JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: THE PITY POT

From John Collins Ministries:

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6 (NKJV).

This world is not innocent. So, why do so many take things so personally and get so offended by the grief that comes with life? Why do so many place the blame squarely upon the shoulders of God? What is wrong with sorrow and grief? It teaches you to appreciate the joy and hope. What is wrong with sickness and death? It teaches you that there are seasons to life and health is not a guarantee. What is wrong with loss? It teaches you to appreciate what you have. There is beauty and wonder that we have feelings at all. Life is precious and filled with the ability to emotionally connect with others and death is filled with hope because Jesus has made it possible for you to continue loving those that you love.

People want to feel wounded and offended that they have suffered in this life and they want someone to blame and want to complain about it all, to be the victim. There are victims in this life and there are terrible things that happen but that is part of living among others who have the same opportunity as you have and that is free will. There are bad people in this world and there is evil in this world and that is something that we all have to deal with for now. It doesn’t mean that anyone has the right to blame God or to sit on the pity pot because as long as there is breath in your body, there is hope for salvation and you will not be gaining salvation while there is resentment for God and bitterness toward Him because you find your sufferings too big to accept.

Jesus did not grow old. Jesus did not get gray hair and lose His eyesight. Jesus did not raise a family and rock His child to sleep. Jesus did not take vacations and travel around the world to see different places. Jesus did not have the luxury of a long life. Jesus came to this world and from His earliest age was doing the work of His Father. Jesus concerned Himself with His people, His land and the salvation of this world. Jesus taught others and took the time to heal others and be kind. Jesus is perfect and yet He suffered for you. Jesus was ridiculed and mocked, beaten and hung on a cross to die. For you.

This is not a fairy tale that you have outgrown. This happened. Jesus is not just some man that lived long ago. Jesus is the Son of God and your Savior. Think about just how much you do have to be thankful for this week. As you make your plans to gather together for a meal and rejoicing, think about the times that Jesus gathered with His people for a meal. Jesus always was thinking of others, the salvation of souls. In the end that is what counts because the soul is eternal and we should all be thinking in that manner, maybe then awareness of the enormity of the gift that Christ has made possible for us all would truly sink in and gratefulness, the kind that produces life, would follow.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until the day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’” Matthew 26:26-29 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or reach Pastor John Collins, personally through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES at www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, LOVE THAT CROSS MINISTRIES: HELL IS FOR REAL

From John Collins Ministries: 

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, rather than having two hands, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’” Mark 9:43-44 (NKJV).

Jesus goes on to say the same of your foot and your eye, which if it were to cause you to sin, you should cut it off or pluck it out. That is a brutal truth that is said in order to make the hearer and the reader realize just how important it is for a person to seek to be obedient to God in this life and to not sin. It is also very important for every person living to realize the absolute truth of hell, that it is a place of torment and those that are judged worthy of deserving hell, do indeed go there and everyone who does go there will be there for eternity and the suffering will never stop.

That is not what people want to hear. It is fire and brimstone preaching that our grandparents listened to but we don’t want to hear it, right? There are even many so-called Christians who refuse to accept that existence of hell and have chosen instead to delude themselves and say that “their God” would never create a place of eternal torment and that “their God” is a loving God who would never hurt His children and that means that hell is just being separate from the presence of God, or it is just a metaphor, or it is symbolic of some other state in which we may find ourselves during life or temporarily after death but it is not eternal nor is it a final judgment of torture. That is just wrong thinking and as much as people do not want to hear it or accept the truth of it, hell is real, just as heaven is real.

You cannot have one without the other. There was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden and that means that there has been the choice of good and bad since the beginning. Yes, all that we do in life is a choice and it all leads to the ultimate day of reckoning for everyone. There will be a time in which all will matter and will determine where you spend eternity.

