HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY 2021  #384

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…earlier in the week I finished a new blog entitled, NEWS FLASH…WHAT DOES A.O.C. KNOW THAT JESUS DOESN’T? which I intended to publish today. However, it just dawned on me that this Monday is Memorial Day, which is one of my favorite holidays. I would be remiss if I didn’t share my traditional Memorial Day message.  Therefore, I hope all of you have a great Memorial Day celebration with family and friends, and please take a moment to ponder the true meaning of this very important memorial day.

I love America!  I believe in America!  I believe that even with all the issues facing our great country today, especially the short-comings of our culture, America is still the greatest country the world has ever seen.  And when I think of the men and women who stepped up to serve in the Armed Forces in times of peril, many who never returned home to their families or friends, I get a lump in my throat and a sense of pride about who “WE” are as Americans.  My father served in WW II; I served in the Vietnam era.  I am enclosing a very moving video clip later that summarizes the horrors of war as seen through the eyes of my long-time hero, Colonel Arnald Gabriel.

Here is a familiar quote that packs a wallop in its truth.  “The only two people who have ever volunteered to sacrifice their life for the benefit of others were Jesus Christ and the American soldier.”  Wow!  And what was their common purpose?  So that others could be set free, or remain free. Jesus’ sacrifice freed us from the bondage of sin; the American soldier’s sacrifice keeps us free from tyranny and oppression, which illuminates the statement, “Freedom isn’t free!”

Jonathan Cahn, messianic Rabbi, history scholar and best-selling author of The Harbinger, makes an interesting observation when he compares our country with ancient Israel.  He states, “No doubt Israel was blessed from the beginning: first as a people group because they were descendants of righteous men (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), then later as a nation, delivered from bondage to the most powerful nation at that time – Egypt. God chose to show his power through Israel because it was the smallest and weakest of nations.” 

Cahn goes on to say, “America was the only other nation to receive such a blessing”.  “And why was that”, you might ask?  Cahn continues his thoughts: Because this was a nation founded on prayer and built on Judeo-Christian principles. Therefore, America would rise to heights no other nation had ever known. Not that it was ever without fault or sin, but America did aspire to fulfill its calling.” And what was that calling”, you ask? According to Cahn, “To be a vessel of redemption, an instrument of God’s purposes, a light to the world. It would give refuge to the world’s poor and needy, and hope to its oppressed. It would stand against tyranny. It would fight, more than once, against the dark movements of the modern world that threatened to engulf the earth”.

The United States declared its independence in 1776, adopted the Constitution in 1787, added the Bill of Rights in 1791, and was clearly recognized as a world power by 1798.  In light of world events at that time (ie. the effects of the French Revolution), religious persecution was rampant in Europe.  America was that light on the hill; that bastion of hope for all people seeking freedom…freedom of worship, or just freedom to fulfill their dreams, to be “all they could be”.

An inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty identifies America’s purpose.  It was taken from a sonnet, The New Colossus, written by Emma Lazarus in 1883 and reads: “Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore; send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door!”  Liberty’s image is one of strength, majesty, and hope.  It is visible in her eternally raised right arm which carries the torch of freedom.  Holding aloft a light that never fails, she represents hope to the hopeless, welcome to the poor, and courage to the meek. Facing outward toward the ocean, her lamp is a beacon on stormy seas, drawing to her shores those from afar who seek a better life.  For these, and for countless others who have embraced her message, the Statue of Liberty represents the Golden Door.  It is the passageway to liberty and freedom from oppression that is the promise of America – a land, a people, a way of life.

For Americans, freedom is our most precious gift.  “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives three examples of the “unalienable rights” which the Declaration says has been given to all human beings by their Creator, and for which governments are created to protect.  It is the protection of those rights that have inspired brave men and women to answer their country’s call. “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” is the absolute antithesis of Socialism!

I mentioned earlier a video clip that features my life-long hero, Colonel Arnald Gabriel.  I know Colonel Gabriel as the renowned commander of The United States Air Force Band in Washington D.C. but as you will see from the video, in World War II he served as a combat machine gunner with the famed 29th Infantry Division in Europe. On June 6, 1944 he went ashore at Omaha Beach with Easy Company, 116th Infantry, 29th Division.  He received two Bronze Star medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the French Croix de Guerre.  This man, and all who served this great country, should be our heroes today. They bring this phrase to life: freedom isn’t free.

Please, please take time to listen to this three-minute video. Turn the volume up as high as it will go. You’ll be glad you did.  Copy and paste this link into your browser; highlight it from https: to the last/.

https://www.facebook.com/Tapsbugler/videos/10152384981199627/ (highlight, copy and paste)

(I tried to copy the hyperlink into this body, but it wasn’t working for me.) We must never forget the price that was paid for our freedom.

My hope and prayer today is that as Americans, we will have the courage to do anything and everything possible to protect our freedoms from enemies – both foreign and domestic. As Americans, we must never let the sacrifices of our brave men and women be in vain. I hope you will take time today and thank a veteran for their service, then take time to thank God for blessing our great nation.

Happy Memorial Day, and may God continue to bless America.

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

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

 

 

A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON GOD’S LOVE FOR US?   #383

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…First, a quick update on Pam’s recovery from her stroke. Her speech is getting better day by day, and she struggles much less with her words. Her fine motor skills are still a challenge, but she has tests scheduled this week that will hopefully reveal a way to approach that issue. As I’m sure you already know, we are counting on God’s faithfulness to fulfill this promise: “I will restore your health and heal your wounds.” (Jeremiah 30:17) We’ve witnessed that before, and we confidently expect the same result in this case. Her spirit is positive and upbeat!

I struggled a bit with how I wanted to present the title for today’s blog. Did I want it to be a statement or a question? We are told in 1 John that “God IS Love!” (my edit) Notice it doesn’t say that He is “loving”. Love is not just an attribute of God; it is His very essence, the core of His being. He is the completeness and perfection of Love, as described in I Corinthians 13:4-7. Therefore, I am moving ahead with the assumption that that is understood by you, my wonderful readers. Since I asked it as a question, I obviously have a perspective, or perhaps perspectives, that I want to share.

I love these words in the first chapter of Ephesians because they reveal so much of God’s love. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He created the world, (and Man(kind), God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. He decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This gave Him great pleasure... He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Wow! Let’s take a minute and let all of that sink in.

