel, more concerned with making a living than helping a soul be delivered from the oppression of the devil. Many who gather in church buildings every Sunday have become accustomed to just hearing ABOUT God and Jesus, but never EXPERIENCING His great healing and delivering power or His Divine love!

We are living in the exact times that Paul said would come to pass, men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, gathering so-called ministers to themselves to tickle their ears! On just about every corner of America there is a church building and a liquor store! What is that saying? You can go wherever you want to go and hear something that you want to hear and if a truth is spoken that offends you, then you can just go somewhere else!

The first century disciples didn't have it so easy! When Jesus said something they didn't like, many just turned away and followed Him no more! But those who stayed had their eternity changed! Those who stayed received the abundant life that Jesus came to give to those who believed in Him and stayed faithful until the end. Ear tickling compromising words will not bring true repentance and Godly sorrow! Ear tickling words will not bring the conviction of the Holy Spirit that will cause you to change your bad habits, and come out of the world and be separate! Ear tickling words and the sinners prayer will not bring you the salvation of your soul!

It's time to experience the genuine power of an Almighty God who will once again judge the earth and it's people, but this time it will not be with water but with fire! In fact God is already judging the earth with famines, pestilence, flood's, tsunami's, earthquakes, and the like. Look at what Covid is doing, causing people to stay in their homes, no more big gatherings, no more mega church services, this is a time to search our hearts and get back to what really matters in life, family, love, and the genuine fellowship of the saints of God.

The first disciples were together in their homes every single day! Praying together, seeking God, fasting, eating together, singing psalms and hymns together, loving one another, helping one another, serving one another and growing every day in the Lord. Let us get back to the first century church, in the 21st century!

In Jesus Name,

Tyrone

Times Of Refreshing!

Acts 3:19

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,"

Repent means to change your mind and THINK differently! And in the case of the gospel, we should change our minds about the way we live, if we're living contrary to the word of God, change our minds about what we think on a daily basis. 

Converted means to bring over from one belief, view, or party to another. So if you believed in Muhammad and the teachings of Islam, you would stop practicing Islam, repent and be converted to Christianity, follow Jesus Christ and practice His teachings.

So if one repents and gets converted to Christ, your sins can and will be blotted out or forgiven so that you can be refreshed by the presence of the Lord.

So let me go back to the beginning and lay a solid foundation for us to understand why we need to repent and why we should repent.

Genes 3:1-13

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (They covered themselves)

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” and the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

From the first sin, man has been covering themselves, running and hiding from God, our Creator, the life giver, the Healer, the one who blesses us, and saves our soul. Why do we run from God when He loves us so much and only wants the best for us, He wants us to have eternal life, He wants to have a covenant relationship with us, He wants to walk with us in the cool of the day, but we keep running. Running to do things our way, running and resisting, and fighting against God to our own demise. 

Adam and Eve HEARD the sound of God walking in the garden and they HID themselves from the presence of the Lord. They knew God, walked with Him before, but after their sin they felt ashamed, afraid, guilty, sorrowful. Adam said he heard the Lords voice in the garden and he was afraid, he hid himself, he wasn't afraid before, but now, after their sin, he became afraid of God.

Fear is the bane of our existence, fear destroys us, hinders us, and keeps us from living the abundant life that Christ purchased for us on the cross.

Men fear the light, even hate the light, because the light exposes the darkness so you can see what's hidden!

John 3:18-21

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Adam and Eve knew that what they had done was wrong, they disobeyed God and their sin caused them to be afraid and hide themselves from the presence of the Lord. I wonder what would have happened if they would have asked God for forgiveness? But instead they started to play the blame game! Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent! 

What does God require from us so that times of refreshing may come from His presence? Repentance, confession, conversion, obedience, faith, and endurance until the end. 

Will you be refreshed?

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Jeremiah 7

Yesterday I (Cynthia) was in prayer and the Lord gave me the book of Jeremiah chapter 7 to read and meditate and this is exactly what is to come in these last days. Prepare yourself for much harder days are ahead.

Jeremiah 7

New King James Version (NKJV)

Trusting in Lying Words

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’” 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’

5 “For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

8 “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.

12 “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these works,” says the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.

16 “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. 19 Do they provoke Me to anger?” says the Lord. “Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?”

20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place—on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.”

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. 22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. 23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. 26 Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

27 “Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.

Judgment on Obscene Religion

28 “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. 29 Cut off your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the desolate heights; for the Lord has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’ 30 For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight,” says the Lord. “They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. 31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.

32 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room. 33 The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten them away. 34 Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate.

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die!

I would like to share a word that the Holy Spirit gave me while me and my husband were praying tonight because I do believe the Lord is using many vessels to warn sinners to repent and believe the gospel for them to be able to live! So, I am obeying this call for the rest of my days by the power of the Holy Spirit and His strenght!

