Not1Lost

What's in a Name?

2013-06-15T14:51:53Z

Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

To know Jesus Christ’ name in today’s understanding is solely based on the parents preference at the time, and means very little most, other than how to address someone. In the culture of that day, as well as the way in which God had used names throughout the OT names had great significances. A person was named according to what his or her nature, character, and purpose in life would be. This leads us to the need to find the Meaning of the name in order to know God’s specific, special, unique, purpose for creating this new individual. The name would be a Revelation and Prophecy of what that person would Be And Accomplish in his or her life! Consequently, you can be sure this is exactly what would come about; God’s Word does not fail – Ever! Let’s look at this scripture in a fuller translation.

Matthew 1:21 (The Message)

“She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘GOD SAVES’—because he will save his people from their sins.”

What exactly does this mean? Let’s let the Scriptures explain themselves.

John 1:29 (NIV)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!

1 John 2:12 (NIV)

I am writing to you, dear children,

because YOUR SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN ON ACCOUNT OF HIS NAME.

Romans 5:18–19 (NIV)

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act RESULTED IN JUSTIFICATION AND LIFE FOR ALL PEOPLE. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be MADE RIGHTEOUS.

That pretty much includes all of us, we are all sinners, and were made that way. Praise God though, all these many disobedient sinners will be made righteous because of Jesus’ obedience! Furthermore, thank God Jesus did not come to condemn all these unrighteous, disobedient, sinners; but His one righteous act gave justification and Life to all people! Hallelujah!

That, according to scripture, friends, is what is condensed into that most blessed and lovely name JESUS! And that is Real Good News! The Gospel! Not for just some, but for ALL PEOPLE!

Luke 2:10–11 (ESV)

”And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you GOOD NEWS of great joy that will be FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

According to E4’s Greek lexicon, based on Thayer’s and Brown-Driver-Briggs work, the definition of the name ‘Jesus’ is this:

Ιησους Strongs No: 2424

Jesus = “Jehovah is salvation”

Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate.

So now we see that the name given to Jesus was a Revelation and Prophecy of the purpose of his birth and what He would surely Be, Do, and Accomplish in His life; guaranteed by the Word of God!

This lines up with all the scriptures which tell of The Lord Himself proclaiming his mission and purpose as well as revelations written by the apostles. Let’s look at a few.

John 3:17 (NIV)

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

This reveals to us what God in naming and sending His Son into the world did not intend for Him to do; and what God did intend for him to do. Pretty simple isn’t it – Not to condemn the world, but to save the world!

Jesus echoes and emphasizes this later on in his ministry.

John 12:47 (NIV)

“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

Much later the apostle John in his first letter to the church gives us his own testimony of Jesus’ mission as given by The Father.

1 John 4:14 (NIV)

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Well, now we are left with a decision, are we going to believe in Jesus Christ’ Name? or not? Are we going to BELIEVE that Jesus accomplished his purpose and mission, or did He fail? Is He The “SAVIOR OF THE WORLD” or not? Friends, this is what “Believing” in Jesus Christ really means according to the bible. If Jesus Christ does not save the world, he is not the savior of the world. If Jesus does save the world He IS the savior of the world.

Do you Believe this?

Peace,

Pastor Dennis DDC

Is God God or Not?

2013-05-16T21:42:53Z

FREE WILL ? HOW MUCH ?

Pastor Dennis Friday, May 30, 2008 at 6:35PM

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD, FREE WILL AND PREDESTINATION

Dan 4:17 NIV.
"'The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.'
Dan 4:25 NIV.
You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.

(Job 25:2 MSG)
"God is sovereign, God is fearsome-- everything in the cosmos fits and works in his plan.

Rom 11:33 NrIV
How very rich are God's wisdom and knowledge! How he judges is more than we can understand! The way he deals with people is more than we can know!