Now, let’s look at all the attributes of love in just those few Scriptures:” blessed us”, “loved us”, “chose us to be holy and without fault”, “He adopted us by bringing us to Himself”, “rich in kindness and grace”, “purchased our freedom”, “forgave our sins”, “showered us with all wisdom and understanding”. Because God IS Love, only goodness, mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, acceptance, joy, peace and self-control emanate from Him. Anything else, such as pain, suffering, disease, depression, anxiety, guilt, shame, remorse, anger and hatred are rooted in the dark domain, satan’s kingdom.

Now to continue with the first chapter of Ephesians: “God has now revealed to us His “mysterious will” regarding Christ – which is to fulfill His own good plan. This is the 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 united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.”

Let’s recap a bit. Why did God create Man(kind)? We’re told in Genesis 1:26 that He created Man in His image for a relationship. (In fact, He gave Man the gift of free-will so we could choose to enter into that all-important relationship). And it is not just a here and now relationship, but an eternal relationship. And when did God make this decision? “Long ago, even before He created the world (and Man), God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes”.  And what was God’s plan? “At just the right time, He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ…” And what was “just the right time”? Romans 5:6 answers that question. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” “Utterly helpless” is quite an indictment. It means that Man proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that we were incapable of saving ourselves.

Two paragraphs above tells us that “Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God.” We are heir to this inheritance because Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross.  These gifts include forgiveness of sin, which qualifies us for eternal life; the indwelling Holy Spirit, which empowers us to rise above our feelings, or our circumstances, to become the person God created us to be; we are grafted into His family as “a child of God”; we are now a Saint and no longer a sinner; we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, and we are heir to all the promises in the Bible.  How’s that for hitting the spiritual jackpot?

So, one more question. “What does this whole scenario tell us about God’s majestic qualities…especially the quality of omniscience?” It reveals that, even before He created us, He looked into the future and saw that we were going to choose a different path than the one He originally intended. But still, even knowing that we were going to be problem children, HIS PLAN was to provide a Savior to save us from ourselves. But, in my mind, the most astounding part of the above scenario is this…He created us anyway, and without reservation.  How’s that for unfathomable, never-ending, unconditional love?

To sum up what I’ve written so far, everything about the way God relates to us emanates from His love for us. This is confirmed by 1 John 4:19: “We love because He first loved us. As we examine the manifestations of His love in the above paragraphs, it is easy to see how He has replaced our effort with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It is no longer about us working to earn God’s favor; Jesus already did the work on our behalf. All that is left for us to do is accept His Gift of Grace. Our eternal destiny hinges on that very choice.

When our time on this earth draws to a close, that all-important decision will determine whether we rise to eternal life, or whether we will be condemned to eternal separation from God. To repeat, the choice is OURS to make. I would like to close with John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but WILL have eternal life.  Thank you, God, for YOUR plan!

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

May God Bless You abundantly,

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

 

 

 

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  #382

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…The Presgraves have had a very trying week.  Unfortunately, Pam had a stroke in her sleep last Monday evening. Needless to say, that was a shock because there were no indications that anything was brewing. We went to the ER, and she was admitted to the hospital. The stroke has affected her speech and fine motor skills, but her speech is showing improvement already. She is taking this week off from work for more testing.

As you know from previous posts, I haven’t hesitated to share our trials and tribulations. Standing on the truth of God’s Word and watching Him be faithful has been our tactic. Two years ago, I wrote about Pam’s bout with MS. The process of thanking God for Pam’s healing, praying His promises back to Him, and walking with the confident expectation that she would be completely restored yielded this scenario: wheelchair, walker, cane, walking hand in hand on the beach, and walking our poochies together every morning. We will use the same approach when dealing with the stroke. God is faithful to His promises, and we confidently expect the same result. The reposted blog below is from 2019  #287  It tells you why we chose the process we chose.

Good Morning Meetpastordan readers…I know you have all heard, and probably even repeated, phrases such as, “life is fleeting, so make the most of every moment”, or “live today to the fullest because you never know what tomorrow will bring.” Those are well meaning phrases, actually words of encouragement, intended to bring a sense of peace to someone wanting to make a decision about the future, but perhaps still a bit unsettled. I know I have used both phrases numerous times, and truth be told, Pam and I have consciously tried to live that attitude throughout our marriage. But think about what remains when the words of encouragement are lifted. What is left are two life-truths that each of us will have to deal with some day: “life is fleeting” and “you never know what tomorrow will bring.” I don’t think most people dwell on those two truths for any length of time.  I know we didn’t. We were too busy making the most of every moment, and living our life together to the fullest. So, my question to you is, “what will happen when your world is turned upside down? Have you thought about that?”

Unfortunately, Pam and I are living that scenario right now. Let me give you a brief history. On December 10th of 2018, I had knee replacement surgery. Pam cared for me during my healing process. On December 21st, 2018 our roles changed when she had two disks replaced in her cervical spine. On January 15th of 2019, she had a second surgery, a lumbar decompression in her lower back. Back pain and nerve pain are common with this surgery, and can last for a month or two after surgery. But shortly after that procedure, other issues began to raise their ugly heads. Muscle weakness got worse on a day by day basis, dizziness and balance issues became more prominent, along with excruciating lower back pain that radiated down her legs. At this time, she was using a walker, but she still experienced two falls.

Last Friday, she passed out. I took her to the emergency room where they treated her for dehydration and messed-up electrolytes. She came home that afternoon. The next Monday morning, I took her back to the ER when she said she had problems raising her arms and her legs were too weak for the walker. This time they admitted her to the hospital, and she was there for five days under the scrutiny of five specialists ordering test after test after test including two brain scans and a spinal tap. All the test results are not back yet, but the consensus of the five specialists seems to be MS. Talk about a shocker!  Wow!

The point is, when we are faced with a traumatic issue such as an unexpected illness, a divorce, or financial collapse, we have one of two options.  We can either shake our fist at God and say, “Why God? Why is this happening? We can be angry with Him, maybe we even blame Him, OR we can press into Him as our source of strength, and ask for wisdom, courage, patience and perseverance to deal with this in a way that honors Him. Pam and I have chosen the latter.

