Obedient Faith Transforms the Facts - Biblical Study

Facts and stats matter. Yet God is our determining factor. When God calls us to step out in faith, He can change the whole situation, regardless of what the facts say. The Holy Scriptures are full of examples of this. Today, I will give two Biblical examples of how facts and statistics matter, but are not the main thing. They are submitted to God by FAITH in obedience to Him... and BIBLICAL SUCCESS is the result!! Instead of simply submitting to the facts of what appears to be a hopeless situation... we need to submit those FACTS to the living God who is ABLE to heal, save, deliver, and do miracles!! We submit the facts to FAITH in CHRIST! 

But we must be discerning what the will of the Father God is. If we go off on our own, without God's leading, we will often meet with failure. God wants to save us from that... so we should stay prayerfully tuned to His Spirit. 

Ephesians 5:17

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Are YOU looking for Biblical success in Christ? Then read on!!

FACTS and stats are to be acknowledged, then to be submitted to our FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST our God and Saviour. We are to obey Jesus in faith regardless of what the facts and stats of the 5 senses tell us. Jesus even tells us to count the cost- gather the facts.

Luke 14: 28-33
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 

29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 

30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 

31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 

32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

FACTS: defined by dictionary.com: one definition given is "a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true:"

FAITH: Hebrews 11:1 NKJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is belief in action:

A FACT is the natural, visible, evidence of something seen. (detected by the 5 senses).

FAITH in Christ, is the evidence of things NOT seen! (Living by the Holy Spirit's guidance/discernment.)

Facts are like building blocks... and faith in Christ is the power that builds those blocks into something useful and worthwhile.  

So here is one example from the Old Testament of Facts being submitted to Faith in God.

FACT: Midian was oppressing Israel and succeeding in destroying their harvests. They were countless in number. Judges 6:1-6.

FACT: Gideon was the LEAST important person in the WEAKEST clan of Manasseh, a Tribe of Israel. Yet God called Gideon by faith a MIGHTY man of VALOUR. God called Gideon to defeat the Midianites.

Judges 6:12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

Judges 6:15

15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

FACT: The Midianite and the Amalakite armies were as numerous as the sand by the seashore, far outnumbering Gideon's army of only 300 men.

Judges 7:7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.”

Judges 7:12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

FAITH: Gideon obeyed the Lord and acted by faith. God went beyond the facts of the 5 senses, to use a mere 300 men to defeat the army of countless myriads. God took what looked like a failure (looking at the facts of the matter) and turned it into a SUCCESS BY FAITH!

Judges 7:20-21

20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.

Here is another example of FACTS bowing to FAITH in the LORD: The 5 loaves and 2 fish being multiplied by JESUS by FAITH!

Jesus took the facts and MULTIPLIED them!!

FACT: There were 5000 hungry men (plus women and children) but only 5 loaves and 2 fish. The hard fact was, that this is not enough food to go around and feed all these people in the wilderness.

FACT: They didn't have enough money to make up the difference, and buy enough bread to meet the need.

BUT then FAITH happens, and the FACTS bow down to Jesus:

FAITH: JESUS blessed the 5 loaves and 2 fish and broke them and distributed them endlessly... and ALL 5000 men plus the women children were completely SATISFIED.... and there were TWELVE BASKETS of leftover fragments!!

John 6:1-14

1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.
5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”
13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
--

So it is important to know all the facts, do your research. Notice that God DID care how many men Gideon had. And Jesus did take note of how many loaves and fish there were. The facts were gathered. Then the facts were submitted to God.

Then the Lord transforms these facts and stats into His own reality by faith.

So then, once you gather your facts, and you sense the Lord is calling you to act in faith, then it is even MORE important to PRAY in Jesus' Name, and ask the Lord's Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth. He will bring you SUCCESS if you submit the facts to Him, and walk by FAITH in the Spirit of GOD! Walk in obedience to Jesus, by living relationship to Him! Facts and stats are important, yet they must always bow the knee to Jesus Christ our God, and Saviour and King!! If you are following His Word and His Spirit, then He will multiply your resources, and turn something bleak looking, into a positive success that GLORIFIES JESUS and blesses you and others!! Note that this only works if you are LISTENING TO GOD, not to the flesh.

Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

We can choose to live only by the 5 senses of the flesh (including the natural facts) OR we can choose to live by the HOLY SPIRIT and watch Him transform our facts into FAITH in Christ and FAITH in His Word!

