Crossfire Youth Ministry

“THERE’S A SHOUT OF VICTORY IN THE CAMP” – PART I

Admin2 — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:20:31 +0000

By: Gabriel Swaggart

Joshua 6:5 – “And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. (This was a shout of obedience and a shout of Victory. Spiritually, the ‘shout’ had everything to do with the wall falling down flat, but, physically and materially, it had no effect at all, as would be obvious. The wall falling down flat was strictly a Miracle of God.) ”

The city of Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world, and its fortress, barred Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. The Lord had brought them through “forty” long years in the wilderness, and now they had crossed over the mighty Jordan, signifying that their wilderness days were behind. What a Miracle that was! God would reach down from Heaven, and with His Mighty Hands, push back the waters of the Jordan, so that all of Israel could walk through on dry ground. What a sight that must have been! With all of Jericho looking on, God would perform a Miracle right before their very eyes. How long it took for God’s People to cross, we don’t know, but we do know that the waters stayed separated as long as was necessary for every last Israelite to walk through from the wilderness side to the Victory side of Jordan. As marvelous as that was, as magnificent that was, as stupendous as that was, there was still a Jericho wall standing before them. These massive walls that enclosed some seven acres, with a mighty army standing ready, obstructed the People of God from entering into the Promised Land. How many Jericho walls are standing in your way?

TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES

Understandably, Joshua, upon crossing the Jordan and seeing these colossal towering walls looking down upon them, was unsure as to what to do. While walking alone, he gazed up before him, and there standing in front of him was a Man with a sword drawn in His Hand. This Man was a Pre-Incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. Joshua’s first response was, “Are you for us or against us?” Joshua did not recognize Him at first. But, the moment that Jesus spoke and told him exactly Who He was, Joshua recognized Him as Lord. Before we can experience the Victories needed in our lives, we must first come to a place of total and complete surrender to Christ.

How did Joshua do this? How did he come to a place of total surrender? By obeying what was told to him by the Lord. Jesus declared unto Joshua to remove his shoes at once, for the place that he was standing was Holy. What was the reasoning behind this statement? During the time of our Text, and even before then, it was customary that when a person who owned a piece of land sold that land to a prospective buyer, the owner would remove his shoe, hand it over to the person buying the land, as a gesture stating that he is now relinquishing control of the property, and it no longer belongs to him. By Joshua removing his shoes, shows us that he was, in essence, saying, “I am no longer in control of my life, and I surrender any claims upon my life unto You.” What a statement!

Once again, let me state that before we can experience the Victories needed in our lives, we must FIRST come to a place of total and complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. This must be done without question. Joshua would have never seen the walls of Jericho come down if he had not surrendered unto Christ. They could have tried in their own ways and power, and total defeat would have been the result. Many are still holding on to themselves, thinking that they know better than the Lord, or they simply refuse to let go, and let the Lord have control of their lives.

I CAN TIE MY OWN SHOES

As an example that I have shared before, our youngest daughter, Abby, she’s three years old incidentally, cannot tie her shoes. The other day, I was getting her ready for Church, and it came time to tie her shoes. As I was trying to get the laces ready to be tied, she immediately threw my hands off, and proclaimed that she could tie her shoes herself. I tried to tell her that she did not know how to do that, but she had to do it her way. Finally, I removed my hands from her shoe, and told her that she was more than welcome to try. After a few minutes of her trying to tie her shoelaces, she became so flustered and frustrated, that she began to cry, “I can’t do this! Daddy, help me!” Of course, I immediately tied her shoe, consoled her, and told her that daddy can tie your shoes much quicker if you would just let me help you.

That sounds like too many Christians. The Lord wants to help us, He wants to work things out for us, but many times we tell Him that we can do it ourselves. We push Him away, thinking that our ways are much better. In a way, many Christians begin to make plans for their lives without the Leading of the Holy Spirit, and then we tell God to bless those plans, which He cannot do. Whatever is done in our lives must be initiated by the Holy Spirit. After trying to do it our way, we get so frustrated that the situation is not working out to our liking, so now we finally call upon Him to help us. Not only would it have been much easier to say, “Lord, have Your Way in my life,” it would have spared us the difficult times and the failures. However, we do not come to that place quickly or easily, but all Christians will, sooner or later, have to come to a place of complete surrender to Him. We must keep in mind that all Victories have been won by Jesus Christ and what He did at the Cross, not by us. We cannot do anything to win these Victories and, in fact, we cannot win these Victories at all. God cannot give Victories to man, for man is sullied by sin and, thereby, disqualified before we ever get out the gate. God can only give the Victory to Jesus Christ, for He was the Ultimate Sacrifice for sin, paying the sin debt in totality, wiping away sin, and removing the guilt of sin, past, present, and future. We can experience these Victories by simply placing our Faith in Christ and what He did at the Cross, which guarantees the help of the Holy Spirit, Who will bring about the Victories that are needed in our lives (Rom. 8:2).

To be continued . . .

In Him,

Pastor Gabe

“Gideon was all alone”

Admin2 — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:03:23 +0000

By: Gabriel Swaggart

Judges 6:27-28 – “Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night (men grow angry when their idols are touched, and religious men most of all).
“And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the Altar that was built (the Altar to the Lord).”

As we continue looking at the life and Calling of Gideon, we find that he was more than likely the only one in his family who served God. His father worshipped Baal, as well as the rest of his family. Baal worship consisted of the most vulgar, lewd, sexually explicit actions that one could imagine. The family of Gideon came from the Tribe of Manasseh, and yet they had reduced themselves to worshipping Baal. How could this be? They were of the Tribe of Manasseh, one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, so how could they resort to living and worshipping a man-made god? God had made a Covenant with the People of Israel, but they had rejected this Covenant, which resulted in the spiritual declension of these Tribes.
Even though his own family had resorted to Baal worship, Gideon was instructed by the Lord to tear down the altar of Baal, which had helped turn the people against God, and to build an Altar where the altar of Baal had been. This took some guts. Once again, we must understand that Gideon was more than likely the only one in his family who worshipped Jehovah, the One, True God. Most in the modern church today would strongly urge against one tearing down the altars of Baal. Instead, they would tell them that they can co-exist with the altar of Baal. What do I mean by this? If a person that is living a life outside of God, and participating in a lifestyle that is not pleasing to the Lord, if that person comes to Christ, most in the Church would tell that individual that they can remain in that lifestyle, for that could be their ministry. They do not have to leave that lifestyle, but they can continue to do what they were doing, all in the belief that you can reach others for Christ. Plainly put, it’s like telling an alcoholic that now you are Saved, you can continue to go to the bars, drink all of the alcohol you want, and witness to people while you are there. You can see how foolish that belief is, but yet, it’s prevalent in our Churches across the Country.