I keep thinking to myself, “What do people do in catastrophic situations when they are not in Christ?” Where do they find their source of strength? As followers of Jesus Christ, we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, which includes spiritual healing; we are heir to all the promises in the Bible, which are numerous, and we are gifted with the indwelling Holy Spirit who empowers us to rise above our circumstances. Jesus was blatantly up-front about what it means to be a Christ-follower.  He never soft pedaled it, and He never promised us a rose garden. “In this world you will have trouble. But fear not, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) What that Scripture means to those of us in Christ is this…if Jesus has overcome the world, so have we!

Last week I used a quote from Neil Anderson, author of “Victory Over the Darkness” which seems very appropriate here: “Do not let your circumstances or your feelings define you, because both can change. Instead, stand on the truth of what God’s Word says about you.” (I’m a Child of God; I’m forgiven; I’m unconditionally loved; God delights in me; He created me for a relationship with Himself; He will never leave me nor forsake me; God is merciful and full of grace; He is faithful.)

Whenever anyone is faced with trials and tribulations, you can count on satan, our adversary, to show up to amplify your pathos. This is when he is at his worse. His primary purpose is to keep us separated from God, and he will use every lie, deception, or scheme in his playbook to keep us focused on our circumstance, or in this case, our pain and suffering, rather than on God…the source of our strength. C.S. Lewis explains this tactic in his famous book, “Screwtape Letters”. Screwtape, satan, teaches his nephew, Wormwood, the art of deception. “Wormwood, you should make the patient focus on his own feeling instead of God. You should make the patient want to feel better rather than praying for forgiveness or courage. This way the patient will try to feel forgiven or feel brave. Humans do not know our full power, Screwtape writes, so they can easily be tricked into following our lead.” (Screwtape Letters, Letter 4)

Apostle Paul’s rebuke to the above presentation can be found in 2 Corinthians, 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” When we are dealing with pain and suffering, it is very real. And don’t think satan doesn’t know that, because he is the author of pain and suffering. His ploy is to make that pain and suffering more real to us than our God. This is a pretension that we must demolish by standing on the truth of God’s Word. Here are some truths we can stand on. “He forgives all my sins, and He heals all my diseases.” (Psalm 103:3) “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) “He (Jesus) healed people who had every kind of sickness and disease.” (Matthew 4:23) “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now, rather, we look forward to the joys yet to come.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) “For He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) And, because we are in Christ, “we are heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”, one of which is spiritual healing. (Ephesians 1: 3) Now that we know we are healed in the spiritual realm, we can pray for the manifestation of that healing in the physical realm. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are heir to every one of those promises.

So here is where the rubber hits the road. Do you believe those promises are true? Do you think they pertain to you and your situation right now? Are you willing to trust God to be faithful? Remember what Jesus said to Jairus when he got word his daughter had died; He said, “Don’t be afraid. Trust Me!” (Luke 8:50) That’s the same message Jesus gives to all of us today when we are going through a crisis.  Our challenge is to believe that our God is more real than our circumstances.

Pam and I have talked about our situation and what it may mean in the short term, and possibly in the long term.  We are committed to keeping our focus on the prize at the end of this journey, which for us is restoration of her body, and a return to some semblance of normalcy. Our challenge will be the same as everyone else’s: Not to be afraid, but to trust Him! Our confidence lies in the fact that we know our source of strength, and we know the Holy Spirit is a gift to empower us to do things that we can’t do through our own effort. We will call on Him for His wisdom, His strength, His courage, His patience, and His perseverance as we follow our commitment to dig ourselves out of this dark place. No doubt satan intends to use this infirmity to separate us from God’s love, but we are counting on the Holy Spirit to bring this tribulation to victory! “The Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (satan) 1 John 4:4.

We ask everyone who reads this to lift us up in prayer.  We know there is power in prayer!

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

May God Bless You abundantly…

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

 

DO YOU WANT TO ENDURE TO THE END?  HERE’S THE ROADMAP  #381

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I just finished a novel that I started almost a year ago. This has been my beach-reading material when I’m in my favorite chair with my feet in the Gulf. Friday is our beach day, so I always have to back up a few pages to remind myself “who’s who”, or “who did what” before I can go forward, but I finally made it! This was a great thriller entitled “The Malta Exchange” by Steve Berry. I highly recommend it.

I used to read novels more frequently, but now I am totally captivated by the most thrilling and enthralling book ever…The Holy Bible. (FYI, this book still holds the Guinness World Record as the best-selling and most widely-distributed book ever.) The thing about this book that is so unique, is the fact that it never ends. Now to clarify what I just said: Yes, you can read this Book from cover to cover, but if you’ve paid any attention and connected the obvious dots, your immediate response is probably, “Wow! I have to read that again.”  “Why would someone say that”, you ask? Because this is a collection of 66 books with over 40 contributors (but only one author, as explained in 2 Peter 1:21), “…no Scripture ever came from Man’s understanding. The prophets or scribes were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak from God.

The Bible is a thriller, a love story, a Manuel for living (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth), a devotional, a history book, a book of wisdom, a collection of short vignettes that explain principles, and a collection of prophecies that has no equal in terms of accuracy and fulfillment. Simply put, the Bible never stops revealing more and more as we seek deeper truths. The more we read and grow in this endeavor, the more we realize how much more there is to be uncovered. This journey is how we become the person God created us to be. It is also our source of confident assurance (faith), wisdom, courage, strength, peace and serenity, fulfillment and joy!

I wanted to spotlight the importance of the Bible, because in our culture today, there is an unfortunate ignorance of THE TRUTH. (I didn’t use the term “ignorance” here to mean “stupidity”, I used it to mean “uninformed”.) For whatever the reason, whether it be that someone was not raised with Christian beliefs, or perhaps they were wounded by a church, or perhaps the friend up the street convinced them that there were other gods to worship, they just don’t know THE TRUTH. (Now, for one more point of clarity: as I’ve said in previous blogs, when I refer to “THE TRUTH”, I am referring to the Word of God as expressed in the Holy Bible. I’m not referring to worldly teaching, eastern philosophies, or “New Age” latest and greatest revelations. I’m standing on the truth of God’s Word because the author proclaimed, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will NEVER pass away!”  His Word is Truth; His Word is Love; His Word is Life; His Word is Healing; His Word is Eternal; His Word is Timeless, and these words are desperately needed by our culture today.

