Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Whether I’m dealing with clients in a counseling session, or whether I’m just having a casual conversation with friends, some variation on this title line frequently pops up.  “This is really a challenge.  I’m not sure I’m doin’ a very good job”; “I’m givin’ it my best shot, but I keep droppin’ the ball”, or “I can’t win for loosin’!  What is wrong with me?”

Well, the truth is…Jesus never promised us a smooth journey.  In fact, He was very forth-coming; “In this world you will have trouble.  But fear not, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) In this one simple statement He acknowledged that we would have trouble, but He also told us not to worry; He told us that everything was under control.

“How so?” you might ask. Well, as Christ-followers, we inherit everything Jesus did through His death and resurrection.  On the cross, His shed blood paid the penalty for our sins. We are now sin-free; our past record is wiped clean. When He walked out of the tomb on that first Easter Sunday, He broke the bonds of death!  Now we’re heir to eternal life. That’s why the Scriptures say: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (1 Corinthians, 15:55,57)

God, through His omniscience and loving kindness, knew we would have insurmountable troubles in this fallen world. That is why He gave us the incredible gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He saw what this fallen world did to His Son!  And believe me… He knew we would never be able to overcome the ravages of this sinful world through our own effort. Remember…we had from Creation until the coming of Jesus 2018 years ago to prove without a shadow of a doubt that we were “utterly helpless” (Ref. Romans 5:6) to stand against satan, our carnal desires, and the world. Christ also spoke to this matter: “When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you.  The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

Here are two sets of Scripture that address what I will call “the human dilemma.” (The struggle to live the Christian life we are called to live) First is Romans 8:5-8: “Those who live according to their sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature (flesh, carnal nature) desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of a sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God; It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by their sinful nature cannot please God.”  This makes it very clear that if we do not have the Holy Spirit in us, we are enslaved to our sinful nature.

Now add to that Galatians 5: 16-18: “So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other and your choices are never free from this conflict.  But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject (enslaved) to your sinful nature.”  These paragraphs describe the battle for your soul.

This, I believe, is the crux of the misunderstanding of Christians who are struggling with their new identity in Christ. As stated by the three responses in the first paragraph, there was a surprise factor in each of the responses: “I’m not sure I’m doin’ a very good job”; “I’m givin’ it my best shot”; “What’s wrong with me?”  2 Corinthians 5:17 tells what happens when we accept God’s Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ). “We are a new creation in Christ; the old (self) is gone; the new (self) has come.”  Old self = sin nature, meaning we lived to please ourselves; new self = Holy Spirit, meaning we are now capable of pleasing God.” (I underlined now capable here because we must understand the battle that is now raging around us.)

When we were “of this world”, satan left us alone because he already had us where he wanted us. We were right in the palm of his hand…separated from God. But when we made a choice to move from the domain of darkness into the domain of Light, it became a whole different story; now the battle is on!  Keep in mind, satan and his minions have one mission, and one mission only. And that is to ship-wreck our best efforts to live a Christian life. (to become more Christ-like; to become the person God created us to be.)

While it is true that our sin-nature (or sin-spirit) is gone and the Holy Spirit is now in us, our soul, comprised of mind, emotions and will, still harbors the strongholds (patterns, old habits, and actions and reactions) that were established before we were in Christ. Unfortunately, when we accept God’s Gift of Grace, there is no mental delete button. Those old patterns, habits, actions and reactions are still firmly ingrained in our minds, and they become satan’s tools to use against us. This is the conflict referenced above in Galatians 5:18..

When we accepted God’s Gift of Grace, we were immediately justified (made right) with God. In the blink of an eye we became “a new creation in Christ.” Now we are ready and capable of participating in the process of sanctification. (maturing in our relationship with Jesus Christ) 2 Peter explains this perfectly: “The more we grow in our knowledge and relationship with Jesus, His divine nature gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a Godly life.”  Not a few things, not some things, not many things, but EVERYTHING we need to succeed in this process!  The indwelling Holy Spirit IS that EVERTHING we need! 

But to mature in the process of sanctification, our new and perfect Spirit begins transforming our imperfect soul! Our old-self (sin nature) enslaved us to sin. But the Holy Spirit sets us free from that bondage and empowers us to make different choices. Ephesians 2:10 spells that out: “We are now God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can now do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

“And why is ‘now’ underlined and boldfaced”, you might ask?  Because we can now choose to follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings.  And when we choose to do that, meaning when we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us with His wisdom, courage, strength, patience, perseverance, eyes to see, ears to hear, whatever it is we need to bring honor and glory to God, His word says He will answer that request. James 4:10, substantiates that statement: “When we come humbly before the Lord and admit our dependence on Him, He will lift us up and give us honor.”

Satan, the quintessential liar, deceiver, accuser and schemer, is THE master at his craft! And the truth is, we’re no match for him.  But thankfully, God knew that too; that’s why He gave us the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit. This is our secret weapon to empower us to rise above the decadence of this world, our flesh, and satan’s schemes to become victorious in our process of sanctification.

In the first paragraph, the surprise and failures expressed by the responders were because they tried to succeed through their own effort. Self-reliance, rather than God-reliance, will lead to failure! But our success will come because we humbly get out of the way and ask the Holy Spirit to empower us with whatever it is we need for victory. (Refer to two paragraphs above and follow that script.)  This is the battle for our souls! But as it says in 1 John 4:4: “The Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (satan)

Feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless You abundantly on your journey…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… When I woke up this morning, this topic was firmly rooted in my mind.  I suspect it was because of the incredible discussion we had yesterday morning in my “Freedom in Christ” class at Grace Church. I found myself enthralled with that conversation throughout the rest of the day. This unique group of men has bonded into a very special community that is characterized by trust, freedom and love.  This has allowed us to share from the very depths of our hearts without any fear of judgement or reprisal. Talk about freedom and being set free…Wow!

