SHOW THEM LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE

My question to you this week...Are these weekly messages helping you in any way? Are you learning anything? Have they been a blessing to you? The answer to these questions are important to us. The desire of our 24/7 week long, online church service is to help someone by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the reason we welcome everyone into this place.

Jesus came to this earth to reconcile us to God. He paid a horrible price on an old rugged cross to redeem us from sin and spiritual death. He did not come just for the wealthy or a certain race. He did not come for the good looking people or persons of fame only. He did not come for one political party or another. Jesus came for whosoever would accept his perfect sacrifice of himself. Read John 3:16 for verification. Tell you what, let's read it together right now. John 3:16 says (Jesus speaking):

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Whosoever includes everyone, my friends. Jesus died for the vilest sinner to the person who lives like a saint. Jesus died so that people that you dislike the most could be saved. Do you hate Arabs? Jesus loves them. Do you hate gay people? Jesus loves them. Do you hate young people with their gothic, black attire and all their piercings? Guess what, Jesus loved and died for them also. Do you hate illegal immigrants? Jesus loves them. You get the picture, my friends? The whosoever in John 3:16 means any and everyone who accepts Jesus into their hearts, repents and lives for him.

Sometimes we as believers forget how we were before Jesus came into our life. Even if our actions weren't sinful, our condition was. It always amazes me how smokers who have quit smoking are the hardest ones on those that still "light up." Former alcoholics and drug users are so prideful and arrogant towards those who are still struggling with addiction. In the same respect, believers who have been miraculously lifted out of sin, given eternal life, have been forgiven, can be so hateful and unforgiving toward the lost. Does anyone see themselves here? Let us remind ourselves that there are none righteous in themselves. Turn with me to Romans 3:9-10. Remember, this is the word of God!! Paul tells us:

“What then are we better than they? No, in no wise: For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, (everyone) that they are all under sin; as it is written there is none righteous, no, not one.”

Believers, our righteousness is in Christ and not of ourselves. False pride and arrogance toward others should not be tolerated in our thinking or our lives. Jesus says in Matthew 5:6:

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: For they shall be filled.”

Be filled with what? The love, compassion, mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why would this be? So we can impart those things to others. If you want to bring people to Christ, you have to quit looking down on them. If you approach them with hate and venom, you will get hate and venom in return. So what are you saying, Bro. Bob? Are we to close our eyes to the sin in the world? No, a thousand times no. We should turn away from sin and we should always battle sin in the spirit. We can't beat sin in the flesh. Sin will always be around us in this world.

I am giving you a very special lesson here, my friends. We should not as believers, be or do as the world does. Our fight is not with our fellow man, but with the devil and his evil forces (demons). It is a spiritual battle we are in. Paul in a letter to the church at Corinth points this out. II Corinthians 10:3-5:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

Is this becoming more clear now? Our job as believers is to win the lost to Jesus. Not by beating them up as we would verbally or by action and attitude in the flesh. But by prayer and example. We can win the lost to Jesus by treating them as we prefer to be treated. Show them the love God has shown you. Show compassion for their plight in life and show them a new way by your example. God has been so merciful to you, my believing brother or sister. Can you not do the same to the unsaved or to the brother or sister in Christ who is struggling? Yes, it is true, even the saved one can struggle with the sin and troubles of life.

How should we treat those folks? If we are prideful and arrogant we will do as so many others have done. We will kick them to the side and have nothing more to do with them. However, if we do it the Godly way, we will do just the opposite. The apostle Paul talks about this in Galations 6:1-2. Paul tells us here:

“Brethren, if a man be taken over in a fault (sin) ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

This is what I am talking about church. There is enough hate in the world to go around. Believers should not add to it, should they? It is impossible to restore one in the spirit of meekness while hating them and looking down on them. What I am saying is this: Walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. Do as Jesus did two-thousand years ago and still does today – show love, mercy and grace to all. Let the invitation of salvation be given in the spirit intended by God. That would be with love, my friends.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

RETURN TO THE BASICS

It's that time again church. The time to gather together in praise and worship to the God above all gods and his Son, Jesus. It is always such an honor and privilege to bring forth the word of God to you. God loves you so much that he reaches right through the cyberspace, known as the internet, to bless you, to save you, to heal and deliver you from all the oppression Satan has put upon you. No wonder we can say – today is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! We welcome everyone to this 24/7, week long, online church service. We emphasize, everyone is welcome here.