Submit the Facts to Obedient Faith in Christ!  OBEDIENT FAITH transforms the FACTS!  And God gets the glory in Jesus' Name for giving us the victory!

God bless you!

Pastor Curtis

Sun Nov 21 2021 4:07am EST.

Canada: Are you finding REST in Jesus in the Day of Trouble?

A timely Word from the Old Testament, for Canada. This is in light of the recent snap election we just had.

Rest in Jesus Christ the ROCK, in the Day of Trouble! He fulfills the Scripture in Psalm 72:8 which is the national motto of Canada on the Coat of Arms. "From Sea to Sea". Jesus is the King who has dominion from sea to sea!  :) 

Above Photo By Curtis J Alexander (c) 2021. Image: Old boat and lobster fishing community at Peggy's Cove, NS. East Coast and the Atlantic Ocean is visible in background. Note the rock in the foreground that is higher than the grounded, old wrecked boat.  We should be standing on the unshakeable rock that is higher than our problems. His Name is Jesus Christ (1 Cor 10:4). Jesus is the Rock and He is helping us to rest on unshakable ground. 

The question is not why did God allow a corrupt government to arise temporarliy?

The REAL question is: Canada: Are you finding REST in Jesus in the Day of Trouble?

Do YOU trust in God's long-term plan for His glory, and for your spiritual and eternal benefit? All things work together for Good for those that are called to God's purpose and love Jesus. (See Romans 8:28)

#jesusfromseatosea #fromseatosea #Christianheritageofcanada

Habakkuk 3:16a
16 When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble. ...

Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls--
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
-----
You do not always need to understand why God allows certain leaders to arise. Habakkuk sure did not understand God raising up the wicked Chaldean government to overtake the corrupt government of Judah at the time. Yet as with all earthly kingdoms/nations, Chaldea (Babylon) was also temporary. God always had a plan to redeem Judah (south Kingdom) and Israel (nothern Kingdom that went into exile earlier.) God has redeemed all Jews, and Israelites and Gentiles that have trusted in Jesus Christ for their individual and personal salvation! It is accomplished in Jesus. And King Jesus is the ONLY Leader who has an ETERNAL, unshakable, righteous and effective Nation! 

Above - Video by Curtis J Alexander- Practicing and Jamming spontaneously on Piano in Nova Scotia playing hymns and original Christian music. Contains several original photos from NS taken in Aug/Sep. 2021.

Today is THE DAY to walk in the heavenly perspective, just as Habakkuk did. We have a heavenly position today... and we are bound for New Jerusalem, the Holy Nation. She IS the Lamb's Wife! She is the Mother of us who believe! (See 1 Pet. 2:9, Rev. 21:2, 9-12, Gal. 4:26)

Like Habakkuk, we can learn to trust God that a. Each earthly office is temporary, as with all earthly endeavours. and b. God is always loving, righteous and holy. He cares for you and me. He proved it and still proves it through Jesus Christ! You can focus on the current heavenly reality- Christ's heavenly Bride, the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2, 9-12, Isa 62:4-5; Gal. 4:26.) This is the only City and Nation that lasts forever, and ANYONE who believes Jesus can be saved to enter in! (Joh. 10:9). Preach the Kingdom of Heaven!  And find your REST right now in Jesus' safe strong presence. This is NOT to say we should be completely complacent about current world affairs in Canada and abroad. But it IS to say we should stop clamouring and fretting over politics and trust God is doing the right thing at all times. We should peacefully perform our civic duties, AND we should rest in Christ and His sovereign and loving master plan.

 Isaiah 28:12 NKJV

To whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing"; Yet they would not hear.

Another GREAT question to ask yourself:

Will YOU hear and respond to Jesus' invitation to rest in Him in the midst of troubles in Canada? Don't wait. NOW is the perfect time to rest in Jesus' accomplished work on the cross! He rules and reigns TODAY and FOREVER! He is inviting you to share in and rest in HIS VICTORY over all sin, corruption, demonic power, and death!! His sinless life, death, burial and resurrection completes us!!

Matthew 11:28-30 

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

By the way, when Jesus says in verse 29 "learn from Me", that is a call to DISCIPLESHIP (not just salvation). "Disciple" in the original Greek text literally means "learner". 

That is something we actively do in the power of His Holy Spirit... and thus we rest our souls in Jesus' presence while actively learning dynamically from His Spirit every day as disciples.