I wrote about freedom a couple of weeks ago in my 4^th of July post, but as I’m preparing to write now, it seems like this may be a slightly different perspective on the same word. (I’m not quite sure at this moment if that statement is right or wrong, but by the end of this posting, you and I can make up our own minds as to whether there are different shades to the word “freedom”.)

So as the song goes, ”Let’s start from the very beginning, a very good place to start…” When God created Man, He created us for two reasons.  First, He created us for a relationship with Himself, and secondly, He created us to be of service to our fellow man. Now because God is God, He knows a thing or two about relationships. Therefore, He knew that in order for a relationship to develop, both parties would have to choose to participate in that endeavor. But in order for us to make that all-important decision, He would have to give us something no other member of the animal species has, and that would be a brain for rational thinking.

Now He could have programed us to be perfect boys and girls, but then we would have been little robots. He didn’t want robots; He wanted friends who could choose to love Him back. We are told in 1 John, 4:19: “We love because He first loved us.”

The first chapter of Ephesians, besides talking about God’s plan for His proudest creation, also attests to His Omnipotence. Even before He created Man (us), God knew we were going to veer off the path He had planned for us. Yes, indeed!  He knew in advance that we were going to follow our own path with the focus on self-aggrandizement, but He created us anyhow.  What an example of unconditional love! Even though freedom in this case was a double-edged sword, God was still willing to take that chance in order to eventually get the relationship He desired.

So as we can clearly see, God’s perfect plan at Creation definitely looked into the future. Even though the freedom He gave us at first seemed to have backfired, He always had a plan for our redemption. We are told in Ephesians 1: 4-5,10, “Even before He created the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. At just the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.”

Again, love is at the center of God’s plan, and again freedom is the focal point.  God finally implemented His plan for our redemption 2018 years ago with the coming of Jesus Christ to be our Sacrificial Lamb. God gave us from Creation to 2018 years ago to wrestle with the beast that enthralled and kept us separated from Him, and that beast’s name is SIN, which means living with the focus on self rather than on God. The truth is…SIN finally proved our inability to be pleasing to God through our own effort. That’s why we are told in Romans 3: 23, “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 5:6 describes perfectly our pathetic state: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” How’s that for an indictment.

Notice that God didn’t wait for us to clean-up our act so we could be worthy and acceptable in His eyes. No indeed! He knew that could never happen, so He implemented His own plan while we were still separated from Him…while we were still sinners.  That, my Friends, is unconditional, unending, unfailing love!  “Thank You, God”, for Your plan to do for us what You knew we could never do for ourselves.  And “Thank you, Jesus”, for paying our sin-ransom through Your shed blood.

The relationship He wanted with us was not just a here-and-now relationship; He wanted an eternal relationship with us! Even more specifically, He promised all who would accept His Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for OUR sins) that we would spend eternity in Paradise with Him, Jesus, and all other Christians. That’s the prize at the end of this journey!  In fact, I would suspect that’s probably the single biggest factor that has drawn each of us to Christianity.

God was very clear about the standard for getting through the proverbial “Pearly Gates.” He revealed in 1 Peter 1:16: “I am holy, therefore you must be holy.” (Holy means to be sin-free, to be set aside for a sacred purpose) In other words, if we are stained with sin (in this case, an accumulated list of offenses that has resulted from our disobedience to His will); we can’t come into His presence. “Why”, you ask? Because SIN spreads, contaminates, kills and destroys.

Remember, this world was Paradise at creation. But what you see today is the result of sin running rampant.  That isn’t going to happen in the new, re-created world (the New Jerusalem), because as we are told in Revelation 22:27: “Nothing impure will ever enter it…only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21-3-4,7 tells us, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  Those who are victorious will inherit all of this, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”

This is our ultimate freedom!  It is not something we earned, and we certainly didn’t deserve it. This is a gift from our loving, merciful gracious God who loved us even before He created us.  Even though He knew we were going to be problem children, He still went for the relationship, knowing that the only way that could happen would be if He paid the ultimate price to free us from the penalty of death.  Romans 6:23 sums up this entire posting: “For the wages of sin is death, BUT the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  That’s why I proposed at the outset, Love = Freedom. What do you think? Can there be one without the other?

Please feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I’m feeling drawn to write about the crazy times in which we are now living.  It seems that each day when my alarm goes off, I awaken to events and news headlines that make me want to pull the sheets over my head and continue dozing until the world comes to its senses!  What is going on? Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I’m really awake or still in la-la land.

I awakened a few days ago to hear that the Mayor of Philadelphia was dancing around the atrium of city hall proclaiming with glee, “We are a sanc-tu-ary city!!  Today I awaken to hear the libs proclaiming how unfeeling our President is for wanting to tear families apart by separating innocent children from their parents at the southern border. Wow! The irony of it all. I mean, Philadelphia…the cradle of our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights is now celebrating lawlessness? And the libs, who vote in block to support the funding of Planned Parenthood’s agenda of ripping unborn babies from the mother’s womb, are now concerned about the poor, innocent children at the border? Jeeeeesh!  When will this hypocrisy stop?

America is a country that was founded on prayer.  In fact, when our founding fathers reached an impasse with the content and wording of the Declaration of Independence, they adjourned for a week so they could return home and devote themselves to prayer. When they returned to their task, their inspired wording produced these timeless documents. And again, on April 30, 1789, after the inauguration of our first President of these United States, President Washington, his Cabinet and Congress adjourned to St. Paul’s Chapel, and on bended knee dedicated this new country to God and asked Him to bless America. No doubt God freely poured out His blessing on our country because we did for many years try to stay in line with His will. But that was then; this is now.