This week I want to touch on a subject that is filled with controversy and pitfalls. The church!! You know folks, there are over two hundred denominations. Each one man made and man run. All proclaiming that their teaching and preaching is the correct teaching of God. Over two hundred seminaries, all teaching different things on the same verse. How can that be? Is there anything wrong with this picture?

Some churches teach healing is for today, others say it isn't. Some say tongues is of God, others say it is of the devil. Some churches believe instrumental music is to be used in praise and worship, yet other denominations teach only voice singing should be used. Does anyone out there really believe God meant his salvation to be this complicated? Some churches teach that man after salvation should walk in wealth. Other churches teach we should walk in poverty. Some churches refer to other denominations as “the frozen chosen.” Yet the “frozen chosen” churches claim that those other churches are just loud and emotional driven (holy rollers). No wonder confusion remains constant in organized churches and among religious organizations.

Do you know that for approximately three hundred years after the death of Jesus, there was no organized church? Yet, believers did gather together to worship and praise God. They encouraged each other to follow the teachings the apostles laid before them. They taught about Jesus coming to earth to save us. Their focus was on Jesus, dead, buried and risen. The cross was the object of their focus. They weren't concerned about the politics of their time as we are today. They would never allow their spirituality to be linked with one political party or another as God was the all in all for them. As it should be today.

The truth is, salvation and your belief in Jesus Christ is a personal relationship. Paul gives us the true doctrine of the church. In Colossians 1:14-22.

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him and for him: And he is before all things and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled - In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.”

In other words folks, return to the basics. Jesus and him crucified. He is in and above all things. When men decided that we have moved beyond the cross of calvary, they made a huge mistake. The entire new covenant is wrapped up in the cross. These previous verses of the Bible clearly state, Jesus is the creator and head of the church. It is made clear also in these passages, we as believers are the body of Christ. We are the church here on the earth to carry out the works that Jesus did.

What we are not to do is pick a verse out of the Bible and make a denomination out of it. My God help us to be wise and to understand your Word. As I speak to you on this online church, I only have one request of you, my friends. Please do not believe anything I say. Look it up in the Word of God and prove to yourself whether I am speaking truth or falsehood. Also, let me say this. I am not against local churches. I encourage you to ask God to lead you to a church near you, where you can worship and praise God with others. But always be faithful to read your Bible, and when the Spirit of God shows you something different from what is being taught, take it to your pastor and discuss it with him. Not with an attitude or to correct him, but to shine light on what he is teaching.

Pastors and teachers, this is an invitation to you to quit preaching your seminary notes or what other preachers teach and to get back in tune with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Bible. All these things that seem so contradictory, are doctrines that God will make clear to you, but only through his word. This 24/7 online church will be preaching and teaching on all the so called controversial doctrines mentioned in the beginning of this message. You will be free to question or even disagree with me. But only if you take the time to check it out for yourself through the word of God.

This ministry is being very careful to only preach the divine Word of Truth imparted to us by the Holy Spirit through the word of God. To do otherwise would be to invite a curse upon ourselves. The apostle Paul makes this clear in a warning to all preachers in Galations 1:8-9. Paul said:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed.”

I don't want that. And good pastors and teachers, I know you don't either. Get back to the basics, which can only be the word of God, which is Jesus and him crucified.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

New Prayer Request: Isaiah Moors, two month old baby, in ICU with severe internal injuries. Please pray for healing and a quick recovery. Also, pray for the family that they have peace in this trying situation.

GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH

I am here to announce and proclaim Jesus is Lord!! The mission of this online church is to lift up the name of Jesus to all. He is the reason this church welcomes all who enter into this place. We exclude no one in this 24/7 week long, online church service. We hope and pray to reach everyone we possibly can with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The anointed messages we preach here are with purpose. The purpose being to present Jesus Christ to everyone. Not as a person of history or fantasy, but as a living and loving Savior who died a horrible death on a cross at calvary. He was buried but rose again from the dead by the power of his father, the living God above all gods.

