He Was With Her!

Genesis 3:6-7

"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."

The first deception and sin of man. This one act of disobedience led to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the glorious garden of Eden, and caused every subsequent human born to be spiritually disconnected and separated from the One True God.

I thank God for this testimony in Genesis because it helps us to see how easy it is to fall from grace and be deceived by a fallen angel who hates us and God.

What I would like to point out though is that all the evil power that satan wields to deceive man, would have been negated with a simple, NO! And to make matters worse, Adam, who God made to take care of His creation was right there with his wife and didn't say or do anything to stop the deception!

We can see the same type of immaturity in some men today who let their wives rule over them and they don't fight or stand up for themselves or their family!

All Adam had to do was say, wait a minute Eve, I remember what God said:

Genesis 2:15-17

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

That's why it's so important to have the word of God in our hearts and minds, it's the truth that keeps us from falling into deception and sin. If you obey the word of God and put into practice the teachings of Jesus Christ you will be able to resist the devil, and stand against his lies.

Of course God knew what would happen, but He allowed this situation to occur to test Adam and Eve, they had a choice to obey the command of God or take into their hearts and minds the lies of satan. They made the wrong choice!

Thankfully God also had a plan before the foundation of this world, JESUS! It's because of the Lord and Savior that we can be reconciled to God and be free from sin and death.

So let us make the right choice today, let us choose life instead of death!

In Jesus,
Tyrone

One Man Show

Ephesians 4:11-16 

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

Have these scriptures been removed from modern day translations of the bible? It certainly seems so to me!

What we see today in the buildings that are called 'church', has no resemblance whatsoever to the first century church, and the ministry gifts that Jesus Himself gave to His body are essentially non-existent in many congregations of professing Christians.

Did Jesus revoke His gifts to equip the saints for the work of the ministry?

Did He change the way He wants His church to function?

The scripture tells us, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

So that means man has done the changing and exchanged the truth of God for a lie!

Many religious leaders today have done exactly what the Pharisees and Sadducees did during the time of Jesus' ministry. They have nullified the commands of God by their traditions!

Some believe that there are no more true apostles or prophets today, if that's true, then there are no more true evangelists, pastors, and teachers!

Sadly, those who oversee God's flock in many denominations and ministries have not been holding to the teachings of Jesus Christ, nor do they hold their congregations accountable to what's clearly written in the scriptures they read every Sunday!

The first century church was blessed by the plurality of overseers who loved the saints and fought for them, laying down their lives daily to see them grow and mature in Christ.

2nd Corinthians 3:1-6

"Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

The first century apostles, prophets and elders, knew that nothing came from themselves, they received their ministry and strength from God.

The time of the one man show is ending, the hand writing is on the wall, and the Lord said to my wife a few years ago:

"The Little Ones Will Be Great And The Great Will Disappear".

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Jesus Is Loving Barabbas - Judah Smith Sermon Jam

Romans 5:8 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

In Jesus,

Tyrone

In Order To Live, YOU MUST DIE!

Mark 8:34-37

"When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

This is the way of God. Death to self. If you try to hold onto any part of your life in this world you can ultimately lose your soul in the end. 

And isn't it the American dream to have the big house, the attractive spouse, a fancy car, respect and admiration from your peers?

But the words of Jesus that lead to eternal life are the exact opposite of everything the world holds dear. 

John 12:24-25

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

In order to truly live, you must die! And I mean complete death of all that you are in this world, and what does Jesus promise if you give up your life for Him and the gospel? Eternal Life!!!

The blessed assurance and hope of living forever with God in complete love, peace, and joy for all eternity!! What could be better than that? 

So the question is, have you died yet? Or are you still holding on to that bank account? To the American dream? 

And if you are a Christian, is there something still in you that you haven't completely surrendered to God?

Paul understood the ways of God and applied the teachings of Jesus to his life, will you do the same?

Galatians 6:14

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Sin, Or Discrimination?

Let me say this right off, sin is sin, regardless of what type of sin it is. 

Murder, fornication (which is adultery, and pre-marital sex), rape, theft, sexual immorality (which includes lesbianism and homosexuality), all of these and more are sins according to the word of God as so written in the scriptures contained in the bible.

Now, one could believe what the scriptures say or not, we all have free will, that's how God made us.

But just because a person does not believe in God or agree with what the scriptures say on any given subject, doesn't mean they are not true!

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage will be legal in all of the United States Of America. A ruling that goes against the laws and commandments of God, just as any other sin does. 

