HE THAT ENDURETH SHALL BE SAVED

HOW THE APOSTLES DIED.

1. Matthew
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.

2. Mark
Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.

3. Luke
Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.

4. John
Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered From death.
John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully

5. Peter
He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross.
According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

6. James
The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his
enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.
* This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

7. James the Son of Zebedee,
was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was   beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer Walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and Knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

8. Bartholomew
Also known as Nathaniel Was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

9. Andrew
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors For two days until he expired.

10. Thomas
Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub-continent.

11. Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

12. Matthias
The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

13. Paul
Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many
epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.

Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles and disciples during their times For the sake of the Faith. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: But he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

LET US WALK BY THE SPIRIT

This is the second in a series of messages on the Holy Spirit. Last week we dealt with the cause of the new birth. I argued from John 3:5–8 that human nature, with which all of us are born, will not enter into the kingdom of God unless it is changed. This change is called being born again. And what this means is that the Spirit of God creates something new; he takes out of us the heart of stone that rebels against God, and he puts into us a new heart which trusts God and follows his ways. Or to put it another way, the Holy Spirit establishes himself as the new ruling principle of our life. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." In other words, that which is begotten by the Spirit has the nature of the Spirit, is permeated by the character of the Spirit, is animated by the Spirit. This change is owing wholly to the Spirit's work of free grace, prior to any saving faith on our part. The new birth is not caused by our faith; on the contrary, our faith is caused by the new birth. "No one can come to the Son unless it is granted to him by the Father" (John 6:65). Therefore, the life we have in Christ is owing wholly to the work of God's Spirit, and we have no ground for boasting at all. We live by the Spirit.

Now what? Galatians 5:25 states concisely what our next step should be. "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Paul is in full agreement with Jesus that it is by the work of the Holy Spirit that we have been given new life. "Even when we were dead through trespasses God made us alive together with Christ . . . We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:5, 10;Colossians 2:13). Just as God once said, "Let there be light," and there was light, so he "has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). Now Paul, in Galatians 5:25, draws an inference from how our new life in Christ began: if it began by the Spirit, then all our subsequent life ought to be carried out by the Spirit (see Galatians 3:1–5). If it was by the free and sovereign power of the Spirit that our new spiritual life came into being, then the way that new life should be lived is by that same free and sovereign power. "Walk by the Spirit" means do what you do each day by the Spirit; live your life in all its details from waking up in the morning until going to sleep at night by the enabling power of the Spirit. But what does that mean, practically speaking? How do we "walk by the Spirit"?

Let's observe a few things in the immediate context of Galatians 5 and then bring in some other Scriptures in order to get as full an answer to this question as we can. I'll conclude by describing five things involved in walking by the Spirit.

How Do We Walk by the Spirit?

The phrase "walk by the Spirit" occurs not only in verse 25 but also in verse 16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh." So here we see what the opposite of walking by the Spirit is, namely, giving in to the desires of the flesh. Remember, "flesh" is the old, ordinary human nature that does not relish the things of God and prefers to get satisfaction from independence, power, prestige, and worldly pleasures. When we "walk by the Spirit," we are not controlled by those drives. This is what verse 17 means: the flesh produces one kind of desires, and the Spirit produces another kind, and they are opposed to each other. Walking by the Spirit is what we do when the desires produced by the Spirit are stronger than the desires produced by the flesh. This means that "walking by the Spirit" is not something we do in order to get the Spirit's help, but rather, just as the phrase implies, it is something we do by the enablement of the Spirit.

When Life Gets Hard, Remember That Jesus Has Overcome The World

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

As I write this I think of an old man even now sitting at the side of his dying wife. As her body fails he is there, holding her hand. Tribulation. Death is a consequence of sin and this husband and wife are feeling its pain. In the world you will have tribulation, Jesus says to each of them, but take heart! I have overcome the world!
How can Jesus look at his followers and one minute say to them, the hour is coming… when you will be scattered… (verse 32) and in the next tell them, I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. How can he say we will have peace and we will have tribulation?
We are reminded that this world is not our home. We are passing through to the promised heavenly land and Jesus has overcome this world so it will not be able to keep us from him. The husband’s tears for his wife are real, but so is his hope in the knowledge that Jesus has overcome the world.
What is the trial for you today? What is your tribulation? Have you found the secret to peace, the knowledge that Christ has overcome the world so no matter what your affliction you have a lasting hope? Christ is victorious over sin and Satan! Christ is victorious over death and Hell! Christ has promised eternal blessings to the adopted children of God! Believer, have peace! Christ has overcome the world.

by Chris Roberts 

HOW TO WORSHIP GOD WHEN TECHNOLOGY RULES YOUR WORLD

So you are a Bible believing Christian who wants to please and worship God in spirit and in truth…but… You have a smartphone, an iPad, laptop, a Netflix , podcast, and maybe game fly subscription . You also have a steady social life online where you make opinions straighten things out and explain things to others with your knowledge and intellect . Maybe your passion for God isn’t really what you thought it was . Maybe your worship isnt really anything worthy of the creator , maybe it’s time to make a choice between Facebook/Twitter and Jesus.