Are you going to be forever in heaven or in hell? Are your choices selfish ones, are your choices made with God and His will in mind and do you believe in the truth of the righteousness and truth of God, in the sacrifice of Jesus and in the available to you, through faith? These are things that you need to be aware of as you go through the day to day activities of your life, as you grow up, get a job, get married, have and raise children and do your best to be a person that can look yourself in the mirror in the morning and feel good about. Could you sit down with God and have a conversation knowing that He knows every single thought and feeling you have ever had and knows every single thing you have ever done alone and with every single person you have ever come into contact with?
Could you honestly sit down with God and trust that you have done all that you could to obey Him and not sit there justifying your life?

Don’t waste what time you have been given with denials that are only good to serve your own disobedience. God will not give up on you and you should not give up on you but you must know that you are only given a very limited amount of time here on earth.  You should live that life with purpose knowing that your priorities will indeed have you sitting down with God one day so that you don’t have to live with regret while suffering the torments of the damned for all eternity.

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or reach Pastor John Collins, Evangelist personally through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES at www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: CHURCH? BORED.

From John Collins Ministries:

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:2 (NKJV).

It does not take a person of great mental gymnastics to recognize the reason that charismatic preachers and musical ministers have claimed the hearts of so many ‘Christians’. Traditional church with traditional preachers equals boring church that families have been members of that only have their doors still open due to obligatory ‘respect and allegiance’. Traditional church is a snooze-fest!!!!

Church should be led by a pastor who is filled with the Holy Spirit and is inspired in their teaching of the word of God. Church should TEACH you how to apply the gospel to your life and why!!! Church should not be a concert, a motivational speaking class, a boring sermon recited by a boring pastor or a boring lesson with readings from the bible that are not applicable or relevant to your life.
The bible teaches you how to live your life, the gospel teaches you that Jesus Christ died for you and He teaches you that you must obey Him to claim the reward of heaven. Church should be a wakeup call for you to recognize your sin and to evaluate your choices in life. Church should be about teaching you to love Jesus and worship Him and the Father.

Boring traditional church does not claim the attention of our children and by making this experience a part of their Sunday is not helping them become true followers of Christ. You would be better off keeping them home, spending an hour reading some scriptures and talking about why it matters to obey God, why it matters to remain pure and why it matters that they should not approve of the filth in the world nor partake of the bounty thereof. Exciting music and inspirational speakers are another influence that lacks the reverence of God, the seriousness of worship and makes the gospel shallow.

Music is wonderful to worship with as long as the preaching is full of substance and godly wisdom and is the focus of the service. When seeking a church be picky and be aware of whether your children are sitting there in bored silence because you say they must or if they are paying attention and for that matter, how are you feeling about the service yourself? Just because something is traditional does not mean that it is what will guide your soul into heaven.

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, BELIEVE THAT, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or reach Pastor John Collins, personally through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES at www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: FAITH LIFE

From John Collins Ministries: 

“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: ‘For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:36-39 (NKJV).

A life is only worth living if the soul is saved, otherwise it is a tragedy no matter how well that life was lived. A life must achieve salvation in order to produce worth.

A person can grow up brilliant, become a scientist and cure a disease, become a surgeon and save lives, become a soldier and fight for freedom, become a teacher and pass along knowledge to so many, become any number of things that enhances the lives of those living on this planet and still fail. If you don’t make it to heaven, you fail.

No matter the success, accomplishment, or enlightenment that you bring to this world, if you don’t live a life of faith in the Son and the Father and commit to living a life in obedience to the gracious will of God, you will not enter heavens gates upon your earthly death.

Life is a gift and in all of its trials and troubles it is precious and an opportunity for you to grow in righteousness. Life is a gift and it is full of trauma and beauty that too many just waste on nonsense. Life is a gift that should be cherished and appreciated and used to ensure your salvation which can only happen through devotion to the Lord.

Do not squander your life. Do not take a single breath for granted. Do not waste what you have been given. Love God, love the Son, love the cross, love your neighbor and love yourself enough to seek those things which are above which is to seek to become more Christ-like and to seek righteousness before all.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV).

 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN BELIEVE THAT

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or reach Pastor John Collins personally at John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, LOVE THAT CROSS: SUICIDE

From John Collins Ministries:

 

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (NKJV).

