A Day of Prayer

Welcome back, brothers & sisters!!!

Thank you for joining us today in supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world  in praying over this week’s prayer requests.   

Here are this week’s prayer requests:

• Please pray for the families of the 4 slain police officers in Washington state to receive peace, strength, and comfort during this very trying, grief-filled period of their lives.  Pray that the Lord would bless them to feel His presence and that they would draw closer unto Him as their refuge during this very stormy time in their lives. 
• Please pray for a young woman that just recently suffered a miscarriage to receive the Lord’s healing over her life.  Pray that she would find comfort in knowing that her baby is not truly lost forever, and that her precious baby is now in the Lord’s care for all of eternity.  Pray that she would feel some deep-rooted joy in knowing that she will have the opportunity to be reunited with her baby one day by being saved through Christ Jesus:-) 
• Please continue to pray for Kevin.  This young man found out the day before Thanksgiving that he has stage 4 lung cancer.  Please pray for him and his loved ones to receive the Lord’s covering & comfort through this time.
• Please continue to pray for Mary’s dad in the Philippines.  He is receiving chemotherapy for stage 2 cancer.  Let’s lift our brother up in prayer and pray the Lord’s covering & comfort over him and his loved ones during this trying time.
• Please continue to pray for a young married couple with children to receive the Lord’s blessings over their lives.  The mother recently lost her job due to lay offs.  The dad works, but the hours available to him are few due to the light workload at his employer.  Furthermore, the dad has a heart condition that is potentially life-threatening.  Please pray for these two to remain steadfast in their faith and to continue trusting completely in the Lord & His blessed promises throughout this trying time.  Furthermore, please pray for this time to be one of joy for this family and for all the extra time they are spending together right now to be precious time that yields much spiritual growth and many fond memories.  Lastly, please pray that the mother’s current pregnancy would be a healthy and uneventful one, culminating in the birth of another precious child several months from now:-)
• Please join with me in praying for a young man in his 30’s that has been physically debilitated by the ravages of MS.  This young man clings to his faith in the Lord fiercely.  Please pray that the Lord would pour out His mercy, grace, and healing on this young man so that he may find some relief from this disease that has been ceaselessly attacking him for over 8 years now.  Furthermore, please pray that his faith would be renewed and that his grip on his faith in the Lord would remain firm at all times.  Also, please pray for this young man’s mother to also receive the Lord’s peace, strength, and comfort as she takes care of him through this ordeal.  Pray for them both to realize that they are in the Lord’s hands, and that is always the best place that any of us can be.
• Please continue to pray for the president of the United States of America to seek the Lord’s guidance and will so that he may better fulfill his leadership role.  Pray that he would turn away from the lies that he frequently perpetuates and from the power plays that he continually makes, opting instead to be a faithful and obedient servant of the Lord God Almighty.  Please also pray for our members of Congress to also seek the Lord’s guidance and will, rather than primarily seeking more backroom deals and re-elections.  The United States was intended to have a government not under the control of man-made religion, but the founding fathers did intend for the United States to have a government that acknowledged and abided by the will of the Lord God Almighty.  Pray that this country would awaken to that truth before it is too late. 
• Please continue to pray for one of our sisters in Christ Jesus.  Her name is Tiffany, and she has been diagnosed with a form of scoliosis.  Let’s pray for the Lord’s healing over our sister and that she would also receive the Lord’s strength, peace, and comfort as He leads her through this tough time.  Pray that she would feel His presence continually and be restored to full health quickly. 
• Please continue to pray for a two year old girl with cancer.  Pray that this little princess would receive healing in the name of Jesus Christ, and please pray that the Lord would comfort her throughout this ordeal.  Furthermore, please pray that the Lord would bless the loved ones of this little princess to be filled with His peace, strength and comfort during this trying time.
• Please continue to pray for a middle-aged woman that is suffering through the affliction of having liver cancer.  This sister loves the Lord with all her heart.  Please pray that the Lord would sustain and strengthen her as she battles this disease.  Please pray in Jesus’ name in faith with thanksgiving and supplication that the Lord would unleash His complete healing power over our sister, healing her mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
• Please continue to pray for the people of Israel to recognize that the long-prophesied Messiah is none other than Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father.  Recognizing this will enable many more Jewish people to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, so that they may be reconciled unto the God that chose them as His people so many thousands of years ago.  Many Jews have converted to Christianity in the last several years.  Let’s pray that a great many more do the same:-)  Furthermore, let’s pray for the Lord’s continued protection and blessings for Israel in the face of the world’s disdain for this nation.  As many of Israel’s enemies will find out the hard way, the Lord will not forget His chosen people:-)  Praise God for His ceaseless faithfulness, perfect and enduring love, abundant mercy, and amazing grace!!!
• Please continue to pray for those churches and Christians that have abandoned Christ by embracing abominations such as homosexuality and humanism to see the error of their ways, repent, and return to the Lord.  There is a rapidly growing movement of churches and people seeking world unity through diversity of faith in order to gain acceptance from the very world that rejected Jesus Christ.  Please pray that they would reverse course and esteem seeking the Lord’s will, rather than giving in to man’s will. 
• Please continue to pray that Christians around the world would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would boldy go about proclaiming Jesus Christ and sharing the Lord’s word, truth, and love to all peoples everywhere.  Pray that they would not be intimidated into silence by the ridicule and persecution that this world will meet them with, but rather that they would be energized by knowing that they are being blessed with the honor of sharing in Jesus’ suffering for us.  Jesus told us that all that would follow Him would need to take up their own cross.  Please pray for Christians to remember this and to be filled with the strength, courage, and faith to boldly carry their crosses through this world in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ!!!

If you have not yet given your life to Christ Jesus, but you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

If you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you have now been born-again in Jesus Christ.  Your sins of the past have been forgiven, and you now have a clean slate with which to begin living your new life for Jesus Christ.  You will still have trials and challenges in this world, but you will never again face them alone.  Get to know the Lord better by regularly studying His word (the bible) each day, by speaking to Him frequently through prayer, and by seeking fellowship with other Christians.  Welcome to the family, beloved!!! 

As always, if you have a prayer request, please send it along so that we can join you in prayer over your request(s).  You can either submit your prayer request(s) in the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or you can email your prayer request(s) directly to me at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).  We are always happy, thankful & blessed to join you in prayer in looking to the Lord for His blessed support and intervention:-)

Thank you for joining us in supporting our brothers and sisters around the world in this week’s prayer requests.  I hope you will be able to join us for our next message on Monday.

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, and be sure to share Christ Jesus as freely and lovingly with others as you have been blessed to receive Him by the very grace of God!!! 

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Do You Love Your Enemies?

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Do you love your enemies?  Do you have compassion for those that ridicule you, cheat you, and look for ways to wrong you?  How do you respond to their attacks and vitriol?

Do you respond with love and forgiveness as Christ Jesus tells us to respond, and as He modeled perfectly for us?  If you don’t then you are disappointing your Master.  I know that it can be particularly hard to forgive and love those who wrong you.  From my personal experience, I am all too familiar with just how hard this can be.  However, I also understand the futility of saying, “I know I should forgive them, but…”.  Beloved, qualified forgiveness is no forgiveness at all.  It’s much like someone who almost trusts you.  They either trust you, or they don’t.  In that same vein, we either offer complete and unconditional forgiveness, or we are not offering forgiveness at all.