I wouldn't even be writing about this had I not seen the above picture of the guy holding up a sign that says, "our constitution is our shield against Bible based discrimination toward our gay friends and neighbors". 

Since when did the bible start discriminating against a specific group of people? 

Here is what Discrimination means:

"The practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people" (Merriam Webster)

The only person and group of people I read about in the bible being treated unfairly is the prophets of God, Jesus, and the Christians!!!!

If any professing Christian is using the bible to discriminate against a person or group of people then they are not practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ! 

Jesus tells us to 'love our neighbors', and 'love our enemies', but we are not called to love the sin that people commit! We are called to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus name!

In contrast here is what Gov. Bobby Jindal and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said:

"Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a Republican candidate for president, warned that the court decision “will pave the way for an all-out assault against the religious freedom rights of Christians who disagree.” (Quote taken from The New York Times Online)

"But Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., dissenting, wrote, “Hard questions arise when people of faith exercise religion in ways that may be seen to conflict with the new right to same-sex marriage — when, for example, a religious college provides married student housing only to opposite-sex married couples, or a religious adoption agency declines to place children with same-sex married couples.

There is little doubt that these and similar questions will soon be before this Court,” he wrote, adding, “Unfortunately, people of faith can take no comfort in the treatment they receive from the majority today.” (Quote taken from The New York Times Online)

The prophecies that Jesus spoke in Matthew 24:9-10 are right at the door and I pray that those who call themselves Christian will be ready to face the persecution that's coming to this country and the world.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."

The Judge of judges also said this:

Revelation 21:6-8 

"And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Is Your Heart Hard?

Mark 16:14

"Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen."

After three and a half years of miracles, signs and wonders, wisdom from above, and a love that was beyond human comprehension, the eleven disciples that walked, talked, ate, slept and ministered with Jesus still had hardness in their hearts.

I'm amazed by that truth and even more amazed that one could eat, sleep and minister with the Lord and never change, never be touched by His love, never shed a tear of repentance and Godly sorrow. 

Yet that was the case with Judas Iscariot, who we all know betrayed the Savior of all mankind.

It has taken me years to really understand how a man or woman can harden themselves to the love, grace, and Spirit of God. I've learned over the years that it's not hard to resist the pull of God's grace, and it's not hard to resist the conviction of the Spirit, people just do what comes natural to them since birth.

When they feel the pull of God, they turn their faces away, when the Spirit convicts their hearts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, they harden themselves to it, they ignore the Spirit of God and become engrossed with work, pleasures, and the pride of life.

No, it's not hard to resist God, but it IS hard, painful, and difficult to resist satan! It's hard to resist the lusts of your flesh, and very difficult to overcome the world, and go against the grain.

The truth is sin hardens the heart, and once a man or woman resists God long enough, He gives them over to a depraved mind, He gives them over to the lusts of their flesh and they eventually end up beyond feeling. 

Did you know it was possible to be past feeling? The scriptures talk about such people.

Ephesians 4:17-19 

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 

Jesus prophesied that because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Lawlessness is indeed abounding throughout this world! 

Is your heart hard?

Hebrews 3:15

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Peace, Be Still

Mark 4:35-41 

"On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!”And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

God does many things on a daily basis to test our hearts and minds, He tests the fruits that are birthed in our hearts to see how we will respond in any given situation. 

Are we faithful when disaster strikes, are we peaceful when the storm rises up and threatens to overtake us?

Jesus is the prince of peace and He trusted the Father completely with His life while He walked this earth as the Son of man and the Son of God. He knew and understood that no matter what was going on around Him, that God was with Him and would protect Him from harm and death. Jesus had peace.

Are you peaceful when there's an unforeseen accident? Are you peaceful when you lose your job and the rent is due and the kids are hungry? Or do you go off and lose your temper not knowing what to do?

While Jesus slept in the boat the disciples were becoming more and more fearful of death as the storm raged and the waters started to fill up the boat. 

How could Jesus sleep in the midst of a raging storm, howling winds, flooding boat, and fearful, yelling disciples? PEACE! 

Strong's Lexicon gives us this definition of Peace.

G1515: 1. A state of national tranquillity, a. exemption from the rage and havoc of war 5. of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is. (Blue Letter Bible)

The disciples might have thought Jesus didn't care about them because He was sleeping while the storm raged, but that was their state of mind and being at the time. Jesus loved them all, but they had to go through the experience to learn how to trust in God and follow the example of Jesus.

John 14:27 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Phillipians 4:6-7 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

In Jesus,

Tyrone