IT'S CORRECTION TIME, CHURCH

I want to wish a Happy belated Thanksgiving to our precious online church family. I'm sure you know everyday is and should be a day of thanksgiving. You know, when President Abraham Lincoln re-proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday he did not call it “Happy Turkey Day,” did he? Nor did he call it “Happy Food Day.” No my friends, the president of the United States knew exactly what he was doing. He knew it was in the best interest of our nation to give thanks to God for the many blessings we have.

Somehow over the last few decades we have gotten away from giving thanks, and look around you, ladies and gentlemen, see what is happening to our country. This is not a Democrat or Republican thing, my friends. Our congress, our president and yes even ourselves must get back to praying and the giving of thanks for our country. We must pray for our leaders and each other. Welcome to your 24/7 week long, online church service. I'm so thankful everyone is welcome in this place.

Psalms 100 tells us how to give thanks and praise to the Lord for his goodness to us. Let's read Psalms 100 together:

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

It is obvious that this Psalm is an instruction to believers. As a friend of mine once said “There is a wolf of information here.” We are talking about giving thanks and praying for our country, aren't we? The Psalmist starts out by saying “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.” So this is not just a prayer for the United States, but for all lands. Well, I assume this would be for all Muslim nations too, wouldn't it? I call on all Muslims everywhere to come to Jesus Christ this week, and make a joyful noise of praise to the God of your salvation which in truth can only be Jesus Christ.

Believers, some of you believe the only way to deal with Muslim nations is to kill men, women and children with bombs. My suggestion as a man called of God to preach Spirit and truth, is to bomb all lands, including all Muslim nations, with prayers for the salvation of their peoples. Jesus Christ is the answer, my friends. The love and mercy of Jesus Christ is more powerful than the most destructive weapons known to man. This isn't political, church. This is the truth of God's Word. Verse 3 of Psalms 100 states that we are to know, not think, hope or doubt, that the Lord, He is God. Who is the Lord? Jesus Christ is the Lord and Jesus is God who came in human form to save us all from our sin. Who? All, that's who. All who would receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. No one is excluded except by choice. John 3:16-17 spells it out very clearly:

“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. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Now I ask you, do we have anything to be thankful for? You bet we do!! All peoples from all nations, all that are in what we may consider the vilest of sinful condition are exactly who Jesus came to save. Were we not in bondage to sin before we came to know Jesus? Of course we were. God is making a point here, church. Self righteousness and religious arrogance is not of God.

It often amazes me how believers who have been set free from alcohol and nicotine are the most judgmental of those who still drink and smoke. Believers who have been set free from sexual addiction and bondage now looking down their noses at those who are in the exact same condition they were in before Christ. What in the world is going on, church? When did compassion become a dirty word? Do you not understand? Jesus died for us all. No matter what nationality, what color, what financial status or what spiritual condition we were in. Believers, I'm talking to you!! If you believe I'm being harsh with you, feel free to go to God yourself. My suggestion is to go humbly and ask the Father – is Brother Bob teaching truth here? I am confidant that he will show you that I am.

Church, I am very aware that sin in any fashion is not to be condoned. Sin is dangerous and always leads in the direction of death. However, let's not fight sin and sinners with sinful attitudes or actions of our own. This message is not designed to beat up believers or the church. It is actually more about correction, isn't it? I am encouraging you to approach life and living more as Jesus would. Everything Jesus did or said was designed to bring God's creation (us) to himself. To shine light unto darkness so each person could see their own sin and need for a Savior.

Being separate from the world system does not mean you should be so heavenly minded you are no earthly good. The lost in this world need you. They do not need you to point out their sin as much as they need you to point them toward Jesus Christ.

Let's return to Psalms 100 for further instruction. Verse 4 tells us to praise God wherever we go. It also tell us to be thankful unto God and to bless his name. The way to bless the name of God is to be more like his name implies. To be loving, merciful and just. Verse 5 sums it up for us. God is good. His mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations. Now, that is something to be thankful for, isn't it?

As I close this message, I return to express my thankfulness for this nation. I love our country, but I know as you do there is trouble in the land. Once again this is where we as believers can make a difference. Please, turn with me to II Chronicles 7:14 and let's read it together:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Now that sounds like correction to me. How about you?

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

Special Note: We have embedded a link to an eCard below from http://www.crosscards.com titled "Psalms 100." We believe you will enjoy it. If you are blessed by this eCard, please leave a comment and let us know!

LET PEACE RULE IN YOUR HEART AGAIN

Well church, it' that time again. We have come together to praise and glorify our God. The God above all gods. Psalms 105:1-5 gives the instruction:

“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: Talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength: Seek his face evermore. Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.”