Several months ago I was a target of vilification from a group of individuals that were doing everything they could to tear me down and break me.  They used deception, lies, insults, threats, and many different forms of under-handed attacks.  In past years when someone would play these games with me, I was very quick to counter by systemically taking my own swings back at them until they would completely give up.  Though I was very adept at doing so, I was not proud of my ability to “take someone down a peg”.  Nothing positive ever came from it.

Well, as this situation developed and got more vicious (it lasted over 6 months) I became angrier and angrier.  I began to plot exactly how I would make these people pay for their attacks.  Before I implemented my counterattacks, however, something happened.  The more I prayed and shared my burdens and my anger with the Lord, the more I began to feel ashamed for my lust for revenge.  That feeling led me to do something I had never done under such extreme persecution before;  I tried to look at those attacking me through the Lord’s eyes. 

When I did that, beloved, my heart broke for my persecutors.  I no longer saw people who were trying to hurt me.  Instead, I saw a bunch of lost “children” who had been tricked into doing the evil one’s will.  I also realized that if I struck back at them in the manner I had planned, then I would also be doing the evil one’s will.

The moment this realization washed over me, I prayed to the Lord and apologized for the anger that I had allowed to burn hotter and hotter inside of me and for the bad intentions I had planned to respond to these people with.  I also pled with the Lord to forgive the people that had been persecuting me.  I asked that He would open their eyes, ears, and hearts to see the error of their ways so that they might be reconciled unto Him and His will.  I forgave every single one of them that had wronged me, and I felt a strong love burning for them deep within me.  For some time thereafter I prayed for them each and every day, hoping that they would come to Christ and repent of their evil deeds.  I still pray for them on a frequent basis.

Since I began to feel compassion for my persecutors and began praying for them, I have no longer carried the burdens and anger that their persecution initially brought on.  I came to realize that I could only carry so much.  I could either carry those burdens and that incredible anger, or I could carry love and forgivenss.  You see, beloved, we cannot carry both.  We cannot serve the Lord God Almighty by doing the evil one’s work.  I let go of those destructive feelings, so that I could allow all of my being to be filled with the Lord’s love and grow in faith.  By responding to their attackes with forgiveness, and responding to their hate with love, I have lived my faith rather than just speaking it.

Through this experience, the Lord has refined me in faith much further.  While the latest actions of my persecutors show that they have not yet turned to the Lord, I will continue to pray that they will eventually see the error of their ways, repent, and be reconciled unto God.  Though having to separate myself from the situation meant that I no longer would get to work closely with people that I dearly cared about, I was able to do so knowing that on that great day of the Lord, I will be reunited with my friends of faith for all of eternity.  Thank you, Lord!!!

Beloved, don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “Well, I should forgive them, but…”!  There are no “exceptions/buts”.  Judgment does not belong to us.  The Lord handles judgment.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord, so it is not our place to dish it out.  Furthermore, carrying a grudge/resentment will only serve to put distance between you and the Lord.  Is whatever wrong someone committed against you worth turning away from God?  No!!!  Just as Jesus forgave all of us of our wrongs/sins, as faithful servants of the Lord we are to forgive all that offend/attack us as well.

Remember that Jesus made this point when He asked what we gained by only loving those that already love us.  Beloved, is striking back at someone in anger proof of Christ’s love?  No!!!  That’s not what He taught us.  Turning the other cheek is not just some abstract concept.  It is the very instruction that our Lord and Savior gave to us.  He did not qualify that instruction by telling us to follow it only part of the time.  We are to follow the Lord’s instructions all of the time.

Love your enemies, beloved.  They don’t deserve your love, but by responding with love and forgiveness you may just be able to plant a seed that eventually leads them to be reconciled unto the Lord.  You see, beloved, if you expect people to want to be filled with Christ, the portrait you paint in the manner that you live should be a portrait that shines brightly with the Lord’s light.  If people see someone that’s always angry, bitter, resentful, and lashing out, are they going to feel compelled to seek after that which fills them?  No!!!  However, when we respond with the incredible strength and power displayed only through unconditional love, complete forgiveness, and steadfast faith, then people are drawn to learn more about what fills you with such assurance, peace, and joy.  This will help to encourage them to repent of their sins and turn their life over to the Lord.  Remember, beloved, we were just as lost as they are now at an earlier point in our own lives, before we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Let’s not break our Father’s heart by making Him watch His children attack each other with hateful and hurtful intrigues.  Let’s make His day by showing Him our love, faith, and obedience by following the example that He set for us.

Precious one, if you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would sincerely like to, then please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

I you just prayed that prayer, honestly seeking the Lord, then you are now saved.  The robe of righteousness is now available unto you through your Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.  Though you will still face adversity in this world, you now have the Lord with you to face and overcome anything that comes your way.  Dedicate yourself to your new relationship with the Lord by talking to Him often through prayer, while also studying His word.  Ask the Lord to guide your every path, and follow the path that He sets before you.  I would further encourage you to seek out opportunities for fellowship with other believers.  Serve the Lord with all your heart, and always seek His will in all things.  Welcome to the family:-)  Know that the angels in heaven are rejoicing at your decision to give your life to the Lord today!!!

I want to thank you all for joining today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for Friday’s day of prayer so that we can unleash the power of the Lord through prayer over this week’s prayer requests.

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

The Blessing of Humility

Welcome back, brothers and sisters.

It is not often that we hear people talk about humility as a blessing.  Oftentimes, humility is mentioned in a negative way.  For example, I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about the “lesson of humility” in a negative vein, right, as though it was an experience that one would want to avoid?  Interestingly, the truth is that we all need to learn the lesson of humility at least once in our life, and in some cases more than once.  Why?  Beloved, humility brings us closer to the Lord.  Humility is a quality that Satan does not have.  Why?  It’s simple really.  Humility is the polar opposite of pride.

Think about it, brothers and sisters.  Pride results in people puffing themselves up.  Prideful people create an enhanced and unrealistically flattering vision of themselves.  They have to believe that they are better than others so that their elevated view of themselves is maintained.  A person filled with pride is almost impossible to teach, as their pride won’t allow them to admit that they need help to grow.  Someone filled with pride has a tendency to repeat mistakes of the past due to their unwillingness to learn from anyone other than themselves.  Even if 20 other people have made the same mistake, all to their own detriment, the prideful person will think they can do the same thing without the adverse consequences.  Why?  Because they believe that others that may have tried the same thing and failed are somehow inferior to them.  Their superiority complex will rarely allow consideration of the reality that the same limitations that apply to others also applies to them.

Humility, on the other hand, is quite different.  Humility often goes hand in hand with meekness.  A humble person sees themselves as they really are.  They are lowly in heart, not esteeming themselves any better than others.  As a matter of fact, they often esteem themselves even less than they esteem others.  The meekness found in a person that is truly humble is a key quality that results in submission to God’s will rather than their own.  A humble person is a willing student as the enormous barriers that pride throws up never enter into the equation.  A person filled with humility is not nearly as likely to repeat mistakes made previously, as they tend to learn from previous mistakes.  When they err, the humble person will acknowledge their error/shortcoming, and they will be open to understanding what they needed to do differently.

Is it possible to have a strong Christian walk in life while being an incredibly proud person?  No, it is not.  Why is that?  Well, beloved, an extremely prideful person is focused on themselves and on doing what they need to do to maintain or further enlarge the image of themselves that they are trying to project.  They esteem their own will in doing so as a more of a priority than God’s will.  A humble person subjugates their own will to God’s will, opting to seek His will before their own. 