Let us as believers in Jesus take Jesus up on His current offer of REST. And from that consistently refreshed state, let us labour with HIM in His easy yoke (harness)! 

(above photo- Sep 1 2021. Curtis visiting his lady-friend Jenny Harrison at Peggy's Cove, NS. Her parents were gracious to host Curtis at their home in Dartmouth, NS. They even invited me to play their pianos! See above video)

God bless,

Pastor Curtis 

Assistant at ChurchOnTheGO.ca

Newmarket, ON

10:40am Eastern Time.

Sep. 23rd/2021

The Tree of Life Vs the Tree of Knowledge

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. He created a garden. He created man and woman. And He created two trees. The Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Read Genesis ch. 2 and ch. 3 to refresh your mind on these two trees. God told them to eat from any tree including the Tree of Life. But they cannot eat from the Tree of Knowledge or else they will die. Such was the reality of paradise. Adam and Eve had a choice. Should they live in peace with each other, and with God, and pursue LIFE or should they disobey God and pursue KNOWLEDGE of good and evil?

The craving for secret worldly/earthly knowledge (conspiracy theory) rather than for life is the original sin. The tempter, satan, knows it appeals to our pride (Ex: "I know something you don't!"). Earthly minded people are often obsessed with satan's promise of supposedly secret knowledge (Gnosticism). But secret worldly knowledge always falls short of God's glory. Even knowledge that supposedly uses the Word of God, but in a twisted way, it falls short also. This includes all those debates about the shape of the earth being flat or the moon landings being a hoax. All such secret knowledge is a waste of time. It distracts from the Gospel of Christ. For more info on why these are false conspiracy theories visit these links. And that Tree of Knowledge is deadly.

Drawing (c) By Jenny Harrison

Debunking flat earth conspiracy with science and history: https://youtu.be/CGjFAe018oA

The Flat Earth myth and the Bible. (Creation Magazine LIVE! 6-11) 

Debunking the moon-landing denial with science and Christian testimony: 

Moon Testimony #1 Charlie Duke Christian testimony- Moon Astronaut- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8YC0k8B4Rg

Moon Testimony #2 Jim Irwin - Christian Astronaut who landed on the Moon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FUS1259dHM

Two Christian men give witness to the same experience of landing on the moon.

The Scripture tells us to establish fact on the basis of 2-3 Christian witnesses like this.

2 Cor, 13:1b “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

 Let us not waste precious time debating these established moon landings when souls are perishing on the earth.

Now as a disclaimer, I am NOT saying all knowledge is bad. Most knowledge is GOOD when used constructively and to help other people!

 What I am saying is that "secret" knowledge that distracts from Christ and twists the Bible is bad. It is bad when we become obsessed with conspiracy and lose touch with reality. It is even worse when we become messengers of conspiracy rather than messengers for Christ. (We are to preach the Gospel: Mat 28:18-20) Here is a passage telling Isaiah not to believe every conspiracy he hears:

Isaiah 8:12-13 NKJV

“Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.

Secret earthly conspircy knowledge is not of Christ. 

In fact, if we are of Christ, we should be heavenly minded, like Jesus, the Heavenly Man!

1 Corinthians 15:49 NKJV

And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

1 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV

For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Here is the original sin: the woman (and man) take of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, believing that the pursuit of secret conspiracy knowledge was worth disobeying God. Satan had successfully tricked Eve into believing a conspiracy theory: he suggested that God is hiding knowledge from her and keeping her from reaching her maximum potential.  It was the BEGINNING of today's government distrust crowd. Yes worldly governments are not always trustworthy. But the thing is, not everything around us is a lie. Satan is the author of distrust. And the particularly American sentiment of government distrust is not always unwarranted. Even here in Canada, we have good reason to ask questions of our government officials. 

BUT don't take it too far. Not everything is a conspiracy. Eve made the fatal mistake of believing a conspiracy theory.

 By believing that conspiracy theory, Eve followed the path of death and ate the forbidden fruit. So did Adam. False hidden knowledge can only lead to death.

Genesis 3:6 NKJV So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the LIFE. Believe on Him to be saved from your sin. (John 14:6, 3:16)
The answer is not more head knowledge. The answer is more knowledge of and relationship to JESUS! 

The Apostle Paul gives us the solution to all of this:

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NKJV
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

He determined NOT to know anything.... except Christ and Him crucified. This was especially powerful because that area of Greece and Macedonia was susceptible to the lure of false secret knowledge and conspiracy.

