Do You Smell Good To God?

Do You Smell Good To God?
Here is how to answer:

Do you believe Jesus died and rose again for your sins? Do you follow Him by grace (that means, He did the work to save you, you can't save yourself) and by His Holy Spirit?

 If you believe and follow Jesus Christ as the Lord, Saviour, and interactive Leader of your personal life, then you smell good to God!
Want proof? Here it is:

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 in the Holy Bible:
The Geneva Version says:
2Co 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always maketh us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2Co 2:15 For we are unto God the sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them which perish.

The English Standard version says:
2Co 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
2Co 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
So offer your worship this Christmas day, and everyday, and it will be a spiritual kind of frankincense, just like the literal frankincense that the wise men offered Christ when he was 2 years old.

Romans 12:1-2
Rom 12:1 I Beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye give up your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable serving of God.
Rom 12:2 And fashion not your selves like unto this world, but be ye changed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God is.

ESV:
Rom 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Let us worship Him, Christ Jesus the Lord. As the Geneva and the English Standard versions of the Bible put it, surrender your bodies (turn away from sin and lust and accept Jesus' blood payment for your sin) and offer your thanks, praise, prayer, worship, and service to Him. This is the reasonable  and spiritual thing to do on Christmas, and every day!

Merry Christmas to you all. God Bless,
Pastor Curtis

Meme Commentary: I Was Reborn This Way

Inventions require instructions from the inventor

I saw a post that describes to me, a more and more prevalent attitude today. It starts off as "motivational" and "inspirational", but then becomes quite defiant. Allow me to show you an example I found posted on a social media website.

There were two unsavoury words that have been censored to spare our sensibilities. As a side note, swearing is not only vulgar, but it shows a lack of knowledge of the language being spoken. A lack of thought and display of rebellion is what the above photo is showing.

I got thinking about the assertion in this social media viral image that the pipe "can be a towel rack" if it believes. Who invented the pipe? Is it a water pipe? Gas pipe? If it is a pipe, then the inventor and builder of that pipe would be the one to tell us how it is used. Correct? If it was a case of a person selecting a career or developing a hobby, I can agree: pursue your passion and don't let the world stop you! But the poster is not addressing a career choice or a hobby, it is addressing a way of life, and more essentially, an identity.  See, if the pipe is free to live like a paper towel dispenser, then why doesn't it? One reason is that it doesn't open on one side to allow the roll to be inserted. Why doesn't it open? It was not designed that way. Besides, if it could, then whatever was in the pipe will come out and leak! That is potentially harmful, or at least messy. So if the inventor and architect of the house wants a paper towel dispenser, he would build one. That is a matter of identity. The issue here, is that the poster is not just encouraging us to chase our dreams in jobs and hobbies and causes (which I agree with), it is telling us something much more serious. It is asserting erroneously that you can change your identity all by yourself. But identity is not for the pipe or the cat to decide. Identity comes from the source. What, you may ask is the source? A better question is "Who" is the source! The answer? The Inventor is the source!

Identity Comes from the Inventor. Identity Determines Function. Changing function does not change identity.

It was an inventor, a person, that gave the pipe in that picture its identity AND function. And it is the same with that cat. It was the Inventor, The Lord, who gave that cat its identity as a cat. The cat may act like a towel but it will never be a towel. That is because function and identity are two separate yet related issues. You, like the pipe and the cat, cannot set your own identity or change it by yourself. Your natural identity was determined by your parents and natural family line. Your spiritual identity can only be found in your Heavenly Father, through Jesus.

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Joh 14:7  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."  

Jesus is showing us His identity by relating to His Father. The natural principal reflects the spiritual.

 It is the One who brings us forth that gives us our identity. And out of that identity flows the actions accordingly.
You cannot change your identity by changing your features, or by acting differently. You cannot really change your identity at all. You can only come to Jesus and let Him RESTORE your identity. That identity that Adam and Eve lost ( "children of God" ) is now restored to you and to me! There are rights and privileges that come with such a powerful identity. And ANYONE who is hungry can come to Jesus!

The Bible teaches that our identity comes from the one who invented Heaven and earth. He invented Humans. He invented the marriage union between one man and one woman. He invented and designed human relationships. He is the One in Whom all things consist. He is perfect. Thus, He made no mistakes in His original design. Because of mankind's choice to sin, we ruined what He made. But Jesus has restored us to the Father, (the Inventor/Creator). He has restored us to not only our original function, but our original identity! This identity can only be found in the one who made you and died for your sins, and rose again on the third day!

