Living God's Message

11/10/2024

These Cannot Become the Bad Words of Christianity!

Good morning to my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all children of our Heavenly Father, and the time has come to act like it.

The main mission of my ministry is to help my brothers and sisters live like children of God. I have not delivered a sermon or message here in a while. I have grown frustrated with the present state of our society. Getting frustrated is easy, but I cannot afford to allow a gloomy world to bring me down.

It breaks my heart to see so much hate and anger in the world. It devastates me to see it exist within the Christian community. I say again if your church is telling you to hate anyone...pray on it. As much as many would like to convince you...God does not hate any of us. He does not want you to hate anyone.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ told us to love our neighbors. Folks, there is no asterisk beside that statement. He did not say you can hate if they are not like you. Jesus did not say, you can hate because they do not look like you. You cannot hate because they don't believe like you. I know that is a hard pill to swallow. Many Christians try to bypass it, but Loving our Heavenly Father and our neighbor is the main message of Christ.

When did love and kindness become bad words in Christianity? I understand it coming from the world of non-believers, but not from Followers of Christ.

35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, [a]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

It is easy to brush this scripture aside. I am sure someone will find scripture believed to justify hate. Let there be no doubt in your mind or heart. You cannot reflect Jesus Christ or our Heavenly Father with hate and anger. It is impossible. You are fooling yourself or you are being fooled.

I pray for Compassion, forgiveness, benevolence, and UNITY. I pray they are not the new bad words of Christianity. Our mission as Followers of Christ and as Children of our Heavenly Father is to reflect their message of love. This is the season of Peace and Love. Don't simply talk the talk about being a Follower of Christ. Walk the walk! We can fool ourselves, but we cannot fool God. He knows our heart.

Be blessed and be a blessing!
Pastor Bill

09/01/2024

Are You Bearing Good Fruit?

The title of this message has already caused many Christians to turn the page. The Lazy Christian has no desire to follow scripture which requires them to bear anything. But Jesus made this very clear throughout scripture.

John 15:16
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

The Lazy Christian wants to believe they will not be judged for their fruit-bearing life. This is far from true.

Matthew 7:17-20
"Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

It will surprise many that you cannot go through life filled with hate, envy, jealousy, and prejudice. God knows your heart. He hears the words you speak.

Matthew 12:36-37
36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Those who follow my ministry know I am not a fire and brimstone preacher. The objective is to get the Followers of Jesus to live their lives by his word. He wants us to be a healthy fruit-bearing branch of his own tree.

John 15:2-6
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

So what is expected of us? What is bearing good fruit? We are often tempted to bear bad fruit because it is easy and self-pleasing.

I know I am throwing a lot of scripture at you today. But these words are meant to motivate us. To inspire us. To lead us in the right direction. This is what bearing good fruit means.

Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Do not put yourself in a position where you will hear Jesus say I did not know you. None of us want to hear that. Follow what Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-40. Be an extension of Jesus. Bear the Good Fruit!

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Pastor Bill

07/07/2024

And the Truth shall Set you Free

On July 4th we celebrated the birth of our nation and the freedom that was born with it. In many ways, this freedom is in the eye of the beholder. Real freedom is found in the truth.

John 8:32

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

True freedom is the eternal freedom found only in the word of God. It requires steadfast belief, faith, and love in our Heavenly Father that we cannot see but feel in our hearts and souls.

Knowing the truth is not enough. We must share the truth with others. Could you share it not only in words but in actions? We are called to do so.

Galatians 5:13
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Our nation has become divided. I don't believe I have ever seen as much hate, anger, and resentment in my lifetime. These emotions rob us of the truth and the eternal freedom that has been promised. Pray for our nation to heal. Don't condemn your neighbor pray for them. Be humble, not prideful. Be the truth and the truth shall set you free.

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Pastor Bill

07/06/2024

If only more people would accept this truth. That money is not going with you when you're gone. Those followers can't go with you. That title means nothing unless you are kind, humble, and generous to others. Choose wisely.

06/24/2024

Truth

06/23/2024

All Things Are Possible If You Only Believe!