I have to admit, when someone talks to me about “truth”, if it doesn’t line up with God’s Word, I ask them, “What’s your source, or “Where did you get that?” Most of the time, they’re not sure, but sometimes they offer a source. Here’s a very common-sense analogy: If you wanted to learn about flowers, would you look in “Popular Mechanics”? Conversely, if you wanted to know about mechanics, would you look in “Posies Today”? You get the picture. Therefore, if you want to find out how God reveals Himself to us, what He says about us, what His plans are for us, what His standard is, what His promises are, and how we can partake of those promises, go to the source: The Holy Bible.  These words are not intended to be a secret. In fact, we’re called to share them with the world!

When Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olive explaining to His apostles what the end-times would be like, He painted a pretty horrendous picture. Why did He do this? Was it to scare them? No, it was to prepare them for what was to come. Here is a snapshot of what He shared. (excerpted from Matthew 24) “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in My name claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. Nations will go to war against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms; there will be famines, floods, and earthquakes in many parts of the world. All of this is only the first of birth pains, with more to come. You will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. This will be a time of greater horror than any time since the world began, and greater than any time to come. ”BUT THOSE WHO ENDURE TO THE END WILL BE SAVED.”

How much of Jesus’ presentation do you think defines our culture today? Are there false prophets? Is Christianity under assault? Do you see an increase in betrayal and hatred among people with differing views? Is sin rampant? Is the love of many growing cold?

I highlighted the sentence in the above paragraph about this being “a time of greater horror than the world has ever seen” because I want you to understand that we are no where near the culmination of those horrors. (I hope that sets off an alarm inside of you). In another passage when His disciples asked Jesus about this same subject, His answer was, “Watch and pray that you may escape the horrors that stand before you.” (Luke 21:36) The good news is…you know what to watch and pray for, so that gives you a “head up”.

Here is the hope in this message: “But, those who endure to the end will be saved.”  No doubt that’s wonderful, but how are you going to endure to the end? Matthew 24:23 tells us: “False messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great and miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.” Jesus ended this message saying, “See, I have warned you,”

There are many false prophets right now who are deceiving God’s chosen ones with counterfeit messages that titillate self-centeredness. For instant, there is the “prosperity message” that teaches that financial, physical, and wellness blessings are the will of God, and that faith, positive speech and attitude and contributions to religious causes are the pathway to these blessings. Fault: This is Old Covenant; it’s about earning God’s favor through our works.

There is the message that teaches that God is Love. Therefore, He will invite all into heaven when our end comes simply because He is a loving God. Fault: This is not about repentance or transformation. Nor is it about the blood of Jesus washing away our sins.

There is also the “I’m a good person” message. I know I have short-comings, but I can’t help but think that my good works will over shadow my shortcomings. After all, God wants us to do good works. Fault: That’s the mindset of the Jewish Priests who visited the brothels on their way to Temple. It’s not about God’s Will or relationship. All three of these messages are about deceiving you. There is an agenda attached to each that is not about furthering God’s Kingdom on this earth.

Jesus told us to be discerning, to compare the newest, latest and greatest messages to the Truth of God’s Word. The only way to carry out that directive is to be familiar with God’s Word. As His Chosen Ones, we are expected to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3-4,11 expresses this perfectly: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His divine nature (the Holy Spirit) gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a Godly life. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

This is why (and how) we must endure to the end.

Please feel free to respond to this message, and please share this with other social media friends.

May God Bless You Abundantly,

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

DON’T FRET; GOD DIDN’T GIVE US A SPIRIT OF FEAR.  LOOK AT WHAT’S COMING…#380  .

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…This has been a fun blog to write. It gave me the opportunity to combine history, politics and the Truth of God’s word, all subjects that I particularly enjoy, in one setting. I believe this will indeed lift your spirits.

In the 1700’s, a European philosophical movement known as, “The Enlightenment”, or “The Age of Reason”, was making its way across the Atlantic.to the American colonies. Enlightened thinkers emphasized a scientific and logical view of the world while downplaying religion.  Over the years, this philosophy began worming its way into the churches. The effects of that maneuver could be seen in diminished congregations, a feeling of complacency – even within the ranks of church leaders, and disillusion with how wealth and rationalism were dominating their culture. During this time, the colonies were religiously divided and the message of God’s grace was slipping through the cracks as church doctrines butted heads.

No doubt, the stage had been set for a renewal of faith. In the late 1720’s, a revival began to take root as preachers began altering their messages to reemphasize the truth and power of God’s Word, and the love, forgiveness and mercy of God’s grace. There are two preachers that I would like to spotlight as leaders in this movement. One was Jonathan Edwards, an Anglican minister. His message centered on the idea that humans are sinners, that God is an angry judge, that individuals need to ask for forgiveness, and that justification comes through faith alone. He was known for his passion and energy.

Another impactful figure was George Whitefield, a preacher from England who looked at America and mourned the division he saw in the Body of Christ. His faith led him here by boat, then he purchased a horse and toured up and down the Atlantic coast. He preached boldly, passionately and theatrically on street corners and in fields, attracting huge audiences wherever he went. His message was for common people, slaves and Native Americans; no one was excluded from God’s grace. In one year, Whitefield covered 5000 miles throughout the colonies and preached more than 350 times. His style was so charismatic and expressive that he even attracted the attention of skeptic Benjamin Franklin.

I wrote this introduction because I wanted to compare the state of the culture 300 years ago with our culture today. Notice these points:  a new way of secular thinking began challenging and gaining ground on the Christian message. As this “enlightened” message wormed its way into the church, its presence had a negative effect on the spirit and true focus of the church’s purpose This manifested itself in diminished congregations, a complacency and lack of zeal for the Gospel of Grace, and a feeling of despair that secularism was gaining momentum. This malaise was rendering the colonial churches ineffective.

Can you see satan’s game plan being repeated today? The Liberal Progressive Agenda, a subject I have written extensively about during the past few years, has been brewing in our country for decades. But within the last decade, it has reared its ugly head and has been progressing at breakneck speed. It is an agenda rooted in wealth, power and control, and has in effect become synonymous with the Democrat party’s platform. Its insidious effects can now be seen in many of today’s churches. They have adopted political correctness; they have succumbed to the pressure of being tolerant of various deviant behaviors, and they have yielded to the threat of censorship if the church’s message is contrary to the current political narrative.