I am writing this article in response to the question I am asked so frequently when I share my faith in universal reconciliation or the salvation of all. The question is “what about my free will?” Can someone not choose to go to an eternal burning everlasting torture pit? Do you really think they would, given the chance and ability to understand as you do? Well I do agree that we do have free will but it is limited by the sovereign will of almighty God. As my good friend Dr. Lovelace once said to me “yes I have free will, just like my free will to get up and go to the restroom when I’m on an airplane” but you’re not getting off the plane. Like any loving parent we will put limits on our childrens activities for their good and safety; while allowing enough freedom to learn to make wise decisions.

I believe God as a loving Heavenly Father has given us a free will as a necessity for the process of maturity that we all must go through. We have to be able to make choices to learn which ones are right and which ones have let’s say, uncomfortable results. We must learn through discipline, which is the purpose of all allowance of mistakes and the following consequences. But I do not think our loving Heavenly Father sits back and just carelessly watches His children send themselves to an eternal everlasting burning hell saying “my hands are tied, I gave them free will that rules over my will to save them, and they have made their choice, there is nothing I can do.” What a absurd picture of Almighty God. Some will say well yes but when your children are grown and out on their own there is nothing you can do; they are making their own decisions. That is true for you; but let remind you that you are not God; He has a little more power than you do over the circumstances that will change the child’s mind than you do. We all are guilty of making the mistake of lowering God to our level of reasoning within the paradigm of this physical realm. God says “my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways says The LORD; as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my thoughts than your thoughts and my ways than your ways” Isa. 58:8-9. God lives in the realm of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence where the possibilities are limitless and so are God’s mercy, grace, and love.

The captain of this earth ship has a steady strong hand at the wheel. There is no storm so strong or waves so high or passengers so rude, unruly and disruptive that He will ever lose control or get off course. We will all come to our desired haven. Now who is on the captains crew, who the officers are, who have special earned privileges, who eats in the executive dinning room, and who is just along for the ride and who is barely hanging on to the rail is another topic for another time.

Chance ?

Be careful with words like....luck.....accident......and......chance. To use these words to describe any occurrence is to show our ignorance of all that is involved in the initiation of the situation at hand. Just because we do not know how or why or cannot explain how something happens does not mean that it happened be chance. It means we are ignorant of the facts. The very nature of creation is that for action or event there is a cause. To reason any event to chance is to say that there is no design or plan to the moral of physical world and universe. Therefore a lack of trust in the creator’s ability to create a sound and sane creation.

Wind it up ?

Some think that the world was created by God; that He just wound it up and let it go; but that He still intervenes in the BIG things. They believe that He pretty much leaves the small stuff to chance or human free will; and is not concerned with the small stuff. After all "God did give us our free will to handle these things; and it is up to us to work it out" so they think. To think this way is to completely ignore the established reality of how things happen. All Big things or Great things begin with a small occurrence; an oak tree does not grow overnight. A scientist does not know the answer to the big questions until he goes through a series of small experiments leading up to the discovery of how the larger picture fits together. Jesus started what we call Christianity today with twelve students and he even began that group by picking the first one. All things have a small beginning somewhere back down the line. So then I submit that God must be involved in the small things in order to be involved in the big things.

We must not forget that Jesus said that God numbers the hairs of our head and knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. God feeds the birds and causes the lily’s to grow. Yes God is intimately involved with the small details of the daily on-goings of planet earth and our personal lives. And this leads to the fact that everyone who knows God is aware that they have a daily personal relationship in which they know that God has done very small things for them. Just because He loves them.

(Mat 10:30 MSG)
He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail--even numbering the hairs on your head!

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD:

To say that God is God; is to say that He is sovereign; He is the most high ruler over all. And to say that He is not sovereign; is to say that He is not God. Actually the very word Sovereign cannot mean a partial rule or control. The meaning of sovereign according to Webster’s dictionary is: Supreme in power; possessing supreme dominion; as a sovereign ruler of the universe. The bible calls God - The LORD, "absolute sovereignty" is the meaning of the underlying Greek word used for "LORD". The definition in the Complete Wordstudy Dictionary says: "Adonay"; A masculine noun used exclusively of God. An emphatic form of the word "adon", It is often used in place of the divine name YHWH This designation points to the supreme authority or power of God. The word was often combined with the divine name to reinforce the idea of God's matchlessness. He is either Lord of all or not Lord at all.