In the insightful words of Messianic Rabbi and author of “The Harbinger”, Jonathan Cahn, “A nation that turns away from prayer will ultimately find itself in desperate need of it.  Therefore, the removal of prayer, the Ten Commandments, and religious symbols and practices from public display have all contributed to our country’s fall from God.”  We can’t expect God to continue blessing our country when our culture brazenly blasphemes Him! I can’t help but harken back to Isaiah 5:20, 25: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who call light darkness and darkness light; who call bitter sweet and sweet bitter. Therefore, the Lord’s anger burns against these people; His hand is raised and He will strike them down.”  I referred to this Scripture because within the last half century, what used to be honored, held as sacred, or even worshiped is now ridiculed, demeaned or vilified; what used to be dirty, shameful, or down right disgusting is now basking in the spotlight and has become the new norm. In referencing the above Scripture, can you see why God might be angry?

For the past few decades an insidious movement has been festering in our country, progressing at a patient, methodical pace, but with a very clear goal in mind – to fundamentally transform America.  I have often referred to this movement as the Liberal Progressive Agenda (LPA), and it is hidden in what was once the Democrat party. The very heart and soul of the movement is the unmitigated desire for power and control, and that is manifested through the decimation of many of the fundamental pillars of our society. Targets of assault are: the traditional family structure; religious freedom; casting doubt on the stability of our founding documents (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights); a concerted attempt to divide rather than unite people; challenging and rewriting our country’s history; challenging and diminishing the effect of laws and law enforcement; the final coup d’etat has been the exaltation of human thinking and worldly philosophy over God’s wisdom.  This is their ultimate goal: a big government that will eventually become our provider and our god.  And to no one’s surprise, the driving force behind this silent coup is a media and the entertainment industry working in tandem with the LPA to disseminate their propaganda in order to numb down and dumb down our society.  Does this sound Orwellian to you? The scary thing is…it is Orwellian…and more.

During the Obama administration the LPA was making great strides toward achieving its goal, and that plan would have continued at break-neck speed if the election had gone as scripted. But in November of 2016, the impossible happened! An election that was in the bag slipped through their fingers leaving the LPA in a state of shock. Not only were they in a state of shock, but totally deranged and determined to go to any length to undermine the will of the people. It’s eighteen months into the new administration and that evil-driven mind-set is still very much alive and at work. We see it manifested in a frenzy of hatred, name-calling, finger-pointing, accusations, lying, cheating, and whatever is deemed appropriate to regain their almighty power and control.  This has become their signature: Accuse and obstruct!!

Unfortunately, the political swamp runs deep in our nation’s capital, and it is not relegated to one particular party.  Both parties are contributors to the LPA because their agenda is fueled by elite, liberal thinkers who believe they know what is best for the masses. They share a common view of utopia, and from what they have divulged so far, it looks a lot like socialism.  Unfortunately, socialism has never been beneficial for the masses because it is contrary to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While it is often portrayed as a philosophy of “promoting the common good”, can you point to a socialist country where people are waiting in line to get citizenship? Usually the opposite is true; people are willing to risk life and limb to get out. The freedoms guaranteed to us by our founding documents are what has always made America “that shining light on the hill”; a light that has always been the beacon of hope to people throughout the world.

But the America of today is a country that has lost its direction, and one that is morally and spiritually bankrupt.  Expunging God from our midst has left us without a defining moral compass, and it shows in every aspect of our culture.  The liberal, secular thinking that has set itself up as the new norm tells us we are free to make our own moral judgements; we don’t need to answer to a higher authority; we can be our own god. (humm…that’s the same lie the serpent used to deceive Eve in the Garden) So when you look at the insanity that is so prevalent in our culture today (not clinically speaking, but socially speaking), what you see and what you are experiencing is man’s best effort to be his own god.  As you can plainly see, the human elements of hatred, anger, fear, distrust, jealousy, greed, lying, deception and anxiety are certainly contrary to the love, forgiveness and blessings of the one true God!

Throughout the Bible and world history books, the fall of civilizations have common elements.  The big three are the desire for wealth, power and control.  It all started with Satan’s rebellion in heaven. He became envious of God’s power, so he amassed his own army of rogue angels and challenged God’s authority. The result of that failed attempt was banishment from Paradise. That pattern has continued throughout the Bible and can be substantiated by secular history books. When people and cultures are in line with God’s will, they are blessed, they prosper, and they flourish. (America is a good example of that.)  When they were out of line with God’s will, there was fire and brimstone, plagues, famines, pestilence, wars and horrific natural disasters. (Nazi Germany is an example of that.)

I believe America is in a time of reprieve right now. Before the last election there was a concerted push by the Evangelicals to get the missing voters, who failed to show up for the 2012 election, motivated enough to vote in 2016. The difference between the Republican platform and the Democrat platform could not have been more drastic. Consequently, 14 million more Evangelicals turned out for the 2016 election to protect the America they loved.

Right now there is a culture war in our country, and the LPA is fanning the flames of secularism. Our culture has bought into what has been wrapped-up as a really appealing message: “Hey…be your own person.  Who has the right to tell you what to do?  You can be in charge of your own destiny…go for it. Right and wrong is relative; Being part of the crowd is your pathway to popularity; everyone’s doing it!”  The result of this appealing message is backed-up by these staggering statistics: the highest divorce rate ever; the suicide rate is sky-rocketing; addictions are off the charts; depression and anxiety are at epidemic proportions, and STD rates are on the rise.  But the LPA will continue to tell you that the Bible is out of step with our enlightened society, and that our founding documents are musty and outdated. (Let me humbly add one gem of wisdom here; “Newer and bigger doesn’t always produce better.”

Again, let me repeat an earlier statement: “The culture you are seeing and experiencing today is the result of man’s wisdom and his best effort at being god!”  Compare that with this promise: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) I mentioned the term “reprieve” earlier, but a reprieve is only an opportunity to change directions.  It must be followed by action. The Bible has consistently presented this proclamation: “Repent! Turn from your sin and turn to God.” I believe that same opportunity is being offered to America right now. It’s time to restore our relationship with the one true source of strength, not one that’s man-made, but the true Lord God Almighty!

Feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God bless you, and continue to bless America,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

As we enter our 242nd Independence Day celebration, I hope it is a time when we all reflect on the true meaning of this day and take time to thank God and a Veteran for the privilege of living in a country that is free. As we partake of various parades, concerts, festivals, family BBQs, perhaps even a memorial service or a patriotic speech, I hope the truth of this statement, “freedom isn’t free” becomes ablaze in your heart and inspires you to embrace it as a “gift” rather than a bumper-sticker slogan.

Unfortunately, these are perilous times in which we are living, and freedom itself seems to be in jeopardy. Contributing culprits include today’s hostile political climate: a Liberal-Progressive agenda that will seemingly stop at nothing to achieve its end; a culture that is characterized by anger, frustration, hatred, name-calling, finger-pointing, accusations and deception; a challenge to time honored traditions; a growing disdain for the rule of law. No wonder there is a climate of uncertainty and despair looming over our great nation; we’re not sure what to believe or who to trust anymore. Now couple that with the downward spiral of our culture’s moral and spiritual values and it’s easy to see how all of these factors can contribute to a sense of uneasiness…even hopelessness.

But the good news is…we don’t have to look at the world through that lens.  Oh yes, those issues are today’s reality, but I believe if we look up for a solution rather than down at the cesspool in which we are standing, we can find hope.  I’m still an optimist, so when we stand on the only truth that will never forsake us, I believe we can become energized once again as individuals and as a nation.

I love America. I believe in America. I was proud to serve my country, and I still believe that with all our faults and shortcomings, America is the greatest country the world has ever seen.  It was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and the founding fathers even bowed in prayer on April 30, 1789 at St. Paul’s Chapel to consecrate this new nation’s future to God.  No other nation in modern times has been so blessed, but to whom much is given, much is expected.

I know it’s easy to look around and see the dramatic changes that define America today and ask yourself, “How did we ever get in this mess?”  Truth be told…there are as many opinions and answers to that question as there are people asking the question.  But let’s look at just one Biblical principle that can provide one answer on many levels.

Throughout the Bible when God’s chosen people (the Israelites) were in line with his will, he blessed them.  When they were not following His will for their lives, there was calamity in many forms: famines, floods, earthquakes, pestilence, wars etc.  Here are two sets of scripture that specifically address the above situation. Romans 1:25, 28, 32: “Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies…When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. They were fully aware of God’s death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway.”   And concerning his covenant with a nation, we are told in Jeremiah 18: 9-10: “But if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great, but then the nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless that nation as I had said I would.” 

Do you get any clue from those scriptures concerning America’s standing in terms of fulfilling God’s purpose?  To me, the scripture from Jeremiah could not be clearer.  The removal of prayer and the Ten Commandments from its public life would most certainly be out of line with God’s will.  Add to that the 55 million aborted babies since Roe vs Wade in 1973; our acceptance of sexual immorality as the new norm; and our tolerance for lying, cheating and stealing as “just the way it is today”, and it isn’t difficult to see why God would be grieved by our disobedience.   All one has to do is backtrack through the Bible and look at the history of nations that have ignored God’s Proclamation. That little excursion can give us ample reason to be concerned about the direction of our country.

But the good news can be found in 2Chronicles, 7:14: “then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”   James 2:10 also gives us reason to be hopeful: “If you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”  In my mind, our calling is clear.

1John 4:4 reminds all Christ-followers of our identity in Christ. “He (the Holy Spirit) that is in me is greater than he (satan) that is in this world.  When addressing the holy people in Ephesus who were struggling with their culture, Apostle Paul clearly points out satan’s activities in Ephesians 2:2, 4: “You used to live like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air.  He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.  But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life…through Jesus Christ.”

As Christ-followers we are called to carry His message of truth into the world and to be His shining light on the hill.  When we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us with his wisdom, strength, courage and patience, we can fulfill that calling and resist the enemy in these evil times.  His Word says He will bless our effort as we continue to stand up for the same freedom that was endowed by the Creator Himself!

Therefore, if there was ever a time for intercessory prayer, it is now. This is the time to pray for revelation and enlightenment in the minds and hearts of those who want to steer us away from the principles and traditions that made our country great!.

I believe America is in a time of reprieve. The same Proclamation that has been offered to men and nations throughout the Bible is being offered to our great country now. “Repent! Turn from your sin and turn to God!” The Bible is resplendent with examples of men and nations that yielded to that calling and were blessed and restored.  Unfortunately, there is also a number of examples of destruction for those who resisted that same invitation. Remember, God did bless America, and his mercy always trumps his judgement. As we are told in Luke 1:37, “Nothing is impossible with God!”

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God bless you,  and Happy July 4^th, 2018!.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Last week I wrote about our new identity in Christ, which includes unconditional, unending and unfailing love from God, forgiveness of our sins, the inheritance of eternal life, and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In addition to that, we’re now worthy and acceptable in His eyes; we’re grafted into His family as His child; we’re now a Saint rather than a sinner (meaning our short-comings are not counted against us); we’re heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, and we are heir to all the promises in the Bible. That, my Dear Friends, should definitely change the way we see ourselves.

Because you are now in Christ, even on your worse day – a day when you think God is ready to shower you with fire and brimstone, He still delights in you. He doesn’t love you any less. You’re still His child; He just wants you to get up and keep being transformed into the person He created you to be. Apostle Paul addresses this concept in Romans 8:38: “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.”  We were first designated as His proudest creation, but at rebirth we achieved another new status. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can now do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

That’s our new identity in Christ. At this point we are “justified” (made right) with God and equipped to do the good things He planned for us long ago. But to reap the benefits of the Christian walk, we must engage in the process of transformation, and that takes action. 2 Peter 1:3-4 tells us what to expect: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a Godly life.”  The “everything” underlined in the previous sentence is the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit living in us. This is a gift from God to empower us to be victorious over our flesh, the world, and satan. This IS our secret weapon. I John 4:4 tells us, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (satan)

That, my Friends, I believe is the disconnect between Christians experiencing the abundant life characterized by love, joy, peace and serenity, and those who are still waiting for something to happen. Therefore, two principles must be addressed here.