GOD AND BAAL CANNOT CO-EXIST

We must remember that when Jesus Saved us, He Saved us out of sin, and not in sin, meaning that Jesus did not pay a Great Price for us to continue to engage in the lifestyle that we were in before Salvation. He died for us to remove us from that lifestyle, to bring us out of that lifestyle, and place us into a new belief system. He died so that we can be Victorious over the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and to stand above the giants in our lives, free from the powers of sin. He paid a Great Price to Redeem us, and does not want us to go back into that old way of living.

GIDEON FOLLOWS THE INSTRUCTION OF THE LORD

As Gideon followed the instruction of the Lord, to tear down the altars of Baal, and to build an Altar that typified Calvary, we are doing the same thing today. Christ is ever taking the Church back to Calvary. He is forever pointing His Church back to the Cross, for this is what the Altar represented. Ever since the Fall of Man, there was always a way for man to have fellowship with God, and that is through the Sacrificial system. The Cross was ever in the Mind of God, even “before the foundation of the world” was even laid (I Pet. 1:20), it was ever the place where man can be reconciled back unto God. If someone says that we preach too much on the Cross, my answer will always be, no, we are not preaching enough on the Cross! It is through the Sacrifice of Christ that allows the Holy Spirit to Work in the lives of all who place their Trust in Him, to guarantee them that “sin shall not have dominion over you” (Rom. 6:14).
However, when this happened, the people in the city, when awakened to start their day, noticed that their altars that they had built for Baal had been cast down. This made them grow angry. Man grows angry when anyone tries to tell them that their works cannot save or sanctify them. Man grows angry when confronted with the fact that their altars, that they have erected themselves, cannot work. Man grows angry when you tell them that the only Way that will Work is not a work of their hands, but the Work of Christ on the Cross. Without proper leadership, the people will always turn away from God. This altar of Baal was built in the home of Gideon’s father’s house. “Judgment must first begin at the House of God,” and before Gideon could lead the people into the destruction of their own idols, his at first must be destroyed. Before Moses could lead the Children of Israel out of bondage, he first had to be delivered.

RELIGION EVER MAKES OTHER WAYS TO GET TO GOD

Many will think that this does not happen too much today. In fact, it’s worse today than ever before. Those who follow idolatry, even in the Church today, will always respond in the same way as these men did to Gideon. Religious man has ever tried to make another way to get to God. With each new month that passes, it seems that much of the Church world is always advertising a brand-new thing, something that is supposed to help the People of God draw closer to Him, when in actuality, all it does is bring about death, Hell, and destruction. Isaiah had prophesied to the people of Jerusalem, that they had “made a covenant with death and with Hell” (Is. 28:15). That’s strong, but it’s the truth. When a person removes the people from Faith in Christ and the Cross, to something else, then they have made a covenant with death and Hell. It sickens me when I hear of Youth Groups resorting to all sorts of different schemes to try and bring the youth in. They will resort to things such as the “Harlem Shake,” and others to win the youth. However, I would like someone to answer me this, has anyone ever been Saved doing the “Harlem Shake?” The answer is no, and there will never be a person that will be Saved to that. There is only One Way of Salvation, the Cross of Christ. Youth Pastors, the Cross is the Only Answer for the Youth. It is the Only Answer for the teenagers that are struggling with suicidal thoughts. It is the Only Answer to those young people that are battling addictions. Nothing else can do, only the Cross, only the Blood, only Christ can bring that soul from Hell, and give them a new address, one that is now in Heaven. We need to tear down the altar of Baal that is in the Church today, remove it, and rebuild the Altar once again, which will lead the people to the very Throne Room of God.

In Him,

Pastor Gabe

“Gideon”

Admin2 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:00:15 +0000

By: Gabriel Swaggart

Judges 6:20-21 – “And the Angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so (the ‘Rock’ became an Altar).
“Then the Angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in His Hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. (The consuming of the sacrifice by fire from Heaven was the token of it being accepted. It was a Type of the Judgment of God, which would fall on the Lord Jesus Christ, necessitating His Death, in the giving of Himself as a Perfect Sacrifice, which will atone for the sins of man. Gideon’s action proclaims the fact that he based everything on the atoning Sacrifice. Faith in that Sacrifice, and what it represented, is the primary reason that the Lord chose Gideon. Faith in the atoning Work of Christ is the only Faith that God will recognize. Regrettably, as it regards the Church as a whole, this type of Faith seems to be in short supply.)”

The story of Gideon has always fascinated me, how God can take the weak to confound the wise. But as we begin to look deep into the story of Gideon, we cannot help but see the overwhelming sadness of a people who long since departed from God and His Word.

IDOLATRY

The story of Gideon begins with the Nation of Israel, a people chosen by God for a specific purpose, to be the Womb of the Messiah, and to give the entirety of the world the Word of God, which, of course, they did. But it saddens my heart as we begin to read account after account where the People of God would turn their backs on God, and decline spiritually, so much so, that idol worship would become prevalent. However, as sad as this account might be to the Believer, how much does it compare to our lives today.
How many times do we find ourselves venturing away from the Word of God, turning away from Faith in Christ and the Cross, to something else? Despite the great Victories that the Lord provides for us, still, we seem to lapse back into idolatry, for if our Faith is not anchored in the Cross of Christ, it can be looked at as idolatry. Let us say it a different way, if it’s not the Cross of Christ, it is idolatry, plain and simple. Every time that this happens, the Lord always brings about circumstances to draw our attention back to where it needs to be. In other words, He chastises us, to bring us back into Faith in Christ and the Cross.

