Calvary Temple

Today we discuss our church's statement of faith and the scriptural support for our basic doctrinal positions. We also compare and contrast these statements with the Pentecostal Church of God statement of faith from which our church's statement of faith borrows.

Joshua 3 and 4 recount the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, where God stops the river's flow to allow the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. These chapters highlight God's faithfulness, mighty hand of power, and guidance, demonstrating that He makes a way when His people step out in faith, just like the Levites had to first step into the water before God performed the miracle on their behalf. For Christians today, this passage serves as a reminder to trust God during uncertain times and to remember His past faithfulness as a source of strength. The memorial stones set up in Joshua 4 symbolize the importance of passing down testimonies of God's work to future generations. Thank God for the personal spiritual memorial stones that we can look back upon and about which we can teach our children!

God's divine purpose is not always made known to us. It wasn't to Abraham. He saw only small pieces of the puzzle, but the whole scene was not revealed to him—not even in his lifetime. How could he be the blessing to all families on the earth when he had only one kid—at 100 years old?? Yet, he didn't see that he and his one child of promise would be directly responsible for the coming Messiah, who would surely be a blessing to all families on the earth. And, since we are spiritual offspring of Abraham, and we believe in the Messiah, we have the same blessing as Abraham did!

Ever felt unworthy of God's love, salvation, healing? In I Kings Chapter 13 we read the story of an unnamed prophet chosen by God to deliver a very strong message to the wicked king Jeroboam. The message said that God would destroy the altars to the king's false gods and idols, and that the human ashes on top of the altar would be poured out in front of Jeroboam as a sign of the authenticity of the prophecy. The king became so angry that he stuck out his arm and shouted to his soldiers to seize the prophet, and when he did, God sent judgment and withered his hand and froze his arm in the outstretched position. The king had the audacity to ask the prophet, whom he was just about to have killed, to intercede in prayer to his God on his behalf and ask him to restore his hand and arm…and God chose to answer the prophet's prayer on behalf of Jeroboam. Sometimes, even saints do wrong or make bad choices. We have a God who set up a system of intercession—we as saints intercede for the lost, the Holy Spirit intercedes with groanings for us, and Jesus intercedes for all to the Father.

In the familiar story in Mark 11:12-14 Jesus demonstrated to his disciples the need for believers to bear good fruit…it was representative of the Jewish leaders who had all the right trappings to appear outwardly righteous, but inside, were barren and void. Later, in Verse 20 when the disciples commented about the fig tree being withered according to Jesus word, Jesus taught them about their own authority and responsibility, to speak instructions to their mountain, to be removed from their path. While this is very, very hard for some of us to grasp, it's Jesus' own words. ANd, what a beautiful time of speaking to our mountains we had!

Have you ever felt like you were going to perish? So did the disciples in Matthew 8:23-27. They were in the thick of a terrible storm, and their small boat was quickly filling up with water. They were surely aware of the miracles that Jesus, asleep in the stern of the boat, had previously performed but here, in this moment, they feared for their own safety. While Jesus challenged them about their lack of faith, we can be comforted to know that he immediately recognized their fear and calmed the storm they were in. He saved them from peril and in doing so, built their faith and confidence in his deity, the One who speaks to the wind and the waves and they obey Him!

Jesus didn't say that he would merely bring about resurrection, or CAUSE the resurrection to happen, both of which are true, but he said, I AM THE RESURRECTION—and the life. He was deity over death and deity over resurrection. Resurrection from the dead and eternal life in fellowship with God are so are EMBODIED in Jesus and they can be found ONLY through RELATIONSHIP through faith in Him. Jesus echoed the covenant of old found in Deuteronomy 28:6, Blessed will you be in your coming in and in your going out when he said in John 10:9, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. He truly is the resurrection and the life!

Today we are looking at Exodus 12 to review the plague of Passover of the Death Angel, and how God made a way to spare the Israelites from death. In addition, we will watch a video by David Guzik, centering on present-day Communion, and how it is related to the Passover—namely, Jesus Christ being our Passover Lamb!