It is time for all to understand God is a present time God. Many think of Jesus as someone to read about or to be talked about as if he was dead and a thing of the past. Not so, my friends. Jesus is alive and wants to help you in every situation of life. Psalms 46:1 points this out very clearly. Let's read it together.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Refuge from what? Every situation, circumstance or trouble that comes against you. God, through his son Jesus, is a safe place. The beauty of it all is this. That safe place is open to all who will enter in by their belief in the living savior, Jesus Christ. This safe place is shut up tight to anything or anyone that excludes Jesus from their lives and wishes to do us harm. Psalm 46:1 states God is our strength. It does not state we are our own strength, does it? When we acknowledge God as our strength, nothing is impossible to us in this present time or in the future. Yet, if we choose only to walk in our own strength, excluding God, we walk at our own peril. Success will be very elusive to us on our own power. But, through God, all things are possible to us.

There was a time when the apostles were questioning Jesus about who could be saved. Jesus answered by stating – by men no one could be saved. But, by God, all things are possible. Let's look at Matthew 19:26, Jesus speaking:

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Let's bring this saying of Jesus' to this date. Because his words still stand true today. Basically, Jesus is telling us to not be followers of men, but God only. With God only are all things possible for you. Man cannot save you no matter how eloquent or believable they may sound. In fact, you follow man long enough, excluding God, and you may end up in the same ditch they fall into. And, you may not ever recover.

God will lead you into victory over all the things Satan and the world system can and will throw at you. I am not telling you bad things, circumstances and situations will not come into your life. But, I am telling you, with God as your refuge and strength, you will be an over comer no matter what comes against you. I have often told my kids, all grown up now by the way, that it is not what comes against you that matters but how you react to it. React as the world reacts – you lose!! React as the instruction book of life (the Bible) dictates, you win. God is a present time help in every situation of life.

You know, when Jesus was on the earth, he went about preaching, teaching and healing the sick (both physical and mental). For example, let's go to Matthew 9:35.

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues (churches) and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”

What was he teaching and preaching? He was explaining and proclaiming the truth and good news of the gospel. Ladies and gentlemen, preaching, teaching and healing are the gospel program. The things Jesus did on the earth are the very same things we as believers are to do today. You don't have to take my word for it. Jesus in John 14:12 says it better than I ever could. Jesus said:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Very clear instructions, don't you think? God never intended the works that Jesus did while on the earth to die with him, never to return or to only be remembered as a thing of the past. But, they are to continue through the believer. We must continue to preach Jesus as a present time help in this world. We must continue to teach our children, our grandchildren, and all who will listen about Jesus. Every place we go, no matter what city or village, we must teach, preach and proclaim healing is for today. Churches that do not teach that healing is for today, better wake up and read the word of God again. I believe the failure of many Christians to be healed of physical and mental problems are due to the lack of proper teaching and preaching in the churches and seminaries of today.

Even churches that believe in healing for today often link it to the giving of money. And that is wrong, wrong, wrong. It's time we shine the light of the gospel on these erroneous teachings. God has left us so much to help us live victoriously in this life on earth. Let's no longer water the gospel down. Get back in the word of God, my friends, ask God for wisdom and understanding of his Word. He will provide you with all the answers you need to live a life of goodness and mercy.

Jesus left instructions for us before he left the earth. Let's obey them. Turn with me to Matthew 28:20, Jesus speaking to believers of yesterday and today. Jesus said:

“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Those things include salvation, baptism, the Holy Spirit, healing and deliverance from demonic oppression. We will be teaching on all of these things. Get ready for a good ride!

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

Prayer Requests: Please pray for my cousin, John Pitts. John has just gone through a lung transplant. Please pray for a quick recovery and a complete and total healing. John, we love you and will pray for you daily.

We ask for urgent prayer for Mrs. Ravelo. She was recently admitted to the hospital. She is battling anemia. We ask our Heavenly Father to touch her with his healing power. Also, we are praying for her family. May God give them the peace that passes all understanding.

GOD IS PLEASED WITH YOU

This week is a very special week in the lives of all believers, isn't it? This Sunday we celebrate the death, burial and most of all, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Yes my friends, Jesus is alive and well – thank you very much.