THE LORD CHASTISES THOSE HE LOVES

We must never think that because we are living in the Day of Grace, that the Lord turns a blind eye to what we do. No! As Paul would say, “God Forbid!” The Lord chastises those He loves, and will resort to these measures when all actions of Mercy and Grace have failed. In other words, God is not a mean person just waiting for us to make a mistake so He can punish us, but rather, if we decide to place our Faith in something other than the Cross of Christ, He allows us to be placed in certain situations that will cause us to turn our attention back to Him. Everything that He does is done in Love, and we must remember, that God does not merely contain Love, but is Love. At times, He allows us to be enslaved in order to bring about the change in the heart that is needed, to bring that person back into right relationship with Him.
In fact, as we look at other Christians, at least for those who refer to themselves as such, and if we notice that they are living in a constant state of rebellion against the Word of God, then we must conclude that they are not a Child of God, but rather, they are looked at as bastards. Now this is a very strong statement, but we need to look at what the Bible says about this issue. Hebrews 12:5-6, 8, tells us,
“. . . My son, despise not you the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of Him:
“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son who He receives.
“But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.”
Once again, these are very strong words given by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, but we must take them for what they mean. If we call ourselves Christians and there is no chastisement from the Lord, then we are not a Child of God, but rather a bastard. I do not want to be looked at by the Holy Spirit as such, and neither do you.

THE OPPOSITION OF SATAN

Israel, at the time of our Text, was a slave in her own land. They were diminished down to living in dens and caves, which is the exact place where Satan wants to bring every Child of God. The Lord allowed the Midianites, who were a half brother to Israel, to swoop down and gain control of the People of God. The enemy wants to make us slaves in our own land, meaning that the greatest foe to the Christian is that of his own household. The People of God were so terrified of the Midianites that they hid from them. How many Christians are doing the same presently? And, if they are, they will, without question, be doomed just as the Children of Israel.
Satan wants to do to us exactly as he did to the Children of Israel, hold us captive in our own land. He wants to destroy our increase until there is no nourishment left. He will try to overwhelm us with all sorts of opposition that we will begin to fear for our very lives, Spiritually speaking. Satan does not want us to be Victorious over the world, the flesh and the Devil, as would be obvious, and he will stop at nothing to see to it that we are slaves in our own land.

THE CROSS AND OUR BLESSING

But, thank God, He does not leave us in that condition, for He will always send a deliverer to bring God’s People out from under the hand of the enemy. Once again, we must understand that the Lord allows us to be placed in these situations to bring us back to where we need to be. As with Israel, when we are being squeezed by the enemy, so that we will “cry unto the Lord,” this is a cry that He will always answer. As we cry out unto the Lord, the Lord will reveal to us His Way of Victory, which will always be the Cross of Christ, and once we begin to look to that Finished Work, we will always find our way to Victory. All Blessings, and I mean ALL Blessings, come through Christ as the Source, and the Cross as the Means. Without the Cross, there is no avenue by which we can receive anything from God. It will be barred shut. But due to what Christ has done for us at Calvary’s Cross, that way has now been opened for all to receive Blessings from the Lord. As I like to say, Christ is the Source to all Blessing. The Cross is the Means by which we receive those Blessings. Faith is the key that unlocks the door, and the Holy Spirit superintends everything.

To be continued…

In Him,

Pastor Gabe

Walking by Faith and Not Sight

Admin2 — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:10:11 +0000

By: Gabriel Swaggart

Numbers 13:30 – “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses (the evil report of faithlessness given by ten of the spies had greatly unsettled the people; little did they realize it would cost them their lives), and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it (this was the language of faith; but Faith and Truth are never popular [14:10]; had they only believed and acted upon their faith, they were, in fact, well able to overcome it, because the Lord was
with them).”
The story of Caleb is a story of Faith. From the moment that we read about Caleb for the very first time in Scripture, we see his Faith. He was selected to be a part of a group of twelve men that would be sent out by Moses to spy out the Promised Land, a land that had been given to the Children of Israel by God for their home. When these twelve men arrived, they saw that this land was exactly as the Lord said it would be, with the exception that ten of these men were afraid due to the Giants that inhabited the land. These ten men said that there was no way that they could defeat these Giants, only Joshua and Caleb believed that God was able to defeat them. You can feel Faith in the words of these two men of God, that these Giants were bread for them, and that there was nothing impossible for God to handle.

THERE WILL BE GIANTS IN THE LAND

We must get it in our minds and hearts, that if God has given us the victory, a Victory that He purchased for us by going to Calvary, that it is ours. Yes, there may be Giants in the land that will try and hinder our way of living, but these Giants do not have to remain there. We are to place our belief in God, that whatever these Giants might be that are in our lives, that He is able to defeat them, and has already defeated them through what He did at Calvary’s Cross. So many Christians fail to remove the Giants from their lives, and in doing so, these Giants will ultimately defeat them. But, as a Christian, there is no Giant that can stand up to the Power of Almighty God. There is no Giant that can stand up to the Power of the Holy Spirit. These Giants have already been defeated by Christ, and all we have to do is daily look to Christ and what He did at the Cross for us, and we will have the Victory.
These ten men looked through the eyes of the natural, and could not see the Victory that was already given to them by God. Joshua and Caleb refused to look through the eyes of the natural to the problems that lay ahead. They instead chose to look through the eyes of the Spiritual, and believe what the Lord has told them, that the land rightfully belonged to them, and not to these Giants that dwelt in the land.

THE TESTING OF OUR FAITH

Many may ask why the Lord did it this way. Why did the Lord give the land to the Children of Israel, knowing that there were Giants in the land? Everything that the Lord does in regards to us, His Children, is a test of Faith. Faith must always be tested, and great Faith must be tested greatly. The test that the Lord brought before these twelve men was to test them and show them what was in their hearts. Unfortunately, ten of these men died in unbelief, and never saw the Promised Land. Unbelief saw the “walled cities,” the “Giants,” and the “land that eats up the inhabitants.” These men chose to look through the eyes of the natural, and by doing that, all they saw was the problem.

WILL YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE GOD AT HIS WORD?