Beloved, their are two great examples that come to mind that clearly demonstrate the difference between pride and humility.  Acting as the eternal poster boy for pride and selfishness is none other than Satan.  Think about it.  Satan always puts his own will first.  He rebelled against fulfilling God’s will due to thinking that doing so would somehow diminish his own greatness while also magnifying the truth that there is One greater than him. 

On the flip side, our champion of humility and meekness is none other than Jesus Christ.  That’s right, beloved, the greatest example of humility and meekness that we have is none other than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Was Jesus meek?  Yes, He submitted himself to His Father’s will by accepting to suffer the cross in order to fulfill God’s plan.  Jesus is the purest picture of humility that we will ever have.  Consider the following words of Jesus:

“Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” – Matthew 11:28-29 (KJV)

Here is another quote from when Jesus was praying to God the Father in the garden of Gethsemane shortly before Judas betrayed Him to the authorities.  Jesus knew the horrors He would have to suffer if He fell into the hands of the authorities, and the following quotes part of His prayer to the Father that very night:

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but thine, be done.’” – Luke 22:41-42 (KJV)

Beloved, this is the only begotten Son of God!!!  He could have called down legions of angels to deliver himself, but instead He was humble and meek enough to submit to His Father’s will.  Consider what the apostle Paul said in the following:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8 (KJV)

Thank the Lord for humility!!!  Humility is truly a wonderful quality for each of us to have.  How does humility bring us closer to God?  Consider the following:

• How are we to hunger and thirst after righteousness unless we acknowledge that we are not righteous on our own? 
• Those who are meek have needed gentleness themselves.  Humility means willingly acknowledging that need. 
• If you do not recognize your own need for mercy, then how likely are you to be merciful to others?  Humility enables you to admit your sins, repent, and seek the Lord’s forgiveness.  In doing so, we receive His forgiveness and so much more:-)
• It takes humility to admit and own your mistakes.  To be willing and able to admit our own mistakes is a key ingredient to enabling us to be effect peacemakers.
• You cannot have purity of heart if you heart is full of foolish pride.
• How can we grow in our faith and walk with the Lord, unless we are honest about our need for such growth.  Humility is the acknowledgement of that need.
• To stand firm as a Christian means being willing to give all in order to serve Christ.  Christians that live for Christ undergo various forms of persecution (i.e. slander, undue criticism, false imprisonment, physical harm, emotional/mental abuse, etc.).  In order to make such a stand requires the humility of submitting to God’s will and putting Him first, at the expense of a harder existence in this world that we presently live in.

How does God view humility?  While there are many different excerpts in the bible that illustrate God’s view of humility, we will list just a few here.  Consider the following scriptures:

“By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honour, and life.” – Proverbs 22:4 (KJV)

“[When] pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [is] wisdom.” – Proverbs 11:2 (KJV)

“[He that is] despised, and hath a servant, [is] better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.” – Proverbs 12:9 (KJV)

“The fear of the LORD [is] the instruction of wisdom; and before honour [is] humility.” – Proverbs 15:33 (KJV)

“Better [it is to be] of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” – Proverbs 16:19 (KJV)

“Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” – Matthew 5:3-11 (KJV)

Beloved, the last quote in that list is a quote from Jesus’ sermon on the Mount.  When you look at each of the statements He makes in that quote, you can see the need for humility and meekness as a central underpinning to every group He is speaking of.  I pray that all who read this message are filled with humility and draw closer to the Lord by continually seeking and submitting to His will.

If you have not yet given your life to Christ Jesus, but you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just sincerely prayed that prayer, then you are now born-again in Jesus ChristJ  Welcome to the family!!!  You will still have many trials/problems to face in this world, but you will never again face them alone.  With the Lord God Almighty on your side, all problems just became manageableJ  I would encourage you to get to know the Lord better by spending a few minutes each day studying His word (bible), communicating with Him frequently through prayer, and by seeking other Christians to have some fellowship with.  All of these things will help you to grow spiritually in your new relationship with the Lord.  Remember, from this point forward your life should reflect who you serve, and you serve Jesus Christ as your Lord and SaviorJ  Praise God!!!

Thank you all for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for Thursday’s message. 

As always, if you have a prayer request you would like us to join you in prayer over, please don’t hesitate to send it to us either through the “Comments” box on this page, or by emailing me directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com.  We will maintain your privacy.

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

 

God’s Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Still In Effect

Seriously, brothers and sister, God’s ban on same-sex marriage is still in effect. Furthermore, God’s ban on civil unions and homosexuality is still in effect. You see, beloved, while legislatures, judges, and other individuals may decide that it’s okay to be homosexual, God’s law remains in effect.Now, there are many that will read this and accuse me of being intolerant. They will wonder why I am so behind the times while society has shown itself very progressive and tolerant in accepting homosexuality. Here is my response. First of all, I thank the Lord God Almighty for my intolerance. Furthermore, I would rather grow in God’s timeless and lasting word rather than lose my soul to the “progressiveness” of this world. Society has indeed shown itself progressive in its ability to separate itself from God on this particular issue.

Beloved, God created a woman for Adam; not a man. You may think that’s harsh, but it is the truth. Consider the following:

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’” – Genesis 1:27-28 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, a man cannot multiply with a man, and a woman cannot multiply with a woman. Only a man and woman can multiply. Consider also:

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24 (KJV)

Beloved, these words were not initially authored by me. The Author of these words is God himself. Though many people of this world have decided to compromise on this issue, the fact of the matter is that we are to be obedient to God in this matter, and all other matters. It is His will, not ours, that we are to commit ourselves to doing.

Whether you believe that homosexuality is genetic, or whether you believe it is a choice/lifestyle, the truth is that it is an affront to God. All sin is an affront to God. To repent of a sin, while planning on continuing to live in that sin, is not repentance at all. It’s lip service.

I remember several years ago when a battle over this issue within one of the religions caused that particular denomination to split into two separate organizations. The more liberal of the two approved of allowing homosexual ministers, while the more conservative opposed allowing homosexual ministers. I can still remember watching an interview with minister of the liberal portion of the church that thought it should be allowed. His statement was that while they believed strongly in God’s word, they also saw the need to compromise on the issue in light of the changing times.

Beloved, anyone that is willing to attempt to compromise God’s word/law/will is not serving the Lord. They are essentially trying to bend God to their own will, which is based in sin. Beloved, when we give our lives to Christ, we are to let go of our embrace of our sinful lifestyle. Our old selves are to die, as we become new creations in Christ.

Some people have gone so far as to take advantage of people’s ignorance of God’s word by claiming that God’s word does not specifically address homosexuality. Beloved, this is an absolute lie, and it is a lie sponsored by none other than Satan itself. Do you want some examples of just how specific the bible is about God’s view of homosexuality? Consider the following:

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: It is abomination.” – Leviticus 18:22 (KJV)

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men and women working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.” – Romans 1:26-27 (KJV)

“Know ye not that unrighteousness shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (KJV)

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” – Leviticus 20:13 (KJV)

That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Did the last verse strike you as particularly harsh? It shouldn’t have. We know that the wages for all sin is death, so why would it be any different for this particular sin?

