The ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

-2 Corinthians 3:9

Scripture reading: John 2:1-21

All excellent glory is in Christ; all righteousness is in Him. Everything that pertains to holiness and godliness, everything that denounces and brings to death the natural, everything that makes you know that you have forever ceased to be, is always in an endless power in the risen Christ.

Whenever you look at Jesus, you can see so many different facts of His life. I see Him in those forty days before He ascension, with wonderful truth, infallible proofs of His ministry. What was the ministry of Christ? When you come to the very essence of His ministry, it was the righteousness of His purpose. The excellence of His ministry was the glory that covered Him. His Word was convincing, inflexible, and divine, with a personality of an eternal endurance. It never failed. He spoke, and it stood fast. It was an immovable condition with Him, and His righteousness abides.

Jesus was true, inwardly and outwardly. He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). and on this foundation we can build. When we know that our hearts do not condemn us (1 John 3:21), we can say to the mountain, ” Be removed” (Matthew 21:21). But when our hearts do condemn us, there is no power in prayer, no power in preaching. We are just “sounding brass or clanging cymbal” ( 1 Cor. 13:1). May the Holy Spirit show us that there must be a ministry of righteousness.

Christ was righteousness through and through. God wants to settle it in our hearts that we are to be like Him-like Him in character. God wants righteousness in the inward  parts, so that we may be pure through and through. The Bible is the plumb line of everything, and unless we are plumed right up with the Word of God, we will fail in righteousness. Here, we come again to the law. I see that it was truly a schoolmaster that brought us to Christ (Gal. 3:24).

Thought for today: We must be people of the Word, so that people will be able to depend upon our word.

Have a great day everyone and God Bless you all!

Pastor Tom

I am among you as the One who serves.

-Luke 22:27

Scripture reading: Hebrews 6:1-20

We can never be filled with the Holy Spirit as long as there is any human craving for our own wills. Selfishness must be destroyed. Jesus was perfect, the end of everything, and God will bring us all there. Itis giving that pays; it is helping that pays; it is loving that pays, it is putting yourself out for another person that pays.

I believe there is a day coming that will be greater than anything any of us have any concept of. This is the testing road. This is the place where your whole body has to be covered with the wings of God so that your nakedness will not be seen. This is the thing that God is getting you ready for, the most wonderful thing your heart can imagine. How can you get into it? First of all, “You…have continued with Me in My trials” (v.28). Jesus had been in trials; He had been in temptation. There is not one of us who is tempted beyond what he was (Hebrews 4:15).

If a young man can be so pure that he cannot be tempted, he will never be fit to be made a judge, but God intends us to be so purified during these evil days that He can make us judges in the world to come. If you can be tried , if you can be tempted on any line, Jesus said, “You are those who have continued with Me in My trials” (Luke 22:28). Have faith, and God will keep you pure in the temptation.

Follow Him in a constant regeneration. Every day is a regeneration; every day is a day of regeneration; every day is a place of choice. Every day you find yourself in need of fresh consecration. If you are in a place to yield, God moves you in the place of regeneration.

Thought for today: If you are not on fire, you are not in the place of regeneration. It is only the fire of God that burns up the entanglement of the world.

When the hour had come, He sat down,

and the twelve apostles with Him.

_Luke 22:14

Scripture reading: Luke 22:7-53

That was the most wonderful hour. There never was an hour, never will be an hour like that hour. What hour was it ? It was when all of creation passed under the blood, when all that ever lived came under the glorious covering of the blood. It was an hour of destruction of demon power. It was an appointed hour of life coming out of death. It was an hour when all the world was coming into emancipation by the blood. It was an hour in the world’s history when it emerged from dark chaos. It was a wonderful hour! Praise God for that hour! Was it a dark hour? It was a dark hour for Him, But a wonderful light dawned for us. It was tremendously dark for the Son of Man, but, praise God, He came through it.

There are some things in the scriptures that move me greatly. I am glad that Paul was a human being. I am glad that Jesus became a man. I am glad that Daniel was human, and I am also glad that John was human. You ask, “Why?” Because I see that whatever God has done for other people, He can do for me. And I find that God has done such wonderful things for other people that I am always expecting that these things are possible for me. Think about this. It is a wonderful thought to me.

Jesus said in that very hour- hear it for a moment- “With fervent desire I have to eat this passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). Desire? What could be His desire? It was His desire because of the salvation of the world, His desire because of the dethronement of the powers of Satan, His desire because He knew He was going to conquer everything and make every man free who ever lived. It was a great desire, but what lay between Him and its fulfillment? Gethsemane lay between that and the cross!

Some people say that Jesus died on the cross. It is perfectly true, but is that the only place? Jesus also died in Gethsemane. That was the tragic moment! That was the place where He paid the debt. It was in Gethsemane, and Gethsemane was between Him and the cross.

I want you to think about Gethsemane. There, alone and with the tremendous weight and the awful effect of all sin and disease upon that body, He cried out, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). He could only save men when He was man, but here, like a giant who has been refreshed and is coming out of  great chaos of darkness, He comes forth: “For this cause I was born” (John 18:37). It was His purpose to die for the world.

Oh, believer, will it ever pass through your lips or your mind for a moment that you will not desire to serve Christ? Can you, under any circumstances, stoop to take up your cross fully, to be in the place of  ridicule, to surrender anything for the Man who said He desired to eat the passover with His disciples, knowing what it meant? It can only come out of the depths of love we have for Him that we can say right now, ” Lord Jesus, I will follow You.”

Though for today: Only by the Spirit can we understand what is spiritual.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart

brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure

brings forth evil things.

- Matthew 12:35

Scripture reading: Matthew 12: 25-45

God’s mercy never fails. When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, He set His face to go to the cross for you and me. When He came down from the mountain, there was a man there who had a son who the devil had taken and thrown down and bruised. The man cried out saying, “Lord, come and help me. Here is my son; the devil takes him and tears at him until he foams at the mouth. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not help him.” (See Mark 9:17-18.)

May God strengthen our hands and take away all the unbelief. Jesus said, “Oh faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?…Bring him to me” (v.19), and they brought him to Jesus, who cast out the evil spirit. But even in the presence of Jesus, those evil spirits tore the boys body and left him as one dead until Christ lifted him up. (See verses 20-27.)

Just think of the satanic. The devil goes about to kill, “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), but Christ said, ” I came to give life, and life more abundantly” (John 10:10). May God keep us in the place where the devil will have no power and no victory. I pray God that the demons powers that come out of the people in today’s churches will never return again.

Oh; if only I could show you what it means to be delivered by the power of Jesus and what it means to lose your deliverance through your own foolishness! I know of a case like this. A man possessed by demonic powers and sickness and weakness came to Jesus, and He cast the evil spirit out. The man was made whole. Then, instead of the man seeking the Holy Spirit and the light of God, he afterward went to the races. God save us! The healing power is for the Glory of God, and it appears that this man was like the teaching that Jesus gave in Matthew 12. His house was ‘empty, swept, and put in order” (Matthew 12:44), but he did not receive Christ and the power of the Spirit. So the evil spirit went back and found that he could gain an entrance again because the man had no other inhabitant in him. He took  with him other evil spirits, and the man’s case was worse than before. (See verses 43-45.)

We must make sure that the power of God comes to inhabit us. Are you willing to so surrender yourself to God today that Satan will have no dominion over you?

Thought for today: If you want to be healed by the power of God, it means that your life has to be filled with God.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite                                                                              heart; these, O God, You will not despise.

-Psalm 51:17

Scripture reading: Psalm 51:1-17

A constraining power in Christ causes you to know that His love is different from anything else in the world. In scripture it is called  a “sincere love” (1 Peter 1:22). this has a tremendously deep meaning. What is it? Beloved, Jesus will tell you what it is. It is a denunciation of yourself as the power of Christ lays hold of you. He loved you when you were yet a sinner (Romans 5:8), and He seeks your love in return. His is an unfeigned love, a love that can stand ridicule, persecution, and slander, because it is a love brought about in you by the power of the Holy Spirit, changing you from one state of glory to another. Christ is King of Kings, and “of His kingdom there will be no end” Luke 1:33). ” He Shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasures of the Lord shall prosper in His hand” Isa.53:10).

Oh, beloved, what a Christ we have! I want you to see that there is nothing like Him. If you see Him today, you needy ones, and gaze at Him, you will be changed. As you look at Him, you will find that even your natural bodies will change. His strength will come into you, and you will be transformed. He is the God of the sinner; He is the God of the helpless; He is full of mercy. I like the thought of His calling Himself the God of Jacob (Exod.3:6). When He says He is the God of Jacob, there is room for everybody. I tell you, He is your God, and He is preparing to meet you exactly as He met Jacob.

Jacob had deceived someone in everything he had done. He had deceived Esau to get his birth right (Gen. 25:29-34) and Laban to get his cattle (Gen. 30:25-43). The devil manipulated Jacob, but, praise God, there was one thing Jacob knew: he knew that God had Fulfilled His Promise. In Bethel, God let Jacob see the ladder-a wonderful ladder, for it reached from earth to Heaven- and Jacob saw angels ascending and descending upon it. ( Gen. 28:12). Bethel is the place of prayer. it is a place of changing conditions, of earth entering Heaven. God brought Jacob right back to the same place, regardless of how he had wandered. Jacob had to let everything go, and he was left alone. The same Old Jacob remained , and as long as God would let him wrestle with Him, he wrestled.

This is an example of holding on to this world -we never let go until we have to. God touched Jacob , and as soon as he was touched, he found out that he was no good. Then the Man said,”let Me go.” But Jacob answered, ‘ I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (Gen. 32:26). Friend, God will bless you if you get to that point, but you are no good as long as you wrestle. It is marvelous how God meets us in our distresses. When the cry comes from broken hearts, then God comes.

Thought for today: When you come in helplessness and with a real cry of brokenness, then God will meet you.

Have a great day everyone and God Bless you all!!

For God’s Glory,

Pastor Tom

Through death He….destoryed him who had the power of death,

that is, the devil, and released those who through fear of death

were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

– Hebrews 2:14-15

Scripture reading: Hebrews 2: 1-18

God wants you to know that He has redemption for you through the blood of Jesus, a new birth unto righteousness, a change from darkness into light, from the power of Satan unto God. This blessed salvation through the blood of Jesus will free you from all the power of Satan and make you a joint- heir with Christ. Oh, this is a glorious inheritance that we have in Jesus Christ. Glory to God! Jesus was manifested in the flesh, manifested to destroy the works of the Devil. Christ can make us overcomers, destroying the power and passion of sin and dwelling in us by His mighty power. He can so transform our lives that we will love righteousness and hate iniquity; He can make us holy, because just as God dwelt in His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, so God can dwell in us through Christ.

I want you to see that we receive sonship  because of Christ’s obedience. Do not forget what the scriptures says, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). If you turn to the scriptures, you will see how the peolpe reviled Him and how they tried to kill Him by throwing Him over the cliff. But He passed through the midst of the whole crowed, and as soon as He got out, He saw a blind man and healed him. He was in the world but not of it.

It is lovely-it is divinely glorious-this power of the new creation, this birth unto righteousness by faith in the Atonment. It can transform you so that you can be in Jesus Christ and know that it is another power dominating, controlling, filling you, and making you understand that though you are still in the body, you are governed by the Spirit. Oh, to live in all the beauty of the glory and grandeur of the Holy Spirit!

Thought for today: Leave Doubting Street; live on Faith-Victory Street, and the Victory will be yours.

Whoever desires to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

- Matthew 16:25

Scripture reading: Matthew 16:13-26

God is pruning us, teaching us to observe that those who enter into this life have ceased from their own works (Hebrew 4:10). Those who enter into this spiritual awakening have no more bonage. They have learned that “no one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life” (2 Tim.2:4). They have a new inspiration of divine power. It is the nature of the Son of God.

But the Bible say’s, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24).Yes, beloved, this means you will have to work for it, because your own nature will interfere with you; your freinds will often stand in the way. Your position will many times almost bring you to a place where you will be doomed if you take that stand.

The apostle Peter had entered into this divine position just before Jesus made His statement, “whoever desires to save hie life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My name sake will find it.” Peter had just received this new life; he had just entered into the place where he new that Jesus was the Son of God, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Then Jesus began breaking the seal of His ministry. He said, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke24:7).

Peter said, ” this will not happen. I’ll see to that! You leave that business with me. Let anybody touch you, and I will stand in  your place; I will be with you.” And Jesus said, Get behind me Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not minful of the things of God, but the things of men” Matthew 16:23).

Anything that hinders me from falling into the ground, everything that interferes with Me taking up My cross, dying to self, separating from the world, cleaning my life up, or entering through the narrow gate, anything that interferes with that is Satan’s power. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone” (John 12:24).

Strive to enter in. Seek to be worthy to enter in. Let God be honored by your leaving behind the things that you know are taking your life, hindering your progress, blighting your prospects, and ruining your mind- for nothing will dull the mind’s perceptions like touching earthly things that are not clean.

When God began dealing with me on holy lines, I was in bars drinking to much, of coarse I was among many others who where customers of these devils palaces. God dealt with me in this matter, and I cleared up the whole situation in the presence of God. That was only one thing; there were a lot of other things.

God wants us to be holy and pure, and perfect the whole way through. The inheritance is an incorruptible inheritance; it is undefiled, and it does not fade away (1 Peter 1:4). those who are entering in are judging themselves so they will not be condemned with the world ( 1 Corinthians 11:32). Many people have fallen asleep. (See verses 27-30.) Why? Because they did not listen to the correction of the Word of the Lord. Some have been ill, and God dealt with them; they would not heed, and then God put them to sleep.

Oh, that God the Holy Spirit will have a choice with us today, that we will judge ourselves so that we are not condemned with the world! “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” v. 31). What is to judge yourself? If the Lord speaks, if He say’s,”Let it go,” no matter if it is as dear as your right eye, you must let it go. If it is as costly as your fight foot, you must let it go. It is far better to let it go.