Joh 5:24 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

So, according to Jesus, above, it is not about believing what YOU think, it is about believing what the FATHER says through JESUS!
Jesus promises you today, that if you believe Him, you are protected from judgement for your sin. He forgives all who turn from sin and believe on HIM! That is GREAT news! It is not religion or mankind that saves you, but pure grace (unearned favour) from JESUS to you! It is a relationship to your inventor, a reunion.

So when the poster above deals with "believing" it is getting the source wrong. You are not the source, you cannot invent or give identy to yourself truly. You weren't there when you were being made. Thus, the TRUE source is Jesus! HE is the one to Believe! He is the one who made you and can identify you and GIVE you identity. It is time to receive Jesus:


John 1:12-13 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Ah! And here is where your true identity kicks in. Once you are reunited with the One who made you, He identifies you as His child! Only those who believe Jesus have the power or right to be children of God. That is what the Word of God says. And once you do believe in Jesus, your identity is restored. You are now a child of God, a son or a daughter of the most high. You have rights in the King! He tells you what you are made for. He shows you with His own earthly example how to live life by faith. Don't try to invent or reinvent your self. You were born into sin, but God wants you to be "Reborn this way"!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Joh 3:4  Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'



I was reborn this way, Jesus tells me who I am! 

Look not to a man, but to The Man.

 "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," (I TIMOTHY 2:5)

Act 11:15-16 KJV "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost."
To my Christian US friends:
As I was praying for you and the wellbeing of your country today and yesterday, I have felt the Lord telling me prophectically, that "the answer is not in a man, but in The Man." Start to expect supernatural miracles and wonders in Jesus' Name. Jesus' Spirit is the One Who will make the difference here! The book of Acts does not have the words "The End". The Holy Spirit is still writing that book through you and me. Expect the extraordinary. We have recently been experiencing healings and power from God in our Canadian church in Newmarket, Ontario. To name some examples of the Holy Spirit's presence and interactive healing power in our church:

1) Pulled muscles have been healed,
2) a popped knee has been made whole,
3) a spine has been straightened.

That's just a few real examples from this year. Why? Because the Holy Spirit moves like He promised to in the Book of Acts! Jesus is the same yesterday, today, forever. So is His Spirit.
Jesus commands every believer:
Mar 16:15-20 ESV And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]

In The King James, it says the same thing... a believer is to expect power and healings in Jesus' Name:

Mar 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mar 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mar 16:17  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mar 16:18  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mar 16:19  So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Mar 16:20  And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
It's time for us all to stop looking to man for solutions and look to Jesus and ask Him to follow us with signs and wonders as He does for all Spirit-covered believers. The believers in the book of Acts faced harsh governments and thrived. You are not less important to God than those believers, threrefore God does not play favourites. If He baptized them, then He will baptize you if you ask. He is waiting on us to turn to Him! Through the recent events of this American election, I can see that God is wanting our attention... the real answer lies in living out the Word of God by the Spirit of God. Ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and He will give it to you. The Holy Spirit does not distinguish between "evangelical" and "pentecostal" believers. He simply pours out Power on those believers who ask! Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Methodists... it doesn't matter what your denomination is... all you need to do is ASK and the Holy Spirit will baptize you in Himself with power for Preaching, tongues, and miracles!

See, the day for looking to man is over. This past election shows that no man is perfect. There are some serious problems. God wants our attention fixed on Jesus. We can't reach our full Christian destiny in our own strength and with our own forms of government. Yes, we still respect all forms of government, as it is God who sets up and God who takes it down. For example, God has removed leaders in our province of Onatrio here in Canada. God will put a new leader in place when He chooses. And yes, we should still pray for the leaders of our countries. God can and does work through them.

But no longer is it enough to expect the leaders to fix everthing. We must turn repent, and face the Lord and ask Him to change us, baptize us in His Spirit individually. More than just a natural country like Canada or The US, you and I are a spiritual nation, the Israel of God through Jesus Christ. Read Galatians 3:28 and Galatians 6. The Israel of God is the Nation which has no Prime Minister like Canada and natural Israel do. And, it has no President like the US. Instead YOUR spiritual-national leader is Jesus. He is KING of the Israel of God, made up of both natural Jews and Gentiles. His kingdom, Spiritual Israel, expands through every border and every language and every ocean. There is no boundary Jesus' reign cannot penetrate. And you are a citizen of that Country! All by grace through faith in Christ! So let's start to ask our King for the miracles we hear of and read in the Book of Acts, the book of Believers empowered! Be baptized in the Holy Spirit!