Sometimes life just beats you up and sometimes your faith is tested more than you think that you can bear. It is important to begin and maintain that relationship with Jesus so that you can be sure that all of your struggles in life will produce the results that you seek. You should be seeking first and always to obey the Lord and get to heaven and your entire life should produce godly fruit that is evident of your conviction.

When you are not striving to do the will of God and you are living your life doing your own will and pursuing your own desires then you can be sure that any pitfalls that you fall into are not about testing your faith but are about providing opportunities for you to begin to pursue your faith. If you are a person who devotes each day to becoming more Christ-like then you can be sure that all of your struggles are not in vain but are a product of your learning to trust in God and also learning what is approved of by God while strengthening your character and preparing you for heaven. Only the pure and the approved get to go to heaven and just believing in Jesus does not mean you will be welcomed into Paradise. Remember that even the demons believe.

Perseverance is a challenge for everyone. It is not easy to feel burdened and tormented in life and it is not easy to deal with all that may happen that produces loss and hurt and scars. The beauty of submitting to the will of God and in obeying the Lord and in calling upon Jesus is that you know that when your faith is genuine, their strength is your strength and their hope for you is complete and they won’t let go. God really does want you to make it home to Him and Jesus really did die for you so that you could go there.

Life is difficult and times are tough and it is nothing new. Give your life to Jesus and commit to being loyal and obedient in your faith and know that no matter what you go through in this journey He will be there for you. Trust that you do have what it takes to persevere and it is worth it to try and try and try. Hold on to the hope that the Lord has given because He does love you.

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 (NKJV).

 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN BELIEVE THAT

Read about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or contact Pastor John Collins, personally through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: LOVE THAT CROSS: PRAYER V.3

From John Collins Ministries: 

"And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19 (NKJV).

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV).

Have you ever heard someone say that they are praying to their dead grandmother for strength? It is not only a Catholic thing but it is a complete disconnect in a persons' faith and disobedience to God that leads people to reach out in prayer to their dead relatives, to the ‘saints’ of the church and especially to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. Let me be very clear, Mary, the mother of Jesus is NOT the mediator of your faith and to pray to her is the same as praying to any other dead person. Jesus Christ is the way to get to the Father and it is through Him that you must pray.

You have been given a mediator in Jesus who was beaten, rejected and hung on a tree for the sins of the world. You have been instructed on how to approach God in prayer in the name of Christ. There is no way around this rule and there are no exceptions, even for His mother or the so-called saints or for any of your dead relatives. None of those people will help you, none of those people are able to provide you with anything and none of those people have the approval of God to stand as a mediator for you.

Do you think that God takes it lightly that so many ‘Christians’ ignore the words of His Son every day and are praying in the name of so many others? It is not something to think of casually. Your prayers are your communication with God and your faith is strengthened by your prayers. God does listen to the prayers of the faithful and the prayers of those whose hearts genuinely seek to worship Him in spirit and truth. Be serious in your prayers as that is the way that you approach God. Think of the holiness of the tabernacle and how so very few could actually come close. Think of the instructions to Israel about the holiness of God and how He must be worshiped. Jesus is now the mediator of your faith and it is necessary to approach both Jesus and God with reverence and awe. Do not be casual in your faith, in your prayers or in your attitude about God and Jesus Christ. Take your faith seriously so that you are able to enter through the narrow gate. Pray as the Lord has instructed you and do not turn to the right or to the left.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:1-4 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN

Read more about John Collins Ministries or contact me, Pastor John, through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: SUNDAY ONLY FAITH?

From John Collins Ministries:

Pastor John Collins, Evangelist writes:

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” Romans 6:14-15 (NKJV).

Too often, I have heard a Christian affirm that all past, present and future sins have been paid for by Christ Jesus when He died on the cross and rose again. Too often, I have heard Christians say that the law is dead and therefore irrelevant because Jesus replaced the Law of Moses. Too often, I have heard Christians say that they don’t have to think about sin or worry about sin because Jesus paid the price for all of their sins. The problem with thinking this way and living with the assumption that it is impossible for a believer to go to hell just because they believe in the price that was paid on the cross by Jesus is that there are a lot of Christians who will end up going to hell because they didn’t bother to pay attention to the specifics of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus said He came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. Jesus said to obey the commandments of God and to go and sin no more. 

