EMPTY TOMB!

On my way to church, I saw a church sign that said "The tomb is empty so that you don't have to be." What a great truth. This is the gospel as described in 1st Corinthians 15:3-4 "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried, and he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." If we really understood this message our lives would never be empty. He came to save us. This sentence alone bring tears to my eyes. We were destined, because of our sins to a horrible place of continual torment. The Bible describes it with the following words:

• A place of fire. Mt. 5:22


• A place where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Mr. 9:44,46


• A place of torment. Lk. 16:23


• A place of gloomy dungeons. 2nd Peter 2:4


• A place of darkness. Jude 1:6


• A bottomless pit (Abyss.) Rev. 9:2


• A eternal prison. 1st Peter 3:19


• A place of eternal punishment. Mt. 25:46

Praise the Lord that He rescued us and that we are not condemned. Romans 8:1 says: "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

THE REAL DEAL – Am I really a Christian? Part 5

If you have noticed, all of the elements described as proof of salvation have to do with our internal character, rather than our exterior manifestations: fellowship with God, right attitude toward sin, not loving the world, and loving our brothers and sisters, they are all internal attitudes that have external manifestations. We don’t do to try to be, we are, and therefore we do. In today’s article we are going to learn about the element that drives all these internal changes in our lives. There is an amazing, humbling event that happens in the life of the believer when we first believe.

5. Do you have the Holy Spirit? The Bible says that at the moment you first believed, a great miracle happened. God the Holy Spirit came to live in you, and "He in you" is proof that we are really His. 1^st John 4:13 says that “by this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” Are the manifestations of the Holy Spirit present in your life? Let me share with you some passages of Scripture that are very clear about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and you be your own judge:

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13 Do you experience illumination, clarity and guidance when reading Scriptures?

“When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:8. Do you get convicted when you sin?

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” John 14:16 Are you experiencing God’s help and comfort?

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18 Are you experiencing companionship and friendship with God?

“And all those who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Rom 8:14 Do you perceive God’s guidance and leading in your life?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Gal 5:22-23 Do you experience the fruit of the Spirit in your life?

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1^st Co. 12;4,7 Do you have at least one of God’s spiritual gifts manifesting in your life?

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Rom. 8:26 Do you perceive the Holy Spirit interceding for you, when you need help and don’t know what to pray for?

“Be filled with the Spirit.” Eph. 5:18 Is your life filled with wisdom, passion, devotion for God?

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.” Eph 3:16 Are you strengthen and empowered beyond your natural means?

“Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Eph. 4:3 Do you experience the unity with God and other believers?

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” Eph. 4:30 Do you feel sadden when you are not being obedient to God?

Romans 8:9 says that “if we don’t have the Spirit of God we are not His” Make sure that God’s Holy Spirit in present in your life continually. If not, this may be an indication that you are not His yet. When people were confronted with the truth of the gospel, they asked the apostle Peter: what shall we do? And he responded: “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

THE REAL DEAL – Am I really a Christian? Part 4

There is a perfect balance in discomfort and comfort, in anxiousness and peace, in doubt and assurance when we are exposed to God’s teachings. The correct preaching of the Word will make me uncomfortable and expose my needs by convicting me of my shortcomings, but if the word is preached with balance, it will also point me to God’s grace and love, bringing comfort, peace, and assurance. There is sin, there is condemnation, there is punishment, there is torment, there is eternal death and, yes, hell is a real place, but there is also virtue, there is salvation, there is reward, there is happiness, there is eternal life and, yes, heaven is a real place. God shows the wound to heal it. That’s the driving purpose of these series of articles. Being mistaken about your salvation will have the most catastrophic eternal effect. So run to Jesus!

4. Do you love your brothers and sisters? If there is one specific element given to us when we were saved by Jesus it is love. Not loving should raise a big red flag in our minds regarding the genuineness of our salvation. The apostle John says in 1^st John 3:14 that “we know that we have passed from death into life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” This is clear and simple: no love = no God; Know love = know God. Love is part of the standard equipment given to every believer when we first believed. Romans 5:5 says “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Notice that is says that “has been poured out,” this is an event in the past, it happened already, we have the love, we just need to use it. Are your actions done in love? Is love predominant in your live? Or is it hate and criticism, and envy. One place where we can easily test ourselves in the matter is at home. Do you love your spouse and your children, your parents and those around you? Are there needs around you that you can do something about it, but you don’t?

