Personal Thoughts and Ministry

Kingdom living

1/31/2013

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [worthless], shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. (Matthew 5:21-24)

As part of Jesus' Kingdom preaching, He warned of those that would be angry without a cause; those that would demean another as worthless, or callously criticize another's person or character instead of speaking to their thoughts and actions would be worthy of punishment not only by local authorities, but also in judgment of GOD. This is especially true of our family. We have no right or business exhibiting anger that is directed at a person instead of what that person has done (and then only to correct it), nor can we call anyone worthless (regardless of whether it is because of skin color, born or unborn, or old or infirm) that GOD loved enough that He sent His Son to die for them as well, nor can we critically attack people instead of answering their true needs.

GOD tells us that if any of these thoughts, words or deeds that demean or criticize anyone (especially within the Kingdom) have damaged our fellowship and relationship with others, we are to be reconciled first to our brother before we try to worship our GOD. The idea is that unless we are in right relationship and fellowship with those around us, we can not be in good fellowship with our GOD; even if the relationship with Him is secure. And even if this passage refers mostly to the practices and principles that will be lived out during the Millennial Kingdom, it still applies to us who are in the Body of Christ, for we are in His Kingdom.

But for those that are not yet a child of the King, and this is not yet an instruction for you; Those that are still dead in their trespasses and sins are already under judgment for the sins which they have committed. Only By receiving Jesus Christ can anyone outside the Kingdom be born again and enter into Life. GOD loves you and wants you to repent and be a part of His family. Not just in Heaven, but now and always. I pray that you will respond to His invitation to be saved today.

Whatever GOD is saying to you: Respond and rejoice in His love, His word, and His mercy through His Son Jesus Christ.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

Our Holy Creator GOD is Worthy

1/30/2013

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord GOD Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:8-11)

This great doxology of worship and praise; first by the angels that cover the Throne, acknowledging the Thrice Holy GOD who is Three in One. Then the elders of all the saved and made righteous in the blood of the Lamb cast down their rewarded crowns at His feet and worship Jesus Christ as Creator of all things. O that the redeemed would sing His praises as this. One day we will join in this Heavenly praise service and bow before our Creator, Redeemer, and King. That day doesn't have to be a future down-the-road 'by-and-by' day; for we can and should worship our Lord at all times. Every day should be a day of praise and worship of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our GOD, for He is Worthy.

And He came to earth as a man, gave Himself for the sIn of the world that those that don't know Him may receive Him and be born again to eternal life. He is not willing that any should perish, and wants what is best for you. Since He created you, and knew you before you were born, He knows that you can only truly worship Him when you are a new creature in Christ, by faith in Him. Accept His free offer of love, mercy and grace today, and praise Him for what He has done.

If you are one of His, praise Him today, and tell others of what He has done for you.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

The Love of the Father

1/29/2013

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

The admonition from GOD to believing fathers in this passage tells all Christians who are fathers to be consistent. Consistent in rules, consistent in discipline, and consistent in love. Arbitrary rules, lax and indecisive punishment, or variability in love drives a wedge between us and our children, or between siblings. We are to raise all our children to love and worship GOD, obey His commandments, do His work and will as they love others. We are to practice what we preach, and live out GOD's Word to our children. This includes loving our wives not just in word, but in action; loving our children consistently and without playing favorites; and loving and worshiping GOD not just in 'church' but in the home, and where ever we may be.

GOD is our perfect example, for He loves each of us who are His children completely and perfectly. We are to follow His example, as He lives in us and commands us to keep His Word. And, while not yet their Father in faith, He loves those that are not yet His as well. He loved you enough that He sent His Son to die for the sIn of the whole world, and give the condemned a way of escape from the penalty and power of sIn.

Those of you who are not yet children of GOD, that have never repented (turned from your sIn and surrendered to GOD on His terms), and receive Him; are still in His care and He is not willing that any should perish. Come to Him and be born again, and let Him make you the father He wants you to be.

