Can the Bible be a State Book?

I was looking at this article and thought I'd share it.  Apparently Lawmakers in Louisiana are thinking along the right terms, but didn't have it in them to see it through to the end.

Bible as the Louisiana State Book?

More Proof of Blood Moon Prophesy

Is this the first sign that the April 15th blood moon was a sign to the world and more importantly Israel?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/17/jews-ordered-to-register-in-east-ukraine/7816951/

God is doing something and it is time that we all took notice.

Greg

First Blood Moon Came and Went

So of the 4 Blood Moons that are scheduled to occur between April 15, 2014 and September 28, 2015 we have one down and 3 to go.

It was such a fun night sitting up late to watch God move and show a sign to the world that something big is about to happen.

Every since I was a young man I would look up to the heavens and wonder what was out there.  I would often look up in fear to see if the moon had turned a blood-red color.  I had heard preachers on TV say that the moon was going to change colors and that meant the end of the world. -- That truly freaked me out and I was constantly looking at the moon to see if it was it's normal color.  When I would look and see that it was it's normal color I knew that I would live to see another day.  :)

However since becoming a Christian and a man who studies the Word of God nearly every day I have come to a place where I am excited to see God's signs in the heavens.  What used to be fearfulness is now a sense of excitement!  So I thought I would keep today's blog brief and tell you that God is truly moving (just as always), but now He is beginning to show signs that are obvious revelations of God's plan to restore the Earth to it's original form.  A PARADISE!  The following are pics of the Lunar Eclipse also known as the first of four blood moons.

Photos Courtesy of Dan Browning

Photos Courtesy of Dan Browning

 Things are truly getting exciting as it pertains to God's revelation and ministry of reconciliation. I truly hope all who read this blog are saved and walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

Blessings,

Greg

Transformational Christianity

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

This is hands down one of my favorite Bible verses.  The reason it is one of my favorite verses (and i have a lot of favorites) is because it speaks directly into my own life.  It also has the potential to speak into the life of anyone who will call on Jesus Christ and be forever transformed by the Holy Spirit of God.

You see, I haven't always been this shining example of Christianity like I am now.  (sarcasm) However, I DID have a different way of living, thinking, and acting back about a decade ago.  I will not share my testimony via this blog tonight, but lets just say that while I claimed to believe in God, I did not know Him and I certainly did not walk in His ways.  That is until one day, Halloween Night to be exact, back in 2004 that I stepped out in faith and called upon Jesus to save my soul from the sin that infested me.  Like cancer attacks the body, sin attacks the soul, and I was full blown sick the day I called on Jesus.  I was sick in every sense of the word.  I was in need of a Kidney Transplant and had been on Dialysis for almost 5 years.  Surgeries were coming and going every 3 to 6 months and they had totaled in all 17 or so since 2001.  I was living the life of a man who had nothing to lose, because in my eyes...I didn't.  I felt like I could do whatever I wanted, say whatever I wanted, and that everything would be ok.  I truly believed that I was a good person and that my sins were not as  bad as the people who God was going to send to hell.  You see, that is why we call it "lostness", it is literally the act of not having a clue where you are going.  I thought I was going one direction, but in reality, I was in serious trouble and heading the opposite way.  Frustrated and depressed I sought relief in all sorts of ways, and never found true relief, peace, happiness, or fulfillment...that is until I met my Jesus.  He had been chasing me for years and I never took the time to realize it, and now in hindsight, I know that God was working in me a testimony that would lead many others to Jesus.  Their lives changed, just like mine was and has been every since then.

I became what the Bible calls, "a new creature or creation".  So in this edition of Still Waters I want to tell you what it means to be a new creation, and hopefully if the word gets out enough, I be able to tell someone how to become a new creation.

John chapter 3 more than likely contains the most famous verse in all of scripture.  John 3.16.  However the context of that famous verse is often overlooked by Christians and Non-Christians alike.  The context tells us that a member of the Pharisees came to Jesus by night because he was honestly seeking answers to the questions he had regarding Messiah.  He came by night most likely out of fear because his peers hated Jesus and he did not want to be seen with Jesus.  Nicodemus paid Jesus a very high compliment about being a great teacher sent from God, but instead of a quick thank you, Jesus got down to business and told Nico, that he needed to be "Born Again"  Nico, didn't understand that and neither do a lot of people today.  What Jesus tells him is that a man must be born of water, and Spirit in order to see the Kingdom of Heaven.  Now we are all born by water in the first birth, but the rebirth, must be the baptism of Gods Spirit upon you, this is the sign that you are saved.  Previous to the point of salvation you are estranged from God because of your sin, and you lack the Spirit of God.  Upon calling on the name of Jesus for salvation, you receive the Holy Spirit as a promise and a councilor.  We know we are saved by the Spirit dwelling with in us.  Once the Spirit comes into your life and heart, then you begin to go through a transformation.  A metamorphosis if you will.  That is exactly what the Bible refers to when Jesus meets Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:1-8 NKJV)