So how are we to deal with homosexuality? Are we to compromise our obedience to the Lord and say that its okay? No!!! We don’t say lying is okay. We don’t say murder is okay. We don’t say rape is okay. We don’t say homosexuality is okay!!! Purposely rejecting God’s word and will in order to satisfy your own affection for the pleasures of sin is never okay, no matter what that sin is. So here’s what we ought to do when dealing with someone who engages in homosexuality:

• Love them unconditionally, just as the Lord loves all of us unconditionally. Beloved, we are not to judge them. We are to love them with the Lord’s love. Remember that we were all lost to sin at one time in our lives.
• Share God’s word with them and encourage them to repent of their sins and to receive the deliverance that only Christ Jesus can provide.  That means living in that sin no more.
• Encourage them to separate from those things that would be likely to draw them back into homosexuality.

Beloved, I love homosexuals, murderers, liars, whores, pimps, drug dealers, and all other sinners, as I know that God does as well. We are never to pass judgment on those lost in sin. We are, however, to share the Truth with them at every opportunity so that they may see the light, repent of their sins, and be reconciled unto God.

As I’m sure you have come to know by now, it is not my style to be indirect and not speak God’s word in order to avoid offending anyone. Just know that my intention is never to offend. My intention is to always speak God’s word clearly, accurately, and consistently so that more may come to the Lord.

So in closing today, the choice is simple. Will you be tolerant of homosexuality so that we can all just get along, and because various men and woman have said its okay to do so, or will you obey the Lord God Almighty in truly living His word and protecting the sanctity of marriage? The choice is yours.

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion. I hope you will be able to join with us for our next message.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

 

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Breaking Down The Parables of the Treasure & the Goodly Pearl

Hello again, brothers and sisters!!!

Before we get into today’s discussion, I just want to briefly say “thank you” to those of you who have been regularly taking part in these discussions, as well as those of you who visit whenever you are able.  I would also like to thank all of our first-time visitors.  It is a blessing and a genuine pleasure to have you all here:-)

For today’s discussion, we will review the parables of the treasure and the goodly pearl.  While these two parables were a couple of the shorter parables that Jesus shared, they are certainly just as important as all of the other parables.  Jesus was speaking with His disciples when He shared these parables.  The parables are as follows:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;  the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” – Matthew 13:44-46 (KJV)

Both of these parables are making the same point, right?  Let’s break them down, shall we?

The man seeking treasure, and the merchant-man seeking goodly pearls, are played in real life by sinners seeking the truth, redemption, and salvation.  The treasure hiding in the field and the goodly pearl, represent the kingdom of God found through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is also the Living Word of God.  So with that being the case, why would we have to sell all that we have in order to buy our way into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ?  Doesn’t that run contrary to salvation being a gift given freely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?  It sure does.  however, the point of these parables is not that we are “buying” our way into the kingdom of God. 

The point is that once we have discovered the kingdom of heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we should value nothing else as much as this “treasure/goodly pearl”.  Beloved, when we find the kingdom of heaven through Jesus Christ and His word, we should value the Lord, His word, and His kingdom above anything else in our lives.  As obedient and faithful servants, there should be no price we are unwilling to pay in order to serve Him completely.  If we live in complete submission to the Lord’s will, then there is no room for competing interests.  Just as with the Apostle Paul, all former things we held dear we must be willing to count as lost once we are saved.  Why?  Well, once we are saved, serving the Lord is to be the focal point of our lives, and our vision is to be focused like a laser on doing so.

Interestingly, in these two parables that Jesus Christ shared with us we can also Him as the man/merchant-man seeking the treasure/goodly pearls.  Think about it.  Jesus gave up all that He had and suffered death on the cross in order to pay our sin debt.  In so doing, beloved, we were saved and purchased by His blood.  The treasure being “hid” in the field refers to those who live in Christ being granted access to the kingdom of heaven, which is a place that someone who serves sin cannot find or gain access to.  Once we belong to Christ, He protects us from the enemy.  We are effectively “hidden” in His protection, as once we belong to Christ Jesus, we cannot be snatched away from Him.  As Jesus said:

“I told you, and ye believed not:  the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.  But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:  And I give unto them eternal life;  and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all;  and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one.” – John 10:25-30 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let us rejoice that the Lord considers us His “treasure/goodly pearl” and was willing to pay everything in order to save us!!!  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  Furthermore, let’s praise the Lord God Almighty for His lovingkindness and longsuffering, and let’s show Him that He is the only real treasure that matters to us, as well!!!  Beloved, do you know what the word of God, the truth, salvation, entrance to the kingdom of heaven, light, love, peace, life, faith, wisdom, and understanding all have in common?  I’ll tell you what.  We find and receive all these things when we find Christ and turn our lives over to Him.  Jesus is the Truth.  Jesus is the Living Word of God.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Jesus is the Author and Finisher/Perfector of our faith.  He is the Way to the Father and the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus Christ is the Life.  The Lord is the Light of the world.  You get the point, yes?

Beloved, besides the praise we offer to the Lord in the form of prayer, song, and worship, we need to commit ourselves to praise Him through our lives and actions.  That we belong to Christ Jesus should be obvious to all not just by the words we speak, but also by the things we do.  It should not appear to others that we live for money, or for the approval of man;  rather it should be clear to all that we live to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Just as Jesus paid for us by giving up all that He had for our sakes, we ought to esteem our treasure, found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, above any passing “treasure” that this world has to offer.  Remember, beloved, the treasure of this world lasts for a limited amount of time and diminishes.  The treasure of the Lord is forever.  Suffer any necessary hardships, persecutions, or trials in this world in order to serve the Lord obediently and faithfully.  By so doing, your treasure in heaven will be waiting for you, and increasing, and will be with you forever:-)

Beloved, the Lord will always provide for, and take care of, those entrusted to Him.  It is, however, up to each one of us to make the decision to seek the Lord and His kingdom.  If we are willing to walk through the thorns, rats, mice, and bugs, and other treacheries of the field in order to find Him, then we will find that our “treasure” is more than worth the jouney.  Remember, beloved, hidden treasure only has value to us once we find it.  In order to find it, we must seek it.  As Jesus said:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;  and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

Precious one, we cannot claim hidden treasure that is never discovered, because we have no idea where it is.  Once we seek and find our treasure in Christ Jesus, however, we have the greatest treasure of all.  This is real treasure.  Everything other treasure pursued yields only fools gold.  So often we allow the cares of this world to distract us from searching for our hidden treasure.  Jesus was telling us not to get consumed/wrapped up in the concerns of this world.  He was telling us that we should put our whole focus on seeking the Lord and His will.  We can do so while not being overwhelmed with thoughts of what we will eat, where we will live, or what we will clothe ourselves with, because God will see to our needs just as He does with the birds of the air and the grass of the field.

Please pray for all those who have no idea of the hidden treasure available to them.  Let’s pray that they go searching for it, willing to brave the trials of the journey, in order to find the only treasure that really counts.  Furthermore, let’s pray that once they find that treasure, they see Him for who He really is and turn their lives over to Him as their Lord and Savior.  Jesus Christ is our treasure.

If you are ready to discover your hidden treasure, and claim your eternal inheritance from the Lord God Almighty, you can do so by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior today.  If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, and be saved, please pray the following prayer with me:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you just found your hidden treasure.  I would encourage you to find out what’s all in the treasure chest by exploring it through God’s word, through prayer with supplication and thanksgiving to the Lord, and by asking Him to reveal the fullness of the treasure to you.  The treasure you have, precious one, is priceless.  God set aside this treasure just for you through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Welcome to the family:-)  The angels in heaven are rejoicing this very moment at your decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Find out about this and much more by exploring God’s word that He had written just for you:-)  This relationship with Christ is the most precious and important relationship you will ever have.  Invest yourself in growing the relationship as much as possible.  Seek the Lord’s will in all things, and let your will be completely surrendered to Him.