Join us for guest evangelist Juanita Canavesio's study in 2 Kings 13:14 titled "How Much of God's Victory Do We Want? - There is a Whole Lot More!"

Join us for a study of Isaiah 6, where Isaiah encounters the Lord and is purified and commissioned to deliver a message to the people of Judah regarding the Babylonian captivity that will be repeated again by Christ during the Roman captivity. God has a heart for the people of Israel, but as the Word says, whom He loves, He chastens. The message was that the people wouldn't see with the eyes, hear with their ears, or understand with their hearts (both in Isaiah's time, and again in Christs'), yet a remnant would arise who would embrace their Lord and Messiah.

Join us for our Sunday morning service, October 20, 2024, as we welcome an old friend of Calvary Temple - Juanita Canavesio.

In II Corinthians 3:18 the Bible says that we are being transformed into Christ's image. Many men of old walked with God and found favor with God; Enoch, Noah, Abraham. We also must mature in the things of Christ the very same way the Children of Israel did—by doing his commandments, full immersion in his word, walking with him and, by loving one another. The Psalmist said the man whose delight is in the law of the lord is blessed and on his law he meditates day and night. Sometimes the walk gets hard, and our faith will be tried and tested, but if we stay immersed in him, stay in love with him and with each other, he will produce a Christlikeness and maturity in us that we, and He will recognize.

The writer of Hebrews 6:1-6 stresses the importance of knowing well the “elementary doctrines” of Christ. Because if we haven't mastered these, we cannot move on to more mature matters in Christ. Specifically,· Repentance from dead works· Faith toward God· Instructions about baptisms· The laying on of hands· The resurrection of the dead· Eternal Judgment The instruction is that we must grow up in Christ, because it's impossible to restore those to repentance who have tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the word of God, and the powers of the age to come and then deny God and fall away. Advice we must heed.

Both anointing and adornment were used symbolically to designate or identify people or things which had been set aside for service unto the Lord. In Exodus 30:22-33 God told Moses to make a special anointing oil that would mark the temple furnishings and the priests as belonging to the service of the Lord. In Psalm 149:4 and Isaiah 61:10, the bible says that God takes pleasure in his people and he adorns the humble with salvation and robes of righteousness and that those godly traits look just like a priestly headdress that a bridegroom adorns himself with, and sparkling jewels that a bride adorns herself with for her wedding day. We are anointed for the Lord's service by the Holy Spirit and adorned with his godliness.

Pastor Debbie shares a personal testimony of trusting God's word, and God's grace and mercy in healing, as well as an old song that reminds us that there is peace in the midst of the storm, in the shelter of His arms.

Join us as we discuss the ‘mission statement' for Calvary Temple Church of Campbell, CA – to be effective for Kingdom Purpose. To fervently seek the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to enable us to minister the Word of God with boldness and bravery, and to simultaneously soften, open and draw the hearts of the lost unto salvation.

Today we welcome our missionaries to Mexico Skip & Darin Kincaid of GuateMex Vision. https://guatemex.org

In John 16:7, Jesus that it was to the disciples' advantage that He go away and return to the Father so that the Holy Spirit could come, and that when He comes, he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. In John 14:12, Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works He did, but greater works than these would they do, because I go to the Father. Both of these verses makes it clear that the coming of the Holy Spirit would cover the sin problem, righteousness and judgment problems, and equip believers to do these greater works of which Jesus spoke. It's essential that we are ready to share the gospel so that the Holy. Spirit can convict of sin, and that we are equipped to do the greater works!

In I Samuel 16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? FILL YOUR HORN WITH OIL, AND GO. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, FOR I HAVE PROVIDED MYSELF A KING AMONG HIS SONS. And in Verse 4 we read, And Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. And of course, Samuel reviewed all the sons of Jesse, but the anointed one, God's chosen one, wasn't among the expected ones. So, Jesse sent for his youngest son, David, and it was he whom God had chosen to be king and he whom Samuel anointed with his full horn of oil. The importance and the meaning of this to us, of having our spiritual horn full of oil, can't be missed. Everything we do depends upon the oil of anointing to be upon us. To defend against sin, satan, hardships, etc. We need it like it was when Moses anointed Aaron for the priesthood and the anointing oil ran down his face, his beard, and his robes. Oh God, anoint us anew with your precious Holy Spirit and let it run all over us! In Jesus' Name!