First, the Christian walk requires action. We must engage in the process of growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ, and we must engage in growing in the Truth of God’s Word. It is imperative that we develop a platform of faith on which to stand so we can stay strong during our time of attack. Apostle Paul explains it this way in Ephesians 6:10-13: “A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. (the Truth found in His Word, and the use of the Holy Spirit.)  Put on God’s armor (the Truth of his Word) so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil. (lies, deceptions, accusations, and schemes) For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Use every piece of God’s armor (the Truth) to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle (and it IS a battle), you will still be standing firm.” (my capitalization for emphasis)

Since you have made a decision to pull away from the Kingdom of Darkness (the practices and teachings of this world) and move into the Kingdom of Light (God’s Kingdom, the spiritual realm), you now have a formidable adversary whose sole purpose is to ship-wreck your best effort. You now have a target on your back, and satan and his minions will come against you unmercifully at every chink in your armor. The truth is, he’s a master at his craft, and our human effort is NO match against him. (Bear in mind, if you’re still an unbeliever and of this world, satan leaves you alone. “Why is that” you ask? Because he already has you where he wants you. You’re already his slave and on your way to destruction.) Do you doubt that? Romans 6:23 clearly states this truth. “For the wages of sin is death.” (spiritual death, eternal damnation)

But God, our loving, merciful, grace-filled and omnipotent God, knew what we would be up against.  Between the carnal desires of our flesh, this fallen world, and the evil schemes of the devil, He knew that we would prove our inability to overcome the dilemma of Sin through our own effort.  Therefore, at the right time He implemented His plan that had been in place even before the world was created. (Ref. Ephesians 1:3-15) In fact, Romans 5:6 describes our pathetic state: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.”  And what was “just the right time?”  When we were “utterly helpless.” God’s plan was always to provide a Redeemer to save us from ourselves.

The second principle that must be addressed if we are to be successful in our Christian walk, is to realize the power we have through the Holy Spirit, and how to use that power to win the battle for our souls. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God to empower us. And just as God doesn’t use His will to trump our free will, the Holy Spirit doesn’t control our life with His will either.  He is in us, ready to spring into action when needed, but we have to call Him into action. (That’s part of engaging in the process) Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us, “When you believed in Jesus Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago.  The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised…”

So now, THE answer. This is how we use the Holy Spirit.  Regardless of the issues we are facing, be it addiction issues, relationship issues, financial issues, health issues, depression issues, stress issues, anger issues, etc, God’s desire is that we face and handle these problems in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. Therefore, we call on the Holy Spirit – preferably in advance, but it doesn’t have to be in advance…it can even be in the heat of the battle. The important thing is, we call on Him to empower us with His wisdom, courage, strength, patience, insight, perseverance, eyes to see, ears to hear, whatever it is we need to handle this in a way that is honoring to God.  When our motivation for seeking this supernatural power is to honor Him or to become the person He created us to be, His promise to us is that He will hear and answer our prayer. James 4:10 substantiates that statement: “When we come humbly before the Lord and admit our dependence on Him, He will lift us up and give us honor.” Every time we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to make choices that honor God, we bring that Scripture to life.  That’s why we have this power as a gift from God!

The more we do this and begin seeing positive results, the more this behavior will become who we are and how we now handle challenges. This is KEY: It’s all about getting our egos out of the way and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us.  The more we do this, the more we are walking in the Spirit and experiencing the abundant life Jesus promised. And as we honor God, the more blessings we will receive in return for our faithfulness. Pam and I have experienced this truth time and time again!

But let me caution you against three trespasses. This gift is not intended to be used to further a personal agenda, to win a battle at another person’s expense, or in any way to exalt “self”. God knows your heart and your motivation, and if your intent is self-serving in any way, the power will not materialize.  It is intended only to bring honor and glory to Him and to further His Kingdom here on this earth.

Let me close with the complete presentation of Romans 6:23 so you can see the stark contrast.  I used only the first half above to clarify a point. “For the wages of sin is death, BUT the free gift from God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”  We have the gift of the Holy Spirit because we are in Christ.  Therefore, when we let His supernatural power work through us, it is our pathway to the freedom, to victory, and to the abundant life we have been promised.

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God bless you abundantly…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers…I am writing to you from the 2020 Café in the Mercy Medical Center in Des Peres, MO. Pam is having the pleasure of a double scope experience today, both endoscopy and colonoscopy, and I’m the designated chauffer. She’s in great spirits so far…but looking forward to having this behind her. (no pun intended 😊)

As I look up at the title line for today’s blog, there is so much vital information contained in that statement that I’m thinking this may be a two-part presentation. The title had its origin in the sub-title of the book, “Victory Over the Darkness” that I use for my class at Grace Church. Grasping the truth found in this title is the difference between being set-free to experience the abundant life Jesus promised, or wondering, “Why am I not getting what I expected when I said ‘Yes’ to God’s Gift of Grace?” (Having just written that question, I realize it can sound rather harsh. But based on my counseling experience, I have met way too many Christians who are still wrapped-up in the same bondages that plagued them before re-birth, and they are impatiently waiting to be set free. In the worse-case scenario, this unfulfilled attitude can lead to doubt: “What’s the use? I can’t live this Christian life!)

Let’s begin by examining what it means to be in Christ. Jesus explained this very clearly to Nicodemus in John 3:3,5-6: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Nicodemus didn’t understand that natural birth is of the flesh, meaning that when we are born into this world, we are focused on “self” and the things of this world. But it takes a second birth, a rebirth, for us to enter into the spiritual realm so we can understand and partake of things of the Spirit.  2 Corinthians 5:17 explains exactly what happens in this process. “We are a new creation in Christ.  The old is gone; the new has come.”  “The old is gone” means we are no longer slaves to our sin-nature (or human nature, as it is commonly called.) Prior to being in Christ, we just did what came naturally, such as pleasurable things, things that exalted us, or things that fed our ego. “The new has come” means we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to do things we never could do before. (more on that later)

All of this is part of God’s salvation plan that was in place even before the world, and man, were created. We were created for a relationship with Him, and to be of service to our fellow man. Unfortunately, “self” won the first battle in the Garden when the first occupants yielded to temptation.  Thankfully, one of His majestic qualities is omnipotence. He knew even before He created us that we were going to veer off the path He laid before us to follow our own desires. Therefore, He already had a plan in place to save us from ourselves, and that plan was for Jesus Christ to be our sacrificial lamb.