Thank you for joining our discussion today.   I hope you are able to join us on Friday to pray over this week’s prayer requests. 

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!  Walk in faith, knowing that you are loved by the Creator of the heavens, earth, and all life, and knowing that the treasure that you now carry in your heart and soul is priceless:-)

Have a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!  Give a special thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for you and your loved ones.  Without Him, we’d be in a very bad place:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Breaking Down the Parable of the Ten Virgins & the Bridegroom

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!! 

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the ten virgins and the bridegroom.  Jesus was talking to His disciples about be ready for the last day when He shared the following parable:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh;  go ye out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.”

“And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil;  for our lamps are gone out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘Not so;  lest there be not enough for us and you:  but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;  and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage:  and the door was shut.”

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’  But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” – Matthew 25:1-12 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, the message of this parable is very sobering.  Let’s break this parable down and discuss the thrust of the message.

First of all, cast in the role of the bridegroom is the one and only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.  The ten virgins represent us, believers and non-believers.

Okay, so now that we know the cast, what is the tie-in to the oil and the lamps?  That’s simple, actually.  Why do we need lamps?  Lamps help us to see where we are going, right?  We are blinded when we are surrounded by darkness.

The lamps, beloved, represent our spirits/souls.  Why do I say this?  Consider the following scripture:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” – Proverbs 20:27 (KJV)

So if the lamp represents our soul/spirit, what does the oil represent?  The oil represents the Holy Spirit, which is attained through Christ Jesus.  Remember, beloved, that though Jesus is not present with us physically on earth anymore, He lives here in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  This is the same Holy Spirit that God the Father filled Jesus, His only begotten Son, with after He was baptized by John the Baptist.  Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is also known as the Light of the World.  Having His light in us, we can rejoice in knowing that our lamps will be lit and shining brightly at the moment that Jesus comes for us.

You see, beloved, the Holy Spirit is the oil that shines brightly enough that all can see our light, which is the presence of the Lord in our hearts.  How can people see that light?  Well, let’s look at the type of light that the Holy Spirit emanates, as described by the Apostle Paul:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, when we live in Christ, we are to be faithful and obedient servants of that which He blesses and graces us with.  Frankly, the manner in which we live should be a strong witness for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Remember, brothers and sisters, as His servants, our lives should be lived in such a manner as to reflect to others our service to our Lord and Savior.  That means we are to let the Lord’s light shine through us for all to see.  Jesus said the following about this:

“Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;  and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)

Beloved, the 5 virgins that heed the Lord’s word, and live by it, are those that He will find doing His work when He returns for His bride, which is the church.  The church is comprised of all those who have accepted salvation given by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Only those that have Christ in them will be called home to be with the Lord.  Those that do not have Christ in them have souls/spirits filled with darkness instead of light.  Since there will be no light found in such people, they will be passed over when the believers are called home.  Consider the parable of the ten virgins, and listen to what Jesus said would happen when He calls His servants home:

“Then shall two be in the field;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Watch therefore;  for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be ye also ready:  for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming’;  and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 24:40-51 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, no one knows when Jesus will return.  Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows the appointed hour.  The point is that we are supposed to constantly live our lives doing the work of our Lord and Savior so that in that “twinkling of an eye” when Jesus does return, we are found as faithful and obedient servants, diligently doing His work and will.

Unfortunately, beloved, there are many that live without Christ in their hearts.  They do not have the oil of the Holy Spirit burning brightly within them and emanating His light in their lives.  This, brothers and sisters, is all the more reason for us to constantly have our lamps lit with the oil of the Holy Spirit.  By sharing, embracing, and living the Lord’s word and love, we will be more effective in shining His light through the darkness in order to reach those that are presently lost.  Just as we were once lost before being found, we are incredibly blessed with the opportunity to help gather many of our Shepherd’s lost “sheep” by lighting up the path that will lead them home to Him.  This is our mission, beloved, and the time is now to carry it out.

No one should take for granted that the Lord will not come back for “x” amount more time.  We simply do not know the Lord’s return date and time, as only the Father knows.  Jesus could return in 5,000 years, 5 months, 5 weeks, 5 days, or in the next 5 seconds.  Regardless of how long it is until Jesus returns, we need to commit ourselves to doing His work every single day of our lives.  When He returns for us, let’s bless and glorify Him by meeting Him with as many well-oiled lamps as possible!!!

I would like to ask each and every person taking part in today’s discussion a few questions.  If the Lord Jesus Christ were to return in the next few seconds, would you be ready?  Would the Lord find your lamp lit brightly by the oil of the Holy Spirit?  Just as importantly, are you confident and assured that all of your family, friends, and loved ones would be found ready if Jesus were to return in the next few seconds?  Are you confident that hte majority of people in this world are ready to meet the Lord?

Let’s be honest, beloved.  There are a great many people that are not yet ready to meet Jesus Christ.  If Jesus were calling His faithful servants home today, an incredibly large number of people would be among those left behind.  Evidence of this can be found all throughout the world today.  Just turn on the 6 o’clock news, or go for a drive through the city, and you will see that much of humanity is spiritually lost and adrift at sea, without boat or life jacket.  This, brothers and sisters, is the urgency of our mission.  Just as with the 5 foolish virgins, those who are not ready to meet the Lord when He calls His faithful home will find out the harsh reality that the time for making the decision to commit their lives to Him has passed.

Beloved, ask the Lord for the endurance, strength, perseverance, and courage to work tirelessly to share His love and His word with as many people as possible.  The Lord will give you the words and the guidance you need through the Holy Spirit.  The time is now, beloved, for us to increase our staffing levels of faithful and obedient servants to take part in the Lord’s harvest.  Let’s get to work!!!

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer then you can rejoice in knowing that you now have the presence of the Lord in your heart.  While you will still face trials and tribulation in this world, you will never again face it alone.  Nurture your new relationship with the Lord and grow that relationship by getting to know Him better.  You can do this by studying His word (the bible), while also making talking to Him continually through prayer made with thanksgiving and supplication.  All you have to do to find out what the Lord had in mind for your life when He made you is to ask Him to shape your life in manner in which serves His will and then embrace the changes that He makes in you and your life.  Welcome to the family, beloved!!!  You are precious in your Heavenly Father’s eyes, and the angels in heaven are rejoicing in your decision to accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior:-)  We are happy to have you!!!

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next discussion.  Now, go enjoy this day that the Lord has made, and make the most of it.  Be glad, and rejoice in it!!!  Share the Lord, His love, and His word with as many people as possible, doing so just as freely as the Father shared His only begotten Son with us:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Breaking Down the Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the wedding banquet.  This is a parable that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees of the temple.  The parable is as follows:

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, whcih made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding:  and they would not come.  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, ‘Tell them which are bidden, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner:  my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready:  come unto the marriage.”  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:  And the remnant took his servants, and intreated them spitefully, and slew them.”

“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:  and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:  and the wedding was furnished with guests.”

“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there was a man which had not on a wedding garment:  And he saith unto him, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’  And he was speechless.  Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.” – Mattew 22:2-14 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let’s break down the parable, staring with the cast.