There are basically three theological views on the Sovereignty of God which are included in the position one holds on the nature and character of God. That is, your particular theological position or belief system. Ninety percent of Christian churches teach one of the first two I will cover. If you don’t believe me ask your pastor or check out a book on theology. I am a little more outspoken in the way I express these views than some; but nevertheless here they are.

The three views on the absolute sovereignty of God and "predestination" (which automatically comes with sovereignty). Seeing that absolute sovereignty would include the control of all things therefore the destiny or the destination of all things under the control of the sovereign God = PRE-DESTINATION.

1) Calvinist: The teaching of Calvinist theology leads to believe that it is the sovereign will of God to save a few and send most of humanity to an eternal hell. The saved are predestined to salvation and cannot be otherwise. And the lost are predestined to go to an eternal everlasting burning hell and cannot be otherwise. This is where the doctrine of "once saved always saved" comes from but most will not admit it; just ask them if they believe that they were "predestined" to be saved. The flip side of that would logically be "once damned always damned".

2) Arminian: The second prevailing theological position is the arminian view that sees God as sovereign, but somehow gives up that sovereignty and allows man to be sovereign over God's will (what is called free will) therefore giving man the ability to "choose an eternal hell" which is totally illogical unless he didn’t know what he was doing, which would not be a choice but an accident. And God would no longer be in control and God of His creation but had "allowed" it to become a chaotic accident with mankind at the controls. So then it would still be by God's sovereign will that this all happened because it was by His sovereign will that "He chose" to allow it; and in so doing predestined most of humanity to this eternal everlasting burning hell they ended up in by choice or accident.

3) Universal Salvation: The third theological position is universal salvation, reconciliation or restoration; All just different ways of saying the same thing. This position believes that God is Absolutely Sovereign in all of His creation (He really is God) and is working out His sovereign will in the predestination of all things for the salvation of all, reconciliation of all and restoration of all. We believe this will take place because it is God's will for it to be so. And God being absolutely sovereign His plan and purpose of the ages cannot be thwarted by anyone or anything.

A) Because God is omnipotent - all powerful, He has all the power He needs to do whatever He wants, or sovereignty wills to do.

B) Because God is omniscient - knows all things, He would know exactly how a thing would work out before he began it and therefore would cause it to work to bring about his sovereign will.

C) Because God is omnipresent - is everywhere in all time, He is always present in all situations to work out his sovereign will; and sees that it is completed.

SOME LAST BUT NOT LEAST POINTS TO CONSIDER:

God is Love; and loves all. 1Jhn. 4:8-10 Jhn. 3:16

God sent His Son into the world to "save the world". Jhn. 3:17

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. 1Jhn. 3:8

Jesus said I have come to do the Father's will. Mat. 26:39,

Jesus came to take away the sin of the world Jhn. 1:29

God said that He would unify "all things in Christ" Eph. 1:10

God said that "every" knee would bow and "every" tongue confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Isa 45:23, Rom. 14:11, Php. 2:10-11

God said that He "wills" all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. 1Tim. 2:3-6

God said that He is "not willing" that "any" should perish. 2Pet. 3:9

Jesus said that "if I am lifted up I will draw all people to myself" John 12:32 (the literal translation of "draw" here is "drag" I think it means "irresistible" in today’s language)

God said that there is coming a time when He will "restore all things" Acts 3:21

God said that the same people that were made sinners by Adams fall will be made righteous by Jesus Christ obedience. Rom. 5:18-19

God said He would have mercy on "all" Rom. 11:32

God said that "in Christ "all" will be made alive - given life 1 Cor. 15:22

God said that He will be "all in all". 1 Cor. 15:28

God said that He reconciled "the world" to Himself in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:19

God said that "works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will" Eph. 1:11

God said that, (through the church which is His body) in the ages to come He will fill everything in every way. Eph. 1:23 NIV

God said that Jesus ascended in order to "fill all things" Eph. 4:10

God said that by the working of His power He will "subdue all things to Himself." Php. 3:21

God said that nothing is too hard for Him. Jer. 32:17

God said nothing is impossible with Him. Luke 1:37

God said that He "made peace through the blood of Jesus cross, to reconcile all things to Himself through Him" Col. 1:20

God said that He was "the savior of "all" men". 1Tim. 4:10

God said:

2Sa 14:14 NET
Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored.