Welcome to your 24/7 week long, online church service. Surely you know by now everyone is welcome in this place. No one is excluded. No one is looked down upon. We love you and desire your presence here. God loves you and he's glad you are receiving his Word.

The instructions given in the above scriptures are pretty clear, aren't they? Give thanks unto the Lord!! Every morning when I wake up the very first thing I do is thank God for another day of life. I would suggest you do the same. Surely you are as thankful as I am. Let God know how thankful you are. Call on his name in every situation. Just say “Jesus be with me. I love you and I need your help today.” The scripture says to tell others what God has done for you. Now, some may not care or respond to your joy. But, there is that one or two who may believe if God did that for you, just maybe he would do the same for them. God wants you to plant the seeds of his Word in others, doesn't he?

Sing unto him. I oftentimes make up songs of thanksgiving as I drive in my car. There is something about music that touches God's heart. I believe it is the sincerity that does it. Verse 4 of the above scripture says to seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face evermore. In this time of trouble all around us, we need his strength don't we? I believe one of the most important things God wants is for us to remember the marvelous works he has done for us. Why? So you can encourage yourself in him and so that you will be an encouragement to others. You know, if you look back in the Old Testament and even in the New, the Word of God was passed forward mostly by word of mouth. Families passed the stories of God and his blessings down generation to generation.

That is almost gone in this present day. Parents today pass down Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter bunny and the things of this world to their children, but leave out God. I'm even talking about proclaimed, born again believers who really do have a story to tell. Think about it, friends. When is the last time you sat down with your children or grandchildren and told them about Jesus. Do they even know you are a believer? Many of you have been delivered from all kinds of addictions. Many of you have been touched by the healing power of God. Some of your marriages have been put back together by Godly counsel, haven't they? Look folks, I'm just trying to shake you up a little bit, get back on track.

Your children need your guidance. If you don't tell them about God, who will? It is time to restore Godliness back into our lives. Remember when God was first in your life? Remember the peace? Peace hasn't left. You just have to let the peace of God rule in your hearts again. How do I know this, my friends? By the instruction book of Life (The Bible) and by the Spirit of God that dwells within me. The same Spirit that dwells in you if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Colossians 3:15-17 may help clarify this. Let's read it together:

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Did you notice that very big small word “Let” in the scripture we just read? Church, you can either keep out the peace of God from your heart or you can let the peace of God rule in your heart. Which one are you doing? If you are allowing bitterness and unforgiveness to rule your heart, there is no room for peace. Listen, I am aware some of you have had trouble or problems with previous preachers, pastors, churches and religious people in the past. The truth is, you may have good reason to be upset over past, perceived wrongs. However, is that worth giving up on God? Or, dismissing the work and blessings he has done in your life? The answer quite simply is no my friends, no!! It is time to forgive and turn back to God. Once again let the peace of God rule in your heart and be thankful.

Get back into the Bible and once again renew your mind to the Word of God. The scripture says to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Why? So you can teach and encourage others. Do you understand what I am saying here? Your friends, family and even strangers to you (but not to God) need your help. God has saved you and in many cases delivered you from destruction physically, mentally and of course, spiritually. The devil is a deceiver and you may have been overwhelmed with the burdens and unfairness of this life. Religious people may have disappointed you and let you down. Sometimes on purpose. Sometimes they didn't even know they did it.

I am telling you for the sake of yourself and the sake of your close and distant family, set all that aside and come back to God now, this instant!! God is reaching out to you through this message. He loves you. He loves your spouse. He loves your children. Your are the key. Come back to God. Come back home. Let peace rule in your heart again. A while back I gave a message entitled “God loves you the best.” Now it is your turn to once again say “God, I love you the best.”

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

GOD HEARS OUR PRAYERS

The Spirit of Wisdom Ministries comes to you this week with a very special request. I mentioned in the audio portion of last week's message how important it is for our online church to be a praying church. We have received an urgent prayer request from Margaret “Mo” Swenson.

Mo and her husband, Chuck, have been close friends of ours for many years. She informed me this week that her sister has Stage IV cancer and is being attended to at home by Hospice. When Mo's ninety-year-old mother was told of this situation she also was hospitalized. Mo's simple request to us and other friends is to pray for herself and her family as they travel through this journey. I am now passing this request onto you, our loving and praying online church. Please, pray for God's strength and comfort for this family in need. Mo said she knows that her God, who sits on the throne, is the Almighty One who can get them through the days ahead. And you know what? She is absolutely correct.