The king of the parable represents God the Father.  The son that the king has arranged a marriage for is Jesus Christ.  The bride to be is the church of Christ, which is all who live in the Lord.  The servants that were sent out to invite the guests represent the prophets.  The first group of guests that was repeatedly invited was the Israelites, God’s chosen people.  Remember, that though many prophets were respected and revered for a time, they usually ended up being persecuted/killed by the very people they were trying to reach with God’s message.

The second group of guests are the Gentiles, or the non-Jews.  When the Jewish people repeatedly rejected the Father, His word, and ultimately Jesus Christ and the Gospel He shared, the Gentiles were blessed with the opportunity to receive the Gospel and to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior while also receiving the gift of salvation that is found only in the only begotten Son of God.

Why was the one guest in the parable cast into outer darkness for not having on a wedding garment?  The answer is simple.  Do you know what the wedding garment is that the guests were to be clothed with?  Consider the following scripture:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;  for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” – Isaiah 61:10 (KJV)

You see, beloved, in order to attend the marriage of the Lamb of God, we must be attired appropriately.  We know that the only person we can get the appropriate attire from is Jesus Christ.  Why?  Through Jesus our sins are washed away, our hearts are purified, and we are clothed with the robe of righteousness.  The person in the parable without the robe of righteousness was a person that had not given their life to Jesus Christ, and was subsequently not wearing the necessary robe of righteousness.  Therefore, the inappropriately attired guest offended the king (God the Father). 

Brothers and sisters, there are people in this world who call themselves Christians, yet Christ is not found anywhere in them.  Such people often assume that going to church, periodically praying, and sometimes reading the bible and quoting chapter and verse is sufficient.  These are usually people that rejoice in sin Monday through Saturday, while attempting to live a Christian life on Sunday.  These are referred to as Sunday Christians, or Convenient Christians, and they do not have a place at the Lord’s table.  Why?  Beloved, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior 365 days/year and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Likewise, we are to be His servants at all times as well, living obediently and faithfully in serving Him.  Unfortunately, some are not sincere in their service to the Lord.  Jesus spoke of such people when He said the following about the day of judgment:

“Not everyone that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;  but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  and in thy name done many wonderful works?’  And then I will profess unto them, ‘I never knew you:  depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, while we can fool our fellow man into believing that we are someone we are not, God always knows who we are.  God knows our hearts and knows all there is to possibly know about us.  A few acts, or a few words, do not make a faithful and obedient servant in Christ.  A faithful and obedient servant of the Lord lives in service to Him at all times, while also having the Lord in his/her heart at all times.  We love His word, regularly study it, and He writes it into our hearts.  We take every opportunity to share the Lord’s love and word with anyone we can reach.  We are never ashamed to confess to others that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and Jesus is not ashamed of presenting us to the Father and speaking on our behalf.  Beloved, let’s live Christ in our lives all day, every single day.  Let’s study His word regularly as diligent students, and let’s do His work always as faithful and obedient servants are to do.  The Lord has already given us everything by blessing us with the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Let’s show Him how much we appreciate His sacrifice, His love, and His forgiveness by doing His work and will unceasingly and with a glad heart.

Beloved, if you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would sincerely like to, then please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

I you just prayed that prayer, honestly seeking the Lord, then you are now saved.  The robe of righteousness is now available unto you, and though you will still face adversity in this world, you now have the Lord with you to face and overcome anything that comes your way.  Nurture your relationship with the Lord by talking to Him often through prayer with thanks and supplication, while also studying His word.  Ask the Lord to guide your every path, and follow the path that He sets before you.  You no longer serve the sins and lusts of this world.  Your chains that tied you to the things of this world have now been broken.  Serve the Lord with all your heart, and always seek His will in all things.  Welcome to the family:-)  Know that the angels in heaven are rejoicing at your decision to give your life to the Lord!!!

I want to thank you all for joining in on today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next message.

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day.  Remember, you are loved by the very Creator of earth, the heavens, and all life with a love that is perfect, complete, and powerful beyond our present ability to fully comprehend.  Precious one, He made you in your mother’s womb, and you are very special to Him:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Breaking Down the Parable of the Talents

Welcome back, friends!!!

Today we are going to break down the parable of the talents. At talent, as used in the parable, was a variable unit of weight and money used in ancient Greece, the Middle East, and Rome. Jesus shared the parable of the talents with His disciples. The parable is as follows:

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.”

“Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them another five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.”

“After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee a ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’”

“He also that had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’”

“Then he which had received one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.’ His lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” – Matthew 25:14-30 (KJV)

 So what does this parable mean? Very often you will find people willing to tell you that this parable is all about money. This is not so. While the parable uses talents (money) given to the servants, the example of the money that was given is symbolic of something far greater. Let’s break this down and see what this is all about.

First of all, the lord of the servants symbolizes our Lord, Jesus Christ. The servants are those who claim to serve the Lord, such as Jesus’ apostles at the time, as well as Christians yet to come.

Okay, so now that we know whom the players are, what exactly is the point? The “talents” of the parable symbolize the gifts that the Lord bestows upon us. This includes blessings of ability, knowledge, wealth, hope, faith, etc. Most importantly, this includes the word of God. Why did the lord of the parable commend and reward the first two servants? He rewarded them, because they had been faithful and obedient in their service to Him. Rather than being selfish or lazy, both of the first two servants actively worked to make the most of what their lord had given them. Subsequently, when their lord returned, they were able to return more back to the lord. Beloved, I’m sure you see the parallel here. Just as the lord of the parable returned after having been away for quite some time, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will also return after having been in heaven for quite some time. When the Lord returns, all will have to give account of themselves. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” – Romans 14:12 (KJV)

As we saw in the parable, the third servant did absolutely nothing productive with what his lord had given him. Instead, he just buried it in the ground. Beloved, there are unfortunately many people in this world that do the same with what the Lord has entrusted to them and blessed them with. Rather than use the gifts they have been given to do the Lord’s work, they bury their “treasure”. In so doing, they are unfaithful and disobedient to the Lord. For those that are unfaithful and disobedient to God, there will be severe consequences, including being cast into “outer darkness”. Beloved, are not called to kick back. We are called to serve. If we do not serve the Lord, then we have not really accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.

Brothers and sisters, when we face the Lord don’t we all want to see a pleased look on His face? There are no sweeter words you could imagine Him saying than, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” There’s only one way to do that, beloved. We must use what the Lord has blessed us with in order to prove ourselves as obedient and faithful servants of the Lord and good stewards of His gifts. This includes using any abilities that we have been blessed with to their utmost, and using all of our available resources to constantly spread the Lord’s love and word throughout the world. This is the Lord’s work, and we are all called to do it. While many of us will have different roles to carry out, different blessings/abilities, and different burdens, the things that unite all servants of the Lord are our faithfulness, obedience, and willingness to put serving Him above serving ourselves.