Isa 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

(Act 17:28 NIrV)
"In him we live and move and exist.' As some of your own poets have also said, 'We are his children.'

Well what do YOU THINK?

Did God do what He said He would do or did He just give it a good try but failed?
Do you think God is able to finish what He started? Do you think the devil will be victorious in bringing many more into hell than God can get saved? Or is Jesus victorious and the cross a complete success and His blood was not shed in vain but really did take away the sin of the world? Can we really trust God with all of this?

I trust "MY HEAVENLY FATHER" nothing is too hard for Him; He can do anything.

Rev. Dennis D. Caldwell

Let Me Tell You A Secret... God Gets What He Wants...

2013-05-04T19:31:36Z

Pssst Let me tell you a secret… God gets what He wants…

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, - until he finds it? (Luke 15:4 NKJV)

This is good and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth. For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved, (1 Timothy 2:3-6 GNT)

he let us know his secret plan. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ. God’s goal was to finish his plan when the right time came. He planned that all things in heaven and on earth be joined together with Christ as the head. In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people. God had already planned for us to be his people, because that is what he wanted. And he is the one who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.

(Ephesians 1:9-11 ERV)

Does God get what He wants? I would say He does, He is GOD! Some blasphemies have been taught that say God doesn’t want all people to be saved. Obviously this is a direct contradiction of God’s revealed will, plan, and redemptive purposes in the scriptures.

The Apostle Paul was especially elected and chosen to see, understand, and share many truths hitherto unknown to most. Paul wrote two thirds of the New Testament as we have it today; by the way, he never taught an eternal torment doctrine or even mentioned hell at all… Even The Apostle Peter later said that many things Paul wrote were “Hard to understand”. I don’t think it was that he himself didn’t understand them; it was just that he knew some would find his teaching hard to believe, since they clearly understood it then in the original languages of their day; Not like us who have to weed out all the mistranslations and religious cover-ups to see the truth in them.

Yes, God, in His supreme sovereignty and providence, planned and purposed all along to reconcile and redeem all humanity in Christ. Nevertheless, in His wisdom knew it was not best to fully reveal this to everyone until our coming of age and mature ability to handle it. Are you ready? This is The Real Good News - the best news the world has ever, or will ever, hear in this age! Even in The Apostle Paul’s day many could not take it in, this is why Paul says it is a ‘Secret Plan’ or a ‘mystery’ to those uninitiated in the deeper revelations of The Divine Plan. The underlying word in the scripture for ‘mystery’ or ‘secret plan’ in this passage is:

**3466. μυστήριον mustḗrion; gen. mustēríou, neut. noun from mústēs (n.f.), a person initiated into sacred mysteries, which is from muéō (3453), to initiate, learn a secret. A secret, or esoteric knowledge.”

***28.77 μυστήριον, ου n: the content of that which has not been known before but which has been revealed to an in-group or restricted constituency—‘secret, mystery.’ ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ‘the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you’ Mt 13:11. There is a serious problem involved in translating μυστήριον by a word which is equivalent to the English expression ‘mystery,’ for this term in English refers to a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand. In many instances μυστήριον is translated by a phrase meaning ‘that which was not known before,’ with the implication of its being revealed at least to some persons.”