When we were praying there was a strong presence of the Lord and I could not hold my tears and I heard: EZEKIEL 18.   I do understand that this message of Ezekiel 18 was for the people of Judah, but the message of Ezekiel 18 calls us to change our minds (repent) in order to LIVE.

A False Proverb Refuted

¹ The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, ² “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:

‘ The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

³ “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
⁴“ Behold, all souls are Mine;
The soul of the father
As well as the soul of the son is Mine;
The soul who sins shall die.
⁵ But if a man is just
And does what is lawful and right;
⁶ If he has not eaten on the mountains,
Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife,
Nor approached a woman during her impurity;
⁷ If he has not oppressed anyone,
But has restored to the debtor his pledge;
Has robbed no one by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
⁸ If he has not exacted usury
Nor taken any increase,
But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity
And executed true judgment between man and man;
⁹ If he has walked in My statutes
And kept My judgments faithfully—
He is just;
He shall surely live!”
Says the Lord GOD.
¹⁰“ If he begets a son who is a robber
Or a shedder of blood,
Who does any of these things
¹¹ And does none of those duties,
But has eaten on the mountains
Or defiled his neighbor’s wife;
¹² If he has oppressed the poor and needy,
Robbed by violence,
Not restored the pledge,
Lifted his eyes to the idols,
Or committed abomination;
¹³ If he has exacted usury
Or taken increase—
Shall he then live?
He shall not live!
If he has done any of these abominations,
He shall surely die;
His blood shall be upon him.
¹⁴“ If, however, he begets a son
Who sees all the sins which his father has done,
And considers but does not do likewise;
¹⁵ Who has not eaten on the mountains,
Nor lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife;
¹⁶ Has not oppressed anyone,
Nor withheld a pledge,
Nor robbed by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
¹⁷ Who has withdrawn his hand from the poor^[a]
And not received usury or increase,
But has executed My judgments
And walked in My statutes—
He shall not die for the iniquity of his father;
He shall surely live!
¹⁸“ As for his father,
Because he cruelly oppressed,
Robbed his brother by violence,
And did what is not good among his people,
Behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

Turn and Live

19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. 21 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. 23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live? 24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. 28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair? 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

I believe the Lord wants to warn everyone that He is a loving God, but He is  also the Judge of those who are wicked and do not want to repent (change their mind and think differently) and obey His commands! His ways are fair and are just, but if you do not live according to His standards you will definitely be judged by God! And these are His words, not mine!

The Lord does not want any of us to perish or die, but in order to live we need to live for Him, we need to live according to what He says we must do and those who obey Him will definetely live and live forever with Him! And the key to obey is first to BELIEVE!

This is the call the Lord is doing today for those who believe that the sins of their parents will always have power upon their lives, and vice-verse, this is not true! If you repent (change your mind, think differenly), believe the gospel and turn away from your sins today and live for Christ, no curse, no familiar spirits will be upon your lives any longer, you have just to give the first step thinking differently today!

This is also a call for those who believe that just because they are children of apostles, pastors, evangelists, prophets, etc....they are true christians or followers of Christ! You are not a follower of Christ just because you have a faithful father, mother, cousin, son, daughter, etc...You are only a follower of Christ IF you BELIEVE the gospel, REPENT and DO what JESUS tells you to do! And the Lord does not ask anyone to be sinning and keep sinning. So, IF you BELIEVE the gospel, REPENT and follow Christ and His ways you will live, but if you keep in this life of sin you will surely die, for the wages of sin is death!

I pray that this message may help you understand that the soul that sins shall die,I pray that you believe this message and act upon it in the name of Jesus Christ.

John 3:18

He who believes in Him (Jesus Christ)  is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

In the love of Christ,

Cynthia R. Palmer

Matthew 7:13-14

Who Has Ears To Hear The Truth About Sin?

I would like to share somethings with all who have ears to hear. If there is something absolutely grievous for the Lord is SIN. God indeed loves the sinner but NOT the sin(s) in them! So, God will do everything He can to draw people to Himself and Father them. But at the same time, He will speak the truth to the people in order for them to get rid of the sin/sins inside themselves. It is up to each one to obey what He will direct them to do, because He will always give the solution , BUT the only thing He will ask from you is to REPENT, BELIEVE His words and OBEY His command to you.

This is simple but the problem when God opens up what it is wrong with each one of us, we end up facing that we MUST DO something to change the situation, and guess what? MANY of us prefer to be as we are, missing the day of our visitation and missing the LIFE God has for each one of us which is ETERNAL.

How are you today? Do you face any of those changes the Lord is asking you to do in your life but you choose to keep sinning? What are you going to miss obeying God? NOTHING! We lose everything while we are slaves of sin, while we are serving satan and the world, but when you are serving God you just gain for your soul and what do you gain? Your Life Eternal and NO MORE separation with God, but now an intimate relationship with your Creator! So, do not wait one more minute to repent, believe and obey HIM!