 
The contemporary

church has fewer pews and more chairs, no more big pulpits only movable podiums, and fewer choirs and more praise teams. That’s cool. Things change. Change is good. But what happens when the focus of worship is what changes?

More than likely most churches have made strides to ‘keep up with the times’. No more church programs or announcements, we have actual news reports. No more wondering what the words to the songs are, there are lyrics. No more having to find a seat close enough to see the preacher, there are huge screens strategically located in front, left, and right of your eye-line. There’s no longer a need for an introduction, you get to watch a cool, short movie about this month’s sermon series. No need to bring your actual Bible anymore, you have a pretty touchscreen device that does not require you to flip one page.

Church has become cool.

Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little fog coming out while the worship team is up, having actual newscasters to report the church happenings, or even a really dope stage setup and lighting. But if all of that was taken away, could you still worship?

More often than not, you sit in front of some type of screen for multiple hours every day. Whether it be a smartphone, navigational system, tablet, TV, or computer, our days revolve around these pieces of technology more now than ever before. Children as young as 2-3 years old know how to operate a cell phone and tablet without help. Gadgets have become part of our daily lives, but is it now a requirement for our daily worship?

How did people have church and truly experience a move of God as they gathered together if they didn’t have a Facebook, YouVersion, Twitter/Facebook, Notes, or YouTube? No one in the Bible had any type of gadget to assist them in communion with God, yet they knew Him. But how?
1. Want God.

No light, video, cool effect can make you want God. That’s a condition of the heart. Jesus instructs us to love God with all of our heart. The wants of our heart are the things we seek. If it’s entertainment instead of worship, of course our services will look more like a movie or concert while no one is truly seeking God. If in our hearts we really want God, that’s what we go after. (Jer. 29:13-14, Prov. 8:17, James 4:8)
2. Walk with God.

There are so many people throughout the Bible, yet only two people “walked with God”: Noah and Enoch. These two men were used very differently in the Bible. Noah built the ark to replenish the earth after God destroyed it. Enoch only had children, walked with God, but never died. But how amazing to live a life that didn’t include a great feat like building an ark or living over hundreds of years, but to be known for walking with God. Noah and Enoch didn’t have fancy technology as a mediator for God. They just took time to have fellowship with Him. Will people know you for your fellowship with God?
3. Wait on Him.

These little pieces of technology make everything happen so fast. Our generation of believers feel as though God didn’t hear our prayer if He hasn’t moved like we wanted in three days. We are so used to having everything happen on our schedule. In Ps. 27:14, we are told to ‘Wait on God’. He wouldn’t have told us to wait if we never had to. Do not think God is Siri and has to answer just because you pressed the prayer button. Know that God is always working things out for your good, so just wait. While waiting, spend time to get to know Him better.

It is time for us to learn that our programs are not progress. What we need is His presence.- Tommy Tenney

We have gotten so caught up with how entertaining we can make our services that we never actually experience Him.

Challenge yourself within the next few weeks to pick up your Bible and flip through the pages. Do you know the order of the books of the Bible? Is your app handicapping you? Sing a song to God instead of immediately plugging in your music player. God wants your worship not someone else’s.

TO BE CONTINUED.........
adapted from HOWTOWHORSHIPGOD.COM

ANGELS IN HEAVEN

SHARE WITH YOUR LOVED ONES ALSO

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Checkers. She must have been
6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It
was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain
gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the
spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of
... Checkers.
We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their
hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and
sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories
of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome
reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all
caught in "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let 's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run
through the rain,"

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl
said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you
said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but
the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few
minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would
laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was
said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time
when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's
us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they
darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping
bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed
by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can
take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can
ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and
take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a
season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A friend sent this to me to remind me of life. Hope you enjoy it.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate
them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. Send this
to the people you'll never forget .

If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in a hurry.

Take the time to live!!!

Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you'll need each other
-- and don't forget to run in the rain!

God makes everything but unbreakable hearts.

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST

Mark starts his historical biography of Jesus like this: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark chapter 1 verse 1).
Jesus was called "Christ". That’s not a surname, it’s a title, meaning the King sent by God himself who would rule over everything for ever.
And he was called "the Son of God": God himself, come to live in his world as a human.
Now those are extraordinary things to claim! But Jesus proved he was the Christ and the Son of God by doing things only God can do:
He cured diseases with a touch.
He controlled storms with a word.
He even overcame death itself.
As he did these things, God’s King gave a glimpse of what life in his kingdom is like.
It’s a place ruled by love, with no more suffering, separation, fear or death: the kind of world we all want. A perfect world where people enjoy perfect life with a perfect King for ever.
Jesus’ actions prompted a reaction in everyone who met him.
Peter, who had known Jesus for years, told him: “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29)
Later, a Roman soldier who had just met him realized: “This man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).
But not everyone responded like they did...

