Beware of different Jesus!

 

Paul warned the Corinthians here of false teachers coming in and proclaiming another Jesus, may we also be on the lookout for this:

2 Corinthians 11:2-4

2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Lets catch a few things here:

1. Paul brought ONE husband to the bride (the church).....Jesus.

2. The serpent(Satan) is still in the business as deceiving just like he did Eve! He will lead you to wrong thoughts! This is another reason we need to be in the bible so we know if someone is teaching false things!

3. If some one proclaims a different Jesus than is in the bible or wants you to receive another spirit then get away from them and point out their evil ways! Don't put up with it or allow others to be deceived. Warn them!

Sadly we have many false teachers out there! Many are on TV and teach things that are not in the bible or alter the bible. Know your bible and be on the lookout. There is no new revelation from God, He has given us His Word so stick to the bible! Many claim new revelation from God like Joseph Smith of the Mormons....wrong! The only revelation he received was a spirit of the devil to teach falsely!

So let us remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus our Lord and Savior! Not man!

Tom

Spiritual Thirst? Only One way to quench it!

This passage tells us the way to quench our spiritual thirst which everyone has but may not want to admit it!



Isaiah 55:1-7





55 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.



Pretty simple huh? Come, everyone who thirsts. It will cost us nothing but it cost Jesus everything! Isaiah received this message of from God 100's of years before Christ but yet it reveals so much about our Savior!



I am thankful for verse 5 for it talks about us gentiles! The Jews were God's chosen people but He loves all His people and called us to Himself.



Se the Lord and He will be found says verse 6. Call on Him. Isn't it awesome that God wants us to call upon Him? We are so fortunate to have a God like that.



Verse 7 says forsake our wicked ways and thoughts. A picture of repentance, turn and walk away for sin. If we do then God will pardon us from our sin! Wow. Thank you Jesus.



Now back to the thirst again, have you heard that somewhere else in the bible? How about here:



John 7:37-39



37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.



Or here:



John 4:1-15





4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”



This woman is a picture of us....strangers to Jesus but He wants to fill our thirst so we will never thirst again spiritually. Have you took a drink of this water? Promised to satisfy! Praise the Lord!



Tom

Celebrate victories!

I have a brother in Christ, Dave, who lives in Minnesota. He has been lead by the Lord to lead a bible study but the devil has been putting barriers up to keep this from happening in hopes that Dave would just give up. Dave didn't and kept pushing forward to serve God in the way that God laid on his heart to teach men to be Men of God and lead their families as God intended them to. God gave Dave the victory and will be teaching these classes...Praise the Lord!



1 Corinthians 12:26



If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.



So many times we let the victories slip by and do not praise God enough for them. We are quick to ask for thing but slow to praise. This should not be so church. Praise for God should flow from our mouth like a rushing river. I am rejoicing this morning and giving God the glory for Dave and his dedication to serve God.So that brings me to this question, where are you serving God. God has a place for all of us in His church to serve both inside and outside the building. Are you seeking to serve Him? For a follower of Jesus it is not an option. We are servants of Jesus.



Maybe you are seeking to serve but the devil keeps putting blocks in your way, don't give up! Keep fighting. If you know it is something God wants you to do, don't stop til you get it done!



Folks as the Lord says, the fields are ripe for harvest but the workers are few, lets get busy. Be a harvester not a bench warmer!



God is good! Thank you Jesus for Dave!



Tom

Only ONE to boast about.

Many like to boast about themselves or a sports team or their children or job or money or whatever but when we get right down to it their is only ONE who deserves to be bragged about....Jesus our Lord.



2 Corinthians 10:17-18



17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.



Basically in the context of the above verse Paul had been accused of boasting about his ministry but here we see Paul making it clear to all their is only ONE who deserves the boasting and that is Jesus. For when we get right down to the nitty-gritty it don't matter what we think about ourselves it will matter what the Lord thinks of us and what we have done in service and obedience to Him. God is the ONE who approves and disapproves and His opinion is the only one that counts in the end!