Unfortunately, the message from today’s church has been, and is being, methodically muted while the voice of the worldly agenda is ringing “loud and clear”. At this point, it is important that we stand firm on the truth of Jesus’ words: “In this world you will experience trials and tribulation, BUT fear not because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) This reminds me of the victory celebration that must have surely taken place in the domain of darkness when Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross. What they didn’t know that fateful Friday was that “Sunday was coming” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the script for today’s cultural malady had the same exuberant ending? Well, “fear not, because Jesus has overcome the world.”

In the opening scenario about colonial America, the Church had become lukewarm, much like the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4. They had abandoned their first love and their purpose. This travesty was recognized by the leaders of the First Grace Awakening, and their boldness and zest motivated other pastors to once again reemphasize the truth and power of God’s Word, and the love, forgiveness and mercy of God’s grace. That spark by committed leaders ignited a movement that was willing to stand against evil, and was willing to restore God to His rightful place in the minds and hearts of their culture. I am thrilled to say…such a movement is taking place among churches right now, and I’m proud to say that my former church, Grace Church St. Louis, and my current church, SeaGlass Church in Apollo Beach Florida, are among those leading the charge. Both churches are gifted with pastors who have the courage to stand against the political narrative that calls evil good and good evil, while at the same time standing strong on the Truth of God’s Word.

When you look at the moral and spiritual bankruptcy that is contributing to our nation’s decline, what you are witnessing is the result of Man’s best effort at playing god. As Albert Einstein stated: “you cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created the problem.” Those words perfectly describe the malaise that has infected our culture. No political agenda, whether identified with a D, an R, or an I is going to restore our nation. “Why”, you ask? Because what we are witnessing is a   spiritual battle between “good” and “evil”. “How can I make such a statement”, you ask?  Well, fasten your seatbelt!

To the uninformed viewer, it might look as though the domain of darkness is pulling ahead. Therefore, consider this scenario. If you could follow the black brick road to the curtain, and then you could pull it aside, you would discover that the puppeteer pulling the strings that lead to chaos and degradation is none other than the “father of lies” himself…satan! His shenanigans and schemes have manifested themselves in minds and hearts of his victims for many millennia, so what you see coming to fruition in the physical realm is anger, hatred, jealousy, lying, cheating, stealing, addictions, suicide, violence and murder. (Do you see a prevalence of these traits in our culture today?) All of these despicable behaviors are wrapped in well-crafted lies that are intended to strengthen the devil’s hand. But the truth is, satan’s lies cannot stand against God’s Truth!

Satan has played this same game since the Garden of Eden, but inevitably God’s Will has prevailed. This bout of spiritual warfare that is holding our culture captive will be no different. “Why”, you ask? Because what our culture is desperately looking for is a relationship with Jesus Christ...they just don’t realize that. They have tried filling that “proverbial hole” in their soul with drugs, alcohol, boats, cars, sex, bigger houses, and more power and prestige.Those placebos have only resulted in sky rocketing addictions, divorce rates that are off the charts, higher incidents of depression and anxiety, and soaring numbers of suicides. Truth be told, there is only one “fix” that fixes, and that is a relationship with Jesus Christ!

I believe the reason more people haven’t accepted God’s Gift of Grace is simply because they are ignorant of The Truth. Perhaps their families didn’t raise them in church; perhaps their friend up the street convinced them that there are other gods to worship. Whatever the reason, they haven’t heard the truth about God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and faithfulness. My experience has taught me that when anyone smarter than the average bear hears The Gospel of Grace and “connects the dots along the way”, their conclusion is almost always, “I believe this is true.” Therefore, I believe this same message will be welcomed by our culture just as readily as salve is welcomed for an open wound.

The stage is set for another Grace Awakening. I believe the masses will soon wake up to the fact that they put their faith in the wrong god; they were dupped! This will be not only a rude awakening, but a frightening awakening for most. Church, THIS IS OUR TIME TO SHINE.  The harvest will definitely be ready. As it says in Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the Good News.”  Thank you, Revival leaders, for your courage to answer this call. What could be more pleasing to our Heavenly Father?

Please feel free to respond to this message, and please share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless You abundantly,

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

RELIGION VS RELATIONSHIP…ARE THEY SYNONYMOUS?   #379

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…After last week’s blog, this seems like the perfect follow-up. I was thinking about this on my walk this morning, then I couldn’t get it out of my mind. That’s usually a sure sign for a title, so once I surrendered to the prompting, it took form in a matter of minutes. I love it when that happens.

Near the end of the 6th day of Creation, God had created the animal kingdom, but there was still something missing. Genesis 1: 26-27, provides the answer. God said, “Let’s make people in our image, to be like ourselves. So, God created people in His (Their) own image, male and female He created them.” So, the obvious question is, “What is “our” image, and what does the term “image” mean?” “Our” obviously refers to the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one entity, three in one.) Don’t get too hung-up pondering that, because if you engage in a discussion with anyone about the Holy Trinity, see how that turns out. Good luck!

Now, onto the matter of image. Obviously, it’s not a physical image because we are housed in a body made of flesh and bones, and He is a Spirit.  No similarity there.  Therefore, I believe it has to do with one unique feature that was gifted to us, but to no other member of the animal species. He gave us a brain for rational thinking. Every other animal operates on instinct, but we can make choices. Every animal knows when it’s time to eat, but we, on the other hand, might ponder that endeavor. “Hum…a burger? No; perhaps a pizza? No; a salad would be healthier.”

Because God is God, He knows something about relationships; therefore, He wired us with a brain. He revealed Himself to us, at first spiritually, then later by speaking through prophets, so we could come to know Him. As a result of that experience, we can either exercise our “free-will” to enter into that all- important relationship with Him (Them), or we can walk away. The choice is ours!  It’s really no different than developing a friendship right here. First, we have to get to know people so we can make decisions about their character, their honesty, trustworthiness, and faithfulness. If they pass those unspoken tests, we can decide if we want to invest time in that relationship.