Beloved, Jesus Christ is truly Lord of all. However, each one of us has to decide what type of servant we want to be. I pray that each and every person taking part in this discussion will commit themselves to being a faithful and obedient servant that puts all that God has blessed them with to the utmost use in order to serve and glorify God and His blessed name. This includes using our tangible and intangible assets/blessings. Most importantly, it means sharing His Gospel with others. The Lord will reward us based on our faith and obedience to Him. Don’t look for those rewards in earthly treasures that will fade away with time. Rejoice in knowing that the Lord rewards with heavenly treasures:-) 

Beloved, don’t be timid in sharing the word of God. Just as the Lord’s love and word saved you, sharing the same with someone else may help them to turn their lives over to Christ. The best return we can provide to our Lord Jesus Christ is to show our faithfulness and obedience as we work to bring more laborers (believers) into the harvest. That only happens by making the most of what God gives us and sharing His love and word with all people that we can reach.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to do so, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you are now a citizen of Christ’s eternal kingdom. You are saved, precious one!!! A new creation has been born in you, as Jesus Christ has now taken root in your heart. You will still face problems in this world, but you will never again face those problems alone. Get to know your Savior by studying His perfect word, and share His love freely with all you encounter just as He has unconditionally bless you with His powerful and perfect love. Welcome to the family:-)

If ever I can support you in prayer over any area of your life, please send me your prayer request(s) either through the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or by emailing me directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces). It is always a blessing to join you in prayer.  It is truly a wonderful and blessed thing when we come together to unleash God’s power through prayer.  He is truly greater than anything this world, or the enemy, can throw at us:-)  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Thank you for joining in today’s discussion.  I hope you will join us for tomorrow’s day of prayer for this week’s prayer requests, as well.  Have a wonderful and bless remainder of the day.  Remember, this is the day that the Lord has made.  Let’s rejoice, and be glad in it:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Breaking Down the Parable of the Vineyard

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

I thought that for the next few days we might take a look at some of the parables from the New Testament.  When Jesus would share a parable He would instruct those with ears to hear to listen to the parable being told and understand it.  I will admit that when I was lost in sin, I often read parables in the bible and was very confused.  I wondered why I apparently didn’t have ears to hear, even though every hearing test I ever had was perfect.  Since I turned my life over to Christ Jesus and have studied His word, I now take great joy in the parables that Jesus tells.  What once confused me is now abundantly clear when I read these parables.  This is just further proof that until we seek out and embrace the Truth, we are blind to the most obvious things.  Praise God for opening our minds, eyes, ears, and hearts to understand and receive His word!!!

The parable we will look at today is the parable of the vineyard.  Jesus was talking with the chief priest and elders of the temple, and they were once again trying to outwit Him.  After successfully showing that their attempt to outwit Him was about as effective as taking your best knife to a gunfight, Jesus went on to share this parable with them:

“There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.  Again, he sent other servants more than the first:  and they did unto them likewise.  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir;  come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.’  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” – Matthew 21:33-40 (KJV)

You know how the chief priests and elders of the temple replied?  They responded by saying:

“They say unto Him, ‘He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.” – Matthew 21:41 (KJV)

Beloved, many of you can read this parable and know exactly what Jesus is talking about.  Some who are reading this message today may not yet fully understand what this parable is referring to.  With that in mind, let’s break it down.

Our cast begins with God the Father playing the role of the householder. 

The vineyard He built and let out to the husbandmen represents the kingdom of heaven and His word.  Remember that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people.

The husbandmen roles are unfortunately ably filled by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and those that sought their own glory and whose hearts did not really belong to the Lord God Almighty.

When the first fruits are ready for harvest, the householder (God the Father) sends out some of his servants (prophets) to retrieve his part of the first fruits (those who lived righteously and followed the Lord’s word).  When the servants (prophets) were beaten and killed, the householder (God the Father) sent an even greater number of servants unto the husbandmen to collect that which belonged to him.  Unfortunately, the husbandmen (those living in sin, rather than abiding in and by God’s word), abused the second set of servants (prophets) in the same manner that they had treated the first group that had been sent their way.

Finally, beloved, when it is obvious to the householder (God) that the husbandmen (those living in sin) will not respond appropriately to the servants (prophets), the householder (God the Father) decides to send his son.  For those who may not yet know where this is going, the son is more than capably played by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father.  Unfortunately, rather than revering the son (Jesus) when they see him, the husbandmen (sinners) plot to kill him, figuring that this will give them control of the vineyard that the son (Jesus) was rightful heir to.

When Jesus talks about how they slew the son (Himself), He is prophesying about His own death on the cross that at that time was still yet to come. 

Beloved, Jesus went on to say to the same chief priests and elders that since they had rejected Him, the inheritance that God had set aside for Israel only would now be shared with the Gentiles, as well.  This made God’s word, and the gift of salvation provided by Jesus Christ, available to all non-Jewish people, as well.  Honestly, don’t you love how the Lord can always turn something that man intends for evil into something incredibly good?  Praise the Lord!!!  We are washed clean of our sin and clothed with the Lord’s robe of righteousness when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Jesus’ sacrifice and love are for every single one of us:-)  Isn’t that awesome?

If you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely then you are now a born-again Christian.  Welcome to the family!!!  You will still face troubles and trials in this world.  However, with Jesus on your side, there is nothing that you cannot overcome.  Trust the Lord, and seek His will always.  We were created to glorify Him and His blessed name.  Get to know the Lord better by spending a few minutes each day studying His word (the bible), communicate with Him frequently through prayer (speaking & listening), and seek fellowship with other Christians.  Doing these things will enable you to grow in your new Christian walk, and you will also become much more familiar with you Lord & Savior and His will:-)  Live to give Him glory, and know that you are loved by the Creator of all life!!!

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion.  Tomorrow, we will discuss an often-misinterpreted parable when we discuss the parable of the talents (coins).  I hope you will be able to join us.  Have a wonderful rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Religion vs. Christianity

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters.

I wanted to take today to discuss the topic of religion vs. Christianity. I think this is a worthwhile discussion, as it can profoundly impact our relationship with God.

Many people who reject God will cite the hypocrisy, and/or other various shortcomings, of religion(s) as being the reason(s) that they have turned away from the Lord. Many people that feel that their religion has betrayed them, or that their religion was just built on empty lies, often turn to alternatives such as atheism, or some other set of beliefs (Mormonism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witness, Christian Science, Humanists, Buddhists, etc.). Some of these people will oftentimes speak ill of God and profane or belittle the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as they felt that the beliefs of their religion let them down.

I will tell you right now that people who reason this way are both completely correct and totally wrong. While it is true that their religion may have let them down, it is idiocy to blame God. What? How can I say that? Well, let’s start off by establishing the truth. The truth is that God did not author religion. Religions are man-made. Simply stated, religion is man’s self-made attempt to reach God. As with anything man-made, religion is flawed in many different ways. Why should this surprise us when we know that we ourselves are far from perfect? If we imperfect people create a religion, then how reasonably can we expect that the religion we have created will not be flawed as well? Of course it will be flawed!!! It was made by man. Beloved, if we were able to create a religion that was sufficient for establishing a strong relationship with God then Christ would have never had to suffer the cross for us. It is exactly because of man’s inadequacy to reach and serve God faithfully on his own that the Father had to send the Son to suffer the cross for us in the first place!!!