The book of 1^st John is filled with verses that deal with this very important matter of “love.” The passage in chapter 3 continues like this:

15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

This one is a tough element, I know, and hard to swallow, but better to be convicted and repent, than to neglect or ignore God’s opportunity of grace.

THE REAL DEAL – Am I really a Christian? Part 3

How can you tell if a person is a true Christian? That has been our theme for the last couple of articles. We are saying that there are definitive character traits that mark the life of a Christian. We said first that a Christian spends time with God. Do you like to pray? Do you love to read His word? Secondly we said that a Christian does not practice sin. God’s nature is in us and we have the power given through the Spirit to say no to sin. Do you practice sin? Are you remorseful when you sin? We now come to our third question:

3. Do you love the World? When we say “world” we are talking about the world system. It says in 1st John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The Bible clearly says that this world system is under Satan’s domain. The devil tempted Jesus by saying: “And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” Luke 4:6.

There are two parts to this “loving the world” deal: one is external and mainly evident by the people we hang around with, the places like we like, the activities we enjoy. Questions like: do you enjoy more spending time with unbelievers than believers? Do you like hanging out in the wrong places and doing activities that don’t please God? The other part is the internal because it begins in our hearts and is evident by our attitudes. They are basically 3 cravings, desires, or lusts: Physical gratification (all kinds of sensual activities are included in this category), eye gratification (coveting everything our eyes see, desiring to have more and more - materialism) and the pride of our possessions and achievements. The apostle John puts it this way “For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1^st John 2:16

So how are you doing so far? Making sure that you are truly saved will bring joy to your life. On the contrary, if these questions make you uncomfortable, make it right by truly repenting of your sins, and turning to Jesus. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

THE REAL DEAL – Am I really a Christian? Part 2

We continue in our quest to find answers to the very important question: How can I know for sure that I’m a Christian? In our previous article we ask ourselves this question: do I desire and enjoy having fellowship with God? Now let’s continue with the following question:

2. Am I indifferent to sin? Or in other words, do I practice sin? Do I feel remorseful when I sin? The Bible says that when you become a Christian, God’s nature (His character) is born in you. Part of His nature is holiness, purity or sinless, so if you are really born of Him, you will not want to continue to sin with your life. 1st John 3:8 says “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” This doesn’t mean that as a Christian you will not sin, in the same epistle in 1^st John 1:8 we read that “if we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” But it does mean that a true Christian is sensitive to sin, and with God’s nature living in us, we will not want to continue any sin pattern in our lives.

An evidence of continual sin in one’s life may be the evidence of a non-repented and unregenerate heart. The Bible is clear about this matter as stated in 1^st Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

We may claim to be Christians, but if there are no signs of Christian character in our lives, this may be an indication that we are not the real deal. We have the idea that because we went forward during an altar call or we repeated a prayer some time ago, we are saved. Salvation is not about going forward or repeating some words; salvation is about having a deep sorrow for the sins we’ve committed, asking and receiving God’s forgiveness given through the death of Jesus Christ, and being reborn to a new life in Christ. John the Baptist’s message was plain and clear: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” Matthew 3:2. The Lord Jesus’ message was plain and clear: Repent, and believe the Good News” Mark 1:15. The disciple’s message was plain and clear: “They went out and preached that people should repent” Mark 6:12. Have you truly repented from your sins? Are you the real deal?

Still more to come…

THE REAL DEAL – Am I really a Christian? Part 1

Salvation (being rescued and preserved from the greatest calamity which is the conscious and permanent state of eternal torment in hell by having our sins forgiven, and instead receiving the assurance of eternal and abundant life with God through Jesus Christ) is the most important matter in one’s life. The Bible says that we can know for sure if we have eternal life. 1st John 5:13 says “these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” It is possible to know for sure that you are saved.

Moreover, the Bible also tells us of ways to confirm our salvation. You may ask yourself: how can I make sure that I am really a Christian and that I have eternal life and that I am going to heaven? In the same epistle, John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, left us guidelines that we can use as a test to make sure that we are really saved, kind of the same way that a doctor checks for vital signs to make sure that a body is alive or not. The matter of salvation is so critical, that the Lord through the Apostle Paul left the following commandment in 2nd Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? So we ought to test ourselves to make sure that we are “THE REAL DEAL.”