Be blessed. ~Pastor Curtis

Meme Commentary: Beware of Misguided well-meaning chain-posts in social meda.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
-James 4:7, Holy Bible -English Standard Version
Beware of silly posts or misguided posts on social websites like twitter or facebook, even if they are well-meaning. There are a series of posters that prey upon people's superstitions. The classic chain letter, in digital format. There is no authority or truth to the superstition. The Bible clears it up for us as Spirit-filled, born-again Christians. But sadly, people still believe the superstitions out of fear or respect for that which is untrue. The big example is: "Share this post and you will be blessed." or "Share this post if you love your mother. Scroll past it if you don't". To think that reposting a picture online has any authority over your life is wrong and unbiblical. Here is an example which I have seen more than once:

The same poster is below, with my comments added. Click on it to see the whole thing:

Overcoming satan
Today I want to make a comment on the poster you see here. I found this on facebook and I see it being passed around. But I have something to say here:
True warfare against satan is when you don't just carry the bible or read it, but you understand it in the Holy Spirit and apply it with pointed prayer in the Spirit. Satan is not afraid of God's written word (read Luke 4). In fact he will try to twist it in your mind. So rightly dividing and discerning in Christ's Spirit are essential. The Bible says "RESIST" the devil and he will flee from you. Living out the instructions of the Bible is good, and needed, but it's a very broad statement. To be more specific, Biblically, it's only when you are purchased with the blood of Jesus and you suit up in God's Holy Spirit Armour and actually RESIST the devil, that he will flee from you.

And no, sharing this post does not defeat satan. Don't believe posters that say silly things like that. The Bible says, in Hebrews 2:14 that JESUS partook of flesh and blood and through death, He mightily DEFEATED the devil!

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; " Heb. 2:14 KJV
The devil is now wandering and trying to lie to as many as he can, to try and talk them out of being Christian overcomers by twisting scriptures with a satanic "if".


Luke 4:9-11 KJV "And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. "

Jesus repelled the devil by stating the Word of God correctly and living it in the HOLY SPIRIT. In other words, He RESISTED the devil:

Luke 4:12-13 KJV "And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season."  Once a Christian can become a Jesus-like overcomer, he knows that his previous and permanent defeat at the hands of King Jesus renders him powerless against the spiritually armoured and spiritually armed Christian. By the way, there was no "share" button or "social network website" to share on, 2000 years ago, just the powerful cleansing blood of Jesus. Only His blood has defeated satan.  Heb. 2:14 (KJV or Geneva version) says satan "had" the power of death, but not anymore! Jesus took it! JESUS now currently and permanently holds the Keys of hell and death, NOT satan (Rev. 1:18). Jesus is the Big One in charge. So suit up, read Ephesians 6 and other Bible passages, and get equipped in the Spirit! Be a mobilized, armoured, spiritually armed, man or woman of Christ. Be an Overcomer.

And please, don't repost supertitious chain-posts, even if they sound "Christian". Instead do like I did, and compare them against the actual Word of God. Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation in Jesus' name!
Be blessed in Jesus!
~CJA

My Column Column

My Column Column

Today, my written column is a blog post about columns.... also called pillars, as in the architectural kind. Read on:

Rev 3:12 ESV
"The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name."

Walking home yesterday, I had a vision. I believe the Lord gave it to me. I saw a single pillar. It was made of grey stone, and had a flat solid base, and a flat solid top. It seemed to be a little pillar, but very solid. It was on the ground, upright. Then I saw several earthquakes. Each earthquake was quite intense, and the pillar would wobble, but remain standing. There were many tremors in the earth, but the pillar kept standing. Then a huge tremor hit, and the pillar tipped over. At that point, a huge hand came in, and immediately caught the pillar, and propped it back up again. The pillar almost fell over, but never hit the ground, because of the hand. That happened only once.

Then I saw a chisel. I saw hands very quickly and powerfully etching "JESUS" in the pillar. There were other designs and symbols. But the outstanding word was "Jesus", chiseled sideways, up the side of the pillar.