ENCOURAGE SOMEONE

God will never leave you empty. He will replace everything you lost. If He asks you to put something down, it's because He wants you to pick up something greater.

God is truly wise. He made sadness so we'd know joy, pain so we'd have pleasure, war so we'd seek peace, hate so we can love and a morning so we can face a new day.

Step by step, the journey goes on. Little by little it may seem so long. The things we learn will keep us on. With faith in God He'll keep us strong.

A word of love gives spice to life. A word from a friend gives pleasure and happiness to the heart. And the word of God gives light and meaning to our lives. Good morning.

If you keep God inside your heart, there is nothing that will come into your life that you won't be able to handle.

Sometimes GOD pushes us to our LIMITS...HE tests us beyond our ENDURANCE, because He has greater FAITH in us than we have in ourselves!

God makes us brave when we're afraid, makes us strong when we are weak, but most of all, he teaches us to hold on to him when things keep falling.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING JESUS CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE

Sometimes I think 'What can be the worst thing in life?" Probable you can say its just a simple question which needs a simple answer. Is that so. OK!!! the worst thing is to live a life which is a lie. A life without Christ, beleiving in other foreign gods, when He is there for you.

Then where is the risk there? The risk is that Satan the father of all lies will tell you that there in no Jesus. That one is a peril on its on. Let me asure you today, just look around you, what do you see? Do you think it just boomed from nowhere? Definitely someone is behind its creation. Someone who knows your thoughts. Ok lets get to another one...Brethren who are in Christ Jesus, lets arise and open our spiritual eyes and eyes. The Devil is there out there looking for you like a hungry lion looking for a buck.

In fact, Satan's greatest success for those of us who are IN Christ Jesus is to get us to believe his lies.  The less we know about God's Word (The Holy Bible; especially the New Testament), the easier it is for him to get us to believe his lies.  The less we know about how to understand and correctly APPLY God's Word  the easier it is for Satan to get us to believe his lies.  Satan is constantly trying to convince people that the Bible cannot be trusted, and/or it is necessary to go to sources other than the Bible to learn how we are to please God. 

The less we know about our position IN Christ Jesus, the easier it is for Satan to keep us bound in emotional and spiritual prisons we may not ever realize we're IN, let alone know God wants us to be freed from.

  Seeking God with everything in you to receive revelation and understanding of who God the Father says you are IN Christ Jesus will greatly hinder Satan and his demons from keeping you locked up in emotional and spiritual prisons that God doesn't want you to be in and/or remain in. 

Knowing fully who you are in Christ Jesus will make you much more "fully armed and dangerous" in the Army of our Lord and Savior, whose precious name is Jesus Christ. 

It will also hinder Satan greatly from messing with your mind, because your mind is the primary battle ground where peace and joy in your relationship with God is gained ... or lost.

Now then ... If you have decided to believe that God paid full penalty for your sins by dying on the cross - taking full punishment for your sins so that your sins are forgiven forever and will not be held against you on the Judgment Day ... do you KNOW that God the Father says "You are NOW the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus"? 

Follower of Jesus Christ, that is NO small, insignificant matter!  As a matter of fact, it is a fact of HUGE importance!  What this fully implies is that in one moment in time, when Christ rose from the dead and ascended back into glory, as a believer in Him, God the Father declared you as legally holy and righteous as you can possibly ever BE!  You are NOW 100% justified to receive forgiveness for sins, and to start receiving eternal life from God.

(Which NOW means you're to keep diligently striving to live UP to it - because you STILL have your fallen sin-nature that wants its way!  The only difference is NOW you have the power of God to help you STOP sinning ... and sin does have its consequences to various degrees in this life; ask any Christian spending time in prison for one or more crimes they were truly guilty of.  Though God has forgiven them of those crimes and they won't be - aren't now - held against them by Him, the LAW here on earth says: "Pay up for them!").

For He (the Father) made Him (Jesus Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God (the Father) in Him (Jesus Christ). (2 Corinthians 5:21)

IF JESUS HAD NOT BEEN CRUCIFIED

ROMANS 14 ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF SABATH

ROMANS CHAPTER 14

---

Romans 14:1

Who is the weak person described in this verse?  He is weak, not strong, but he is a believer because he is "in the faith." He is weak in his doctrinal understanding. Perhaps he is a new believer or perhaps a believer who has failed to grow in the things of God (2 Pet. 3:18; 1 Cor. 3:1-4). Perhaps he has not been under sound teaching. This weak believer is not living in sin. There is no indication from the context that there is a moral problem involved. However, the person does not understand what Christian liberty is all about.