 
THIS is what we know..... This is the focus of all knowledge:

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (NKJV)
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

So avoid falling into pointless debates, that waste time and distract from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Avoid debates that do not edify the holy faith of your fellow Christians. Avoid using foolish debates or trying to "win" them. There is no winning in such a debate. Those debates are not reasonable nor are they helpful. They tend to divide Christians and that is a sin.
 Keep your eyes and ears tuned to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you and shows you how to build up the churches, the Body of Christ.

Believers in God should maintain good works (v8) in accordance to the Gospel. Avoid foolish disputes (v9) - distractions from the Gospel. Don't take the bait.

As saints, what good work are we doing for Jesus? 

Titus 3:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.

The focus of our words and actions should be to EDIFY or BUILD UP the saints in the churches.

And to GLORIFY GOD. 

Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

1 Corinthians 10:23 [ All to the Glory of God ] All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

Take note of that verse above: not all things are HELPFUL. Are you trying to be helpful to God and the Body? That is always a good question to ask ourselves. 

Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

And we need to forever forget the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Instead we need to return to Jesus, who is our Tree of Life to us! Let us eat the fruit of LIFE rather than the fruit of knowledge of good and evil!

Revelation 22:2 NKJV In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Jesus is the True Vine, we are His branches (John 15). Let us abide in His Life, eat of His fruit, and grow His fruit on our branches... the fruit of LIFE. This is the fruit that will bring nourishment to the spirits and souls of people around us. 

Blessings

Pastor Curtis

churchonthego.ca

Assistant Pastor

July 22 2021 12:39pm EST

The Mark of God - Do you Have His Mark?

In these last days, we truly need to read and study and discuss the powerful MARK OF GOD! It is well documented in Scripture. It is perfect and unbeatable! Yet, how well do we understand it as Christians?

Poster above created by Curtis Alexander using public domain graphics from: https://openclipart.org/share 

Before we jump into speculations and assumptions about futurism (a doctrine widely held by evangelicals today, created by the Roman Cathloic Jesuit Francisco Ribera to fight the Reformation) and the mark of the beast, we must FIRST investigate the ORIGINAL MARK, THE SUPERIOR MARK, THE MARK OF GOD.

Have you received it? Have you been Marked by Christ? If so, rejoice! You are SAVED. And the devil can't touch that mark!

The mark of God is spiritual, and cannot be ousted or erased by the devil. Do you bear the permanent, eternal, saving mark of God?

That is the REAL question.

Read about the nature of the MARK OF GOD:

God is the FIRST to use a protective mark on a man in Scripture (News flash: it wasn't the devil who invented this idea!!) ;)

Genesis 4:15
And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a MARK on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

What about us? We were sinners deserving of punishment! What MARK does God give to us to protect us snd SAVE US from Judgement??

It is the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON. We must apply His shed blood to our hearts in faith, spiritually.

The Mark is in the BLOOD OF THE LAMB.

Exodus 12:23
For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

1 Cor 6:19 says the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the blood of Jesus is the MARK on the doorposts and lintel of our HEART!

 1 Peter 1:18-19 New King James Version (NKJV)

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Tell me, is there any mark greater than the blood of Jesus? Definitely not!! You cannot exaggerate the great power of Jesus' Blood sacrifice!! Keep boasting of Him alone!!

Galatians 6:14-16 New King James Version (NKJV)

14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 

15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

God spiritually marks, redeems, and protects those who hate sin and believe and trust in the Lord God. Ezekiel sees a vision of it. The mark is not literal, but spiritual.

THE MARK OF PROTECTION DURING GOD'S JUDGEMENT:

Ezekiel 9:4
and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

Ezekiel 9:6
Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do NOT come near anyone on whom is the MARK; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.

The Mark of God is a real spiritual token of God that He places in our minds and hearts. It is unbeatable, unassailable. The Mark of God is the NAME and BLOOD of Jesus!

Revelation 22:4
They shall see His face, and His NAME shall be on their foreheads.

The Mark of God is the MIND OF CHRIST:

"...we have the mind of Christ."
- 1 Cor. 2:16b

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,"
-Philp 2:5

The MARK OF GOD is the SEAL of the HOLY SPIRIT:

2 Corinthians 1:22
who also has SEALED us and given us the SPIRIT in our HEARTS as a guarantee.

Ephesians 1:13
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were SEALED with the HOLY SPIRIT of promise,

Can the devil undo the Mark of God in you?... the SEAL OF CHRIST'S BLOOD AND GOD'S SPIRIT? No. He cannot touch you or God's Mark on you.