What a great day to welcome everyone to your 24/7 week long, online church service. There is no one who is not eligible to attend this service. Why? Because when we lift up the name of Jesus, he will draw all men unto himself. Here, read it for yourself in John 12:32, Jesus speaking:

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

Did you get that? Jesus will draw all men, and women by the way, to himself. That is the main purpose of the Spirit of Wisdom Ministries. In the past few weeks we have talked to all manner of men, haven't we? We have reached out to the unsaved. We have encouraged believers who have lost their way to return to their Heavenly Father. And what better time than the present to talk with the faithful believer? Yes my friends, there is such a thing. There are people who get up each morning with thanks in their heart and on their lips because they know and understand God has given them another day of life to serve him. They remember life before Jesus saved them. Some were in deep physical and moral sin, yet some did not partake of that form of sin, but they were bitter, unfulfilled, lonely, knowing something wasn't right in their life, but not knowing what it was. Am I striking a cord with anyone? Many thought surely this isn't all there is. And you know what? They were right. God was reaching out to you, wasn't he?

Moms, Dads, grandparents, friends, and friends of friends were praying for you. Pointing you to the cross. You had to choose for yourself, didn't you? Thank God you chose life and now, regardless of all that life throws at you, you have a peace that passes all understanding. You have a love for your fellow man you never had before. And, oh my – what a burden for souls!! Your cry to God is “Save them Lord, please save them.”

Men and women know something is different about you. Jesus said this would happen. In John 13:34-35 Jesus said:

“A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

That is you, my faithful believer. Finally, because of Jesus, you are able to separate sin from the sinner. Hate is no longer directed toward men, but toward the devil and his evil, demonic forces. I know!! Sometimes we have to work on these things, but you are getting there, aren't you? Your prayers for government leaders are not filled with hate for them, but love. Believing God can and will reveal himself to these leaders; praying God will give them eyes to see and ears to hear. Just as many believed you would never change from your past wicked ways, but God moved over you and now they see you in a different light. So it can be with others.

GOD IS PLEASED WITH YOU

I am preaching this to encourage you. God loves your faithfulness. He expects great things out of you. Jesus lays it out for you in John 14:12. He was soon to die on the cross, yet his thoughts were only of you. Let's see what he had to say.

“Verily, verily I say unto you. He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do: Because I go unto my Father.”

What works would these be, church? Well, what did Jesus do while on this earth? He preached and revealed himself as the Son of God. He taught us about God, letting us know that our father loved us so much that he sent Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He healed the sick. He cast the devil out of those who were in torment. Let's talk about these things for a minute. Following the instructions Jesus gave us in John 14:12 we can conclude as believers we are to share Jesus with others, explaining to them who Jesus is and what he will do for them if they accept his free gift of salvation. We are to tell others about God's love for them. A love that is so intense that he would let his son die a horrible death on a cross, be buried, but gloriously arise to return to the father, where he would sprinkle his blood on the mercy seat and by that action man could be redeemed from their sin.

We also, according to this scripture, can pray for the sick and see them recover. We can walk with no fear of Satan because in the name of Jesus we can cast him out. We now can discern the spirits as Jesus did. This is you I'm talking about!! No wonder God is pleased with you. We know we can open ourselves to God and he can perform wonders through us the world has never seen yet. Stay faithful church, stay faithful. No longer do you walk in darkness, but in the light of God. Jesus tells us about this in John 12:46.

“I am come a light unto the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

The Apostle Paul also addresses this in Ephesians 5:8.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: Walk as children of light.”

I thank God you are doing just that. One point I want to make: We are all growing and learning the ways of God. God is pleased with you. He knows you fail at times, but he sees how fast you recover. God can see you are not perfect in all you do, but he knows your heart and intention. God knows you are attaining to perfection. Paul talks about this in Philippians 3:12.

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”

What Paul is saying is – I'm working toward perfection (which is maturity in Christ). He says he is not there yet, but he just wants to complete what God has for him to do. Now let's continue. Turn with me to Philippians 3:13-14.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

There you are, faithful believer. Keep on keeping on. Press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Great advice from a man who made it.

God Bless You
Bro. Bob