The Way

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope  and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

GEICO, Allstate, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Fidelis; there are many different insurance companies. There are many different kinds of insurances.  There’s life insurance, health insurance, car insurance, flood insurance, house insurance, pet insurance, and there’s even now car maintenance insurance.  People feel safer when they know they insured.  Amen but, how safe can this type of insurance really make you?

Life insurance can only be benefited from in the event of your or someone’s death.  Something would actually have to happen to your car for your car insurance to take effect, and health insurance is there for when your heath fails. Whether it’s just a cold or if it’s full blown cancer, you still have to be in a bad way to benefit from the insurance.  And what’s the best thing that could happen with these insurances, the best case scenario?  Well if you’re not dead, your car is not wrecked and you and your family is not sick…..you get to pay the insurance company, and feel safe.

But, how would you really like to be “in good hands.”  I mean the best hands.  Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I would like to present to you….a better than life insurance….the eternal life insurance established over 2,000 years ago.  An insurance that you can benefit from whether you are sick or well.  Those other types insurance talk about constant coverage but don’t pay your premium and see how constant that coverage is.  With our plan you’re covered under the blood of Jesus Christ our savior and redeemer.  But wait—there’s more; regular life insurance ends with the physical death of the policy holder. It provides for his or her funeral expense and may even give saved up money or possessions to loved ones.  I tell you that there is an insurance that provides your sweetest benefit after your physical death.  Membership and compliance guarantees eternal life in heaven in the presence of our Holy Father.  I’ll let that sink in for a moment.

This type of life insurance—or a better term might be life assurance, is insurance for your soul.  It works great not only in the hereafter but right now.  You’re able to have joy, peace, and contentment houses and land, the whole nine.  Our Father owns all of this and if you only believe with your heart and confess with mouth that our elder brother and savior Jesus Christ died for our sins on a cross and resurrected himself on the 3^rd day you too can become a policyholder.  Let me apologize because in my excitement I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let me tell you a little bit about our organization.  The name of our organization is called The Way.  Our founder is all mighty God who resides in heaven.  Our C.E.C. and co-founder is Jesus who currently resides in heaven at our Father’s right hand.  Our vice president and co-founder in charge of training and also runs the help desk, our comforter the precious Holy Ghost.  Down my chain of command or my upline are Bishop Frazier, Elder Campbell and finally Pastor and Deacon Robinson.

Our instruction manual or standard operating procedure (S.O.P) for short consists of 66 books and as of 2007 approximately 7.5 billion have been distributed world wide.  Talk about a best seller.  All or a part of it has been printed in over 2.370 languages.  Our members today,  number between 1.5 and 2.2 billion believers.  Some famous retirees in our organization consist of Brother John, Brother Matthew, Brother Timothy and Bishop Fuller.

The way is available to everyone, all nations and all races.  Our Master’s plan is so elegant,  yet so simple that even the most educated and smartest person couldn’t mess it up by over thinking things.  In fact,  in Matthew 18:4 of our instruction manual Jesus said this (And he said “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.) The way was not always available to us all; up until approximately 2,000 years ago the way was a hand to adhere to system called the Law and only God’s original people the Jews had the rights to it.  Even when Jesus came down to earth to simplify the system it still wasn’t available to us.  But thanks to one of our pioneering representatives, Brother Paul (and the Jews rejection and crucifixion of our savior and C.E.O. Jesus) we are all, worldwide, privy to this pearl of great price.

You may by now be thinking what is the cost for something so wonderful.  Well worry not, for the premium has been paid in blood no less by our Lord and savior (our C.E.O if you will).  All you have to do is believe on Him, believe that he actually did pay that price for us and do this while the blood is still running warm in your veins.  And with that belief comes membership and with membership your name will be written in the Lamb Book at our corporate headquarters in Heaven.

Let me give you a few examples by way of personal testimony, what the way can do for you.  When I was a younger man I could end up in places and situation that make the hair stand on the back of my neck but whatever situation that was lurking m never revealed itself.  How many people know that before you ever enroll in this great plan, someone who already knows the way will put you on their policy?  All they have to do is bring your name up when they’re on their upline communicating with our C.E.O.  No doubt our pastor and deacon had a group policy for most of us back then.