The Seal is the Mark of God's Love!

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, for love is as strong as death..."
-Song of Solomon 8:6

The spiritual, eternal MARK of GOD is identified by WHO WE WORSHIP:

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. (Mat. 28:9)

What can separate you from God's Love and God's mark? NO devil. NO person. NO technology. NO vaccine. NOTHING can separate you from Him when God marks you as His own!! 😊❤

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 8:37-39

Note that Paul here states that no spiritual force or natural force can separate us from the Love of God. The Blood sacrifice of Jesus marked on the door to our hearts is sufficient. Paul even says that NO CREATED thing can come between God and us, which means that no technology -past, present, or future-  can overrule the Mark Of God in you! Let us put our faith in God and in His reassuring, peace-promoting, inerrant and consistent WORD!  I hear much talk and fear surrounding the devil and his mark. But I rarely hear anyone promoting and the Mark of God. Once we understand the nature of the mark of God, we realize that Satan, microchips, vaccines do not possess the power to overrule or erase the powerful Mark of God on you.

Keep in mind, this is in no way a promotion of microchips, vaccines, or any other technology. I am not giving any advice regarding medicine or technology here. Please do your own research on those topics. My only point is that, doctrinally speaking, from Scripture, we can prove that the Mark of God is the Blood of Jesus and it is also the Seal, the guarantee of the Holy Spirit in your heart. Thus those natural, created things cannot affect your salvation. To say otherwise is to contradict the Word of God regarding the POWER of the Blood and Spirit of Christ.

This may require us to be humble, and "un-learn" some of the teachings we were taught in evangelical circles. I was taught in my youth that we must not get a microchip, or else my salvation could be in danger.

Now as I have grown, and studied the Word, The Reformers, history, and books and teachings on  Historicism, I can say I had to "unlearn" some things that are unsupported in Scripture, such as many aspects of futurism. No physical marking or chip or vaccine can nullify the blood of Jesus. We must be careful not to undervalue the PRICELESS BLOOD of Christ and His Holy Spirit.

God bless. Be fully assured of your security in believing Jesus. He fully marks you and protects you and cleanses you in His Blood.

You can have the eternal and superior MARK OF GOD. His mark is truly superior to all others, including the devil's counterfeit mark of the beast, which is also spiritual in nature. I urge you to study this more in Scripture. Study the genuine superior mark of God and it will help you understand the counterfeit one from Satan which is inferior by comparison.

Ask the Holy Spirit of Christ to open your understanding as you read, in Jesus' Name. Pray for revelation and discernment from Jesus!

God bless!

Pastor Curtis

Sun Feb 28 2021
2:39am EST

PS Learn more about historicism, futurism, and preterism and their origins here:

 https://historicist.info/articles/historicism-futurism-preterism/

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God's Word: The Only Document NOT at the mercy of the Reader!

The Word of God is the only document in the world that is not at the mercy of the reader. Rather, it is the ONLY book the reader can read to discover God's love, grace and mercy! 

"...the Scripture cannot be broken " (John 10:35b)

"the word of God is not chained." (2 Timothy 2:9b)

 Why? Because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And it ultimately is fulfilled in the Living Word Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, came to give us salvation from our sin, and grant us mercy and grace and life and righteousness in His Blood!

Photo (c) 2020 Curtis J. Alexander

The Holy Bible is God's collection of inspired writings and it's power comes from God, not people. It is profitable for doctrine, correction, and instruction in righteous godly living!!

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

The written word leads us to Jesus, the eternal Living Word:

John 1:1 New King James Version (NKJV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

All other books and documents, good, neutral or bad, are merely human books and documents. These human works rely on the reader to read it/apply it. Human documents can only have power through human obedience. Don't get me wrong. Human writings and documents can be and are highly influential. They have had major impacts on society. YET.....  They are always at the mercy of the current generation and their level of literacy and comprehension and desire to learn. 

And, we actually see this in the Levitical order of the Old Testament. The Law of Moses came from God to Moses, for men to apply in order to deal with sin in Israel. But men failed to keep it as the generations passed. Yet the Word remains effective and powerful. Even if men fail to apply it, the Word continues to accomplish what God so desires and chooses to accomplish. Unlike every other rule book or document, the Word of God is NOT HINDERED BY HUMAN REBELLION or FAILURE. 