The general idea is “change.” I heard once “A heart that has seen Jesus will never be the same.” Think about it, if you have really had an encounter with Jesus, your life will be rocked; mine has. So based on that, let’s start. Here is the test (and to make it easier, I’m going to put it in the form of questions):

1. Do you spend time with God? Do you enjoy fellowshipping with God? 1^st John 1:3 says “and our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” The first evidence that we are the real deal is our desire to have fellowship or spend time with our Lord. If we say that we are His follower, and do not spend time with Him that might be an indication that we haven’t had a saving encounter with Jesus. The word fellowship means companionship, friendship, wanting to be together, intimate familiarity. Do you have an unquenched desire to read His Word, to talk to Him in prayer, thanksgiving, praising and singing to Him?

This is just the first question. Stay tune, there is more to come soon…

VITAL SIGNS

Throughout the centuries, the word Christian has lost its meaning. Today its real meaning has been very much diluted. What is a Christian? How do I know if I am truly a Christian? Is it just enough to say and proclaim that I am one, or are there vital signs, traits, evidences that demonstrate my claims? Stay tune to learn more...

WHEN?

Today! God wants to use you today! Our lives consist of the sum of the time that we have since we are born until we die. Life is the sum of seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years that God allows us to live. What we do with that time is our responsibility. My advice? Don't leave for tomorrow what you should do today. God says that today is the day for salvation. And why not tomorrow? because you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow you won't be alive.

The Bible says: "If you hear His voice today, do not harden your heart." God wants you to enjoy His plentiful, abundant, blessed life today. If you are not a Christian and you are reading this, please consider seriously that only Jesus Christ can forgive your sins: 1st John 1:9 says that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Only Jesus can save you: Act 4:12 says "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." If you are a Christian, live each minute intensionally for Him, do everything with purpose, with passion for God. Don't waste your life in futile, idle things.

Start today with what you have; don't wait until tomorrow to serve the Lord. Don't say: "when I learn more, then I will do or say or teach." I'm impressed with the fact that Christians in the first century, didn't even have the complete Bible, but they accomplished a lot more in only one century than modern Christianity with the complete revelation of God's Word, all the Christian literature, and all the technology. God needs you today. The abundance or the lack abundance you have, offer it to Him today. I'm not saying only material possessions, but everything, your intellect, your talents, your time, your life; maybe a word of encouragement for someone, a phone call, a visit, a prayer...

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1st Corinthians 15:58

SMALL STUFF!

Over and over as I read the Bible, I'm amazed how God uses insignificant stuff for significant purposes. Let me explain by going through God's Book and just choosing a few of the many instances:

• God used the dust of the earth to make mankind - Genesis 2:7
  
• He used a rib from the man to make the woman - Genesis 2:22
  
• He used Noah (one person) to save mankind and all the animals - Genesis 6:19
• He used the seed of one man (Abraham) to form a race that no one can count - Genesis 22:17
  
• He used Moses (one person) to save over 2 millions Jewish slaves from Egypt's domain - Exodus 3:10
  
• He used Moses' staff to divide the waters and open a path for the Israelites to pass through - Exodus 14:16
• He used the sound of trumpets to destroy the walls of Jericho - Joshua 6:5
• He used trumpets, torches and empty jars and 300 men under the leadership of Gideon to defeat and army of 100,000 - Judges 7:16-22
• He used a donkey's jawbone to save a nation (Samson) - Judges 15:16
• He used one stone in the hand of a shepherd boy (David) to strike down the giant Goliath - 1st Samuel 17:40, 49

I'd love to mention many more examples in the Old Testament, but let's jump now to the New Testament and name a few:

• Jesus used mud and saliva to heal the blind man's sight - John 9:6
• Jesus used 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread to feed 5000 men plus women and children - Matthew 14:17, 21
• Jesus used a boy's lunch to feed 5000 men plus their families - John 6:9-10
  
• Jesus used Paul, a persecutor and murderer of Christians to eternally save many from hell, and to write many of the precious God-inspired books in the New Testament
  

Do you believe God can use you and me? Of course He can! It's not the small stuff in itself, it's what God can do with it if we would only offer it to Him.

PEACE!

Peace! How easy to say. This word seems so far away in a world filled with war, crime, financial instability, natural disasters, sickness, sin. But there is a place where we can find a peace that surpasses all understanding. That place is "in the presence of Jesus. He said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27. The vast majority is looking for peace in the wrong places: a better job with more money and more stability, in relationships, well... you fill in the blanks. Our lives are a chaos until we find God's peace. Jesus said to us: ""Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29.

There are a few things that we can learn about this passage:

1. Come to Jesus
2. Give up the control of your life. The yoke is an apparatus that is placed on top of the oxen to control them. Give God the reigns of your life; trust in Him.
3. Let God teach you. He uses His Holy Spirit to teach us through His Word, prayer, other Christians, and circumstances. Be sensitive to His voice.