Jesus also spoke of these ‘Mysteries’…

Matthew 11:25 (NKJV)

“At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have

hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” ( Lk 10:21-24 )

There are many more, but for a few more Ref. Mt 13:11-12; 16:17; Mk 4:11-12

Yes even when we do not know or understand something - when we’re in the dark so to speak… God, according to his will, not ours, in His timing, gives the elect knowledge and insight into His plans and purposes. This of course, is also for them to share with others as they are led by the Spirit.

Psalm 16:7 (LEB)

I will bless Yahweh who advises me;

yes, at night my _⌊innermost being_⌋ instructs me.

****Str 3915; TWOT 1111—LN 67.192 night, i.e., a period of time from the setting to the rising of the sun, so with a focus of lacking light

Jesus Himself said:

John 16:12–13 (NCV)

“I have many more things to say to you, but they are too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words, but he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come.”

Jesus had not given them “All” the truth yet, so that they could understand it anyway. Christ saved that mission for the one He had chosen to explain and share it - The Apostle Paul through the Spirit of Christ continuing to teach those who had “ears to hear”. The Disciples were still stuck in the “us and them” mode as was obvious by some of their statements. Paul would later shake them out of that tree!

It’s not that Jesus Christ and many others, hadn’t already said it plainly before, they, and He had ( Ref. Ps 22:27, Is 25:8, 45:22-23, 65:1, Lk 2:10, Jn 1:29, 3:17, 12:32, 12:47, Act 3:21 ) it was just that the disciples and most others were not yet able to take in the full meaning of his words. Jesus said many times that The Father had sent Him to save the world and that He would fully accomplish His mission. It just went right over the heads of most, He knew that and actually intended it to - they weren’t ready…

The Apostle Paul would make this clear to all in his later writing to the churches.

1 Corinthians 2:10–14 (NKJV)

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Ephesians 3:1–7 (NKJV)

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

It should be understood that the word ‘Gentiles’ here means - the rest of the world; other than Israel and specifically the Jews.

**1484. ἔθνος éthnos; gen. éthnous, neut. noun. A multitude, people, race, belonging and living together.

(I) Generally in Acts 8:9, the people or inhabitants of Samaria (see Acts 8:5). In Acts 17:26, the whole race of mankind. See also 1 Pet. 2:9; Sept.: 2 Chr. 32:7; Is. 13:4. Spoken of a flock or a swarm in Class. Gr.

(II) In the sense of nation, people, as distinct from all others (Matt. 20:25; Mark 10:42; Luke 7:5; John 11:48, 50; Acts 7:7; 10:22; Sept.: Gen. 12:2; Ex. 1:9; 33:13; Deut. 1:28).

(III) In the Jewish sense, tá éthnē, the nations, means the Gentile nations or the Gentiles in general as spoken of all who are not Israelites and implying idolatry and ignorance of the true God, i.e., the heathen, pagan nations (Matt. 4:15; 10:5; Mark 10:33; Luke 2:32; Acts 4:27; 26:17; Rom. 2:14; 3:29; Sept.: Neh. 5:8, 9; Is. 9:1; Ezek. 4:13; 27:33, 36; 34:13; Jer. 10:3).

ALL the rest of us! The rest of the World! Praise God!

There was much more I could have added to this, but I am sharing this short essay in hopes that the eyes of some will see and be comforted, encouraged, and emboldened to go out and share The Real Good News!

Romans 16:25–27 (NKJV)

“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for *obedience to the faith— 27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”

Pastor Dennis DDC.

* ”Obedience to the faith” The word ‘obedience’ here ST. GK 5218 is better rendered ‘saying “yes” to’ as one answering someone in higher authority - Say yes to the faith.

**Zodhiates, S. 2000. The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers: Chattanooga, TNLouw, J. P., & Nida, E. A.

***Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.). United Bible Societies: New York

****Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) Harbor: Inc.

When Faith Fails

2013-05-02T15:33:56Z

2 Timothy 2:11–13 (NKJV)

11 This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him.

12If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He also will deny us.

13If we are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.