Isaiah 55:10-11 New King James Version (NKJV)

10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

If a great human document or book is ignored or forgotten, its power is lost. Yes, it can even sit on the bookshelf, and look great. But as long as it remain closed, it remains impotent due to lack of readership and application.

BUT The Word of God has power in itself, and cannot be broken. Indeed, tyrants and oppressors have tried to get rid of the Holy Bible throughout history. But it was ultimately to no avail. Sure, for a time the Bible would be hard to find in certain areas. 
But I know people who God sent to these oppressed areas, and they secretly brought Bibles into fobidden zones. God has His ways of bringing His word to His people. God is God, afterall.

To this day the Word of God remains.

 It is still here. And it is translated into many languages.
Those oppresive regimes end. They never last because they are not eternal. Yet the Word of God remains. It is eternal. Even if every printed copy of God's Word were somehow removed from the planet, the Word is STILL Living and Active. It does not depend upon paper and ink in order to exist. But by God's grace, He put it into a book (a collection of holy God-inspired writings) for us to read and be saved and nourished by. The paper and ink is for our benefit, not God's. 

The Bible, even if it is often hated or dismissed as irrelevant by the doubter, is still the world's best seller. It is resilient beyond any other book.  It is because this Book is from the mouth of God. And this Book leads to, and is tied to, the Living Word Jesus. 

 The Word of God already has eternal power. It comes from the Lord's mouth. Reading it, and believing it and obeying it plants the seed of power within our hearts: Christ is the Seed. Jesus the WORD accomplished what the Levitical priesthood failed to do: Jesus accomplished PERFECT and FINAL ATONEMENT for the sins of the world. We need only to trust in Jesus' one and only sacrifice on the cross to be saved from wrath and sin.

Hebrews 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 10:10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 His death, burial and resurrection achieved what men could not do. Jesus is our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. (See Hebrews ch.5-7).

Hebrews 5:5-10 NKJV

5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:

“You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.”

6 As He also says in another place:

“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek”;

7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 

8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 

9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 

10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 

 THUS, the Law of Moses was FULFILLED in Jesus, not destroyed nor forgotten. THIS is how the Word of God has power even if people ignore it. See, Jesus is Living. Active. Powerful. Merciful. Gracious. Kind. Royal. Loving. We miss the point of the Bible if we fail to look to Jesus, the Living Word. The written Word is inerrant, and it tells God's story. It is also filled with many human stories and accounts along the way and how God interacted with them. Ultimately the Book culminates in revealing Jesus the Living Word, the Saviour.

 We must enter into relationship with GOD, through His Blood atonement. Jesus is the God of the Bible, and He is CURRENTLY and ETERNALLY ALIVE, and He is INTERACTING with His creation at all times!! 

The written Word is about the Living Word... and the Living Word is coming to judge the world whether you heed His Word or not. :)

Luke 4:36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

The WORD OF JESUS' POWER upholds all things! He purged our sins by His Own Blood!

Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

People can shelve the Bible if they want, and ignore it. Or they can choose to read it and believe Jesus the Word for salvation. They can choose to respond to the invitation of the living God, Jesus, and follow Him as a disciple daily.

Just rest assured, the Lord is the Word and the Word is sovereign. He is coming to collect His saints (those saved by grace through faith- see Eph 2:8) and judge the world!

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Revelation 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Jesus' (The Word) and His rock-solid teachings:
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

Jesus is THE LIGHT:

 John 8:12 New King James Version (NKJV)

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

God's Word is Light!

Psa. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Jesus is God's Word of LIGHT!

God's Word is TRUTH:

John 17:17 New King James Version (NKJV)

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Jesus is The Truth:

John 14:6 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus is God's WORD OF TRUTH!!

The Word cannot be bound (chained) or broken!

2 Timothy 2:9 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

John 10:34-36 New King James Version (NKJV)

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? 

35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 

36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

God bless you!

Open the Word today, read, and absorb His Word, by the leading of Christ's Holy Spirit! Walk in daily RELATIONSHIP to the Living Word. 

If you value my content, please consider giving a one-time donation here! Thank you!

-Pastor Curtis 

Feb 27 2021 2:31am EST

God's Love Builds Trust

God's active Love toward people is Character based. It is based on His own Character. And THAT is what builds trust in Him. And therefore love and trust are what all healthy godly relationships are based upon. 