I believe the pillar is a symbol in the old testament, representing the power and the presence of the LORD. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Those two pillars were the two main manifestations of the one true God leading His people through the wilderness. (Exodus 13:22) There were pillars in Solomon's temple. (Jer. 52:21-22)

Now, Jesus Christ, who reveals God perfectly in Himself has built the Church on Himself, the Rock and the Cornerstone. He built His church, and is still building it. His living church is made of living pillars.

Eph 2:18-22 ESV
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
 
 1 Tim. 3:15 ESV "if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth."

I believe God is making His disciples and followers into pillars. Pillars are strong columns, that hold things up. The Roof, the flag, multiple floors, etc. Pillars are architecturally important. Jesus promises us that if we overcome and are faithful to Him until the very end, He will reward us by making us living breathing spiritual pillars in Heaven's Temple! Be encouraged... if you are like me, then you have been through more than a few earth-shaking events. But God has held you steady. He held me steady. We are being tried and tested. Once the testing and the chiselling is complete (our lifetime) then He will fit us into the Heavenly temple permanently. We are already a living building, the church! Keep on standing for JESUS! He is inscribing His NAME -The Lord Jesus Christ- and His city, the HEAVENLY Jerusalem from above, into you!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Curtis
 

A Clean Heart, created from a Broken one.

 Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
 
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

 

 

I once saw this video clip by Louie Giglio about something in the human body called Laminin. It is a tiny yet important molecule in the body, for it acts like a "glue" that holds all the cells of our body together. This is what laminin looks like:

 

 

 

Amazingly, it is shaped like a cross. Since Jesus is Creator as well as Saviour, this seems to make sense. Afterall, the Cross is the central symbol of Christianity, representing the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We as Christians are called to follow the Lord and "take up our cross" by denying our own worldly desires and lusts, and following him in daily relationship.

 

About four years ago, I had a devestating tragedy in my life, my wife abandoned me. It was her second time doing so, and this time it was permanent. She simply did not want to honour her vows to me before God, and did not want to deal with the challenges of everyday life. I was not bending to her manipulations so she left. She refused to return home to me. And it broke my heart. The year 2007 is when my heart started cracking (her first time leaving), 2008 is when it broke (when I was permanently abandoned). The year 2009 is when the no-contest divorce was finalized by the judge.  



That divorce is now nearly three years old. I spent more than a year from 2008 and into 2010 recycling thoughts and conversations and crying to the Lord. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was all a disaster, and it looked like the end of the line for me.

But the Lord did something beautiful instead. As I trusted Jesus, and called out to Him over time, He gently put my heart back together again, day by day. To confirm this, I recently received a prophetic word from one of our church's regular guest speakers saying that the Lord has pieced my heart back together again. This word continues: He did not just put it together in a way that the scars are big and noticable. He put me together with grace. His Spirit's Grace mixed with human experience is what has glued my heart pieces back together.

So after that, I got thinking... yes it's true. I am more calm and at peace now, and I feel ready to advance in the Lord, to go higher. He held me steady in the storm, and now I am still standing!

 He created within me a clean heart, one made from a broken and contrite one. It is held together with the "laminin" of his Grace, the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus' sacrifice of life is what hold me in one piece. He is the One in whom I consist. If I had never experienced a broken heart, then how would I know just how tenderly and lovingly God can handle each piece of my heart? It is the broken heart God cherishes, as He can put it together again with a grace that only the broken heart can receive. An unbroken heart which never needs repair cannot recieve the grace of God into it's cracks, since those cracks don't exist. I have His grace in my heart, holding it together in a way that makes me humbler, gentler, more understanding and sensitive to the lost and hurting. These broken hearts are so precious to the Lord. You may have had one as well. Come to the Lord with it. He will not refuse a humble, broken heart. He will create it afresh in you, heal you, make your heart a dwellingplace for Jesus Christ the Lord! The Grace of Jesus will hold the pieces of your heart together, and that grace will begin to ooze out of you in a fresh new way. Ask Him now - give Him your time.

Prose on Pros

Prose on Pros:
I'm for life and marriage and the perfect timeless word of God.
I believe like the Peace Tower says, its righteousness that keeps the Canadian flagpole upright in the sod.
Pro-life, pro-one-man-one-woman-marriage, pro-senior, pro-children, pro-babies, pro-people, pro-repentance, pro-righteousness, pro-mercy, pro-God.
But to sum it all up and what I am for, it's more complete to say I'm pro-Jesus,
He will save us from east to west shore.
Us to the right Way, will He restore.
He is the example, the only One, who shows exactly what I am for.