God will be with her and the family, but most of all, he will be with Mo's sister. So pray church, pray. We are counting on you. God will honor your sincere prayers, he always does. God bless you, Mo and your family. This online family of believers is standing with you.

Welcome everyone to your 24/7, week long, online church service, all are welcome in this place. You know folks, all of us have times when we need comfort and strength, don't we? The truth is, there are many times of despair and grief on this earth. We see it all around us. Poverty, sickness, unequal justice and so much more. We soon find out our own strength in many situations is not enough. The impending loss of life of someone close to us, whether it be family or friends can be and often is too much to bear, isn't it? That's just the human element at work. But, thank God, we are not alone.

God created us and he knows what we can endure and what we cannot. God says to believe in him, draw on his strength, he will not let you down. Psalms 28:6-7 tells us how faithful God is to us who believe on him. Psalms 28:6-7 states:

“Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”

What a great passage of scripture. It tells us so much. It starts out by saying God has heard our prayers. So many times we question that, don't we? Well, let that matter be settled once and for all. God's Word is true or it isn't. Which do you believe? This Psalm tells us God will not only give you the strength to overcome these ordeals of life, but even more than that, he (God) is our strength. Let's repeat that!! God is our strength. Now, who or what is stronger than our heavenly Father? The answer – no one or anything!! The Bible says in this scripture. Because your heart trusts in him, he will and in fact, has already helped you. Now, my friends, we can rejoice and sing songs of praise toward him.

I often pray that God gives his peace and joy to those that I lift up to him. But, does he really do that? Psalms 29:11 gives us the answer.

“The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.”

My friends, God desires to be your strength. Now, I want you to get this. God is our strength and he gives us strength. Clearly, God is saying if you are my people, I will share myself with you completely. How do we become his people? By giving ourselves completely to him. By accepting the way he gave us to come to him. There is only one way. Receive his Son Jesus into your heart and confess him as your Lord and Savior. Remember Jesus? The one who died on the cross so you might be saved and have eternal life with him and his Father.

Oh church, do you get this? Mo is right. Because she has received Jesus into her heart, she can truthfully say that her God sits on the throne and he will get her through the days ahead with peace, comfort and even joy. Can you say the same? Believers, it is more important than ever to not let go of what you have in God. Draw on the strength that he is in every situation. You might say “Brother Bob, how can you have joy at such a time as this?” Here is what God does for you in times of sadness and mourning. Turn with me to Isaiah 61:3. Isaiah is talking about those who were mourning in Zion. But God is no respecter of persons, is he? So, if you are sad, in despair and mourning, no matter where you are, this applies to you. Isaiah 61:3 states:

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness. The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

What a great God we serve. God gives us the oil of joy to replace mourning. He gives us the garment of praise and drives out the spirit of heaviness. God is glorified by our steadfastness in him. I know there are times when we wonder “God, where are you? Please hurry!” Isaiah 40:31 addresses that.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

In other words, church, wait on the Lord. He will see you to victory in every situation of life. He will see to it that you will regain your spiritual strength and walk through to the end, which is only the beginning.

God Bless you,
Bro. Bob

Prayer Request Update: I heard from Margaret "Mo" Swenson this past Friday. Her sister has passed away and gone home to be with the Lord. It is more urgent than ever to pray for Mo and her family. Pray for peace and comfort that passes all understanding. Thank you for joining with us in prayer for this family.

WHO INFLUENCED YOU? (Part 2)

I believe this message – Who Influenced You? – is one of the most important sermons I have ever given. To reflect back on many of the people who God has placed in our lives. I mentioned in last week's message that I now see that from birth to this present time, God has inserted just the right persons to help me stay on the right path with him. Well, guess what? He has done the same for you.

I want to welcome everyone to your 24/7 week long, online church service. Let us emphasize no one is barred from this place. As I was dwelling over last week's message, I was overcome with emotion. Thinking back about a Mom that cared enough to pray and believe that her children would someday come to know and serve God. Mom had some faults but not believing in God wasn't one of them. Remembering that traveling priest, Father Berson and his faithfulness to travel from mountainside to mountainside to give us the simple lesson of Jesus and his love for us. And then, of course, my grandparents in Virginia. They were not regular church goers themselves, but Godly by example and made sure I attended the Methodist Church down the street where Jesus was preached from the pulpit.

What memories my friends. I also talked last week about Bro. Fred Norris, my first pastor after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I can still hear him say “You must be borned again.” I know I am repeating much of last week's message here. Such memories when brought to light do not go away easily, and thank God for that. I received so much from these vessels of love. Because of their willingness to share God with me, I can relate to Colossians 2:6-7:

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

The key words in these scriptures for this message are “As ye have been taught.” I do abound with thanksgiving to God for all those who have taught me about Jesus. I will do as the scripture says, I will walk in him, rooted and built up in him. Can you relate to this, my friends? Think of those who have taught you. How faithful is God to have placed these people to guide and lead you in your walk toward and with God, through his Son, Jesus Christ.