This was a pivotal time in the ministry of Jesus as He was on His way to Jerusalem.  The purpose of this Heavenly encounter was to solidify Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah).  Jesus would be the fulfillment of all things!  Peter, James, and John were all amazed and awe-struck by the event and were fearful, and excited at the same time.  In this passage we see the word, "Transfigured".  This word means -- Metamorphoo in Greek, and as you can see it is where we get our English word, Metamorphosis, which means to change form, or to go through a total change from one thing into another.  Now I may not have shone like the sun on the date of my salvation, but I was transformed and it wasn't something where I lost a few pounds or cut my hair...this wasn't something that I could change back from....I was saved, and the Bible makes it plain, that what God saves, stays saved.  I was a different man from that point forward.  My desires changed, my behavior began to change, and while my life was basically the same situation, my attitude toward it changed.  As I gave my problems and worries over to God the more I found them going away.  Not just forgetting about them and the problem getting worse, but a total obliteration of the problem.

In less than a year after my salvation, I became engaged to a wonderful and Godly woman who was the number 1 reason that I came to church and got saved in the first place.  We were married months down the road and 6 weeks after we were married I got a call that Id waited years for.  The call that said that I had a kidney ready for me.  That kidney took to my body as if God made it for me....and you know something?  I believe He did....I got my life back...a life that I was ready to throw away because I figured it worth nothing.  God considered it worthy of sending His Son for me and after coming to the awakening of that reality, i knew that it was now my life's work and desire to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  At the end of the day or even as it may be, the end of my life the only thing that will truly matter is how I lived for Jesus.  For nearly nine years my kidney has worked strong as if it were two perfectly functioning kidneys...I praise God for that and I do that with all certainty that He is the reason I have it...Not luck, not chance, not even karma or anything else, other than the Grace of my Loving Lord Jesus who showed me that a new creation is what I had become....BEHOLD THE OLD IS GONE, HE HAS MADE ALL THINGS NEW!

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1, 2 NKJV)

You see?  Paul is telling us that our reasonable service to God is to give our very selves to Him.  Not doing so as if we were serving ourselves or this world, but being transformed into the image of God, by the renewing of our minds.  Christianity isn't something that we can take lightly.  It is not just a Sunday morning hobby, it is a life changing event that calls for us to give up everything just as Christ gave everything for me.  He DIED for me, now I want to LIVE for Him....I want to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

So let me close this edition of Still Waters by asking a question;  Do you want peace in your life?  If you said yes and you don't feel like you have it, then let me tell you that Jesus can give it to you.

Do you feel like you've wasted years of your life doing meaningless things and you want a fresh start?  Let me tell you that Jesus can give you that.

Are you lonely, depressed, burdened?  Jesus said, "Come to me all you who labor, and I will give you rest".  

Do you want to be Born Again and find a newness of life that you never knew could be?  Let me tell you about a Man who can give you that....Maybe you've heard of Him....His name is Jesus, and He will save His people from their sins.  

Pray this prayer, "Lord Jesus, I ask that you forgive me of my sins.  I admit to You that I need your forgiveness because I am a sinner.  I believe that You are the Son of God and that You died for me and that God raised You from the dead on the third day.  I ask that You come into my life and change me.  I want to live for You.....In Jesus' Name, Amen"

If you prayed that prayer or something like it and meant it in your heart, then I suggest you tell someone about it and get into a Bible Preaching Church.  Stand up for the truth of Jesus and let the world know that you are a Christian...Because my friend....You are born again!  What are you going to do with it?

Allow Him to take you from the storms of this life and put you beside STILL WATERS,

Blessings to you,

Greg

Prophetic Coffee Talk

30 I will display wonders
in the heavens and on the earth:
blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the Lord comes. 

  - - Joel 2.31-32 HCSB

So in a study that I did @ FBC Winslow I taught that according to NASA and other scholars there are to be what are called 4 "Blood Moons".  

Blood Moons scientifically are considered to be a full lunar eclipse.  In the Bible these are considered prophetic.  The reason they are considered as such are because they land on the Jewish Feast Days.  Passover, and Tabernacles. 

Read about the Jewish Feast Days here in Leviticus 23

I will explain more on this at a later date and may even upload some PowerPoint presentations that were done and shown to the congregation back in the fall of 2013.

The plot thickens as I have recently read that the year of 2014 starts out as the "Year of the Moons" because the month of January has two "Super Moons".  A super moon is described as; the following.

The dates of these "Super Moons" are 1/1/2014 and again on 1/30/2014.  There are a total of 5 super moons in 2014 and two take place this month.  There are also to be 2 blood moons starting on Passover of this year and ending on Feast of Tabernacles 2014 (which is in September).

In Biblical Prophesy God is always talking to the Jewish people via the moon as the Jews still observe the Lunar Calendar of the Bible where the rest of the Gentile world observes the Gregorian Solar Calendar.

The final and most interesting fact is this:  In September of 2015 the final blood moon will appear on the Jewish Holiday, Sukkot (Tabernacles).  This blood moon will also be a Super Moon.  What is God trying to say to the Jews?  What is God trying to tell us as Gentiles and as Christians?  Only time will tell for sure.  This I DO know;  God is telling us something and it is time for the Christian to get serious about witnessing and reading their Bible b/c it is up to us to share what we know as we are the Watchmen on the Wall according to Isaiah 21.8 & 62.1.