With Joshua and Caleb, they refused, as mentioned, to see these Giants as a threat. They chose to believe God at His Word. They chose to believe God. They chose to not look at the problem, no matter how great the problems were, but they chose to look to the Problem-Solver. The same goes for us today. We can choose to look at the problems that are in our lives. We can choose to see the “walled cities,” the “Giants,” and the “land that eats up the inhabitants,” or the fact that we are “like grasshoppers” compared to the problems at hand. Or, we can look through eyes of Faith, who says that “we are well able” to take the land, that the Lord has already given us the Victory. As I write these words, I can feel Faith rise up in many of you. For many of you have suffered way too long, and you have seen the Giants that have invaded your lives, and you have not known what to do. It has caused so many problems that you have wondered if this Christian Life is even worth living. But now, after reading these words, you know that God has already given you the Victory, all you have to do is take the land. You heard me right, it’s time that you take the land. You must begin to take your eyes off the problem at hand, and begin to look to the One Who has already solved the problem for you at Calvary. We must understand that there will always be opposition, no matter how long we have been serving the Lord, with that opposition wanting to stop our progression in the Faith. These Giants will tempt us to move us away from Faith in Christ and the Cross to something else, and if we decide to go that route, whatever it might be, then we have just left God’s Way of Victory, which will always spell disaster.
It all can be summed up by the following statement, “We can believe what we see, or else believe what God has said.” God has said that we are “more than Overcomers,” and that “sin shall not have dominion over me.” I chose to believe that God has already given me the Victory, and that the land that He has promised, the world, is mine. I chose to believe that “every place that the sole of my foot touches, it belongs to me!” I choose to walk by Faith and not by sight. Believe God, and believe that He has already given you the Victory over the Giants in your life, no matter how big they are, they pale in comparison to Jesus Christ and what He did at Calvary’s Cross on our behalf.

In Him,

Pastor Gabe

The Elder Shall Serve The Younger (Part II)

Admin — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:33:25 +0000

Genesis 25:23 – “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels (those two nations were the Edomites and Israelites; from the time of their birth, Esau and Jacob would be separated, divided, even hostile, for they would have nothing in common); and the one people shall be stronger than the other people (Jacob, who was younger, would be the stronger, but only through the Lord); and the elder shall serve the younger (every person is born with a sin nature, which makes that the ‘elder’; the Divine Nature comes into the Believer at conversion, and is the younger; however, if we follow God’s pattern of victorious living, which is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, ‘the elder shall serve the younger,’ meaning that the Divine nature will be victorious over the sin nature).”

THE SIN NATURE VERSUS THE DIVINE NATURE

Every person is born with a sin nature, which is the nature that is bent towards sin. Due to the Fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind was thrust into sin, which means that every child that will ever be born, will be born in original sin. But, when we come to Christ, a new nature comes in, the Divine Nature. This new Nature, which comes to us on the basis of our Salvation experience, comes to us on the basis of our Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, which will make us more like Christ. Jacob and Esau represent these two natures that struggle for dominance in our lives.

Esau, who was born first, represents the sin nature. Jacob, who was born second, represents the Divine Nature. This means that every person is born with a sin nature. This also means that the nature of that person is bent wholly towards sin. As an unbeliever, the sin nature ruled and dominated every part of our lives. It controlled us, it made us do things that we normally would not do, and brought all sorts of trouble into our everyday lives. However, when we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, a new Nature comes in to dwell, the Divine Nature. The Divine Nature is stronger than the sin nature, and is the younger of the two natures. This new Nature, ordained by the Holy Spirit, will come in and usurp authority over the sin nature to reign supreme in the life of the Believer.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SIN NATURE AT CONVERSION?

One thing we must understand about the sin nature is that once the Divine Nature comes in, the sin nature does not go away, but rather remains and for a specific reason. It remains as a disciplinary measure in the life of a Believer, meaning that if the Saint of God does not understand how to live a Victorious, Overcoming Christian Life, which is through Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, then the sin nature will once again rear its ugly head, and dominate that person exactly as it did before our conversion. But, the sin nature does not have to rule in our lives, even though it is present. What this means is that if we ever keep our Faith anchored in the Finished Work of Christ, we are dead to the sin nature and, as Paul would say, we are “now alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:11).

It is because of the Finished Work of Christ on the Cross that we are dead to the sin nature, and that we remain dead to the sin nature. All of this is done by simple Faith. Without Faith, it is impossible to please God, as the Scripture says. But what does this Passage mean? As a Believer, the only currency in Heaven that God will recognize is Faith. We do not recognize our works, and He does not recognize our abilities. He only recognizes Faith, but that Faith must be in the right Object, the Cross of Christ, and as a result of our Faith being properly placed in Christ and the Cross, then we have just started on the road to unlimited Victory. Having said that, we, as humans, are not sinlessly perfect. There will be failure in our lives at some point. But, as a Believer, our Victory does not move up and down, providing we keep our Faith in the Finished Work of Christ. For the only way that one could lose their Victory is by moving their Faith from Christ and the Cross to something else. At that moment, Victory is forfeited, and defeat will be recognized. Our Victory is never through what we’ve accomplished, or what we’ve done, but rather through Christ and what He has done for us at Calvary’s Cross, and as long as we keep our eyes on Christ, and not in ourselves we can live in a state of constant and unlimited Victory.

WHAT DOES THE CHURCH SAY ABOUT THE SIN NATURE?

There are five different ways that the sin nature is viewed in the modern church today, four of them being the wrong way, and one being the right way, they are: ignorance, denial, license, struggle, and Grace. Let’s look at these a little closer.

THE WRONG WAYS

Let’s start with “ignorance.” The reason we will start here is that there are very few sermons preached in regards to the sin nature, which will lead the Believer to plead ignorance. This means that they have never heard of the sin nature, and do not know what that means. And because of a lack of understanding, untold problems will occur in the life of the Believer. We must look at the Bible to see that the Holy Spirit devoted much time and explanation of the sin nature, which means that this subject is of utmost importance.

Secondly, there is “denial.” This means that some preachers, even youth pastors, deny the fact of the existence of the sin nature. What is meant by this is the belief that we had a sin nature before we accepted Christ, but once we became Born-Again, the sin nature disappears, and no longer is present. This is wrong as well. The Believer faces this conflict on an everyday basis, because of these two natures within.

Third, some would say that because we have a sin nature, we cannot help but sin. This is called “license.” Those that believe this, claim that due to the Grace of God, which covers all sin, it does not really matter what they do. They say that they can do whatever they want, and the Grace of God will automatically cover their sins. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 2, gives us the Holy Spirit’s response to that claim, “God forbid!”