Check these Scriptures below and meditate in them for the sake of your own soul:

1 John 4:6-7

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Are you listening to the voice of God when He was/is speaking to you through His chosen vessels or through the ways He used and you already know? Or even now, are you listening to what the Lord is speaking to you?

Isaiah 59:1-2

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Do not deceive yourself thinking that you are going to be able to be in the body of Christ and keep sinning and God is hearing you! The Lord hears the prayers of those who REPENT from their sins and turn away from them! These are those who He helps and saves through obedience to His words!!!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul is talking to the Body of Christ here!

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Below are some of the works of the flesh (those who do not walk in the Spirit of God) and also those who have the fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:19-26

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
 
I hope this short message can encourage you to keep away from sin, I also hope that if you are in sin that you may believe, repent from your sins and give your life completely to God to direct and guide you, be baptized and you shall receive the Holy Spirit of God to empower you NOT to sin.
 
God bless your soul,
 
In Christ,
Cynthia R. Palmer

Should We Pray, Ask, Or Invite Jesus Into Our Hearts?

The modern day teaching of praying, asking, accepting, or inviting Jesus into your heart is not found in the New Testament scriptures. There isn't one example in scripture where you find Jesus saying, 'you must accept me into your heart or repeat a prayer in order to enter the kingdom of God'. He didn't teach it to His apostles who He sent out to be witnesses of Him throughout the world, and they never converted any Jew or Greek to Christ in the 1st century doing it. So why is it being taught today?

Let’s take a look at the few scriptures that are used as the foundation for this doctrine.

Romans 10:8-12

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

These scriptures definitely sound like the roadmap to salvation don’t they? And in truth these words are a part of the good message that the apostles preached about the kingdom of God. But who was Paul talking to here? Was he talking to us today giving his apostolic revelation of the gospel? Or was he talking to unconverted Jews and gentiles who needed salvation? Let’s answer these questions.

Take a look at Romans 1:7 and 10:1

“To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”

We can read clearly in these scriptures that Paul wrote this letter to the Roman saints, who were already converted to Christ during the two years that he spent in Rome after arriving there as a prisoner from Jerusalem. (Read Acts 28)

Paul is talking to the brethren in Rome telling them his heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that THEY may be saved. Why? Because they were rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ! These scriptures were not written for us to quote and repeat for the salvation of our soul. If that were true then everything else Paul said regarding the gospel message he preached would be in question. For example:

Acts 16:29-33 (The Philippian Jailer)

“Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.”

This is an example of an unconverted person in need of salvation. If all you had to do was confess Jesus with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead then Paul would have said that to the Philippian jailer in Acts, but Paul told him to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and THEN he spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house, and immediately after that the jailer and his whole family were baptized!

Paul also told the disciples he found in Ephesus what they had to do in order to be saved.

Acts 19:1-6

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

In the above scriptures Paul finds some disciples in Ephesus who had believed John's message and received his baptism of repentance, but after Paul asked them some questions he understood that they were NOT born again and they needed to believe on Jesus Christ and be baptized in His name, then they would receive the Holy Spirit. The same message Peter preached on Pentecost. Most are taught today that all you have to do is believe, or repeat a prayer and that's it, but here we can clearly see that the salvation process is more than just believing.

How would you respond if you were those disciples Paul met in Ephesus? What about if a minister today were to question you about your salvation experience? What would you do if your experience didn't line up with the conversion process outlined in scripture?

The truth is that ALL the apostles preached the same message, they didn’t change the gospel to suit the people; they were obedient to what they were taught by Jesus Christ. Here is part of the gospel message the unconverted Jews heard preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:36-39

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Again we read the conversion process for unconverted people. Hear the gospel message preached, believe the message, repent (change your mind or think differently), be baptized in water, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now back to Romans 10, when you read further down and put the preceding verses of scripture in context, you can understand that Paul was not telling the Roman saints then or us today what we must do to be saved.

Romans 10:14-16

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things! ”But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?”

Clearly what Paul wrote to the Roman brethren was not a roadmap to salvation, but a word for the already converted saints to know how much Paul wanted to see his own countrymen saved!

If you believe that you are saved just by quoting the scriptures, repeating a prayer after someone, asking, or inviting Jesus into your heart, then you must understand that you are disregarding the very words of Jesus Christ Himself whom you profess to believe when he said in John 3:5 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” You would also be dismissing the inspired words of Peter, the rest of the apostles, Phillip the evangelist, and Paul who received the gospel by revelation from Jesus. And all scripture is inspired by God! (2nd Timothy 3:16)

In The Love Of Christ,
Tyrone