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1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro.
Ronnie Henderson, Song Director "Where
The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught" |
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You Were Asked To Pray For: |
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A Thought From Our Pastor: Already
Condemned! There is
something funny about mankind and the bible; it seems that the simplest
scriptures are the hardest for man to grasp an understanding of. Let’s look closely at what exactly the
scripture says; 1. “He that believeth on him
is not condemned…” – Now in the most simplest terms the Lord Jesus said if we
believe on Him as our Saviour then that person is not condemned. 2. “…but he that believeth
not is condemned already…” - But he that refuses to believe in Jesus as their
Saviour is already condemned; not going to be but already is condemned. 3. “…because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – Now the Lord gives
us the reason for this condemnation, because they have refused to believe on
Jesus Christ as their Saviour. The Lord continues in verse 19 with this
reason “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world…” The
Saviour of mankind has come into the world and the world has refused Him as
their Saviour. 4. “…and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Man in his evil heart would rather dwell in
the darkness of his depraved heart rather than accept Jesus Christ as his
Saviour and therefore man is already condemned. There is
certainly more here than I can possibly cover in this short article however
there is one main point I want to draw your attention to, and that is “…but
he that believeth not is condemned already…” The word “already” means – now
or by this time, however it actually means “from the beginning” because man
has been condemned since Adam eat of the forbidden fruit. Therefore, the
condemnation or the punishment in eternal hell is a sentence cast upon all
and this is why mankind is already condemned. Some seem to think damnation is
coming but Jesus said man is already condemned and that it is not something
to wait for, if you do not believe Jesus Christ and He alone can save you
then you are already condemned. There is no wait and see what judgment holds;
you have already been judged. The second point
here is this; the Lord Jesus said if you do not believe in Him as your
Saviour that you are already condemned. For all of those who believe in other
things such as works, baptism, church membership - association, or etc you
are sadly mistaken and have been grossly misled. The only condemnation in the
bible is for not believing in Jesus Christ as Saviour. This cannot be
accomplished if anything is attached to Him as Saviour. No where else in the
entire bible does it say that we are condemned for not believing or doing
anything else, only for not believing in Jesus Christ. You cannot find one
place where the scriptures say you are condemned for not being baptized, for
not working enough, for not for joining or being associated with a church or
religious origination, or etc. Many will lift their eye after death only to
find that they are in the eternal lake of fire and wonder why. In Revelations
20:11 – 15 we see the lost stand before the Lord Jesus Christ in judgment and
they are judged by there works (just as man desires to be) only to find their works could not save
them and all (100%) of them are cast into the eternal lake of fire forever.
Just read the bible, Jesus would not lie to us, Satan is the liar and has
your heart blinded. |
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Prayer of a Righteous Man It is written:
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.” (James 5:16) {Word study:
“effectual fervent” - energetically active; “prayer” – one of particular
need; “righteous” - a state of being right with God; “availeth”
- prevails by power; “much” - many of number}
Therefore, the idea of the passage is - The energetically active
prayer of need, coming from one who is in a state of rightness with God, has
the power to be granted many positive blessings from the Father. Right interaction results in positive
action. There are three
points to consider: First, the believer must be in an energetically active
communing relationship with the God.
The one praying must not be a stranger before the Throne of
Grace. Second, the prayer must be one
of true need. A “want” is not a
“need.” Careful consideration must be
given to each and every petition. Do
we ask to consume it upon our own lusts; or do we ask according to His will
and to bring glory to His Name? Third,
the one offering up the prayer must be in a state of rightness with God. This is not being right in one’s own eyes;
it is being right by the measure of God.
Does God find the one before Him in a right relationship with
Him? All three of these requirements
are critical and absolutely essential before the “availeth
much” is able to come to fruition.
Prevailing power in prayer demands an energetically active,
thoughtful, state of righteousness with the heavenly Father. Positive blessings will come out of a
positive energetic relationship. How
is your activity with God? There is one
bedrock issue that must always be kept in focus when one is involved in an
energetically active interrelationship with the heavenly Father; that is, all
things must work to the glory of His Holy Name. Failure in this area will cause one to be a
failure in his prayers. Hence, the
believer’s prayers of need must be according to the purposes of God. The one energetically praying with a view
to an honest glorifying of the Father will have power with Him and will enjoy
many of his prayers springing forth with great blessings. Now, how much
energy do you expend in daily prayer?
Do your requests have an end of glorifying the Name of God? Are you asking for needs or wants? How is your state of holy rightness? Measuring the fruits of your prayers will
reveal your measure before God. By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr. |