My daughter gave us cause for concern with headache and a disturbing prognosis from her doctor.  It resulted in a couple of trips to Chapel Hill.  I myself got sick in 09; my condition could have had serious consequences.  In both cases we used a medical insurance through my job called Medcost.  I was lucky to have it but how many of you know that medcost was just my supplementary or secondary insurance.  The way was, and is my first to go.

Now as I’ve said before, the cost of membership has been paid in full.  As I ‘m sure you’ll remember someone said; salvation is free but it costs to keep it.  You must supply a sanctified life a godly life.  You must stay in contact with your C.E.O. on your upline constantly.  You must read your instruction manual daily.  And you love your brother as you love yourself, maybe better.  Our organization is a lean green efficient company. We keep advertisement costs down by using word of mouth, in fact every member is compelled to go out into the hedges and hi ways and tell people about our C.E.O. and the way.

As I conclude, keep in mind being on someone else’s policy will not get your name written in the Book of Life.  You need to secure a personal policy.  If you do not know the way tonight you are in a good place at a most opportune time. If you wish to secure for yourself a policy of peace that surpasses all understanding all you need to do is come down to the alter and you name can be added right now.  So don’t be without coverage a minute longer get yourself a peculiar policy.  Become one of us a royal priesthood come with us, on the way.

-Brother Darrin Johnson

National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2010

January 24, 2010 is designated as National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.  This week is designed to educate and enlighten those who need information about the reality of abortion, to celebrate life at it’s earliest stage, and remember  to fight for those are the most defenseless-the unborn.  Here is a quick overview of what abortion is provided by www.abort73.com, an excellent source for those wanting the unfiltered truth about abortion:

Sisters of the Faith has also provided information for those who want to provide information, and/or seek assistance for themselves and others.  We also have shared stories of those who have been directly effected by abortion and most importantly, how God views us and the love He has for us even before we were conceived.  This is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts.  Please pray continually for this cause.

http://www.sistersofthefaith.com/index.php?s=abortion

Jay Z Disses Jesus Christ!!!

All I can say is watch this! Please share this with everyone you know.

Check out the lyrics for yourself here:  http://www.elyricsworld.com/empire_state_of_mind_lyrics_jay-z.html

President Obama June LGBT Month

Our country seems to do such a great job of being inclusive and recognizing everyone for their accomplishements and contributions to our rich and diverse cultural backgrounds.  Although we claim to be a nation founded on Biblical principles we continue to leave those founding principles in our distant past.

Yesterday, 44th president Barack Obama, proclaimed the month of June to be LGBT Pride Month.   LGBT is an acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.”  Should a sexual orientation that God considers to be a perversion of nature – even calling it blasphemous – be something we as a nation celebrate and take pride in?  Such proclamations only fuel those who support same-sex marriage and other initiatives that undermine God’s law.  Such a proclamation is the gateway to legislation that will destroy the sanctity of both marriage and the family.

Pro-family activist Peter LaBarbera says it is sad, but not surprising, that President Obama chose to issue a proclamation celebrating homosexuality. The president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality said Obama is pandering to homosexual political activists.

“Homosexuality is nothing to be proud of — bottom line,” says LaBarbera. “The fact is people have left the lifestyle, people have overcome homosexuality [with God's help] — I think that’s something to be proud of….”

LaBarbera warns of the repercussions of the president’s pursuit of expanded rights for those who are confused about their sexual orientation.

“This proclamation talks about the entire radical homosexual agenda that Obama supports — including homosexualizing the U.S. military [and] federal so-called ‘rights’ based on homosexuality, which will impinge on the religious freedoms and freedom of conscience of other Americans.”

The Bible is very clear on the matter of homosexuality.  1 Timothy 5:20 says, “Them that sin rebuke before all that others may fear.” KJV  Additionally, Ephesians 5:11 states, that we are to take no part in unfruitful works, but we are to expose them.  Sadly, the Pew Forum recently reported that the Presbyterian Church is now moving to allow gay clergy, as have the United Methodists, United Church of Christ, Baptists, Lutherans and Episcopalians and Anglicans!