Do you want to know more about God's peace?

1. It is abundant in those that love and obey His Word. Psalm 119:165
2. It is the result of prayer and thanks living. Philippians 4:6-7
3. It is the result of love and forgiveness. Colossians 3:12-17
4. We need to pursue constantly. Psalm 34:14
5. We only find it in Jesus. John 16:33
6. It is the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22
7. It is contagious. James 3:18
   

“Spend time with Jesus. It is good for your soul.”

LIMITS?

Life is too short to be thinking small thoughts, and to be dreaming small dreams. We have been created by God for great things. A couple of days ago, a good friend of mine, using Genesis 1 (the first chapter of the Bible) shared with me that God is a creative God, and we have been created in His image, meaning that we have the potential to create... awesome thought! We have the tendency of putting limits to ourselves. God has great things for our lives, but we won't find out until we try to do them. In life, all is possible, until we discover that something is impossible. And even then, not being able to accomplish something at a certain time, doesn't mean that it is impossible; maybe we just need to try again.
Many people, to fulfill their dreams have had to try over and over, and even the failures, help them to achieve success. When someone puts a limit to what one can do, that person has already put a limit to what he/she will do.

Moses was chosen by God to free the Jews from slavery from the land of Egypt. When Moses was first confronted with God's proposal, he didn't think he was the right person. Imagine Moses, an insecure person, with speech impediments, and a murderer, selected by God for such a big task. But even with all his inabilities, God chose him and used him to deliver over 2 million people from bondage. Someone said once "Never say to someone that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting for many years waiting for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do the impossible." Great leaders and successful people normally have been esteemed as idealists.

Through the Bible, God encourages us to go to places that we haven't gone, to practice faith. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1. "What is impossible for man, is possible for God" Luke 18:27. Status quo is a concept that many times defines our lives. We are comfortable living around our comfort zone, where we are or we think we are secure. And we ask ourselves why is it that we feel without meaning, bored, without purpose. God created us for much more. If you believe that something is impossible, you already made it an impossibility.

How many fantastic projects have been accomplished because someone followed dreams that to others were impossibilities?

"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior." Psalm 65:5

THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS – Short prayers with faith

Have you ever felt down emotionally, spiritually, or in some kind of need and wanted God to do something, but didn’t know how to communicate with Him? Sometimes we think that to talk to God and for Him to hear us, we need these eloquent long prayers. May I suggest to you that in most cases, all we need is a short “Lord, please help me.”

God can and will do incredible things if we would only believe and ask. Take a look at these 3 examples of short prayers and answers:

A man with leprosy came and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus said "I am willing, be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Matthew 8:2-3

A woman with a bleeding problem said: "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus said, "Your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. Matthew 9:20-22

Two blind men said: “Have mercy on us, Son of David!" Jesus asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Matthew 9:27-30

So we see that it only takes a short prayer with faith for God to graciously respond to our needs. Jesus said: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 9:9-11

RADICAL TRANSFORMATION - From Death to Life

I'd like to share with you something that has transformed my life in a radical way. Nothing in all of history can compare with an event that happened in a small corner of the world. This event is "Calvary. " We've heard about it many times and we've let it go by; the most important few hours of history and we take them for granted. Maybe our hearts are hardened and we are not allowing that the truth surrounding this event would melt our hearts of stone.

I will ask you that as you read these words, you would do it with a desire that God will speak to your heart. For me, this truth is most fascinating, most important, and the central point of my life. When we perceive what happened in Calvary when Christ died, we are confronted with the biggest dilemma of the largest magnitude in our lives, and we are forced to make the toughest decision of either give everything or nothing. So many times we've heard about Christ dying for us, but what would happen if we were transported 2000 years back into history and we could contemplate this event, of seen the blood being shed and dripping from Jesus' body, seen the God made man dying on it, and we had the capacity to understand completely what was happening. That this sacrifice was designed by the Creator of the Universe for the forgiveness of mankind's sins, to free us from an eternity in a anguishing hell, to give us abundant, fulfilled lives and eternal life together with Him.

Me, amazed by the dimensions of such great salvation, fell down on my knees, surrendering before Him, and since then, I haven't stopped to worship Him. I can't stopped being amazed by His grace bestowed upon me. Day and night, I am fascinated and enthusiastic about Him who has called me from the deepest darkness into His wonderful Light, from death to life.

I invite you to listen to His calling. He is telling you: "I love you, I died for you, repent and turn to me." Listen, and respond to His voice.