If you are one His children, share Him with others so that they may see the love of the Father in you.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

GOD's Holy Word

1/28/2013

But those things, which GOD before had shewed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which GOD hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:18-21)

The suffering of our Lord for sIn was ordained from the foundation of the world. Since the beginning, GOD has always planned for our redemption through His Son, and the sacrifice He made on the Cross. The life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the GOD-Man who came as a servant and yet is King; is the centerpeice of all History. The Old Testament lays the foundation and then points us forward to the cross and our need of Him. The New Testament builds upon that foundation and points us back to His finished earthly ministry, His work in us, and His coming again for His own.

All Scripture speaks of Christ, He is on every page. We should have the same reverence for His Word as we do for Him, for they are intertwined. You can't truly know the Word of GOD, Jesus Christ; unless and until you learn of Him through the Word of GOD, the Bible. And then, as this passage relates, we repent when we understand ourselves; unrighteous sinners in need of a saviour, and understand Jesus, the righteous GOD-Man who gave Himself to save sinners.

Whether you are an long time saint who has strayed for the Father, or a lost sinner who has never known the Kingdom of GOD; the command is the same: Believe GOD's Word; Repent, that is surrender to GOD on His terms, and receive the forgiveness He has already paid for. For the saint, it is a time of refreshing and renewing as GOD cleanses us from our sIn. For the lost sinner, GOD makes you a new creature in Christ, and you are born again. GOD wants to forgive you, He loves you and wants what is best for you. No matter what your relationship with Him, He calls you to come to Him, and walk with Him by Faith daily.

I pray that you will respond to GOD and His Word today.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

His love, our Joy

1/25/2013

As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (Joh 15:9-12)

Love. Not a feeling or an emotion, but a command. An act of the will. This we are to do: Abide in Christ and Love one another. The result is Joy, not just happiness for that depends on the happenings around us, but real Joy. Joy of the Lord, which is our strength. Joy in our Salvation, which is our security. Joy in His Word, which is our foundation. And, Joy in our Home, for it our Hope. If your not living in Joy today, this passage tells us some of the reasons why you might not be experiencing the joy He gives: Either you are not saved, and are not in His love with GOD as your Father; or you are not loving as He commanded, and so you have lost the Joy that He tells us is ours in obedience.

If you don't have His love abiding in you, because you have never received Him; He calls you to repent, surrender to Him on His terms and be born again.

If you don't have His Joy, but you are one of His; He also calls you to repentance and commands that you love Him and one another that your Joy may be full.

Respond to Jesus today.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

Good, not evil

1/24/2013

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:17-21)

Our all too common response when others act toward us in ways that we feel hurt, or slighted is to lash back at them, or devise a response that ends up being worse than the original trespass. And when believers strike out against the lost, for doing lost people things, they ruin their testimony and their witness. We in the Church need to respond as Jesus did, with love and compassion. That doesn't mean we don't confront error where it exists, but we must understand from whence the sIn comes from and not hurt our brothers and sisters in Christ by our words and our actions in response to their misdeeds. And it is even more important when dealing with lost people whom we are trying to reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the passage states, when we do good to those that are against us, we can overcome their evil ways, and leave the results up to GOD. Leave everything to Him.

For those that are wondering, I can't do that, you may be right because Jesus is not Lord for you. If you have never received Him as your Saviour and surrendered to Him on His terms, you cannot accomplish this; for He says without Me you can do nothing, and He also tells us that those without Christ are dead. But I have good news: He wants to forgive and establish you in the beloved. He is not willing that any should perish and contends with you to be born again and have a brand new life in Him. I pray that you will respond to Him today.

If you are one of His, let Him live in you in obedience to His Word so that others may see and want what you have.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

GOD is faithful.

1/23/2013

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but GOD is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

GOD cares for His children, and wants what is best for us. He is not out to 'get' us, so whenever temptation comes; and it will come, GOD is there with the power, the solution and the strength to overcome. Our problem is we fail to rely on Him all to often. We try to live the Christian life apart from Christ, which is impossible. We try to live our lives apart from the wisdom, power, and strength we get from Jesus Christ; and while we can never apart from the presence of GOD, for the Holy Spirit lives within us, we forget that it is His life for we are not our own. We can't live for Him, and then act as atheists at the same time.