Deuteronomy 20 is God's law book on war. He laid out concessions for those who shouldn't go to battle, including those who were fearful and might spread their fear to other soldiers, and how to handle the cities outside of the Promised Land by offering them peace! But inside the Promised Land, things were very different! God said not to leave alive anything that breathed, so that they couldn't spread their evil ways of idolatry and sins against God. The blessings were all-inclusive for staying within the bounds of the Promised Land covenant—even to the blessing of their children for a thousand generations. God is so faithful! And to the church of Jesus Christ, he says that the very gates of Hell will not prevail against us. Amen!

What's in your spiritual bank account? Matthew 6:19-21 instructs us Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Have you focused on establishing a good bank account of imperishables from which our heavenly banker can make withdrawals? Do you invest in service to the Lord and others? Being faithful and having faith in God, even when things are hard? God is so faithful to bless us on this earth, but we must also keep our spiritual account well-funded! Matthew 10:42 says, And, whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water will by no means lose his reward. I want to bank some good rewards, don't you?

In Isaiah 42:8 God declares his name. I am the LORD Jehovah; that is my name and my glory I will not give to another, neither my praise to a graven image. In verse 13 he is the mighty warrior, great in battle; Jehovah is his name! What a mighty God we serve. There is no comparison of our God Jehovah, mighty warrior, great in battle, with any other so-called, self-proclaimed ‘god.' We must always be mindful of whom it is that we serve!

Many scriptures identify Jesus as the Son of God. In Luke 1 the angel Gabriel told Mary that this child will be called holy, the Son of God. In Luke 3:21 God spoke at Jesus' baptism and said, This, is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased. But, in Luke 4:21, when Jesus read from Isaiah 61, the people in Jesus' home town could only recognize him as the carpenter's son, not the Son of God. Satan also challenged Jesus' identity as the Son of God, but Jesus overcame every challenge using the Word of God. We must recognize him as the Divine Son of God, sent to earth on a Divine Assignment from his Father. I'm so thankful that Jesus accepted his assignment as the will of his Father. In John 10:11, Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd and I lay down my for the sheep. What an assignment for the Son of God.

In Malachi chapter 3:1, God introduces us to the Messenger of the New Covenant in whom we delight. This covenant was a greater covenant than that which had been handed-down to the Levites in laws and stories, but which they strayed away from. This new covenant would be about personal relationship with the Messenger of the Covenant and would solve the sin problem once and for all.This passage covers both the first advent of Christ as the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and the second coming—which we believe is very soon to happen, when Jesus will sit in judgment as the refiner and purifier. His first coming forces people to decide what to do about God. The second coming will bring judgment and justice to those who reject it, and eternal blessing to those who hear it and accept it. The question is, have you heard and accepted His salvation plan?

God requires holiness and respect for his name from those in the priesthood and those who minister to God and the people. In I Samuel 2 Eli, the priest's sons began to treat the offerings that the people would bring to sacrifice to the Lord with contempt by literally taking by force, the most and the best parts of the animals for themselves. But God took the lives of the two sons in one day. Again, in Malachi 2, God had a sobering message for the priesthood because of their deep levels of corruption, in that they were offering polluted food on the altar of God by offering blind, lame and sick animals to sacrifice to desecrate his name. God said he would not accept an offering from dirty hands. He cursed their blessings and their children. I Peter 2:9 says that those who come to him are spiritual houses, and a holy priesthood and we offer spiritual sacrifices—which have been made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice. It still matters that we bring holy and pure spiritual sacrifices before the Lord. He'll not accept offerings from dirty hands.