God always wanted a relationship with us, and not just a here-and-now relationship, but an eternal relationship. Even before He created the world (and Mankind), He had a plan for our salvation. His plan was for Man to choose a relationship with Him, but His plan has always yielded to our free-will.  We can either choose Jesus Christ (salvation), or we can remain in the domain of darkness by not choosing His Gift of Grace.  2 Peter 1: 3 speaks to this process. “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His divine power (the Holy Spirit) gives us everything we need for living a godly life.” As we grow in that relationship, the more Christ-like we become. Do you ever ponder what God’s will is for your life? If so, becoming more Christ-like is the answer.

So, you may be asking yourself, “Don’t I get this with religion?”, and I would have to say, “that depends entirely on YOU and what you are looking for.” Religion can provide a structure, principles to live by, and traditions without a lot of commitment. Relationship itself only comes from participating in the process of growing and maturing in the knowledge of God, and the Truth of His Word.

Jesus didn’t come to start a religion. In fact, He came to straighten out the Jewish religion in which He was born.. No doubt, His purpose for coming was multi-faceted. He came, of course, to pay our sin-ransom so we could inherit eternal life. In fact, it is that truth that draws most people to Christianity. He also came to be the Word Incarnate, to preach the Good News to the poor, to set the captives free, to restore health to the blind, the lame, the leppers, the demon possessed, and He came to teach Kingdom principles.

Unfortunately, the Jewish religion of Jesus’ day had morphed considerably since the Law was given to Moses on Mt. Saini. (Keep in mind, those 10 Commandments are Kingdom principles, and they are God’s standard.) Unfortunately, the Pharisees, the religious leaders of that time, took it upon themselves to add another 600 man-made laws to the mix to ensure compliance to God’s Law. Needless to say, that didn’t lead to a happy, joyous and free life. In fact, quite the contrary!  The people were totally over-burdened with all the “dos” and “don’ts” of religion.

Religions today, whether Christian, Buddhists, Hindu, or Muslim have their own interpretation of God’s Law, and it is presented in their doctrine, or their Holy Book. That information is vitally important because it is YOUR roadmap for a successful endeavor and outcome. But there is an inevitable flaw in this presentation. Whenever you start mixing the teachings of God with the teachings of Man, it turns out to be a sticky-wicket, much like the Pharisee example in the above paragraph. Too often the teachings of God fall through the cracks, and the teachings of Man are exalted.

God revealed Himself to the world through His Word. Two Scriptures substantiate this truth: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is used to teach us what is true, and to help us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out, and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing He wants us to do.” And 2 Peter 1: 20-21, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves, or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.” The Bible-based, non-denominational churches, are gaining in popularity today because they stand on the Word of God as their doctrine. We know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we have a relationship with the author of those words, so we count on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. Ephesians 1:14 explains this clearly: “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised, and that He purchased us to be His own people.”

I would like to close with a statement that includes both truth and humor. I hope no one is offended by this because that is certainly not my intent. “Religion is a man in church thinking about fishing. Relationship is a man out fishing thinking about God.”

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

May God Bless You Abundantly,

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

 

 

 

 

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHRIST-FOLLOWER AND A CHRISTIAN?   #378

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… Each three-day weekend for the past month, Pam and I have had the privilege of entertaining friends from St. Louis and Lake of the Ozarks, MO. What a treat to have them here, and to be able to show them the beautiful beaches that surround our new home, and to serve up some wonderful, fresh seafood. It’s non-stop while they’re here, so the beginning of each new week has gotten off to a slooow start. Today is no exception. I just returned from a trip to the Tampa Airport, and I’m ready for a nap. Unfortunately it’s only 10:20 EST. Oh well…it’s worth the fun!

As I have mentioned before, there are many times when I think I have a subject in mind to write about, but when I sit down at the keyboard, a new subject comes into my mind so strongly that I can’t ignore it.  Such was the case with today’s blog.

Since I usually use the term “Christ-follower” in both writing and conversation, many people have questioned why I do that.  I’ve certainly thought about it, and have concluded that I make a conscious effort to do it for this reason.  To me, “Christian” is a label that says you have made a choice to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.  I applaud that; I think it’s a great choice, and it certainly beats any counterfeit alternative because it promises forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  In fact, it is those two promises that draw most people to Christianity.  And well it should.  It seals your eternal destiny.

If that’s all you want out of your choice, then you’ve got it.  But what about your life right now?  Are you happy, joyous and free?  Are you living the abundant life Jesus promised?  Do you wrestle with doubt, fear, guilt, shame or remorse?  If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, and if you are wondering “why” this is still happening, let’s examine the difference between the label “Christian”, and the way of life called “Christ-follower.”

Many people believe that when they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, their life will “simply change for the better.”  That is certainly possible, because when you say “yes” to God’s Gift of Grace, you are immediately “Justified”, meaning you are made right with God because your sin-debt has been paid in full.  Apostle Paul refers to this in Romans 5:10-11: “ For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son, while we were still His enemies (sinners), we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by His life.  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends with God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 defines “justification”: “We are a new creation in Christ.  The old has gone (we are no longer slaves to our sin-nature); the new has come (the Holy Spirit.)  We have been transformed because we have a new identity “in Christ.”  Therefore, our sins are forgiven; we inherit eternal life; we are gifted with the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes, not because of anything we did, but because of what Christ did for us; we are now a “Saint” (not a Sinner) because we are covered with the blood of Jesus; we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, and heir to all the promises in the Bible.  This all happens in the blink of an eye, and prepares us to participate in a process called “Sanctification.”

Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christ-like, and if one chooses to be involved in the process, one has to be an active participant. The difference between the label “Christian” and being a “Christ-follower” is wrapped-up in this choice.  For many Christians, accepting Jesus as your Savior is enough, and it usually includes going to church, but life goes on as usual.  That’s why many unbelievers will say, “I don’t know what the big deal is…my friend “Bob” is a Christian, but I don’t see any difference in his life style and mine.”

But choosing to be a Christ-follower involves the desire to grow in knowledge and wisdom so we can become more like Him… right here, right now, because it is in that process that we begin “living life to the fullest.”   2 Peter 1:3-4 describes this: “As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, His divine power (the Holy Spirit) gives us everything we need for living a godly life.  He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness!  And by that same mighty power, He has given us all of His rich and wonderful promises.  He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in His divine nature.”  The more we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Christ and His teachings, the richer our lives become.  That’s why Jesus said in John 8:32, “if you follow My teachings, you will know the truth, and the truth WILL set you free.”  (my edit.)