Then there is “struggle.” This is where most Christians are. They do not want to sin, but not understanding the Cross of Christ relative to our everyday life and living, they think that they have to struggle everyday against the sin nature. I’ll admit that as a Christian, we are told to fight, but we are not told to fight against sin. The Holy Spirit tells us to “fight the good fight of Faith,” which means that we fight to keep our eyes on Christ and the Cross at all times. Satan will only fight one thing, the Cross. And he will do whatever he can to move us away from the Finished Work of Christ to something else.

GRACE

And the last way is “Grace.” There is only one way that we can live this life for Christ, Victorious over every sin that has plagued us in the past, through the Grace of God. The Grace of God is, what my Grandfather says, “The Goodness of God is given to undeserving man, and it is made possible to us only through the Finished Work of Christ.” When we look to the Cross exclusively, this will give the Holy Spirit the ability to Work within our lives, to take out the bad and put in the good.

In Him,
Pastor Gabe

The Elder Shall Serve the Younger

Admin — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:05:03 +0000

Genesis 25:23 – “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels (those two nations were the Edomites and Israelites; from the time of their birth, Esau and Jacob would be separated, divided, even hostile, for they would have nothing in common); and the one people shall be stronger than the other people (Jacob, who was younger, would be the stronger, but only through the Lord); and the elder shall serve the younger (every person is born with a sin nature, which makes that the ‘elder’; the Divine Nature comes into the Believer at conversion, and is the younger; however, if we follow God’s pattern of victorious living, which is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, ‘the elder shall serve the younger,’ meaning that the Divine nature will be victorious over the sin nature).”

REBEKAH WAS BARREN

In the Book of Genesis, some twelve chapters are given over to the life of Abraham, who gave us the meaning of Justification by Faith. But when you read the life of Jacob, the Holy Spirit devotes some twenty-five chapters to Jacob, who gave us the story of Sanctification. Why would the Holy Spirit do this? The answer can be summed up in this statement, it’s one thing to be Saved, but it’s another thing all together to stay Saved.

Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, had been barren, meaning that she could not have any children. For the Plan of God to continue and go forth, it was imperative that Isaac and Rebekah bring forth a son. But twenty years would pass before the realization of the Promise, as Satan would try to hinder the birth of Jacob. Why is this story of such importance, and why would the Lord allow Satan to hinder this birth? First of all, anything that Satan does, he first has to gain permission from God (we find this by reading the life of Job), as he must give an account to the Lord as to what he wants to do, and to whom he wants to come against. Secondly, I truly believe that everything that Satan does, in regards to temptation, is to destroy us, while God tests us for Victory.

“ISAAC ENTREATED THE LORD”

As Rebekah lay barren, Isaac did something that must be understood and copied by all Believers, he entreated the Lord. Even though Rebekah believed that she could not conceive, and that all hope was dead, the Lord wanted Isaac to continue to believe Him for the birth of a son. To entreat means to intercede, which means that Isaac interceded, prayed, and believed that the Lord would one day grant to them the birth of a son. Once again, we must understand, that in order for the Plan of God to be brought forth, which is God’s Redemption Plan, there had to be the birth of a son.

THERE IS A DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PROMISE AND THE POSSESSION

Young people, there are things in your life that are imperative to your Christian Walk, as the Lord has spoken things to your life that will happen in the future, but you are barren, spiritually speaking. It has been years and it seems that nothing is coming of that Promise. The Lord allows such to happen for us to daily Seek His Face, to not give up on that Promise, and to believe that whatever He has Promised us, will come to pass. Delay does not mean denial, and there will always be a distance between the Promise and the Possession of that Promise.

Many times, God does not grant us the things that He has Promised us right away, and the reason, I believe, is that He knows that we could not handle such if it was given to us right away. That is why the Lord allows a distance, so to speak, between the Promise and the Possession of the Promise. There are things in our lives that the Lord needs to work on, and all hope of the flesh must die. Isaac daily sought the Lord over this issue, and we must do the same. This was a test of Isaac’s Faith, and it is the same with us. Faith must be tested, and great Faith must be tested greatly. These tests come in many and varied ways, but all with this purpose in mind, to show us what is really on the inside of us, and to show us how powerful of a God He really is. Never give up on that Promise, but daily seek His Face for His Will in the matter, and do not give up on that Promise, for it will come to pass, just as it did for Isaac and Rebekah.

THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN ESAU AND JACOB

As Rebekah conceived, there came a struggle in her womb between the two boys that were conceived, to the point where she was physically oppressed that she was at the point of death. There is much more to this than what meets the eye, for there was a great Spiritual aspect to this struggle that was in her womb, one believing and the other unbelieving that struggled within her, and was present before these two were even born. It is the same with
Believers today.

To Be Continued . . .

In Him,
Pastor Gabe

Is Abortion Really Murder?

Admin — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:48:01 +0000

Mark 10:14 – “But when Jesus saw it (saw what the Disciples were doing), He was much displeased (was moved with strong indignation), and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the Kingdom of God (to start a child out right, is to insure its Salvation [Prov. 22:6]).”

On January 22, 1973, a landmark case that appeared before the United States Supreme Court shook the very foundation of the United States of America. This turning point, decided by the Supreme Court, declared that a woman, no matter her circumstances, had the right to choose to have an abortion. This debate had been disputed for nearly 40 years, and has pitted homes, families, towns, and cities against each other. It has reshaped national politics and divided the United States into two groups, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice.

PRO-LIFE AND PRO-CHOICE

The camp that is known as “Pro-Life,” believes that at the moment of conception, the fetus is a living, breathing soul, and that life begins at conception. The other side that is known as “Pro-Choice,” believes that at the moment of conception, that fetus is not a person until the moment of birth, or until it can live on its own, and that the fetus has no rights outside of its mother, and the woman who carries the fetus has the right to decide whether they will be born or not. Despite what has been declared as to its legality by the Supreme Court, we must not look to our Courts to decide what abortion really is, but as Christians, we must look what the Bible says about this topic.

