It’s Just Not Enough

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” Nicodemus saith unto Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” Jesus answered, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.” John 3:3-6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If you know someone who’s not a Christian, don’t try to argue with them. Nobody was ever argued into the kingdom of heaven. Anything someone can argue you into, you can be argued out of. The problem is, they cannot see.  Would you scold a blind man for not seeing? But a blind man would be foolish to say there’s no light just because he cannot see it.

There is light, but man needs more than light. He needs sight. “...Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.” They may have 20/20 sight, but spiritually they are blind. “Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:18). The eyes may be fine, but the heart is blind.

There are people you have shared the Gospel with—perhaps even members of your own family—but they haven’t a clue as to what it’s all about, and they never will, until the Holy Spirit opens their understanding.

ACTION POINT:

It takes more than preaching to get somebody saved; it takes the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Pray, “O God, open the eyes of those who have been blinded, that the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God, might shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Before I ever preach, I get on my knees and pray, “O, God, for those who need Jesus Christ, give them sight.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Is It Written All Over Your Face?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Somewhere in California during the gold rush of 1849, the story is told of two gold miners who struck a particularly rich vein of gold one day. They decided not to tell anyone else, so they could keep it for themselves. They went into town to get better equipment to mine the gold, but when they left, scores of people followed. Their jubilation was written all over their faces.

ACTION POINT:

Is what is in your heart written all over your face? Oh, how I pray that each person reading this today will not hide what they have found in Jesus Christ. I want people who see you today to say, “I don’t know what is going on with her, but I want what she has. I want what he has.” The gift of salvation is for you, but it is also for others to behold and desire in you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Jesus Above All Other Gods

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” John 6:68-69

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever wondered why Christians were so persecuted in the days of the liberal Roman government? The Romans didn’t persecute other religious people, only Christians. Why did they pick on the Christians? Because the Christians proclaimed Jesus as Lord, and not Caesar.

The Romans were a polytheistic nation—they even built the Pantheon, which was a temple for all the gods that were worshiped in ancient Rome. When they subjugated and conquered a people, they let them keep their gods—on one condition—that they remember that Caesar was Lord.

ACTION POINT:

As the world becomes more and more syncretized and headed toward a “One World” order, men and women who say that Jesus is the only true Lord are going to be persecuted. Will you stand and proclaim Jesus as Lord no matter what?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

No Hands But Our Hands

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.” Psalm 18:20

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

During WWII, a beautiful cathedral in Europe was destroyed by the Nazis. When the people came together to rebuild the temple, they found a statue of Christ with His hands outstretched. They repaired the statue as best they could, but they could not recover the hands. Because they loved the statue as it was, they put a plaque underneath that reads: “He has no hands but our hands.”

Remember this—Jesus Christ is the invisible part of the Christian. The Christian is the visible part of Christ. He is seen in us and through us. We are the visible part of the invisible Christ.

ACTION POINT:

What we do in His name is representative of Him to the world. What are you doing with your hands today that is a testimony of Jesus Christ to a watching and lost world?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

When Tempted, You Have a Choice

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” 1 John 5:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you know why the devil couldn’t get to Jesus in the midst of a 40-day fast when He was starving? He was already satisfied. You see, Jesus didn’t have an itch that the devil could scratch.

Temptation really comes down to this: A temptation is an inducement by the devil to satisfy a legitimate desire in an illegitimate way. That’s all there is to it. Take a God-given desire and satisfy it in a God-forbidden way. The devil says, “Hey you’ve got a need, and I can satisfy it.”

When tempted, you are given a choice. Do you get that need satisfied by the devil, or by the Lord? You see, the devil is a pervert. He has no raw material. All he can do is take what God has created and pervert it.

ACTION POINT:

Do you want to overcome temptation? Find out the legitimate way to satisfy that desire, and then you will not need the illegitimate way.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Our Way of Escape

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Psalm 63:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. I have been to Palestine and seen stones that looked amazingly like little loaves of bread. I can just see the devil looking on the ground, knowing that Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, and saying, “Well, look here. Just turn this into bread!”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with eating bread. In fact, Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. Yet Jesus had been led into the wilderness to fast and pray and seek the face of God. The devil was trying to put the bread above the will of God, saying “Pamper your flesh.” But what he was really saying was, “Commit spiritual suicide.” Jesus refused.

ACTION POINT:

Jesus overcame the flesh, and you can, too. He overcame by the Word of God. Take this verse and make every effort to commit it to your memory this week:

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

God Loves The World Including Me

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

For The God loves 

Greek word -Theos - God (The One and Only True God)

He is the only, there is no other!

The Father

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. - James 1:17

God created

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

God is, was and will be!

No beginning-no end!

Greek words for love

Philia - brotherly love; between friends

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. - 1 Peter 3:8

Storga - the love of a spouse, child or parent ( natural affection)

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. - Romans 12:10

Agape - strongest word for selfless love, God's unconditional love, covenant love, amazing love

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." - John 14:21

God will never forsake you!

He knows your every sin!

God loves you like no other!

The world

Every tribe, every nation

Jesus loves!

Jesus atones!

You share the gospel of Christ!

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. - 1 John 2:1-2

God's love is action

He gave!

His Son!

What will you do?

Will you praise Him?

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). 

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. - Matthew 1:18-25

Whoever believes

Greek - Pisteuo - faith

Greek - Pistis- belief, trust, faithfulness 

Faithing in Him - with all you have, believe with your heart, belief that brings about change

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. - John 3:36

Heaven is real!

Hell is real!

Your tomorrow is not certain!

Believes in Him should not perish

21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." - John 11:21-27

But you shall have eternal life!

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. - Genesis 50:20

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:7-8

and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. - Acts 3:15

Eternal - life that never ends

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. - 1 John 5:11-12

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. - Colossians 2:13-14

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. - Colossians 2:15

You are forgiven!!

God is stronger than the enemy!

Greek John 3:16

For so loved The God the world, that His Son the only begotten He gave, that whoever believes on Him may not perish but may have life eternal.

Celebrate and share the good news!!

4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'

7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. - Luke 15:4-7

Repent!

19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, - Acts 3:19-20

Thanks Pastor Kevin!!!