What is our responsibility toward this weak brother? "RECEIVE" such an one. Do not reject this person. Receive him, take him to yourself, accept him, count him as one of you, consider him a beloved brother in Christ. This word "receive" is illustrated in Acts 28:2: "And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and RECEIVED us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold." Paul was received kindly by these uncultured people and treated very well. Weak believers need to be treated kindly and well, for Christ's sake.

Why should we receive this weak believer? The reason is given at the end of verse 3: "for God hath received him." See also Romans 15:7. If Christ received him, how can we reject him? How thankful we should be that the Lord received us: "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37)!  God has received us and will never cast us out or turn us away. 

"Doubtful disputations"--do not receive the weak believer for the purpose of having a big dispute and quarrel. Do not take him in just to criticize his scruples and to pass judgment on his opinions: "I'll let you come into our assembly, but you need to realize that when it comes to what things Christians are allowed to eat, you have much to learn!" "You are welcome here, even though you have some serious hang ups and we will need to straighten you out." "Now that you are one of us, let's have a debate about what we should and should not eat, and I'll prove from the Scriptures that you are wrong!"  This is not the way the weak brother is to be received.

Romans 14:2

The believer with a correct doctrinal understanding knows that he may eat all things. Under the law, the Jews had certain foods that they could eat and certain foods that they could not eat (see Leviticus 11). God was teaching them to make a distinction between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the unholy (Lev. 11:44-47). During the present dispensation nothing which God has created is off-limits if it be received with thanksgiving: "For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (1 Tim. 4:4-5). The weak believer mentioned in Romans 14:2 was in the habit of eating only herbs or vegetables, believing that it was not permissible to eat all things (believing that meats were off-limits).

Romans 14:3

This verse serves as warning to both the strong and the weak believer. The strong believer's tendency would be to despise the weak (hold him in contempt, look down upon him). The weak believer's tendency would be to judge or criticize or condemn the strong believer.

The strong believer might say, "You foolish vegetarian! How can you be so doctrinally weak? Don't you know that as believers in Christ we can eat all things?" [DESPISING]

The weak believer might say, "You should not eat meat. You should not eat pork. You are wrong to do this!" [JUDGING]

The last phrase in verse 3 ["for God hath received him"] may refer only to the strong believer who is being judged by the weak believer, but it may refer to both ["him that eateth not" and "him that eateth"]. Even if it refers only to "him that eateth" it still remains true that God has received both. God has graciously received every believer (Romans 15:7) and because of this we are to receive our fellow believers, whether weak or strong (see Rom. 14:1 where believers are told to receive those who are weak).

It should be noted that God (through Paul) mentions the one "who is weak" (verse 1) but does not refer to the strong believer as "strong." Even a believer who is mature and understands doctrinal issues is very weak apart from the grace of God (compare 2 Timothy 2:1, "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus") and is even prone to certain sins such as despising his brother (Romans 13:3,10) and being lifted up in pride because of his knowledge (1 Cor. 8:1). It is in our weakness that we learn God's strength (2 Cor. 12:10)

BEN FREE TO CONTACT ME ON MY FACEBOOK WALL FOR MORE DISCUSSION.

EVERY SEASON IS NEVER PERMANENT

Brethren I greet you in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who die for our sins Amen!!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

Everything has its season, When you are going through a hard time know that God has a purpose for it, sometimes he is emptying all the old and unusable past havest in your ban not because he wants you to go hungry but because he wants to feel your ban with fresh produce. Always know that during every season a farmer does something. As a spiritual farmer we have to do something i.e pray. Never think that God wants to destroy you because God says he doest bring bad things, but he can let them happen to youn to reveal his power. eg the situation of Job! 

My bother your situation is not permanent, your troubles are not permanent, your illness is not permanent, your failure is not permanent, your family problems are not permanent,your financial situation is not permanent. In Jesus name all is coming to an end. Trust and obey, pray and believe. Glory be to God coz he said He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Daniel 2:21 

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 

God changes situations, your situation is going to change. This season is not permanent.

JESUS IS LORD

 JESUS IS ALIVE. LETS JOIN HANDS AND SPREAD THE TRUTH. HE DIED AND ROSE AGAIN FOR THE REDEMPTION OF OUR SINS

SIYAROCKA MO MO 2011

God is able

OUR GOD IS ABLE PUT YOUR FOCUS ON HIM. BE  BLESSED

DJ SOLEX

A NEW BOY ON THE BLOCK. PRAY MORE, SING MORE.
THE MAN IS IN THE HOOD