So what are you boasting about today???? Jesus or something else?



Tom

Best Gift of all time!

What is the greatest gift anyone has given you? Money, a car, or maybe some sort of jewelery? All that stuff is nice but one gift that was given is greater than all by an overwhelming amount. Here it is:



Romans 6:23



23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.





Romans 8:32



32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?





2 Corinthians 9:15



15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!



Can you tell me a gift greater than Jesus Christ and an eternity in heaven for those who follow Him? Yeah neither can I!



The 2 Corinthians verse tells us to thank God for this gift, I hope you do daily if you are a follower of Jesus. The background for that verse is Paul had just shared in a great number of verses about giving to help brothers and sisters in Christ and he wrapped it all up with this verse. Why? Be cause this is the greatest gift of all time. Jesus left His heavenly place to come to earth to take on the form of a man and die for you and I so we can dwell with Him in eternity. We could not get their on our own so Jesus provided a way, the only way for us to get to heaven. Wow what a gift! We need to thank God constantly for this free gift!



If you have Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life awesome!!! If not what is stopping you from this free gift? God forgives all things if you will just ask. He loves you more than you love yourself, and wants you to spend eternity with Him, make that decision today! If you need help, I would be glad to talk to you, just ask!



Thank you Jesus for giving me the greatest gift of all time.....YOU!



Tom

Example for the church on how to give!

If you ever think about how you as a part of the church are to give to others, here is the example we should go by:



2 Corinthians 8:1-4



Encouragement to Give Generously

8 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—



Here are the points to hold onto here:



1. Paul wants others to know of the grace God poured out on the Macedonia church because of their great giving. I don't know about you but I want all the grace from God I can get, one way to get some of that grace(which I have already received more than I deserve) is by giving to others out of love! God then will give to you.



2. Macedonia gave even though they they were under the affliction of extreme poverty! If they can give under those conditions take a moment and think how much you can give. Ouch! May hurt to think about.



3. Paul says their generosity overflowed. I believe it is safe to say they gave until it hurt them! Does our giving overflow or do we give just enough so we think we satisfy God and no more? As you see in the verses above they gave beyond their means! Would we dare do that?



4. Macedonia begged to give relief! Now that is love and service! When is the last time we begged to help ur brothers and sisters in Christ?



So take time to think about your generosity today. The bible says:



2 Corinthians 9:7



Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.



Tom

Good grief or bad grief?

There is a difference in kinds of grief. This verse clearly shows us the good and the bad:



2 Corinthians 7:10



10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.



Let me try to explain, What I call good grief is actually know as conviction by the Holy Spirit. This is when you sin and the Holy Spirit lets you know you have done wrong by grief, the feeling you know you have sinned. Many times the Holy Spirit even had warned you before you had done that sin but you chose to do the sin any way and now you feel guilty before God which you are! This kind of grief leads to repentance, which is confessing your sin to God and asking for forgiveness and striving never to do that sin again!



Now if this is the first time in your life that you are calling upon God then it leads to salvation, being made right with God by accepting the shed blood of Jesus to cover your sins. However, if you have already followed Jesus, you are saved but asking God for to forgive you of the sin you have just committed and again striving to live a holy life before God.



The other side of the coin is bad grief. This is where you have a knowledge of right and wrong but you are unwilling to totally surrender to God, you may even have yourself fooled into thinking you are saved, so you feel bad for you sin and you may even confess it to God but you go right back to doing the same sins as before which eventually leads to death and an eternity in hell. This is worldly grief. Sadly many churches are full of folks like this who have fooled themselves into thinking a Sunday morning in the pew makes everything all right when in reality the only thing that makes us right is a relationship with Jesus Christ and a lifetime of following Him and His Word.



So what kind of grief do you have this morning? Godly or worldly?



Tom