Look for the signs in the Heavens for they are God's Billboard to us here on Earth.

Be Still and Know,

Greg

Seeking Answers

Matthew 7:8

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

There are a lot of people seeking answers these days to some of life's great questions.  I, for one, am one of those who seem to have more questions than answers.

• Why does this happen?
• Why did that just happen?
• How can someone do such a thing?

All of these are questions that people ask on a daily basis all across the globe.  Here is what the Bible teaches;

Once upon a time a religious leader came to Jesus and they told Him that they needed a sign from Him to prove His religious authority.  Jesus told them that only a "wicked and perverse generation seeks after a sign."

So here is another question;  Are we wicked when we seek a "sign" from Jesus?  The answer to that question quite simply is NO.  The men that sought a sign from the Lord were in fact wicked.  They didn't want a sign as if to worship Him or as if to seek answers to an issue that they were facing.  They were tired of Jesus showing them up in the public eye and they wanted to cause a stumbling block for the ministry of Jesus.  However, He did not give in to their sinful desires and He called them out on their wickedness and selfish hearts.

Here is what I can tell you of the questions of life.  When a person is seeking the Lord a person finds the Lord.  The Bible says that when we draw close to God, He draws near to us.  What does that mean?  It means when a person's heart begins to turn to God, He makes Himself available to you.

Here is one of my favorite promises of the Bible:  28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. --Romans 8.28

The truth is, in this life, we will face many sorrows and hardships.  I sure have seen my fair share in my 33 years.  Jesus also saw His fair share in His 33 years.  We know that the testing of our faith produces patience and that God is preparing us for something far greater than our human tendencies can fathom.  

Today's message is real simple:  We need to start 2014 with a promise to ourselves and to God...That we are not going to be casual when it comes to Him.  We need to step up and be the Christians we are called to be, whether it is a dry season, or abundance.  Seek God in your lives this year and you will find Him.  I can guarantee you that this year is not going to be without its surprises. Some good....and some not so good.  However, when we work hard, and put God first we will see results and we will bear good fruit and we will bring glory to our Heavenly Father, and at the end of our lives, what else matters.

Remember...He leads me beside the still waters --- Psalm 23

Be blessed,

Greg

Calling Evil Good.

Hello All!  Today's blog is more less a rant about an article I read earlier today.  You can read it for yourself right here.  Apparently the ACLU of Oklahoma is trying to get the 10 commandments taken down from the state capital.  SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!!!   The ACLU doesn't like something that is Godly.  Let me ask a question;  What is wrong with the 10 Commandments apart from it being in the Bible?  Apparently to some it is just totally offensive to have something tell us how to live our lives.  Such terrible things as,

• Honor Your Parents
• Do Not Murder
• Staying Faithful to Your Spouse
• Do Not Lie
• Do Not Steal

And other such things.

How dare anyone try to live a life that is honorable and moral?!  (do you hear the sarcasm?  I'm laying it on pretty thick)

The problem is that people want to call what is evil good and what is good evil.

The irony in this Google images picture is that it is so true.  You can say or do anything you want to according to modern day America, but you cannot tell someone that what they do is wrong.  The Bible says that the Cross is foolishness to unbelievers. 

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

It truly is that simple.  People want to call what is good evil because otherwise they are confronted with their sin.  The Manger is a precursor to the cross and the cross calls for total submission and people don't want to do that.  

So what is the solution?

I don't know if I have it pegged just right, but here is what I would suggest;  We need to get these noodle-necked politicians out of office and get ones that stand on the Bible's moral law!  These things will continue to happen until local, state, and federal governments stop giving in to the bullying from institutions like the ACLU.  Let them complain, let them fuss and cry.  Stand up and tell the complainers that if they don't like America's religion then they can leave America.  A satanist group wants to put a statue next to the 10 commandments.  Can you imagine the abomination that will be if this goes through?  What will likely happen is that they will remove the 10 commandments which is basically the same offence.  

We as Christians must come together and pray that the government will wake up and stand up and stop being pushovers to the religious bullies of today.  Also, we as Americans need to stop electing and putting in power people who are wimps and, even worse, believe the same things as the ACLU.  

I will leave you with this thought in closing.  There is a story in the Bible where a great man named Elijah  went on top of a mountain called Carmel and challenged his people to believe in God or rebuke Him as God.  "How long will you waiver between two worlds" he asked his opponents.  American needs to make a decision before God makes it for you..  It is that simple.  To call what is good evil is what the Pharisee did when they told Jesus that He cast out demons by Beelzebub.  That is called blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and that is the rejection of the Gospel and that my friends is a sin that you cannot come back from.  America is verging on a sin that cannot be forgiven when they call God and His statutes evil.  Christians;  It's time to get real with our prayers.

Blessings,

Greg

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight! ----Isaiah 5:20-21