Mark Chapter 9
23 “‘If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

All things are possible if we only believe. All of us face struggles daily. These struggles can be financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual. We find ourselves seeking easy answers and solutions. But are we looking in the right place?

The answers and solutions are found by abiding in our faith in our Heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It all starts with truly believing. Many around us fail to believe in God. Belief begins with our Heavenly Father sending Jesus not to condemn the world, but to save it. Jesus died for our sins. We must put our full trust and faith in God. We must believe that God exists and will answer our prayers. If not, we seek in vain.

It is easy to be disillusioned by the world. There are doubters everywhere. Mankind is slowly being consumed by hate, anger, and self-righteousness. Compassion and love are ignored in favor of judgment and condemnation. If someone is leading you in that direction; please pray on it. God never wants you to hate.

We must keep the faith. Believe in your heart that your prayers will be heard and answered. Choose the love of God over hate. Always remember that God loves you regardless of what the misled and misguided might tell you. Love thy neighbor. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemy. Be humble. God will always be there for you.

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Pastor Bill

05/10/2024

Truth

Facts!

05/05/2024

Does God Want Us To Be Good?

The answer to this question is an astounding "Yes". This does not mean that being good alone will gain you entrance into heaven. We know that the wage of sin is death. Therefore, if you are a bad person who does not genuinely repent, you will find yourself in a rather unpleasant destination.

Not one person on earth is perfectly good. We are all sinners and fall short of the Glory of God. God gave us free will. We can choose to strive for goodness or evil. Salvation is a gift for placing our faith, trust, and belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our Father in Heaven who sent him to die for our sins.

Good works, therefore, are not the key to heaven. But this does not mean God does not want us to be good. If he is frustrated by our sin, he is equally pleased with our goodness. Jesus told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. He spoke of the good works the Father had done. Jesus displayed good works throughout his ministry.

You don't live a good life to get to heaven. You perform good work because bad work will lead you in the wrong direction. Being good and showing love is the right thing to do. Those who believe that they can go through life hating, judging, and treating others badly and still enter heaven are in for a rude awakening.

Matthew Chapter 7
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

God's will is that you be a good person. A reflection of our Savior Jesus, a light in the darkness, and a loving Child of God. Too many treat good works as ugly words. This is far from the truth. This misconception leads too many to believe they can live life without goodness. We can say we love Jesus and our Heavenly Father. We can say we believe. We can shout we are saved. But if we don't live our lives in a way that demonstrates this; we will fall short of the Glory of God.

As Followers of Christ and Children of God, we should all strive to one day hear Jesus say "Welcome", not "I did not know you". Be a good person. Love your neighbor. Be a reflection of Christ. Do the will of our Heavenly Father. Be a light in the darkness. Yes, God wants you to be good.

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Pastor Bill

03/24/2024

The Reason Jesus Entered Jerusalem on a Donkey

There is a reason Jesus chose to ride a donkey into Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus was the same throughout his ministry. He never sought the limelight. He never sought to be worshiped. He worshiped the Heavenly Father. He told us to worship the Heavenly Father too. His loyalty was to the Father. He was extremely humble and always directed the praise to the Father.
The Jews were expecting a different kind of King on his entrance day. They sought a military King to defeat Rome and free them from Roman rule. This was never the intention of Jesus. He rode the donkey because this animal was a beast of burden. It spent its entire life carrying the heavy load for those it served. Jesus was coming to set us free, but not from the Romans, but from sin.

Jesus was fulfilling his destiny. He was carrying the burden of our sin. He knew what lay ahead for him. He knew of the torture, pain, and suffering. But he was honoring God the Heavenly Father.
Jesus could have easily escaped capture and avoided all the punishment he received. But he could not escape his destiny. Jesus was setting the example for us even then. We should be humble and carry the burden for those in need. Jesus was the King of love and Peace, not war and hate.
As we enter the week of Easter I encourage you to seek the humbleness that Jesus displayed. I encourage you to spread love, not hate. Do not be judgmental, but be compassionate and inspirational. Make a difference in this world. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Know and believe Jesus carried the burden and died for our sins. Take up his cross and be a light in the darkness.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Bill the Minister

03/03/2024

Struggling With Our Sinful Nature!