Homosexuals, which make up 1% of the populace, have choked the will out of Christians.  However, as believers, we must reach out to homosexuals, lovingly, with the message of the gospel.  We have work to do!

Don’t Add On: P4CM Video

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The Good-O-Meter

How good do you have to be to get into heaven?

What’s with the Eggs and Bunnies?

Pastel colored, cute, fuzzy, big, small, caramel, peanut butter and chocolate flavors will fill Easter baskets everywhere. Hats, gloves, shawls and shirley temple curls will be must have accessories.  This Sunday pews everywhere will be  filled with the best dressed bottoms they will be graced with all year long.  Family members and friends will make cameo appearances bright and early Sunday morning as if they were in a music video giving Jesus a shout out.  The occasion …Easter of course.

We love Easter because it is not only one of the most spiritual holidays, but a time for reflection and family to come together. It is the remembrance of Jesus’ rising from the dead, known as His Resurrection.  If you are anything like me, having grown up in church, you knew early on the significance of the resurrection and why Jesus rose from the dead.   I only knew that I was getting dressed up for Jesus and I would say a nice speech to let everyone know I knew what he had done for us all.

What I did not know however, was exactly where the bunnies and eggs came in.  Why and how did the eggs become pastel colored and how did they relate to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection?  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed each and every Easter egg hunt and the Cadbury bunnies that I got to enjoy.  My cousin even penned a song about the Easter bunny that over 20 years later, I can’t forget the lyrics to.  Was the Easter bunny good to you?  Was he good to your mama and your daddy too?  Was he good to your sister and your brother too?  Was the Easter bunny good to you? Catchy isn’t it?

A Little History Lesson

Easter is named after Eastre, a pagan Saxon goddess!  Eastre (earlier, Eostre, derived from the Saxons’ Germanic heritage) was the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of dawn, spring and fertility. Our word, “east” is related to this deity’s name.   Her male consort was the Sun god, and the sun does rise, after all, at dawn and in the east.   Rites of spring were celebrated in her honor at the vernal equinox (first day of spring). The first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox was also sacred to her, and this pagan holiday was given her name — Eastre.   The full moon represented the “pregnant” phase of Eastre — she was passing into the fertile season and giving birth to the Sun’s offspring.

Eastre’s symbols were the hare and the egg. Both represented fertility and rebirth.  Rabbits are more common in various parts of the world than hares so, over time the rabbit has been substituted — not without merit, since rabbits are notorious for their fertility. This is where the  “Easter Rabbit” or “Easter Bunny”  tradition comes from.

Dyed eggs were already being used as part of pagan rituals at the dawn of history in the Near Eastern civilizations. These were the first “Easter eggs.” As the traditions of the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs evolved, they were lumped together. As a result, in our modern Easter tradition, although the Easter Bunny is sometimes thought of as laying the Easter eggs so eagerly sought by children, the Easter Rabbit is usually regarded as male.   Since rabbits don’t lay eggs there isn’t much point for us to debate over its gender.

When the emerging, Christian religion, with its emphasis on rebirth (through the Resurrection), found it expedient to continue celebrating Eastre’s holiday. The focus simply switched to Christ — and the spelling, eventually, to “Easter.”

It is now, in retrospect that I caution parents to not allow the commercialism of this most sacred of celebrations to overshadow the message that we need to convey to our children and to anyone that has not been introduced to the Messiah. Galatians 2:20 reads: “I am crucified with Christ. I no longer live but Christ lives in me, the life that I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” NKJV It was not the Easter Bunny that bore our sins and suffered the shame of the cross for us.  This most selfless of acts deserves our undivided attention and it our responsibility to share with the world the truth about the greatest of love stories.

Let us not get so caught up in all of the images that we are literally being force fed.  Chicks emerging from their shells and chocolate bunnies emerging from eggs are just a couple of the ways the world celebrates the birth of spring as opposed to the resurrection of the Son of the true and living God.  Is it not God who creates all things and gives them life?  Even if we wanted to just celebrate the season it would still point to Him because we are surrounded by His handiwork continually.  He created it all!    Psalm 24:1  The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  Psalm 19:1-2 While you’re searching for eggs don’t forget to seek first the kingdom of God and all of its righteousness.  Moreover, in all thy getting, get understanding.