James 1:17 tells us that Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Some gifts come with seemingly flawed aspects. Parents are sometimes imperfect, yet they make us feel loved. Pastors, teachers and churches are often flawed, yet we come to know the love of Christ, the word of God and Christian fellowship through them. Daniel and his three friends were the cream of the crop in Judah; well-studied in the laws of God, able servers in the temple. But when they were taken into captivity in Babylon, they were forced to serve in the pagan king's court and then slated to be killed. But God answered prayer in a miraculous way, and Daniel thanked God for his gift of mercy and prayed, To you, Oh God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might and have made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter. Let's be thankful for the good and perfect gifts from God.

Let the church say, Amen, Amen! God has spoken, so let the church say, Amen! Nehemiah 8:5-8 tells how, newly released from terrible bondage under Babylonian captivity, the people of Judah regathered to Jerusalem and set forth rebuilding the temple. Nehemiah, the governor, declares the day to be a holy day, and that the people should no longer be in mourning, but they should rejoice in the Lord, for the joy of the Lord is their strength. So, Ezra read the Book of the Law, and the Levites interpreted the words he read, so that all the people understood the words they heard. And Verse 6 says: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen! Lifting their hands and bowing their faces to the ground, worshipping God. When the word of the Lord is spoken, either by the Holy Spirit or written in His book, Let the church say, Amen, Amen!

Sometimes, things are just not as they appear…or sound. This was the case in Ezra 3:10-13. The onlookers and listeners couldn't tell whether the sounds they heard were rejoicing or mourning. Some of the people were shouting with joy because they were delivered from Babylonian captivity and because the temple at Jerusalem was being rebuilt. But others, the elders, were mourning because they'd seen the glory of the former temple and they knew that the new one wouldn't compare with the old one. They were mourning what had been lost. Our country may be in this exact situation at this time of our presidential election. Some people may be rejoicing, but some may be mourning, and it may be difficult to tell the difference. But, the good news is that God remains in full control. Just as he did in Genesis, when he used the rain and flood to cleanse the earth of all things ungodly. But he used that exact same rain and flood to lift up Noah and his family—a remnant of believers—above the devastation. Stay in prayer!

These words are true and trustworthy—that's what Jesus said of his own words in Revelation 22:6. Just before his ascension to Heaven to be with his Father, Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit to come to them. Again, this wasn't new news, because, as Jesus said, they'd heard it from him. In the book of John, Jesus reassured the disciples, whom he'd called friends to remember what he'd said, because his words would keep them safe from falling away from their faith. We've heard it from Him, whose words are true and trustworthy.

Join us for our Sunday morning service, October 20, 2024, as we welcome an old friend of Calvary Temple - Juanita Canavesio. We were inspired by Sister Juanita's testimony and her passion for the lost, and you will be too!

The Psalmist said that he would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of God than to dwell in tents of wickedness. In II Chronicles 23, God appointed and anointed gatekeepers to surround the house of God to protect both the king and the people from wicked evildoers! They were to always be on watch, with weapons in hand, and were to kill anything that was unclean in any way. It was customary for a family to position their sheepfold at the front of their house so that it could be closely guarded by a hired gatekeeper or, sometimes, by the shepherd himself. In John 10, Jesus told us that He, the Good Shepherd, not a hireling, is our gatekeeper. He is the very door to the sheepfold, and anyone who doesn't enter the sheepfold through the door, is a robber and a thief and has evil intentions to ravage the sheep. Thank you, Jesus, our Good Shepherd and Gatekeeper, for loving us so much that you laid down your life for your sheep!

God used the ram's horn, or shofar, as the trumpet of the day, to announce and commemorate important events. In today's message, we look at three different long trumpet blasts. 1) In Exodus 19:16 a long trumpet blast was sounded for the importance of God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. 2) In Leviticus 23, a long trumpet blast was sounded to start the Feast of Trumpets, which was for the people to prepare themselves for the Feast of the Day of Atonement, when God would forgive their sins for the year. 3) The third long trumpet blast is found in I Thessalonians 4 and is yet to come. It is the trumpet of God that will announce the rapture of the church! This is by far the most important trumpet blast of all, as it will announce the coming of Jesus in the air, along with the spirits of the saints who've died in Christ. They will come down from Heaven in the air, and Jesus will reunite their spirits with their bodies and gather up into the air, the living righteous. He will take us all, the bride of Christ, to Heaven to be presented to God the Father and forever be with Jesus. This will be the crowning moment for the church. Are you listening for that trumpet blast?

Prayers of supplication are prayers that are not typical, not wishy-washy, shot-in-the-dark kinds of prayers, but are so targeted, heart-felt, sobbing kinds of prayers. The kind where we groan in our spirit and plead with God with open hands, desperately needing to receive from Him. This is how Solomon prayed in I Kings 8 when he prayed over the newly built Temple at Jerusalem, asking God to dedicate it to His name and His presence forever, and to forgive the people's sins who would worship there. This is how Hannah prayed when she was petitioning God for a child. No words would come from mouth; only groanings deep from within her pleading her case for a child. And sometimes, we must care enough to pray this way over our loved ones who are walking in rebellion and need to seek God for forgiveness. God gave two men, Isaiah and Ezekiel the job of being spiritual watchmen on the wall of Jerusalem; but he also gave us charge to pray, to pray important prayers of supplication, over the walls of the hearts of those loved ones for whom we are spiritual watchmen, and to plead the case for their souls before God.

Deception in the church is something that we may not be as prepared for as we would like to think we are. The Apostle Paul warned the church in Rome about this in Romans 16:17-20, advising Christians to avoid such people that would preach a different gospel than what they were taught. Jesus warned in Matthew 7:15 that false prophets and teachers will come in sheep's clothing, but inside they are ravenous wolves. Jesus assured us that we would recognize them by their fruits—and, to also be assured that good and bad fruit cannot come from the same tree. Either they are good and pure inside, or they are ravenous wolves, even if they speak in Jesus' name! This message includes a true, personal experience of how such a cult of ravenous wolves tried to infiltrate our church, just a few weeks ago. This is serious business and we must be diligent to know the Word of God so that we recognize their fruits of deception.

Join us for this excellent podcast by Pastor Tiff Shuttlesworth and YouTuber Kap Chatfield on the end times eschatology.

Jeremiah, a faithful prophet of God had a very heavy message to deliver from God to the people. In Jeremiah 20:7 he prayed,V7 O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.Sometimes, the Lord calls upon us to carry a heavy burden of prayer, love and concern, and maybe even to deliver a difficult message to others. And even though, like Jeremiah, we may be met with great opposition because of the content of the message, we cannot keep silent. Jeremiah said in Verse 9, even when I say, I will not so much as even mention His name again, the message is so strong within me that it feels like fire shut up in my bones. The point of this message must be clear; our weaknesses--though very real to us, are no excuse for not doing God's work, nor are they in any, a deterrent, to God using us in great power and with great results. God did strengthen Jeremiah, with words of personal encouragement, visions, dreams, and God will surely do the same for you, for all of us, if we remain faithful in the calling.

Are you walking in the light of God? Even when the world surrounds us with so much darkness, we can be sure of where the light is. I John 1:5-7 tells us how to do that. I John 1:5-7 in the Amplified Bible: V5 This is the message [of God's promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. V6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; V7 but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

Join us for this study of Genesis 1:6-10 which recounts both the reasons why, and the benefits to us, when God separated the “waters from below from the waters that are above,” and, when he created the expanse, or firmament, in between them. Six times in creation God commanded his created matter to obey him, and they did so, without resistance! Thankfully, we can praise him because we love him, not because we were commanded to do so!

Ever wonder about what was “before the beginning?” The Bible says a lot about what was before the beginning as we know it from Genesis 1! God's creation was carried out by His spoken word—that word was the very cause of all that was created, and Jesus, as John 1:1-3 says, is the Word of God. Colossians 1:15-20 says that Jesus, the Word of God, and the image of the invisible God, created all things that were created, both in heaven and on the earth. Join us for this interesting study of “Before the Beginning,” based on Proverbs 8:22-31.

In Isaiah 53:10-12, Isaiah the prophet wrote about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, 700 years before Jesus came to the earth! That tells us that the plan of God for a redeemer, God's will, always was! It was also God's will that, even in death, it did not end the plan and will of God, because through resurrection, God's will and testament, Jesus, would live on eternally. And Jesus gave us that promise, too. That plan, the will and testament of God, was and is inclusive for all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, God Himself, and that He came to save us from our sins. Even one of the two thieves who died on the cross with Jesus believed and was saved! He believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and he believed that he was a sinner and that Jesus could save him from his sins, even though he deserved death. Jesus gave him such a glorious hope and promise that, today, that very day of what seemed to be the worst day of that man's life, would end in Paradise with Jesus—eternally. Even the thief on the cross believed and was saved! And again, that same promise is given for us, today. Do you believe?

The book of Deuteronomy 16:13-17 describes one of the feasts that God established for the Israelites as part of his Covenant with them. The Feast of Booths was to occur every seven years, and last for 7 days, after the summer's harvest and gathering-in of crops. They were to remember God's prior provision for them and rejoice over God's current abundance. The Bible specifically says they were to be “altogether joyful.” Later, after the Israelites rejected God and were taken into Babylonian captivity, in Nehemiah 8:13 the Feast of Booths was once again established for them to celebrate with great joy. But after this, the solemn assembly was to be called; they repented, fasted and prayed! America can't afford any more spiritual lethargy, in essence, “sitting on the dock of the bay wasting time!” America needs to remember God's provision and freedom in this country; America needs to rejoice and worship Jesus! And, most importantly, America needs to call a solemn assembly and repent!

We see such a dichotomy of values in this present time. In I Corinthians 1:26-30 the Bible says that God chose His own definition of what's wise, powerful, and wealthy, namely, those who ascribe to and receive the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto salvation. What God chose as valuable is foolishness to the world, but to those who believe, it is eternal salvation. That flies in the face of modern thinkers, who place such reverence on collecting material things and exuding power over others. But, Jeremiah 9:24 tells us exactly what delights God, and it isn't what the world values. God delights in those who practice lovingkindness, good judgment, and righteousness in the earth, because that's what He, Himself, practices.

In Isaiah 5:7 the Bible says that the Lord planted himself a vineyard and he cared for it and tended it carefully and that the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, are his pleasant planting. Again, using the symbol of the vineyard of the Lord, in the gospel of John 5, Jesus tells the disciples “I am the true vine and my father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes; that it may bear more fruit. Those who abide in the true vine, who is Jesus Christ, will be tended and cared for by the Father, the vinedresser, who will prune the true branches—those who center their lives in him, they will bear fruit that looks like the True Vine. Else, the branches that are not centered in the Vine, are removed and burned up. It really pays to remain fully centered in the True Vine.

In Ezra 1:1-11, King Cyrus was mightily used by God to accomplish his will, even though he was not a Jewish believer, but a foreign king. God blessed him greatly, and stirred up his heart to repatriate the scattered Jews, who were in exile in Babylon. Not only did Cyrus allow the Jews to repatriate back to Jerusalem, he also facilitated the rebuilding of the temple destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar. Sometimes, we struggle to understand God's ways in our lives. But this prophetic story shows us that God uses whom he wills, and even blesses and equips them to accomplish his will.

A fundamental verse in the Christian faith is I John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The whole of scripture is very clear that confessing our sins or repentance, and faith in God to forgive us our sins results in salvation. There is not a substitute for repentance and faith that can ensure salvation. Some popular statements used today completely ignore the requirement of repentance. How tragic for those who are truly seeking salvation! We must follow the Word of God for something so important! The psalmist David said in Psalm 51:1: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me! Repentance and faith; it equals salvation!

In Numbers 15:37-41 God provided fringe benefits to the Children of Israel. He instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to sew fringes, or tassels, onto the hems of their garments. This accomplished two things: 1) it identified them to the world as God's chosen people and 2) the fringe was to be used as a visual reminder for them not to follow their own hearts and will, and not to commit sin against God. In the New Testament, the Pharisees also wore fringes—but they elongated them in order to appear more holy than others. Jesus taught against this practice—but he didn't teach against wearing fringes in accordance to God's instructions. And, Jesus wore fringes on the hems of his garments! In Matthew 14:34 when Jesus came to Gennesaret all the sick were brought to him and they “implored him that they might touch the fringe of his garment, and all who touched it were healed.” Likewise, in Matthew 9:20, the woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years also touched the fringes on the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed. Today, we access those fringes on Jesus garment—his spiritual garment—by faith in his work on the cross. The Holy Spirit gives us access, by faith to Jesus' healing power.

Today is Father's Day, when we celebrate our fathers. Jesus loved his father! He prayed, Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name! Proverbs 23:24 says that, The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. The Father God was well pleased in His righteous son! Yet, God's heart, as well as ours, is for the fatherless. Psalm 68:5 says that the Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation, and Deuteronomy 10:18 says He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow. But, God also has the backs of fathers, too. Our text, in Psalm 121, tells us that he is a helper, a refuge, a stabilizer, and One who will never sleep nor slumber in providing his protection to those who lift their eyes to him for help. And finally, fathers can be encouraged as I Corinthians 15:56 tells all believers to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that IN THE LORD, our labor is not in vain. Even in raising godly children.

Romans 8:1-2 tells us that there is no condemnation—no condemnation to eternity in hell, for those who are in Christ Jesus! Because, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have the Spirit of Life in us, and He has set us free from the condemnation of sin and death through the blood of Jesus, which he shed at Calvary's cross. But still, we sometimes wonder, have we done enough or believed enough to make the Heavenly Team? Further in Romans 8 we learn that there is an absolute litmus test to find out! We can know for sure which side we are on by our mindset—either we keep our mind on the righteous right side, or our mind stays on the selfish fleshly left side. By knowing where our minds are set to, we can determine where we will spend eternity! We absolutely must know this, because in Mathew 25:31-34, and Verse 41, Jesus will determine where we spend eternity by our mindset. He will send the righteous sheep to the right, and the fleshly goats to the left. Which side are you on?

In Galatians 6:2-10 Paul admonished those who name the name of Christians to take care of one another; to bear each other's burdens and in so doing, we will fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ is to love one another, just as the ultimate burden bearer, Jesus, bore our sins in his own body. In Verse 7-8, Paul warns against becoming impressed by our own worth—for doing so brings deception! But God is neither deceived, nor mocked, for He certainly knows the source from which we sow—whether it be to the flesh or to the spirit! And, finally, we must guard against becoming weary of doing good and giving up the fight of faith, for the harvest will surely come, if we don't give up.

The value of our life's journey can be seen in both natural and spiritual ways. The life experiences we have and the character that is developed, are all part of our journey. Sometimes it turns out like we expect, and sometimes it doesn't. In the Luke 19 Parable of the Minas (about three month's wages) Jesus tells about three different men, and how their life's journey—their experience to handle situations, their business skill sets, and their character, prepared them for a significant test in their lives. Each man was given an amount of money sufficient to make a profit for the master; two succeeded, but one miserably failed the test in both experience and in character. Taking care of business is important in our Christian walk. So important that the Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 6:2 that today is the favorable time to get things done for Christ, and today is the day of Salvation! Have you taken care of this most important business of your life?

I John 11 Martha, Mary and the Jews each said, if only Jesus had been here, Lazarus wouldn't have died. In other words, had Jesus done what they'd asked, when they'd asked, this wouldn't have happened. Sounds familiar, hmmm? Jesus was not taken by surprise by Lazarus' death, but they couldn't comprehend what Jesus said they would see—the glory of God, because they'd only seen Him heal sick people before now. Jesus challenged their faith to believe for something more than they already knew. By raising Lazarus from the dead, He not only demonstrated his divinity as God, but also prepared them to believe. Believe that, just as he said would happen, he would also be raised from the dead. Jesus promised in John 5:25-29 that ALL of the dead will hear his voice and will live on that day of rapture. Those who have done good will be raised in righteousness to God, and those who have done evil will be raised to judgment and damnation. Have you asked Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Savior? If so, you will be raised in righteousness unto God. If you haven't done so, it's not too late—yet! You can do so today! Praise His Mighty Name Forever!