Strive to enter in.

Thought for today: Human life has an end; divine life has only a beginning.

Have a wonderful day everyone and God bless you all!

Pastor Tom

Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?

- Acts 19:15

Scripture reading: Acts 19: 13-20

I implore you in the name of Jesus, esecially those of you who are baptized, to wake up to the fact that you have power if God is with you. But there must be a resemblance between you and Jesus. The evil spirit said, ” Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?” Paul had the resemblance. You are not going to get this resemblance without having His presence; His presence changes you. You are not going to beable to get the results without the marks of the Lord Jesus. You must have the divine power within youself; devils will take no notice of any power if they don’t see Christ. “Jesus I know , and Paul I know; but who are you?” The differance in these exorcists was they did not have the marks of Christ, so the manifestation of the power of Christ was not seen.

If you want power, don’t make any mistake about it. If you speak in tongues, don’t mistake that for the power. If God has given you revelations along certain lines, don’t mistake that for the power. Or if you even laid hands on the sick and they have been healed, don’t mistake that for the power. ” The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me” (Luke 4:18)- that alone is the power. Don’t be deceived. There is a place to be reached where you know the Spirit is upon you so that you will be able to do the works that are accomplished by this blessed Spirit of God in you. Then the manifestation of His power will be seen, and people will believe in the Lord.

God wants you to be ministering spirits, and this means being clothed with another power. You know when this divine power is there, and you know when it goes forth. Beloved, we can reach it; it is a high mark, but we can get to it. Do you ask how? Say to God, ” What do You want me to do”? (Acts 9:6). That is the plan. It means a perfect surrender to the call of God, and perfect obedience.

Thought for today:The baptism of Jesus must bring us to the place of having our focus centered on the glory of God; everything else is wasted time and wasted energy.

As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear                                                                                        the image of the Heavenly Man

- 1 Corinthians 15:49

Scripture reading: John3:1-21

Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and told him that the new birth is not flesh and blood; it is the life of God. It is a spiritaul life, as real as God, as true as God. We are formed in God’s very image. He has quickened us and made us to be  like Him with an imward, spiritaul life. Just as we have our humamity, so the new nature, the new power, is continually forming a new man in us after the order of Him. The first Adam was formed, and we are in the vision of him; the last Adam , the new creation, is going to have a vision and expression like Him.

I was once exactly where Nicodemus was; I said, “How can this be?” (John 3:9). Then there came by faith a regenerating power that made me know I was born of God. It came like the wind. I could not see it , but I felt it. It had a tremendous effect upon my human nature, and I found that I was a new creation.I found that I wanted to pray and to talk about the Lord. Oh, I will never forget.

If you catch the truth, it does not matter where you are. If you are in exile somewhere- isolated from everybody, far from any human comfort- if this life gets into you, you will know that when He comes again, you will go to meet Him.

When you are born again of God, God’s nature comes in. I won’t call it the germ of eternal life, but the seed of God, because we are conceived by the Word, we are quickened by the power, we are made after His order. What is from above has entered into what is below, and you have now become a quickened spirit. You were dead, without aspiration, desire, and without desire. As soon as His life comes in, aspiration, desire, and prayer ascend, lifting higher and higher, and you have already moved toward heavenly things.

Thought for today: This new creation cannot live bound to the earth. It always lives, soaring -higher and higher, loftier and loftier, holier and holier.

You will show me the path of life; Your presence is fullness of joy;

at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

-Psalms 16:11

Scripture reading: Psalms 16

The Word of Life is to make your joy full. We must remember that what is absent in the world is joy. The world has never had joy; the world never will have joy. Joy is not in the five senses of the world. Feelings are there, happiness is there, but joy can only be produced where there is no alloy. Now, there is no alloy in heaven.  Alloy means that there is a mixture. In the world there is happiness, but it is a mixture; very often it comes very close to sorrow. Often in the midst of festivities, there is a place of happiness, and right underneath is a very heavey heart.

But Christians have is this: it is joy without alloy, with out a mixture. It is inwardly expressive. It rises higher and higher until, if it had its perfect order, we would drown everything with a shout of praise coming from this holy presence.

We want everyone to receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit has a very blessed expression of the Lord in His glory, in His purity, in His power, and all in His blessed words. All these are coming forcefully through as the Holy Spirit is able to witness to you of Him. And every time the Son is manifested in your heart by the Holy Spirit, you get a real stream of heavenly glory on earth: joy in the Holy Spirit- not in eating and drinking, but in something more substantial: joy in the Holy Spirit! And the holy Spirit can bring this joy to us.

Thought for today: No one gets his answers to his prayers- he never does- for God answers prayers abundantly above what we ask or think to pray for.

Have a great day everyone and God bless you all!

For God’s Glory,

Pastor Tom