Stand for Jesus, and you stand for what's right.

Repent and Reach for Real Relationship with Jesus: 2 Peter 3

This passage from 2nd Peter chapter 3 is a good read, and describes the conditions of the world today. It also contains the hope we have as Christians, and the sobering fact that time is running out for those who do not turn to Jesus (repent). Read the words of the "little rock" Peter, who followed the "Big Rock" Jesus. Listen how he also builds up his fellow apostle Paul and calls his letters "Scripture" in v16. I think it's awesome. Do not twist the word of the Lord as do many people today. His word is perfect thus the argument "times have changed" is not a valid reason for ignoring or twisting Scripture. The Word of God is golden, and flawless. The written word from Genesis 1 through to Revelation 22 is needed. The written word leads to the Living Word, King Jesus... and He's coming back in POWER and Judgement! He will reward those who believe Him! Let us Canadians all repent and turn from sin to Jesus. He loves us and desires a personal relationship with each of us. I know I have repented and will continue to keep repenting, and turning myself to Him as often as I need to to stay corrected and on His Way.

 It's like a pilot flying an airplane, constant correction is how the pilot arrives at the destination. The destination is not determined during flight, but long before takeoff. Many Canadians today are trying to "change destinations" mid-flight, and if they keep doing it, they will run out of fuel. Others simply fly and do not correct, and land in some destination they had not intended to land in, due to lack of plans. Our destination in Christ Jesus is... a New Heaven and New Earth (don't get too attached to the current one!). As Peter states below twice, let's pay attention to the facts, and not "deliberately overlook" (v5) them. One Canadian fact: Our Parliament Building has the Peace Tower, a structure that is loaded with Holy Bible phrases inside and out. Our Canadian Coat of Arms has two Bible phrases on it (in Latin) one from the Old Testament one from the New Testament. The New Testament verse (from Heb.11:16) was added not too long ago, in 1994. The Holy Bible is in our Canadian Heritage.
Soak up these words from the Lord, through Peter and take note of the key thought in verse 9:
-

2nd Peter Chapter 3 from the Holy Bible (ESV):

2Pe 3:1
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

2Pe 3:2

that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,

2Pe 3:3

knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

2Pe 3:4

They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation."

2Pe 3:5

For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

2Pe 3:6

and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

2Pe 3:7

But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

2Pe 3:8

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2Pe 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2Pe 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

2Pe 3:11

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,

2Pe 3:12

waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

2Pe 3:13

But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

2Pe 3:14

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

2Pe 3:15

And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,

2Pe 3:16

as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

2Pe 3:17

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

2Pe 3:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
----
Repentance is when you change your mind and ways, and turn away from lawless deeds, to believe and follow Jesus! You begin to practice a holy lifestyle, after letting Jesus into your heart to change you. As you develop a real relationship with Him, and let Him take charge, you will find your lifestyle begin to shift over time, and those sins will seem not so appealing anymore. That is the Work of Jesus' Spirit in your life!
Learn more at www.churchonthego.ca

God bless,
Pastor Curtis

Singleness, Like Marriage, is a Gift from God

This Valentines Day, here is a thought from a famous single man:

1Corinthians 7:7 "I wish that all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us." (Holy Bible- Contemporary English Version- The Apostle Paul on Singleness and Marriage.)

In the Geneva Version that same verse reads: "For I would that all men were even as I my self am: but every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that."

Did you catch that? He is saying that singleness is a gift. He is also saying that marriage is a gift. God gives a different gift to each person, sometimes just for a season. That means, regarding our personal relationship status, we are all gifted from God. It matters not whether we are in the single life or the married life! People look at me and wonder why I am still single after being divorced for over 2 1/2 years . The short answer is: to us Christians, singleness is a gift, just like marriage. That was Paul's thinking- it's Biblical thinking.

To all single Christians out there today, please remember that you have been given the gift of singleness. God allows you more freedom in ministry and freedom from many household concerns. As one who has enjoyed both the benefits of marriage and also of singleness I understand both sides of it. I suffered through the tragedy of having a wife abandon me. It led to divorce because she repeatedly refused to return home to me, and without reason. Thus, I have endured the tragedy of divorce and have become single again. But God has taught me to see the peace and freedom I have in Him now. Free at home and also free at church to serve and minister to Him! This is God's gift to me, the gift of singleness. Be encouraged today!

-Pastor Curtis

Feb 7 2012 7PM EST