WE ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

First of all, according to the Bible, human beings are made in the Image of God. Genesis 1:27-28 declares, “So God created man in His Own Image (the word ‘man’ should have the definite article, and should read ‘the man,’ that is, Adam – the same man Adam spoken of in 2:7; these are not, therefore, two accounts of the creation of man, but one Divine Statement), in the Image of God created He him (the Image of God was lost at the Fall; however, the restoration of the Image was carried out at the Cross, but the completion of that restoration will not take place until the First Resurrection); male and female created He them (represents, at least as far as we know, the first time that God has created the female gender, at least as it regards intelligent beings; there is no record of any female Angels).

“And God blessed them (again, speaks of the ability to reproduce), and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth (the word ‘replenish’ carries the idea of a former creation on the Earth before Adam and Eve; according to Isaiah, Chpt. 14 and Ezekiel, Chpt. 28, Lucifer ruled this world for an undetermined period of time, and did so in Righteousness and Holiness as a beautiful Angel created by God; if, in fact, he did rule the world at this time, it would stand to reason that there has to be some type of creation on the Earth for him to rule; the word ‘replenish’ refers to that creation). . . .”

So, if God created every person in His Image, that should let us know that we are more than a random batch of cells thrown together, with no rhyme or reason attached to it. We reflect, or display, God, Who called us into being with a specific design and purpose. The Lord told the Prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you,” which tells us that even before that fetus is born, that God knew us. God has taken the time with each and every single one of us, to form us in our mother’s womb, to give us talents that only could come from Above, to show the world that something beautiful could come out of the Fall, a human LIFE.

CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM THE LORD

Secondly, all Children are a Blessing from God. The Psalmist said, “Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward” (Ps. 127:3). We have the privilege of bringing life into the world, not to take life from this world. I remember the times when both of our daughters were born. It was the most exciting time of our lives. I can remember when the nurse put both Sam and Abby in my arms, and I had the opportunity to hold them for the very first time. As I looked down at the both of them, during their respective births, the first thing that came over me was joy. Never in my life had I experienced such excitement, joy, euphoria, in all my life, barring my Salvation experience. Each one of my children are a Blessing from the Lord, and they should be looked at as such.

LIFE IS SACRED

Third, and this is the most important, Life is sacred to God. In the Old Testament, even before the Law of Moses was given, we can read in Genesis 9:6, “Whoso sheds a man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the Image of God made He man.” As well, in the Ten Commandments, God told Moses in Exodus 20:13, “You shall not kill.” All this means, is that if a person, adult, child, or fetus, is killed, it is looked at by God as murder. Yes, I will say this again, every child that is aborted in this Nation, or around the world, God looks at it as murder.

MORALITY CANNOT CHANGE

Some of you reading this article will bring up the legislation that was passed some forty years ago, and try to tell me that the United States Supreme Court has given women the right to choose. However, murder is a Moral Law, and a Moral Law cannot change. It really does not matter as to how many laws are passed by Congress, or the Senate, or even the Supreme Court, you cannot change morality. To answer the question that is at the beginning of this article, “Is abortion really murder?” There is only one answer, YES.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my position, as it should be of every Child of God in the world today, is that according to the Word of God, which is the heartbeat of this Nation, abortion is murder. And that the blood of 1.5 million babies aborted in this Nation alone, per year, will be on the hands of politicians, Presidents, doctors, and parents. I know and understand that this article might make many of you uncomfortable, and might cause you to become incensed, but I must take this stand according to the Word of God, that every LIFE is special, and that every LIFE begins at the moment of conception. The Bible is the Final Authority on the matters of LIFE and death, and I “choose” to stand on the side of the Bible. I choose “LIFE!”

In Him,
Pastor Gabe

And David Built An Altar Unto The Lord (Part III)

Admin — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:32:58 +0000

I Chronicles 21:26 – “And David built there an Altar unto the LORD, and offered Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings, and called upon the LORD; and He answered him from Heaven by fire upon the Altar of Burnt Offering. (The lightning coming from Heaven and striking the Sacrifice is a picture of God’s Judgment on sin — the Judgment, we may quickly add, that should have fallen on David, and on us, for that matter, but, instead, fell upon Christ. The choice belongs to man! Man can accept the Judgment that fell on Christ, and do so by accepting Christ, which sets the sinner free. Or he can rebel against Christ, and suffer the lightning-strike of Judgment upon himself. There is no alternative!)”

SIN ALWAYS CARRIES A CONSEQUENCE

Despite David being known as “the man after God’s Own Heart” (I Sam. 13:14), and despite David being used of God to bring Israel into a place of complete authority and power, still, David was not immune to the consequences of his actions. As David disregarded the whole purpose for taking the national census, he was visited by Gad the Prophet, who instructed the king as to the Lord’s Punishment: three years famine, three months being destroyed by his enemies, or three days pestilence.

Don’t let anyone tell you that sinning against God never carries a consequence, even if it has been properly repented of. Sin is never something that we should play around with, not even for a second. Sin has a pull to it that, in all honesty, will seem pleasurable and fun. But there will always come a time that the sin in question will become a bondage that we could never get ourselves out of, no matter how hard we try.

I’ve never taken a drug before, not one time in my life, but they say that the initial high that one receives from drugs is euphoric, to say the least. But every time after that initial drug experience, you chase that feeling from your very first hit. In other words, the first time was magical, and the other times after, not so much. It may seem harmless to try something that causes so much euphoria, but soon it becomes a bondage that is very difficult for man to break through his own ability and strength. The consequence of taking drugs is always looking for the next fix, where your entire being craves the drug and craves the high, to the point of neglecting a family to satisfy the craving.

I tell my youth group at Crossfire that sin is never something that we should play with, for when we think that we can control the sin, we realize that the sin is controlling us. There is always a consequence to sin, without fail. However, we must understand that the punishment that will be leveled against us will always come from God, and not from man. God is the One, especially for the Christian, Who says what the chastisement will be. The fact is, Christ took upon Himself the punishment of our sin at Calvary’s Cross, for if we took the punishment ourselves, no one would be alive to tell about it. Sin is an awful business, and Calvary was an awful experience. But the Cross is what addressed sin, once and for all.

I’M IN A GREAT STRAIT

In fact, after hearing the Judgment that was leveled against him, David himself said that he was in a great strait. Sin places one, even the godliest, in a great strait, for this is the only place for a person to turn to the Lord, which is exactly what David did, he threw himself towards the Mercy of God, knowing that this would be the ultimate solution. If he would have chosen the punishment of men, he would have been destroyed. He chose to put his life in the Hands of God, which should be a lesson to us today. Once we fail the Lord, we must remember that the Lord never looks at us on the basis of our sin, for if that was the case, no one would ever be forgiven. But God looks at us on the basis of the Shed Blood of the Lamb. If we ask for forgiveness, keeping our eyes upon Calvary, then the sin that we have committed will be forgiven and washed away.

But, as David chose to place his life in the Hands of the Lord, the Lord sent an Angel and slew 70,000 people in a three-day period of time. Even though we are not told as to what the pestilence was spoken of here in this Chapter, we do know that this was orchestrated by God. Whatever happens either in our lives or events on the world scene, everything is either allowed by God to happen or orchestrated by God to happen, and if it were not for the Cross of Christ, this world would have been destroyed a long time ago. It is the Cross of Christ, alone, that stands between mankind and the Judgment of God.

But once the Angel arrived “by the threshingfloor of Arunah, the Jebusite,” the Angel of the Lord stopped. The reason why the Lord stopped the Angel at this exact location was that it would be the future place where the Temple would be built during the reign of king Solomon, David’s son. The Lord would turn an awful scene into a time of great blessing, at least for those that would turn to Him.

DAVID BUILT AN ALTAR

At the command of the Prophet Gad, David went to the home of Arunah the Jebusite, wanting to purchase this place from him, in order to build an Altar unto the Lord. As many of you know, that Altar was a Type of Calvary, for it was at the Cross that the Judgment of God was handed out upon Christ, taking upon Himself the Judgment of God that we should have all taken. God must judge sin, and it doesn’t matter who was/is at fault, or even what the sin was, sin must be judged. It was the Lord Who stopped the Angel from going any further, because the ceasing of the Judgment was based upon the sacrifice that would be offered upon that Altar, which David was to build.

It was at that moment, when David built the Altar and offered Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings, which was a Type of the Sacrifice of Christ and that once we have been forgiven, Peace with God can be shared once again; the plague that hung over Israel was stayed. This whole episode explains to us that the only remedy for sin is the Cross of Christ. There is a plague that hangs over every person that has ever lived, and if we allow it, it will destroy us. But, God has given us His Sacrifice that if we just accept and believe that Christ paid it all for us, then the plague of sin will be stayed.

In Him,
Pastor Gabe

And David Built an Altar Unto the Lord – Part II

Admin — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:39:26 +0000

I Chronicles 21:26 – “And David built there an Altar unto the LORD, and offered Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings, and called upon the LORD; and He answered him from Heaven by fire upon the Altar of Burnt Offering. (The lightning coming from Heaven and striking the Sacrifice is a picture of God’s Judgment on sin – the Judgment, we may quickly add, that should have fallen on David, and on us, for that matter, but, instead, fell upon Christ. The choice belongs to man! Man can accept the Judgment that fell on Christ, and do so by accepting Christ, which sets the sinner free. Or he can rebel against Christ, and suffer the lightning-strike of Judgment upon himself. There is no alternative!)”

THE DISPLEASURE OF THE LORD

Because of David’s blatant disregard of the ransom money, which was to accompany the census that was to be brought to the Tabernacle, the Lord was displeased with David, and for obvious reasons. As stated, the half-shekel of silver was a Type of our Redemption that was afforded to us by Christ and what He did at the Cross on our behalf. When David ignored this Command, the Lord sent Gad the Prophet to him, and presented him with a decision, which he would have to make.

WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF THE PROPHET IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES?

Many have asked this question, “What was the role of the true, God-called Prophets in the Old Testament?” Many think of a Prophet as someone who foretells of futuristic events, and even though that is correct, to a certain degree, that was really not the case. The role of the true God-called Prophet was a Preacher of Righteousness. The Prophet constituted the Spiritual Leadership of Israel, and when Israel would begin to get out of line, God would use the Prophet to steer them back into the right direction.

It is no different now from what it was back then, for a true God-called Prophet is a Preacher of Righteousness. It is someone who will try and steer God’s People back to the Cross of Christ, for without the Cross, there is no Righteousness. The Righteousness of God can only come to us by One Way, through the Cross of Christ, and nothing else. For the most part, the modern church, and you can add the modern youth group in there as well, have been trying to earn the Righteousness of God by the means of self-effort, which God can never accept. This means that much of the seeker-sensitive churches in this Country fall into this category, trying to earn the Righteousness of God by passing out water bottles on the side of the street, or mowing the yards of people’s houses, or doing good things, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, if one does these things thinking that they are doing something for the Lord, and are gaining His Righteousness by the doing of those things, they will never see the Righteousness of God.

If man could earn the Righteousness of God, then Paul said in Galatians 2:21, and I quote from the EXPOSITOR’S STUDY BIBLE, “I do not frustrate the Grace of God (if we make anything other than the Cross of Christ the Object of our Faith, we frustrate the Grace of God, which means that we stop its action, and the Holy Spirit will no longer help us): for if Righteousness come by the Law (any type of Law), then Christ is dead in vain. (If I can successfully live for the Lord by any other means other than Faith in Christ and the Cross, then the Death of Christ was a waste.)”

WHAT IS FRUSTRATING THE GRACE OF GOD?

There is no Salvation for the sinner who lives his life based upon his good works as a means of being accepted by God. As stated, the Righteousness of God comes to us on the basis of Christ and Him Crucified, and nothing else. God gave His Righteousness to Christ because He lived this Life perfectly, with no sin whatsoever. And because we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are now recipients of God’s Righteousness, which allows the Grace of God to flow on an unending basis every moment of our lives. As a Christian, we must understand that Christ paid the Ultimate Price for everything that we have need of, at the Cross. His Death opened the door for our Salvation, Sanctification, Blessing, Healing, Deliverance, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit with the Evidence of Speaking with Other Tongues, etc. Whatever we have need of, Christ paid for it at the Cross. But, if we look to something other than the Cross of Christ for anything, no matter what it is, we can stop the Grace of God from flowing within our lives.

In essence, we are telling God that the Cross was insufficient, and that we have to provide for ourselves, which is a slap in the Face to the Plan of God. If, and this is a big “if,” if God chose to have man earn his Righteousness, Deliverance, Blessing, or what have you, then as Paul said, Christ died in vain. That means that the Death of Christ was a waste, and that is not the case at all. Man cannot earn anything from God, no matter how holy man may make it appear, God does nothing on the basis of merit. Only Faith brings about what is needed in our lives, Faith, incidentally, which is anchored solely in the Cross of Christ, for this allows the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of the Believers to keep the Grace of God flowing uninterrupted.

THE CROSS OF CHRIST ALONE IS THE KEY

As a Minister of the Gospel, I must tell my young people that there is nothing that we can do, based upon merit, that can earn anything with God. We must ever place our Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, and that Alone, for everything. We must never look to anything else for our needs, Christ paid it all, all to Him I owe. He can meet every need and, in fact, has met every need, at Calvary’s Cross, with nothing left owing. We must ever tell our youth to look to Christ and the Cross for everything! Not the Cross of Christ and their works, or the Cross and their abilities. Only the Cross of Christ Alone is the Key for all Spiritual Victory in our lives.

To be continued next month. . . .

In Him,
Pastor Gabe

And David Built an Altar unto the Lord (Part I)

Admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:24:37 +0000

I Chronicles 21:26 – “And David built there an Altar unto the LORD, and offered Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings, and called upon the LORD; and He answered him from Heaven by fire upon the Altar of Burnt Offering. (The lightning coming from Heaven and striking the Sacrifice is a picture of God’s Judgment on sin — the Judgment, we may quickly add, that should have fallen on David, and on us, for that matter, but, instead, fell upon Christ. The choice belongs to man! Man can accept the Judgment that fell on Christ, and do so by accepting Christ, which sets the sinner free. Or he can rebel against Christ, and suffer the lightning strike of Judgment upon himself. There is no alternative!).”

There are two types of sin that can be committed, Sins of Passion and Sins of Pride. David, who is labeled by God as, “A man after Mine Own Heart,” during the course of his life, fell prey to both of these types of sins. When we read about the life of David, we will read about a man who had experienced highs like no other person who lived before or even after, and lows experienced by no other person. He would kill the giant, and bring victory to God’s People, and on the flip side, he would feign madness and even side with the very same army whom he defeated, the Philistines, for sixteen months. He is an enigma, a paradox, something that when read, does not make sense at times. We wonder why someone of the stature of David could fall to such lows that it beggars description. But, the sad fact is that at times we have to look at ourselves in the same way. How can we stumble, knowing what is right and wrong?

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

David was nearing the end of his life. He had defeated every enemy around him, and Israel was on her way to being the Supreme Nation on the Planet. It was during this time of great victory that David calls for Joab, his Captain, who had been with him for a very long time, to go and number the people, “that I may know it.” We will read in I Samuel, Chapter 24 that “the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He moved upon David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.” However, in this Text of I Chronicles, Chapter 21, the Bible reads that Satan provoked David to number Israel. Is there a contradiction? No. In fact, Satan cannot do anything unless the Lord allows him to do so. The Lord has the last word in every matter of our lives. In other words, everything that happens to the Believer is either caused by God or allowed by God to happen. Satan is on a leash, so to speak, and even though he will tell the Believer that he is going to destroy you, kill you, take from you, etc., he simply does not have the power to do so.

As David commands Joab to take the census, even Joab, a man of the world, tries to talk King David out of this deed, however, to no avail. Why was this so wrong? Was taking a census of the people wrong? No. There is nothing in the Word of God that actually prohibits the numbering of Israel, but yet, it must be done in a certain way, and that certain way is found in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 30, Verses 11 through 16. The way that the census was to be taken was that every fighting man who is over the age of twenty, was to bring a half-shekel of silver to the Tabernacle as an offering unto the Lord. This half-shekel of silver was called “ransom money.” Every person, rich or poor, had to bring the “ransom money” to the Tabernacle . . . everyone was placed on the same level.

THE CROSS AND OUR REDEMPTION

The ransom money was silver, which in Old Testament times was a type of Redemption. This represented to Israel the fact that no matter how large her army was, or how rich the country may have been, Israel’s help and protection came totally and completely from the Shed Blood of Jesus Christ. The Cross of Christ, of which all of this was foreshadowing, is the strength of the Church, as well as our Youth Groups. We should ever understand that it really does not matter what kind of programs that we utilize, or how many people we have in our Services, our strength does not depend upon those things, but our strength depends totally and completely on the Finished Work of Christ. If we remove the Cross from Christianity, we have nothing but a lifeless philosophy. Once again, we must emphasize this. If we remove the Cross of Christ from our Youth Groups, then we are left with nothing.

THE CROSS AND THE CHURCH

Much of the modern church, and we can add to that the modern youth group, does not seem to understand the importance of the Cross of Christ. They do not seem to understand that the Cross of Christ is the very Foundational Doctrine on which all other Doctrines can be built upon. Without a proper foundation, the house cannot stand, and without the Cross of Christ, Christianity cannot stand. The modern church little realizes that everything that is given to us by God, is given to us on the basis of the Cross. Christ is the Source of all Blessings; the Cross is the Means by which we are given all Blessings. Faith is the key that unlocks the door, and the Holy Spirit superintends all of it. What is frightening is that much of the modern church does not truly understand that the Cross of Christ is the only thing that stands between mankind and eternal Hell. If they really believed that and understood it, they would have no problem pointing out sin, and dealing with sin. However, we are living in a day in time in which much of the church world refuses to deal with sin, and that there is a penalty attached to sin. Paul said, “The wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is Eternal Life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

Much of the modern church does not understand that the Holy Spirit, of Whom we need His Help on a daily basis, works exclusively through the Finished Work of Christ, and that walking after the Spirit refers to the Believer placing their Faith in the Cross of Christ, and leaving it there. And much of the modern church, once again, we must add the modern youth group in that category as well, does not understand that the only way for the Believer to live an overcoming, Victorious Christian Life is through our Faith in the Cross of Christ. If they truly understood that, there would be no place for the schemes and fads that are dominating our churches and youth groups today. The Cross of Christ is the very reason why we are here today, and it is the very reason that we can have Victory now over the world, the flesh and the Devil. Without the Cross, we have nothing to hold on to, we have nothing to look to in our times of trial and tribulation and we have nothing to believe in. Without the Cross, we are no different from all of the other religions of the world.

To be continued…

In Him,
Pastor Gabe