Under the Old Covenant, the sacrifice of animals was required to pay the price for people’s sins. “Why”, you ask?  Because “blood was the proof of death” or sacrifice. (Hebrews, 9:18) Therefore, “since we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23), each one of us must pay for our sins with blood. That’s not a pleasant thought, right?

Well, because God is a loving, merciful and gracious God, His plan solved the human dilemma, meaning our inability to overcome sin through our own effort. Romans 3:25 tells us that “God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy His anger against us.  We are made right with God when we believe (accept) that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us.”  This is God’s Gift of Grace because we didn’t earn it, nor did we deserve it. In fact, God didn’t wait for us to become worthy and acceptable in His eyes; He implemented His plan while we were still sinners. (Ref. Romans 5:6)

At the moment we accept God’s Gift of Grace, an instant transformation occurs in us:

• Our sins are forgiven…past sins, present sins and even our future sins. This is essential for us to even qualify for eternal life. God Himself set the standard for us coming into His presence: “For He Himself has said, ‘You must be holy (sin-free, set aside for a sacred purpose) because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)  And it tells us in Revelation 21:27 that anyone stained with sin will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
• We inherit eternal life because we are in Christ. “…but the free gift from God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) These two inheritances seal our eternal destiny! The rest describes our new identity in Christ.
• We are filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to accomplish God’s purpose right here, right now. “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people.” (Ephesians 1:14)
• We are worthy and acceptable (justified) in His eyes, not because of anything we did or didn’t do, but because of what Jesus Christ did for us. “We have now received reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:11) He paid our sin-ransom.
• We are grafted into God’s family! We are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, and we have inherited His righteousness. Jesus said: “What you did for one of the least of My brothers and sisters, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)
• We have a new title; we’re now a Saint. Even when we fall short, God doesn’t count it as sin. Instead, He encourages us to get up and keep marching down the path of Sanctification – becoming more Christ-like. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” (Romans 8:1) “Why” you ask?  Because we’re covered with the blood of Jesus!
• “We are heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Jesus Christ!” (Ephesians 1”3) This includes spiritual healing and revelation.
• We are heir to every promise in the Bible because we are in Christ. “And since we are His children, we will share all of His treasures – for everything God gives to his Son, Jesus, is ours too.” (Romans 8:12) How’s this for hitting the spiritual jackpot?

This transformation is referred to as the Great Exchange.  We are no longer the same person we were before rebirth because we have been equipped for God’s purpose.  But at this point we’re only equipped to be transformed. From this point forward, it is about becoming involved in the process of transformation, and we have to choose to do that.  And therein, unfortunately, is the misconception of many Christians.

In counseling sessions, I always ask clients how their lives have changed since rebirth. For too many, that question is difficult to answer. But the commonality is…they all expected things to be different, often described as better, happier, more prosperous, more peaceful, less stress, etc. I liken that perspective to an experience I had with a lady who is also in recovery.  For years I have heard her say, “My life is a mess. I’m dealing with this issue or that issue, blah, blah, blah.” But her conclusion has always been the same; “Well, I’m just going to give it over to God.” One day we were walking out of a meeting together and I asked her, “Ann, what do you expect God to do with your problems when you turn them over to Him?” And her answer was exactly what I had expected. “Well, I’m just going to let Him fix things for me.”

Knowing our new identity in Christ should certainly give us a new sense of confidence and courage to face life with a new attitude. I mean, God has certainly outfitted us for success! But for many clients, and for new members in my “Freedom in Christ” class at Grace Church, this information is new, and in some cases, even shocking. That is especially true when it comes to the power we derive from the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God to empower us to rise above our circumstances, and to be victorious over our flesh, this fallen world, and our formidable enemy, satan.  But to be victorious in this Christian journey, we have to understand the power we have and how to use it.  That will be part 2 of this mini-series and will be addressed next week.

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

(FYI:   Pam’s results from her scoping this morning were very good.  Thank you, God!)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I thoroughly enjoyed preparing and presenting the last series, “The Time of The End. Are We There Yet?”  I felt strongly drawn to that topic, especially since we are living is such crazy times when so many signs of The Tribulation are lining up. Jesus told us to be mindful of the signs, and to watch and listen.  The presumption there was that people would know what to watch and listen for. But unfortunately, we are living in a culture that has drifted so far away from Bible reading and study that this subject matter is often mocked and ridiculed out of ignorance of the Truth. My intent was to present the principles of the Book of Revelation in a clear and succinct manner, hopefully making it easy for both Believers and unbelievers to understand.

But now it’s time to move on, and this seems like the perfect topic. I borrowed the title from a book by Rick Joyner, “There Were Two Trees In The Garden” as my title for my blog today because I’m sure I could not have come up with a better one. I read this book a couple of years ago and was very impressed by Joyner’s presentation.  He began by stating, “The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life are symbolic of two spiritual lineages or “family trees.” The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a history of these two lineages.  Understanding this can help us understand the most common errors besetting the entire human race, including those that have continually misled the Church. Between them lies the focal point of the dichotomy between the Kingdom of God and the present evil age.”

Genesis 2:8-9, 3:1-5 presents this scenario. “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He put the man (and woman) He formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.  In the middle of the garden were the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the other wild animals the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it or you will die.’ ‘You will certainly not die’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

Now bear in mind, Satan did not tempt Eve with the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil just because the Lord prohibited it. He tempted her because the source of his power was rooted in that tree. And furthermore, the Lord did not restrict Eve and Adam from eating from that particular tree just to test them; He prohibited the eating of its fruit because He knew it was poison. It was not just man’s disobedience that brought death to the world; it was also the poison (lies, deception and accusations) contained in the fruit.

So you might be asking yourself, “What relevance does the story of the two trees have to do with the state of our world today?  And I would say, “Absolutely everything!” In the Genesis scenario above, there were choices to be made; there was deception, accusation and temptation; the irresistible seed was planted, “You could be your own god”; the offer to participate in sin was introduced; the result of all of this ended with Adam and Eve being banished from Paradise. This summation of choices represents the dichotomy referenced above by Joyner concerning the Kingdom of God and the evil world in which we live.

Life is a series of choices.  The Tree of Life IS Jesus Christ, who “came to give us life and life to the fullest.” (John 10:10) 2 Peter 1:3-4 gives us this truth: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a Godly life through our knowledge of Him, who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in His divine nature, having escaped the decadence of the world around us caused by evil desires.”  Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to set the captives free! (Us) “And how did He do this”, you ask? By arming His followers with the Truth of God’s Word!  To choose Jesus is to choose life…eternal life.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is wordly teaching, or teaching that is contrary to the Word of God. Unfortunately, this teaching has made its way into our schools and our colleges and universities. God and His Word are mocked while the secular teachings of man, and philosophies of the world, are exalted.

The most challenging proposition to the intellectual mind is to surrender to something greater than “self”, especially when it is beyond our five senses.  Apostle Paul nails this in I Corinthians 1:18-21: “I know how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction.  But we who are being saved recognize this same message as the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, ‘I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas.” (Isaiah 29:14) So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense.  Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never find Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save all who will believe.”  The world says, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  Christ-followers say, “I see it (through revelation), therefore I believe it.”

When we are born into this world, we are born into an eternal morality play of “Good” vs “Evil”.  Granted, we don’t know that we’re actors in a play, but we certainly are. The role we play depends on the choices we make. Ephesians 1 tells us that God had a plan even before this world was created, and Revelation tells us that after this world ends, His plan will continue to be carried out in the world to come.  As we learned in the past series concerning the Time of the End, those who are in Christ experience eternal life, and those who remain unbelievers will experience eternal separation from God.

I will close with this Scriptural truth found in Romans 6:23. It is actually two Scriptural truths in one. It captures the very essence of this and the last five blogs. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  The choice is ours to make.

Please feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God bless you abundantly,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I have thoroughly enjoyed putting together this series of blogs concerning the Time of the End.  No doubt this is a very weighty subject; for some it is a scary subject; for others it is an unbelievable subject. But one thing for sure; there is a plethora of untrue and misleading information concerning The Time of the End that only adds to the confusion. I have tried to present this subject in a clear, concise way, devoid of speculation, but substantiated by Scripture.

I made a statement in part 1 of this series that I want to repeat now. “This message is nothing but hope and confirmation for those who are in Christ, but it should scare the living hell out of non-believers. Not because God is a mean God or a vengeful God, but because He is a just God.” Sin – living separated from God – is the chasm that has existed between God and Man from the Garden of Eden until today.  God created us for an eternal relationship with Himself, Jesus and all Christ-followers, but if we are stained with sin, we can’t even qualify to enter through the proverbial “Pearly Gates”. Why? Because God hates sin, and He hates sin for all of these reasons: “God IS Love!” (1John 4:8) and “God IS Holy!” (Leviticus 20:26) Therefore, He is perfect in every way.  Sin, by contrast, is everything He is not!

• The ultimate consequence grieves Him. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
• Sin separates people from him. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God? Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
• To pursue sin is to turn your back on God and His blessings: “I know the plans I have for you’ says the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. “(Jeremiah 29:11)
• Sin blinds people to the truth. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me!” (John 14:6)
• Sin leads to spiritual blindness and bondage: “Don’t you realize you become a slave to whatever you choose to obey. (worship). If Sin is your master, it will lead you to destruction.” (Romans 16:16)

God knew, even before he created the world and Man, that we were going to stray off of the path He had planned for us. But even then, He had a plan for our salvation, as outlined in Ephesians 1:4-5,10-11: “Long ago, even before He created the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure. And here is His plan: At just the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.  Furthermore, because we are in Christ, we have received an inheritance from God…just as he decided long ago.”

So now you know that God loved his proudest creation (us) even before He created us. But even more important, He created us knowing that we were going to go astray.  Now that’s Love! But that’s also why He had a plan in place to save us from ourselves. He knew we could never overcome, through our own effort, the enticement of Sin – living separated from Him with our focus on self-indulgence. In Ephesians 1:10 above, it refers to “just the right time” for bringing everything under the authority of Christ. Romans 5:6 is the fulfillment of that promise: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time, and died for us sinners.”

“Utterly helpless” clearly describes our pathetic state. Obviously, God was convinced we were never going to overcome the issue of Sin without his help. Also notice that He didn’t wait until we cleaned up our act to make ourselves worthy and acceptable in His eyes. No indeed! His unconditional love manifested itself in action when He provided the solution to our moral dilemma.

Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, became the Sacrificial Lamb to pay the penalty for our sins.  In the Old Testament, under the Law of Moses, sins could only be covered (not forgiven) if blood were shed. (Blood was the proof of sacrifice or payment.) With God’s plan, the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, paid the sin-penalty for all Mankind – past, present and future. Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the world so that we could become the righteousness of Christ.  That is the Great Exchange.  Let me explain.