Doctrines of the various religions represent man’s way of trying to reach God through his or her idea of faithful service. Since the human race has an extensive track record about being wrong about so many things, it would be silly to think that the doctrines created by man would be without blemish. Do you remember what Jesus told the Pharisees that questioned him about the doctrinal laws that they adhered to regarding marriage that Moses had given them? The Pharisees just asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason. Jesus responded by saying:

“Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh?’ Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” – Matthew 19:4-6 (KJV)

When Jesus responded this way, the Pharisees thought they could now prove him wrong. Showing that their faith was in the doctrine of their religion (Judaism) and in the author of that doctrine (Moses), the Pharisees then asked Jesus why their Moses told them that they could divorce for any cause. In Jesus’ response, we see Him clearly point out the flaw with this man-made doctrine. Jesus said:

“Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and who so marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” – Matthew 19:8-9 (KJV)

You see, beloved, the problem with the flawed doctrine of the Pharisees in this case is quite clear. Their religion was supposed to serve God. However, this doctrine was allowed to be incorporated into their religion not because it served God; rather it was allowed to be incorporated so that it could serve man’s wishes. Do you see the issue with that? Can we all see how religions that are supposed to serve and worship God become flawed when they incorporate doctrines that are meant to pacify the people that follow them?

Beloved, read the Scriptures, and you will see a great many more examples of how man’s religions fail to serve or glorify God. Beloved, every single thing of man will be flawed!!! Why? Because man has been severely flawed from the time that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The only thing that man has built that has lasted over the 6,000+ year history of humanity is a consistent record of inadequacy. For crying out loud, brothers and sisters, there have been (and still are in some circles) people whose religious beliefs lead them to worship golden calves and other graven images!!! Remember the tower of Babel? That was the idea of Nimrod, the ruler of the area at the time, to build a tower that would reach to heaven. The idea would have worked, except for that it incredibly stupid, doomed to fail, and a sin against God. The root problem with the idea is that it was meant to serve man and lift him up, rather than serving God. I believe we now understand why oftentimes people who tend to slip on the banana peel of stupidity are referred to as a “nimrod”.

Beloved, while religion represents man’s flawed attempt to reach God, Christ Jesus represents God’s perfect attempt to reach us. This is the primary difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is made by man, but Christ is given by God. Brothers and sisters, which do you think is more reliable? I will choose Christ Jesus, as He and the Father are perfect in all things. Furthermore, religion’s source of strength is in the men and women that serve it. Beloved, that strength wanes over time. However, trusting the Lord God Almighty means a decision to trust the only One that does not waver, wane, or change over the course of time. You see, beloved, when we trust and believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then our trust and belief will never be misplaced. The words Jesus spoke during His time on the earth, and the promises He uttered, are as valid today as they were then. If the world is still here in 5,000, His words will be just as valid then. You see, beloved, Jesus Christ is forever, as are His words and promises. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

Beloved, never let the inadequacies of man drive you away from the Lord. Why would you turn away the Lord’s love and the gift of eternal salvation that He offers you, just because of flawed doctrines of men? When we witness hypocrisy and other flaws in our religions and religious doctrines, we need to open our eyes and our hearts to understand that the inadequacies and injustices that we see are a reflection of man and not a reflection of God.

If you feel compelled to leave the religion that you have been following due to the shortcomings of the religion, or its adherents, then do so. However, when you do so, understand that though you may be walking away from that religion, you need not turn away from the Lord.

You see, beloved, you can receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and serve Him faithfully, without accepting a religion. Religion is not the path to salvation; only Jesus is. As Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” – John 14:6 (KJV)

In short, brothers and sisters, you must have Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior in order to receive forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, and a future home in heaven. While religion is not necessary to reach God, you simply cannot be reconciled to God without Christ Jesus.

Can religion be helpful? Sure it can as long as it recognizes Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of the Father and as our Lord and Savior. Religion can be a great way to congregate with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Religion can also be a great way to encourage spiritual growth, providing that the teaching and practicing that is taking place truly glorifies God. Unfortunately, we have also seen countless occasions of religion being twisted to commit all manners of atrocities and sinful acts. This causes many people to turn away.

If you are someone who has turned away from the Lord because of the evil deeds of men/women, or because of flawed church doctrine, I would ask today that you please reconsider your decision. I’m not encouraging you to return to your former religion. I am, however, pleading with you to return to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He already paid the price for all of man’s sins once for all times by suffering the cross for all of us. Don’t try to put Him on the cross again to pay for someone else’s wrongs a second time. It’s not going to happen. The only thing you achieve by blaming the Lord for man’s shortcomings is to distance yourself from God and move much closer to an eternity separated from the Lord with eternal torment in the lake of fire.

No matter how much you feel betrayed by other people, your religion, or your religion’s doctrines, what sense does it make to let go of the most important relationship you will ever have? Man acting of his own free will betrays you. The Lord will never forsake nor abandon you. You may ask how God could allow something to happen. The answer can be summed up in two words: free will. God gives us free will. Unfortunately, man has shown an incredible propensity for abusing that free will and making incredibly poor decision after incredibly poor decision. God promises that all who trust in Him, however, will be ultimately delivered. You see, beloved, if receive the Lord into your heart as your Lord and Savior, He will protect and nourish your soul. No matter what trials we go through in this life, we can have assurance and peace in knowing that we will be delivered to everlasting life by Jesus Christ.

Remember, brothers and sisters, it is okay to belong to a religion that recognizes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and as the only begotten Son of God the Father. Any religion that does not accept Jesus as Christ also does not accept the Father that sent Him. I don’t say this to pass judgement on anyone, as I have no right to do so. I say this only, because I care about you. I want you to enjoy everlasting life, and that can only be found in Jesus. Jesus is all sufficient, beloved. It is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that we are saved.

In summary, beloved, you need not be Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian in order to be saved. Belonging to any of these religions does not save you. Only Christ saves you. Any other path leads to destruction and an unhappy ending.

In closing, beloved, remember that you were not made to serve religion. You were made to serve and glorify God. He will always stand by you and give you what you need when you need it. He is faithful, just, and willing and able to save everyone that calls on His name sincerely. He loves us unconditionally, and He wants to bless us with the fruits of His love. He will not force us to come to Him, however. It is up to each one of us to exercise our own free will. Choose wisely, brothers and sisters, as the ramifications of this choice are eternal.

I hope you choose the blameless Lord Jesus Christ who has given all in order to provide you with the gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting life. Furthermore, I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive all those who have offended you. Don’t say that they don’t deserve to be forgiven. Beloved, none of us deserves forgiveness, yet that did not stop Christ from paying a great price to forgive us of our sins. Carrying on resentment, hurt, and grudges only takes up space, and that space is found right between God and us. Let go of it, beloved, so that there is nothing between our Creator and us. In order to receive Christ’s gift of forgiveness, we must not be hypocrites. This means that we also must forgive. As Christ Jesus tells us:

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” – Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)

Beloved, whether you claim a religion/denomination or not, your faith and trust will only be justified if they are in Christ Jesus. Choosing Christ is truly the best decision you can ever make, and it’s the most important.  If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Precious one, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you can rejoice in knowing that you are now a born-again servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:-)  The blood of Christ has washed away the stains of your past sins, and you now have a clean spiritual slate to begin your new life with!!!  Praise God!!!  Get to know the Lord better, and commit yourself to growing in your relationship with Him.  Spend a few minutes every day studying His word (the bible), communicating with Him in prayer (speaking & listening), and seek fellowship with other Christians.  Doing these things will help you grow in your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ and will strengthen your faith.  Welcome to the family!!!  We are very happy to have you:-)  Let us know whenever we can support you in any way by emailing us directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).  You will find that you now have many brothers & sisters ready to support you through prayer & encouragement!!!  You will still have problems and troubles in this world, but with Jesus Christ in your heart, you will be able to overcome them all:-) 

I want to thank you for joining our discussion today. I hope you will be able to join us again tomorrow.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger