Preaching to the Spirits

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who disobeyed long ago, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

1 Peter 3:18-19

The meaning of preaching "to the spirits in prison" is not completely clear, and commentators have explained it in different ways. The traditional interpretation is that Christ, between his death and resurrection, announced salvation to God's faithful followers who had been waiting for their salvation during the whole Old Testament era. Matthew records that when Jesus died, "the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." (Matthew 27: 52, 53). In any case, the passage shows that Christ's Good News of salvation and victory is not limited. It has been preached in the past, as well as in the present; it has gone to the dead as well as to the living. God has given everyone the opportunity to come to Him, but this does not imply a second chance for those who reject Christ in this life.
Why continue to live with sins that Jesus has already died for? Whether you understand it or not, believe it and go free. It is our responsibility to acknowledge our need and His responsibility to meet that need. This, in fact, he has already done. Count it as so and move on. Heavenly Father, we admit that we are sinners and that we cannot save ourselves. However, we acknowledge that Jesus is our Savior, and we accept Him into our hearts right now. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God bless you,

J.H

A Fresh Start

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1 John 3:9

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin" means that true believers do not make a practice of sinning, nor do they become indifferent to God's moral law. All believers still sin, but they are working to gain victory over sin. "God's seed remains in him" means true believers do not make a practice of sinning because God's new life has been born into them. We are "born of God" when the Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us Jesus' new life. Being born again is more than a fresh start; it is a spiritual rebirth, receiving a new family name based on Christ's death for us. When this happens, God forgives us and totally accepts us; the Holy Spirit gives us new minds and hearts, lives in us, and begins helping us to become like Christ. Our perspective changes too because we have a mind that is renewed, day by day by the Holy Spirit. So we must begin to think and act differently, as we are "new creatures" in Christ.

God Bless you,

J.H

We are Overcomers

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not the burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the son of God.

1 John 1-5

Yesterday was a glorious day. My seven year-old son began asking me about eternal life. He wanted to know how he could receive eternal life. I began to tell him what the Bible says and one thing led to another, and I soon led him in the Believer's Prayer and he gave his life to the Lord on April 1st, 2007. Thank you, God! When we become Christians, we become part of God's family, with fellow believers as our brothers and sisters, as well as our sons and daughters. It is God who determines who the other family members are, not us. We are simply called to accept and love them. Jesus never promised that obeying Him would be easy. But the hard work and self-discipline in serving Christ is no burden to those who love Him. And if our load starts to feel heavy, we can always trust Christ to help us bear it. Most of us surrender in one way or the other to the call of the world, when all the while, as Christians, we are called to be overcomers. "They overcame by the blood of Lamb, and the Word of their testimony." My son's testimony has just begun, and his testimony has just become part of mine as well.

God Bless you,

J.H.

True Confession

But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the Word of Faith we are proclaiming; that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."

Romans 10:8-11

Have you ever been asked, "How do I become a Christian?" These verses give you the beautiful answer - salvation is as close as your own the mouth and heart. People think that it must be complicated process, but it is not. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved. Verse 11 is a verse that must be read in context. Paul is not saying that Christians will never be put to shame or be disappointed. There will be times when people let us down and that circumstances take a turn for the worse. Paul is saying that God will always keep His side of the bargain - those who call on Him will be saved. God will never fail to provide righteousness to those who believe. He will comfort us in times of trial and support us in times of temptation. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

God Bless you,

J.H.

He is Risen!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them. "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"

Luke 24:1-6

The two angels asked the women why they were looking in a tomb for someone who was alive. Often we run into people who are looking for God among the dead. They study the Bible as a mere historical document, and go to church as if going to a memorial service. But Jesus is not among the dead - He Lives! That is the main point of the Easter story. The focus of the story should not be the cruel and painful death on the cross, although that is very important as the payment in full for the sins of the world, but it should be the fact that He rose again three days later. God has the power to create life where their is no life! That which is dead may rise again! It is that same resurrection power that is available to each of us today through the Holy Spirit. Jesus reigns in the hearts of Christians, and He is the head of His Church. Are you looking for Jesus among the living? Do you expect Him to be active in the world and in the church? Look for signs of His power - they are all around you. Whatever you are going through today, whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual or financial, pray for God's magnificent and intervening power and watch what happens. He continues to manifest the power of the Resurrection throughout the world today.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Sacrifice and Surrender

Because by one sacrifice, He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First, he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

Hebrews 10:14-17

The writer of Hebrews concludes his argument with this powerful statement that God will remember our sins no more. Christ forgives completely, so there is no need to confess our past sins repeatedly. As believers, we can be confident that the sins we confess and renounce are forgiven and forgotten.
We have been made perfect, yet we are "being made holy." Through His death and resurrection, Christ, once for all, made His believers perfect in God's sight. At the same time, he is making them holy (progressively cleansed and set apart for His special use) in their daily lives here on earth. We should not be surprised, ashamed, or shocked that we still need to grow. God is not finished with us yet. We can encourage this growth by deliberately applying Scripture to all areas of our lives, by accepting the discipline and guidance Christ provides, and by giving him control of our desires and our goals.

God Bless you,

J.H.

How Ironic

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgatha). Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others - one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.

John 19:16-19

This sign was meant to be ironic. A king, stripped nearly naked and executed in public view, and obviously lost his kingdom forever. But Jesus, who turns the world's wisdom upside down, was just coming into His kingdom. His death and resurrection would strike the death blow of Satan's rule and would establish Jesus' eternal authority over the earth. Few people reading the sign that bleak afternoon understood its real meaning, but the sign was absolutely true. All was not lost. Jesus was the king of the Jews-and the Gentiles, and the whole universe. Here is where the price was paid for our pardon, but everyone of us individually must acknowledge it was our sin that caused it before the pardon is valid.

God bless you,

J.H.