If I Wash Thee Not

If I Wash Thee Not By Yuri Solomon

Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. (John 13:8)

This is an ultimatum of identification through participation. Yet it remains that many join the local church and remain unserviceable. They have taken the initial obstinate position of Peter, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.”

Such a posture is evidenced by the unchanged life. There are those who have entertained the idea that a true believer can remain unchanged. However, Jesus’ rebuke of Peter excludes such a notion.

They gathered in an upper room setting. The greater took the position of the lesser, removed his garment, girded Himself with a towel, and begin to wash the feet of His disciples. Yet He comes to one who thought he knew how things ought to be better than Jesus . Peter emphatically objected to Jesus washing his feet. However, Jesus cancels his statement with an absolute declaration. Jesus asserts here that purification is as essential to one’s Christian identification as believing itself, not as a means of salvation, but as an indicator of salvation.

A fellow I once went to speak for was living with his girlfriend. My flesh said stay out of it, yet I knew that it was my God-given duty to participate in this fellow’s washing. I addressed the matter, expressing to him the mess he was making of his life and consequently his church. He married the woman a few months later. Thank God he was serviceable!

The word of Jesus here does not relegate washing to a secondary or non-essential matter. In the Old Testament temple the laver was on the inside of the holy place. One did not wash until he went in, yet one did not go in and fail to wash.

Jesus is saying to Peter, no one can have anything to do with Him and He has nothing to do with that person’s life. Every Christian in some sense will be able to say, “I may not be all that I ought to be, but thank God I am not what I used to be.  For every Christian is serviceable and has endured a degree of washing.

Yuri Solomon holds degrees from Gospel Ministry Outreach Theological Institute and the College of Biblical Studies. He currently serves as Senior pastor of the New Life Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and is the Secretary of Christian Education in the Union Baptist Fellowship of Churches.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Our Sin Nature

This is awesome, my pastor, Elder Lester Powell  preached this message 12/11/2007; it is a timely word that blessed my soul. I pray that it will bless you as well.

-Elizabeth

Subject: Our Sin Nature

Scipture: Romans 7:14-16 (NLT)
“So the trouble is not  with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.”

“I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not”.  Romans 7:14-16 can anticipate the response that is coming: Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

But I need something more!

Romans 17-20
“For if I know the law, but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.” (Message Bible)

The apostle Paul in this text says like many of us say. “I just don’t understand myself.” I know what not to do, but I do it anyway. We do things that we know are not good for us, but we do it anyway.  We look at men and women that do crazy things.  We call them crazy, but we do those same crazy things ourselves. For example, smoking cigarrettes. The label on the carton says these things will cause cancer, sickness, and even death, yet we smoke them anyway. We do self-destructive acts, but we feel that it won’t happen to us. We are somehow the exception to the rule.

Two wrongs never make a right. We try to handle problems in our lives by smoking, drinking, being critical of others, judgemental, depressed, lying, losing our problems in drugs–we do these things to get control over our lives and we try to handle our sin nature–we try to handle it OUR WAY!

In Genesis 3 verse 10, Adam and Eve told God –after they had sinned and eaten of the fruit–¹⁰ “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.” Their sin exposed them and they became naked. We live in fear that people will find out we are not perfect. When we walk in sin, we do our best to do everything right on the outside. We are afraid that we might blow it. We will never have all the answers. Some of us feel that we will always have control of it. But we never will. We want people to believe that we have it all together–but yet we go home and fall apart.

We fail, when we try to handle our sin by ourself. There is not one person that has done everything right. Fear causes us to fake it, to put on a false face. We smile and go through the motions because we don’t want anyone to know that we have failed.  We know that we are not pleasing God and living right, but we know on the inside, we are a total mess. Some here today are afraid that some may find out about your true financial situation. We don’t want people to know that we watch the caller ID, and if the mortgage man calls we avoid them. We don’t want people to know that we are months behind on the rent. People don’t see how you have to fight your way out of the house, and the bruises that are underneath those designer clothes. We don’t want people to see the emotional abuse that you go through in your home. We don’t want people to know that we are on Food stamps. It is okay to be on food stamps, but seek God so that you don’t stay there.

