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.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS

From John Collins Ministries:

 

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NKJV).

“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” Luke 2:40 (NKJV).

 

Jesus came to be our Savior, to teach us and to die for us. As you go through life, you are to look to Jesus to care for you, to guide you and to strengthen you. The human spirit is strong and can withstand more than you could ever imagine.

Jesus is strong in spirit and knows your weaknesses. He knows what scares you, what intimidates you and what you avoid. Jesus is there to help you face your fears and conquer what you thought you couldn’t. Jesus will listen to you and will help you.

 

Faith in the Lord allows your spirit to have courage. Hope in the Lord allows your spirit the freedom from worry and that confidence allows you to serve the Lord honestly. The human spirit is capable of being beat up, smashed down and trampled upon and it will still get up and fight. The spirit of a person is a gift from God and faith in His Son is the eternal blessing.

 

If you are in the need of encouragement just look to Jesus and His life and you will find it. Look to the character of Jesus and you will find the beauty and grace of God. Look to the Son to find the hope of all of your tomorrows and you will know that the spirit that is inside of you is made of strong stuff indeed.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV).

 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

 

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

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: A PRAYER FOR THE CHILDREN

From John Collins Ministries:

Heavenly Father,

I pray to You today to ask You to wake up those who are sleeping, those who are resisting You and please Father help the little ones who believe in You.  There are children hurting, children being murdered, children being abused and these littles one have such a need for Your protection  Father, so please comfort them and please bring her for them into their lives.

Father God, I know this world is defiant and this world is full of stubborn people, but You are bigger than any problem here, You are more powerful than any resistance here andYour are needed so very much by all of us here.  Please know that You are our hope and our future and we are thankful to You, God and we have hope because of Your precious Son, Jesus who I ask to watch over our children and to help their little hearts to know that they are loved.

In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN, BELIEVE THAT!

Reach Pastor John, and John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: WORTHY OF ANSWERED PRAYER

From John Collins Ministries:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NKJV).

Many times, when we are going through tough times or are experiencing tragedy or extreme hardships, we will pray to God and ask for His help, for a miracle or for strength to get through. Many times, when we are not suffering, we pray to God and ask for this or that or something that we want. In order to have our prayers answered we must first seek to become worthy of answered prayers. What does that mean, ‘worthy of answered prayers’?

God does not answer prayers from non-believers although many non-believers seek His help in times of trouble. God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous which means that He is not creating financial stability in the lives of those who do not follow His Son. Many people attribute their ‘success’ to God when He had nothing to do with it. God wants the believer to recognize their need for a Savior and to come in submission to the foot of the cross. In order to have your prayers answered, genuinely answered by God, you must follow the steps of the believer which is repentance, submission, seeking to obtain righteousness and a pure heart through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You cannot expect God to listen to any of your prayers if you are not bothering to listen to the words of Jesus and obey them. You must seek heaven above all else and you will find yourself praying for the fruit of the Spirit to become yours and you will find yourself praying for all of the right things and those prayers will be answered. When you pray for righteousness first and mean it, then God will be for you and not against you. Look at Solomon who wanted wisdom so that he could rule as God would have him rule and God gave him wisdom and then so much more. It is not about the stuff in this life, it is about the richness of the spiritual life that you can have and in having that rich spiritual life you can be such a blessing to others and that is the heart of the gospel that will ultimately have you receiving the prize of entry into heaven.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN, BELIEVE THAT!

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

 

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: OUR TEMPLE

FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” John 2:19-21 (NKJV).

Jesus referred to His body as a temple. A temple of God is to be treated with respect as it is holy and good. A temple of God is to be kept clean and pure. A temple of God is to be honored. Jesus knew that His body was a temple of God and all of us should know the same thing.

We are to think of our bodies as temples of God to be treated with respect and to be kept clean and free of filth. Too many people use their bodies for pleasure and to drink alcohol, do drugs, have sex in order to fulfill their lust. Too many people use their bodies to get what they want and to display their vanity. Too many people pollute themselves by seeking to enjoy themselves.

  Learn to respect the gift of life that you have been given and learn to be grateful for that gift. Your bodies are a gift from God and should not be used to sin against God.

“Or 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 with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV).

 LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

John Collins, Evangelist, John Collins Ministries always has his door open.  If you need to talk, he can be reached through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, LOVE THAT CROSS: CHRISTMAS RESTRAINT

 FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:24-25 (NKJV).

Christmas shopping season is here and before you run out and break the bank, overload the credit cards and spend hard earned cash that you should not, please rethink this holiday season!!

One of the hardest lessons to learn in life is restraint. When to restrain yourself from acting, from speaking and from reacting in a manner that is expected from you. Just because the world, especially the United States has come to drive buying in excess to please our loved ones in some kind of celebration for the birth of Jesus Christ for some and just an excuse to shop for others does not mean that you need to buy into the nonsense.

Jesus Christ was NOT born on December 25th. Although you may believe that you are celebrating Him when your family opens its gifts on that cold December morning, I promise you that Jesus would rather you not go into debt, not struggle to pay your bills in order to buy those presents and He would rather you not buy those gifts and would rather you restrain yourself from the manic need to “show your love” through material means.

Jesus is about love, salvation, hope and eternal bliss. Don’t make this year the same as all of the rest instead choose to make this year a new tradition that includes all of the love and faith that you can summon with all of the joyous celebration that you can endure without partaking of the “Christmas Traditions” that celebrate materialism and not God.

And for those of you who have small children, please learn restraint. Christmas is not about filling up the space under the tree. If you do buy gifts, restrain yourself and limit your purchases. One gift is lovely and if opened with Jesus on your mind and not yourself, then that is a pure and true rejoicing in Him and not the excuse to give and receive. We should never think of Christmas as if it were OUR BIRTHDAY and therefore our right to receive gifts and the same goes for our children. It is not their birthdays. This holiday season, learn to restrain yourself.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN BELIEVE THAT!

To read more or to contact Pastor John Collins, see www.johncollinsministries.com.