There is more to the relationship that you have with God through Jesus than just believing, as James aptly explains that even the demons believe and tremble. It is not enough to espouse a belief in the work of Christ and go about living your life free of contemplation of your own sin. It is not enough to go about living your life as you see fit and to casually assume that you are forgiven any transgression without your efforts to seek righteousness in all you do. Too many Christians think nothing of being of this world while claiming the protection of salvation. The problem with that is that there will be too many Christians who find themselves mistaken and disappointed with the result when it is too late to do anything about it.

When you truly understand the price that has been paid by Christ and you have faith in your own salvation because you know that Jesus did indeed die in your place then you should respond to that wonderful gift by making a complete effort to seek godliness in your life. You should seek righteousness in all that you do, you should base your entire life on the principles of God and not on the standards of this world. You should seek to be conscious of Jesus and His sacrifice every day, not just Sunday and the holidays. You should be teaching your children how to get to heaven by being an example of godliness. You should never let your guard down on sin and you should never take for granted the grace that God has chosen to bestow. 

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Romans 6:16 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Read more about John Collins Ministries or reach Pastor John Collins personally through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: OMG!

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 (NKJV).

“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12 (NKJV).

We are told to revere God, fear God and hold Him in awe. We are not to take His name in vain and we are not to take the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in vain.  

Someone gets hurt and yells out Jesus Christ in a tone and manner that is equal to curse words. The term OMG has become second nature and of no consequence in the casual speech of people today. 

Vain use of the name of God and Jesus is to make them useless, of no effect, idle and worthless. To speak with such casual disregard for the name of God is show them contempt.  

The Lord is holy, divine and worthy of all reverence. The Lord is who we pray to, hope in and trust in. The Lord should never have His name fly off of the lips of those who claim to love Him in such an offensive manner. There is power in a name. Think of all that the apostle accomplished in the name of Jesus. Think of the prophets who accomplished so much in the name of God.

Those who curse with the name of the Lord or fling around the OMG response have absolutely no respect for the Lord and have absolutely no understanding of the Lord as they break one of the 10 commandments and are blasphemous in their speech toward the Lord. We have got to do better as a nation and dig deep to find our respect for God again. 

“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or reach Pastor John Collins through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: DO BETTER

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’- therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.” Genesis 3:22-23 (NKJV).

Maya Angelou has said when you know better you do better. I don’t agree. I don’t believe that people cheat on their spouses because they don’t know better. I don’t believe that people murder because they don’t know better. I don’t believe that people gossip and slander one another because they don’t know better. I don’t believe that people drink and drive because they don’t know better. I don’t believe that people are aborting children because they don’t know better. I don’t believe that people neglect their children while they entertain themselves and pursue their own lives because they don’t know better. I could just go on and on with so very many examples of knowing better and doing anyway. There is a time when you know right from wrong. That is what is called the age of accountability.

God gave us emotions and we need to learn how to handle them. We need to learn wisdom and take responsibility and that is life. God gave us guilt because our heart knows better than we give them credit for. When you do wrong, you know. Do it long enough and you won’t care anymore and will make excuses.

We do better when we WANT to do better. We obey the gospel when we want heaven more than earth. We submit to God when we want salvation more than anything. We do better when we want to do better. We all make mistakes but you learn from them and stop repeating them when we want to. It is not in the knowing it is in the wanting to know because your heart will tell you that you have hurt those you love, even when it is you.

We live in a world of education and knowledge. Jesus is not a secret. The Bible is the most sold book in existence with over 5 BILLION copies sold. Think about that. It is not a secret how to get to heaven. It is not a secret how to act with righteousness. This world knows better. It is time to do better. There is not going to be the excuse of ignorance to claim when judgment must come.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” Romans 1:18-19  (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES and reach me, Pastor John, personally through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com.