by Pastor Cecil | Apr 23, 2020 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:52
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Many years ago I sat enthralled as I listened to Rev. Tim Lahaye speak on the rapture of the church. It later became the topic of his book series and movie which we know as Left Behind.
I am convinced that there will come a day when the Lord will call His church to meet Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with Him for all eternity. The signs Jesus said to look for are detailed in Matthew 24. If you study this chapter you will find a description of what our modern day society looks like.
I have personally tried to prepare messages in the form of letters and e-mails for those who are left behind after the church has been raptured. I have urged those who happen to find these messages to read God’s Word to find the answer to what has happened.
The terrible time of trouble and tribulation that awaits those who have been left behind can be eased by the realization that there will still be time for them to repent and accept the gift of salvation that Jesus offers. Oh, how much better it will be for them to escape the terrible time of tribulation that awaits those who have failed to accept this gift before the rapture. Pass the word!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 13, 2020 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 2:2
“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
The word determined that Paul uses in today’s Scripture is the Greek word; krinō. In part it implies a legal term as in a court of law when a matter is judicially determined as final and no further discussion is necessary.
God wants us to make Him the central focus of our existence. The things of this world, as well as the people of this world will pass away. God alone will never leave us nor forsake us. That being the case, we need to place our trust and confidence in Him.
Since Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then rose victorious over the grave, we can confidently trust Him completely. That means that we are to become single-minded in our service for Him!
The question that we need to ask ourselves is whether we are totally committed to the Lord, or do we have other things or other people that draw our attention from Him? If there are habits or individuals that take us further from the Lord, we need to make some changes immediately. Trust Him completely and be more and more SINGLE-MINDED!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 10, 2020 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit. “
The Hebrew word for redeem as used in Psalm 103:4, is the word, ga’al. In addition to redeem something, it also means to ransom someone. Many of you may have read about modern day pirates taking over large vessels and holding the ship and personnel until their ransom demands have been met.
Each and every one of us born into this world is held hostage to sin. We do not have to learn how to sin—it comes natural. It is the common characteristic of each and every human. The blessed thing is that we have been redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus. He paid the price and we have been—REDEEMED!
The writer of this hymn, Fanny Crosby, was eagerly looking forward to that day when her Redeemer would appear and her blinded eyes would be opened and she would behold the most beautiful sight she could ever imagine—Jesus!
Redeemed
(1) Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
REFRAIN: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(2) Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence,
With me doth continually dwell.
REFRAIN: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(3) I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
REFRAIN: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(4) I know I shall see in His beauty,
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
REFRAIN:Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(5) I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.
REFRAIN: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
Enjoy this free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com. To access Redeemed, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/redeemed/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 18, 2020 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
I recall once leaving a food court with a trash bag in one hand and a sack of baked goods in the other. When I arrived at my car I realized that I had thrown the wrong bag in the trash. My beautiful croissant was lost forever! Recalling that incident reminds me that we are prone to make the same blunder when it comes to our spiritual values. We hold onto the “trash” and throw the valuable spiritual truth away.
Remember the story of Job? God boasted to Satan that Job was the most righteous man in all the earth. But Job, a God-fearing man, had no idea that there was a battle in heaven over his integrity. He only knew that calamity after calamity crashed over him destroying all that he held dear.
God knows that we are not perfect. He knows our every thought and the motive behind each and every action we take. That is why we need to make sure we do not mistakenly throw out the precious things of God only to find ourselves holding onto the worthless trash of this world. What are you holding in your hands?
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 18, 2020 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
You may have heard the story of the young man who was composing a love note to his sweetheart. He vowed that he would climb the highest mountain, swim the widest river, and fight the most ferocious beast to prove his love for her. At the bottom of the note he added a P.S. “I will come and see you Sunday if it does not rain.” Oops!
I once heard my dear friend, Pastor Chuck Higgins, preach from this passage in 1 Corinthians. He started out by simply reading the familiar verses. He then read it a second time and replaced the word love with the name Jesus. It fit perfectly. But Pastor Higgins was not finished.
He read it a third time and replaced the word love with the name Charles E. Higgins. We all laughed nervously as we realized that it would be difficult to live up to the scriptures’ description of love. But he was still not finished. He asked each of us to silently read the passage and replace the word love with our own name. It became strangely silent in that room.
I would like to challenge you to read this passage and insert your own name. From this moment on try to make the description fit the way you live your life.
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