Being a Christ-follower is about living life to the fullest and being set freeIt’s about us getting out of the way and living in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Most Christians are aware of the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity, but unfortunately when it comes to the indwelling Holy Spirit and the empowerment He gives to us, MANY are unaware. (my edit again) To that end, I would like to recommend three books that I have used in many small group studies that provided a really clear, concise presentation of this truth.  “Classic Christianity” by Bob George, and two books by Neil Anderson, “Victory Over the Darkness” and “The Bondage Breaker” are life-changers!

While forgiveness of Sin and eternal life seals our eternal destiny, we are still living in a fallen world; we are still living in these “fleshly bodies”, and we still have a formidable enemy who wants to steal our joy and shipwreck our effort at becoming more Christ-like.  But thanks to our God, who never fails us, He gifted us with a salvation plan that includes the indwelling Holy Spirit because He wants each of us to become more Christ-like, and He wants our choices to bring honor and glory to Him. The Holy Spirit DOES NOT fix our problems for us.  He empowers US to rise above our circumstances and to make Godly choices by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us with His wisdom, His patience, insight, strength, courage, perseverance – whatever it is we need. This allows us to “escape the decadence all around us caused by evil desires.” (Ref. 2 Peter 1:3-4 two paragraphs up)

Our awesome God, who is the essence of LOVE, has equipped us to be victorious in this spiritual battle so we can reap ALL the rewards and blessings He has in store for us.  In fact, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 reveals this truth: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.  We know these things because God has revealed them to us through His Spirit…”  And to refer to a signature statement by the well know Pastor, T.D. Jakes, “God loves to bless ya…God wants to bless ya!  But He ain’t gonna give ya those blessins’ ‘til you’re ready to receive em.”   What better way to prepare yourself to receive all that God has planned for you, than to grow in the likeness of His Son.  And when you are in that process, it is your way of saying “Thank you, Jesus” for all You have done for me.”  What could be more pleasing to God?

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

May God Bless You Abundantly

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

 

THERE WERE TWO TREES IN THE GARDEN   #377

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I thoroughly enjoyed preparing and presenting the last two blogs entitled “The Power of Prophecy.”   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 was that people would know what to watch and listen for. Unfortunately, today we are living in a culture that has not only drifted far away from Bible reading and study, but rather, out of sheer ignorance, mocks and ridicules such teaching. Therefore, my intent with those two blogs was to present end time signs, using Jesus’ own words, to hopefully provide fodder for what to watch and listen for.

But now it’s time to move on, and this seems like the perfect topic. I borrowed my title today from a book by Rick Joyner entitled, “There Were Two Trees In The Garden”, because I’m sure I could not have come up with a better title. I read this book a couple of years ago, and was very impressed with his 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 erroneous teachings that have misled the Church. The trees are metaphoric for the dichotomy between Truth (God’s Word), and worldly teaching and philosophy.

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 man (and woman). The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.  But in the middle of the garden was 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 (the lies, deception and accusations) contained in the fruit that destroys Man from the inside out.

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 seeds that satan loves to plant. “You will be like God, knowing both good and evil”. (In other words, you can be your own god) The offer to participate in sin was introduced, and the result of all of this ended with Adam and Eve being banished from Paradise. Sin had now entered the world in the form of disobedience, and from this point on, Man had to take responsibility for his choices (ie. free will.) The first Paradise had ended!

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, our colleges and universities, and our churches. Today, 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 have learned from past blogs, those who are in Christ experience eternal life, and those who remain unbelievers experience eternal separation from God.

I will close with this Scriptural truth found in Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  The choice is yours 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)

THE POWER OF PROPHECY REVISITED   #376  .

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…As I was writing last week’s blog entitled, “The Power of Prophecy”, I was struggling with staying within the parameters that I have established for myself. I have had many suggestions from our microwave culture to shorten the length of my blogs, but I have landed on a usable format that allows me to introduce the “truths” that I believe I am led to address, without watering down the “truth” to mere “pablum”. No doubt, books have been written that address the “truths” I have chosen to spotlight, but my hope is that these blogs will spark an interest, or further questions that cause the reader to want to delve further into the subject. When I do have more to say, I have taken to writing a series of blogs on that subject, such as the series to Unbelievers, “Don’t Miss the Great Feast: All Are Invited!”, or today’s blog, which revisits last week’s blog. I have been doing this for seven years now, and I’m still trying to improve this offering. Your feedback is encouraged and appreciated.

In last weeks blog, I closed with these statements: “These times will be more horrific than any time before, or any time to follow. But the ones who endure to the end will be saved.”  Therefore, “watch and listen.” This week, I want to expand these statements. The topic that I consciously left out of last week’s presentation was the very real battle of “good” vs “evil’.

The Truth is, (and I have said this in previous writings: when I talk about Truth, I am referring to The Truth found in the Word of God) it is impossible to get to the root of our cultures malaise without talking in very real terms about “good” vs “evil”. Unbeknownst to anyone who doesn’t know The Truth, we were/are born into an eternal morality play entitled, “Good” vs “Evil”. This was God’s plan even before He created the world. (Ref. Ephesians 1:4-12)

God molded His “proudest creation” Man(kind) in His image, and for an eternal relationship. But, because He is omniscient, He knew we were going to yield to our sin-nature and follow a path that would make it impossible for us to enter into that all important relationship. Therefore, His plan was always to provide, at just the right time, a Savior to save us from ourselves.  And what was “just the right time”, you ask? Roman’s 5:6 proclaims this Good News: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came, at just the right time, and died for us sinners!” So, when was “just the right time?” When we were utterly helpless to save ourselves!  The simple truth is, Man(kind) could not overcome Sin!

God provided the stage for Man’s audition for eternal life. The original spiritual connection that existed between God and Man(kind) was severed in the Garden when sin entered the world. Therefore, we were born into this fallen world without a connection to our Creator. But God, in His ultimate display of unconditional, unending and unfailing love for us, provided a way for that connection to be restored. He provided, through Jesus Christ, the sacrifice that was required for forgiveness of Sin. When we accept Jesus’ payment for OUR sin, that original spiritual connection is restored and we are now in Christ!  Our sins are forgiven and we have inherited eternal life.  John 3:16 confirms this: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life!

When we are born into this world, we all, unbeknownst to us, become actors in this morality play. The role that we play depends on the choices we make. If we are not in Christ, we are controlled by our sin-nature, and the puppeteer pulling our proverbial strings is none other than “the father of lies”, satan. If your life is defined by these characteristics, you reside in the domain of darkness: “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, fear, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, lying, cheating, stealing, and violence.” (Galatians 5: 19-21) You are in the domain of light if your life is defined by these characteristics: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5: 22-23) If you have the courage, take a silent self-evaluation right now.

We must remember that when this world was created, it was paradise; the first inhabitants communed with God, and everything they wanted or needed was provided. But all of that came to an end when Sin entered the world. “And what exactly is Sin”, you ask?  It can be defined as Man(kind) living separated from God, disobedient to His Word and His Will, but with a focus on serving self. This is what keep’s Man(kind) separated from God; God hates sin, and we are ALL are stained with sin. “Why does He hate sin”, you ask? Because sin spreads, contaminates, kills and destroys! Look at what sin has done to this world. Would you describe today’s world as paradise? It was paradise before The Fall.

God set a very high standard for getting into His New Jerusalem (His new, recreated heaven). 1 Peter 1:16 defines the criteria: “You must be holy because I am holy.”  Holy means to be sin-free; to be set aside for a sacred purpose. In other words, if you are stained with sin, you will not get in. God has witnessed what Sin did to His first paradise; it won’t happen in the New Jerusalem, because “only those who’s names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life may enter.” Revelation 21:27)

God does not grade on the curve. His standard is perfection, and there is only one way to meet that standard. When we accept His Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior) we are immediately “justified” (made right) in His eyes. We are now sin-free. We now qualify for eternal life!

The world you see today is Man’s best effort at playing god. Worldly teaching and “New Age” enlightenments have been exalted, and God’s Word has been marginalized, ridiculed, and slandered. The reason these times will be worse than before is because sin will reign, and satan will use every diabolical scheme in his arsenal to destroy God’s children. This is his vengeance against God, because he knows his own fate, and he knows that his time is nigh.

To stand strong against what is sure to be a horrific assault on Christians, and Christianity itself, will be our ultimate challenge. Our faith must be rock solid, and we MUST count on the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. But as Jesus told His followers, “Those who endure to the end will be saved.” Therefore, we must “watch and listen”, and compare -and discern – every new enlightenment, practice and revelation to The Truth of God’s Word. As the Scriptures say, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My Words will NEVER pass away.(Matthew 24:35) Amen!

Feel free to respond to this message, and feel free to share with other social media friends.

May God Bless You abundantly,

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

 

 

 

 

IT’S ONLY FRIDAY…BUT SUNDAY’S COMIN’   #375

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers… I am writing this message on Good Friday at about 10am EST. I suspect that at this time of the day, 2021 years ago, Jesus had already carried His cross to Golgotha, and His body was nailed to the posts. To those gathered around the cross witnessing this event, their emotions, if they could have been measured, would have certainly read “maximum output!”  For the followers of Jesus Christ, the weeping, the sorrow, the deflation, the sense of loss must have been overwhelming. For the representatives of the dark domain, whether it be the Pharisees, the Roman soldiers, the unbelievers, or demonic spirits, this was a day for celebration. They believed they had finally overcome their nemesis, and now they could all regain their prestigious positions of power and control. But, OOOOH were they mistaken! It’s only Friday…but Sunday’s comin’!    Listen to the link below. It’s awesome!

One of my favorite hymns that captures the mournful spirit of that day, and the joyful spirit of today, is “The Old Rugged Cross”. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame.  How I love that old cross where the dearest and best, for a world of lost sinners was slain.  So, I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown. To the old rugged cross, I will ever be true, I’s shame and reproach gladly bear.  Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away, where His glory forever I’ll share.  What powerful words! “Thank you”, George Bennard for writing this hymn in 1912, but a gargantuan, “Thank YOU” to Jesus for what You did on behalf of every person in the world!

The event that took place on that hill outside of Jerusalem changed the world forever.  As Jesus drew His last breath, a very significant happening ensued.  The veil in the temple that separated the holy place from the most holy place (or, the holy of holies) was torn in two from top to bottom. That was significant because the function of the veil was to keep unclean from the clean. In other words, it was the physical barrier that enforced the separation of man from the enthroned God. Only the high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies, and that was once a year on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. The torn curtain represented the removal of that barrier. Now all who are saved can come directly before the throne of God without an intermediary. This event brought to an end the Old Covenant (the sacrificial system) and ushered in the New Covenant.

The sacrificial system was intended to be in place only until the implementation of God’s plan (the New Covenant), as outlined in Ephesians 1: 4-5: “Long ago, even before He created the world (and Man), 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!” Quite unlike the Old covenant, which was dependent on us earning favor with God through our works, the New Covenant is based on faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He sacrificed Himself in our place so our sins could be forgiven. Here is how that works.

Remember, Jesus lived under the Old Covenant. Under the law of Moses, blood (the necessity for life) was required to cover sin. Year after year the high priest would sprinkle the blood of sacrificial animals, such as sheep, rams, bulls, or even turtledoves on the atonement slate of the Arc, then on the people.  This ceremony represented sacrifice, and as such, it covered the people’s sins from the past year. Jesus’ sacrifice, however represented the perfect sacrifice, and was done once for all time. His sacrifice on our behalf was not to cover sin, but to forgive sin. That is why when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, in God’s eyes we are covered with the blood of His Son. In other words, we are now SIN FREE! We qualify for eternal life!  (As stated in Revelation 21:27, “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter (The New Jerusalem), only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”) Our names are in the Lambs Book of Life because “we are now a new creation in Christ! The old is gone; the new has come!  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

As brutal and dark as Good Friday was, it had to be fulfilled in order for God’s Gift of Grace to be manifested. When Jesus walked out of the tomb on that first Easter Sunday, He fulfilled His mission on earth. The bondage of death was overcome, and He became the first of many to be raised to eternal life. If the dark domain had had any idea that this was the fulfillment of God’s plan for our eternal salvation, they never would have crucified Jesus!  We – who are in Christ – inherit that same eternal life. Praise God, and HAPPY EASTER!

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

May God Bless You abundantly,

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