It is endlessly flowing from within Him toward undeserving people. His love is not reactionary, based on what others do for Him. Instead, He initiated salvation and paid the price for all our sins. We simply need to believe on Jesus for salvation. Simply trust in HIS FINISHED WORK. (Believe in God, and believe in Jesus: see John 14:1)

Psalm 143:8 (NKJV)
8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness (khesed) in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.

NOTE here that God's lovingkindness (khesed) is directly linked to TRUST. Trust is built by God's khesed love. God shows the same love to us in the NT with the word agape. He builds our trust. All worthwhile relationships are based on trust.... and trust is built on the khesed Love of God! 
Salvation comes when you TRUST in Jesus alone for your salvation, not in work or in good deeds! 
Why can we TRUST Him? Because He initiated LOVE for us by coming to earth. God came to earth as a man, Jesus Christ, and died for our sins. He showed love to us in that way, and it allows for TRUST and a RELATIONSHIP to GOD.

God Loves Because God is Love. We love each other, because we abide in that very same Love.

If we let God's love flow out of us first, before the other acts, we are actually demonstrating the kind of Love God had for us. That is how trust is built in godly relationships.

 THIS is the kind of love we should learn how to show others. Jesus teaches us to abide in His Love in the NT. The Law of First mention is a hermeneutical concept that teaches that the way God first uses a word in the Old Testament, is the way He will continue to use that word (or it's Greek equivalent) in the New Testament. So to help us understand God's agape love in the NT, we should start by understanding His love in the OT as described by the Hebrew word khesed. 

Watch a short 5 minute video on this from an independent Christian channel on youtube called Bibleproject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfbyFLgs_NM 

God's Love/mercy/kindness in the Old Testament is "Khesed" (Strongs H2617). https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2617&t=KJV

His khesed love comes because of Who He is, not what we can offer Him, as the above video explains.

Keep this in mind when we love others, around the time of valentine's day, and at any other time. Love others based on who God is, and who you are IN CHRIST. God's khesed/agape love is our "battery power" - our source for enabling us to love people the way God loves us. We get that love from God only through the Son Jesus Christ. Pastor Rev. Steve Coates also has some great graphics on the Church page explaining the difference between human/romantic love and God's agape Love. (link is here: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1059006371284974&set=g.48711223086 ).

God loved me when I had nothing to give Him. I was born a rotten sinner. But Jesus' blood cleansed me.

All I have to give is the love that He Himself gave me. He gave me Jesus. He gave me salvation. I simply had to believe in Jesus that He paid for my sins in full. Now He abides in my heart and spirit.

Build all your relationships, by abiding in God's eternal and lasting love, as understood by both the OT word khesed and the NT word agape.

Even in dating or marital relationships between two serious Christian disciples, it's not about what the other person can do for you or give you. It's about how you can serve your significant other in the khesed/agape love that God has shown you. You are practicing love by demonstrating His Character-driven everlasting lovingkindness and mercy and goodness. Yes this is a growing process, for me and for everyone. We all make mistakes as humans. But God's forgiveness is part of His khesed Love. He forgives us for our sins when we repent and call on Him for mercy. So we should forgive one another as He forgave us.

Why do you love your significant other? I suggest we love them not because of what they can do or give, or produce. I urge that we love them because GOD IS LOVE. As we abide DAILY in that love, we too can learn to love, because that is part of our new Creation nature in Christ! That means we extend the khesed love of God to our spouse or romantic interest. It involves loyatly, mercy, kindness, goodness, love. 

 His love does not depend on how He is treated. He does not hold back until He is treated right. It does not depend on romance or romantic feelings (as nice as those feelings can be!). Romance is external, and temporary. Yet khesed and agape are internal, eternal, and they flow out of your spirit, from Christ in you the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27).

His love came first. And it keeps coming afresh, every day.

It initiates.

It loyally protects.

It gently tends.

It rejoices not in lies, but only in the Truth.

It lasts.

It forgives.

It builds trust.  

When others do not see any potential, God's love sees it, and provides room for it to grow.

When others do not see you.... GOD'S LOVE sees you, and extends out to you. There is no place where He cannot reach you.

Romans 8:15 (NKJV) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:6 (NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

If we can tap into His love in our spirit, and let it flow out to others, we can build TRUST with others in the same way: by taking the initiative to show others the KHESED LOVINGKINDNESS of God!

God bless you!

Pastor Curtis

Thu Feb 4th 2021 4:30am EST