The word “deny” here is interesting. In the Louw Nida Greek-English Lexicon it is number 88.231 “ἀρνέομαιf: to behave in a way which is untrue to one’s real self, in a sense of denying certain valid aspects of one’s personality—‘to be false to oneself, to be untrue to oneself.’ ἐκεῖνος πιστὸς μένει, ἀρνήσασθαι γὰρ ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται ‘he remains faithful, for he cannot be false to himself’ 2 Tm 2:13. It is possible in some languages to translate ‘he cannot be false to himself’ in 2 Tm 2:13 as ‘he cannot be different from what he really is’ or ‘he cannot be otherwise than good.” God cannot and will not do, be, or judge otherwise than he has promised to be or do in His word. If we follow this thought through it gets even more glorious!

God has made many promises in the scriptures which cannot be denied about His plan and redemptive purposes to save all humanity through Christ Jesus Cross, Death, and Resurrection; an overwhelming Victory over the devil, sin, and death, Amen.

It will be much better for us if we acknowledge that now, trust Him now, believe it now. Which will enable us to enjoy a much happier, prosperous, healthy life here and now. Nevertheless… God cannot be untrue to Himself and His promises and will carry out and accomplish all his promises, plans and purposes in the end; even if we deny it now for us individually, He never will!

Isaiah 45:23 (NCV)

“I will make a promise by my own power,

and my promise is true;

what I say will not be changed.

I promise that everyone will bow before me

and will promise to follow me.”

John 1:29 (NCV)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 3:17 (NIV)

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 12:32 (NIrV)

“But I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself.”

John 12:47 (NKJV)

“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”

Acts 3:21 (NIV)

“Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

Romans 5:19 (NIV)

“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”

Romans 11:32 (NIV)

“For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 (NKJV)

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Ephesians 1:10 (NKJV)

“that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.”

Philippians 2:10–11 (NKJV)

“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Colossians 1:20 (NKJV)

“and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

1 Timothy 2:3–6 (KJV 1900)

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

1 John 2:2 (NCV)

“He died in our place to take away our sins, and not only our sins but the sins of all people.”

1 John 4:14 (NIrV)

“The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. We have seen it. We give witness to it.”

Revelation 5:13 (The Message)

Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:

To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!

The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,

For age after age after age.

2 Timothy 2:11–13 (The Message)

“This is a sure thing:

If we die with him, we’ll live with him;

If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him;

If we turn our backs on him, he’ll turn his back on us;

If we give up on him, he does not give up—

for there’s no way he can be false to himself.”

Hallelujah!

Amen, and so be it,

And it is so…

Pastor Dennis DDC

11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
The word “deny” here is interesting. In the Louw Nida Greek-English Lexicon it is number 88.231 “ἀρνέομαιf: to behave in a way which is untrue to one’s real self, in a sense of denying certain valid aspects of one’s personality—‘to be false to oneself, to be untrue to oneself.’ ἐκεῖνος πιστὸς μένει, ἀρνήσασθαι γὰρ ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται ‘he remains faithful, for he cannot be false to himself’ 2 Tm 2:13. It is possible in some languages to translate ‘he cannot be false to himself’ in 2 Tm 2:13 as ‘he cannot be different from what he really is’ or ‘he cannot be otherwise than good.” God cannot and will not do, be, or judge otherwise than he has promised to be or do in His word. If we follow this thought through it gets even more glorious!
God has made many promises in the scriptures which cannot be denied about His plan and redemptive purposes to save all humanity through Christ Jesus Cross, Death, and Resurrection; an overwhelming Victory over the devil, sin, and death, Amen.
It will be much better for us if we acknowledge that now, trust Him now, believe it now. Which will enable us to enjoy a much happier, prosperous, healthy life here and now. Nevertheless… God cannot be untrue to Himself and His promises and will carry out and accomplish all his promises, plans and purposes in the end; even if we deny it now for us individually, He never will!
Isaiah 45:23 (NCV)
“I will make a promise by my own power,and my promise is true;what I say will not be changed.I promise that everyone will bow before meand will promise to follow me.”
John 1:29 (NCV)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 3:17 (NIV)
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 12:32 (NIrV)
“But I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself.”
John 12:47 (NKJV)
“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
Acts 3:21 (NIV)
“Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”
Romans 5:19 (NIV)
“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 11:32 (NIV)
“For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”
2 Corinthians 5:18–19 (NKJV)
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
Ephesians 1:10 (NKJV)
“that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.”
Philippians 2:10–11 (NKJV)
“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Colossians 1:20 (NKJV)
“and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
1 Timothy 2:3–6 (KJV 1900)
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
1 John 2:2 (NCV)
“He died in our place to take away our sins, and not only our sins but the sins of all people.”
1 John 4:14 (NIrV)
“The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. We have seen it. We give witness to it.”
Revelation 5:13 (The Message)Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,For age after age after age.2 Timothy 2:11–13 (The Message)
“This is a sure thing:If we die with him, we’ll live with him;If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him;If we turn our backs on him, he’ll turn his back on us;If we give up on him, he does not give up—for there’s no way he can be false to himself.”
Hallelujah!Amen, and so be it,And it is so…
Pastor Dennis DDC