But for those outside, those that do not possess this power, or His presence; He calls you to repent, that is surrender to Him on His terms, and be born again. For until you receive Him by faith, and trust His finished work on the cross for your salvation from sIn, you are under the judgment of GOD and separated from Him. You cannot live the Christian life for you do not yet have Christ. But, GOD is not willing that any should perish, and wants you to become a new creature with a brand new life in Him.

Respond to Jesus in faith today.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

Walking with Jesus

1/22/2013

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Paul's urgent desire for the Christians at Corinth was that they would recognize his servant leadership and do likewise, and doing so would be a follower of Christ, even as he was. This should be each Christians desire, that they serve and lead in such a way that those in their sphere of influence would see Christ in them, and follow them as a follower of Jesus Christ. That doesn't mean we never make mistakes, or that we don't sIn anymore, but it does mean that as we are on this journey in Christ together those who are leading do so as both a fellow-servant and a servant leader. Each of us is a 'Paul' to somebody, or a 'Barnabas' or a 'Timothy'; we each have one (or more) people that we lead, follow, or are encouraged by/encourage in our daily walk with Jesus. It is part of our fellowship in the Body of Christ, His Church and the example we see from the Scriptures. I pray that it is part of your walk as well.

Or you may be outside the family and wondering what all this is about. If you are not yet a believer, have never surrendered to GOD on His terms and put your trust in His finished work, what I am talking about in following Jesus is impossible; for you are not yet one of His. But, GOD wants you to be saved; He is not willing that any should perish. If you don't yet know Him, I pray that you will not let another moment pass before you receive Him.

Respond today to whatever GOD has been saying to you in this message.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

His Family

1/21/2013

But my GOD shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto GOD and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19-20)

All our needs. Not necessarily, and most times not, our wants. He owns it all, He created it all; and through Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him we are adopted brothers and sisters grafted into the family. We are provided all we need, through Him that loves us. Just as a good father gives good things to his children, and provides for their every need, so GOD who is our loving Heavenly Father, takes care of us. His children only suffer when they bring it on themselves, or if GOD is testing our faithfulness and trust in Him. And that also does not mean that our bank accounts will be overflowing, our houses will be large and numerous, our vehicles will be abundant and excessive. GOD knows what we can handle, and also much of our blessings are spiritual not material. We can't start trying to make GOD into some sort of genie, or our butler; for He is GOD Almighty and He will not be mocked. And He is worthy of our fear, our love, our devotion and ALL our worship.

And if your saying to yourself, GOD hasn't met my needs, it may be that He is waiting for you to surrender to Him on His terms so that you will be born again in Faith, and receive the only thing you need right now, salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Then He can begin to take care of you as one of His children instead of a stranger, and lost from GOD.

Receive Him by faith, believing that Jesus is our only saviour so that GOD can pour out His mercy and love and make you a new creature in Christ.

If you are one of His, be obedient to His command to tell all the world the Good News of Jesus Christ and live for Him.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

Stand Strong

1/18/2013

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of GOD, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)

A proper understanding of and observing to do what GOD has said in His Word is essential for the child of GOD. When we go to the scriptures, and properly rely on them for our foundation, especially since they are the final authority for all matters of faith (what we believe) and practice (what we do), we do so with the full assurance that GOD will reveal Himself, His will, and His ways from them. He gives us wisdom, but we have to ask, and believe, and then observe to do what He says. Chasing after each 'new thing' that comes down without standing firmly on the solid rock of scripture will have us chasing the wind and blown away. Our errors in faith and practice come from a departure from GOD's perfect Word.

And those of you outside the Church cannot understand this, because as lost sinners you cannot understand the things of GOD for they are Spiritually discerned. But, GOD is not willing that anyone should perish so He tells us that Faith; Faith in Him, and His finished work, comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of GOD. The Scriptures, making us wise unto salvation are from GOD, and are profitable for all the things we think and do; both right and wrong, so that we can become perfect in Christ. That is the eternal life that GOD calls all people to when He says we must be born again to see, that is understand the Kingdom of GOD. I pray that you will receive Him today by faith, surrendering to Him on His terms and observe to do His Will and His Word.

If you already know Him, share Jesus with everyone you meet.

In Christ,
Jefferson A. Sweet

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