We are talking about Godly influences in our life, aren't we? As you ponder on the relatives, friends, preachers and others who shared the love of God with you, I will continue with my remembrances. I'll never forget Bro. Ed. Shields. He attended the Free Will Baptist Church that Bro. Fred Norris pastored. Bro. Ed gave me one of my first opportunities to preach. We would go to the Detroit Rescue Mission. He always encouraged me to preach what God put in my heart. He didn't care if it was Baptist doctrine as long as it was Bible doctrine. I was thrilled when I gave my very first altar call and many people came forth to receive Jesus. And, when I looked back at Bro. Ed, he looked even more thrilled than I. I'm not sure that was possible, but he sure looked like it.

Another person in that same church that God used to shape me was Bro. Ron Reeves. Ron drove the church bus. At my mother's urging he would call my wife and me every Saturday night to see if he could pick up our kids for Sunday School. Now please understand, at that time we were not saved and certainly not serving God. We hated this religious guy calling every week. We did not want our children going to church every Sunday. But through Bro. Ron's persistence and Mom's urgings, we usually did let them go. I remember attending Christmas programs at the church only because our kids were involved. Looking at Bro. Ron, my heart was filled with hatred. One of the ways God showed me that I was really saved upon receiving Jesus into my heart (by way of a TV preacher), was when next I saw Bro. Ron Reeves, my heart was filled with love for him. That was way back in the '70s. We have been great friends ever since. But even better than that, we are brothers in Christ. Thanks, Bro. Ron, to you and to your family for being faithful. You are a blessing to our family.

Once again, my friends, this is not just about me. Who is coming into your thoughts now? Can you see how God has been with you since birth? These stories aren't just my stories, are they? Change the names and situations, and you will see that God has done the very same for you, hasn't he? You know, as I think of these men and women who have been faithful to impart God's word into us in their own special way, the word “faithfulness” comes to mind. I know God is pleased that those he put in our pathway were faithful to carry out his mission for them.

I have often preached as believers we are ambassadors of the kingdom of God. As we talk about these servants who have influenced us in our walk toward and with God, we see they were faithful in carrying out their work as ambassadors. Let's read II Corinthians 5:20 and see if this doesn't fit in here:

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us: We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

Now, admittedly those exact words may not have been used. But it is clear everything these influences put in our lives were designed to reconcile us with God. Is that not so, believer? This is also true for you, nonbeliever. God wants you reconciled to him and he has and still is putting persons in your life to draw you to him.

There are many others I could mention in this message – Mike “Hippie” Hamilton, who constantly witnessed to me. Pastor Harold Hamlin and his wife Jan whose faithful walk with Christ is an inspiration to me, Bro. David Collins who taught me that being an usher was more than just seating people. His knowledge of old and new testament always amazed me. To begin to conclude this message is so difficult for me. So many people keep coming to mind, but I have to cut this off somewhere, so here goes.

After leaving the Free Will Baptist Church, God led us to another church whose slogan was “We are a charismatic teaching center, family church and world outreach,” a full gospel church. God was leading us into a deeper understanding of his Word and truth. Pastor John Bulloch, who I have referred to many times in previous messages, was our new pastor. I will never be able to repay Pastor Bulloch for all he placed in me and our family. He taught us that living for God was not just a Sunday and Wednesday night thing, but a 24/7 daily walk. We learned in depth about the gifts of God. We were taught clearly how the Word of God (The Bible) should operate daily in our lives. Pastor Bulloch taught how much God loves us and how he is a present time God. God wants us to prosper and be in good health (as our souls prosper). Church and living for God became the center of our lives. Pastor Bulloch and his wife Sis. Pat became our mentors. I often saw the frustration on Pastor Bulloch's face as he saw that oftentimes his flock didn't grasp all that God desired for them. Pastor Bulloch taught the consequences of sin and the blessings of serving God. He fed us the Word. He was available when you needed him. He sometimes allowed me to preach for him when he was traveling or preaching somewhere else.. Did God put this servant in my life as an influence? Yes, he did and I am thankful for that.

All right, ladies and gentlemen. Do you get the picture? God loves you so much that to be sure you can find your way to him, he places people in your lives from birth to right now. My prayer is that someday in the future, someone will think of who influenced them toward God, and that someone would be me. Do you pray the same thing for yourself? My guess is that you do.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob