Christians-Today Ministry

Happy Father’s Day to all you Daddies out there!

There is a saying that any man can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a Daddy.

A DADDY IS:

A Daddy is someone who loves his child more than life itself. He is a man who will go beyond all reasonable measures to protect his children and keep them safe. A Daddy is someone who is compassionate and kind, especially when his children just need someone to “listen” and not react. He is a man who is good to his wife and treats her with respect, especially in front of his children. A Daddy is caring and never judges his children. He corrects them when they are wrong and delights in their accomplishments. Like God our Heavenly Father, a Daddy loves his children unconditionally and will forgive them in the face of adversity. A Daddy is a gift to all of mankind because it is he who raises his children to be more like Jesus.

God Bless ALL You Daddies and Happy Father’s Day!

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Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms out there!

Blessed is she who cares for her child, whether born to her or adopted from another. A mom is not always the biological mother who gave birth to the child, but the person who nurtured, cared for and taught the child right from wrong. A mom is someone who loved the child through the hurts, the tears, the heartbreaks; along with the fun, the laughter and warm moments throughout that child’s life.

May God Bless You — To ALL MOMS!

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Many people, even some Christians, do not fully understand the true meaning of Easter. Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross for for the sins of all mankind on a Friday and on the third day, the day we call Easter Sunday or sometimes called Resurrection Sunday, He rose again.

Because Jesus became flesh and lived so that He would die for our sins, all that was prophesied in the Old Testament of the Bible came true, from the beginning of the Gospel when Jesus was born to a virgin, to His baptism, to His ministry, to His arrest, to His crucifixion and finally to His resurrection, not a even a single event that was prophesied was missing.

Scripture proclaiming the Birth, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus:

The Birth of Jesus

Many, many years before the birth of Christ, approximately 700 years, the prophet Isaiah prophesied about the birth of Christ:

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Crucifixion (Also known as Good Friday)

Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

Psalm 22:11-18, written 1,000 years before Jesus was born, describes how Jesus would be Crucified:

1 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

Although Jesus, the Son of God knew that He was put upon the earth to teach the Gospel and to bear the sins of all the world, He faced His crucifixion like a lamb being led to the slaughter.  He uttered not one word in His defense.

Here is what it says in the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 53:7 (New International Version)
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

Even near the end, just before He died, Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified Him, saying “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34).

The Resurrection (Also known as Easter Sunday)

As we celebrate Easter, we need to remember that the true miracle is that Jesus Christ died for our sins; He was resurrected on the third day and today still lives on, interceding on our behalf to the Father.

Here is the account of the resurrection according to the Gospel of Mark:

Mark 16 (NIV)
The Resurrection

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ “

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Have a Blessed Easter and May You Enjoy the Fullness of God’s Love!

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My Christmas Prayer to You

Lord God, please grant me this Christmas Day,
A way to show the lost – The Truth, The Light and The Way.
As I sit here with tears streaming down my cheeks,
I pray the Lord, that to their hearts, you will speak.

As many hearts grow cold in this world gone awry,
Many will stop and wonder, asking God “Why?”
His Word in the Bible explains it all,
About how mankind by his own fault, will stumble and fall.

What I pray for today Lord, on this sweet Christmas Day,
Is that You soften the hearts of those souls gone astray.
Please fill them with loving kindness by removing their strife,
And may their names be reflected in your Book of Life.

Amen

May You Have a Very Merry Christmas and May the
Lord Shine His Face Upon You and Your Family.

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I have often wondered while watching the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season (now only politically correct if called the “Holiday Season”), whether all those people scrambling to get Christmas gifts really understand why we even celebrate Christmas. If you were to ask a group of people what the true meaning of Christmas is, I am sure to bet that you won’t get just one answer.

If only people could understand “why” we celebrate Christmas, then I don’t think that they would spend so much time stressing over Christmas gifts. Christmas should be a joyous occasion filled with love, peace, hope, hospitality and good will. But unfortunately, I don’t see that in the world too much these days. So you may be asking, “What is the True Meaning of Christmas”, and here I will enlighten you, so that you may know the truth of God’s Everlasting Love.

Before God created Adam and Eve, He created the Earth and all that was in it. Then He created Adam and Eve. Even before Eve sinned by eating fruit from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden, God knew she was going to do it. Sin did not exist in the Garden, but He knew that she would sin and was prepared to deal with it. In order for a human to be forgiven for a sin, a blood sacrifice must be made to God. Thus began the sacrificing of animals to God at the alter. Throughout Biblical times, the prophets of the Old Testament spoke of the One who would come, the one who would be the ultimate sacrifice that would pay the price for all sins, and no longer would it be necessary to sacrifice an animal for the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 3:21-26 says:

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

You see, Jesus was born to be that sacrifice. A sacrifice that would forever be the atonement for our sins. He was the Sacrificial Lamb who took away the sins of the world. There is one catch though, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you must believe that Jesus is the one and only Son of God who died for your sins and you must repent and turn away from your sins. Don’t you know the TRUTH when you see  or hear it? Won’t you ask Him into your heart today?

So you see, that little baby who was born in a manger to the Virgin Mary more than 2000 years ago, is the Son of God and the living sacrifice who will be your only chance at salvation. Christmas isn’t only about giving and receiving presents, it is about celebrating the birthday of the one who will give you everlasting life, your salvation – and to me, that is the GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!

Merry Christmas to You and Yours.

CLICK HERE: Prayer of Salvation ~ Ask Jesus Into Your Heart

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Today, I heard on the news driving home from work, that a man in Louisiana who was mowing his lawn on a tractor, was hit by a stray bullet. Ordinarily, the man would carry his cell phone in his pants pocket, but today he put it in his shirt pocket – something he wouldn’t have done before. While mowing his grass, the man was struck in the chest by a stray bullet that authorities believe came from a hunter’s gun. The cell phone in the man’s shirt pocket miraculously stopped the bullet and the man only got a bruised chest. Would you call that a coincidence, or a miracle?

A father was getting his daughter and himself ready for work and school, and the daughter wouldn’t quit playing around and get ready like she was told. Most days this little girl is up and dressed before her dad. Needless to say, completely out of character for her, this day she didn’t feel like going to school. She took her time picking out her clothes, playing with her toys, picking at her breakfast – you name it. During this unexpected ordeal the father becomes extremely agitated at his daughter’s tardiness, realizing that she is making him late for work and that she would also be late for school. When they were about 10 minutes late getting out the door, finally, they were in the car and on their way. About a mile down the highway, traffic had come to a complete halt. There were fire trucks, ambulances, rescue workers and police cars everywhere. It turned out that 10 minutes prior to their arrival, there was a huge accident and most everyone involved in the accident had died. Had the father and daughter been running on time that day, they would most certainly have been in that accident – and most likely would be dead, had they not been running late that day. Coincidence or Miracle?

A woman driving to work, was driving 80 miles per hour on a winding highway in the far left lane, just like she did every weekday morning. Today was no different. As she was approaching a bend in the road, “something” told her to get over in the next lane IMMEDIATELY! Just as she was over in the other lane and coming around the bend, there was a mini-van stalled in the lane she was in. As she passed the mini-van, she glanced in her rear-view mirror and saw the mini-van pull off to the shoulder of the road just AFTER she had passed. If she had stayed in the far left-hand lane, she would have slammed into that mini-van going 80 miles per hour. She may as well of hit a brick wall. Coincidence or Miracle?

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As Christians, we all possess Spiritual Gifts. Together, as the Body of Christ, we should all learn what those gifts are and put those gifts to good use.

Here is what 1 Corinthians 12 tells us about Spiritual Gifts:

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Spiritual Gifts

1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

We are the Body of Christ and the Body is made up of many parts. Each part of the body has a different function, but cannot function on its own. As a whole, Christians are responsible for the gifts they possess and should not ignore them or not put them to good use. If you ignore the gifts that God gave you, what good are they to anyone else? There may be someone waiting right at this very minute for someone with the right gift to come along that will help them to make good use of the gifts God gave to them. Here is what 1 Corinthians 12 says about the many different parts of the Body of Christ:

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 3031 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

To learn more about your own Spiritual Gifts, you can click on the link below and go to ChurchGrowth.org to get an in depth analysis of the Spiritual Gifts you possess and how to use them:

http://www.churchgrowth.org/analysis/index.html

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It states in Ephesians 2:8-9: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

If you already know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can be thankful that God saved you by His grace. If you don’t already have a relationship with Jesus, you may ask, “What is meant by God’s Grace?” Grace is God showing His love to us even though we do not deserve it. Because grace is a gift from God, we cannot earn it. Grace was shown to us by God when He saved us from the punishment of sin through the death of Christ on the cross. We must put our faith in Jesus and trust him as our Lord and Savior in order to receive God’s grace. God also shows us His grace by giving us the strength to handle difficult situations, providing us with guidance by caring for us each day.

You can depend on God each and every day for the grace you need to live for Him. Because God lovingly shows His grace to you, you should in turn, show His grace to others.

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Do you have faith in Jesus? Do you understand exactly what faith is? Faith is actually believing without having proof. Sometimes it is hard to believe in something you cannot see. However, if you can just get past the idea that you have to “see to believe”, you could possibly open up a whole new universe for yourself. Believing in Christ comes from within. It is based upon knowing that Jesus lives, without actually seeing him.

Here is the dictionary’s definition of FAITH:
“Belief that is not based on proof.”

A Story of FAITH:
While Jesus and his disciples were in the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee, a woman who had been afflicted with bleeding for many years was there, and knew of Jesus and his healing miracles. She knew that if she could only touch the hem of his garment, she would be healed. Because of her strong faith in the Lord, she came up behind him and by touching the edge of his cloak, her bleeding immediately stopped! Here is how Matthew and Luke both describe the incident, with Luke’s account containing much more detail:

Matthew 9:20-22 (NIV)

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.

Luke 8:42-48 (NIV)

42 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

You too can have this same kind of faith. All you need to do is believe in Jesus. Believe that his sacrifice on the cross was for you; confess him to be your Lord and Savior and repent of your sins. If you do these things with all sincerity, by faith you will be saved and have eternal life. You will have access to the throne of God through Jesus Christ, who sits at the Right Hand of God and has authority over all things. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that you are able to do everything through him (Christ) who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13).

Say the Prayer of Salvation Now and Be Saved!

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Think about this scenario if you will:

A 25 year old man is hit by a car in 1968 and slips into a 40 year coma… Fast forward to the year 2008; and this man amazingly awakes from his coma of 40 years, only to find that his world had completely changed. While lying in his hospital bed, this man turns on the television with an alien object called a “remote” and is astonished by what he sees on television! As he flips through the channels he sees and hears the following: vulgar language, people using God’s name in vain, men and women simulating sexual experiences, husbands and wives cheating on each other as if it were a natural occurrence, greed, children using foul language, extreme violence, commercials pushing pills for erectile dysfunction, .. and the list goes on and on. If you think back to the year 1968 (if you are old enough that is), there were none of these things on television. Sure, there were some sexual and violent movies in the theaters back then, but they were ordinarily rated R or X, and were not shown in America’s living rooms, with children and senior citizens watching.

Now think about this man finally getting out of the hospital. He goes to the grocery store with his wife. He approaches a young man stocking the shelves and says, “excuse me young man, I need to get something from that shelf you’re stocking.” The young man turns and looks at the older man and says, “you will just have to wait until I am done, can’t you see I’m busy old man?” You see, it used to be that if someone in a store spoke to ANY customer that way, they would be fired, right there on the spot. However, in this day and age, courtesy toward customers in a store is an unusual phenomenon. The customer is no longer the customer to be served, but one to be ignored and treated with disrespect. In fact, we now live in a “me” generation, with focus centralized on the greed and the wants of the world.

The world has really changed immensely in the past 40 years. Many minds of this world have been polluted by what they see on television, what they view on the internet, by the violent and sexual video games they play and through the immoral music they listen to. This especially applies to the youth. Sure, there are exceptions. There are children who have been raised by parents who weren’t afraid to instill values in them; parents who were actually able to monitor their children’s behavior and steer them in the right direction when they began to stray off course. Unfortunately these days, many parents are afraid of their children. They are afraid of the power that they hold in the system. If a well-meaning parent were to spank their child, that child could actually press charges against their own parents, and have them fined or thrown in jail. Isn’t that preposterous? I don’t believe in child abuse by any means, but even the bible tells us not to spoil our children:

Proverbs 13:24 (NIV) states:
24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Do you understand how this world got so messed up? I do. It is because that although Satan is the father of all lies, the head deceiver of all time and the most evil of any creature; he is subtle. He manages to slowly introduce different evils into the minds of people in a slow, but sure manner. Let’s go back to the man who was in a coma. One day (back in 1968) he is watching The Andy Griffith Show and Gilligan’s Island on television, and the next day he wakes up and he sees shows like ‘Cheaters’, ‘The Family Guy’, ‘Jerry Springer’,’ South Park’ – and even ‘Will and Grace’ and ‘That 70′s Show’ are full of sexual undertones and ‘That 70′s Show’ promotes underage drinking and drug use (marijuana). Wouldn’t that be a huge shock to someone’s system who hadn’t seen television in 40 years? Sex, violence, foul language, greed, homosexuality and dishonesty being publicly displayed on television, is something that did not occur just 40 years back.

Now, let’s take a look at the way we view television in this era. We see so much sex, violence, foul language, homosexuality, infidelity, greed and so much more evil on television, that it no longer phases us. Gradually we’ve seen television and the media evolve to the level we are at currently, and we never even noticed it happening. If we did notice, we just became ignorant of it and let it go. Each time we see sex, violence or greed and other evils on the big screen or on television, we become that much more desensitized by what we see and hear. After a while, we just “accept” what we see as “NORMAL for this day and age”. Why do we accept it? Because after a while, we begin to believe the lies of the enemy – the lies that tell us “THIS IS NORMAL – JUST ACCEPT IT!”. But let me tell you, these things are not normal in God’s eyes, and shouldn’t be normal in our eyes either. When we embrace what the world is doing, we become friends with the world; and in turn become displeasing in God’s eyes, and therefore an enemy to God. It says the following in James 4:

James 4:1-5 (NIV)
Submit Yourselves to God

1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

We need to stop believing the enemy and the world, and again start thinking about pleasing God and turn back to what He would want for us to believe is normal. Return back to your bibles people, as that is the only place you will find what God would want you to classify as “normal”.

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