I know I minister a lot about love. I prefer to teach with love instead of fire and brimstone. This does not mean that there are no consequences to our actions. We are God's children. We know right from wrong. We are in a constant struggle against our sinful nature. Our Heavenly Father sent Jesus to die for our sins. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us in this ongoing struggle with sin. Jesus told us to pray to our Heavenly Father. We can confess our sins. Jesus made the supreme sacrifice to provide us with salvation.

Salvation was a gift. Jesus shed his blood to cover our sins. But the race is not over. The other gift was sanctification. We are on a journey to be more like Christ. And that is what I focus on in my ministry. How can we be like Christ in our daily lives? Can we accomplish it through hate, judgment, jealousy, envy, and anger?

Today I leave you with this scripture from Romans 8:12-17 and 22-25.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,[b] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

We ask our Heavenly Father to lead us from temptation and to deliver us from evil. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us in that direction. The guidance leads us to love our Heavenly Father with all our heart and soul. In addition, we are to love each other and live our lives with goodness in our hearts. Look before you leap. Think before you act. Ask yourself what Christ would do. Don't make it complicated. The struggle against our sinful nature is relentless. We are not perfect. Perfection does not exist in man. But we have the tools to strive in that direction.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Pastor Bill

02/18/2024

When Did it Become Wrong to Love One Another?

Let us take a look at 1 John Chapter 4

In this chapter, John the Apostle teaches us about LOVE. Our LOVE for God. Our LOVE for one another. And the LOVE that is truly displayed in one who is born again in God's LOVE.

1 John 4:7
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

It pains me to see many use hate and fear in the name of God. More importantly, it cannot be pleasing to God. Not only is hate displeasing to God but it will never make earth like it is in heaven.

1 John 4:8
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Wow. That is straight to the point. Many will pick apart the word and say God is not all about love. But everything he does is out of love. God does not want you to fail. He does not hate you. He does not love sin, but if you live in his love and abide by that love in everything you do; living his word, he will be pleased. You want Jesus to welcome you. You don't want him to say he did not know you.

1 John 4:18
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

I am pleased to see more and more churches teaching love over hate and fear. If you hate someone because of their politics, color, or lifestyle; please pray on it. Some say I don't hate them, I hate the sin. Okay. Stop judging and pray. Here is my last verse from 1 John 4

1 John 4:20
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, [a]how can he love God whom he has not seen?

I preach about LOVE because LOVE is from God. Spreading God's love is much more inspiring and spiritually uplifting than the message of hate and judgment.

Beloved, it comes down to right and wrong. Most of us know what is truly right or wrong in this life. But let us look in our own mirrors and truly know God in our hearts. It has never been wrong to love one another. But it is easier to hate and judge. Be careful what spirit you follow. Let us make this thy kingdom come, that will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Be blessed and be a blessing!
Bill the Minister

02/05/2024

Following the Message of Jesus Daily

For me, being a minister today is a serious challenge. I find it hard to look at the world with rose-colored glasses. I see much anger, hatred, and judgment in the pews where love should shine. Are God's children truly following the message of Jesus?

We are all God's children. The message is simple. Love others as we love ourselves. I know that is a tall order. What about turning the other cheek and loving thy enemy? Is that part of the message being ignored?

The Bible is a guide. When you hear the word you must let the message sink in. You need to search your heart and pray on it. But most of all, we must keep the word in our daily life.

Luke 11:28
28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Hearing and knowing the word is not enough. We need to put the word into practice. Our goal should be to live the message Jesus was sent to deliver. Jesus set the gold standard. He asked us to do the same. Don't hate someone because they believe differently than you. Let the judging up to God. Each of us must strive to be a shining light in the darkness. Search for ways to find common ground. Seek peace, not conflict. Choose love over hate. God will never give up on you. Don't give up on yourself.

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Pastor Bill