"The Apostle Paul is Coming to My Church to Preach!"

2013-04-05T19:28:30Z

What Would The Apostle Paul’s Preaching be Like?

If you had the Apostle Paul come and preach at your church what do you think he would preach about? “Well he would read some verses about how we have to repent or burn then give an alter call for people to come forward and repeat the sinners poem, I mean prayer, tell them to get baptized, and take his money and go to the next town; right?”…WRONG! The Apostle Paul never told people to repent or burn in hell. He didn’t even mention the place preachers today call hell, Huh? No not one time…YOU WOULD THINK IF THE ETERNAL TORMENT DOCTRINE WHERE TRUE IT WOULD BE A PRETTY BIG MISTAKE TO FORGET TO MENTION IT. Seeing he wrote two thirds of the New Testament. It would be quite unfair to those who, then, and now put their trust in his teaching wouldn’t you say?

He did use one word that is translated hell (Hades) in other places once, and there he said it was defeated and had no victory in holding anyone. In 1 Corinthians 15:49-57 here he talks about how just as we all were born into this physical realm and life through Adam, in the same way we all will also be born into the spiritual realm and life through the victory accomplished by the defeat of death and the grave (hades) through the cross of Jesus Christ.

OK, well then He would at least get them to come up front and say the sinners prayer to be sure they really believed, right?…..Nope, WRONG AGAIN! Not one time is any such thing recorded in scripture; no praying a sinners prayer, no walking an isle or kneeling at an alter. These are all fine if they help you believe, but Jesus and Paul simply told people to believe, He said that was enough, He did not add anything to it. Besides that anyone knows that believing in Gods salvation is a “process” we go through and “grow” into; it is not a “ONE TIME EVENT” that happened on such and such a date at nine in the morning at the first church.

You might be saying “well I know ole Paul would have at least taken them down to the river and baptized them” Nope! He didn’t focus on baptism at all, in fact he said he was not even called to baptize, but to preach the Good News. In 1 Corinthians 1:14-17 in this same context Paul said that the power of salvation was in the hearing and believing the message (see also Rom. 1:16) not in any act following that hearing; although Baptism is a confirming and affirming outward event that can be beneficial to ones faith and walk with the Lord as He Himself was baptized to show it is beneficial to following Him.

Your saying by now he probably didn’t take his pay and go to the next town either. You would be right most of the time. Paul usually tried to work with his own hands to support himself as a tentmaker; so as not to be a burden to anyone or appear to be wanting to prosper from the gospel. Although at the same time he made clear that was a personal preference and that ministers should be paid for their labor as “we should not muzzle an ox as he treads out the grain” in his words.
Not quite the picture of a modern day preacher you thought he would be was it?
Oh yeah by all means check me out and leave a comment; especially if you find I am in error, as I will need to correct it as soon as possible. But if it’s OK with you I am going to go on about my business. I quit waiting for answers to these types of things a long time ago .

Peace,
Pastor Dennis DDC