Jesus loved us enough to die for our sins.  To be saved (or reborn),  all we have to do is accept what He did on the cross as the payment for our sins.  That means we accept Him for who He is: The Son of the Living God who came to earth to pay the penalty for our sin so we can be declared sin-free and qualify for everlasting life in Paradise with God, Jesus and all Christ-followers. As I mentioned earlier, we cannot qualify for eternal life if we are stained with sin. “Why?”, you ask.  Because Sin contaminates when it “spreads, kills and destroys.” (John 10:10)

Remember, this world was Paradise when it was created, but the world you see now shows the ravages of sin and all of its ugly consequences, such as hatred, anger, fear, jealousy, guilt, shame, remorse, lying, cheating, stealing, murder, depression, stress, finger-pointing, name-calling, poverty, oppression, addictions, sickness and even death. All of this is a result of Man living separated from God’s will. This will not happen in the new Paradise because we are told in Revelation 21:27, “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter; only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Those who are in Christ)  God’s gift of Grace is the only pathway to Heaven.  As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

The Time of the End, whether you believe it or not, will happen. And Revelation, as challenging and confusing as it can sometime be, makes two powerful promises:  Those who are in Christ will rise to receive their rewards and eternal salvation; those who have rejected God’s Gift of Grace will rise to judgement and eternal damnation. God is a just God.  Those who are stained with sin must pay for their choices.

This world has to end before God can establish His New Kingdom.  Because the New Kingdom will be, and will continue to be, Paradise, Sin must be eradicated before the new Paradise can be established.  And as was true in the Old Testament, Sin – at any time or of any kind – cannot go unpunished. It requires a sacrifice.  Those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will pay for their sins through eternal separation from God.

The decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace or not accept it has eternal consequences. My prayer for every reader is that you will make that decision now, not just for the eternal consequences, but for the joy-filled and blessings-filled life you can begin experiencing right now.  It’s as simple as saying, “Almighty God, I know I have fallen short of Your glorious standard. I want to change by accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I want the rest of my life to bring honor and Glory to Him.  In Jesus’ name, Amen”

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God bless you abundantly,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…This is a wonderful subject to write about because this is the reward all Christians have been waiting for with GREAT anticipation!  This is why we have stood strong in the face of trials and tribulations. This is the fulfillment of the promise that we who are in Christ will spend eternity with God, Jesus, and all other Christians in Paradise.  For us, this is a time of reward (not judgement) for our good and faithful service. But for the unbelievers (those whose names are not written in the Lambs Book of Life), it will be a time of horrific anguish.

When Jesus left this earth, these verses from the Book of Acts, 1:-9-11, describe the scene. “…He was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and He disappeared into a cloud.  As they were straining their eyes to see Him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them.  They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away into heaven. And someday, just as you saw Him go, He will return.”

When Jesus comes to gather his Elect, it will be an event of spectacular proportions; it will be unlike anything previously witnessed. I will give the account from the Book of Matthew 24:27,29-31. However, Mark, and Luke have also recorded this event, and these three accounts are in perfect harmony with each other with specific details. (Also notice the contrast of joy for the Believers, and the fear and anguish of the unbelievers). “For as the lightening lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Immediately after the Great Tribulation, the sun will be darkened; the moon will not give light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then, at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, but there will be deep mourning among the nations of the earth. (among the unbelievers) They will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send forth His angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together His chosen ones from the furthest ends of the earth and heaven.” (first, those who are in the grave, and then those who are still alive at this time) They will join Jesus in the clouds “and will remain with Him forever.” (1Thessalonians 4:17)

 I wrote the previous paragraph to point out a common error in thinking. What I described above is the Rapture. This comes at the end of the Great Tribulation and before the wrath of God.  Notice that the Elect (Believers) who are gathered at this time, both from the grave and those who are still living on the earth, meet Jesus in the clouds. Jesus does not come to the earth.  The Rapture is not the second coming of Jesus Christ.

At the first coming of Jesus, He came as our Savior, a lamb, a sacrificial lamb to pay the ransom for our Sin. The second coming of Jesus will be quite different.  He will come as a Victor, our Conqueror and our King. He is coming to execute judgement.  In Revelation 19:11-21, Apostle John describes this scene.

“I saw heaven open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, He judges and wages war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns.  He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood (His blood) and His name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down nations. He will rule with an iron scepter.  He treads the winepress with the fierce wrath of God almighty.  On His robe and on His thigh, He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: ‘Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared.  Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong warriors, of horses and their riders, and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.’

Then I saw the beast gathering the kings of the earth and their armies in order to fight against the One sitting on the horse and His army.  And the beast (anti-Christ) was captured, and with him the false prophet (man of lawlessness) who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast – miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.  Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the white horse.  And all the vultures of the sky gorged themselves on the dead bodies.”

This next section is often referred to as The Millennium, Revelation 20:1-6 Again Apostle John describes the event: “Then I saw an angel come down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand.  He seized the dragon (satan) and bound him in chains for a thousand years so he could not deceive nations anymore until the thousand years were finished.  Afterward he would be released again for a little while.

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the Word of God.  And I saw the souls of those who had not worshiped the beast or his statue, not accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life again and worshiped with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. (Believers only) The second resurrection of the dead does not happen until the thousand years has ended. (That resurrection is judgement for the unbelievers.) But blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. They will be priests of God and Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

At the end of the Millennium, satan is released for a short while to go out and deceive nations once more.  He gathered together an army as numerous as sand on a seashore. The armies surrounded God’s people and His beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them all…all except satan. His final judgement came as he was “thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20: 7-10)

Then will come the second resurrection of the dead. This time it will be for everyone who has not been declared righteous (from Old Testament days), or those whose name is not written in the Lambs Book of Life. All will stand in judgement according to their deeds, and then they will be thrown into the lake of fire with their god, satan.  That’s what they chose; that’s what they will receive for eternity.

Apostle John’s final description tells us where we will spend eternity. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and old earth had disappeared. I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among His people!  He will live with them, and they will be His people.  God Himself will be with them forever! He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or suffering or crying or pain.  For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

Wow!  Can you imagine?  Now we will all know the answer to the mystery presented in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can imagine what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 

I will end this series next week with a powerful presentation of the Gospel of Grace, and why that is THE only answer for eternal life in Paradise with God, Jesus and all other Christians.

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May God Bless You Abundantly

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)