We are afraid that people will find out our true Christian status. So we come and put on a performance. We know how to shake and dance, and we have a  form of godliness, but denying the power thereof scripture says from such turn away.

2Timothy 3:5 says, “Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money hungry, self-promoting, stuck up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude,  coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes their animals. Stay clear of these people.” (Message)

When the fast is over, where are you? Many fast, but has your situation changed. Has your position/status changed after the fast. It is not enough to serve in the church and die and go to hell.  It is okay for folk to say good things about you– Oh, he/she is a great preacher….teacher……singer…..churchworker…..great personality…….but on the way to hell– because of his/her wrong relationship with God. It is hard to juggle things when we are the way we are. We can’t be one way with your church sister, and another way with your friend from back in the day. If you are going to be a sinner then be a sinner. If you are going to serve God then serve Him fully.

Paul says in Romans 7: ^{21 -23″}It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.”

That is why satan wants to control your mind. Paul is frustrated with himself because of the struggle inside of himself. In Psalms 32:3 (the message bible) David said,  “When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans.” David had sinned and kept his silence. The silence was destroying him. It is hard because you know that you have sinned–and when you try to praise God–the enemy will remind you of that sin. So that when you try to stand and praise God, or speak of His goodness, the enemy will say…now remember what you did last night–you can’t praise God– you have sinned. But if you go to God and confess your sin, then you and me-we can go to God and confess and forsake that sin and praise God without restraint from the enemy.  There is now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus.

Then comes the failure. We know we aren’t right,  and then the fear comes. Provers 28:13 says, You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. (He who covers his sin shall not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy).  It is not enough to confess our sin and go back to it. When we don’t deal with sin  God’s way, we are bound to fail. It will be too easy to walk back into it. We can’t prosper.  It might look like we are prospering, but after a while we will see–we are getting no where.  We must stop denying our sin, and the fact that we need help. We tell ourselves, ” I don’t do any worse than anyone else.” That is denial. We say they aren’t living any better than me. No, let us do right and show others how to do it the right way.  Don’t look at man, but look at Jesus Christ.

How bad to things have to get before we admit that we need JESUS?  He is the answer and the way out. Don’t wait until we get fired, our marriage falls apart, some disease strickens us, our kids life is in a mess. How long before we cry out to God that we need help? God will let us go through it all and get to the edge of the cliff–until we cry out —Lord, save me! Lord, help me. Then and only then we will not care who hears us. Don’t wait until you hit rock bottom before you cry out to Him.

Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of deliverance. Today is the day to cry out and realize that we can’t fix it–only Jesus can.  If we don’t cry out for help–we will stay in the mess.
Jesus said “Come to me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

In 1 John 1:9, God says that “He  is faithful and just to forgive us of all of our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”

Moses, David, Daniel, Paul, John believed God in this matter.  Jesus–there is no other name whereby men are saved. But only God can get rid of the old man.  The old drug addict….liar….backbiter…hypocrite….fornicator…adulterer…alcoholic….if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. We become new creatures in Christ…no drinking, smoking,fornication,lying….. We can give God the praise and get joy out of going to church. Jesus died to bring us out of the miry clay of our sin. David said, I cried unto the Lord and He delivered me and established my going out and my coming in. The Lord is my rock and my salvation. Let us not continue to go on and leave our place with the problem. Jesus is the answer to my deliverance, my breakthrough, my way out, my answer to my way through. Call Him while He is near and seek Him while He may be found. Let Him in, don’t let it be too late. We don’t know what tommorrow holds. 7 people went into the shopping mall and did not know they would make it out.  A gunman came in and stated shooting and left a note saying. I am famous now!

Tomorrow is not promised.  Come to me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Be blessed!

A Time for Change

Once again Passion for Christ Ministries has given us a Word that should ignite the body of Christ. Enjoy!

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